For our kiddos

I just got back from a Safe Kids conference in Charlotte, NC so I'm extra amped to educate people about ways to prevent accidental injury in children (or anyone, for that matter - but kiddos most!). It was a great trip, but I was SO ready to get back to my boys and my pup! Thanks to my parents for watching the littlest guy so much while I was gone. It's a relief to know he's in good hands even when I'm not hovering over his shoulder.

It's come to my attention lately that coin lithium or "button batteries" are causing serious injuries to little ones. If they're swallowed and lodge in a child's throat, their saliva can activate the electrical current and cause serious burns in the esophagus - and sometimes even lead to death. I've been obsessing about how to keep them away from Landon ever since I learned about the risk several weeks ago. I remember saying to my boss, "I'm never going to keep him alive, am I?" But she told me that I will. And I trust her.

The problem with these batteries is that they're in so many of our techie gadgets; automatic car openers, remote controls, as I noticed today - my reading light, even in the musical cards that are everywhere right now (for the record... I really don't like musical cards for a million reasons; but the biggest being these dang batteries!). And it's so scary to think that if Landon dropped a remote on the floor and the battery cover fell off, he would absolutely put a battery right in his mouth. You should see him eat dog fur off the couch... it's really disturbing. (I guess "eat" isn't the right word because I rip it from his lips as soon as I see it hanging out like a mini-cigarette. But the intent is there, for sure!)

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this is that tonight Landon and I were in the kitchen and he went straight for the drawer where I keep my dishtowels. We have soft-close drawers, so they're kind of hard for a toddler to open, and when he finally got it open I shut it right away. Then I had a change of heart and thought, "Let him explore. What's going to happen if he throws all your dishtowels on the floor? No big deal, right?" So I opened it up again for him.

When I did, I saw something shining in the front corner of the drawer - the easiest place for Landon to reach. I thought, "What's that? A bolt for something?". When I picked it up, of course it was a coin lithium battery.

What if I wasn't a hoverer? What if he was looking through the drawer as I made dinner? What if the shiny metal caught his eye before it caught mine? It's just too scary for me to imagine.

What's harder is that if you didn't know about it, you might not have stressed when you saw it. There are plenty of things I come across that just make me think, "I guess it would just pass through his system!" (for the record; I haven't seen any non-edibles in a diaper yet. But I wouldn't be surprised with a 15 month old). So for my friends with littles, (and for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other lovers-of-littles), pah-leese keep your eye out for these batteries and store them way out of reach of the kids. You won't regret taking a minute to stash them up high.

Okay. Off my soapbox. But I'll be back soon enough, for sure.