Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I don't know what it is, but you are not alone.  My 8 month old son
    does the same thing.  If someone forgets to put the phone cord up
    around the phone out of reach, Russell makes a b-line for it.  He also
    *knows* that the power strip behind the speaker is off-limits but he
    goes after it anyway.
    
    marianne

Melissa sometimes goes for the outlets.  But just let her see a telephone or
a VCR and forget it.  (If this says anything about her favorite toys later,
we're in trouble   8^{).

Dick

What I always got a kick out of was that Kathryne could pull the outlet
covers off!  These were the ones that came as a "gift pack" from one of
the formula makers!

    My son (8 months) does the same thing.  He has even pulled the phone
    down on his head once by pulling/chewing on the cord.  If it isn't 
    that it is the blinds.  He will pull the blinds out and bend them 
    until he can position it to where he can put it in his mouth.  I spend 
    most of my time at home chasing him down saying "No."  Sometimes I feel 
    I have turned into MY mom.
    
    Kathy

    As I read this note, I remembered a story that appeared in the
    Worcester paper several years ago, it was about a small child, probably
    about your child's age.  It seems the mother had gone to one of the
    banks in Northboro Center to do some business that required her to sit
    a speak with one of the bank officers, while she was doing this the
    lights in the bank flickered and went out. What apparently had happened
    is that she had given the infant her car keys for entertainment, and
    the child stuck the keys into a wall socket.  Fortunate for the child
    they key had they rubber part on the end, and the circuit breaker
    kicked in right away, and the child was unharmed.  But it all goes to
    show your child's actions arn't that far out of normal!
    
    Another one of my "why mothers go grey" stories!!
    Lyn

   There is definately something fascinating about electricity and
   wires....
   
   I remember one instance where I blew a circuit breaker trying to
   hook the D/C battery input from a transistor radio up with the A/C
   lamp cord I had managed to get hold of.  The batteries had died,
   and I figured I'd just plug my radio in the wall socket, right?
   Left a nice burnt spot on one of the boards in the radio, and it
   never worked again!
   
   I remember another where I grabbed the 2 non-neutral wires one day
   when my dad was working on installing a plug.  My father is an
   electrician, so he was always working on the house.  Well, one day
   I said innocently, "What would happen if I grabbed these 2 wires?"
   while at the same time doing just that.  Lucky for me he had shut
   the power off before he started - would have definately curled my
   hair!
   
   And both of these happened after I should have been old enough to
   know better - somewhere between 7 and 10 years old, I think.
   
   - Tom
   

Both my son (2yrs) and I have had a keen interest in plug sockets.

When I was about his age I was sitting on the table whilst my Mum was using 
her sewing machine. It had its own light socket, at this time without a bulb, 
which didn;t take kindly to having a pair of scissors poked into it. It is 
thought it was my rubber soled bootees that saved me. 

When old enough to know better I attempted to test my new screwdriver with 
inbuilt current detector by putting it across the live and neutral pins of a 
plug which was half pulled out of the socket. I had to work hard to hide the 
melted plug pins, and the charred socket from my parents.

Due to my sons interest in plugs we have had circuit breakers with a residual 
current detector installed. It should cut out well before any shock to him 
does any damage. But not only is he interested in plugs he knows how to use 
them properly. A few months ago he took the mixer from the kitchen drawer, 
took it into the lounge where he moved the chair away to get access to the 
only plugs without protectors, those for the hi-fi, then plugged the mixer in  
and turned it on.


Martin

    I just remembered that when AJ was maybe a little over a year old I had
    pulled out the Vac, (one of those rare occations, but that's another
    story :-) ) and went off to get or do something, probably the sprinkle
    stuff to make the rug smell nice, when I came back AJ was standing
    proudly beside the outlet beaming and saying I help you mummy, as I saw
    he had plugged the vac into the wall, AFTER he had removed the plastic
    plug protector!  Well unfortunately I followed my first instinct and
    yell NO! loudly, and told him what he had done was dangerous, and had
    scared mommy, he understood both of these phrases quite early on.  Well
    I've never seen a kid sob quite so pitifully as this, I guess I had
    burst his bubble big time.  Then I just had to pick him up and give him 
    a big hug, and tell him how much I appreciated his "help" but I really 
    didn't want him touching plugs because I love him so much and didn't
    want him to get hurt. Fortunately he did learn, I think, since he's
    never attempted to "help" me since.
    
    I guess it was the proverbial D*mned if you do and D*mned if you don't.
    
    Lyn

re: .8

<<                      -< It's a test of Cardiac health!! >-

    Lyn, is that a test for the kids, or for the parents?!  :-)

   - Tom
   

    Tom...
    
    having kids in general is a test of the ADULT's Cardiac health!!
    
    :-)  !!!
    

    Every morning it is a tug-of-war with the hair dryer.  Meredith loves
    the cords.  She is 9.5 mos. old...and it is all just starting from what
    I've read.  No child is safe with outlets around covered or
    uncovered...and I thought the covers were "child-proof".  OOOHHHH
    NOOOO.
    
    Toni

    I often wondered about those outlet covers that just PULL out.  They
    seemed to easy.  I found some that screw in from Right Start.  You take
    of the current place cover, put this new one on and it have two
    protuding round outlet areas where you either screw on a cover or there
    is another cover to go over items already plugged in.  Works great so
    far on my 13 month old.  He will touch them but does not know how to
    unscrew anything yet so it is still safe.
    
    Michelle
    

    Boy did I mess that one up.  I sent the last note before I gave
    it a once over.  Here is what I meant:
    
    The outlet covers screw on.  You replace the outlet plate that is there
    with a special one that has two round ribbed areas surrounding the
    outlet.  You can either screw on a cover or put in a special piece that
    has a small hole and space for a plug that is already in the outlet.
    
    Hope that makes more sense.
    
    Michelle
    

    Well it IS worth is to do SOMETHING for this ....
    
    From someone who pulled a screw out of the ground-hole just last week -
    thanks to my 3 1/2 year old!
    
    Just when you think you can trust them!!
    

We used two types.  For outlets that always have something plugged into 
them (e.g. lamps), we used the screw-on plate that has a box that attaches 
and covers the plugs that are in the outlet.  Those things are a real 
pain-in-the-neck if you want to plug something in, so for outlets that do 
not normally have anything plugged into them we got the twist-type -- a 
plate that screws in with special outlets that require the plug to be 
inserted a little way, then twisted before pushing it in the rest of the 
way.

We wondered if we were wasting our money by not just using the little 
thingies that  plug into the outlet holes, but when we went on vacation 
Michael immediately headed for the outlets.  We bought some of the little 
plug-in protectors at the grocery store, and he pulled them out of the 
outlets almost before we could turn our backs.

So far he hasn't beaten our system at home, although he has spent some time 
trying.

Steve

    I don't really understand...Nathan was seriously interested in outlets
    for a short period, but we watched and taught him, No, No, No--felt
    like a recording, but after a couple of months repetition, he is really
    good around covered and uncovered outlets.  We use the push in types,
    and he has never removed one.  Some are incredibly easy, and some
    impossible without some sort of tool--just manufacturer variations, I
    think.  But in my book, the training has been the best, as we are now
    (at 21 months) capable of visiting grandparents, friends and strangers
    homes without incident (although not an infrequent No...>8-}... )
    
    Adrienne