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Accidents Will Happen
“Even if you have all the right things, you
still have to use them right,” Miller says.

“I had one of my children topple down the
stairs; they were okay, but it happened even
with the gate because it wasn’t closed. A lot
of us get lax, and that’s when things happen.”
Every parent has had, or will have, a close
call like this one. For Plotnick, it was in a
vacation home when her 18-month-old son
quickly found a ladder to climb while she
had a conversation with a friend. Luckily, the
child was spotted before anything could hap-
pen, but accidents can happen very quickly,
especially in unfamiliar environments. Plot-
nick says any time you’re on vacation with
a young child, make it clear who is watch-
ing the child and make sure that person
always has eyes on the child. This is also
the case when expecting company. Have a
plan in place in case of distractions or hire
a babysitter.

Using baby-proofing guides like this one
and following advice from your pediatrician
can decrease risks dramatically. “We can’t
prevent everything, but we can be really
careful about the most dangerous stuff,”
Plotnick says. ■