When your husband is paranoid and you just want to survive the day

[Anonymous]

I sympathsize with how hard it is to keep up with a toddler who is in to everything. I think you have a mix of both safety issues (the cords) and non-issues, like the vaseline. Kids are curious and some level of curiosity should be encouraged so I don't believe in creating a sterile environment. As toddlers LOVE going through drawers, I always kept one or two "junk drawers" in the kitchen filled with stuff that was both safe and easy to pick up (since it was sometimes emptied half a dozen times in one day).Though it is often hard to know what may turn out to be dangerous, it is best to err on the side of caution. It may be an initial investment, but it would probably be worth the money to bring in a babyproofing expert - that would satisfy your husband and make your daily life easier. We never did that, though I wish that sometimes we did.

[Anonymous]

I agree with every word of the 12:46 "meh" post. Meh indeed!

Try to talk with your husband about what his real issue is -- safety, yes, but it also sounds like a little bit of a parenting power struggle between you two. Where can you find common ground?

For me, it would be buying the $2 worth of cord safety thingies (because cords can kill you) and chilling out about brief, supervised interactions with a closed container of vaseline (because that can't kill you). FWIW, my kid ate Butt Paste. The nice lady at Poison Control told me not to worry. Kiddo also ate California Baby body lotion. Nice lady was even less concerned that time. (Put their number up on your fridge, put it in your cell phone - fabulous service! 800-222-1222) I am not that concerned about these things. Now, the WD-40 and the Drano, you better believe I keep those locked up TIGHT. (Again, operative question being: can it kill you?)