Safer Child Products

We recently got a new flat screen TV for our family room and were discussing what to do with our old, bulky TV.  We decided to put it upstairs in our guest room.  Though it’s not fancy or sleek, it still works just fine.  We have a small cabinet type table that fits it perfectly.  Did we secure it to the wall you might ask?  Since our kids are now 9 and 12, we decided we didn’t have to.  They no longer climb and hang on the furniture, but both of their bookshelves in their bedrooms are secured to the wall.

A report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) came out stating that the highest numbers of fatalities from tip-overs were recorded in 2011.  According to the CPSC, 1 child dies every 2 weeks from a TV, furniture, or appliance falling on them. This is an easily preventable tragedy.  There are very inexpensive kits available at your local baby store and hardware store to help you anchor your TV or furniture to the wall.

Toddlers and young children get into everything and move fast.  When baby proofing your house, don’t forget to secure these heavy items.

See the report and diagram from the CPSC on Tip Over Injuries and Fatalities.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml13/13066.html

http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia13/os/tipover2012.pdf

Safer Child Products

Wintertime often makes it challenging to find activities to do with our kids to keep them active.  For some it is too cold to play outside or not enough snow to play in.  Something that has become popular in our area is “bounce” type places.  There are big warehouses with several blow up mazes and bouncing castles.  The industry has come a long way since the small moon-bounce that would be set up at carnivals.  I always thought this was clever and a relatively safe indoor activity option.  Then I saw the article in the journal Pediatrics Volume 130, Number 6, December 2012.

This article is about Inflatable Bouncer-Related Injuries.  When I first saw this, I imagined that the injuries would be foot and ankle related from landing wrong, but in fact they reported upper extremity fractures were most common relating to collisions.  From reading this article, and looking at how significantly the number of injuries has increased, I infer it is related to the increase and popularity of these bouncy places. 

Like with any other sport or activity, there is risk of injury.  Set some ground rules for your children, like only one person on the slide a time, and limit how many people in the bouncy castle at a time.  

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Safer Child Products

In the last couple of weeks, school violence and safety has been on everyone’s minds.  It is hard to imagine that someone could do something so awful as what occurred at the Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT.  Why kill innocent children?  It is enough to make a parent sick, and make you not want to let your children out of your sight!  However, this is not realistic and not healthy for you as a parent, or for your children.  Our school keeps all doors locked, except for the front door to the vestibule outside the main office.  We have been assured that in our district, lock down drills are practiced and emergency plans and procedures are in place.  For my own piece of mind, I have to believe that our school does everything they can on a daily basis to protect my children and all the children in the school.  If you are concerned that your school does not have a policy, or think that your school or parent group can use some resources, check out http://safeschools.org/  

However, it is still a scary time, for both parents and children alike.  Remember that children can sense your fear.  I know that I tend to get short with my kids when I am stressed. I am trying to keep that in check and continue our normal routine.  In our house we have limited the access to the news coverage and have decided to make snowflakes as our contribution to the new school.  Have you seen that? This is a great way to get school aged children involved in doing something positive for the students at Sandy Hook Elementary. Here is the link to how you can help, whether snowflakes, or fundraising. http://www.ctpta.org/SANDY-HOOK-FUND.html

 

In addition, here are some excellent resources to help you talk with and support your children cope with tragedy such as school violence. http://nasponline.org/resources/handouts/revisedPDFs/talkingviolence.pdf

http://www.lucydanielscenter.org/page/talking-with-children-about-school-violence

 

Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year.

Safer Child Products

I remember when we had our first child 12 years ago, we couldn’t wait to decorate the nursery purchase the crib bedding.  Although we knew we could not use the blanket in the crib, the bumpers were part of the décor. Of course they also helped prevent the baby from getting stuck between the slats of the crib, or bumping their heads.  Today, parents are urged not to use bumpers or any soft/ loose items in the crib.  Not even sleep positioners.  Sleep positioners have been a very popular item, whether your child has reflux, or just to hold them in position in the crib. 

Last week I saw articles all over, reporting on the renewed FDA and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warnings. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/officials-warn-against-baby-sleep-positioners/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss  “As of Wednesday, the agency is explicitly advising parents to stop using sleep positioners, and it has asked manufacturers of the devices to submit clinical data showing that the benefits of their products outweigh the risk of serious harm. In addition to avoiding the devices, experts say, parents should keep things like pillows, comforters, quilts and bumpers away from their infants and their cribs. Soft bedding can increase the likelihood of a baby suffocating.”  The American Academy of Pediatrics stated their support of the FDA the CPSC warnings back in 2010.  http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/CPSC-FDA-Warning-on-Infant-Sleep-Positioners.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token

Just because as adults we use pillows when we sleep, does not mean that babies should have pillows.  Babies are wiggly and will change their position. Heed these warnings and find other ways, outside the crib to decorate.

Let’s keep all our children safe.

Safer Child Products

In our house we very rarely drink Soda and I buy herbal or decaffeinated tea, because I don’t like how caffeine makes me feel. Coffee is not something any of us drink. Though we do have the occasional Gatorade, or Powerade type drink, I’ve worried more about the sugar content than caffeine.  Energy drinks do have caffeine, and too much of it can be dangerous for our children.  Did you know there are recommended limits on how much caffeine a child should have based on their weight?

“Based on average body weights, the maximum daily caffeine intake for children between four and 12 years is:
45 milligrams for children aged four to six.
62.5 milligrams for children aged seven to nine.
85 milligrams for children aged 10 to 12. 

Emergency rooms across the country have seen a dramatic spike in caffeine overdoses, up from 1,128 in 2005 to 16,055 in 2008 and 13,114 in 2009, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.”

According to an article in the New York Times, Business Day sections on October 22, 2012, “Under current F.D.A. rules, companies are not required to disclose caffeine levels in their beverages and can choose to market them as drinks or as dietary supplements. Those regulatory categories have differing labeling and ingredient rules.”

Back in May of 2011 the American Academy of Pediatrics even took a stand, saying that kids should not drink energy drinks and generally do not need sports drinks, they should stick to water. “Energy drinks contain substances not found in sports drinks that act as stimulants, such as caffeine, guarana and taurine. Caffeine – by far the most popular stimulant – has been linked to a number of harmful health effects in children, including effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems. Energy drinks are never appropriate for children or adolescents, said Dr. Schneider and Dr. Benjamin. In general, caffeine-containing beverages, including soda, should be avoided.” They also found that “In many cases, it’s hard to tell how much caffeine is in a product by looking at the label,” Dr. Schneider said. “Some cans or bottles of energy drinks can have more than 500 mg of caffeine, which is the equivalent of 14 cans of soda.” In addition to the health affects relating to your heart and blood pressure, Energy Drinks can be linked to Obesity, Sleep Disorders, Calcium Deficiency and Dental problems.  Be aware that if your child is Medicated for ADD, Depression or even Pain, there can be serious interactions.

Let’s keep all our children safe!

Safer Child Products

My friend just told me the other day that her baby is not up to date with her immunizations.  I was very concerned about this.  I know that people have different opinions about giving their babies shots, or how many at a time should they give.  There are still very serious diseases out there that immunizations can prevent.  My daughter’s school is collecting change to support our local Rotary Club fight Polio. I was not aware that Polio was still around, but according to the NIH, Polio still exists in a few countries in Africa and Asia. Talk to your child’s health care provider to address your concerns about immunizations and how you can best protect your child, and the community around you. http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/vaccine.html

Safer Child Products

Recently, we were at my sister’s house and the kids wanted to play on the trampoline.  It makes me very nervous when too many kids are on the trampoline at the same time.  I am always concerned that someone is not only going to get stepped on, but jumped/ landed on.  I know my nephews like to play “popcorn” where someone lays down in the middle and the other kids jump and try to make him pop up.  I don’t see the joy or adventure in this, but maybe because I am not a 13 y/o boy.

However, I found an article on Trampoline safety in the October 4^th issue of Pediatrics, Volume 130, Number 4. It addresses something I hadn’t even thought about, injuries relating to falling off the trampoline, or injuring the spine when attempting flips. 

According to Pediatrics, but not surprisingly, when there are several people jumping on the trampoline at the same time, “the smallest participants were up to 14 times more likely to sustain injury relative to their heavier playmates.” Not only are strains and strains common trampoline related injuries, but bone fractures and dislocations are a frequent problem as well. The injury rate for children under age 5 is greater than in ages 6 – 17, but even with the older children, the injury rate is significant.

In conclusion, the AAP recommends against recreational trampoline use.  If you choose to allow trampoline activity, be sure that it is placed on the ground, on a flat, cleared area.  Check your trampoline to ensure that the padding and netting is in good condition. Because of the frequency and severity of cervical spine injuries on trampolines, discourage or disallow flips and somersaults on the trampoline. The AAP also recommends active supervision by an adult with one jumper at a time.

Let’s keep our children safe.