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" Linda Warhaftig was cooking dinner in her North Brunswick, New Jersey, home in December 1998 when she heard a thud in the living room. Rushing over to the kitchen doorway, she found her 20-month-old son, Cameron, facedown on the ceramic tile floor. The plastic safety gate dividing the two rooms had given way when the toddler leaned into it -- and he fell on top. After calming Cameron (&amp;quot;He was more shocked than hurt,&amp;quot; Warhaftig recalls), she removed the damaged gate and put it aside until she and her husband could check it. About an hour later, Cameron started &amp;quot;making funny noises,&amp;quot; says Warhaftig -- clearly he was choking on something. She quickly picked him up, and a hinge pin, which must have broken off the gate, popped out of the toddler&amp;#039;s mouth.  &amp;quot;Thank God, Cameron was fine,&amp;quot; Warhaftig says. &amp;quot;But what if I hadn&amp;#039;t been the one watching my son that day? What if that gate had been the one at the top of the stairs? That makes me really nervous.&amp;quot;  Nervous is how most new parents feel when they look around their homes and discover all the hazards for young children. Loaded bookcases. Electrical outlets. Hot stoves. Parents conscientiously buy locks, latches, covers and gates to protect their kids. Or they may even call in a professional to childproof their home.  But that&amp;#039;s not enough, a Good Housekeeping Institute team has discovered. You have to know which childproofing products to choose: Many don&amp;#039;t work well and some are inconvenient to use. Over the past two years, for example, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled two types of safety gate. And emergency rooms and distressed parents have reported thousands of injuries associated with safety gates. Other products are still on the market.  But our special report is more than a warning. We point you to the best products, tested by our engineering team, not just for safety but for relative ease of installation (the &amp;quot;Bob Vila test&amp;quot;) and ease of use (the &amp;quot;Houdini test&amp;quot;). If you have to be extremely dexterous to use a product, we can&amp;#039;t recommend it. Of course, no product should substitute for supervision, stresses Steve Weinstein, vice president of the International Association for Child Safety. But many accidents happen when parents are a few feet away. &amp;quot;Babies are stronger, smarter, faster than you think,&amp;quot; Weinstein observes. That&amp;#039;s where effective childproofing comes in. Kitchen Cabinet Locks  Top Choices The First Years Cabinet Safety Lock model 3337 ($2.49 for two) and Kidco Cabinet Lock model S110 ($3.99). Both plastic U-shaped locks hook around cabinet knobs or handles in seconds. Pinch to release.  Tot Lok/Safety 1st Magnetic Cabinet Locks ($17.98 for four). Run a magnetic key over the surface of the cabinet to unlock it. These locks can be &amp;quot;turned off&amp;quot; for busy times. Above-average carpentry skills are required, but these were the best locks we tested. Not Recommended Mommy&amp;#039;s Helper Safe-Lok model 0356 ($9.95 for eight). Adults will have trouble opening this one. The First Years Two Flexible Cabinet Safety Locks model 3543 ($2.99 for two). The zip lock can easily shift out of alignment, and requires a screwdriver to readjust.  Child Safe Inc. Child Safe ($29). This plastic safe, designed to house toxic products inside a cabinet, is difficult to open and close. Safety 1st Cabinet Slide Lock model 12013 ($9.95 for four). There&amp;#039;s not enough room for an adult&amp;#039;s fingers to release the lock easily when this lock is used on knobs. Drawer Locks  Top Choices Tot Lock/Safety 1st Magnetic Cabinet Locks (see above) Safety 1st Cabinet and Drawer Latches model 116 ($1.99 for four). Plastic latch prevents kids from opening drawers. Parents press a tab to open, and when the drawer is closed the device re-latches automatically.  Appliance Locks  Top Choices Safety 1st Oven Lock model 241 ($4.95). A two-piece plastic hinge that resists up to 33 pounds of force. KidCo All Purpose Locking Strap model S400 ($4.99). This flexible plastic strap sticks onto the dishwasher door. In our tests, it resisted 20 pounds of force.  Not Recommended KidCo On/Off Appliance Lock model S330 ($3.99). The locking tabs are so small they don&amp;#039;t always lock properly, and the adhesive failed to hold the lock in place on a hot oven.  Bathroom Toilet Locks Top Choice Gerber Safety Toilet Lid Lock ($4.29). It&amp;#039;s easy to install -- the device sticks onto the top of the toilet seat -- and you just swing a lever to open it. Lid automatically locks again when you shut it. Not Recommended Mommy&amp;#039;s Helper Lid-Lok ($9.95). You have to press on two tiny tabs to open the seat; houseguests (especially baby-proofing neophytes) may struggle with it. It&amp;#039;s hard to keep clean and you have to remember to re-latch the device when you&amp;#039;re done.  Anti-scalding Devices Top Choice My Own Shower ($24.99). This extra showerhead mounts at your child&amp;#039;s height (with a suction cup). Inside, a safety valve cuts the water supply if the temperature gets dangerously hot.  Cabinet Locks  See Kitchen (above). The Stairs Safety Gates  Use only hardware-installed safety gates at the top of the stairs.  Top Choices Evenflo Home Decor Swing Gate ($99). You have to be handy to install this heavy-duty wooden gate, but it&amp;#039;s worth the effort: It locks automatically each time you close it. KidCo Safeway Gate model G20 ($59.99). A tough, wall-mounted gate, made of coated steel. Downside: It needs to be re-latched after you walk through.  Not Recommended C&amp;amp;amp;T International Deluxe Slam Shut Gate ($59.95). This pressure-mounted metal gate can open from either direction, not a smart idea for the top of the stairs.   In addition, the spring-loaded door is narrow -- and the high threshold could trip someone. Railing Protectors Top Choice Safety 1st Railnet. model 11796 ($22.99 per 10 feet). This nylon netting can be installed along railings to keep kids from falling or getting their heads trapped. Doorways Safety Gates &amp;amp;amp; Devices Top Choices Evenflo Extra Wide Soft Gate ($32.99). This portable, pressure-mounted gate is made of a durable nylon that&amp;#039;s sturdy enough to keep young kids out of &amp;quot;off limits&amp;quot; rooms. A good choice to take to Grandma&amp;#039;s. Telko Kid Safe Door Monitor model KS503 ($19.99). An easy-to-mount device that sounds an alarm if your child opens &amp;quot;forbidden&amp;quot; doors. The Living Room Furniture Guards Heavy bookcases should always be attached to the wall with brackets and screws. But with kids around, you also need to anchor freestanding shelves, TV stands, and dressers.  Top Choices Mommy&amp;#039;s Helper Tip-Resistant Furniture Safety Brackets model 02263 ($7.95 for eight). These nylon straps, which anchor bookshelves or other furniture to the wall so kids can&amp;#039;t tip over the item, must be screwed into a wall stud.  KidCo Soft Touch Corner Protectors model S340 ($4.99 for four). Soft rubber/plastic corner guards adhere well to different surfaces.  Not Recommended The First Years Safety Corner Bumpers model 3332, Safety Furniture Corner Cushions model 00111, Kid Kushion Corner Kushion model 6001. They&amp;#039;re too pliable; toddlers can remove them.  Fireplace Protection Top Choice Millennium Products Hearth Safety Cushion (prices vary). Custom fitted to your raised hearth, this cushion protects your child from rough edges.  VCR Guard  Parent Units VCR Guard ($10.95). This plastic shield prevents kids from playing with the controls or sticking objects in the tape slot. Around the House Electrical Outlets  Top Choices KidCo Standard Outlet Cover model S210 ($4.99). It replaces your existing outlet plate. When you pull out a plug, a sliding cover snaps into place. Safety 1st Power Strip Cover model 10409 ($13.98 each). Houses an entire power strip, with room for AC adapters (oversize plugs).  Safety 1st Plug &amp;#039;N Outlet Covers model 10404 ($7.99 for two). This plastic cover keeps kids from fiddling with the outlet or unplugging an appliance. It&amp;#039;s a little tricky to open, so it&amp;#039;s best for items (such as the TV or clock radio) you rarely need to unplug. Not Recommended The First Years Hinged Safety Caps (99 cents) and Safety 1st Individual Outlet Plug Caps (99 cents for six). Though these caps work, adults may find them tough to remove.  Blinds The looped cords on blinds can strangle a child. Always keep them out of reach, or cut the loops and tie loose ends.  Top Choice Mericon&amp;#039;s Cord Wraps ($9.95 for a 12-pack). Just wrap excess cord around these cleats. This blind protection system screws into your window moldings.  It&amp;#039;s tragic enough when a child is injured because a parent neglected to take the right precautions. But what can you say when a safety product itself causes the accident? Some devices are simply poorly designed. Others are risky because they can give parents a false sense of security. The following products have led to thousands of injuries and a number of deaths. Injuries 571 injuries since 1994* They seem practical: rings and seats that hold your baby upright, leaving your hands free for washing. But according to a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) study, the use of bathtub seats may increase the risk of drowning: They can give parents and baby-sitters the mistaken impression that it&amp;#039;s OK to leave a child alone in the tub while they grab a towel or answer the phone.  Colleen Finnegan of Manhattan, Illinois, saw what can happen. A few minutes after she set her six-month-old daughter, Ashley, in a Safety 1st bath seat, the suction cups lost their grip. Ashley tipped over face first into the water and got her shoulder wedged beneath the seat&amp;#039;s bar. &amp;quot;If I hadn&amp;#039;t been there, she could have died,&amp;quot; Finnegan says. The Finnegans were lucky. At least 45 children have drowned in bath seats and rings since 1983. Says Don Mays, GH Institute director, &amp;quot;This type of product shouldn&amp;#039;t be sold.&amp;quot;  *All figures are from National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, an emergency room database, indicating all accidents associated with the category.  **Including accidents involving railings on cribs. Danger Zones  43,376 injuries since 1985 Pressure-mounted gates aren&amp;#039;t the only problem. Some safety gates have openings big enough for kids&amp;#039; hands and feet -- which invites curious toddlers to climb on (and over) them. Other models have been taken off the market for different reasons. In 1999, white plastic stairway gates from North States Industries (model 8675) were recalled because their lock could open if the gate was shaken. First Alert True Fit pressure-mounted safety gates (model CSSG1) were recalled in 1998 because small pieces could break off, posing a choking hazard.  If you&amp;#039;re installing a safety gate at the top of the stairs, experts recommend a hardware-mounted model (you may want to hire a pro to help you install it). Avoid gates with small gaps, including the old wooden accordion-style gates with diamond-shaped openings.  Railings  70,843 injuries since 1985 Parents often use these portable railings, which attach to the side of a bed, when their children graduate from cribs to twin beds. With a poorly designed bed railing, a toddler could suffocate between the mattress and the railing or get his head caught in a gap between the bedpost and the railing. Between 1990 and 1998, at least eight children died as a result of such flaws. Another concern: Seven of them were less than a year old -- too young to be sleeping in an adult bed with a railing.  &amp;quot;Bed rails are not designed for infants,&amp;quot; says Robert B. Waller, Jr., executive vice president of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. &amp;quot;They should never be used in place of a crib.&amp;quot; Adds CPSC chairperson Ann Brown: &amp;quot;The only safe place for babies is in a crib that meets current safety standards and has a firm, tight-fitting mattress.&amp;quot; Railings are intended for kids who can get out of bed on their own -- typically two- to five-year-olds. If you do use a bed railing, make sure it has no gaps between three and a half and nine inches wide and no protruding screws or rivets. Currently, the American Society for Testing and Materials is developing a standard that would require such measures. Stroller Buckles  1,765 injuries since 1998 A 1997 Temple University study found that 27 percent of two-year-olds are able to undo three different types of stroller buckles. In some cases, safety clasps can pop open on their own. That&amp;#039;s what happened on 18-month-old Ian Evans&amp;#039;s high chair. After his mother, Jamie, had finished feeding the Hornell, New York, toddler lunch, she removed the tray. The clasp holding the safety belt in place came loose, and Ian fell out and hit his head, sustaining a large bump.  When John Galbreath of Reisterstown, Maryland, noticed that his two young daughters were able to undo all sorts of so-called child-resistant buckles, he petitioned the CPSC, calling for changes to the design standards of safety buckles. The commission is studying the problem. In the meantime, keep in mind: If you can open it easily, your two-year-old probably can too. Hidden Household Hazards  Childproofing can be tedious. It may take at least 12 hours -- and that&amp;#039;s if you&amp;#039;re fairly handy. So some parents may prefer to hire a professional. If you do, ask about the childproofer&amp;#039;s training: Most go through at least a weeklong apprenticeship. Find out whether his insurance policy includes &amp;quot;completed operations,&amp;quot; which gives you recourse if something goes wrong. For the name of a professional near you, contact the International Association for Child Safety, 888-677-IACS. Prices range from $200 to $1,000, including products.   Even a trained eye might miss a thing or two. Here are a few other hazards to look for:   Bathroom Stuff Besides the well-known dangers (cleaning supplies and medications), lock up vitamins (an overdose of iron is a toxin), and keep mouthwash out of reach (it contains alcohol). Analgesic creams such as Ben-Gay, which contain methyl salicylate, are twice as toxic as aspirin.   Plants Not only can kids choke on leaves, but certain varieties of plants and flowers -- including azaleas, daffodils, mistletoe, hyacinths, irises, lilies of the valley, holly berries, snake plants, tulips, and jasmine -- may be poisonous. Place these plants on a tall table or buy hanging varieties so that kids can&amp;#039;t reach them.   Closets Toddlers love to play inside them. But first you need to replace metal hangers with plastic ones and get rid of any dry-cleaning plastic bags, which pose suffocation and choking hazards.BY CAROLINE SORGEN "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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