Holiday Safety for Your Children and Pets

The holidays can be an exciting time of year for everyone. If you have children or pets, you've probably seen how they can be affected by all the activity. But this time of year can also pose some hazards that you don't see at other times. Here are a few suggestions to help keep your children and pets safe during the busy Christmas season.

Toy safety
It probably seems obvious that you should buy toys that are appropriate for the receiver. But if the toy is a gift and you don't know the child that well, this can be a bit more difficult. Check the package for age recommendations.

When you're buying for a very small child, try to stay with the right age. There are federal safety regulations specifying the size of parts in toys for very young children, mainly to prevent accidental choking. If you're buying for an older child, it may also be wise to consider the ages of the siblings, and stay away from something that the child's younger brothers or sisters could find and try to play with.

If you're purchasing something that needs a power source, stay with toys powered by batteries rather than electricity. Electric cords, besides limiting how far the child can go with the toy, can also get wrapped around things. And that's not even considering the plug, which a determined child may try to put into an outlet the wrong way in an attempt to play with the toy.

Household safety
Holiday plants can be very pretty, adding a real decorative touch to your home. But some of these plants can be poisonous if eaten. If you have children or pets who've not been around those kinds of plants before, or even if they have but you're still worried about the plants' getting munched, keep them out of reach.

And remember that your idea of "out of reach" may be quite different from the child's, and especially the pet's. If they're really determined to check something out, they'll do everything they can, including climbing on supposedly un-climbable objects, to get to it.

Holiday plants that have poisonous parts include mistletoe (the berries are usually removed and replaced with artificial ones for this reason), poinsettias and holly, and amaryllis.

The holidays are a popular time of year for stringing things. There may be many long objects left out - things like garlands, strings of lights, electrical cords, and even ribbons. All these can pose safety hazards to very young children who don't know how to handle them. Remove loose items (like wrapping paper and ribbons) as soon as you can after the present has been opened, and make sure the others are safely away from small hands.

You can do a lot to keep your house safe for your children and pets, but you don't have much control over others' houses. If you're going visiting, remember that not everyone "child-proofs" their house. People who don't have children or pets won't know how to keep their homes safe for small visitors, so if you're bringing the visitors, it will be up to you to make sure they're safe.

Final thoughts
The holidays can be fun for everyone. But all the extra activity can be very stressful. If you're feeling frazzled, there's a good chance your children will be picking up your feelings.

Experts recommend keeping regular routines to keep children from getting too stressed, but this is a good idea for their parents as well. If you're tired and irritable, your children probably will be too. On the other hand, if you're relaxed and cheerful, and obviously having a good time, so will your children.

This is a family-oriented time of year. If you consider all the members of your family when you're planning holiday celebrations, you'll all be more likely to enjoy yourselves.