728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
Get Pregnancy Information
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Safety › Holiday Hazards

Holiday Hazards

Keep Your Little One Safe This Season

By Crystal Patriarche

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Eighteen-month-old Kaelee VanGundy of North Carolina also has an attraction for glass decorations. She pulled the glass balls off the Christmas tree and happily said, "Ball!" "Then she would throw it!" says her mother Sarah. "Of course, then the glass ball would shatter, and the metal hanger was left on the tree. We stopped using those kinds of decorations."

Mary Ellinger, a retired nurse in Kirkland, Wash., has been an in-home daycare provider for the past several years. She decorates her basement, where she has fixed up her daycare, for Christmas and the holidays every year. "I won't use lights or cords or bulbs because they put them right into the mouth," says Ellinger of the small children she watches. Instead, Ellinger decorates her tree with felt ornaments of Sesame Street characters tied onto the tree with yarn instead of hooks.

Oh, Christmas Tree
When you are stringing the lights on your tree, be careful how you place them. Keep all bulbs turned away from gifts and paper ornaments. It's also important to stabilize the tree with the proper stand and one that holds water.

VanGundy says her daughter would stand at the tree and play with the lights. When she would yell at Kaelee to stop, the toddler would go running with the light strand still in her hand, almost knocking the tree over.

Christmas trees that are not kept moist are also serious hazards during the holidays. You should look for a tree that is green and fresh, not one with brown, shedding needles. Take a needle from the tree and bend it. If it snaps, it's too dry, and experts say that a dried out Christmas tree can be consumed by fire in less than 30 seconds.


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.