I thought about this title last week when I realized that sometimes we are powerless in protecting our children from everything, and that we can’t sit around thinking about “what if’s” all day. Not a fun realization as a mama superhero! No, Lucas didn’t get bit by a bed bug. He went springing off the couch while I was standing two feet away and landed on his head. It was the first fall that was “my fault”. If my sister-in-law or sister are reading this they are cracking up. They both have 2 year old boys. They’ve seen more bumps and bruises than I’d know what to do with.
As I realized he was fine and checked every inch of his head, neck and back, (no bruising, no horns!) I couldn’t help but wonder, what if his neck had snapped? Broken leg? Brain damage? A wave of horror and fear trampled over me and I started crying! Didn’t I realize that parenthood could be this scary (Uh, yes!)? Was I really prepared to fight the evil monster of … what? Chance? Bad luck? Just living? There is a villain lurking and my child is my kryptonite! I think I was hyperventilating at one point. Hold on, hold on – I’ve already started to fight this villain…
After Lucas went to bed that night I made sure I had really taken every precaution to keep him safe. Action was the only thing that could help me feel like a superhero again. The baby proofing had been done. But what about toddler proofing? I found a list from Dr. Sears about how to toddler-proof your house. It’s VERY different than the easier task of baby proofing for a little one that can’t climb, jump or turn knobs. I had covered most of the things on his list. I had to:
- Remove the crib guard because Lucas is trying to climb out of his crib in the mornings
- Made sure that there was nothing on either side of the couch that could harm him
- Am going to buy a walking child safety harness. Lucas wants to walk independently outside, and he isn’t steady enough to avoid a bad fall quite yet.
Dr. Sears does mention using mesh for guard rails to make sure the kids can’t squeeze through them. We had an extra challenge because ours were designed stacked, and a baby could easily climb them or slip underneath (see pictures below). We installed this clear banister guard when Lucas started rolling over to protect him, and it remains my favorite safety product in the marketplace. Also stops a lot of toys from getting thrown down stairs!
I know that we can’t stop every accident from happening. No, I am not going to cushion my entire living room with pillows in case he falls. And no, bedbugs can’t fly (I looked it up). But even if bed bugs flew, would it stop me from doing normal things, like going into New York? Probably not. I’d find an amazing, organic bug spray and shield my family as best as possible. That’s all that’s expected of us… and really all that we can do.
