Childproofing has become an important industry

— -- Sometimes it seems as though home childproofing has turned into an industry. In fact, it has.

The International Association for Child Safety (IAFCS), which certifies childproofers, has 150 members. Stores, including Toys R Us and Target, have sections devoted to childproofing products, such as cabinet latches. Louie Delaware, a Colorado-based certified childproofer, has an e-book coming out next month with a 23-page childproofing checklist.

It's easy to think it's both overkill and overly commercial. But whether you're having a baby, planning to care for one in your home or simply recognizing that your toddlers are a lot like monkeys, there are valid reasons to check your home for possible risks to kids, or to hire someone else to do it. And that's even if your own dad declares gruffly: "We never had all this when I was a kid, and we survived!"

Instead of reminding him that far more babies did die back then, focus on how to eliminate the biggest potential safety problems in your home. Besides, you don't need to apologize.

"It's normal and understandable to try to get as much control as possible over something as uncontrollable as kids," says human factors psychologist Carol Pollack-Nelson.

The most common dangers children face in and around homes include drowning and poisoning, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC recommends childproofing during many of its safety campaigns, especially those on tipping furniture and TVs, and pool drownings.

While you can use a checklist to inspect your own home, hiring a childproofer can save the time it can take do-it-yourselfers to install products such as safety gates and cabinet locks. It also boosts safety, as it will more likely be done properly.

Delaware, who has IAFCS' highest certification, recalls one client who spent an hour installing two kitchen cabinet latches.

Childproofers typically charge up to $100 to do a child-safety home assessment, then come up with a list of suggested fixes and the cost to do them. The initial cost is often credited against the total fee, which can run hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on how many products are needed.

Colleen Driscoll, executive director of the child-safety association, says childproofers typically also remind people to check whether products such as cribs have been recalled, warn against the use of bumpers and other soft bedding in cribs, and recommend cordless window blinds to prevent strangulation. And they make sure outlet covers used to prevent electrical injuries aren't small enough to present choking hazards.

Childproofers typically sell the very products they recommend. That means you can probably get cheaper products, but they're likely not the same quality, advocates say. Safety devices, after all, are not usually the best place to save money.

You need products that will "stand up to use and abuse from kids," says Pollack-Nelson, who is a safety consultant to product makers and advocacy groups.

Nearly 2 million child-safety locks for cabinets and toilets sold by Safety 1st were recalled in March and May because children could still open cabinets and toilets when they were in use and others broke. Four children were treated at hospitals after swallowing or handling potentially toxic substances. Some of the locks sold for as little as $2.