What to Expect the Toddler Years (239 page)
Read What to Expect the Toddler Years Online
Authors: Heidi Murkoff
SAFE ART
When purchasing art supplies for your toddler, look for talc-free premixed clays designed for use by children (powdered clay for adult use may contain asbestos); water-based markers, paints, inks; white glues or school pastes (avoid epoxies, instant glues, or solvent-based adhesives). Some older “nontoxic” crayons may not be, in fact, nontoxic. If the crayons your toddler has been using aren’t labeled “Conforms to ASTM D-4236,” discard them and buy a box that is. Look for the same assurance of safety on other art supplies as well. Keep in mind that a toxic material doesn’t have to be ingested to be dangerous; some can cause harm if absorbed through the skin. So don’t allow body-painting except with paints designed for that purpose. When an arts and crafts session is over, wash off paint, glue, and other materials from your toddler’s skin (be sure to get under the nails). And be sure any day-care or preschool program your child attends also is careful about the use of art supplies. For further information, contact The Art & Creative Materials Institute at (781) 293-4100 or acminet.org.
Before loading up your basket (and plunking down your money), check for:
Age-appropriateness.
For safety’s sake, adhere to the label recommendations on toys you buy for your toddler. Toys that aren’t labeled for age appropriateness should be avoided or carefully checked for all of the criteria below before being purchased. And keep the toys of any older siblings away from your toddler if they don’t meet these standards.
Developmental appropriateness.
Consider not only your child’s age, but his or her behavior and developmental stage when you buy. For example, no matter what age and no matter how bright, children who still explore objects by mouthing them (and are thus at greater risk of choking) should not have toys with small parts. Some children stop putting in their mouths things that don’t belong there at twelve months, others, not until three years—or even later.
Safe size.
Avoid any toy that can fit completely into your toddler’s mouth or that has any small parts that can be mouthed (see page 658); also be sure that a larger toy can’t be squeezed or molded into a smaller, potentially dangerous size. Another reason for always supervising a toddler: Should an object become stuck in a child’s mouth, the child wouldn’t be able to cough it out or call for help. Only a parent or another caregiver on the spot could help.
Sturdy construction.
A flimsily fashioned toy not only won’t last long, but could also shatter or fall apart, producing dangerously small or sharp parts that could injure your toddler.
Safe finish.
Paint, if any, should be nontoxic and durable; the finish should be unlikely to peel or splinter.
Safe ingredients.
Art supplies, which end up in the mouth and on the skin as often as they do on paper, should be nontoxic (see box, above).
Washability.
Stuffed animals and other soft toys that can’t be tossed in the washing machine may become a breeding ground for germs, so look for “machine-washable” on care tags.
RED LIGHT GREENERY
Although many toddlers reject the greens on their dinner plate, few have any qualms about taste-testing the greens on live plants. Yet many common house and garden plants are poisonous when eaten. So place houseplants high up, where leaves or flowers can’t fall on the floor below, and where your toddler can’t get to them. Better still, farm out poisonous houseplants to friends who don’t have small children—at least until your child is older. Label with the accurate botanical name any houseplant you do keep, so that if your toddler does ingest some leaves or flowers, you will be able to supply accurate information to the poison center or your toddler’s doctor. Place all plants, even those that are not poison ous, where they can’t be toppled with a tug.
Poisonous plants include:
Azalea
Caladium
Daffodil bulbs
Daphne
Dumb cane
English ivy
Foxglove
Holly
Hyacinth bulbs (and leaves and flowers in quantity)
Hydrangea
Iris rootstalk and rhizome
Japanese yew seeds and leaves
Jerusalem cherry
Larkspur
Laurel
Lily of the valley
Mistletoe
Morning glory seeds
Narcissus bulbs
Oleander
Philodendron
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb leaves
Sweet peas (especially the “peas,” which are the seeds)
Tomato plant leaves
Wisteria pods and seeds
Yews
Poinsettia, in spite of its reputation, isn’t toxic, though it could cause an upset stomach.
Avoid toys with:
Removable or loose small parts. Button eyes on teddy bears, shoes on dolls, tiny toy “people” or characters, small beads, tiny building blocks, easily detachable squeakers in or on squeeze toys, and any other toys or parts small enough to swallow, choke on, or be poked into an ear or a nostril are hazardous and should be bypassed.
Strings, ribbons, or cords longer than 6 inches. Toys that come with strings attached (unless the “strings” are made of a stiff plastic) pose a strangulation risk. Avoid these toys or remove or trim the strings before letting your toddler play with them. Also avoid letting your toddler play with audio tapes—unwinding tapes is a favorite occupation for toddlers.
Springs, gears, or hinges that can catch little fingers or long hair.
Sharp points or edges. Watch out for sticks picked up outdoors; allow play with pencils and pens only under supervision.
High noise levels. Toys that produce sounds of 100 decibels or more (such as cap guns, motorized vehicles, and very loud squeeze toys) can damage a toddler’s hearing (see page 486).
Heating elements or electrical connections. Battery-operated toys are okay as long as the batteries are completely inaccessible to curious fingers or the plaything is used only under close adult supervision. (A swath of electrical or duct tape over the toy’s battery compartment
may
keep your toddler from prying it open—or it may not, which is why supervision is crucial.) Small button batteries are a choking and swallowing risk, and all batteries are dangerous if a toddler chews on them.
A choke tube, available at many juvenile products stores, as well as through catalogs, can help you determine what’s safe for your toddler to handle (and mouthe), and what may pose a choking risk. Any item that fits into the tube (left) is a choking risk and should be kept away from your toddler. Any item that protrudes from the tube (right) does not present a choking risk.
Sponge-like construction. Toddlers are often tempted to chew on balls and other items made of spongy material and can gag or even choke on them or on pieces bitten off of them.