04 Outlet Covers, Cords & Blinds Best picks
Best outlet covers for plugs in use: the box that locks the plug in, for the outlets that are never empty
A plug insert covers an empty outlet. A tamper-resistant outlet covers an empty outlet. Neither does anything for the lamp cord a toddler can pull half out and touch. That needs a box.
- By
- Mike M.
- Updated
- Method
- How we choose
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Quick picks
The short answer
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wappa Baby Outlet Cover Box (2 pack) Double lock, 6.4 by 3.9 inches inside for wall-wart adapters, both plates and screws in the box. | Best in-use outlet cover | 7.2 / 10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 02 |  Wappa Baby Power Strip Cover Box (13 in) A 13.3-inch double-locked box for a standard six-outlet strip, cords out the sides. | Best for a power strip | 7.1 / 10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 03 | Jool Baby Electrical Outlet Cover Box (2 pack) Press-to-open lid with plates for more than one outlet style; a single-action lid is easier to learn. | Best for mixed outlet types | 6.9 / 10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 04 | LectraLock Baby Safety Outlet Cover (Duplex) A slim deep-socket cover for duplex outlets behind a sofa; less room than a box. | Best low-profile | 6.6 / 10 | Check price on Amazon |
#ad · Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we don't print them. Scores are ours, compiled from published standards statements, manuals and specs against this page's job, not lab tests. Photos are stock. Tap a row for the full write-up.
The gap every other cover leaves
A tamper-resistant outlet's shutters are open around a plug that is in. A sliding plate's shutter is held open by the plug. A plug insert has been removed to make room for the plug. So every outlet with something plugged in, which in a living room is most of them, is exactly as exposed as it was in 1990: a toddler pulls the plug halfway out, and the live blades are showing, at the height of a crawling hand. An in-use cover is a box or a shroud that screws to the outlet and encloses the plug behind a lid an adult can open and a child cannot. It is the one outlet product that a house full of TR receptacles still needs; the rest of that logic is in are outlet covers necessary.
Box or slim cover
A box (Wappa, Jool) stands off the wall an inch or two and has room inside for a phone charger's wall-wart or a game console's adapter; Wappa publishes its interior as 6.4 by 3.9 inches. The cords exit the bottom. A slim cover (LectraLock) hugs the outlet, holds plain plugs in place with the cord out the bottom, and has no room for an adapter; it is the one for the outlet behind the couch. Wappa's lid is a double lock; Jool's is press-to-open, which is faster for adults and easier for a two-year-old to work out. A power strip is its own problem, because the whole strip lies on the floor: Wappa's 13-inch box swallows a standard six-outlet strip with the cords out the sides, and it is covered with the cord question in how to babyproof cords.
How we ranked these
Bulk weighting. None of these states a UL listing on the pages we read, so standards is flat and the ranking turns on the lock (double beats single), the honesty of the install description (Wappa's three steps start with turning the power off), and room inside. Wappa's box gets an install bump on this page for shipping both plate styles and screws. Rubric on how we choose; the empty-outlet covers are in best outlet covers for babyproofing.
In detail
Every pick, in full
01
Stock photoBest in-use outlet cover
Wappa Baby Outlet Cover Box (2 pack)
Prevents
Double lock, 6.4 by 3.9 inches inside for wall-wart adapters, both plates and screws in the box.
- Standards status
- No standard stated on the Wappa Baby product page
- Installation truth
- Three steps: shut off the breaker, remove the old plate, screw on the box's plate. It is a real electrical install; if you would not change a cover plate, get someone who would.
Published specs (tap for source)
- Standards & certification (20%)
- 3
- Installation truth (15%)
- 8
- Toddler resistance (25%)
- 9
- Adult one-hand use (15%)
- 8
- Damage & reversibility (5%)
- 6
- Value (20%)
- 8
What it gets right
- Room for wall-wart adapters
- Double lock
- Everything in the box
- Two per pack
What it doesn't
- Sticks out from the wall
- Breaker-off install
- White only
Skip it if…
…the outlet is behind furniture; a box needs clearance to open.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Wappa Baby Outlet Cover Box (2 pack)
02
Stock photoBest for a power strip
Wappa Baby Power Strip Cover Box (13 in)
Prevents
A 13.3-inch double-locked box for a standard six-outlet strip, cords out the sides.
- Standards status
- No standard stated on the Wappa Baby product page
- Installation truth
- It holds strips up to 11 in long and 2.75 in wide; measure yours, because the surge strips with big adapters and the ones with USB blocks often run longer.
Published specs (tap for source)
- Standards & certification (20%)
- 3
- Installation truth (15%)
- 8
- Toddler resistance (25%)
- 8
- Adult one-hand use (15%)
- 8
- Damage & reversibility (5%)
- 9
- Value (20%)
- 8
What it gets right
- Double lock
- Cord ports both sides
- Shelf-mountable
What it doesn't
- Standard strips only
- Big box on the floor
- Cords still exit and can be pulled
Skip it if…
…your strip is longer than 11 in or has vertical adapters plugged in.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Wappa Baby Power Strip Cover Box (13 in)
03
Stock photoBest for mixed outlet types
Jool Baby Electrical Outlet Cover Box (2 pack)
Prevents
Press-to-open lid with plates for more than one outlet style; a single-action lid is easier to learn.
- Standards status
- No standard stated on the Jool Baby product page
- Installation truth
- Same plate swap as the Wappa; the multi-plate kit is the reason to pick it if your house mixes outlet styles.
Published specs (tap for source)
- Standards & certification (20%)
- 3
- Installation truth (15%)
- 7
- Toddler resistance (25%)
- 7
- Adult one-hand use (15%)
- 9
- Damage & reversibility (5%)
- 6
- Value (20%)
- 9
What it gets right
- Plates for multiple outlet types
- Cheaper than Wappa
- Press-to-open
What it doesn't
- Single-action lid is easier to learn than a double lock
- Bulky
- No standards
Skip it if…
…your toddler already opens push-lids; the Wappa double lock is harder.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Jool Baby Electrical Outlet Cover Box (2 pack)
04
Stock photoBest low-profile
LectraLock Baby Safety Outlet Cover (Duplex)
Prevents
A slim deep-socket cover for duplex outlets behind a sofa; less room than a box.
- Standards status
- No standard stated in the retailer listing consulted
- Installation truth
- Duplex only; the Decora/GFCI version is a separate product. Cords exit the bottom, so heavy adapters hang on the plug.
Published specs (tap for source)
- Standards & certification (20%)
- 3
- Installation truth (15%)
- 7
- Toddler resistance (25%)
- 8
- Adult one-hand use (15%)
- 8
- Damage & reversibility (5%)
- 7
- Value (20%)
- 7
What it gets right
- Slimmer than a box
- Plugs stay in
- Duplex fit
What it doesn't
- Less room than a box
- Duplex only
- Standards not stated
Skip it if…
…you need to cover a power adapter the size of a deck of cards; get the box.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to LectraLock Baby Safety Outlet Cover (Duplex)
The install is electrical
An in-use box replaces the outlet's cover plate with the box's own plate: breaker off, old plate off, new plate and box on with the supplied screws, breaker on. The receptacle itself is not touched, but you are working at a live outlet with the plate off, so the breaker is not optional. If you cannot identify the breaker, use a plug-in tester before you unscrew anything. Ten minutes per outlet once you have done one.
Who should skip all of these
How we chose
Units we claim to have tested: 0
Everyone in this category says they tested it. We didn't, and we say so. Every pick is scored from the brand's published specs, width and size charts, warranty terms and cited research, against the problem this page is about. The sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
Scores are editorial judgments from that published data, not lab results. Nobody pays for placement, and a missing spec is scored neutral, never guessed. The full rubric is on How We Choose.
- Standards & certification
- 20%
- Installation truth
- 15%
- Toddler resistance
- 25%
- Adult one-hand use
- 15%
- Damage & reversibility
- 5%
- Value
- 20%
The weights this page used for its scores.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How do you babyproof an outlet with something plugged in?
Do outlet boxes fit Decora outlets?
Do I need to turn off the power to install an outlet box?
Keep going
Related guides and picks
Update log
What changed
- First published.
Receipts
Sources
- 01ESFI: Tamper Resistant Receptacles (TRRs) program page, NEC 406.12 (accessed Sep 21, 2026)
- 02CPSC publication: Childproofing Your Home, 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children (accessed Sep 21, 2026)
We don't lab-test gates, locks or anchors, and we don't pretend to. Specs, standards statements and install requirements come from the manufacturer's own pages and manuals (or a named retailer's listing where the brand doesn't publish them); injury data and standards come from the CPSC, ASTM, NEC via ESFI and the AAP, linked above. Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read the full method.