Keeping children safe at home

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Some babyproofers say a "one-size-fits-all" approach should not be used in all cases. There are even some simple things that could keep children from getting sick or hurt.

On any given work day, you can regularly find David Perry on his hands and knees. That's because he's looking for things that babies could easily spot, but adults could miss.

"I will get down and look around just because you can totally see from their perspective what they're looking at and dangers that are at their eye level," he said.

Perry is the Owner of Baby Bloopers: The Child Proofers. Perry says there aren't a lot of people in his profession in Utah.

"I think childproofing, like me going out and childproofing a home is a new concept in Utah. It's fairly big on the east coast and on the west coast," he said.

While many parents get all the latest gadgets to keep Junior's finger from getting caught in the doorstep, lifting the toilet lid or bumping into the coffee table corners, Perry says it's important to childproof for your specific child, because not all kids act the same.

"Some kids climb. Some kids just like to get into things. Some kids just like to look around on the floor for choking hazards," he said.

But he does recommend getting safety gates for the stairs, because no matter if your child is a "climber" or a "swallower," all kids are "fallers." Both Perry and professional organizers say keeping your home organized goes a long way.

Professional organizer Marilyn Bohn said, "I can absolutely say, ‘Yes.' If it is terribly disorganized, it is much more unsafe for children. Absolutely."

Bohn is also a former, child-abuse protection worker. She has seen cases of children getting hurt just from items being left lying around.

"Anything the child wants to get into. I'm thinking knives, they could get into. Medicines have been a big one, that are not organized or not kept away from children," she said.

Bohn says she has seen cases when kids have become sick because families didn't clean up after their pet thoroughly enough. She says the most important thing about child-proofing is just to do it.

"It's inexpensive. It doesn't take a lot of time and it is so worth it," she said.

She says parents can typically childproof their own homes with things they can buy at places like Babies ‘R Us.

E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com