It is so sad that the world seems a much more dangerous place than when people grew up in the 1950s, ’60s and ‘70s.  “Stanger Danger” are the new buzz words for keeping children indoors, which of course leads to all sorts of other problems – obesity and social isolation, just to name two – that society will be dealing with in years to come.

There have always been strangers, and some of them have been dangerous strangers, but the media and television have blown the cases of abduction and child molesters out of proportion, making everyone afraid.  Yes, there are reasons for concern but that must not force us to make our children fearful of the whole world, rather let’s give them the tools and the confidence to keep themselves safe.

“Stranger Danger” is an easy catch-all of the things that can harm children but instilling fear isn’t the way to deal with the very real dangers that exist.  Instilling common sense and how to deal with situation that may confront them is a much better way to keep children safe.  Equipping kids with the knowledge of what to do if a stranger approaches them with offers of candy or requests for help looking for a puppy or even asking for directions, will give them strategies that work.

The first step is to communicate with your kids, and keep talking with them as they grow up because potential situations and solutions change.

The primary issue is who exactly are these “strangers” and what threats are they likely to pose?  As we all know, not every stranger will pose a danger to a child, so how do they tell the difference between a “good” stranger and a “bad” one?  Giving your child the information they need and can understand is vital at this point, so ensure they understand that even though they may not know them, police officers, teachers, clerks in stores, and security guards can be helpful if they feel scared or in danger.

What are the potential dangers? It could be someone approaching them and trying to lure them into a car or away from their school or playground; someone trying to touch them in ways that makes them feel uncomfortable or someone trying to get personal information from them, etc.  Even very young children can understand what to do in these situations. They need to be taught how to walk away confidently without talking to a stranger, or to make lots of noise and commotion if someone tries to grab them, or that they should never open the door to anyone if they are home alone, or to run to the nearest house to get help if they feel threatened.

Role playing can teach your children how to respond if a dangerous situation should ever arise and having practiced what they should do will give them the confidence that could save them in the situation.

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Safe and Non-Toxic Toys for Infants

Baby experts all agree that the practice of giving toys to babies is very conducive for its physical and mental development. This is because for infants, the only time for accelerated learning is playtime. Their playpen is their school.

For developing muscles and bones, toys are indispensable tools:

The first things that nature attends to building up during infancy are the internal organs, the muscular tissue and the skeletal framework of the baby’s body. For this purpose, the infant needs to have all the nutrients that those organs require for growth. To accelerate the process, giving baby the tools (toys) for gaining full control of his use of muscles and bones will be necessary.

The minds of young infants have not reached a stage of development where it can invent its own ways of training and stimulating the muscles and bones of the child. Instead, nature has given babies an overwhelmingly inquisitive nature such that they are prone to investigate and manipulate everything that they can see and reach in their effort to adjust themselves to their environment. It is this instinct that makes toys very conducive for infant learning

The right shape and size to look for:

Contours that can harm the infant are definitely not appropriate for toys. Included in these are protrusions which are pointed and edges which are sharp. The toy’s outline should also not be angular or pointed. It is best to confine your selection to toys with rounded shapes..

Hoop toys and rattlers, spherical or circular toys are safe for babies. Just make sure they do not contain designs that have sharp edges. Box shapes are dubious choices, especially if boxes with sharp corners.

Safety considerations about coloring substances:

The materials used for coloring toys should also be one of your selection criteria. Firstly, avoid dyes or paints that have toxic chemicals in them. While this kind of toy is new, the paint may be invisibly exuding toxic discharges into the air. You should also remember that babies love to lick at and put things into their mouths. Some coloring substances are also flammable, Even if you wouldn’t think of leaving a candle lit in baby’s room, there are unpredictable accidents that happen every day in the world.

Before purchasing any toy, you need to know from the vendor what sort of paint was used on the toy. Do not purchase if your vendor does not know. Look for something somewhere else or another person in the same store who knows. Choose toys painted with water-based dyes as these are the ones which are not poisonous and non-flammable.

Latex paint or mild paint are organic and non-toxic coloring substances.

What are latex paints?

Latex (which is really the sap of certain trees) is the binder that is used in latex paints. Binders fix the dye on the surface that was painted. In nature, the sap is not poisonous. When dried, it is not flammable. Therefore toys painted with latex are safe for babies., within normal usage.

What are milk paints?

An even safer option for toy paint is milk paint. Milk is actually part of the mixture that constitutes the binder for this type of paint. The other ingredients are lime and clay. The pigments used for milk paint are ‘green’ ones.

Of course, you have to be sure that the baby is allergic neither to latex nor to milk.

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