Best babyproofing gifts for new parents: seven things they will actually install

The gift rule: no measurements, no permission

A gate for the top of their stairs needs the width of their opening, the side their banister is on and their willingness to drill; a window guard needs their sill; a stove guard needs their cooktop. Give any of those and the box sits in the closet. Everything on this list passes a three-part rule: it fits without a measurement (or, for the gate, has the extension that covers the common range), it installs without the landlord (adhesive, snap-on, or a screw so small nobody asks), and it does not impose a look (clear or black, hidden, or cut to fit). The one exception is the anchor, which needs a screw into a stud; it is on the list because it is the product with the CPSC's 217 deaths behind it, and the people least likely to buy it for themselves are the people who most need it handed to them.

What not to give

Top-of-stairs gates (they need the opening; send them to best baby gates for stairs instead). Window guards, which are sized to the window. Toilet locks and knob covers, which some parents find insulting and which do not fit every fixture. Play yards, which take up a room they may not have. Anything with a stated age range the child is already past. And a "100-piece babyproofing kit," which is mostly plug inserts and spring latches; if you want to give a kit, give the one that is not, per best babyproofing kits.

How we ranked these

The gift weighting: standards 20, install truth 15, resistance 15, usability 20, reversibility 10, value 20. Usability and value go up because the recipient did not choose the product; resistance and install go down because a gift is judged the day it is opened, not the month it is fought. On that weighting the Regalo gate scores highest because it is certified and cheap; the corner guards score next because they are the easiest thing here to install and the only ones with a published density; the magnetic locks rank third on their JPMA statement despite the highest price per lock; the edge guard, the anchor and the whale follow; the kit is last because inserts and adhesive score low on standards and resistance even though it is the friendliest box to open. Every product page carries the specs and the source for each. The method is how we choose.

Pairings, by budget

Under $20 at the maker's list price: the corner guards, or the anchor kit with a note that says "this one is for the dresser." Under $50: the Baby Proof Me kit, or the edge guard and the corners together for a house with a hearth. Over $50: the gate, or the gate and the magnetic locks, which between them cover the two rooms a crawler heads for first. The under-$50 list on its own is babyproofing gifts under $50. Prices on Amazon move; the buttons open a search for the exact model and the price is whatever Amazon shows that day.

Who should skip all of these

If the child is already two, the gate and the corners are a year late; give a book, or ask. If the parents have said they are hiring a childproofer, send them to the IAFCS directory and give something else. If you know their house well enough to know the stairs and the windows, give the specific thing from the specific hub instead; a gift with a measurement in it is worth more than any of these. The all-purpose list is best babyproofing products.