Eric Quint stumbled into his career as a childproofer six years ago when a cousin showed him all the precautions he had installed to keep his baby safe.

Quint was impressed with the work until his cousin mentioned how much it cost.

"I could do the job way better and for less money," Quint said he thought at the time. "I knew I had the ability."

Today, he is helping parents and caretakers keep children safe from falling, tripping, electrocution and other at-home dangers. His job, as he describes it: "Find everything that's a hazard to your child."

He's not the only one seeking to compete in this emerging field. Whether it's Safe and Sound in King of Prussia, Pa.; Foresight Childproofing Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minn.; InfantHouse.com in Flower Mound, Texas; or Eric's Child Safety Services in Antelope, Calif., a growing number of people are seeking fortune and fulfillment by ensuring parents' peace of mind.

Lurking dangers take a huge toll each year. In 2004, the last year for which complete statistics were available, 5,359 children died from unintentional injuries, according to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit group in Washington, D.C., that works to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.

The six most common causes of death in 2004 were burns, suffocation, drowning, choking, falls and poisoning, Safe Kids Worldwide reported.

A growing awareness

Because such accidents are widely publicized, people now understand the potential severity of home accidents, said Richard Shandelman, whose 15-year-old Safe and Sound is considered an old-timer in this field.

Only in the past two decades have parents considered contracting out the work. In fact, many parents still choose to do it themselves, said Ken Goore, owner of Goore's Furniture & Accessories for Babies to Teens, a retail outlet in Sacramento.

"It's a major department in our store in terms of sales volume," said Goore, who ranks child safety equipment among his top three revenue generators per square foot.

Parents, caregivers and small-business people such as Quint and Shandelman purchased as much as $235 million worth of child-safety merchandise last year, according to an industry trade group.

Father of three Jeffrey Jacobstein also assessed the risks at his home, then made the renovations. Later, when he was considering giving up his old line of work and starting something new, he wondered: Could he make a living by making homes safer for babies and children?

His answer was yes. He opened Crumb Crunchers Babyproofing and Child Safety Consultants early this year. It was tough slogging at first, he said, but the business has now caught its stride.

Offers classes for moms

Jacobstein has branched out to provide safety classes for local mothers' groups. He researched the idea and talked with other childproofers and the International Association of Child Safety, an industry trade group based in Lake Hiawatha, N.J. Then he secured startup capital.

"Our goal is to save kids' lives and prevent injuries," Jacobstein said. "We may not know the fruits of what we're doing, but it helps kids to be safe."

Before launching his business, Quint did his research, calling the International Association for Child Safety just as Jacobstein had done. He received one-on-one training from a group representative, and six months later, Eric's Child Safety Service was born.

"You're not putting a cabinet in somebody's home. You're stopping a kid from getting poisoned," said Quint, who is insured and is licensed as both a general and specialty contractor. "You've got to go in like you're protecting your own kid."

Childproofers Alison and Kenny Rhodes stress creating so-called "safe zones" for children — areas in the home where children are least likely to run across hazards and where they are easily seen by Mom and Dad.

"You don't think something is going to happen to your child, you get complacent," said Alison Rhodes of Peek-a-Boo Babyproofing Inc. in Wilton, Conn. "(Parents) say they never take their eyes off their child, (but) we talk about creating safe zones' so they have peace of mind."