Yes You Absolutely Need to Baby Proof

To start, get down on all fours to see the world from your child's perspective. "It's remarkable how easy it is to open cabinets, to climb up on furniture, to get into medications and things that you wouldn't necessarily think they'd be interested in," said Dr. Scot Bateman, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "As soon as they're mobile, children are very curious."

From there, create a list of things to do and buy. You will never clear your house of every possible danger, but you can prioritize based on the most common causes of death and injury. These include suffocation, burns, choking, falling, drowning, poisoning from medications and accidental shootings, according to Dr. Pomerantz. The hazards in your house might vary depending on how many children you have. If this is your firstborn, staples of your adult life — like a sharp-edged coffee table — might pose the biggest problem. If you have older children, check for toys that are battery-operated or small enough to choke on.

Experts generally agree on the same basic steps to reduce risks in your house:

Set your water heater no higher than 120 degrees to prevent scalding.

Lock up household chemicals and medicines or put them out of reach. (Dr. Pomerantz said that accidentally ingesting medicine is the most common cause of hospitalization in younger children at the hospital where she works.)

Put window guards on any windows on a high floor; a child can fall through a screen.

Secure furniture and TVs to the walls.

Get outlet covers. Instead of the kind that plug in — which can become choking hazards or go unused on outlets you use frequently — look for a self-closing socket plug, which adults can slide back and forth (and tiny hands cannot).

Use only the back burners on your stove and cover the controls with guards.

Use window shades that don't have cords, or tie up the cords you do have.

Be diligent about anything at the child's level that could be a choking hazard, like hard candies or grapes.

Test your smoke alarms once a month.

If you have a firearm, make sure it's unloaded and keep it locked up.

A note on baby gates: The experts I talked to emphasized that you should put them at the tops and bottoms of staircases. This will keep babies from falling from the top, but also from climbing up from the bottom and then falling. The most secure gates are ones that attach to the walls, according to Dr. Pomerantz. The Wirecutter, a New York Times company, recommends Cardinal Gates SS-30 Stairway Special because "it's the best value," the reviewers wrote. "Opening it is easy for adults, and it's easier to securely install (in more situations) than its competitors."

You'll also want to get a seat for the bathtub. Only rigorous attention can prevent drowning, but a baby seat that's designed for a range of ages can help you (and your baby) feel more secure in the tub. The Wirecutter recommends the Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Sling 'n Seat Tub because "not only does it feel safe, it's designed to remain useful as your child grows."

Look outdoors.

In some parts of the country, Dr. Pomerantz noted, drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. Parents should enclose an in-ground pool with a fence roughly four feet from the water's edge, so children can't wander in. Hot tubs should be covered when not in use. And even a wading pool can be a hazard — Dr. Pomerantz mentioned a baby who was left in a Bumbo seat in a pool, but fell and drowned when the child's mother stepped away for just a minute. At backyard gatherings, where parents can easily be distracted, designate someone to keep an eye on the children, Samuel said. (Safe Kids has a printable Water Watcher card for such gatherings.)

Garages are also dangerous. Put chemical products out of reach for kids. As Dr. Pomerantz pointed out, antifreeze can look like a blue energy drink. And any kid can make a mistake — like drinking chemicals — out of sheer curiosity, said Dr. Bateman. Other tips from the A.A.P. include keeping items like tools and fertilizer in a locked cabinet, if possible, and unplugging all power tools when you're finished with them. Reinforce that the garage is not a play area — unwatched children are at risk of being run over or crushed by an automatic garage door.

Bring in help.

Virtually every community has an army of baby-proofing experts just an internet search away. Organizations like the Injury-Free Coalition for Kids offer their expertise to lower-income communities. If professional services are too expensive, friends or relatives can turn a chore into a fun group project.

[Read about your toddler's developmental milestones.]

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