So very tragic :(

[heart of peace]

Mike Tyson's daughter dies in treadmill tragedy

PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) — Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson's four-year-old daughter died on Tuesday, a day after accidentally catching her neck in a cord on a treadmill at her home, police said.


First of all, my prayers go out to the Tyson family and for Exodus' soul. It is so hard to read about deaths like these because they are preventable. It's even more sad that her mother was in the next room the entire time she was choking.


What are your thoughts about allowing access to treadmills to young children? What about those window blinds with those super duper long cords? How do you handle these issues in your home?

Personally, I absolutely love running on a treadmill. When we decided to buy a home exercise machine, I immediately thought how much I'd love to have a treadmill but since I could not put the treadmill in a room that would be off access to my son, I ended up getting an elliptical. I actually hadn't considered the strangulation hazard about it, though I was worried about my son getting on it, hitting a button or two, starting the machine and falling flat on his face possibly breaking a nose, teeth, etc. Treadmills just didn't seem very safe to me.

About those blinds, I've cut them so that they do not go down more than halfway down the window and it is completely unreachable by my son. I have heard too many sad stories about young children getting strangled and so quickly by these window blinds.

 

[Birbitt]

In our house we take the blind cords and wrap them up very tight and then I wrap velcro ties around them to keep them up and away from the children and from my cats who like to play with them as well!

A treadmill would never be in our house anywhere a child could get to it unsupervised....or really for that matter any exercise equipment because they all have moving parts that could pinch fingers, break fingers (weight machines), or squash little ones, or other equally not good things.

I'm also a little obsessive over electrical cords as well...all extra is folded up and bound with velcro ties and hidden from curious hands....which reminds me I still have to move the fish tank with the new baby coming it's not quite safe where it is from a crawling baby.

Yes this was very tragic and it happened very close to where I live, there are many things happening to young children locally lately and it's horrible. I've been praying for healing for the family and for peace for them as well.

 

[akeng]

Crap happens I think the media hypes stuff up way to much, why dont you just turn your house into a bunch of padded rooms. You should not allow yourself to become paranoid everytime the media reports on something.

 

[heart of peace]

Birbitt, I've wondered what it must be like to have an older child and a baby in the same home. When my son was a baby, I was able to make most of my home a "yes" environment but now I look around and there are so many random toys my son has that are most definitely choking hazards. I'd like to hear how you are dealing with that challenge.

akeng, I'm not becoming paranoid because of the media as I said in my first post, I had made the choice to purchase an elliptical over a treadmill long before this happened to the Tyson family. Though, I do understand your sentiments about making our homes padded - at what point are we going overboard with providing a safe environment for our children. I think the least we can do if we are unable to keep our very young children within the line of sight at all times is to remove any possible strangulation hazards because in that situation a child lacks the ability to call for help. However, if the child touches a hot stove, he/she can still yell for help, if he/she falls down the stairs, again, a call for help is able to be made. Strangulation occurs very quickly and blocks the child's ability to alert anyone that he/she is in need of help. I don't see that as being paranoid but cautious. I understand that "crap" happens but that does not mean I should disregard the knowledge I have to care for the safety of my home in relation to my child. Lastly, when I consider "crap" happening, it is mostly in situations that are not preventable. I can't stop whether or not some psycho decides to walk into the bank I'm in with a gun shooting people. That is out of my control. There is the difference for me.

Besides, I was curious as to how people safeguard their homes. Do you do any safeguarding?

 

[akeng]

I agree, you just want to be careful that you dont let it consume you, I mean you read about all kinds of bizzare stuff on msn you dont want to be in constant reaction mode to every one off thing that happens in the world. I think this is in part why parents are exhausted and how the seeds of divorce happen. Just like when a baby crys its like people rush over like its some kind of crisis, I see way to many couples unhappy because of over exagerated response to there baby or kids and then mommy has no energy to take care of daddy and daddy leaves.

Birbitt, I've wondered what it must be like to have an older child and a baby in the same home. When my son was a baby, I was able to make most of my home a "yes" environment but now I look around and there are so many random toys my son has that are most definitely choking hazards. I'd like to hear how you are dealing with that challenge.

akeng, I'm not becoming paranoid because of the media as I said in my first post, I had made the choice to purchase an elliptical over a treadmill long before this happened to the Tyson family. Though, I do understand your sentiments about making our homes padded - at what point are we going overboard with providing a safe environment for our children. I think the least we can do if we are unable to keep our very young children within the line of sight at all times is to remove any possible strangulation hazards because in that situation a child lacks the ability to call for help. However, if the child touches a hot stove, he/she can still yell for help, if he/she falls down the stairs, again, a call for help is able to be made. Strangulation occurs very quickly and blocks the child's ability to alert anyone that he/she is in need of help. I don't see that as being paranoid but cautious. I understand that "crap" happens but that does not mean I should disregard the knowledge I have to care for the safety of my home in relation to my child. Lastly, when I consider "crap" happening, it is mostly in situations that are not preventable. I can't stop whether or not some psycho decides to walk into the bank I'm in with a gun shooting people. That is out of my control. There is the difference for me.

Besides, I was curious as to how people safeguard their homes. Do you do any safeguarding?

 

[Birbitt]

Akeng..I wouldn't call myself paranoid as a parent I do allow my children quite a bit of freedom once they show me they are responsible enough to handle it...I allow my boys to cross the parking lot of our apartment complex and throw garbage in the dumpster...I do not follow them, but I will watch from the patio. The things I've done in my house are done because I feel they need to be done, not because of something I've heard on the news. My hubby and I are in complete agreement about all our our precautions and it really causes no problems in our home.

MrsDahl..Dh and I have though about this too and for now our solution is that we are going to sit down and go through the toys that our boys have and anything that is SUPER small (like their legos) will get put up on a high shelf and they can play with those things while the baby is sleeping or we will put a gate up to the boys room and the baby can't go in there so they can play with their smaller toys. Otherwise the boys can bring larger safe toys out to the living room to play with the baby (when he's mobile obviously). The rest of the house will just have to be completely baby-proofed again and the older boys may have to start asking for things that previously they had access to simply because it's no longer safe to leave them down where they can reach.

I don't have to place locks on my cabinets because we don't keep chemicals in the house execpt for bleach and that's up high in the laundry area. I have switched over to all natural cleaners and vinegar for everything so I am able to leave that down because it's harmless if swallowed. We found a cleaner line called holy cow...it's all natural and biodegradable and if a kid drinks it no harm done! I love it...they have a concentrate for moping and heavy duty cleaning, a window cleaner, and an all purpose cleaner.

So all in all it's not much of an ordeal to just pick up a few toys and put them up higher. Then the baby will be able to toddle around and do his thing safely. Most likely there will be a gate put up though to keep the baby away from the boys room unless I am in there with him and can be sure he only has safe toys.

 

[akeng]

You might want to lock things anyways just to avoid mess and the stress associated with always having to clean things up.

Akeng..I wouldn't call myself paranoid as a parent I do allow my children quite a bit of freedom once they show me they are responsible enough to handle it...I allow my boys to cross the parking lot of our apartment complex and throw garbage in the dumpster...I do not follow them, but I will watch from the patio. The things I've done in my house are done because I feel they need to be done, not because of something I've heard on the news. My hubby and I are in complete agreement about all our our precautions and it really causes no problems in our home.

MrsDahl..Dh and I have though about this too and for now our solution is that we are going to sit down and go through the toys that our boys have and anything that is SUPER small (like their legos) will get put up on a high shelf and they can play with those things while the baby is sleeping or we will put a gate up to the boys room and the baby can't go in there so they can play with their smaller toys. Otherwise the boys can bring larger safe toys out to the living room to play with the baby (when he's mobile obviously). The rest of the house will just have to be completely baby-proofed again and the older boys may have to start asking for things that previously they had access to simply because it's no longer safe to leave them down where they can reach.

I don't have to place locks on my cabinets because we don't keep chemicals in the house execpt for bleach and that's up high in the laundry area. I have switched over to all natural cleaners and vinegar for everything so I am able to leave that down because it's harmless if swallowed. We found a cleaner line called holy cow...it's all natural and biodegradable and if a kid drinks it no harm done! I love it...they have a concentrate for moping and heavy duty cleaning, a window cleaner, and an all purpose cleaner.

So all in all it's not much of an ordeal to just pick up a few toys and put them up higher. Then the baby will be able to toddle around and do his thing safely. Most likely there will be a gate put up though to keep the baby away from the boys room unless I am in there with him and can be sure he only has safe toys.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Akeng..I wouldn't call myself paranoid as a parent I do allow my children quite a bit of freedom once they show me they are responsible enough to handle it...I allow my boys to cross the parking lot of our apartment complex and throw garbage in the dumpster...I do not follow them, but I will watch from the patio. The things I've done in my house are done because I feel they need to be done, not because of something I've heard on the news. My hubby and I are in complete agreement about all our our precautions and it really causes no problems in our home.

MrsDahl..Dh and I have though about this too and for now our solution is that we are going to sit down and go through the toys that our boys have and anything that is SUPER small (like their legos) will get put up on a high shelf and they can play with those things while the baby is sleeping or we will put a gate up to the boys room and the baby can't go in there so they can play with their smaller toys. Otherwise the boys can bring larger safe toys out to the living room to play with the baby (when he's mobile obviously). The rest of the house will just have to be completely baby-proofed again and the older boys may have to start asking for things that previously they had access to simply because it's no longer safe to leave them down where they can reach.

I don't have to place locks on my cabinets because we don't keep chemicals in the house execpt for bleach and that's up high in the laundry area. I have switched over to all natural cleaners and vinegar for everything so I am able to leave that down because it's harmless if swallowed. We found a cleaner line called holy cow...it's all natural and biodegradable and if a kid drinks it no harm done! I love it...they have a concentrate for moping and heavy duty cleaning, a window cleaner, and an all purpose cleaner.

So all in all it's not much of an ordeal to just pick up a few toys and put them up higher. Then the baby will be able to toddle around and do his thing safely. Most likely there will be a gate put up though to keep the baby away from the boys room unless I am in there with him and can be sure he only has safe toys.

This sounds like a good plan to me.

You might want to lock things anyways just to avoid mess and the stress associated with always having to clean things up.

Very good idea,The less you have to clean the better.

 

[JCFantasy23]

Crap happens I think the media hypes stuff up way to much, why dont you just turn your house into a bunch of padded rooms. You should not allow yourself to become paranoid everytime the media reports on something.

Pretty much I agree. I remember my younger brother almost choked on his carseat before because he slipped a certain way and his neck was in the seatbelt. It really just happens but rarely. This sounds like a freak occurrence that is sad but not something we should point a finger at and say, bad parenting.