When using doors, be careful, because children often "shadow" their parents around the house. It's easy for them to get caught or for their little fingers to get pinched in closing doors, particularly bi-fold doors or those with multiple sets of hinges.

To close a door automatically (an important consideration for doors that lead to potentially dangerous areas), you can mount a pneumatic or hydraulic automatic door-closer to ensure gentle closing. Or, you can replace one or more of the hinges with spring-loaded, self-closing ones. Mount one, then test the door. If necessary, add another—but be sure the door doesn't slam shut, which can create its own dangerous situation.

Replace any doorstops that might bounce a quickly opened door with flexible doorstops mounted high on the door.

If your home has any swinging doors, such as between the dining room and kitchen, consider replacing them with a standard or pocket door.

Door locks. To keep a door locked, install a safety chain, barrel bolt, pivot lock, or hook-and-eye that can't be reached by small kids.

Doorknob sleeves. To keep children from turning doorknobs, fit with special plastic sleeves.

Doorknob alarms. To alert you that an important door or window has been opened (a door that goes to the pool, for example), you can hang a small bell with a loud gong on the door or, better still, buy an electronic alarm that sounds when the door is opened or closed. Beware of too loud an alarm that could hurt your child's hearing and cause a scare. Several types are available:

• A doorknob alarm that activates when the doorknob is touched
• A magnetic-contact alarm that sounds a pleasant bong when the door it's protecting is opened
• A plunger alarm that fits at the base of a sliding door's track and sounds when the door is opened

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