Helping Your Children Explore Safely |

Monday, 25 August 2008

Helping Your Children Explore Safely

Toddlers try to get into everything.

Parents of toddlers often feel tired, day and night. Just watching your active little person zoom around the house can be exhausting!

Keeping a toddler safe requires constant attention, and sometimes it seems you can't relax for a minute. It is surprising how many dangerous places and objects toddlers can discover.

But the extra work it takes to encourage your child as he explores and learns is worth it. Sometimes you may want to stop your child's need to explore, but remember: exploring is necessary for a growing child. Focus your energy on providing safe places for your child to learn about his world.

You won't have to go running after your toddler so often if you get rid of some of the dangers at home. Your toddler is just too young and too active to think about safety. She ignores things that are in the way. Bumps and falls don't stop her. You can never leave a child of this age unsupervised. However, your job will be easier if you take the following steps:

Put away anything that your child can easily damage or that can hurt him.
Use safety gates on stairways and porches.
Block the way to open, unguarded windows. Fasten screens.
Cover electric plugs.
Keep all medicines and poisons (like cleaning products) in a locked cabinet.
Teach your child how to climb up and go down stairs safely.
Make safe play areas and provide safe toys.
Understand that your words won't always stop your child from doing something unsafe. When that happens, take firm action to stop your toddler. Then tell her why you did it.
Be available to move in instantly when action is needed (for example, around an unfriendly dog, a speeding car, or stairs).

Source: Dealing with Toddlers

“My child is not that so “malikot” but she is very conscious of everything she saw. Sometimes she will get and ask me. Good thing she will ask me first before opening it. But we parents must keep sharp things so also the medicines and poisons because we cannot all the time saw what they are doing. I’m glad she obeys me when I said “no” to the things which are not good to her. Merely we must acquire their safety to avoid unwanted accidents.”