Lookout: Toddler Magnets!
It’s breathtaking how fearless toddlers can be. Their innocence about the world around them allows them to pick up objects that we know are ideal left alone. They’ll put all sorts of things in their mouths, poke at others, prod at some, and try to take equipment or toys apart while you, the adult, cringe in worry of what’s to come of this open curiosity. Fortunately, most of these worrying habits cause no harm to the toddler or none of us would have survived our parents’ worry past kindergarten!
But there are some practices that are hazardous, even fatal, for toddlers. Outdoors and indoors, toddlers need supervision to insure their safety. With their innocent sense of immortality, toddlers do not know what’s safe and what will injured them, so adults must stay vigilant on their behalf.
Inside your home, everybody knows about covering electric sockets, stoves, and keeping chemicals and medicines out of children’s reach. But your home is beset with dangers you probably haven’t thought about. You know how dogs like to drink out of toilets? So do toddlers! There must be something innately fascinating about toilet bowls that lures dogs and children. Try keeping the lid down and the lavatory door shut. Your dog might be unhappy, but your child will be germ-free.
Toddlers are also drawn to pet food. Fish food, bird seed, dried dog food – toddlers, with their perfectly reasonable logic, think that if it’s okay for the pets to eat, it must be okay for them to eat! After all, pets eat human food, so why can’t we eat animal food? Try gently reminding your toddler that animal food is only okay for animals, not for people. Be prepared for that ever-popular question, “But WHY?”
There are dozens of choking hazards in your home. Rubber bands, paper clips, twisty-ties from bread wrappers, coins, even food items like chips and crackers can be hazardous. If you were to interview a hundred ER doctors, most of them would tell you stories about clashes between tiny children and household items. A classic story is the doctor who removed a nickel from the nose of a five-year-old! This is a good time to teach your toddler that loose items and their orifices is not a good match.
Outside, toddlers think nothing of touching and/or picking up things out of curiosity that would make an adult shriek! Bugs, worms, plants – nothing’s safe from a four-year-old sleuth. If you live in the south, you know that Mistletoe grows abundantly on trees much like moss. Children are drawn to this pretty parasite and have no idea that, if ingested, it’s deadly poison! Jimsonweed is a common, rather pretty, roadside herb that causes intense hallucinations and psychotic behavior if chewed. These are just two examples of common plant hazards; teach your child never to put anything in his/her mouth that you haven’t okayed. Bugs are generally harmless if eaten, but it’s not a good idea to take chances.
Instruct your toddlers never to touch a snake, lizard, turtle, toad, or any other creature of the outdoor world unless an adult is present. While most of these critters are harmless, toddlers don’t know a garden snake from a copperhead! Alligator snapping turtles can whack off a toddler’s little finger in a split second. If you live in a rural area, it’s imperative that you instruct your child to leave outdoor citizens alone! If you live near a beach, instruct your toddler that sea urchins, crabs, and jellyfish can injured them despite their harmless and fascinating appearances.
Toddlers have a never-ending store of curiosity. After all, the world is new, bright, stimulating and fun and toddlers want to know all about everything that’s around. There’s always something new to grab children’s’ attention. This plentiful world is both a blessing and a curse; toddlers need to learn what separates fun from harmful, especially if potentially harmful might happen to be fun as well. Learning how to temper curiosity with a healthy dose of caution can make the difference between exploration and disaster.
