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Home › Articles › Preschooler and Child › Dust Bunnies

Dust Bunnies

Hop into Spring Cleaning with Your Child!

By Debra Weaver

Pages:  1  2  3  

  • Keep all cleaning products locked away and out of reach of young children.
  • Read and follow the instructions on cleaning product labels.
  • Use only one product at a time. Mixing products can create toxic fumes.
  • Call the poison center IMMEDIATELY if you suspect a child has touched, breathed or swallowed a poison. Don't wait for symptoms to appear; be safe, not sorry.
  • Post the nationwide toll-free poison hotline number (1-800-222-1222) near all phones. "Calls to 1-800-222-1222 are automatically connected to nurses, pharmacists and doctors at the closest poison center for free, confidential advice. [People] also are invited to call the hotline with questions about poisoning prevention or to request free magnets or stickers bearing the hotline number," Falk says.

    • Make Cleaning Fun!

    Stacy DeBroff, author of The Mom Book, 4,278 Tips for Moms! (Free Press, 2002), interviewed more than 300 parents across the nation to gather their best and most creative suggestions. Here are several of her tips:

    • Teach your child to make her bed by lying under the covers, pulling the sheet and comforter over her head, and slide out the side.
    • Let children make a "fort" with bed linens before putting them in the wash.
    • Pretend to be soldiers or robots on a "cleaning" mission.
    • Try the Inspection Game: Announce a surprise inspection coming in a specific number of minutes.
    • Take pictures to send to grandparents to emphasize a job well done.


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