Children will learn to :

• walk backwards and sideways and pull a toy
• eat with a utensil with little spilling
• start running
• climb playground equipment
• squat to pick up toys or reach for interesting objects
• put objects into small containers
• understand two-step directions
• imitate you

Children still like to :

• play in the water
• explore the world

• Use safety gates made for blocking stairs that have latches, or take several steps to open, both at the top and bottom of stairs. At the top of the stairs, use a safety gate that is anchored to the wall or banister. Children can push over a pressure gate. Do not use old-style safety gates that have V-shaped or diamond-shaped openings. Children can get their heads caught in those openings and choke. Use gates that are made to block stairs, and follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing them. Check regularly to make sure they haven't become loose.
• Note : Most safety gates can only be used for children up to 24 months of age. If used for a child older than 24 months ensure that you install a gate suitable for an older child. Remove the safety gate once the child reaches the recommended age as per manufacturer instructions or earlier, depending on the child's growth and development. Any safety gate should be removed if a child tries to climb on it.
• Keep window guards or child safety latches on all windows and install latches for doors and windows out of your child's reach.
• Never leave your child alone on a balcony or by an open window. Make sure windows and balcony doors have safety guards so that your child can't open them more than four inches (10 centimetres) or keep them closed and locked. Screens will not keep a child from falling out.
• Never let your child play on playground equipment that is higher than five feet (1.5 metres).
• Make sure the playground equipment is in good shape and that the landing surface is wood chips, sand, gravel or rubber to help protect your child if he / she falls.
• When your child is playing on playground equipment, stay within arm's reach in case he or she falls.
• Make sure your child is not wearing anything around the neck that could get caught and strangle him or her — like strings, scarves, helmets or skipping ropes.

• Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat until he / she weighs 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and / or the middle of his or her ears are higher than the back of the car seat.
• If your child gets too tall for the car seat before they weigh 40 pounds (18 kilograms) you will need to move your child into a special type of combination car seat / booster seat. Your child is considered too tall for the car seat if the middle of your child's ear is higher than the back of the car seat.
• Your child is ready to move into a booster seat when he / she weighs 40 pounds (18 kilograms). Only use booster seats made for use in a vehicle.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the car seat or booster seat.
• Never put the car seat in front of, or beside an air bag.
• Remember — the safest place for your child is in the back seat.

• Make sure that all pot handles are turned in toward the back of the stove and that cords are not left dangling over the edge of the counter.
• Stay with your child when he or she is in the kitchen.
• Keep hot drinks out of reach. Children like to imitate or copy the way you drink tea and coffee and they like to help in the kitchen, but don't let them help with or carry anything hot.
• Keep electrical cords rolled up and away from counter edges. Your child might pull on the cord and pull down something hot that could burn or scald him / her. Scalds are the most common type of burn to young children, and make up more than half of all children's burn injuries.
• To keep your child from putting things into electrical outlets replace regular electrical outlet covers with spring-loaded covers that hide the socket when they are not in use. Or use screw-on plug covers or durable, snug fitting, flexible outlet caps with existing outlet covers.

• Remember that some plants, such as mistletoe, clematis and red philodendron are poisonous.
• Keep anything that is poisonous, such as medicines or cleaning and polishing materials, locked up or out of reach. If you suspect your child has swallowed something dangerous, or if you need more information, call :
• The Ontario Regional Poison Information Centre, Hospital for Sick Children at 416-813-5900 or toll free 1-800-268-9017 or
• The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario at 613-737-1100 or toll free 1-800-267-1373.

• Teach your child not to put small objects in his or her mouth.
• Teach him or her how to use scissors, crayons and other new and interesting objects properly.

• Children can drown in as little as two inches (five centimetres) water, and they can't call for help. Stay within arm's reach of your child at all times when he / she is in the bath or near any water. Children enjoy bath time so much that they will look for any opportunity to play in water.
• Never take your eyes off your child when he or she is outside. Backyard pools, buckets, open ditches and ponds can all be dangerous.
• If you have a backyard pool, make sure it is fenced in on all four sides and has a self-closing latch on the gate. Make certain that your child cannot climb the fence or the gate.
• When the bathroom is not being used, keep bathroom doors locked on the outside with a latch that is out of your child's reach.
• If you are using laundry tubs, buckets or the bathtub for laundry, be sure to drain the water when you are finished. Never leave your child alone around water. Keep the laundry room locked on the outside with a latch your child can't reach.
• Children under five should never be put in a "hot tub” — not even with an adult. Hot tubs are too hot for young children, may have high bacteria, and the drain in the tub can trap children.

• Teach your child to respect pets — he / she might think a dog or a cat is like a stuffed animal and that it's okay to pull their ears or tail.
• Teach your child to never approach a dog on his / her own and to always ask the dog's owner for permission before petting it.
• If your child is allowed to play outside alone, be sure to have a fenced play area with a childproof latch on the gate.
• Teach your child how to behave in traffic when he or she is walking or riding a tricycle.
• Don't let your child ride a bicycle yet, even if they have training wheels. They do not have the strength or co-ordination to handle the speed and brakes.
• Make sure your child uses a properly fitted, approved helmet - Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Snell, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) — while riding a tricycle and to take the helmet off again when he / she gets off the tricycle to play.

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