I am in the same boat and I think you are right on track with getting everything out of the reach of little hands, here is what I have done:
I built a pair of very substantial shelves which I bolted into studs on the back wall with three 2.5" lag screws each. They support a pair of GMA Europas, which are very heavy and honestly a stretch for wall mounting, but great speakers that are worth the extra work. They like to be out in the room a bit, which wasn't possible, so I treated the back wall with ProFoam from Silentsource.com. Profoam is reasonably priced, has a fairly attractive appearance, and really made a difference in my room.
I installed my gear and music in a nearby closet (Consonance b2000x integrated and a Sony 222es SACD changer) and ran my cables under the floor. I have a 'powermid' (around $50) which allows me to use remote control while my gear is mounted in the closet.
The only real downside is a long cable run, but its well worth it to have my gear tucked safely away.
The results have been excellent, if not ideal, it takes up 0 sq. ft. of floor space and is safe from my toddler (and more importantly, my toddler is safe from it!).
I built a pair of very substantial shelves which I bolted into studs on the back wall with three 2.5" lag screws each. They support a pair of GMA Europas, which are very heavy and honestly a stretch for wall mounting, but great speakers that are worth the extra work. They like to be out in the room a bit, which wasn't possible, so I treated the back wall with ProFoam from Silentsource.com. Profoam is reasonably priced, has a fairly attractive appearance, and really made a difference in my room.
I installed my gear and music in a nearby closet (Consonance b2000x integrated and a Sony 222es SACD changer) and ran my cables under the floor. I have a 'powermid' (around $50) which allows me to use remote control while my gear is mounted in the closet.
The only real downside is a long cable run, but its well worth it to have my gear tucked safely away.
The results have been excellent, if not ideal, it takes up 0 sq. ft. of floor space and is safe from my toddler (and more importantly, my toddler is safe from it!).