ONETIME- Door jam: Why to keep keys from toddlers
Chris Celella of Brown's Lock
PHOTO BY WILL WALKER
One time, a really good client of ours came in. He has a few toddlers, and they like to play with his four-wheeler keys and get on the four-wheeler and turn it on, then turn it off, while he supervises. Toddlers– God bless 'em, they're wonderful little people– they love keys.
This regular came in and said, 'You know, I'm never giving my toddlers my keys anymore.' And he's carrying the switch to a four-wheeler, because he doesn't have a key. So we helped him out, and he was happy.
About a week later, he comes back and he says, 'Damn it! My wife gave our kids the keys!' So suffice it to say he has the exact same four-wheeler switch in his hand.
They found the keys buried in their flower bed about a week or two later. The others they found in the playroom underneath a pile of toys about a month later. This guy probably has four keys to his four-wheeler, all supplied by Brown's Lock and all lost by his toddler.
I don't know if it's keys tinkling together, or the way they look– they're also small and fit very nicely into their hands. But my suggestion to everybody out there is simple: Don't give toddlers your keys.
Toddlers like to bury things. Another thing they love to do is– since door handles are at their head height– sticking mulch and wood chips into locks. Mothers call us because they can't get into houses because of this. Not only do they love keys, but they love using other things AS keys in locks.
Kids are going to be kids, but to prevent it, keep tabs on your kids: know where they are and what they're doing. In fact, I would recommend that parents give their kids a key to the house so they're not sticking wood chips and stuff in. Show 'em how it works, let 'em in on the big secret. Sure, they might lose it, but nobody knows it's the key to your house. (As long as you don't write your address on it.)
They're just trying to figure it out for themselves. You might as well hook 'em up with some knowledge.
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