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Home › Articles › Development › Up, Up and Away!

Up, Up and Away!

Dealing with Climbing Toddlers

By Jennifer Dawn Hans

Pages:  1  2  3  

(Halo Productions, 2004). "First thing parents need to understand is that toddlers do not know that they can be hurt. The second thing is that they have no impulse control. So they just move from one thing to the next, oblivious to all the danger around them."

To minimize the number of dangers present in your home, it's necessary to childproof as much of your home as possible. Get down on your hands and knees and try to see your home from your toddler's vantage point, Dr. LoFrumento suggests. Remove as many dangers as possible.

Unwavering supervision is another absolute must. "Always be one step ahead of your toddler – or a few steps behind," Dr. LoFrumento says. "And make sure all childcare providers (even grandparents) follow the same safety guidelines."

Give Toddlers Some Wiggle Room
A certain amount of controlled exploration is good for your child, so parents should do what they can to allow such discovery in safe environments.

Dr. LoFrumento suggests parents designate a few rooms in their homes as "exploring rooms." All breakables should be removed, while toys and other safe household items are hidden about. The room should also include plenty of soft cushions, corners and rugs to ease any bumps that may occur along the way.

Dr. Spooner says a good romp at a well-designed playground also can do wonders. With soft beds of wood chips and safety-engineered equipment, children are free to explore in an environment fostering safe discovery.

Safety Tips from Dr. Mary Ann LoFrumento, Author of Understanding Your Toddler

  • Never leave a toddler unsupervised unless she is asleep in her crib.
  • Make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are installed and working.
  • Bathrooms and kitchens, in general, should be off limits unless supervised. These are the most dangerous rooms in the house.
  • Be extra vigilant at other people's homes, especially if they do not have children. Use safety latches, locks and plug covers to childproof your home.
  • Do not keep guns in the house. If you do, keep them in a locked cabinet. Keep the ammunition in a separate locked storage space. Make sure all guns have approved safety locks.
  • Write the phone number for poison control near all phones in the house, and program that number into your cell phone.
  • Keep dangerous cleaning materials and medicines closed and out of reach.
  • Tie window blind cords so that they are out of reach. Never keep these cords in the shape of a loop or "noose." Cut them into two cords.
  • Do not let children of any age chew on balloons.
  • Turn the handles of pots and pans on the stove inward. Be aware of hot liquids on a placemat or tablecloth, which your child might pull down.
  • Never allow a child to play with or put his or her mouth on an electrical cord.
  • Use toilet bowl locks. Keep buckets with water or cleaning fluids out of reach.
  • Install fences with locking gates around swimming pools and Jacuzzis.
  • Place gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
  • Close and lock windows if a toddler is in the room. Install window guards on windows above the first floor.
  • Never tie anything around a toddler's neck, including necklaces or pacifiers.


    • Pages:  1  2  3  

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    Comments

    Found 4 comments
    Displaying all 4 comments below

    When Babies Climb by Anonymous on 02/20/2010 08:28PM

    my grandson will climb on high chairs, tables, anything he can get on, he has fallen numerous times and we cant keep up with him - are concerned he is going to seriously hurt himself - any suggestions? cant go without furniture!!!!

    Re: When Babies Climb by anonymous on 01/30/2010 05:59PM

    I agree with the above - I kept waiting for the "what you can do" list.

    Re: When Babies Climb by anonymous on 10/04/2009 05:44AM

    this article is not very helpful

    Re: Up, Up and Away! by anonymous on 05/13/2009 08:40PM

    This article did not deal with what to do with a toddler climbing on things as the title suggests. Pretty much worthless. I can not remove all furniture and tables from my home.

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