BABYPROOFING ABCS LEARN THE BASICS OF KEEPING A SAFE HOME FOR THE LITTLEST RESIDENTS.

Byline: Elizabeth Smilor Correspondent

About the time a baby learns to roll over, parents see their happy home in a whole new light. They see towering shelves ready to fall, treacherous staircases, coffee tables with razor-sharp corners and cupboards filled with deadly chemicals.

They realize they're living in a place not suited for a mobile toddler. It's at that moment parents should begin babyproofing their home, yard and garage, experts say.

``If you wait until the baby is already crawling, then it's an emergency,'' says David Spigelman, owner of Wonder Years babyproofing service.

Emergencies are what babyproofing products, such as cabinet latches and safety gates, are designed to prevent. Preparing your home for an active toddler can safeguard against poisonings, drownings, choking and big falls. Of course, accidents will happen.

``All the products in the world don't take the place of adult supervision,'' reminds Anne Marie Radel, co-owner of Safer-Baby! in Studio City. ``You're trying to avoid trips to the hospital.''

Getting started

Parents who are really on the ball start babyproofing before the birth of a child, but many wait until the baby is 5 to 10 months old. Spigelman, who has been operating his service for 18 years from Valencia, said he often installs babyproofing products in stages.

``You don't know what kind of baby you have when you get started,'' he says. ``Some babies you tell them 'no' and they won't do it. Others will do it more.''

Radel agreed. ``Some children are very easy and cautious. Other kids are more than willing to be the test pilot of some piece of furniture,'' she says.

Jessica Strommer has called Mike Radel of Safer-Baby! out to Calabasas many times to keep her home safe for her four children: Jake, 6; Adena, 5; Jordan, 3; and Jaden, 7 months.

``As they grow into the problem, I call him out,'' she says. ``There are more concerns with more kids. If one's not into something, another one is.''

Strommer started with basic babyproofing such as latches on cabinets and earthquake safety measures like bolting furniture to walls. She's added latches on shower doors, Plexiglas over banister rails, padding around the fireplace, gates on stairs and in the kitchen, electrical outlet covers and tacked wiring and even Plexiglas around her parrot's cage.

Strommer opted to bring in the experts, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Both Wonder Years and Safer-Baby! offer in-home consultations. Wonder Years offers a free estimate and Safer-Baby! charges $45 but will apply that fee to any installation service or product purchase.

Other parents will opt to install mechanisms themselves. Radel and Spigelman said a good gate or latch is sturdy and easy for adults to use but difficult for a child to figure out.

Dr. Lawrence Menzer, a Van Nuys pediatrician associated with Valley Presbyterian Hospital, offers this advice to parents babyproofing their homes: ``Get down on the child's level and you'll have a better sense of what they see.''

Up and out of reach

Menzer and Jacquie Siddens, an emergency room nurse at Sherman Oaks Hospital and a mother of three kids ages 5, 3 and 3 months, both said they see a lot of poisoning and choking incidents.

``Windex looks like blue Kool-Aid and any child medication is fruit-flavored so kids like it,'' Siddens says. ``Baby oil can kill a child if ingested.''

All the experts agreed that when it comes to household chemicals, medications and cosmetics, it's best to keep them locked up and out of reach.

``Latches just give parents more time. Kids will learn to open them, so it's best to keep chemicals out of reach,'' says Gloria Giraldo, a health educator for the California Poison Control System. ``Poisonings occur when parents are distracted.''

She said 51 percent of the calls received by poison control each year are from parents of children under age 6. And 94 percent of the accidents occur in the home. The most common causes of exposure are medications, cleaning solutions and cosmetics.

Inquiries about plants are common, Giraldo said. She advises parents to know the names of plants, so it's easy to determine if an ingested leaf is toxic. Some poisonous plants include poinsettia, oleander and foxglove.

If a parent or caregiver suspects a child has ingested something, call poison control. Do not give the child syrup of Ipecac or liquid charcoal because inducing a child to vomit is not always the best response, Giraldo said. Vomiting is the wrong solution with caustic substances such as oven cleaner and mildew removers.

If a child has seizures, is unconscious or has difficulty breathing, call 911, Giraldo says.

Anything a child could choke on or that could cause suffocation should also be out of reach. Siddens said a lot of kids choke on coins, marbles and pieces from games designed for older siblings.

``If something is smaller than a toilet paper roll, it's a choking hazard,'' she says. That includes some foods, such as grapes, nuts, popcorn, hard candy and hot dogs. ``Never let a child eat and play.''

Any type of plastic bag is a suffocation hazard. Strommer said she hadn't given a second thought to the plastic covering her dry cleaning in the closet until Mike Radel pointed it out. Experts recommend parents discard that plastic as soon as they get the clothes. Also discard the plastic that's wrapped around newspapers.

Secure all cords. Blind cords should be anchored out of reach and electrical cords tacked and hidden as much as possible.

Gated and fenced

A good way to avoid burns, another common cause of trips to the emergency room, is to keep young children out of the kitchen, Siddens says.

``My rule whenever I'm cooking is that the kids have to stay out of the kitchen,'' she says. If children are in the kitchen make sure stove-top pot handles are turned in and appliance knobs are covered.

Always test any food with your finger before giving to a child and test bath water with a wrist or elbow, Siddens says. Water heater thermostats should be set no higher than 120 degrees.

``Water between 120 and 130 degrees takes five minutes to scald a baby. At 140 degrees it takes six seconds,'' she cautions.

Gates can also prevent falls down stairs and keep children out of bathrooms where the water in the toilet poses a drowning risk. There are also toilet seat latches available.

Finally, fences with self-closing gates should be around all swimming pools. Chimes on exterior doors also help to alert parents when a child has wandered out of the house, said Siddens.

In her own house, the ER nurse said she doesn't have every babyproofing mechanism.

``I teach my kids 'no' and 'why,' '' Siddens says, adding that she does keep dangerous chemicals and objects out of reach. ``I'm a strong believer in the word 'no.' ''

Strommer also teaches her kids what not to touch, but feels better having all the safety mechanisms in place.

``All it takes is one second for something to happen. Unfortunately, you can't leave it to a child to be responsible,'' Strommer says, noting her family has not had any major accidents at home.

Dr. Menzer believes parents can never be too careful.

``I tell my patients that as bright as a 15-month-old seems, when it comes to common sense they're stupid. You learn that with experience,'' Menzer says. ``I tell them: 'Make a rule for yourself. Never let a child out of your sight unless he's in a confined space like a crib or playpen.' ''

Proof positives

Here are some safeguards recommended by babyproofing experts and health professionals. This list is not all-inclusive as every house and child is different.

--Latch all cabinets and drawers containing breakable or potentially dangerous items.

--Put all medications, cleaners, cosmetics and other potentially poisonous solutions in a locked cabinet or drawer that is out of a child's reach.

--Install permanent (not pressure-mounted) gates at the top and bottom of staircases.

--Cover electrical outlets.

--Conceal electrical cords.

--Anchor curtain and blind cords out of reach.

--Secure heavy furniture such as bookshelves and dressers to the wall.

--Set water heater thermostat at 120 degrees.

--Surround swimming pool with a fence with a self-closing gate.

--Store firearms and ammunition separately, out of sight and reach.

--Remove any poisonous plants from house and yard.

--Put corner guards on coffee tables and other sharp corners.

--Install a VCR guard.

--Install appliance latches.

--Install a toilet latch.

--Cover bathtub spout.

--Get Plexiglas installed on banisters and balconies with slats separated enough that a child's head can fit through.

--Clear floors, low tables and shelves of anything breakable and small items that are choking hazards.

--Re-evaluate and upgrade babyproofing monthly as your child grows and learns new tricks.

Baby steps to safety

Everyday safety tips:

--Keep the California Poison Control number handy. It is [phone].

--Keep your pediatrician's number handy and know where the nearest pediatric emergency room is located.

--Keep children out of the kitchen, especially when you're cooking.

--Keep stove-top pot handles turned in.

--Keep curling iron and hair dryer out of reach. Don't let cords dangle from countertop.

--Keep purses out of reach.

--Keep plastic bags, including dry-cleaning garment covers and newspaper wrappers, out of reach or discard immediately.

--Test baby's bath water with your wrist or elbow. It should be 100 degrees.

--Never leave a child unattended near any amount of water. Always empty tub after bath time.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- 5 -- color; 1 -- cover) Jaden Strommer, 7 months, investigates a cabinet but will get no further due to a guard similar to the one top far left. Other safety devices for babyproofing include, clockwise from below right, a magnetic latch, an outlet cover and toilet-seat latches.

(6 -- 8 -- color) At the Strommer household in Calabasas, Jake, 6, top left, and his brother Jordan, 3, demonstrate the effectiveness of Plexiglas on the bannister; 5-year-old Adena Strommer approaches the padded edges of the family fireplace, above; and Jake takes a drink from a water cooler strapped safely in place, top right.

(9) Safety straps help keep the bath water in the Strommer house from getting too hot. Experts say water should be at 100 degrees - anything over 120 can scald a child.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Proof positive (see text)

(2) Baby steps to safety (see text)