We all know how hard parenting is, but when you factor in all of the safety issues you have to be cognisant of, it is just compounded exponentially! If you have been a reader of my blog for awhile, you know one of my hot-buttons of safety is the button battery- having a very close call with my middle daughter swallowing one. If you have not read that frightening post, please do so now- it only takes 3 minutes, but it very well might save a life. The issue was called to my attention again recently when a friend forwarded me the New York Times story that brought the issue to the forefront again. The scary new fact that the NYT article scared me with? The deadliest batteries are the ones that have a model number starting with 2... the one Annika swallowed was 2032. I will never forget that number as long as I live and now it will haunt me even more.
Another safety issue was called my attention recently: the new larger capacity washer and dryers. I do not have one, but if you do, please heed this warning I received in an email from a friend:
"We were all playing outside on a beautiful day. W. (who will be 4 this August) decided to paint his body bright green- yes he was naked! Shortly after the kids went inside to take a bath and get cleaned up. After W. was dried off I told him to go and get his PJ's on. I started to make dinner and then planned on going outside to clean up our daily activities. Well I am glad that I decided to make dinner first. While standing in the kitchen I heard a faint cry and yelling for mom. I started to look around and realized that W. had climbed into the dryer and the door closed locking him in. We just recently bought a new Whirlpool washer and dryer which are "standard" for families that do a lot of wash. They are supposed to be more energy efficient. But they are also a lot larger and more inviting for youngsters. They have bright lights on the inside when the door is open but don't realize that the heavy door is magnetic and closes automatically. He was sitting in there Indian style looking for a pair of pajamas on the top of a load of laundry and could not figure out how to open the door. Something for you to pass on to mothers that have just recently upgraded to a larger washer and dryer."
I did find this lock for the front loading washer and dryers but, again, I do not own one, so I am not sure how well these work. It may very well be worth the $11 investment though.
Please pass these warning s on to friends or family who are parents... you never know when a little knowledge can save a life.
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