THE most stupid and dangerous thing EVER

[hatstand]

I've clamed down now but this afternoon was FURIOUS. I took my dds to their ballet class at a gym. Afterwards I walked into the changing rooms just next to where the class is (where I would happily let DD1 go the loo on her own) to find....an ELECTRIC DRILL on the floor!!!!! Cordless thing, ready to go, just lying there. There was no-one in the changing rooms but kids milling about all over the place outside. I was nearly in tears at the thought of a 3 year old with an electric (scuse my language) f*ing drill. Needless to say I went BALLISTIC at the 20 year old muppet who had left it there. He apologised and said he was under a lot of pressure to get a job so I told him he neeed to talk to his supervisor and question whether it was appropriate to do this kind of work while the changing rooms were in use. I sought out a manager and went mad at them too. They're bloody lucky nothing happened.

[hatstand]

that's meant to say "to get a job done"

[crystaltips]

good for you hatstand for standing up and saying something ....

[misdee]

ARGH!!!!

most people without kids dont think about stuff like that. when i take my kids to places i am always moving stuff, must drive some people mad as i wander about saying 'can i just ove this up there'

one day at TK MAxx in the galleria, dd1 was walkign about (she must have been about 2yrs old) and we found on a low shelf, a craft knive and scalpel, which had been left there by memeber of staff. i was furious. fortunatly dd1 wasnt hurt.

[SPARKLER1]

One of dds parents and toddler groups is held in a leisure centre bar. I know it's a group where parents supervise their children but I found a lighter sitting on the windowsill one morning!!!!!

[handlemecarefully]

God! I'm not surprised that you were beside yourself with fury. I hate to think what might have happened!

[lowcalCOD]

well it is rather serious but dont hink it falls into " hte most dangerous thing EVER" category

[jangly]

lowcalCOD - an electric drill!!! If a three year old picked that up...! its unthinkable!

[open]

I had dd's boot repaired and picked it up yesterday. I happened to polish the boots this morning before school and a razor blade dropped out of the repaired boot.

[jodee]

Talking of Boots ... next time you are in there with your toddler, keep an eye on where the nail scissors are - usually on a shelf at ankle height or scattered on the floor!

[SPARKLER1]

I thought the lighter situation was very dangerous. If one of the little ones got hold of that there could have been some serious consequences. I left there feeling very cross that day.

[hatstand]

lowcalcod - In nearly five years of having children it is without a doubt the most dangerous thing I have seen. I shudder to think what you must have experienced.

[handlemecarefully]

Go on then localcod - what's your nomination for the most dangerous thing ever? Top this example!

[SofiaAmes]

Sorry, but although it's a bit irresponsible, I don't think it's the most dangerous thing ever. Dh is a builder and our house is full of tools. A cordless electric drill is actually pretty harmless to a three year old. They are quite heavy and it would be pretty hard for a 3 year old to pick one up, press the trigger and proceed to do anything serious to themselves all at the same time. Of course the guy who left it, shouldn't have, but I would have been much more concerned if it had been a stanley knife.
By the way, I would never let my children (2 and 4) go to the loo on their own anywhere but in our home. Even in a friend's home I would go with them as I wouldn't expect that they would have the same idea of safety as I do. Certainly in a gym, I would accompany my children into the stall and stay with them (or just outside the stall door) until they were finished.

[jampots]

I think it is irresponsible but agree it doesnt rate super high on my list either of dangerous type things. MOre dangerous would be the bottle of bleach or a knife etc. something they could injure themselves with the smallest amount of effort. I can barely pick our battery drill up. Also agree with SofiaAmes i wouldnt let my kids go the loo on their own in a public place at 3. I still insist on ds changing in the girls changing rooms when he goes swimming (unless of course daddy is with him).

[Levanna]

hatstand, throughout the summer and autumn last year my DD1 (2.4 then) and niece (1.4) had free range amongst every house and garden tool known to lady (or man!). We were renovating our house and garden (still are in fact!) and neither of them came to any harm.

On the other hand, if another person (adult)thoughtlessly exposed my child to anything that might be considered in the least bit dangerous, I'd flip!

[lowcalCOD]

but thew case is that nothing di dhappen so how can it be t= the most dangerous thing ever
i wodul say a kid walking behind a car is much more likely to end disasterously
splitting hairs I suppose

[KBear]

give her a break - she's had a fright and doesn't need to be told she shouldn't have been so upset. Mumsnet is great so you can sound off when you're upset, if she needed telling to calm down she'd have phoned her husband!!

[lowcalCOD]

give me a brea k bear! you are always on my case!

[KBear]

You need to be kept in line codster . I just think it's so much nicer to say a few kind words than to leap on someone and make them wish they hadn't posted. AND I DON'T MEAN IT'S ONLY YOU before you boil in your bag, I mean generally.

And name me sixteen examples of when I've been on your case.

In date order.

[Issymum]

These are really old statistics (1996) but the best I could find on the web and I suspect the trends remain fairly constant. The biggest cause of accidental death in the under 5s in the home is fire (47 deaths in ), followed by drowning (18), choking (14) falls (8), hot substances (6) and poisoning (3), totalling 106 deaths. The statistics drop off markedly for the next age group, but the spread is roughly the same. Road fatalities account for more deaths than all the other factors combined. So, the Cod is right (as ever), that whilst it was extremely negligent to leave a drill lying around the most dangerous thing ever would be to let the children have unsupervised access to a road, open water or a fire source. Quickly followed by letting them eat peanuts or whole grapes whilst running around. My sister-in-law who is a Casualty consultant tells me that in the US children choking on hot dogs (slippery gullet shaped sausage, claggy bread and normally eaten on the move) is a significant cause of child death!

[lowcalCOD]

ok sorry!
stroppy cod
ill fish

[flashingnose]

at boil in your bag!

[Issymum]

Whoa! I was distracted by work in the middle of this posting and hadn't noticed how the debate had moved on. The statistics weren't meant to add to the heat, merely to illuminate Cod's first comment (the only thing I'd read) about roads being more dangerous than just about anything else.

Of course statistics are numerical generalisations and at the point at which you dangle your toddler from a fourth floor balcony then, for that individual child at that moment, falls are the biggest risk.

[KBear]

I'm still waiting for my examples.

I can think of two!

(I am usually quite a lurker but I'm getting gobby in my old age)!