2 Easily Overlooked Choking Hazards For Toddlers

Saturday was a choking hazard wake up call for me. There are some items around the house that can be easily overlooked as choking hazards.

First off, magnets. There's this scary story on Babycenter about a child who swallowed 37 magnets. A bit extreme but magnets are a hidden danger on my fridge. You see, I love collecting fridge magnets from every city I visit and mount them on the fridge. Occasionally, I allow the girls to play in the kitchen when it's safe and the magnets are their second favorite toys next to the broom and mop. Some fridge magnets have small round or square magnets to hold them in place and others have a flat magnetic sheet. In the hands of a toddler, the former are a choking hazard. (See the picture below).

See the tiny, bite sized magnets on the top two?

Second hazard? The pretty buttons on an equally pretty dress. I put the girls in bed for their nap and when I pick them up 2 hours later, Spice has managed to yank off 2 of the 4 buttons on her dress.
Boredom? I don't know.
Wake up call? Yes, no doubt.

Top 2 buttons were yanked out by the end of naptime. Please excuse the water stains :)

If you're a fridge magnet collector, take a look at the backs of the magnets and keep the dangerous ones out of sight. Toddlers are a resourceful bunch and every parent needs to be on a choking hazard alert over-drive until they leave the "hand-in-mouth" stage.