“What’s that in your 1-year-old’s mouth?” I’m sure you’re asking.
Isn’t it obvious?
It’s an electrical outlet cover, of course! What adult doesn’t remember the halcyon days of childhood, when they risked electric shock to find a two-pronged, hard-plastic replica of a pacifier?
Hazards Involved in Tessa’s New “Toy”:
1. These things aren’t just lying around the house. That means that in order to obtain one, Tessa is using her tiny, outlet-sized fingers to wrench them out of the socket. Totally not dangerous!
2. Choking hazard? Check.
3. Probably not orthodontically approved.
4. She’s never used an actual binkie. So who knows the psychology behind why this is happening?
I know I don’t.
This hasn’t happened only once. This happens daily.
So pretty much we’re the best parents on earth, is what I’m saying.
Ha ha, that's funny.
You can forgive a lot of gorgeous big eyes like that.
Yes! I was hoping for a funny/not serious post soon. My life is now complete. I love that hair! Nate just said "She's huge!", yeah I guess that will happen when you (as in he) hasn't seen her since she was a 1 month old.
Oddly, my friend and I were talking about how I was shocked as a little kid. It was from some kind of electrical transformer device.
Those pictures are dang cute!
Lol! My daughter would do the same thing! When she was about the same age, it was impossible to keep her out of stuff. After my husband spent 2 hours putting locks on all the drawers and cabinet doors in the bathroom (there wasn't that many, but they were the devil to get right). She crawled over, sat down, and opened the drawer with no problem with the locks. *facepalm*. This is just one of her many escapades…she's 9 now and the oldest of five. I always thank Heavenly Father attend of everyday.
So adorable! I love stories about your daughters, they are just beyond precious!
looks familiar! Depending on her level of interest and expertise, these might solve the problem http://www.diapers.com/p/mommys-helper-safe-plate-automatic-outlet-safety-cover-27837
I'd opt for the safety plates, too, rather than those plug covers. The ones made by Kidco ( http://www.kidco.com/products-page/electrical/s205/) look to be just the thing. Having had one of my kids stick something in the outlet and get a shock when they were little, I wish we'd had this rather than the plugs, which the kids seem to have no problem removing, as witnessed by Tessa's dexterity in doing so.
you could always try an actual binkie…but those aren't necessarily good for the teeth either…and don't help with fine motor skills like this exercise of the pincer grasp. 😛 good luck!
You know…about the psychology aspect (because I am such an expert, not!), it brings to my mind how even as adults we do things like this when we are anxious, bored or whatever.
No, we don't put outlet covers in our mouths, but we all know someone who bites their nails, chews on pens or pencils, ice… I also chew on straws.
That still seems to raise more questions than it answers, but interesting. . .
Natural consequences, Joshy- natural consequences!.. really, how many times do you think she will put her tiny finger in there once she discovers they "bite"?
Speaking of which- funny story:
When I was about 4 or 5, my mom told me and my oldest brother (2 years younger) to not touch that fence because "it bites."
Well, any 4 year-old can tell you that a fence can't bite- it has no teeth… so I told my brother to touch it! (Disclaimer- this is the only time I ever did this kind of thing) What a baby-he touched it and ran off wailing!
Tsk, silly boy. So I touched it.. by darn if that thing didn't bite!!! Did I mention..? There were cattle on the other side so yes, it was a live electrical fence!
My brother and my cousin (both several years older than me)used to have me touch the electrical fence to see if it was turned on. Way to set a good example for the younger siblings!
If it makes you feel any better, our youngest did use a pacified (bink) but gave it up years ago. This summer at the age of 4 she found a package of binks that we'd never opened. You should have seen her face~ her eyes lit up, "oooooh, binkies……" put the package to her cheek and hugged it. REALLY?! 2.5 years later!! And I think Tessa should get points for creativity and ingenuity!
This reminds me of the time I stuck a quarter between a radio's plug and the socket it was plugged into. It gave me quite the shock and scare. (I was four at the time.) We still have the blackened quarter in an envelope.
At least she is not sucking on them and trying to stick the wet plugin-protector back in the socket. My cousin tried sticking plastic knives into the oulet just to see what it would do (pretty sure he was 17 at the time) :P.
This is precious. Maybe I'm a horrible person who will someday be a bad parent, but wouldn't your kids learn not to touch it after they got a shock? My parents had 6 kids, never had outlet covers, and never had a problem. (ok, had a few problems, but not with outlets!)
Not to mention carsenegenic… No seriously. Plastic is the devil.
The problem is that little kids dangerous behavior doesn't have to follow a learning curve, i.e. slightly dangerous, little bit, little more, etc so that you can intervene. My 15 mo daughter who had never shown the slightest interest in plugs and wires bit into the place the extension cord plugged in to the appliance cord and burned off the corner of her mouth. 3 plastic surgeries and 30 years later she looks fine unless you know what to look for but there were years of concern not to mention the immediate few days of terror. Child proof needs to be child proof.
Whoa what happened to the evergreen post?
I noticed the comments section getting rather nasty, so I assume Josh and Lolly decided to delete it because of that.
I think Rachel is right.