Cabinets, cupboards, and drawers. Anything that might be harmful to a child should be stashed in drawers, cupboards, or cabinets equipped with child-resistant safety latches. This list includes all kitchen cleaners; plastic wrap, food storage bags, and food-wrap dispenser boxes with a serrated edge; knives, scissors, corkscrews, and other sharp objects; refrigerator magnets or small kitchen knickknacks; and liquor.

The best among the three combination drawer/door locks we tested was the KidCo Swivel Cabinet & Drawer Lock, $4 for four. It has a plastic base with a latching arm that mounts inside the door or drawer, a catch that mounts to the door or frame with screws, and is invisible from the outside. It's easy to install inside a cabinet (it can't be used on metal cabinets) but harder to install in a drawer. It can be disabled by rotating the latching arm so it doesn't catch, an advantage in a home where children live only part-time such as a grandparent's house, but a disadvantage otherwise.

For center-opening cabinet doors with knobs or loop handles, the Safety 1st Model 00110 Cabinet Slide Lock, $1.99, was our top choice among four models tested. It can help keep kids up to about 5 years old out of cabinets where poisonous chemicals or sharp objects might be stored, but after that age they're likely to figure out how to defeat it.

Hot beverages. Get into the habit of drinking hot beverages from a travel mug to avoid spills. Use placemats instead of a tablecloth so little hands don't pull the tablecloth off the table--and your coffee with it.

Fire extinguishers. Keep a box of baking soda near the stove to extinguish grease fires. Purchase a small fire extinguisher and mount it nearby, out of kids' reach. Familiarize yourself with its use.

Kitchen access. When you cook, use a gate for the kitchen or keep your baby in a play yard, swing, or high chair--in view, but out of harm's way.

Kitchen stepstool. Keep your kitchen stepstool in a closet when you're not using it to prevent your little one from climbing into trouble.

Microwave ovens. Decide on an alternative to a microwave oven to warm bottles of breast milk or formula or heat jars of baby food. Holding bottles under warm tap water should do the trick. A microwave can create hot spots in the milk or food that can burn a baby's mouth and throat. It may also cause jars, bottles, and nurser liners to explode.

Small appliances. To prevent your baby from tugging down small appliances--including coffeemakers, food processors, and toaster ovens--wrap up and fasten cords out of reach with twist ties or rubber bands, or tape cords to the wall with masking tape. Push electric coffeemakers and teakettles away from counter edges.

Stove. Pull off front stove knobs and store them safely until it's time to cook. You can also buy childproof knob covers. When possible, cook on the back burners, and always turn all pot handles toward the back of the cooktop. We tested the Safety 1st Stove Knob Cover, $5.99 for a set of five. These covers work on stoves, usually gas, with knobs on the front. They didn't fit on all stove knobs and were difficult to use, but they were effective. Simply removing the stove knobs is equally effective.