What to Expect the Toddler Years (232 page)
Read What to Expect the Toddler Years Online
Authors: Heidi Murkoff
If you can, turn off power to both washer and dryer when they are not in use.
Keep bleach, detergents, and other laundry products in a cabinet out of reach. When containers are empty, rinse them thoroughly, then place them in a toddler-inaccessible recycling or trash bin.
Most family garages are chock-full of threats to a toddler, so:
If your garage is attached to your house, keep the door between the two locked at all times. If the garage is separate, keep the garage door closed. And, keep any vehicles in the garage locked, too.
If you have a remote-operated automatic garage door, be sure that it’s one that automatically reverses if it hits an obstacle (such as your child). Automatic doors manufactured since 1982 are required to have this safeguard; if yours does not, you can get a retrofit kit to upgrade your door. Adding a resilient rubber strip along the bottom of the door offers additional protection. Check your garage door monthly (always on the same date—on the first of the month, for example) by lowering it on a heavy cardboard box or another expendable item to be sure the reverse feature is still operating; if it’s not, disconnect the opener until it’s been repaired or replaced (having it replaced professionally ensures the best results). The inside button for the door opener should be too high for your toddler to reach and any remote controls should be kept where children can’t get to them.
Store pesticides, weed killers, fertilizer; antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, and other car-care products; paints, paint thinners, and turpentine in an out-of-reach cabinet. (An inexpensive metal cabinet installed as high up on the wall as possible and latched with a combination lock is ideal.) These and all other hazardous products should be stored in their original containers so that there is no mistaking their contents and the directions for their use and safety warnings are visible. If you aren’t sure of what’s in a particular container, dispose of it as you would hazardous waste.
Though the home is the most dangerous environment of all for a child, serious accidents can also occur in your own backyard—or someone else’s—as well as in local streets and the community playground. Many out-of-the-house accidents are, however, relatively easy to prevent:
Never let a toddler play outdoors alone. Even a toddler snoozing in a stroller needs to be checked frequently; some swift toddlers can get out of their safety belts and into mischief within moments of awakening. Even without unbuckling the belt, a toddler standing up in the stroller can overturn it. An unattended toddler is also vulnerable to kidnapping—a remote but horrible prospect.
If possible, enclose a small area of the yard for toddler play. Use fencing that is continuous or has less than 4 inches between its slats and that a toddler couldn’t possibly scale. Equip the space with playthings and be sure it doesn’t contain any hazardous plants (see page 658), rocks, or potentially harmful debris. A child under eighteen months should be supervised on the spot even in such a controlled environment; an older child can be watched from a window.
NO SWINGING
It used to be called “nursemaid’s elbow,” but a child doesn’t have to have a nurse-maid to fall victim to a dislocated, or pulled, elbow. This condition is common in children younger than four, because their joints are relatively loose and their lack of cooperation often drives caregivers (including parents) to drag them by the arm. When the elbow joint is stretched, nearby soft tissue can slip into it and become trapped, causing severe pain and immobilizing the lower arm. To avoid putting your toddler’s elbow out of joint, never drag, lift, or swing him or her by the arm or arms, whether in play or in anger. See first aid tip #17 in the next chapter for how to deal with a pulled elbow.
A SAFE PLACE TO PLAY
Swings, slides, jungle gyms—such are the stuff of a young child’s dreams. But dreams can turn into nightmares—in the form of blackened eyes, broken limbs, and worse—if playground equipment isn’t safe. Avoid playgrounds that do not meet the following standards:
Be sure it is age-appropriate. (Best for home use are adjustable units that are appropriate now and will grow with your child.) For toddlers, equipment should be no higher than 6 feet at its topmost point; play platforms should be no more than 4 feet high, have guard rails, and be easy to get down from. A slide should have no more than a 30° incline, and the platform should be as wide as the slide and at least 22 inches deep; if the slide is more than 4 feet high, it should have raised sides. Trampolines are not recommended for toddlers or older children because of high injury rates associated with their use.
Be sure that it is safe. Look for a play system that says the manufacturer followed the guidelines of the American Society for Testing and Materials or of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This isn’t a certification or a guarantee, but it’s better than nothing. The play equipment should be sturdily constructed, correctly assembled (follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly), firmly anchored in concrete (which should be covered with soft earth or padding), and installed at least 6 feet from fences or walls. All screws and bolts should be capped to prevent injuries from rough or sharp edges; check for loose caps periodically. Avoid S-type hooks for swings (the chains can pop out of them with vigorous swinging). If there’s a climbing rope, it should be anchored at both ends. Swings should be the bucket type, of soft, shock-absorbent materials (such as plastic, canvas, or rubber rather than wood or metal) to prevent serious head injuries, and at least 24 inches apart and 30
inches from support posts. All rings and other openings should be designed to avoid head entrapment (smaller than 3
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inches or larger than 9 inches). Metal should be painted or galvanized to prevent rust; wooden equipment should be weather-treated to prevent rotting. But since wood treated with arsenic-based material is hazardous, it’s best to seal treated wood every 2 years with shellac, paint, or poly; if it isn’t sealed, have children wash their hands after playing on it.
Be sure that surfaces under play equipment are soft. Remove rocks and tree roots that are exposed or just under the surface of the play area, then spread with 9 to 12 inches of play sand, sawdust, wood chips, or bark; composition rubber mats; or other shock-absorbent material. Do not use concrete, packed earth, or grass, which are all dangerously hard; serious, even fatal, injury is possible on such surfaces should a young child take a fall from as little as a foot up. The surfacing material should extend roughly 6 feet around the play area. Rake sandy surfaces after rain to prevent compacting and add material yearly, as needed.
Be sure that play equipment is in good repair; check regularly for broken parts, loose bolts, missing protective caps, worn bearings, exposed mechanisms that could catch fingers, eroded metal (which could cause cuts), splintered or deteriorated wood. Repair home equipment immediately; if that’s not possible, remove any damaged parts or make the play area off limits until repairs are made. If it’s park equipment that’s in poor repair, report the problems to your local parks department, and avoid that playground until the equipment is fixed.
Be sure that children using play equipment aren’t wearing capes, floppy sleeves, flowing dress-up clothes, or any other clothing that might get caught or entangled.
Any play equipment is only as safe as the supervision a child gets. So supervise carefully. If the play equipment is taller than your child, supervise from close range.