Spring is finally nearly here. For many happy parents that means many happy kids get more outside time. However, spring can bring more to yards than children. Each year there are few safety checks you should consider before giving your kids free range to roam the yard– even with supervision.
Trash check:
Especially in areas where there’s heavy snow, all sorts of treasures end up trapped in the layers, and then on the ground after the melt off. The wind, animals, or just careless humans could have left some not-so-kid-friendly gifts in your yard over the winter season. Take some time to walk around your yard and pick up the mess in early spring to avoid icky finds by your kiddos.
Plant check:
Next, spring means new growth. Pretty much no matter where you live there are toxic native plants along with some that are just a bit dangerous thanks to pokey protection. While you pick up that trash, and throughout the year, keep an eye out for species of plants that are poisonous to the touch or if ingested– mushrooms are a common culprit. Also watch for plants that may not be poison, but could be dangerous.
For example, a new raspberry bush may require a bit of fencing or a precautionary lesson to avoid pricked fingers or even bee stings as they commonly attract buzzing friends. It’s always best to know what’s living in your child’s play area from plants to wildlife. If you’re not familiar with the toxic plant species in your area, this is valuable safety information. It may also prove helpful some day in a survival situation.
Puddle check:
While a muddy spot or puddle in most cases isn’t deadly–well, unless you have a lake like my yard gets–it’s good to know where they are so you can direct play away from them, invest in water boots if needed, or make efforts to drain them if necessary. Evaluating water sources on your property also makes it easier to eliminate some to cut down on mosquitoes.
Damage check:
Finally, chances are you have some outdoor play equipment or perhaps corralling methods such as fences. Look over all your yard goods for possible damages such as fence holes or broken play equipment that could prove dangerous. A good wash-out is advised as well. Spiders, bees, and other bug buddies sometimes begin to build nests in stored toys in the spring and throughout the summer.
While the proficiency to open doors, latches, and gates may be one necessary to an older child, once a toddler masters these skills you may have yourself a problem. The independence, tenacity, and curiosity of toddlers make for astonishingly adept escape artists which have led to minor heart attacks for plenty of parents. Unfortunately, sometimes toddler escapes end in more than just minor heart attacks. For example, in 2015 a 3-year-old Toronto boy escaped his home in the middle of the night and despite a frantic neighborhood-wide search involving hundreds of people, the boy froze to death before being found. Tragedies such as this always prompt two sorts of commentary, the folks who have kids and can’t fathom the pain this poor family must be in, and the finger-pointers, who always think something could have been done to prevent this. So, question is, can anything be done to stop a determined toddler from escaping while you, say, sleep?
Lock it, latch it, and high.
You know that scene from Conspiracy Theory, where the suggested-crazy Jerry has an army of locks on his door? Yeah, your door should be sort of like that. The thing about toddlers is they learn— and fast. Having multiple locks or latches on exterior and no-no room doors provides extra protection as well as will take longer for your toddler to undo if they master how to do so. For example, your front door could have a door knob lock, a deadbolt, and a high set chain lock. This means even if your clever, clever child got a chair or used a broom stick to undo the chain lock, they’d still have to twist the deadbolt latch, and figure out the knob lock and chances are you’d catch them before they got that far. Don’t forget sliding doors and large windows either. At 3, one of our children unlocked his second-story bedroom window, climbed onto the back porch, and then down the lattice to the ground.
Remember that toddler escapes can happen while not at home as well. Keep child locks on your vehicle doors and have an extra key in your wallet or purse in case your child ever decides locking you out is more fun than escaping.
Sound the alarm.
Assuming you sleep, just slowing your toddler’s escapes down so you can catch them won’t always be effective. In this case, you want to make escapes noisy. You can purchase door alarms which install as easy as peel and stick for under 10 bucks a piece, but if you’d like to give some fairies wings, bells work well as well. A string of door bells can also be pretty decorative, so you can guard against escape without looking paranoid to those that don’t know the joys of a self-sufficient and resolute child. Heck, if you’re a hard sleeper you may want to do both.
Listen carefully.
On top of alarms or bells that baby monitor you likely haven’t even gotten around to putting away can become a toddler monitor. At night it helps make escape alerts sound louder in your bedroom and during the day it can help you be able to concentrate on other things such as housework without having to look around every 30-seconds because you can hear the mischief. Extra tip: Beware a silent child.
Be clear.
You can also take a proactive approach to toddler escapes by talking to your toddler about it. Depending on your child’s age, you can either just have going outside without an adult be a no-no that is enforced the same way that say finger painting on the couch cushion is for younger toddlers, or you can explain the dangers of going out alone with an older toddler.
Never forget.
Keep in mind that all of the above is useless if you don’t use it. While undoing 3 to 4 locks can be a pain, and remembering to power on an alarm if you turn it off to do something like carry in groceries can be easy to forget (another advantage of bells) there’s no point in these safety measures if you don’t use them and a pain in the butt is way easier than a broken heart from a missing, hurt (or worse) child.
When thinking of decorating for Christmas, most people think first of the Christmas tree. Twinkling lights, sparkling tinsel, shiny bulbs, and a new addition to the home, the Christmas tree is almost irresistible to a child. And while festive, a Christmas tree and/or its decorations can also seriously harm that same child. Ornaments can be broken and contain sharp hooks. Trees can be pulled over on top of children. Pine needles can be eaten–the list of possibly injuries is impressive, but luckily all of these child hazards can be prevented. This guide on how to child or baby proof a Christmas tree will provide simple, step-by-step instructions to Christmas tree safety for any age child to help ensure the entire family has a happy injury-free holiday.
When it comes to Christmas tree safety not all hazards apply to all children. The first step to child proofing your tree is an easy one; identify the risks that apply to your child’s age.
Here is a general break down of common injuries applying to different age groups:
Infants that cannot crawl: (generally 6 months and younger) Before mobility is achieved a Christmas tree holds little risk to a child. If they can’t get to the tree, they can’t be harmed by it. All you need to do is follow general Christmas tree safety tips to avoid electrical fires, etc. An average of 160 fires a year are caused by Christmas tree mishaps, don’t let your home be one of them.
Infants that can crawl, but have limited reach: (Usually 6 months to a year) Pulling on lower branches, removing decorations from lower branches, becoming tangled in cords, eating pine needles.
Toddlers: (From about a year to three years) Over all tree havoc, de-decoration of entire tree, broken ornaments, ornament hook injuries, knocking the tree over, attempting to eat smaller decorations, etc.
Pre-school: (Four years and up) By the time a child hits pre-school, the dangerous of Christmas trees reduce dramatically. There is little risk involved.
Christmas tree safety for crawling babies:
One of the main steps to Christmas tree safety for a child that can only crawl is to either buy a very fresh tree or go for an artificial Christmas tree. Trees that become dry not only pose a greater fire risk, but they shed far more needles. Crawling children are at floor level, so shed Christmas tree needles are especially appealing. An artificial tree eliminates this problem altogether. A fresh tree, properly cared for will also shed less needles.
The second step to Christmas tree safety for crawlers is to secure the tree. Curious children often reach up and grab a hold of branches pulling Christmas trees to the ground and on top of themselves. There are a few methods of preventing this.
-You can mount or secure the tree. In this method, you screw or fasten the Christmas tree to the floor or what ever the tree is placed on securely. You should be able to tug on the tree without it falling.
-You can place the tree on a raised surface. This often requires a smaller Christmas tree be used, but for crawling children with limited reach placing the tree on a coffee table or other raised surface is often effective.
-You can gate off the tree. While not particularly attractive you can use a baby gate to build a box around your tree preventing a crawling child from being able to reach it. Another option in this same category is to place the tree in a room with a door that can be closed or gated.
The last step to creating a baby-proof tree for crawling children is to be wary of low decorations. Place any breakable ornaments up high and well out of the reach of the child, and be sure they are securely attached. You can use plastic bulbs with ribbons ties if you wish to have an even distribution of ornaments. When hanging lights keep them deeper into the tree’s branches, close to the trunk, and tightly wrapped so that your child can’t pull the strings from the tree. Where the cord for the lights comes from the tree to the electrical outlet should be properly secured. You can tape the cords down and then cover them with a tree skirt. Any unused outlet plugs should be covered with a child safety outlet cover.
Christmas tree safety for a toddler:
When child proofing a Christmas tree for a toddler, all of the tips covered in step one can be used, however, some suggestions will no longer be effective as a toddler has more reach and mobility than a crawling baby.
With a toddler the raised tree method is not recommended as they are more likely to still be able to pull the tree down. The Christmas tree can then either be very securely mounted, fastened to the floor, or gated off entirely. If you make your tree inaccessible to your kids, no more measures of Christmas tree safety are required, but then, what fun is that?
If you choose to simply mount or secure your tree, avoid using breakable ornaments even at the top of your tree. Store them away until your child is of a safe age. Plastic ornaments can be used instead. This is also a great time to make your own Christmas ornaments with your child from paper or popcorn for example. Avoid small decorations that may be a choking hazard. Be sure not to use metal hooks when attaching ornaments– stick to ribbon or string.
Extra tip: To appease children that simply will not stop de-decorating your Christmas tree, a basket of extra ornaments can be placed next to the tree for playing with.
