What to Expect the Toddler Years (220 page)

Poisonous substances.
You’re always meticulous about locking away household cleansers, medicines, and so on. But at a party, one of the guests leaves his vodka and orange juice on the coffee table. Or you’re at your parents’ house and your father, who’s been trying to clear a clogged drain, leaves the drain cleaner on the bathroom counter. You’re asking for trouble if you haven’t begun to teach your toddler the rules of substance safety. Repeat these messages, over and over and over again:

Don’t eat or drink anything unless your parent(s) or another grown-up you know well gives it to you. This is a difficult concept for a young child to grasp, but repetition will make it stick—eventually.

Medicine and vitamin pills are
not
candy, though they are sometimes flavored to taste that way. Don’t eat or drink them unless your parent(s) or another grown-up you know well gives them to you.

Don’t put anything in your mouth that isn’t food; this, too, will bear a lot of repeating.

Only grown-ups are allowed to use scouring powder, spray wax, dishwasher detergent, and other cleaning products. Repeat this every time you scrub the tub, polish the furniture, load the dishwasher, and so on.

There are dangers outside your home, too, that your toddler needs to learn about:

Street hazards.
Begin teaching street smarts now. Every time you cross a street with your toddler, explain about “stop, look, and listen,” about crossing at the green (or the corner), and about waiting for the “Walk” (or green) light. If there are driveways in your neighborhood, be sure to explain that it’s necessary to stop, look, and listen before crossing them, too. Explain that drivers can’t see little children so little children have to hold the hand of someone big, and insist your toddler always hold your hand (or the hand of another adult) when crossing. Make no exceptions. Teach
your child never to step into the street without an adult, even if there’s no traffic. Point out the curb as the line a child must never go beyond on his or her own.

It’s a good idea to hold hands on the sidewalk, too, but many toddlers revel in the freedom of walking on their own. If you permit this (and you probably will want to, at least some of the time), keep a sharp eye on your child—an instant is all it takes for a child to dart into the path of an oncoming car. Infractions of the don’t-go-in-the-street-alone rule demand a swift and stern reprimand.

Be sure, too, that your toddler knows not to leave the house or apartment without you or another adult he or she knows well. Toddlers have been known to toddle, on their own, out the front door and straight into trouble.

It’s also important to teach your toddler not to touch refuse in the street—garbage, broken glass, cigarette butts, food leavings. But don’t make your child neurotic about touching anything at all—it’s okay to touch flowers (without eating or picking them), trees, store windows, light posts, mailboxes, and so on. (But do carry wipes to clean hands before eating—or thumb-sucking.)

Auto safety.
Be certain that your toddler not only becomes accustomed to being buckled into a car seat, but understands why it’s essential. Also explain in simple terms the reason for other auto safety rules: why it’s not safe to throw toys around, why it’s dangerous to grab the steering wheel when someone is driving, and why children must not play with door locks or window buttons. (Teach school-aged children how to open the locks, in case they should become locked in alone.)

Playground safety.
A toddler who is old enough to play in a playground is old enough to begin learning playground safety rules. Teach swing safety: Never twist a swing (when it’s occupied or even if it’s empty), push an empty swing, share a swing meant for one occupant, or walk in front of or behind a moving one. And slide safety: Never climb up the slide from the bottom (always use the ladder) or go down head first; always wait until the child ahead of you is off the slide before going down; and, when you do go down, move out of the way immediately when you reach the bottom.

Pet safety.
Teach your child how to interact safely with pets—your own, or those of others (see page 85)—and to keep away from strange animals.

Insect safety.
Teach your toddler to avoid bees when possible, and to stay still (rather than swatting and provoking) when one approaches. Warn your child, too, not to provoke spiders or play with spider webs.

The world of the toddler who is walking and climbing expands rapidly. Virtually overnight, almost everything is within reach. To best protect your toddler, you will have to maintain the same safety precautions you instituted when your child began to crawl, plus several new ones. To make your home as safe as possible for your toddler, start with:

Tour your home looking for potential trouble spots (for a toddler’s-eye view, get down on your knees), and make changes as necessary:

Windows.
If windows are above ground level, install window guards according to
manufacturer’s directions (screens or storm windows
cannot
be relied on to keep a toddler from tumbling out). Or adjust your windows so your toddler can’t get out through them: an inexpensive locking device is available for double-hung windows or screws can be screwed into the window frames to keep the lower window from opening more than 4 inches. Be sure, however, that you can open these windows quickly in an emergency, as in case of fire. Even with protections in place, never leave a young child alone in a room with a window that is open from the bottom (a window open from the top is generally safe, unless of course, your child is able to climb to that height). Periodically check the windows in an old house to be sure the panes are not loose and that the putty is not dried out or missing. Never place furniture that your toddler can climb on in front of a window. And don’t install a window seat; if you already have one, make sure the window it’s under is always locked or is protected by a window guard.

Window guards and cord shorteners (for venetian blind or drapery cords) make windows safer for toddlers.

A glass door can look like an open door. Affix decals to prevent dangerous collisions.

Venetian blind or drapery cords.
Tie them up so a child can’t become entangled in them. Do not place a crib, a play-yard, a chair, or a bed a child can climb on within reach of these (or any other) cords. Cord shorteners, which can put the cords out of reach, are available where child-safety equipment is sold.

Doors.
Since toddlers are quite capable of toddling out a door without anyone taking notice (a major risk during holiday time and parties, when there’s a lot of coming and going) keep all doors, sliders, and screens secured with toddler-proof locks, even in summer. (Some sliders can be locked in a slightly open position, allowing air to enter without allowing a toddler to exit.) Affix decals or hang prisms on large glass doors so that toddlers (or anyone else) will be less likely to walk into them.

A door-knob cover, which makes it difficult for a toddler to turn the knob, and a gate can keep your child from leaving a safe area and entering an unsafe one.