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What would happen if my 10 month baby chewed the end of my magsafe charger?

S

SnapperUK

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 25, 2007
81
9
London
We have several magsafe chargers constantly plugged in around the apartment, in case we need to use a laptop anywhere, we can always plug straight in rather than moving the chargers.
We also have an increasingly mobile and curious 10 month old baby who is putting almost everything in her mouth. Would she get a nasty shock is she stuck the live end of the charger in her mouth?
Before anyone calls the child protection agency, please bare in mind this is a hypothetical. If it had actually happen I think I would probably already know the answer.
And yes making sure they are all unplugged and switched off would be the obvious thing to do.
 
Any power cord/cable + chewing child = potential for damage to cord and/or child.
 
Honestly, I've licked mine and nothing happened.

I assume there's a sensing circuit that detects the draw before the charger is turned on.

I'm not sure if she chewed on it for a prolonged amount of time if the charger would turn on, but serousily, just have them unplugged or turned off.

Here's an instructable (built around phone chargers) that makes it simple to switch them on and off. Essentially, it's a ceiling fan or lamp pull switch connected to an extention cord. When the pull switch is attatched (with knots) to the (MagSafe) charger's cord, you can give it a gentle tug to turn on on and off.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Save-Electricity-Switched-Charger/
 
I love how everyone assured you that the power adapter would be fine. Were you worried about the Baby?:rolleyes:
 
I have heard that Chuck Norris has a chew on a Magsafe before he starts any day.

Time to put them out the way, Convenience is one thing responsibility is another. She might not get an electrical shock but she could choke in any number of ways with one. One of the responsibilities of being a parent is removing all those hazards at a babies height. Get some socket covers whilst your at it.
 
Sorry man, when you have a child convenience takes a back seat to safety. I know it can be frustrating, but that's just how it is. I hate having to pry those socket protectors out when I need to plug up a computer or run the vacuum and I don't like having every cabinet door in my home child locked either. But, I love my children and their health and well being is what's most important.
 
I think most likely nothing would happen; someone mentioned a charging circuit to prevent this sort of thing (or other charging irregularities that might potentially damage a $2000+ computer).

That being said, do you really want to risk it? That power adapter puts out 12V+ DC. If your baby managed to create a circuit, particularly through the mouth/tongue, that voltage could easily provide a few hundred mA, which would be very painful at least, potentially fatal.

Would you put jumper cables attached to a live car battery in your mouth? Didn't think so.
 
SnapperUK said:
We have several magsafe chargers constantly plugged in around the apartment, in case we need to use a laptop anywhere, we can always plug straight in rather than moving the chargers.
We also have an increasingly mobile and curious 10 month old baby who is putting almost everything in her mouth. Would she get a nasty shock is she stuck the live end of the charger in her mouth?
Before anyone calls the child protection agency, please bare in mind this is a hypothetical. If it had actually happen I think I would probably already know the answer.
And yes making sure they are all unplugged and switched off would be the obvious thing to do.
Click to expand...

You're going to let your kid be electrocuted because some schmuck on this board says it's safe? You know "the obvious thing to do," so do it.
 
mreg376 said:
You're going to let your kid be electrocuted because some schmuck on this board says it's safe? You know "the obvious thing to do," so do it.
Click to expand...

This.

You should also get outlet protectors and seal them up when not in use. My daughter is 17 months. She gets into everything. It's only going to get worse. Priority should be with your child and not with your tech.
 
pooky said:
Would you put jumper cables attached to a live car battery in your mouth? Didn't think so.
Click to expand...

I don't know how big your mouth is, but I most certainly can not fit one end of a jumper cable in my mouth, never mind two.
 
Let's not get all crazy here people. It's not like the kid would do it more than once. ;)
 
If you already know your kid is going to be in those areas, get the thing out and block those outlets.

The area where your kids is crawling where you might not have an eye on them all the time should be as safe as you can get it.
 
This is an odd thread, especially because the person seems to be serious.

If your child is chewing on a wire attached to an electrical outlet, there is a possibly that he or she will be electrocuted. It may not happen, but you're always going to be taking a chance. This is true for any wire that's directly or indirectly attached to an electrical outlet.
 
There is only one picture to answer the OP's question

babyshaker.jpg
 
If your Mac is less than 90 days old or if you have AppleCare, call Apple and ask them. I bet the reps could all use a good laugh on a Friday. :p
 
Are your laptop batteries so bad that you have to have power adaptors all over the place? Put one (or 1 for however many laptops you have) out of the way of the baby where you can charge it and leave it at that. Honestly, I find it more convenient to just take my laptop and sit down without having to worry about plugging it in.

This is a strange question. One would think that, if you were worried about this, you would first unplug them all and then ask the question, not the other way around. That's a life you have wandering around your apt... much more valuable than a $80 (or whatever it is) power cord.

Rule of thumb: if you are at all worried about something posing a danger to your child, remove it first and then ask questions.
 
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