Child Safety - A True Story
It has been many years since my own kids were small. I had done all the
things you are told to do to childproof your home. I had knicknacks
outlawed in my home, electrical outlets covered, door knobs protected,
child latches on the lower kitchen cabinets where unsafe items were,
and I had put things I didn't want them to get into high up.
Still, one morning at about 5:30am, I awakened to see that my 4 year
old son, who was kneeling at my bedroom window looking out, had green
feet....This could only mean that he had been into my food coloring,
which was on an upper shelf in the kitchen and which he would have had
to climb on the kitchen counter to get to. I rushed downstairs to see
that my green food coloring, a 5 pound bag of sugar, flour, water and
some medication, which was in the Very Top Cabinet, were all over the
stove, the counter and on the floor.
Panicked, I questioned
my son about the medication, which he, of course, said he had not
swallowed. Five minutes later my husband and I were on the way to the
Emergency Room to get him checked out. A physical exam, several tests
and a few hundred dollars later, the doctor confirmed that he most
likely had not taken any of the medication.
The outcome was good, but it meant that my child proofing had been
incomplete. I had been prepared for the crawler and the walker but not
the climber.
Children become inquisitive almost from birth, putting things into
their mouthes to test them. They graduate to crawling and investigating
the room at around 6 months and walking at around 12-15 months, ever
expanding their range of exploration. Some, like my son, progress to
climbing. Parents need to be ever vigilant, not leaving young children
unattended, and looking around their homes and environments for ways to
protect their children from risks.
Today, there are even more recommendations for child protection and expanded means of doing so.
Safe Child Store
