by Amy Jo Browne

Created on: November 17, 2008   Last Updated: August 03, 2010

Having a toddler in the house is exciting and exhausting, as they seem to be into everything at once. Here are some all-purpose tips for grandparents who watch their grandchildren who are toddlers. Although a number of things have changed since we raised our own children twenty or thirty years ago, fundamental safety issues are still dominant.

Keep items out of reach that they might ruin. I know it seems logical but as our kids grow older, we become complacent about how we do things. The toddlers of today seem to be more independent it seems to me.

It seems all of us have cell phones now, and this presents the problem of the cord dangling cord. Keep the cords charger both up. My grandson who just turned one was trying to plug them into the outlet, had my teenagers remembered to put them higher the baby would not have been able to reach it.

Toddlers love to play with cell phones as well as other children, as there is music on there usually. To toddlers cell phones are like a musical toy, like the others they have. They flock to cell phones like a magnet at least my grandchildren do.

If you use a cell phone, make sure the cord is up on a counter top always when it is charging or not.

Wrap all dangly cords, so the children do not pull appliances down on themselves and injure themselves. A friend who was watching her granddaughter was cooking in crock-pot. The hanging cord caught the youngster's attention and luckily, when she pulled on the cord the cord detached itself. Can you imagine what could have happened had she pulled a crock-pot of hot food on her head? This includes the cords for anything electrical and even the strings on your window blinds.

If you have plants, with those pieces, which droop, make sure to put the vines up so avoid the attraction. It is best to have all plants out of reach, as toddlers are so curious about everything within reach. It would be just rotten if the child ate part of a plant that would poison them.

For those outlets, which are lower than your waist install, outlet covers so you remove the danger. The outlet covers that you can purchase in the baby section of department or dollar stores across the United States.

Many of us grandparents forget basic safety in child proofing a house simply because we have not had to do it in many years. Sit on the floor and look around, what could be dangerous at that level? You must fix those things. Their lives may depend upon it.

The danger does not end at their eye level. Danger is any place they can climb or reach. Protect that precious toddler who comes to visit you.

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