Chubby Bunny and Other Nightmares
Surfing the Web for child safety tips and statistics can be truly frightening.
ParanoidSisters.com, for example, was created by two Bay Area mothers who cover a daunting list of dangerous possibilities for children. Their site, and their corresponding books, dispense information, and often scary statistics, on child injury and deaths from numerous causes, from mini-blind cords and crib mattresses to five-gallon cleaning buckets with two inches of water inside.
Dog bites, playground equipment, poisonous plants, trash cans, pesticides, barbecues and insects make the backyard feel like a daunting prospect for adventure. Holidays can be especially dangerous, according to ParanoidSisters.com, featuring the dangers of Christmas (trees, lights, packaging) and Halloween (candy, strangers, dark streets).
The site’s founders also focus on the menace of Chubby Bunny. This is a playground game in which kids stuff marshmallows into their mouths while saying “Chubby Bunny.” According to the site, a 12-year-old girl recently died because the marshmallows melted in her throat, covering her airway.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
