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Home › Articles › Toddler Safety › Safe Steps for Toddlers

Safe Steps for Toddlers

Going Beyond Basic "Baby Proofing"

By Kelly Burgess

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  • Be sure stoves are secured to the wall. She knows several instances where a child opened an oven door and tried to use it to climb on the kitchen counter only to have the entire stove fall forward. Even if there's nothing hot on the burners, the heavy stove can seriously hurt a child.
  • Be vigilant about emptying buckets after cleaning or washing the car and emptying baby pools after playtime. Drownings are second only to motor vehicle and traffic accidents in causes of deaths in toddlers.
    • Sibling Safety
    It's not easy to keep an eye on your toddler every second of the day. That's why safety-proofing is such an important issue. But it gets even tougher when your toddler is the youngest child in the home. Hannah Gregory of Gardiner, Maine, says she worried about choking accidents when her youngest was a toddler and her oldest was ready for marbles and small building blocks. She managed to solve the problem while making her oldest feel special instead of stifled.

    "We made these small-part toys 'special' just for him when the baby/toddler was sleeping," says Gregory. "They were placed in plastic boxes with closures and brought out for a special playtime just for the older child. This kept the younger child safe, without the older child feeling punished by the younger."

    Gregory also thinks it's important to be willing to give up some of your d袯r for safety reasons, especially tables with sharp edges or glass. Along those lines, her biggest challenge has been visiting relatives' homes, particularly older relatives who may not be willing to make accommodations for curious little hands. Gregory says hinting that it's simply too difficult to visit without those accommodations may do the trick.


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