Child-proofing a home is a necessity for anyone with an infant or toddler in the house, but just how many safety precautions does a parent need to take?
As many as possible.
"There's only one area in which children have a mental deficiency and that's their sense of self-preservation," said Dr. Anatoly Belilovsky, a New York pediatrician and child-safety expert who I interviewed recently for a story about summer safety issues.
Belilovsky's recommendation for parents looking to remove household hazards is simple, yet clever: watch the first four minutes of the 1988 movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
"They did a good job of hitting household hazards," he said of the opening scene, in which Roger is attempting to babysit Baby Herman. "Watch very carefully with an eye to all the hazards the baby sees - it's a really good primer for household safety."
Baby Herman starts off in a playpen but quickly escapes, using drawers to climb atop the kitchen counter, inadvertently turning on stove burners with his foot and falling face down in a sink full of water and dishes in his quest to reach the cookie jar.
To watch for yourself, go to this You Tube clip.
There are also loads of kid safety products on the market.
One of the handiest kid-proofing items came to The Bee from Australian-based Dream Baby, a child safety product company.
It's a simple cable combination lock intended to help keep children out of cabinets and sells for $9.99.
We discovered another great use for the device: It also locks side-by-side refrigerator doors, thus helping keep kids safe from ingesting spicy condiments or pulling glass jars off shelves.
For more information, go to Dream Baby's Web site.
The best piece of child-proofing equipment, however, is an attentive parent and common sense, Belilovsky said.
"There is no substitute for thinking," he said.
As many as possible.
"There's only one area in which children have a mental deficiency and that's their sense of self-preservation," said Dr. Anatoly Belilovsky, a New York pediatrician and child-safety expert who I interviewed recently for a story about summer safety issues.
Belilovsky's recommendation for parents looking to remove household hazards is simple, yet clever: watch the first four minutes of the 1988 movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
"They did a good job of hitting household hazards," he said of the opening scene, in which Roger is attempting to babysit Baby Herman. "Watch very carefully with an eye to all the hazards the baby sees - it's a really good primer for household safety."
Baby Herman starts off in a playpen but quickly escapes, using drawers to climb atop the kitchen counter, inadvertently turning on stove burners with his foot and falling face down in a sink full of water and dishes in his quest to reach the cookie jar.
To watch for yourself, go to this You Tube clip.
There are also loads of kid safety products on the market.
One of the handiest kid-proofing items came to The Bee from Australian-based Dream Baby, a child safety product company.
It's a simple cable combination lock intended to help keep children out of cabinets and sells for $9.99.
We discovered another great use for the device: It also locks side-by-side refrigerator doors, thus helping keep kids safe from ingesting spicy condiments or pulling glass jars off shelves.
For more information, go to Dream Baby's Web site.
The best piece of child-proofing equipment, however, is an attentive parent and common sense, Belilovsky said.
"There is no substitute for thinking," he said.
