Baby safety -- dangerous household items

by Melissa Jaramillo

Your home may be your castle, but it can be a potentially dangerous place to raise a child.

Each year in the U.S., more than 2,000 children under the age of 14 die as a result of a home injury, according to Safe Kids USA.

You baby-proofed before bringing your baby home. Once your toddler took off at a walk, crawl or run you gave the house another sweep to to ensure your child's safety.

In spite of your best efforts, your tenacious, an adventurous tot can get in dangerous situations and sometimes it involves an issue you wouldn't imagine played a roll in baby safety.

Parents talk about dangerous household items

Babies back themselves into corners, open cupboards that supposedly have child-proof latches and get into rooms we know had closed door. Sometimes they run (or fall) into a problem. We asked our moms and dads what innocent-appearing household items pose a hazard to their child.

Cords and things with strings

"I knew about cords and blinds and stuff like that -- kids can trip or strangle on them. So ours are all short and contained. The one thing I hadn't thought of was the controllers for our game system. Mara came trotting through the room and wham! Her head cracked on the floor. I was so glad it wasn't the end table," Karen shares.

The TV remotes and cell phones

Jenn says, "My baby loved the remote. It kept him entertained for hours. I say that in the past tense because three weeks ago, he managed to get the battery cover off and had one in his mouth. Now all the remotes up and off limits."

Coffee tables

"The corners are just at forehead level. We padded them, but still it seemed that little heads thudded quite often. Finally, I just took it out of the room for a couple years." Karl says.

Mom's purse

Janelle remembers, "When I was three, I got into my mom's purse. She had a sewing kit and I stabbed myself on a needle. It could have been worse. She had a can of pepper spray. My own bag is packed with stuff a baby shouldn't have -- like pens, make up and loose change."

Toilet paper

"I wouldn't have believed this is I hadn't seen it. Jayden sneaked into the bathroom with me. I heard this choking, gagging noise. He was choking on toilet paper. I guess TP doesn't exactly dissolve in saliva," Mandie says.

Toys...really!

Shell says, "With older kids, I really watched for small pieces. I'd anticipated legos™ up a nose or down the hatch. What I hadn't expected was that she could get a piece off her own toy and choke on it. She's fine, but it was a big scare."

Have you ever experienced a scary incident with a household hazard? Tell us about it.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.