My little boy is now well and truly Oscar Mike. That's army speak for on-the-move. We got the phrase from the HBO series Generation Kill.
When Tom goes crawling manically around our flat causing mayhem, my husband will often call out: 'He's Oscar Mike!' The follow-up is: 'Eyes on the target?' which is another military term. I jump to attention like a squaddie.
This army lingo is fitting, as Tom leaves a trail of devastation in his wake: newspapers are shredded and strewn, toys spread to all four corners of the room, and books pulled off shelves. It's like a team of crack soldiers lobbing grenades.
So the operation to babyproof our home has taken on military proportions. Table corners? Check. Wiring? Check. Kitchen cupboards? Check. Stairway? Check. Is the coast clear? Check.
I joke, but it's a serious subject. One of the biggest threats to children's safety is their own home.
There are a variety of websites that I use for advice. Among the best is babycentre.com According to the site, 'children between the ages of one and four are more likely to be killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning, or falls' than by anything else.
