Without the assistance of a child safety company, identifying all the hazards in your house is a huge challenge for parents of babies and toddlers. Recognizing potential choking hazards and baby proofing them can be a daunting task.
As a new parent of twins and sometimes still in ”twin shock”, I was somewhat fearful of my kids choking. I continue to be CPR trained over the years, however:
– Could I clear the obstructed airway?
– If I was successful, would they be able to breathe on their own?
– If not, could I successfully complete CPR to revive them?
– What if both kids choked at the same time, which one would I tend to first?
True Story of Child Safety:
https://youtu.be/hRgD_tGwN7A
Before I started our child safety company, Infant House, I was busy in the kitchen making supper one evening. My 9 month old children were exploring what I thought was a choking hazard-free home just like they were Lewis and Clark. I heard one of them discover something new. I recognized the vibrating sound that flicking a spring door stop makes.
My child was over the 5 minute mark so, I had a brilliant idea, ”What if I could make a wooden box and attach spring door stops to it on all sides? Wouldn’t that be a great toy?”
As I was mulling the design idea around in my noggin, I noticed the twang of the aforementioned flicked door stop cease.
Like any diligent parent, when I don’t hear my babies playing, I go check on the ”Great Explorers”. I discovered that my little explorer had pulled the plastic cap off of the door stop. Yes, the hidden choking hazard. Now, what does every 9 month old do with something small that they pick up? Right, they put everything in their mouths. My big-eyed child had popped that door stop cap right in their mouth. Very calmly, I kneeled down, held out my hand and asked for the object. They handed the slobbery door stop cap to me. I explained to them to not put anything in their mouth that Daddy or Mommy does not give them.
Wow, what a scary idea that such a common household item such as a door stop could be a lethal choking hazard. Nobody told me about door stop caps and I certainly did not read about them as a potential choking hazard in any parent magazine. I felt so ignorant and what else have I missed when baby proofing my home?
Every parent should call a professional baby proofing company to evaluate their home for child safety. Look for one that will take the time to walk room by room with you and to explain the hazards and solutions for your unique situation. Then you can make an informed decision addressing the hazards in your home and have safety for baby and peace of mind for you.
About the Author:
Jack Smith is a child safety expert with Infant House, a child safety company serving the Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio Texas areas. He is the Daddy of boy/girl twins. Affiliated with the International Association for Child Safety. Contributing author of “Chaos 2 Calm the moms-of-multiples’ guide to an organized family”. Seen on CBS and inventor of the GlideLok – a childproof door latch sold worldwide. Contact: InfantHouse.com or call 866-Infant5 (866-463-2685) for your in-home childproofing evaluation. 09/16
