How to replace an outlet with a tamper-resistant one: the permanent fix, one outlet at a time

What the TR mark means

A tamper-resistant receptacle has two spring-loaded shutters behind its slots that only open when both prongs of a plug push at the same time. A hairpin, a key or a paper clip in one slot pushes on one shutter, and the shutter stays closed. ESFI, citing the NEC, notes that the 2008 code required TR receptacles in all new residential construction and that roughly 2,400 children a year are treated in emergency rooms for outlet injuries. The receptacle says so on its face: the letters "TR" molded between the slots. If yours have them, you are done with outlets and the money goes to cords. If not, this page is the permanent version of the fix that are outlet covers necessary argues for, and tamper-resistant outlets vs outlet covers is the case for doing it rather than covering it.

Who should do this, and who should not

Anyone who has changed a light switch can change a receptacle; the wiring is three wires to three color-coded screws. Anyone who has not should read the steps, decide honestly, and either do the first one with a friend who has or hire an electrician for an hour, which is usually enough for every reachable outlet in a room or two. Stop points, regardless of experience: aluminum wiring (silver-colored wire, in homes from the 1960s and 70s), a box with more cables than you expected and no clear pairs, a receptacle that is scorched or loose in the wall, or a voltage tester that lights with the breaker off. Any of those is a plate-back-on, call-someone situation. The receptacle itself is a hardware-store item; Leviton's T5325 states UL 498 and the TR mark, and its specs are on the card below.

The steps

Six, and the first two are the ones that matter: check for the TR mark so you do not replace an outlet that is already right, and turn off the breaker and prove it with a tester before a screwdriver touches anything. From there it is photograph, disconnect one wire at a time, reconnect to the same color (hot to brass, neutral to silver, ground to green), wrap each wire clockwise so the screw pulls it tight, fold the wires back, screw in, plate on, power on, test with a lamp and then with a single prong that the shutter should refuse. The numbered version with tools and supplies is above the contents list. Do the outlets a crawler can reach first, which is every outlet below the counters and behind nothing; the ones behind the dresser and the fridge can wait, and best outlet covers for plugs in use handles the ones with something permanently plugged in, which a TR receptacle does not address.

The outlets you leave for later

A whole house is a weekend, and the baby does not wait for the weekend. For the outlets you have not gotten to, a self-closing sliding plate is the next best thing: it swaps in with the existing plate screw, no breaker, no wiring, and shuts on its own when a plug comes out; the ranking is best sliding outlet covers. Plug inserts are the last resort, per plug inserts vs sliding outlet covers. And none of it covers a cord; that half of the job is how to babyproof cords.

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