by David Elkin

Now that the holidays are approaching, my wife and I are beginning to prepare for when our young grandchildren, and grandnieces, come to visit. We go from room to room, to ensure there is nothing dangerous, a crawling, or toddling, or curious young child can get into. Infants and toddlers are amazingly fast when they want to explore something, so it is really important to keep potentially harmful things out of their reach. This is particularly true for “attractive nuisances” liquids and solids that infants are drawn to because of their color or smell or both. But attractive nuisances also include things that can be easily knocked over and broken.

We usually start in the kitchen. We keep many of our cleaning materials, liquid soap, scouring powder, etc. in the under the sink cabinets. A toddler can easily open these doors so we empty these cabinets of any all materials he or she might get into. Inasmuch as these are the only cabinets at floor level, we fill them with light pots and pans and plastic containers that the children can take out and use for play. Paper and plastic bags however, should always be in out of reach containers. Early on, my wife taught me that when I am cooking, to always keep the handles of the pots and pans facing the counters and never extending over the top of the stove. Particularly when young children are about, and you have to move quickly, it is all too easy to brush against a pot or pan handle, that is hanging out from the top of the stove, and knock the contents onto the floor. Commonsense, to be sure, but an important safeguard.

We next move to the living room. As in the kitchen we ensure that there are caps on all the wall outlets and that any lamp cords are not accessible. Perhaps the greatest danger for little ones in the living room, and dining room, are the sharp corners of the furniture that children can bump into. We have only a few sharp corners on a chest we use as a coffee table so we put cushioned corner guards on these. We also remove anything that can be easily knocked over and broken.

Then we go to the guest bathroom, the only one accessible to our young visitors. In the bathroom, we simply put childproof latches on the under the sink counters. We also put a childproof wastebasket, one with a lid, to prevent the baby from knocking it over and exploring the contents.

All this may sound a little like overkill, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. We love having our grandchildren and grandnieces stay with us and we don’t want to have to worry about their getting into something dangerous, if we are not watching. In this regard, I should also say that we have a big box of wooden blocks, lots of plush and pull toys and loads of picture books for them to look at and play with and that helps keep them out of trouble. We also have a limited set of DVD’s that they can watch when they are tired and ready for a nap. Keeping the house safe, having many things for the children to play with and enjoy, makes for a stress free and happy holiday for everyone.

Just Ask Baby’s Chief Scientific Advisor is the highly respected David Elkind, one of the leading thinkers, researchers and teachers on child development in his generation.

David Elkind has spent his life bringing together and advancing the work of some of the greatest thinkers on child development from around the world, including Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson.

David Elkind is currently Professor Emeritus of Child Development at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He was formerly Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Education at the University of Rochester. Professor Elkind obtained his doctorate at U.C.L.A. and then spent a year as David Rapaport’s research assistant at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He was a National Science Foundation Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at Piaget’s Institut d’ Epistemologie Genetique in Geneva. His research has been in the areas of perceptual, cognitive and social development where he has built upon the research and theory of Jean Piaget.

Professor Elkind has published research, theoretical articles, book chapters and 18 books. He has also written children’s stories for Jack and Jill, and been published in the New York Times Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Parade and Psychology Today. Recent articles include Computers and Young Children, The Authority of the Brain, The Cosmopolitan School, On Becoming a Grandfather, and Thanks for the Memory: The Lasting Value of True Play.

Well known for his writings, he is probably best known for his popular books, including The Hurried Child, a 25th anniversary edition of which was released in 2007, along with Professor Elkind’s newest book, The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally.

A member of many professional organizations, Professor Elkind is also on the Editorial Board of numerous scientific journals, and a consultant to state education departments, government agencies and private foundations. He lectures in the United States, Canada and abroad. He’s also appeared on The Today Show, The CBS Morning News, Twenty/Twenty, Nightline, Donahue and the Oprah Winfrey Show, has been profiled in People and Boston Magazine and co-hosted the Lifetime Television Show, Kids These Days.

At university Professor Elkind fell in love with psychology. His doctorate was in clinical psychology, where he was trained as a Freudian. He took his postdoc with David Rapaport, a noted Freudian scholar who introduced Professor Elkind to Jean Piaget.

Professor Elkind has three sons and four granddaughters. He enjoys gardening, sailing and has recently taken up pottery.

Read about various aspects of child development and the day-to-day decisions all parents are faced with on his blog. Plus, share your experiences, opinions, and insight with him! Go to Professor Elkind’s Blog.