What to Expect the Toddler Years (225 page)

To help everyone in your household think “poison” on seeing a potentially poisonous product, put “poison” labels on all such products. If you can’t locate commercially printed labels (some poison centers can provide “Mr. Yuk” labels), simply put an “X” of black tape on each product (without covering instructions or warnings). Explain to your family that this mark means “danger.” Regularly reinforce the message, and eventually your child will also come to understand that these products are unsafe.

Consider all of the following potentially perilous:

Acid compounds (muriatic acid, acetic acid, etc.)

Alcoholic beverages

Ammonia

Ammoniated mercury (not useful medicinally)

Antidepressants (very high fatality rate)

Antifreeze

Aspirin

Bleaches

Boric acid (not useful medicinally)

Camphorated oil (not useful medicinally)

Cardiac medications (high fatality rate)

Chlorine bleach

Cosmetics (most hazardous: artificial-nail removers containing acetonitrile)

Denture cleaners

Dishwasher detergents

Disinfectants

Drain cleaners (better not to use these; if you do, dispose of any remainder right after use)

Farm chemicals (caustic)

Fertilizers

Fungicides

Furniture polish

Gasoline

Hair straighteners

Insecticides

Iodine (not useful for first-aid purposes)

Iron pills and nutritional supplements containing iron, meant for adults or children (iron overdose is the major cause of fatal poisonings in children)

Kerosene

Laundry detergent powders containing sodium carbonate or silicate

Lighter fluid

Lye (best not to have in the home at all)

Medicines of all kinds

Methyl salicylate (high fatality rate)

Mothballs (switch to cedar products)

Mouthwash containing ethanol or alcohol (not all do)

Oil of wintergreen (not useful medicinally)

Oven cleaners

Pesticides

Rodent poisons

Rust removers

Sleeping pills

Street drugs (all)

Toilet bowl cleaners

Tranquillizers

Turpentine

Vitamins and other nutritional supplements

Weed killers

Windshield washer fluid

Not every household product your child might pick up is toxic. Although the following aren’t ideal toddler edibles, occasional accidental ingestion isn’t harmful: bubble bath, shaving cream, pet food, shampoo, lipstick, toothpaste, deodorants, dishwashing detergent that you use in the sink (dishwasher detergent, used in the machine, is hazardous, however).

JPMA CERTIFIED SAFE FOR KIDS

Strollers, booster seats, safety gates, and a variety of other equipment designed for children are awarded a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Safety Approved Certification Seal once they pass rigorous testing for conformity with tough manufacturing standards. Look for JPMA certification when making the following purchases for your toddler. Try them out for easy use before purchasing.

A stroller. It should have a broad base and be sturdy enough not to tip over if a child moves around in it; if your stroller tips when the handles are overloaded, be certain they never are. Strollers should also be easy to fold and open (be sure a stroller is securely locked into the open position before using), and be free of nooks and joints that could catch and injure small fingers.

A play yard (playpen), if you use one, should have fine mesh sides (less than
¹
/
₄
inch openings) or vertical slats less than 2
³
/
₈
inches apart. Always be sure the play yard is
fully
open before putting your toddler in it, and never leave it partly opened—it could close up on and smother a child who climbed into it.

Gates. These can be used to keep a child in or out of any room in the house as well as away from staircases. Gates can be portable (these usually have to be released and moved for anyone to get through the doorway) or permanent (these usually swing open after unlatching), depending on your needs. Both varieties are generally adjustable to fit different door frame sizes and can vary from 24 to 32 inches in height. If you are installing a permanent gate, be sure to screw it into wooden wall studs to prevent toppling under the pressure of an eager-to-escape toddler or one rolling along on a riding toy (drywall or plaster won’t hold the screws securely). If you use a portable gate with an expandable pressure bar, be sure your little climber can’t get a toehold on the bar. Do not use an accordion-style gate with large diamond-shaped openings (in which small hands, feet, or even heads can get caught); opt instead for models with Plexiglas or fine mesh (if the mesh is flexible, it will be even harder for your toddler to climb on the gate) or those with vertical slats (again, no more than 2
³
/
₈
inches apart). A gate with a diamond-shaped pattern should have openings no more than 1
¹
/
₂
inches wide. Any gate you use should be sturdy, with a smooth nontoxic finish, no sharp parts, no parts that can catch little fingers, and no small parts that can break off and be mouthed. Follow installation directions exactly. Gates are not usually of any use with a toddler over 34 inches tall or over two years old (by then they can usually figure out how to get past them), except perhaps in the middle of the night.

For a free copy of “Safe & Sound for Baby” and a directory of JPMA-certified products, go to jpma.org.