The right home safety products can significantly reduce the risk of injury in young children, a U.S. study shows.

A group of researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health center, led by Dr. Bruce Lanphear, found that stair gates, smoke detectors, and other passive measures cut the risk and extent of home injuries in children.

Dr. Lanphear and his team inspected the homes of about 350 pregnant women and identified possible hazards to the child’s health. These included uneven furniture, open cabinets, and electrical sockets that could be within the child’s reach. They were then provided with information on home safety and injury prevention. In half of the respondents’ homes, Dr. Lanphear’s team also installed a series of approved safety products when the children were about 6 months old. The fixtures stayed for about two years, with researchers obtaining updates from the parents to see if any injuries had occurred or been prevented.

Households fitted with safety gear saw an average of 14 child injuries per year for every 100 in homes that didn’t—although the risk remained essentially the same for the two groups. However, the injuries that occurred in protected homes were much less serious; many did not need medical attention: just 2% of cases per year compared to 8%.

What the study shows, according to Dr. Lanphear, is that there are home hazards that parents tend to overlook—and that protecting against them can benefit children more than their parents think.

Dr. Lanphear believes that both parents and the government should play a role in making homes safer for kids. The products used in the study, including installation costs, would cost about $1,000 for each family. However, these costs pay of over time in saved medical bills, he said. It could also save the 2,500 children who die every year from home injuries.

Dr. Andrea Gielen of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy agrees that making homes safer for kids is feasible, especially if healthcare providers step in. Parents can seek child-proofing advice from their pediatricians, or look into home visiting programs.

Installing devices alone is not enough, however, Dr. Gielen adds. Parents still have to be well informed about household risks and how to prevent them. What it means, she says, is that parents and authorities can put their efforts together in creating safer home enviromments.

The study was published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine on April 4.