Baby dial is actually worse than butt dial.

Like most tikes, Darby is fascinated with technology (Greg and I usually break out into Kip's wedding song from Napoleon Dynamite: "I love technology ... but not as much as you, you see ... but I still love technology, always and forever," when we watch as she tries to get her hands on our screens.)

I try to keep my cellular device away from her, but if I really need to occupy her for a few minutes, it's just the ticket.

One time the little tech geek managed to change a bunch of settings on my phone. I couldn't figure out how to change them back, and finally decided that I liked it better the way she had 'designed' it.

However, out of concern that she would eventually do something drastic to my phone, I opted one day to implement a phone password that would allow her to play with it without messing things up.

After setting a password, I handed her my phone while I plopped her onto the changing table for a little diaper swap. She started clicking away, and the next thing I heard is,

"Hello, 911. What is your emergency?"

I stared at my phone in a state of immobile shock for a second, and then grabbed it out of her hands and pressed 'end.'

But I knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough, a moment later a mysterious number lit up my phone, and when I answered I heard,

"Hello, this is your local emergency services. Do you have an emergency?"

"Uh, no. No, sorry. My one year old just dialed you. I'm so sorry."

"That's alright," said the man, in an all too casual voice. "I just wanted to be sure." I could almost hear his epic eye roll at this new generation of digitally reckless toddlers. I knew I was not the first mother to apologize to him for this.

Later, I investigated my cellular device to try and figure out what happened. It didn't take long. I soon noticed what had escaped my observation before: a little '911' emblem at the bottom of the password sign-in screen, presumably to allow little toddlers, children, and any other password ignorant individuals to find help in an emergency.

They really do think of everything.

And so I had to remove the password from my phone, and just hope that she doesn't do something awful to it.

So far, the worse thing she's done is dial random people at random moments throughout the day. Thankfully, it's only been family members so far because she ends up on the speed dial menu and clicks away.

I just have to be really careful not to say anything potentially awkward and embarrassing when she has her paws on it, like,

"Hey Darby! Are you ok? Mommy's almost done using the bathroom, and I'll be out in a second!"