Safer Child Products

June 20, 2011

We all know that we need to wear sunscreen to protect ourselves and our children from the harmful rays of the sun that can cause sunburns and cancer, but do you know that eyes can get a sunburn too?  It is called Photokeratitis and according to Simon Eye Associates and the American Optometric Association, this causes “painful symptoms such as red eye, gritty feeling in the eye, excessive tearing and extreme sensitivity to light.” 

There are harmful long term effects as well such as cataracts and macular degeneration, so protect your own and your child’s vision by using sunglasses that block out as close to 100% of of both UV-A AND UV-B radiation as you can find and sceen out “75 –90% of visible light.”  Also, be sure that the glasses do not distort your vision.

Encourage your children to wear their sunglasses when they are playing outside, at the beach or pool, and even when playing sports.  A hat is helpful, but is not enough to protect your eyes from the harmful rays.

www.visioncenter4kids.com has additional tips and facts about protecting your children’s eyes from Sun Damage. They explained that children’s eyes have “larger pupils and clearer lenses, so when spending time outdoors, a child will receive 3x the UV ray exposure as an adult.”

Set a good example for your children and wear your sunglasses!  Good quality sunglasses do not have to be expensive!

Safer Child Products

Here it is, June already.  Many schools are out for the summer and others will be shortly.  I am looking forward to summer fun and spending time with my children with a less harried schedule. 

So our summer started with my kids and their friends wanting to wash my car.  Wonderful! For them this is a way to be helpful and stay cool at the same time.  They filled up buckets of water and thought I was crazy when I told them I needed to be outside to supervise.  My kids are no longer toddlers, but they are still young.  I know that young children can drown in as little as 2 inches of water.  I didn’t want someone to trip or fool around and end up head first in a bucket of water!

Stay alert and Learn CPR

According to a study published by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) “A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. Seventy-seven percent of the victims had been missing from sight for 5 minutes or less “

I’ve read in several places that drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children between the ages of 5 & 24!  Also, it is recommended that infants, toddlers and weak swimmers have an adult within arm’s reach of them in the pool, while older children and young adults be taught never to swim alone.  Even “seasoned” swimmers can get tired or get a muscle cramp.  It’s always good to have a buddy who can help or get help when needed.

If you have a pool at your home, be sure that you follow the CPSC’s guidelines.  For example CPSC strongly recommends that all residential pools have a 4-foot barrier, such as a fence with self-closing and self-latching gates. If the house is the fourth side of a barrier, secure doors with alarms that prevent children from wandering into the pool area.

For more information and safety tips you can read more at http://poolsafely.gov/parents-families/

Safer Child Products

Do you ever wonder where the safest spot in the car is for your child? You need to take into consideration their age, the type of Child Restraint, how many people typically ride in your car and the recommendations of both the Vehicle Owner’s Manual, and the Child Restraint Manual. Then see what configuration works best in your car.

What really concerns me is that I have seen so many children under the age of 8 riding in the front seat of a vehicle, without even benefit of a booster seat! 

On the visor of the passenger side of my car there is a warning:  “Children can be killed or seriously injured by the air bag. The back seat is the safest place for children.”

The vehicle owner’s manual says “Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in the second or third row seats.”

I understand if you have a large family, or are transporting many children, you need to figure out the best seating position for all of them.  If you have no other choice than to use the front seat, see if you can switch off the passenger side airbag and move the seat back as far as possible.  However, NEVER put a rear facing child restraint in front of an active air bag!  So, why do so many parents act carefree and let their young children ride in the front seat?

Most children of this age should be in car seats or booster seats. Most children this age are not tall enough to use a lap/shoulder belt without a booster seat.  As stated in www.safekids.org, “For children ages 5-9 who are under 4 feet 9 inches tall and less than 80 to 100 pounds, a car seat or booster seat is recommended.”

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