SNEAKY SITUATION 4
When the baby's chilling in his bouncy seat
He's on top of the dinner table because, let's face it, parking him where he can see you is the only way he'll let you eat. Or he's on the dryer because the vibrations from the spinning clothes never fail to soothe him to sleep. Regardless, putting a car seat or bouncer on a high-up surface and expecting it to stay there can lead to a Humpty Dumpty-like disaster. It can rock, shift, or shimmy off -- baby and all. Parenting.com: 22 Boredom-busting games
• Play it safer: The easiest way to make sure an infant in a car seat or bouncer doesn't wind up on the floor is to put him down there in the first place. But if the hum of the dryer is the only thing that calms him down, or having him on the ground makes the distance between the two of you just too great for comfort, then commit yourself to the utmost vigilance.
SNEAKY SITUATION 5
After shaving your legs
You de-fuzz in the tub, so where else would you keep your razor, right? Here's why it's worth rethinking: While Kelly Scott was giving her 10-month-old son a bath, she turned around for a washcloth. Next thing she knew, Justin had her razor in his mouth. "I gasped, and he pulled it out," says Scott, who lives in Sandusky, Ohio. "I expected to see blood streaming from between his lips, but I was lucky: The razor had the plastic cap on." Parenting.com: 8 activities to keep your kid busy
Play it safer: Stash your razor high in the medicine cabinet when you're done, or at the very least on a high shower rack. Razors are shiny and unusually shaped, and some of the ones marketed for women are as chunky and brightly colored as toddler toys! They're tempting -- better to just keep them out of sight.
SNEAKY SITUATION 6
When you put your sleeping baby in the stroller
Health Library
You might be tempted to skip buckling her in if the stroller's just going to be sitting there. Why risk waking her? But according to the mommy version of Murphy's law, there's a chance she'll wake up when you're not right there, roll over, and tumble out. "Think about where she'll wind up if that happens," says Dr. Sege. "It could be on the floor, in a pool, on the street, depending on what the stroller's near."
Play it safer: Slip on the straps and fasten them. The chances you'll wake her up are pretty slim. "When a young kid sleeps, she really sleeps," Dr. Sege says. Even if your child wakes up for a second, you can gently shush her back to the land of Nod as you buckle her up. That way, you both can rest assured. Parenting.com: Sanity-saving baby soothers
SNEAKY SITUATION 7
When you're caring for a sick kid
Kristin Gregor, a mom of three in Clifton Park, New York, had a medicine mishap when her 18-month-old, Alex, was sick. She and her husband were sharing bedside duty when he gave Alex a second dose of acetaminophen an hour too early. Alex was okay, but Gregor was right to be worried: It's not that hard to give a child too much acetaminophen -- especially if it's in another medication he's taking at the same time, says Denise Dowd, M.D., codirector of the Center for Childhood Safety at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. (If you believe your kid got too much of any drug, call the Poison Help hotline at 800-222-1222.) Parenting.com: Child health guide
Play it safer: Keep track. Now when any of her kids are sick, Gregor posts a calendar on the fridge where she writes down the name of the sick child, which medicines he or she is taking, and when they were given. "We've been mistake-free ever since," says Gregor -- a goal worth shooting for, even if no parent will ever
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