When you bring your baby home from the hospital, suddenly the fireplace you once thought was so cozy becomes a potential hazard. There are many products marketed to parents to baby-proof their homes, but you don't have to buy every one of them. As with most parenting issues, the best solutions often rely on common sense. Below are iVillage's 17 most popular and practical ways to make your home safe for your new arrival.

1. Crawl through your house to get a baby's-eye view, and remove anything that is either dangerous to your baby or precious to you.
2. Turn down your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent burns.
3. Secure cupboard doors with childproof locks -- but don't expect them to work all the time (some babies are more wily than other!). Put dangerous items (e.g., cleaning solutions, knives) in high cabinets, far out of reach of children. Leave one easy-to-reach cupboard open and fill it with plastic containers or pots and pans that are safe for baby to play with.
4. Cover all electrical sockets with plastic plugs or, better yet, replace the cover plates with childproof ones.
5. Take the sharp edges off your fireplace or furniture by covering them with throw pillows, quilts, blankets, or foam rubber. Murphy's Law dictates that falls will happen in the worst-possible places.