Cell Phones and Babies

OK, anyone who has a baby knows that they love to play with (aka suck on, reduce to as many small pieces as possible) whatever WE play with. If you look around, most adults have a favorite shiny toy called a cell phone. Babies learn so much by just watching our behavior! You may have heard that cell phone radiation is bad for us, and worse for our kids. I had read enough about that to convince me not to give Dahlia my cell phone to play with. However, the power of “the look” or more recently, “the mini-tantrum” should not be underestimated, and sometimes I still give in and allow her to fondle the shiny phone. How can I deprive her of something that makes her so happy? I’ve just come across another good reason to keep the cell phones away: baby saliva and cell phone batteries don’t mix well. My late cell phone had its battery die suddenly last month, so I am using Ken’s old phone this month until my Verizon contract will allow a new phone in January. Strangely enough, this phone has been acting weird when I try to charge it lately. I took a close look at the charger contact on the phone today and saw lots of green corrosion. Splendid. I guess my last phone’s battery didn’t die so mysteriously after all….

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