AROUND HOME : Baby Proofing

WHEN A CHILD starts to crawl and begins to explore, parents begin to look at their home as a chamber of horrors. Everyday fixtures such as electrical outlets, stoves, medicine cabinets and toilet seats become potentially life-threatening dangers. New menaces are everywhere, from household plants to the cat box, the hot water faucet and the glass-topped coffee table. Vigilance is not enough to prevent household accidents. The chance of a tragedy in the home can be much reduced by installation of safety devices such as outlet covers, drawer latches and gates.

Parents who are short of either time or expertise might consider hiring a baby-proofing service to do the work. The advantage of having this done professionally is two-fold. First, reputable baby-proofing companies evaluate a home from a child’s eye view, often seeing problems a parent might miss. This could be especially important to first-time parents of a child who is not yet walking, since household dangers change and multiply when a child begins to walk. “You save your baby’s life every 15 minutes,” says the father of an inquisitive, newly toddling one-year-old.

The second advantage of hiring a service is speed and convenience. Most baby-proofing installations can be completed in one visit of two hours or less, a rate few parents can match. Gates and coverings for stairways and balcony railing, which must be measured and custom-fitted, can require a second visit. Prices for baby proofing are fairly reasonable. Most services charge between $75 and $150 for a two- or three-bedroom single-story home.

Parents who are handy around the house might prefer to install outlet covers, drawer latches and door locks themselves. Some child-proofing items are available in hardware stores and baby specialty shops.

Baby-proofing service companies in Southern California include Mr. Babyproofer (818) 763-3900; Wonder Years Babyproofing (805) 254-0139; Family Safety Center (retail, mail order and in-home installation (818) 784-6628; and Safe-T-Measures (213) 476-1532.

A mail-order catalogue called Perfectly Safe offers child-proofing fixtures and devices; telephone (216) 494-4366.