Child safety gates can help keep kids safe.

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Dear Pat: My baby boy is at the crawling stage, and I want to make my house more child-safe, with gates at the stairs and room doors. What is the best type to get, and do you have any other tips for safety? -- Sandy T.

Dear Sandy: People naturally think first of a child falling down the stairs or getting from a safe room to a more dangerous one, such as a utility room or workshop. Installing special child-safe gates is an excellent method to isolate your child from the typical dangers inside a home.

It might sound silly, but before you make any safety changes, literally do a "crawl" through your home. Until you are actually down on the same level as your child is, it will be difficult to locate all the potential hazards. Reach out and touch everything you can. Also, consider tight spots that might be too small for your hand, but not for a child's little fingers.

The two basic types of gates are pressure gates and hardware-mounted gates. The pressure gates use an expansion spring force to hold them in the hallway, stairway or door opening. These are easy to move from area to area and to store away.

The drawback to a pressure gate is your child may be able to knock one down as he grows older. It is not recommended to use a pressure gate at the top of stairs for this reason. Also, if you have a large pet, it may run into the gate and knock it down.

A hardware-mounted gate is more secure and can be used longer as your son grows. It is more difficult to install than a pressure gate, but certainly within the skill limits of most homeowners. When selecting one, consider the type of latch mechanism. It must be tricky enough to work so your son cannot figure it out, but not too difficult to operate. A one-hand operation feature is definitely a plus.

Another safety concern is drawers and cabinet doors. It is surprising how many commonly used items in drawers can be hazardous in the hands of a child. There are many types of child-safe drawer/door locks available, from inexpensive plastic ones to metal and magnetic ones.

Inspect how difficult it is for you to get the lock unlatched to open the drawer. It does not take a sophisticated design to keep a child out. If the lock is too complicated to operate, you may become frustrated when you are in a hurry and not always take the time to lock it. As with gates, look for one-hand operation.

Kitchen cabinets and drawers are an obvious location for these locks because of knives and cleaning chemicals. Spend the extra money to install the locks on the upper cabinets, too. Small children, especially inquisitive little boys, can climb like monkeys. They may be able to get to an upper cabinet at an earlier age than you expect.

In the kitchen, remove small magnets from the refrigerator door. These are easy for a child to pull off, pop in his mouth and choke. Install corner guards on the corners and edges of cabinets and the kitchen table. Bumping one with your shin is painful enough, but imagine if the edges are head-height for a child.

Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.

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