As a parent, you probably know to cover sharp corners, remove corded blinds, baby proof outlets and anchor your furniture to your wall. It’s hard constantly keeping your kid safe while preserving your sanity.
When you’re home, you want to know your child is safe anywhere they can get to, but these five hidden dangers could put them at risk without you even realizing it. Here are four threats you must know, and alternatives to keep your kid safe and give you peace of mind.
1. Magnets
Magnets can be fun and useful, but toys with them could put your child at risk. Small ones can stick together in their body if swallowed, causing catastrophic problems.
You can now find rare earth magnets in many puzzles and toys. The small metal magnets can be smaller than a pea, making them easy for kids to ingest if they put one in their mouth.
Swallowing one can cause problems, but that danger increases if someone consumes them together or with another magnetic object. There have been multiple cases of children who died or were near-death thanks to these magnets.
How to Avoid Injury
You don’t need to throw out every refrigerator magnet or magnetic tile. However, you should ensure you don’t have strong magnets — like rare earth magnets — in the vicinity of small children or ones who tend to put things in their mouths.
If you have older kids who play with the magnets, go over the safety precautions with them, and keep your small child away until they finish and the room gets swept to ensure none remain. It’s best to have them play with the magnets in a space your little one can’t go, but always ensure none are within their reach in case they get there.
Always supervise young kids when they play with magnet toys. Even if the magnet is inside a casing like Connetix tiles, the casing could break and cause potential danger.
2. Button Batteries
You probably know the dangers of button batteries, but you might not realize just how many things they’re in. Even with their threat, these batteries still appear in many household items, including:
- Remote controls
- Key fobs
- Electronic toys
- Cameras
- Musical greeting cards
- Watches
- Calculators
- Hearing aids
If your child swallows one of these batteries, it could cause severe damage or death.
How to Avoid Injury
Eliminate these batteries whenever possible. If you have alternative electronics, remotes or watches without them, use them instead.
Always check the packaging on electronic toys to ensure they don’t run on button batteries, avoid calculators that have them, and don’t purchase or keep around any cards that talk or sing. For items you can’t get rid of — like your car’s fob or hearing aids — always keep them out of reach of children and supervise them whenever they are near.
3. Closed Garage Doors
You probably know not to let kids play in an open garage door, but closed ones are also dangerous. The doors have many sharp parts that could seriously injure your child if they accidentally bump into them while playing. They could also hit an indoor opener, which could cause them to fall or get pinned by the door.
Closed garage doors can pose a risk if your children play in the garage and a family member is out of the house. If someone arrives home earlier than expected, they could open the door and drive in, not realizing your little one went there to play.
How to Avoid Injury
The best way to keep your kids safe around garage doors is not to let them play near them. If they must play in your garage, block the area off and supervise them at all times. When playing outside, ensure your children stay several feet away from the door, and don’t play around it after dark when they can’t see it as well or a family member could return home and open it.
When you enter your garage to get in your vehicle, hold your child’s hand or have them stay against the car while you prepare to leave. Ensure they’re safely buckled and calm with the door shut before you get in the driver’s seat. Never leave the vehicle running with the garage door closed and load your car before placing your child in it so they aren’t alone in the garage.
4. Water Beads
These colorful balls have risen in popularity in the past decade, but they can be fatal if swallowed. The beads swell with water, making them large and squishy. To little ones, they could look like candy.
Recently, a mother went viral for sharing the story of her baby who grabbed and swallowed one of her older child’s water beads. The child almost died from the bowel obstruction it caused and spent months recovering.
It wasn’t an isolated incident. Caregivers and hospitals reported more than 200 similar cases from 2017 to 2022. While often branded as toys, you can also find these beads in some spa products, art kits and gardening accessories.
How to Avoid Injury
If you have them in your home, it’s best to discard them. Nearly all the reported cases happened because one of the small beads got away from the area where someone was using them.
For older kids who have them, explain the dangers. Either get rid of them or have them keep the door closed and blocked as they use them. Store them up high and thoroughly examine the room you used before allowing your little ones inside.
Keeping Your Kids Safe from Hidden Dangers
Everyone would like to think the products they have in their homes are safe, but unfortunately, hidden dangers do exist. Research items and toys before introducing them to your little one. If you think something might be dangerous, put it out of their reach until you get clarification.
