‘As a parent you sleep with one eye open’

To the editor, I can feel the loss and sorrow with the loss of the little fellow in Toronto. I am writing this as a parent. I am not here to lay blame on anyone. I am writing this as a dad and hoping to share ideas that might prevent a tragedy in another family.

I think as a parent you sleep with one eye open your whole life.

These are some of the ideas that helped us raise our children. I had chain locks on both doors that were used when going to bed; also the plastic doorknobs were on them, and the door to the basement. A baby gate was set on the baby’s room door and the baby monitor was always on.

The gate also helped when they are able to climb out their cribs — at that age there was also a sippy cup with water and a bowl of dry cereal placed in their room. These worked for us.

Let’s share ideas that worked for you, and someone might use it. You can be the most safety-conscious parent out there, but accidents happen that are beyond our control.

Joe Savoy

Sydney