Each individual home and lifestyle are different, but in many ways the same safety problems and solutions apply.

Professional childproofing is a unique service and involves overcoming the problems normally encountered in “childproofing” your home. At the same time expanding your awareness of safety through a comprehensive in-home safety evaluation combined with your local childproofing professional’s experience from hundreds or even thousands of other homes and children. Making your “childproofing” project as easy and convenient as is possible; in this way it is done before a preventable injury makes the need apparent.

Whether you are a service oriented person or a home do-it-yourselfer, your local childproofing service can be of assistance to your family. While providing solutions you can live with, they can save you money as well as frustrated shopping time searching for products that you are totally unfamiliar with. Products that may or may not be in retail stores, are not right for your application, or plain just do not work at all.

Their products are ordered in bulk directly from the manufacturers and are priced competitively with retail outlets. They are normally not selling packaging or gimmicks; what they recommend has been tested and selected based on quality to perform a specific function along with the durability to last over other similar products tested (saving you the trial and trash method of childproofing). A professional’s constant review of new and sometimes better products ensure that you are getting the best product on the market today; best suited for your application.

Most professional childproofers will sell you products directly without utilizing their service for installation. These professionals can give you suggestions on how to get around special problem areas the manufacturer’s do not cover in their instructions for your particular application. You normally will not be sold a product that will not work for your application.

Products are just a means to an end; increased environmental child safety. Sometimes a product is not required, just the realization of what could represent a hazard might be enough to circumvent the problem area. In addition to providing protection for a child, a product must also be practical for the rest of the family to live with (minor inconveniences aside). This guarantees that the device will be kept in use and serve its purpose for the time required.

A professional childproofing service’s recommendations also take into account your child’s age and anticipated future capabilities. Many times they will recommend to an overly enthusiastic parent that they wait before installing a particular barrier that just is not practical yet or may never be.

Custom fabrications are available from most professional childproofers to overcome problems particular to your home or simply because a manufactured product will not do the job. Many also fabricate standard items or adapters to compliment factory made products. The items they fabricate assist them in completing installations of factory made items so that they will work conveniently in your home.

A normal in-home safety evaluation will take a minimum of one hour. Some professional childproofers may charge for this service, many will not charge at all or will deduct the charge if you utilize their service. Occasionally a professional will meet with a parent that expects them to wander through their home and work up a “price”. It does not work that way! If they were just providing you with an estimate, it could be done over the phone. But you would have learned practically nothing. You need to know why your service is recommending a particular course of action or child barrier device. The limitation or effectiveness of that product and understand alternatives if available. Usually about half of what is suggested are actions you must take yourself. In other words, working up an estimate of how much plastic you need in your home is not a safety evaluation! Professional childproofers take child safety and in-home evaluations very seriously and assume you do as well if you have taken the time to call them in. Anything less and they would be doing you a disservice.

Have your professional meet your child (he or she is what this is all about). This gives them a brief sample of how he/she is currently interacting with his/her environment, at the same time the childproofer is also learning a little bit about you and what you feel is important. They are used to stopping for feeding, diaper changes, naps; whatever it takes to get your attention on the project at hand. All this is part of his/her business and what makes it work for them. Sounds intense? Not really, a safety evaluation can be as much fun as it is informative, especially if your child is part of the process.

A professional childproofer needs this time. Your child, spouse, you and your lifestyle are all unique; accurate recommendations cannot be made unless they learn at least a little about all four.

If you have questions or are ready to “childproof” on your own, give a local childproofer the opportunity to provide you with the products that you will need to complete the task properly. He/she will still save you time, money, and frustration shopping elsewhere.

Your own experiences as your child grows are important to us and others. If you tackle a safety problem we have not mentioned, take the time to share it with us so that it may be included in our next update and possibly benefit someone else.