Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Pinterest. If you haven’t, well, please don’t blame me when you join the site and lose track of your entire day! As a photographer, crafter and baker, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration, but I have to say that there are a few things I’ve seen circulating through the site that really should have warnings attached.
1) Make glow-in-the-dark xyz product by breaking open a glow stick and mixing the liquid with (insert product here…nail polish, paint, bath water, etc.). Please, before you go breaking open glow sticks, read the package! There is a warning on the glow stick package that states that the glow stick is full of harmful chemicals and should not be opened. Does this seem like something we should really be dumping into our kids’ bath water? I’m not sure the “cool” factor outweighs the health risks.
2) All those adorable pictures of babies, kids, dogs or whole families wrapped up in Christmas lights. Most Christmas lights contain lead in the plastic coating on the wires. Because Christmas lights are not a product designed for children, they are not subject to the same lead safety laws as toys and other things kids use. Wrapping Christmas lights around your family (especially babies wearing nothing but a diaper) does pose some risk of lead transfer. We all know that babies and toddlers love to put things in their mouths. Not only does that increase their exposure to lead, but it also tells them that it’s okay to play with/chew on electrical cords…don’t get me started on the pictures where babies are chewing on the lights while they are plugged in! I know everyone wants to have the most unique Christmas card picture, but please keep your family safe in the process!
I’m sure there’s more (in fact, I’m planning an entire post about the “DIY Canvas” made from an engineering print…), but those are the two that popped up, yet again, when browsing Pinterest this morning. Have you seen other pins that you think are dangerous or misleading? Please share them in the comments! And if you are on Pinterest, follow me! 