My DD was almost burned by a novelty lighter at the Dollar Store today!

[Liberty Belle]

I don't see how it is the stores problem when your child is 7 and you should have been supervising her. I would have used it as a prefect time to say "see what happens when you touch things when you don't know what they are". If she had no intention of buying the item why touch it at all?

Great lesson to teach, especially when her hair's aflame.

OP, I was at first going to jump in on the "you should have watched your child" bandwagon. And then I thought about it. When my five year old is with me at the store, I tell him not to touch things. But usually toys are fair game (of course I would not let him mishandle things). That lighter looks like a toy and my son probably would assume it would be ok to touch.

 

[disneydave2003]

but I'm sure no one has a perfect child.

many people on the DIS do have a perfect childe. don't you read the threads on the cb?? just about every disers kid is gifted and follows the rules. they are perfect angels. no other disers kid would have touched the fun looking lighter becuz they all know better.

 

[Todd&Copper]

If that link posted a little bit back is the guitar lighter youa re talking about, then it looks a heck of a lot like a toy (and for $1, it was a bargain, apparently).
OP, I think you've done all you can do, save calling your local news channels and alerting them to the dangerous "toys" at the Dollar Store (we have a "[channel] 11 on Your Side" piece on our local news every once in a while to alert people to scams or dangers, and I'm sure most other cities do, too).

 

[Mermaid02]

Why on Earth would anyone make a lighter that looks like a toy??? That BEGS for a child to pick it up. They should have been out of reach.

My kids touch things in stores... they're kids... they're curious... they're not always perfect and I am not perfect enough to watch them every living moment...

 

[happygirl]

I don't blame the store or your daughter. I blame you for not watching her more closely

 

[Mermaid02]

I don't blame the store or your daughter. I blame you for not watching her more closely

It looked like a toy and was not marked as a lighter.... why would the OP get upset if her dd picked up a toy?

 

[disneydave2003]

I blame you for not watching her more closely

YOU can not be serious! sounds like the dd was next to the op in the line. what are you suppposed to have your eyes literally fixed on your kid 24/7? if that is what you are supposed to do it would be pretty flippin hard to get anyting else done. the dd was next to the op is what it sounds like.. she wasnt running around the store starting fires with a guitar lighter that would obviously appeal to a kid. it's not the op's fault. posters on the dis never cease to amaze me. "I blame you"

 

[disneydave2003]

It looked like a toy and was not marked as a lighter.... why would the OP get upset if her dd picked up a toy?

exaclty!

i looked at the pic on the link that was poste a page or 2 ago and that thing looks like a cheapo little toy.

 

[tinkerbee]

Check this out

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2007/10/playing-with-fi.html



It is not the stores fault, the OP's fault or the dd's fault they just need to be banned.

 

[happygirl]

YOU can not be serious! sounds like the dd was next to the op in the line. what are you suppposed to have your eyes literally fixed on your kid 24/7? if that is what you are supposed to do it would be pretty flippin hard to get anyting else done. the dd was next to the op is what it sounds like.. she wasnt running around the store starting fires with a guitar lighter that would obviously appeal to a kid. it's not the op's fault. posters on the dis never cease to amaze me. "I blame you"

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Why, in the first place, is it necessary for there to be a lighter that even an ADULT cannot recognize as one?

Secondly, is there ANYTHING more obnoxious than saying, "MY child would NEVER do that," about anything?

I don't think anyone is saying that. I think that most are saying (ans I could be wrong) is that yes, those lighters should not be within reach of children as they sometimes can't help themselves no matter what you do- BUT- the truth of the matter is, the child should not have been touching. Would I have been happy if it was my kid? No. I would have done the same thing- ask them to move them to an area where kids could not reach them, but my kid would have also been reminded that that was why we don't touch. I also don't get why everyone is saying that they as adults touch everything in a store? Honestly, unless I am thumbing through a clothes rack I rarely touch anything. I guess I am missing something.

 

[mudnuri]

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

lemme know when you become a parent.

My girls are 10 and 11 and I don't konw what they are doing 24-7....shesh! I know who they are with, and where they are, but my god, kids need to live too!


Brandy

 

[kerrynic78]

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

well I guess that means I shouldn't go to bed at night.....I'm gonna miss sleeping.

 

[mumzie2three]

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

Sounds like someone who doesn't have kids yet.

As far as the OP, I would be aggravated that the lighters were within reach of children. But more importantly I would be upset that they are even being sold. I've taught my DDs not to handle lighters, based on what a typical lighter looks like.
Even if my *angels* never touch anything in a store without my permission, what happens if that item was lying around a friend or relatives house?

 

[mjkacmom]

This is a nutty thread. If I'm at the dollar store with my children, there is a good chance we're there because they want to spend their own $ on crap. Yes, I will allow my children to pick up items when they are shopping - I confess, I've shopped, and picked up items, and ended up not buying them. I didn't realize there was a "you touch it, you buy it" rule. Lighters should not look like toys, never mind being in easy reach of children. I'm in NJ, a very unfriendly to smokers state, and I really can't recollect if lighters are on the counter. As a mother of 5, I do not have my eyes on all of my children at all times. Maybe I should've stopped at one so that I, too, could be the perfect parent. But then again, I can't imagine how calm and quiet things would be around here!

 

[mumzie2three]

Here's a picture of one. I certainly wouldn't know it was one, unless someone pointed it out.

http://budk.com/product.asp?pn=28%20GD27866&c2p=hp&bhcd2=1202187244

LMAO at the ad: "With the simple press of a button emit the scorching flame and light up just about anything." They should add "including small children" to the end of that.

I thought lighters were supposed to have safety features these days?

 

[LaraK]

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

Give me a call when you have kids....I'll loan you my straight jacket (for the kids....I'll still be using the one for me )

 

[famofsix]

This is a nutty thread. If I'm at the dollar store with my children, there is a good chance we're there because they want to spend their own $ on crap. Yes, I will allow my children to pick up items when they are shopping - I confess, I've shopped, and picked up items, and ended up not buying them. I didn't realize there was a "you touch it, you buy it" rule. Lighters should not look like toys, never mind being in easy reach of children. I'm in NJ, a very unfriendly to smokers state, and I really can't recollect if lighters are on the counter. As a mother of 5, I do not have my eyes on all of my children at all times. Maybe I should've stopped at one so that I, too, could be the perfect parent. But then again, I can't imagine how calm and quiet things would be around here!

I am one of those parents too

For those who don't let kid touch anything....supposed you are shopping in Downtown Disney or the Disney store and you go to the check-out with your children and one of them asks you to see the cute mickey and minnie figures on the counter that are not marked "lighters". You say yes and then next thing you know their hair is on fire....I bet there would be a thread where posters would be telling you to sue Disney and posters who said it is your fault for allowing your child to touch merchandise.

 

[LUVMYTINK]

I actually believe as a parent you better know what your kids are doing 24-7

Awww crud I'm a bad parent then I never know what my kids are doing 24/7.

In fact all I know is #1DS is at school but I have no idea what he is doing & the other two are in #2DS's room but I have no idea what they are doing either...............................sometimes you don't want to know either

 

[JVL1018]

OP I'm with you-my kids touch things in stores(and so do I!).

We go to Target and DS looks at all the Legos, takes the box, turns it over, checks out all the pictures on the front and back, and then puts it back-he doesn't ask and I would find it bizarre if he asked me before he touched anything kid friendly.


We go to the bookstore and both of my kids pick up books and look through them without asking-that's what we're there for to buy books, they need to see what the book is about before buying, why would anyone ask??

Maybe it's a rude NJ thing , because I have NEVER heard a kid ask their parents if they could touch each toy they handled in a store.