“The grabbing hands, grab all they can.” Click Here

In a recent study presented Sunday, October 3, 2010, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco, investigators and parents tested how many toddlers could and would reach for an item on a countertop.

The study, “How Far Toddlers Can Reach onto a Standard Kitchen Countertop,” urged children, ages 12 to 23 months, to reach for an object — in this particular instance a toy phone — resting on a 36-inch countertop.  The 54 children who participated varied in weight and height (with and without shoes).

The results? 76% of children could reach and grab the object. According to lead study author David Allasio, MSW, LMSW, Children’s Hospital of Michigan: “Findings from the research are important as it will help us reduce pain, financial costs and parental distress associated with scald-related burns to children, and the information can be used to better educate parents.”