Safer Child Products

I just heard about a young boy who had a choking incident on a cut-up piece of hot dog.  Hot dogs are so rubbery and slippery!  It was a terrible story, but thankfully, he came out ok.  He was one of the lucky ones. This tiny piece of hot dog got lodged in his airway,, but it must have been so low down that the Heimlich maneuver did not help, nor did the thumping on his back.  His day care providers did everything right, but it was the 911 operator who stayed on the phone with the day care and helped them figure out how to get this little boy’s airway un-blocked. 

According to an article in WebMd http://children.webmd.com/news/20100222/group-aims-to-reduce-child-choking-deaths  “In a 2001 CDC review of choking injuries, about one-third of choking episodes occurred in infants and three-fourths occurred in children under the age of 3.” I read that a toddler’s airway is about the size of a straw, and we all know that many times, toddlers eat on the run, not sitting down for a meal!  Developmentally, chewing can be an issue too!  I remember saying to my children when they were younger, “bite it and chew it”.  Consider how many teeth  they have, and how good a job they are able to do chewing up their food.

We as parents and caregivers need to be educated and make responsible decisions about what foods to feed our children, and when they need to be supervised while eating.  Be sure to get CPR certified and have choking first-aid training too.  Make sure your babysitters or anyone in charge of your children are trained and aware of the rules during mealtime, such as sitting while eating, and cutting food into small pieces.  Call your local Hospital System to find out when they offer CPR and Choking Resuscitation Classes. 

Don’t forget that small toys and “button” batteries pose a choking risk to young children as well. Even when a battery compartment is screwed closed, it can still be a risk factor.  I saw a mom post recently about her young daughter who somehow pried open the battery compartment of a toy and popped the battery in her mouth before her parents, who were just steps away, even had a chance to react!.  Keep small toys and battery operated objects out of reach of small children.

Wishing you all another safe and wonderful week. Stay alert and keep a phone nearby in case of an emergency!
Information for parents on choking prevention is available at http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/31/3/26-q.

Safer Child Products

Spring is finally here.  If you’re living in the North East where the weather has been warm and lovely, you and your children are spending more time outside.  How wonderful!  Children need fresh air and exercise but we as adult caregivers need to be especially aware of neighborhood safety this time of year.  I noticed that my own daughter gets excited when she sees friends and neighbors drive by.  She wants to run up to them, unaware that she could be hurt by a moving car!  We must teach our children not to chase after a ball into the street, or run into the street for any reason.  Small children will not be seen by  driver, and even if they are, the driver may not have enough time and space to stop prior to hitting the child.  This would be a tragedy that could have been prevented.

Children are often badly hurt when playing in the driveway when a car either pulls into the driveway, or backs out of a garage.  Parents and caregivers must be vigilant about watching our children and keeping them safe.  Do not let children play in cars. In fact, keep cars locked.  Perhaps it is worth blocking off your driveway when the children are outside playing.  I have seen preschools do just that!  Here are 2 ideas of things you can purchase to alert drivers that there are children outside playing, http://www.amazon.com/Kidkusion-Driveway-Safety-Sign-Pack/dp/B0002KWTHK

however, you can use anything, a chair at the end of a driveway, a cone, a soccer net, a trash bin.

Stay alert and protect our children. http://www.mychildsafety.net/child-driveway-safety.html

Safer Child Products

It’s that time of year when we spend more time outside enjoying the weather and working in the garden.  We encourage our children to go outside and play.  These are wonderful ways to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of spring and summer.  We get essential Vitamin D from the sun, but don’t forget the sunscreen!

May is skin cancer awareness month.  At http://www.sunsafetyforkids.org/  they reinforce “Block the Sun, Not the Fun!” They have started a national sun safety day called “Don’t Fry Day”.  This is observed each year the Friday before Memorial Day (May 27, 2011). 

Even though it is still early in the season, we need to add sun protection to the list of morning chores before we send our children out the door.  UVA and UVB rays can be damaging not only to the skin, but to the eyes as well.  Make sure you put sunscreen with at least SPF 15 on your child’s face, ears, and back of neck, in addition to arms and legs if they are exposed.   Buy a lip balm with SPF in it and encourage your children to wear a hat and sunglasses (with 100% UV protection)!  Let them help you pick it out so that it is something they will want to wear. I just told my kids this am that they did not need their sunglasses today because it is cloudy, but the sun’s rays can penetrate the clouds and even on cool breezy days, they could be burned. 

The sun’s rays are strongest during mid-day, so try to stay out of direct sunlight.  If you are on the beach, rent an umbrella and have your kids play underneath it.  If you are at the park, find a big shady tree to sit under.  Make sure you re-apply your child’s sunscreen every 2 hours, or more if they have been sweating or swimming.

Even darker skinned children need sun protection. Their skin can burn also. 

According to http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/children.htm  “Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of skincancer later in life.” Sunglasses help protect your child’s eyes from UV rays which can lead to cataracts later in life.”

The aforementioned sites have additional information on sun safety and what to do if your child gets burned.  Be smart this summer and “Block the Sun, Not the Fun!”  Protect yourself and protect your children!

Safer Child Products

Be cautious when you use hand me down baby products. Be sure that you have the owner’s manual/directions and that you have all the parts.  Check products for recalls at http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/firm.aspx .

Earlier this month, a co-sleeper that was sold between Sept 1997 and Dec 20001 was recalled due to a risk of suffocation http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11187.html?tab=recalls .  Yes, even after all these years! Cribs are no longer being made with drop sides because children were getting caught between the mattress and the drop-side rail.  Car seats now have expiration dates.  Look for it on a sticker on embossed in the plastic somewhere on the car seat!

Be an educated consumer and put child safety first!

Safer Child Products

April 18, 2011

We don’t need laws to tell us how to keep our children safe, but sometimes it takes safety recommendations being made into law to have it register.  In our busy schedules and stress of our daily lives, it’s possible to forget that you have a baby or young child riding in the back of your car, especially if they are quiet or sleeping. Many children die each year from heat stroke after having been left alone in a car.

We’ve all experienced getting into a hot car or touching a hot seat or steering wheel.  As explained on http://ggweather.com/heat   “These objects heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection and also give off long wave radiation which is very efficient at warming the air trapped inside the vehicle”.  The real concern is that a child’s body heats up 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s and is very dangerous when their body temperature reaches 104 degrees.  According to safe kids.org, “in just 10 minutes the car’s temperature can rise 19 degrees – and it continues to rise.” Keeping the window cracked open does not make a significant difference in the rising temperature of a car.

Find a way to remind yourself to check the back seat and take the baby out of the car, whether you are a parent, a babysitter, a grandparent, an aunt or a daycare provider.  safety of all our children should be the number 1 priority. perhaps keep your purse or gym bag in the backseat¸ make yourself a checklist of everything you need to do, including dropping your child off at daycare.  Teach your children never to play in the car. If a child goes missing check the car and the trunk first!

For more safety tips and suggestions visit http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-guide/kids-in-and-around-cars/never-leave-your-child-alone-tips.html

Safer Child Products

It is often exhausting and even frustrating caring for babies and young children.  Especially when you are sleep deprived and when the baby cries for hours on end, you may feel like you are at the end of your rope!  You may be feeling Angry and Frustrated that you can’t make it stop, that you can’t get a break. Check out http://www.purplecrying.info/loc/goingon.php?locpg=32& as a great resource to help parents and caregivers understand the period of nightly crying that many babies go through in the first few months. This will not make baby stop crying, but will help you know there is an end in sight to this ongoing crying.

Many babies have crying periods for hours every night starting around 2 or 3 weeks old and lasting until 3 or 4 months old.  It used to be known as colic, but now experts are calling it The Period of Purple Crying. According to Dr. Ronald Barr, the word PURPLE refers to the “6 characteristics of this crying behavior.” P stands for Peak of Crying. Dr. Barr states that the crying episodes, or length of time increases daily until it reaches its peak, then seems to decrease until one day it stops., U is for Unexpected. Once you have tried feeding and changing the baby and made sure that the baby is not stuck anyplace, nothing harmful is wrapped around the baby’s finger or leg or anywhere else and if the baby has recently been checked out by a health care provider, you will realize that this crying is just unexpected or unexplainable. R is for Resists Soothing.  Does it seem that no matter what you do the baby cannot be soothed? P is for a Pain Like Face, L is for Long Lasting. Dr. Barr states that these episodes can last from about 30 mins, up to a few hours.  E stands for Evening, as these episodes tend to be in the late afternoon or early evening.

Try to be patient with yourself and with the baby.  These long crying episodes do not have anything to do with your parenting or caregiving skills.  Do your best to offer love and comfort to the baby, even when it does not seem to help. Don’t be afraid to put the baby down in a safe place like the crib and step away for just a few minutes to catch your breath.  Call a parent or trustworthy friend and ask them for help.  Talk to your pediatrician or a local crisis hotline for support and resources on managing the stress of parenting, particularly a very fussy baby. Help is available! 

Safer Child Products

April showers may bring May flowers but April is also Child Abuse Prevention Month.  One thing we don’t always think about when we think about Child Abuse is Shaken Baby Syndrome.  Shaken Baby Syndrome results when an infant or young child is violently shaken, which causes swelling, bruising and bleeding in the brain.  Infants have very heavy heads and weak necks and violent shaking makes the brain bounce around inside their skull.  This can lead to permanent brain damage, blindness, or death. According to Medline Plus, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000004.htm Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur after as little as 5 seconds of shaking! Symptoms of injury may not be immediately noticeable.  They may also be symptoms of other problems or illness, so it is very important to seek Medical Attention immediately!  You may notice that the baby has become lethargic, having difficulty breathing, or difficulty feeding, or they may develop seizures. Go to Medline Plus for more information on Symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome and what to do if you think your baby is injured. Many cases go unreported but often with immediate treatment, death can be avoided.

As explained in http://www.medicinenet.com/shaken_baby_syndrome/page3.htm Shaken Baby Syndrome is NOT caused from gentle bouncing of baby on the knee and rarely from jogging with baby in a backpack.  Shaken Baby Syndrome is caused by Purposeful, Violent Shaking and that is child abuse. Contact the authorities in your state if you suspect abuse.