Quint was impressed with the work -- until his cousin mentioned how much it had 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, 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 based 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.
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 32,000-square-foot 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 owners such as Quint and Shandelman purchased as much as $235 million worth of child-safety merchandise last year, according to an industry trade group.
Melanie and Robert Dunn of Citrus Heights are among the parents who tackled babyproofing on their own. Four years ago, after the birth of the Dunns' first child, Melanie installed socket plugs, locks, door alarms and safety latches, while Robert crafted hinged safety gates to keep the baby from taking a tumble.
"It's very much peace of mind," said Melanie Dunn, a mother of three who found her equipment at Babies R Us. "It's a scary world raising kids these days. Anything that makes anything easier for parents is valued."
Father of three Jeffrey Jacobstein also assessed the risks at his El Dorado Hills 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? The 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 caught its stride.
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."
No one can measure how many accidents might have happened if a childproofer had not been hired. Referrals, it seems, are the best indication of work well done.
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. 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 a general and specialty contractor. "You've got to go in like you're protecting your own kid."
