What to Expect the Toddler Years (233 page)

Since most toddler pedestrian deaths occur in driveways when someone backs up over the child, take extra care never to allow your child to be in a driveway unsupervised; be extra cautious yourself when pulling out. Always walk around (and look under) your car to check for children (yours or someone else’s) before you back out.

Don’t mow the lawn when your child is in the yard; even if you try to clear all debris from your route before you begin, a pebble or other missed object (such as a nail) could become a dangerous projectile and cause eye or other injury. Opt for a push mower (instead of a more dangerous gas or electric model), if possible. Store the mower, and all other gardening tools, safely out of your toddler’s reach.

Be sure that porch and deck railings are sturdy (check them regularly for deterioration or damage) and spaced so that young children won’t catch their head or fall through the sides. Any outdoor area with a precipitous drop should be inaccessible to young children.

Stop environmental destruction. It’s not enough to beseech: “Please don’t eat the daisies!” You’ve got to be sure that your toddler knows that eating plants, indoors or out, is forbidden. Avoid planting, or at least fence out, poisonous plants (see page 658) in your own yard and keep an eye out for them when you are in the park with your child.

Check public play areas before letting your toddler loose. Be alert for dog droppings (they can harbor worms), broken glass, rat poison (warnings will be posted), discarded drug paraphernalia, and other perils.

Don’t allow your toddler to play in deep grasses or anywhere poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac might lurk, or where—out of sight—he or she might snack on some poisonous plant. If you discover poison ivy, oak, or sumac in your yard, remove it (check with your local cooperative extension or another knowledgeable source about proper removal procedures).

If you have a sandbox, keep it covered when it’s not in use (to keep out animal droppings, leaves, blowing trash, and so on). If the sand gets wet, let it dry out in the sun before covering. When filling the sandbox, be sure the sand you choose isn’t dusty; dusty sand may contain tremolite fibers. Tremolite fibers float in the air and can cause serious illness if inhaled. To test sand you already have, dump a pailful of it from a foot or so or mix a spoonful of it in a glass of water. If it makes a cloud of dust when dumped or the water in the glass remains cloudy once the sand settles, replace the sand, preferably with ordinary beach sand (a lot of play sand is made from ground stone or marble).

Don’t let your toddler routinely ingest fistfuls of soil. It could be contaminated by lead from flaking house paint or industrial residue.

If you have an outdoor fireplace or barbecue, make sure to keep your toddler away from it while it’s in use. The fire should be attended by an adult from the moment it’s lit until it’s been doused with water and the coals, if any, have cooled and been disposed of (remember that coals that aren’t doused stay hot for a long time after the fire itself is out). If you use a table top grill, be sure to set it on a stable surface that your toddler can’t reach or overturn.

Make bike helmets mandatory for everyone who

If your toddler has a tricycle, be sure that he or she always wears a helmet when riding. Don’t assume that because a child is riding the trike in the driveway, on the sidewalk, or in the park that an injury is improbable; many bike injuries occur in just such settings and a helmet can reduce the potential seriousness of an accident. Most important, getting into the helmet habit will not only protect your toddler now but in future years as well. If you ride a bike, set a safety-conscious example: Always wear a helmet yourself. Helmets should be specifically designed for bike riding (don’t use one designed for another sport) and labeled as meeting the bicycle helmet safety standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the Snell Memorial Foundation—not all helmets do. Most helmets are designed with removable padding, to “grow” with the child so that you won’t have to replace a helmet every year. A helmet that has been involved in a substantial accident, however, is often no longer suitable for use; many manufacturers will test a helmet on request to see if it is still usable, and some offer free lifetime replacement.