Balloons for 2s?

[misslori50]

Absolutely not. NEVER, NEVER, do I allow any balloons in my house.

One of my dc families' neighbor's toddler daughter suffocated on a uninflated ballon while both parents were sitting on the sofa watching cartoons with her.

I remember back in highschool (1971) watching a health/safety video and one of the little episodes was a toddler choking on a pink balloon. That had a major impact on me then and I never allowed my kids to have balloons.

i agree no balloons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they tell you that in the infant saftey

[e.j.]

Absolutely not. NEVER, NEVER, do I allow any balloons in my house.

One of my dc families' neighbor's toddler daughter suffocated on a uninflated ballon while both parents were sitting on the sofa watching cartoons with her.

I remember back in highschool (1971) watching a health/safety video and one of the little episodes was a toddler choking on a pink balloon. That had a major impact on me then and I never allowed my kids to have balloons.

Same here. I never allow latex balloons into my home.

http://www.childrensmercy.org/content/uploadedFiles/Care_Cards/Safety-Alert_Cards/SAF-95-004p.pdf

[kendallina]

We do balloons here- I have six 3-5 year olds (I have done this with 2.5 yr olds). We always talk about our rules first and they all know my rules. 1. Don't try to pop the balloon 2. Never put the balloon near your mouth. I take balloons away if their mouth goes on it. Each child gets their own balloon and we have about a 5-10 minute balloon toss with music. It's a ton of fun! I never take my eyes off of them and I never send them home with balloons. There are plenty of parents out there that don't even know balloons are a choking hazard.

The kids LOVE our balloon tosses. They talk about them for days, we only do it a few times a year, usually at our holiday parties.

[Evansmom]

Allergy family chiming in here
My son is allergic to latex and the latex powder inside the balloon can cause respiratory problems for people with latex allergies. That plus the choking hazard and we don't allow them in the house.
Which ****s because I used to love playing with those punch balloons as a kid. Anyone remember those? They blow up really big and you tie an oversized rubber band (also latex) to it. Those were so fun!

[kendallina]

Allergy family chiming in here
My son is allergic to latex and the latex powder inside the balloon can cause respiratory problems for people with latex allergies. That plus the choking hazard and we don't allow them in the house.
Which ****s because I used to love playing with those punch balloons as a kid. Anyone remember those? They blow up really big and you tie an oversized rubber band (also latex) to it. Those were so fun!

Yeh, we got some punch balloons for my daughter for Christmas this year..they're still floating around the house and my dd loves them.

[MarinaVanessa]

I keep old nylons just for this reason (tights) or get some at the $1 store. Cut them, put a balloon in a section and tie off the ends. I wouldn't allow latex balloons otherwise and this way if they pop the pieces stay inside the nylon. The kids have so much fun with balloons that I didn't have the heart to ban them completely.

[Laurel]

I keep old nylons just for this reason (tights) or get some at the $1 store. Cut them, put a balloon in a section and tie off the ends. I wouldn't allow latex balloons otherwise and this way if they pop the pieces stay inside the nylon. The kids have so much fun with balloons that I didn't have the heart to ban them completely.

What a great idea! That said, I wonder who wears nylons anymore. ::

I have allowed latex balloons on occasion if a parent showed up with them but I didn't like it. Later I announced that I didn't want them here anymore.

Just yesterday though, instead of candy, I gave the children each a mylar Valentine's balloon but I gave it to them as they left my house. That way if the parent doesn't want them to have one they can handle it.

Laurel

[Josiegirl]

I use them for decoration only, taping them to the ceiling so no one can reach them. I have a dog that will eat them if given the chance.

[Unregistered]

I keep old nylons just for this reason (tights) or get some at the $1 store. Cut them, put a balloon in a section and tie off the ends. I wouldn't allow latex balloons otherwise and this way if they pop the pieces stay inside the nylon. The kids have so much fun with balloons that I didn't have the heart to ban them completely.

What an awesome idea! I don't allow balloons either and I wouldn't want to send them home. I do love ballon bops (bopping balloon around the room), and now have a way to do this fun activity! Thanks!

[dalman]

I keep old nylons just for this reason (tights) or get some at the $1 store. Cut them, put a balloon in a section and tie off the ends. I wouldn't allow latex balloons otherwise and this way if they pop the pieces stay inside the nylon. The kids have so much fun with balloons that I didn't have the heart to ban them completely.

Wow. Thank you so much for this idea. I do not allow balloons in my home for my grandchildren or the daycare. The only way to save a child if a balloon is ingested is to a tracheotomy on the spot, and that doesn't always work. But with your creative idea, I see no reason not to allow small balloons for play. The nylon would contain any particles, thus preventing inhalation of the balloon. happyfacehappyfacehappyface