I took my two children to a Christmas party last weekend. Our friends’ home is beautiful and filled with all kind of knick knacks and furniture. While I wanted to see our friends and spend some time enjoying the party I was worried about what might happen to the things around their home. I noticed some things that maybe you might not consider when having young children in your home.

Candles. Our friend had created a great candle lit atmosphere for her party, but candles are a big danger with children. Some of the candles were a pillar style that had melting wax coming down the sides; some candles were on a coffee table well within the reach of the toddler children at the party; other candles were on tables that would be easy for a toddler to pull over. If you have young children or are expecting children over for a visit you probably want to avoid having candles around the home.

Candy. There were several dishes of candy around the house. Many people consider me a “meanie” but I try not to give my children candy and sweets. I don’t want them to develop a sweet tooth so their consumption of sweets is limited. The candy was well within the reach of the children, and some of the candy were placed out in heavy glass dishes.

Tablecloths. We don’t use tablecloths in our home at all. Our boys like to pull on them to try and get them off the table. Our friends had a lovely buffet set out on a table with a beautiful tablecloth on it. I had visions of one of our boys pulling on the cloth and having all the food come tumbling down to the ground.

House plants. I don’t have a green thumb and really have no knowledge of plants. I’m not sure what kinds of plants are safe for children and what kind might be toxic if a child should happen to eat one. They make me nervous.

So what’s the moral of my blog post? No home is truly baby proofed, especially if there are no children in the home. Always be vigilant when bringing your children to another home to make sure there are no dangers awaiting them.