Baby proofing litter box

I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment, and we are expecting in October. We have a very small closet where we keep the litter box in, it has no shelves or anything so its the perfect place for the litter box. We can't fit in our bathroom, nor bedrooms cause I'm allergic to cats. With the closet the cats have to jump up and into the litter box so we can't place a baby cat there with a little bit for the cats to get into.

We have very little money to spend at the moment so hoping for an easy fix. ANy ideas?

Could you post a picture of the closet and litter box?  That might help us visualize your setup.

I have 2 small kids and it hasn't been a huge issue here.  I think my DD tried to scoop the box once and my more adventurous son stuck his hands in 2 or 3 times at the most before getting the idea of staying out of there.  He (at 3) is more likely to shut the door to the laundry room than actually get into the box.  We keep the scooper out of reach or it might be more of a temptation.  It's also not in the main area the kids play.  I'm sure that helps us a bit.

I'm still having trouble envisioning the exact issue. One of these boxes might be worth considering - it would certainly make it harder for baby to get into the litter
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DH8LE/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ZS20I/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

I think that opening is too small for a standard baby gate anyway.  And with you renting you likely don't want anything you have to mount.  

I think the litter box options that Columbine posted are good ideas; as long as your cat will use a covered box.  And if they fit in that closet; you are right...it's perfect for a box!  Is that door on a hinge?  

I managed to dig up my thread from when I was trying to figure out what to do with ours: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/206235/baby-proofing-the-litterbox.  Like a few people posted in my thread; my kids learned pretty quick to stay out of it.  I also used a Super-yard to keep the kids out of other tempting things; like my bookshelves.  

I'm going to keep thinking!

First of all - congratulations! My advice is to relax and not worry about this yet. I know how you are feeling - when I was expecting I tried to think of all possible problems and fix them ahead of time. Once the baby is born, you still have months before they can get to the littler box, and by the time he or she is a toddler, you are going to have "don't touch" rules for other things too, like the heater, the oven, etc. You will also have a better sense what is a problem around the house and what isn't, because you will know your kid pretty well.

Before she was born, I thought our daughter would be playing in the litterbox like it was a sandbox, but she never showed any interest in it at all Go figure.

Be careful if you do change the litter situation, because some cats do not like it changed at all and will in protest the only way they know how, by using places outside of the littler box! Bringing a new baby home is going to be a huge change for them, so personally I would wait until the baby is older and the kitties have adjusted to the new family member, before changing the litter box situation. Good luck!

Can you have a custom cut piece of particle board or plywood and carefully after duct-taping the edges, slide it down on there leaving about a 8 inch gap at least, so the cat can crawl under it? Maybe larger or smaller depending on the size of your cat.

Either that or you could buy a large, clear, plastic tote bin and cut a hole in one side and keep the lid on it but drill holes in it for ventilation. I do not like covered boxes, but this case may require one.