‘Tis the season…for accidents. If your holidays are anything like mine, you’ll agree that this time of year is an accident waiting to happen! Ladders are pulled from storage to hang twinkling lights, tempting breakable ornaments are hung from trees just inches away from our inquisitive toddlers, and a plethora of flickering candles scented of cinnamon apple permeates the air in every. single. room.
So while I know your Mom-Radar is on the lookout for accidents all the time, here are some reminder safety tips for this holiday season:
Home Decor
- Blow out candles {check and double check}
- Hide or wrap up cords that may cause a little one to trip or even certain pets to chew on {our bunny is guilty of this crime}
- Do not leave poisonous plants {poinsettias} in arms reach of the little humans and pets.
Batteries
Be sure to keep those tiny watch size and button batteries FAR away from the reach of the littles. Ingesting those can be fatal and chances are, you will not realize what has happened until it is too late.
Christmas Tree safety
- Check all of the lights when decorating the tree because this is a huge fire hazard. If in doubt, throw it out!
- Make sure you water the tree on a regular basis. Again, a huge fire hazard.
- Try to keep glass ornaments high up on the tree to prevent them from being pulled down and breaking. Decorate low hanging branches with homemade ornaments from the kids or even plastic.
Holiday Shopping
- We all know how crazed the roads can be this time of year…in fact, I would even say that some drivers wreak havoc on the road because they are always in a hurry. Add an extra 15 minutes to your commute to allow for the extra traffic.
- Be sure that everyone is locked into their seat belts before pulling away and that the little’s car seat straps are up to date with their height {sometimes this sneaks up on us}.
- Take extra care at the malls and watch out for pedestrians…you just never know! And for goodness sake DO NOT leave your shopping items in plain view in your car! {I am from Miami, so I guess I am more paranoid about this than most. But for real, just don’t!} Be mindful of your surroundings and always walk to your car with keys in hand.
Cheers to a safe holiday season and a prosperous New Year! Do you have any safety tips from your parenting experience that you’d like to share?
