How To Babyproof Your Home

It's no surprise that kitchens, baths and staircases are among the most dangerous places in a home, especially for children under 4.

Every year, 2,700 children die at home in accidents involving falls, suffocation, drowning, choking and poisoning.

James Hirtenstein, a child-safety expert with Baby Safe, Inc. told CBSThis Morning that staircases and doors injured many children every year.

He recommends a gate at the top of the stairs, preferably one with a one-handed release that allows the parent to hold the child while he or she is opening the gates. He also suggests using gates with vertical slats that prevent a child from getting a foothold to climb over the gate.

As for doors and partitions, he advises that parents replace glass with plexiglass.

Kate King of New York said she and her husband moved into their apartment when they were still childless. "Our apartment has many danger zones," she said. "We have glass windows, interior windows, actually, and we have a 15-foot drop to the den."

When Cameron, now 1 year old, arrived, she and her husband talked to the experts, did a lot of research and reading and ended making most of their purchases through mail-order catalogs.

For parents in similar situations, she advises: "Get an expert in, if you can. And change those door stops. They come in two pieces with a little rubber bit down the end that they baby can actually take off and swallow."

Among Hirtenstein's other suggestions are:

• Replace traditional doorstops with little metal ones that are safer for babies.
• Consider keeping interior doors open at all times to avoid having children catch their fingers in a slammimg door. An inexpensive metal stop slides under doors and prevents them from closing.
• Replace all outlets in the house with spring-release plates.
• Use corner cushions to protect children from furniture with sharp edges. They come in three colors and adhere with double-sided tape.
• Install toilet-lid locks in every bathroom. It not only will protect children from drownimg but will protect the plumbing from children trying to flush away large objects.
• Change the tub nozzle so that water shuts off automatically when it is hotter than 96 degrees Fahrenheit or use a special tub mat that bubbles when water goes over that temperature.
• Put all detergents and cleaning supplies on a high shelf so children cannot reach them.
• Latch all the drawers to keep curious toddlers out.