25 Household Hazards That Will Harm Your Toddler

The life of being a toddler is adventurous and exciting, but it can be a nightmare for the parents. How many times have you had to say no to your little monkey? Saying no is one thing and getting them to obey and understand you…well…that can be challenging to say the least. Regardless of the difficulty, we as Moms, must protect them as best we can. However, we do not know it all and sometimes we are clueless to the dangers our toddlers face just by being curious, fun seeking, toddlers! That is why it is important that Moms know about some household hazards that are dangerous and at times life threatening to their toddlers.

Note: Nothing is 100% child proof, but it’s safer to have some sort of child safety device in place, rather than waiting for an accident to happen.

25 Hazards in Your Home that Will Harm Your Toddler

You may be aware of some of these hazards, however, if there is even one that you did not realize, than this is worth a read! Also, this article is about the dangers IN your home… there are many others around your home, including; pools, large buckets of water, wasp nests, etc. I will follow up with an article for around your home in the coming weeks. For now, let’s look inside…

1. Balloons
Balloons are fun when they are filled with air. They float and glide up above, but become a choking hazard when they aren’t blown up. They are also stretchy and it’s fun to see how far they can stretch, but be careful, they can bite back by slipping from toddlers’ little fingers and snapping them in the eye. Ouch!

2. Outlets
Before your toddler becomes mobile, protect your electrical outlets with outlet covers. Be sure they can’t be easily removed by your toddler. For some reason, toddlers love outlets and they love it so much they have to touch it with wet fingers or worse yet, they like to use long, pointy objects to stab through the tiny slots.

3. Venetian Blind Cords
A toddler can hang themselves. This happens more often than many realize, so it’s vital to keep the Venetian blind cords away from a child’s reach. Tie the cords up high. If it’s possible keep the bed away from the window.

4. Toy Pieces
Toys with small pieces are not toys for toddlers. They can easily swallow and choke on them. Marbles, small jigsaw pieces, small balls, Lego, etc. should only be used with supervision.

5. Windows
Never put anything under a window where a toddler can use to climb up. Even windows with screens will not prevent them from falling out.

6. Conventional Fans
If you own one of these, then you know a child can get their hair sucked into the fast spinning blade or their finger caught between the grille cover.

7. Pet Toys and Food
Drinking out of the dog’s water bowl is gross. Eating kibble is even grosser and it’s definitely not food made for a human being. Who knows what’s in catnip toys, but obviously, these toys were made for your pets only.

8. Cleaning Supplies
There are cupboard and door latches/locks you can buy to prevent your little one from getting into places they shouldn’t be. These are great to have in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, laundry room etc.

9. Plants
If possible, keep all plants out of reach. When you’re outside, it’s a little bit trickier, but tell your child to only look and not touch or smell anything unless you say it’s safe. There are many hazards in the plant world.

10. Paper
Eating toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, or paper can cause bowel obstruction and it can be fatal.

11. Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are meant to carry things. They are not hats! Don’t play peek-a-boo with them. They are not toys.

12. Coins
When they are new, they are really pretty and shiny. Money isn’t kept in the stomach; it should be deposited into the bank. LOL!

13. Rodent Traps
To catch a mouse, you may want to use a piece of cheese or peanut butter, or you may want to buy one of those contraptions that have poison in it already. Either way, put them in areas where your toddler can’t touch them.

14. High Chair
Be sure your child is strapped in properly with the seat strap between their legs and not only around the waist. Make sure you have a sturdy high chair that doesn’t topple over easily.

15. Food
Even food like apples cut into bite-size pieces can choke a toddler. To prevent choking, don’t let them run around and play. When they are young, they need to be supervised when they’re feeding themselves.

16. Doors
You can’t remove all the doors in your house, but you can prevent them from crushing little fingers and hands with door stops and door holders.

17. Table Cloths and Table Corners
Unless your little one is a magician and can remove a tablecloth without breaking anything, then this is a hazard in your house. You can use tablecloth holders or clips to keep them in the place. The best is to remove the temptation from the table. For the table corners, you can buy corner guards to prevent your toddler from hitting his head on the corner of a coffee or end table.

18. Irons, blow dryers, hair straighteners… oh my.
Not only can your little honey get a very bad burn from a hot iron or hair straighter/curler; electrical shock can also happen if you have any of these items near water… like a toilet. Even a blow dryer landing in the toilet and switching on can cause serious injury to your child if they decide to reach in and pull it out.

19. Guns
Guns should never be left in plain view anywhere in your home. They should be safely put away under lock and key. It is also a good idea to keep the gun unloaded and to have the ammunition in a separate place.

20. Alcohol
Like guns, they should be under lock and key. The color of vodka, liquors, etc. can easily be mistaken for water or other juice type drinks. Alcohol is unsafe for children–adults too in many cases!

21. Office Equipment
Bookshelves, although heavy, can come crashing down if it isn’t stable on the ground. These should have extra reinforcements attached to a wall to prevent such mishaps. There are many hazardous items in home offices; staplers, pens/pencils, scissors, paper clips, rubber bands, metal cutter on tape dispensers, tape, and the list goes on and on. Be aware of your office and where you have things placed. If possible, make it an area that is off limits and not easily accessible to your curious little sweet pea.

22. Area Rugs
If you have an area rug in a high traffic area or in your child’s bedroom, then make sure it is slip proof. No one wants to be slippin’ and slidin’ to the emergency room!

23. Medication and Vitamins
Keep all medication out of reach. Never leave them on the table or counter because they are easily mistaken for yummy candy–this is especially true for children’s vitamins. All medicines and vitamins should be kept far out of reach. They can be deadly.

24. Clothing
Make sure your toddler’s clothes are in good shape. Check often for loose buttons, strings, or sharp zippers or edges.

25. Stairs
If your toddler hasn’t mastered the stairs yet, then you’ll want to use an adjustable gate to stop him from tumbling down. These safety gates can be adjusted to fit many door widths and keep them out of areas you don’t want them to be in.

If I missed anything, please share it in a comment below–we can never be too cautious with our toddlers!

For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved