Safety Products You Can Live Withoutby Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 13 Mar 2008 05:35 AM I'm definitely not saying that you shouldn't baby proof your house. Let's be clear about this right from the start. But I am saying that the folks who make all these lovely little safety devices would have you believing that danger lurks in every room, around every corner. Dare I say that the best kind of safety is the old fashioned kind? (That's right--plain old fashioned keeping an eye on your kids is the best kind of accident prevention.) Refrigerator Latches Granted each of my children has done their own version of a science experiment answering the question: What happens when we drop a raw egg? But all the same, you really shouldn't need a refrigerator latch. Refrigerators are hard to get open for little ones, and when they are no longer hard for your toddler to open--that might be time to institute the grazing tray. But again, you should never be so far away or so inattentive as to miss your toddler going through the fridge at random. (And what do you keep in there that's 'dangerous' anyway?) For what it's worth--this is one of those inventions we thought we needed. We bought several different kinds. . .and they all broke within a few months. Suffice it to say that kids are not stupid, and much stronger than we tend to think. Stove Safety Guards This is the dumbest 'safety' invention ever in my opinion. You should never leave something on the stove unattended. Period. If there is something there. . .then you should be too. If you are there, then you keep a close eye on your child. If you leave, even for one second, then the stove goes off--and/or the child comes with you. Yes, it makes cooking dinner difficult at times, but you are guaranteed to miss that home cooked meal if you have to rush to the emergency room because you weren't watching and junior burned himself. So eat dinner a little late and only cook when you are actually in the kitchen. . .at the stove. (By the way, an exersaucer is great for getting dinner done and keeping a toddler 'contained.') Edge and Corner Guards Kids fall. It's the nature of things and you learn that if they're crying, it's not a cause for worry. (It's when they don't cry that you have serious problems.) But for what it's worth, all of my curious-toddling-about-prone-to-discover children figured out: safety guards come off. And they're fun because they're elastic. Obviously, toddlers will still fall and what should happen if they hit their little head on an unprotected coffee table? They get a big nasty bump that eventually goes away. If they're moving so fast that they could do serious damage by falling on your coffee table--it's time to think about moving the coffee table or setting some rules about acceptable play inside the house. Look soon for another post on often forgotten items that you do need! Other blogs on baby safety: Merck Recalls 1.2 Million Doses of Vaccine Minimizing Your Baby's Exposure to BPA Most Common Car Seat Mitakes that Most Parents Make Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  ruthann8 (6378) 13 Mar 2008 08:51 AMI didn’t even realize they had gadgets to keep you fridge locked. We do have refrigerated medications, but I plan on buying a small lockable container to put in the fridge.  Valorie Delp (49340) 13 Mar 2008 08:54 AMI think that's a lot smarter frankly. Like I said, we've had several different types of fridge locks and all of them took less than a month to break. They get used, tugged on, yanked and I've even had some children who just 'knew' how to undo it. A locked container in the fridge that's moderately hidden (like in the back of the fridge on the top shelf) is much safer IMO. ;-)  Kara |
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