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Monday, December 12, 2011

No Balloons Please!

Okay, I admit it.  I absolutely DESPISE balloons.  And yes, I was one of those kids who loved to play with them, blow them up, watch them streak across the room as the air rushed out and then I would shriek with delight as they splintered into a 100 pieces as they burst.


Fast forward about 25 years and then I start to hear the stories and begin to understand how destructive and deadly pretty colored party balloons can be.  And even though I live in a very small town, I know of TWO, yes that's TWO babies who have suffocated to death on balloons.

As strange as that sounds, try to picture sharp little baby teeth biting into an inflated balloon as it pops sending a stray piece of that balloon flying at lightening speed right down their windpipes.  If I know of TWO babies myself, think of how many there must be.

And if you think the danger stops once they get past the baby stage, think again. There have been children who have actually inhaled a balloon while attempting just to blow it up.  Little fingers that don't have a tight enough grip on the balloon opening as they inhale with all their might trying to inflate it.  It has actually been reported that balloons cause more choking deaths than balls, marbles or toy parts.

So now that my 5-year-old daughter is in kindergarten, the birthday invitations are pouring in and with every one of them, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I think to myself "I wonder how many balloons are going to be there?"

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3 comments:

Simply Suthern said...

Not a big balloon fan either. I just typically deflate them if she brought one home. Our little one never played much with them anyway.

Unknown said...

My daughter has noise sensitivity so when she turned two, she refused to get out of my lap to play at her birthday party because she was afraid of the balloons.

They are so dangerous. I'm surprised that they aren't outlawed.

Joanne said...

That is a scary thought but we always had balloons at birthdays. My daughter was not allowed to play with them at the stage when she was putting stuff in her mouth and even now, we don't blow up our own. We buy them that way. With your daughter being five, I'm guessing you will be at the parties with her so you will be able to keep a close eye on her.