Baby Safety Gates

Parent's Top Choice For Childproofing the Home

2011-01-16T11:14:00.001Z

Nowadays, having a house or an apartment that has more than one floor is very common. But once the baby arrives in the family, making sure that the baby does not attempt to climb the stairs is very important. Babies are adventurous by nature. They like to wander and explore since they are still unmindful of the perils that lay before them. Therefore, being certain that the baby is safe is a parent's top priority.

What are the uses of baby safety gates?

For two-storey houses, installing baby safety gates is the top choice of parents. You can be assured of the safety of your kid even if you let him or her wander through the house while you rush to the kitchen to prevent something from burning.

Even if your home is just a flat, baby gates can be of a lot of help, too. You can place gates in areas where you wouldn't want your baby to get in. For instance, you wouldn't want them to crawl or stroll around the kitchen especially when you are busy cooking something because they might touch something hot or sharp. Accidents usually happen in the kitchen; you wouldn't want your precious little baby around the area when it happens.

You can also place gates on the door to your office. If there are important and valuable items that you place in your office and must not be played with, gates would prevent your child from coming in and playing with any of your important possessions.

How effective are these gates?

Gates are very useful if your kid is 36 inches and below. If your baby reaches more than that, gates are no longer as useful. Your baby might even think of climbing over the safety gate, which would eventually cause a fall.

A safety gate is very effective when installed properly. Babies would usually lean over the gate, trying to reach for something, trying to climb over the gate or just looking through the slats. If the gate is installed poorly and on poor foundation, it can cause accidents.

How can gates be installed?

There are two options when installing gates: permanent and temporary. If you want a permanent set-up for your baby gates, these must be latched or attached to either a banister or a wall. Hardware mounted gates is necessary if you want to place a gate at the top of the stairs.

If you opt for a temporary installation of a safety gate, you can purchase the portable safety gate or the pressure mounted safety gate. These are durable yet can easily be removed once your child has grown old enough that the use of baby safety gates is no longer needed. You should not use this type for the top of the stairs. Temporary safety gates are ideal to keep your kid inside a room.

Teaching toddlers safety

2009-10-18T09:26:00.002+01:00

Toddlers

inevitably will get into things they shouldn’t. And many of these things are potentially dangerous. The trick is to keep your child in sight at all times. Always know what your child is doing. This requires a special talent that only parents possess. You need to have the ability of being in two places at once. Out of the corner of your eye you should be able to see your child at all times.

With that said, you need to teach your child about being safe and staying safe. She can be her own best teacher. And remember that children--even though they may not be able to speak many words--can understand a lot of words. Go ahead and start telling your child safety rules at a young age. Don’t be afraid to tell her that if an oven is on that she shouldn’t touch it.

When you’re teaching your child about safety, it’s important to be overdramatic. If you’re cooking and turn on a burner, go ahead and dramatically say “Hot! Ouch! Don’t touch that!” Do that each time you turn on the oven. And go ahead and point at the stove or oven and make eye contact with your child. She’ll get the picture. Do this for any potentially dangerous situations. If you come across a needle, you’ll want to shout “That’s sharp! Be careful! Don’t touch that!” Be dramatic and your child will learn and know what you’re saying.

You need to do these actions over and over. Just doing it once won’t solve the problem. And even then you can’t feel overly comfortable about letting your child be in the same room as a hot iron or your sewing machine. Keep an eye out, because a child’s curiosity may one day spell trouble, regardless of what you teach her.

Choosing a safe and comfortable blanket for your child

2009-09-16T11:34:00.004+01:00

Parents today may wonder when they choose bedding for their infant baby, which blankets are safe and comfortable at the same time. There are certain guidelines to follow for your infant to know which will help ensure the safety issue of blankets will remain foremost and deliver a good comfort factor as well.

First:

The first priority for your infant baby is always their safety, which includes blankets and bedding you may use for your infant. Because blankets can become a suffocation risk for infants, blankets that can provide safety and comfort are desired as the best option for parents.

Second:

Find a blanket that will stay secure when the infant moves around and possibly kicks the blankets around. When the blanket is lying loose in their crib, it could possibly move up over their nose and mouth. At the same time you'll want a blanket that will also act as a cozy cover to make them comfortable, and help give them the required sleep they need.

Third:

There are blankets that parents can purchase that will function as something your infant can wear, and therefore eliminate the possibility of the blankets bunching up and possibly covering the infant's face. These blankets are like a sack, where the bottom is usually one piece, but this blanket sack will have openings for the arms and head at the top of the blanket. They seem to be the most reliable blankets for an infant since they are generally a safe and comfortable blanket for your infant.

Fourth:

There is also a blanket basically the same as the one mentioned above, but it also includes a side flap that can be wrapped around the mid-section of an infant and give a swaddling effect which can comfort and help your baby to sleep better. The newborn infant may prefer this type of blanket since a swaddling effect is so important at this stage in their life.

Fifth:

Remember too many blankets can also be an overheating factor for your baby, so you'll want to keep the blankets at a minimum. An infant's surface body temperature generally runs higher than an adult's and therefore can rise rapidly when there are too many blankets covering them.

Sixth:

If you do choose to use the conventional blankets, make sure the blanket is placed usually on the middle back of the baby and not near their shoulders or face where it could possibly push up and again pose a suffocation risk.

Seventh:

For added safety, be sure you have purchased flame resistant blankets for an infant, the same type of guarantee that is generally labeled on infant's clothing.

Eighth:

Blankets made with a Micro-Fleece material seem to be the best choice for an infant, since it allows a breathable material to decrease the chance of overheating with your infant. If you would choose to use a heavier gauge material for your infant's blanket, you'll probably want to adjust the room temperature accordingly.

There are several reliable blankets that parents can choose from today, that are made with an infant's safety in mind and can provide a comfortable covering for infants as well.

Safety For Children:How To Prevent And Deal With Choking, Suffocation And Strangulation

2009-05-11T10:51:00.003+01:00

Thinking about a child choking or suffocating can be frightening for a parent. Unfortunately, choking and suffocation is a serious threat and must be taken seriously. With the proper training and a bit of common sense, should the worst occur then parents can overcome the urge to panic and work to save their child's life.

The information presented here is for educational purposes, but shouldn't be used in lieu of first aid classes and training. Should your child choke or begin to suffocate, don't hesitate to call for an ambulance first so that professional medical help can be on its way while you do what you can. Always allow doctors, emergency room workers, or ambulance workers to do their job without getting in their way or bothering them with unnecessary questions.

Prevention: Before buying toys for a child, especially a younger child, be sure to look over the toy and check to see if there are any potential choking or strangulation hazards. Most toys have recommended ages printed on their packaging, which are meant as a guideline for parents. Often, they toys for older children may contain small parts that a younger child might attempt to swallow.

Education is one of the most important preventative tools that you can use to protect children from choking and strangulation. From a young age, teach children to avoid dangerous play behaviors such as wrapping anything around their neck or covering their heads or mouths with plastic or any other material. Watch young children and make sure that they don't place things that they are playing with in their mouths, and make sure that older children don't play sports or rougher games while eating, chewing gum, or sucking on hard candy.

Choking: Should a child begin choking on an object, call or send someone for an ambulance or other help. Sweep the back of the child's throat with a finger to attempt to dislodge whatever they are choking on, and perform the Heimlich maneuver or abdominal thrusts if you cannot dislodge the object. Should the child's heart stop, immediately begin CPR while waiting for help to arrive.

Strangulation: If a child is being strangled by a cord or other object, send for help and begin carefully trying to untangle the object from around the child's throat. Never blindly pull on the end or a loose strand of a cord that is around a child's throat, as it may cause it to tighten and further cut off airflow (and may also cut into the skin). Find an end and begin to untangle it from there, quickly yet carefully. Take extreme caution if the cord or object is knotted or too tangled to remove; you can attempt to cut it off, but be exceedingly careful while doing so. A child who is being strangled will likely be moving spastically, and is not likely to calm down much when a knife or other cutting object is introduced. Place the knife between the skin and cord as well as possible, with the blunt edge against the skin, and cut away from the child.

Suffocation: Call or send for help, and work as quickly as you can to remove the suffocating object from the head or the mouth and nose. If the object is tangled or knotted around the neck, try to cut it away as mentioned above. If the suffocating object is stuck to the child via adhesives or other manners, you may have to cut the object itself to allow the child to breathe. Calm the child as much as possible, find the mouth, and make a small cut or puncture in the object. (If possible, you might want to use an ink pen or a similar object as opposed to a knife, and simply poke a small hole into it.)

Hopefully, you'll never be in a situation where you would have to deal with these possible threats, but if you know what to do, it can be the difference between life and death.

Child Highchair Safety

2009-05-09T11:53:00.002+01:00

After buying a piece of children's furniture or equipment at the store, we're tempted to put it together and assume that it's safe. But all items should be carefully checked before using them with children. If you are using a high chair or feeding chair with your little one, here are some things to check for in ensuring it is safe and reliable.

1. Check for recalls. Some local newspapers print these weekly, so find out if these notices are published in your newspaper. If not, look at the store where you purchased the child's furniture. Department stores like Kmart typically post recall information at the service desk or near the main entrance. If you don't see any, ask if they are available. Another option is to visit the manufacturer's Website to see if recalls are listed. If none appear, contact the manufacturer by email or telephone to ask about your product. Keep the serial number and product name handy.

2. Visually inspect your high chair's main sections, whether it is newly assembled or has been in use for years. Start with the seat and back. Are these secure? Can you see separation gaps? Has the padding become torn or is the stuffing leaking? Be sure to discard or replace the cushions if so to prevent a possible choking hazard for your child. Also look at the arms of the seat to make sure they are stable and won't permit your little one to slip out. Does the seat belt work? Is there any possibility of strangulation or it coming loose while securing your toddler?

3. Examine the tray. Does it fasten securely? Is it adjustable to accommodate your child's expanding girth? Will it help to keep your child's body in place? Is it flimsy enough to tip and cause spills? Does the lock, spring, or clasp appear to be in good working order?

4. Now look at the legs. Does the chair sit evenly on the floor? Are the legs bolted tightly to the seat and framework? Are any of the screws rusted or stripped? Has the food or plastic splintered anywhere, especially in an area where the baby might get hold of it and get scratched or put a shard in its mouth?

5. Check the overall chair for cleanliness. Old food, sour milk, and sticky juice spills need to be cleaned promptly to avoid germs and nosy flies. Look at the tiny grooves of the design or under the padding or seat to find hidden spills or problems. Make sure that the chair's parts all work as they should, from the foot rest (if it has one) to seat belt and arm rests. Tighten any loose parts.

Since your child may be using the chair several times a day, it is important that it work correctly and operate easily. You don't want to have your child stuck there by a jammed seatbelt when you need to remove her for a quick trip to answer the door bell. If anything about the chair seems unstable, contact the manufacturer or the store where you purchased it to find out if your concerns are valid.

Child Safety : Outdoor Backyard Protection For Children

2009-04-21T11:45:00.004+01:00

Kid-proofing backyard play areas for unsupervised three to six year-olds is a combination of preventive measures and lots of toys.

While your child playing alone tends to focus on one activity or area, with two or more together expect several simultaneous activities. First rule, then plan the play area for more than one child and plan it for multiple activities, mindful that when your kid's pals are in your yard, you're responsible for their safety too.

Lock up the garden tools and equipment. A shed with a latch door can be fiddled open; in fact, for a youngster, getting it open to access its mysteries is a major challenge.

Those cheap plastic chairs: keep them stacked because they tip as soon as a little person leans the wrong way. For whatever reason, when neatly stacked on the patio, they are generally ignored.

Fencing is always a concern. Can it be climbed? High wood fences work well provided foot and hand holds are eliminated. Wire fences can pinch toes and cut feet. Thick hedges and bushes can be hazardous for eyes.

In the same vein, make sure your "adult" tables are not proximate to the fencing and anchor them. Locate them in areas where nothing is accessible to a child standing on them. Kids will stand on them, bet on it. They are potential stairways to the shed roof, the precarious tree branch, even a tumble into the next yard's concrete patio blocks.

Safety problems can be posed by the attempt to mix adult enthusiasms with those of the kids in the same space. Case in point is the propane barbeque. Great meal, but huge safety hazard for the kids the next day if the propane tank isn't disconnected and locked away.

When all of this is looked after, get out the TOYS, the more the better. Best are trucks and cars, shovels and pails, doll buggies, plastic mud molds, even a trike or other ride-ables if you have the space and no stairs or steep inclines. The closer to the ground the toys, the safer their users. Remember too, sidewalk chalk washes off easily.

Skipping ropes, climbable equipment, bats, racquets, and balls can create problems.

Spreading cheap foam exercise mats on concrete

surfaces not only save scrapes but provides another colorful play surface.

Sand boxes are great. Make sure yours has a cover to keep off the rain and, especially, to keep out the critters, which love them for basic toileting. The formed plastic sand boxes are best. They come with lids light enough for toddlers to remove and replace.

Figure on half of the sand being outside the box at any given time. Sift this as you put it back in the box because it may contain yard debris.

If you wish to leave the kids unattended for any length of time, that is, more than a minute or two, a wading pool is not a good idea. Go with a sprinkler, now available in various animal and cartoon character shapes. Usually these are also cheaper than the wading pools, plus they’re more sanitary..

The ultimate kid-proofing you can do is to tune your ears to what's normal out there and what's not and, of course, never be out of earshot for long. Silence in the yard warrants an immediate glance out the window or door. With that, check them regularly.

Help Cure Your Toddlers Nightmares

2009-04-21T11:40:00.002+01:00

There are many things that seem to go bump in the night for children. It doesn’t take much for nightmares to happen. Children are afraid of quite a bit, especially if they have a low self-esteem.

You need to be prepared for nightmares in the middle of the night. They surely will happen. When your child starts calling for you in the middle of the night because of a nightmare, you need to be comforting toward her. Calm her down. Don’t take her out of bed, unless you absolutely have to, but reassure her that everything is okay. Ask about her nightmare. Be sure to talk about it. Let her realize that what she was dreaming wasn’t real.

Many times nightmares happen because of changes going on in her life. If there have been recent changes such as day care, parents returning to work, parents staying away from home for a night, a new baby or pet in the house, or other troubling situations, the likelihood of a nightmare is high. In these cases, you should try to make sure your child talks about the changes in her life, so she is more comfortable. The most important thing you can do is reassure your child that everything will be okay and answer all questions she might have.

No, you probably can’t stop many of these problems from happening. But what you can do is help your child deal with the changes more effectively. Be sure to show your child an increased amount of attention and love. Children want to know that they’re appreciated, loved, and are making their parents proud. You need to let them know these things frequently. Nightmares aren’t fun, but you can make them easier to handle by handling the situations surrounding the nightmares in a positive manner.

Advice For Parents Concerning Children With Food Allergies

2009-04-18T13:48:00.006+01:00

Finding something to feed your child after he has been diagnosed with food allergies can often be a daunting proposition for the overwhelmed parent. These days, it appears that very few children are diagnosed early enough to be confined to a single allergen and if your child is like mine, it may actually seem like there is nothing “normal” for him to eat.

Unless your child is anaphlyactic to a food, like peanuts or shellfish, it may actually be best for you to remove the allergens from his diet one by one. This reduces the inherent rebellion of taking away ALL his favourite foods at once and will also help to contain the withdrawal many children suffer when eliminating their identified allergic foods. Sometimes it is better to continue feeding one allergen while you eliminate another so that the child will be compliant with the dietary changes and can feel that he still has some control over his life.

If, like my eldest son, your child were to be identified with allergies to gluten (the protein found in grains like wheat, rye, barley, spelt and kamut), bovine dairy products (cheese, milk, sour cream, butter and yoghurt), legumes (beans, peas and licorice and unfortunately including soy) it may be necessary for you to remove most of your child’s regular diet. We went cold turkey on all his identified allergens, and we somehow made it through that period, but recent studies have shown that it probably would have been easier on us, and on our son, if we had started by removing dairy or gluten products but not both.

At the time, our only experience with eliminating allergens was based on our history with a child diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease. Because Celiac’s is an auto-immune disorder which affects the lower intestine, it is essential that a person with this disorder completely remove all gluten from her diet as quickly as possible. Given this experience, we did the same with our son’s gluten allergy. Bread, cookies, cakes, biscuits, pancakes, crackers, white sauce, pasta: all eliminated from the diet and replaced with rice crackers, corn taco shells, and red sauces.

Rice pasta is an acceptable alternative to wheat pasta, although the child may require a space of a few weeks without any pasta product to permit his palette to “forget” the taste and texture of wheat and to appreciate the fact that he can have pasta of any kind. Other varieties of pasta are available as well, made from grains like quinoa or corn, but one of the biggest complaints with these products is that they are gritty in texture and do not have the nutty taste that wheat based products do. Rice pasta tastes like, well, rice, and in most families, this is a food product that the child will be familiar with.

Removing bovine dairy products can be a challenge as well. Almost all prepared food products contain either wheat or dairy, or both and this is where the real burden may fall on the parent. Most food for children allergic to certain foods, must be prepared from scratch. The market today is responding well to the increased need for allergen free products, but much of these replacement products, while good substitutes, are costly and outside the budget for most middle class families, especially if more than one family member requires a specialized diet.

In place of milk, one may choose soy milk, potato milk, rice milk, or nut milks like almond or cashew. Soy milk makers are widely available in small appliance dealerships, and if you are able to use this alternative to cow milk, you may wish to invest in one of these to help keep your costs reduced. Unfortunately, allergy-prone children are frequently given to developing more allergies to foods that they rely on and that makes it a good idea to vary the replacement product used. Recipes are available throughout the internet for making rice milk, potato starch milk, oat milk and so on. If you do purchase a milk maker, try to find one that will permit you to make oat, nut and other milks as well as the soy milk, so that you can rotate the milk product used.

To replace cheese, there are several alternatives, but be certain that when you purchase them they are free of casein and whey. These are two of the most common proteins in cow’s milk and while a label saying casein may look to be dairy-free, it obviously is not. Soy is the most common protein used to make non-dairy cheese, but one can also find products that are rice based. Whey and casein are frequently added to give the product that “cheesy” taste so be absolutely certain that the product you purchase is dairy free. Many mothers of dairy allergic children have been very creative in replacing things like mac & cheese and have come up with delicious recipes using a blend of spices (paprika for instance) and salt which can replace the Kraft Dinner.

For some bovine product allergic children, sheep and goat cheese are different enough in their protein composition that the child can tolerate them. Out of my four dairy allergic children, three can tolerate goat cheese (like feta or chevre) but the eldest cannot. Watch labels carefully again with these products because some goat cheeses are not made solely from goat milk, but may have cow milk added to reduce the goaty taste and to make the cheese more palatable to a wider population. Fine if taste is your only concern, but not if you are fighting an allergy.

One way to insure that products are dairy free is to learn the Jewish (or kosher) system of label marking. Because the Jewish people have some severe dietary laws, companies often pay Rabbis to certified that their product is safe under these rabbinical laws. A product which has a kosher mark with the letter D, on it for example, contains dairy or is made on equipment which also processes dairy products, and this will help you to identify products from which to stay away. Conversely, if the product states pareve (or parve) it is certified to be dairy free.

Keep in mind, that this applies also to vegetable based margarines as casein and whey are, again, frequently added to give that “buttery” taste to the product. Sometimes, if a product claims to lactose free, it will also be casein free or whey free as well.

Unfortunately, food labelling laws do not make it easy for the parent of a food allergic child to identify allergens. Many products are listed under different names and these are usually processed products derived from the whole. For example, hydrolyzed plant protein can be derived from corn, soy or wheat and unless the manufacture is specific, it is best for the child not to have a food containing this product. Another one to watch out for is modified food starch. Starch is, of course, the complex carbohydrate in many vegetables and tubers as well as grains, and again, unless the manufacturer is specific, one cannot tell if the product is derived from a safe source or from an identified allergen.

In the long run, what is required for the child who is diagnosed with allergies, is that the parent prepare him or herself for a whole new approach to food. Very often, the traditional North American diet is laden with gluten-bearing grains, dairy products and prepackaged foods which will pose a hazard to the allergic child. Asian, Mexican, African and other ethnic foods are far more likely to include alternative grains like rice or corn, rather than wheat, and these can provide a viable alternative for a needed dietary change. Vegan recipes also may provide a good source of new meals, as this form of vegetarian eating is free from all animal products including dairy products and eggs, but does tend to rely heavily on gluten (wheat protein) and legumes to replace the animal proteins foregone.

Stay Positive In A Single Parent Family

2009-04-17T13:09:00.003+01:00

Being a single mother

is a tough job. You have to do the duties of both mother and father. The everyday combination of work, cleaning, paying bills, taking care of the children and the dozens of other duties may leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. How does a single parent remain positive and demonstrate positive qualities for the kids to model?

It is important for a single parent to be a positive role model for their children. As the only adult in the house, your attitude and behavior will make a big impact on the impressionable youth. Some important factors in being a positive role model for your kids include spending quality time with them, establishing a family routine, stability and keeping your adult life somewhat private.

1. Spend quality time with your children : Many single parents experience financial difficulties that my prevent them from enjoying many activities like vacations or trips to the movies or dinner. No matter what your income level, you can spend quality time with your child for free.

Spend a day at the park or a day playing games with your child. When you are sharing quality time with the kids, it should just be you and the kids. Don't include your friends or theirs. Time spent talking and discussing their day, school activities or their feelings is a great way to spend quality time.

If you have more than one child, you should try to spend some quality time both as a group and one on one with each child.

2. Establish a routine : Spontaneity can be a wonderful thing once in awhile. But children need a routine to feel secure and settled. Especially if you have recently moved or gone through a divorce. Major life changes can leave you as well as the children feeling vulnerable and insecure. Having a routine time set for dinner, bath, play and bedtime is a stabilizing factor for everyone. When there has been a life changing event such as a divorce or a move, having the same normal routine will give the entire family the feeling that some things are still the same and familiar.

3. Stability : Children need stability to feel secure. If possible, try to remain in one residence for an extended period of time. Numerous moves may cause children to feel insecure and upset, especially if they have to leave their friends behind.

Other stabilizing factors could include child care. Try to be consistent with the person you use for child care. Children should feel safe and comfortable with their caretakers. If you are switching to a new child care provider, allow some time with you present for the children to get familiar with the provider and the surrounding before you leave them.

4. Single parents are people too, and that means we want to date Dating as a single parent is a bit more difficult. Try to keep your adult activities as private as possible. This doesn't mean to keep your friends or dates away from your children forever. Allow yourself time to get to know your date before introducing him to your kids. This is important for several reasons. First, your children may feel that your date is taking you away from them. They may feel that you are spending too much time with your date and not enough with them. This may cause them to resent him and they may even misbehave when he is around.

Secondly, children can become attached to a person rather easily. If your children become attached to your date and he no longer comes around, they may feel abandoned or feel that they did something to cause the person to go away. If this happens repeatedly, for instance, them getting attached to several of your boyfriends and then having the relationship end, the kids may start to fear getting close to anyone else.

There are many other ways that you may find to be a positive role model for your children. As long as you and your children feel comfortable and safe, you can openly discuss any issues as they arise.

Learn How To Stop Spoiling Your Child

2009-04-16T15:08:00.002+01:00

Nobody likes to be around a spoiled brat--and it’s not especially healthy for your child, either. You likely want to raise your kid to be loving, caring, and confident. But there’s a limit as to how much of these things you can give and how you raise them to gain these traits.

Spoiled brats are created when children are given just about anything they want and as much of anything they want. It also happens when they are told they are better than everyone else and should be treated better than everyone else.

The first thing you need to remember when keeping your child from being a spoiled brat is that your child’s love cannot be bought. Spoiled brats happen when parents feel as if in order for children to think their parents love them, that parents need to buy them things. Many times this originates from a parent who doesn’t spend as much time as she wants with her child. Buying her things isn’t going to solve the problem. You should instead make time to be with your child to play with and enjoy time with your son or daughter. Remember that if you can’t spend time with your child, it doesn’t improve the situation by buying your child things that she really doesn’t need.

Teach your children that they can get the things they want but that they need to earn them. Tell them that they can have the toy they really want, but only if they first do several tasks around the house.

Also remember that you set an example for your child. Children are constantly watching what you are doing and how you behave. If you are constantly insulting others and more or less worship money, your children may very well grow up to be the same way. Check yourself and watch how you act, so you won’t raise a spoiled brat.

Advice,Help And Information For New Parents

2009-04-15T13:37:00.004+01:00

Children are the greatest joy and the greatest challenge in a parent’s life. This is true for all parents, but especially applies to the stay at home mom. The day-to-day toil of keeping a house, maintaining schedules, and dealing with life’s little emergencies can be overwhelming. Not all moms will admit they have moments when they want to walk out the door and never come back, but most have felt some kind of angst as they meet the demands of their position.

It is possible for a parent to deal with the loss of patience as the head ache hits and the tension rises. There are ways to identify the oncoming emotional storm, and tame it. The aware individual can work around the tension and maintain parental dignity. Like most positive interpersonal skills, dealing with children during stress is a learned skill. There is no easy answer, but there are steps to follow that can lead a parent into a calm state that will help the entire family to cope with the difficult moment. The following suggestions can help.

1. Learn to identify your physical signs of stress. Is there a warning sign that you are at the breaking point. Does your stomach ache, head pound, hands shake, or do you find yourself fidgeting before you explode. The next time you find yourself in extreme stress try to think of signals that your body gives you to let you know it is overloaded. Generally, a person will have such signs and becoming aware of these is the first step toward controlling your reaction to your child, or any stressful situation.

2. When you have identified that an explosion is imminent, take action before you are overwhelmed. This action can be something different for everyone. Sometimes lifting weights will take the edge off the tension. Aerobic exercise

, creative visualization, writing in a journal, cleaning the house, taking a shower, or accomplishing a small task that will take 5 or less minutes to complete.

3. Plan for the next time you think you may lose control. Think up a couple of activities that might be helpful when the stress is rising, and make sure these activities are accessible at all times. Sometimes exercise seems out of reach with children around, but climbing up and down the stairs can be a wonderful release. Having options before the tension starts is of extreme importance,

4. Do not eat, drink coffee, or try to watch television. As the anxiety level rises, an outlet is needed. If a person indulges in an activity that is not absorbing and positive, the anxiety level rises.

5. Explain to the child that you need a time out. This popular discipline measure is understood by most children these days. A time out means you are out of control and need some time alone to think about how you can get along well with others. When you’re on the verge of exploding, that is exactly what needs to be done.

6. Allow your children to see that you are in tantrum mode. Children understand tantrums. If you lay on the floor, kick your feet, wave your arms, and yell that you cannot take it anymore, a child will understand that it is time to take care of you. Children can be very compassionate when they see that when you lose your temper, you feel just like they do.

7. Discuss how upset you are with your child. Exploring feelings may help the child to understand that your may yell, and storm around, but that does not mean they are to blame, or are unloved in any way.

8. Assemble a list of support people that you can call who will understand and support you when you cannot deal with the situation anymore.

9. If you are not able to control your temper and begin to hurt yourself, your children, or others seek help immediately.

10. Have activities outside of the house that are flexible and available. Going to a fast-food restaurant with a play area may give the respite needed at a moments notice.

11. Do not hesitate to apologize to your kids when you have lost the battle. Children will respect you more if you are able to admit that you were wrong and will try to be in control in the future.

These can be helpful, but are not to be considered in place of counselling

. If a person finds themselves losing their temper frequently, breaking down into tears, or simply unable to cope with day to day demands there may be a condition that goes beyond parental stress, and a doctor or counsellor should be consulted.

As pool use rises, beware 'silent killer' of kids: drowning

2009-04-14T14:59:00.003+01:00

Drowning is often referred to by fire officials as the "silent killer."

That's because there usually is no cry for help and very little commotion, other than the sound of splashing.

Following is a list of safety tips, statistics and phone numbers that parents can use to learn more about drowning-prevention and pool safety.

Safety tips

For swimming pools:

• Install a fence. Every pool within the city limits is required by law to have a 5-foot-high, permanently fixed fence that surrounds the perimeter of the pool. Tucson is the only municipality in the area that requires a fence surrounding the perimeter of the pool.

• Make sure items such as patio furniture, trees, landscape boulders and other items are not near the pool fence. Children can use these items to climb the fence.

• Keep toys away from the pool. Toys, rafts and other items should be removed from the pool area after use. These objects can attract children to the water.

• Don't rely on floaties. Fire officials say floaties and flotation toys are not life jackets and should never be substituted for adult supervision.

• Designate a child watcher. This adult should be assigned to keep an eye on children who are in or around water without distraction.

• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Parents should learn CPR in case of an emergency.

• Swim lessons: Consult a pediatrician to determine when it's appropriate for your child to begin swim classes.

For bathtubs, buckets and other potential household hazards:

• Never leave a child alone near water. Young children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.

• Keep children close: Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. Never leave to answer the phone, get a towel or for any other reason.

• Don't leave a baby or toddler under the care of another young child: This scenario has resulted in one drowning and one near-drowning in Tucson within the last three years.

• Never leave a bucket containing a small amount of liquid unattended: Always empty a bucket and store it where a young child can't reach it.

• Remove toys and washcloths when draining a bathtub. These objects can prevent drainage.

Have A Happy Easter Holidays

2009-04-10T17:40:00.002+01:00

Many thanks to all my visitors who clicked on the advertisements on my blogs.It's helped to raise £50.00.
It will be donated to the NSPCC.

Have a Happy Easter and take care of yourselves.I will be away until Tuesday 14th April when the blog will be next updated.

Again Many Thanks
Ralph

Chicks, Ducklings: Cute, But Risky Easter Gifts For Children

2009-04-09T17:07:00.002+01:00

Missouri health officials warned that parents who give their children chicks or ducklings for Easter could be putting their families at risk.

Those fuzzy chicks and ducklings that look so adorable are also frequent carriers of Salmonella bacteria and pose a risk of illness for anyone handling the birds, said Dr. Howard Pue, Missouri’s state public health veterinarian. That makes them inappropriate as Easter gifts for young children. Salmonella illness outbreaks in Missouri, Kansas, and other states have been traced to baby poultry.

“Although illness related to Salmonella usually goes away without treatment, it can become life-threatening,” Pue said. “Those who are more likely to get seriously ill with Salmonella infection include infants, children younger than five years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV or AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer.”

Salmonella are microscopic bacteria that can be passed through fecal matter to other animals or people. If the bacteria are ingested, the infection can cause diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and headache. Symptoms usually begin within 12 to 72 hours after exposure, and last three to seven days. Most people recover without treatment. But children, the elderly, and people who are already sick are most vulnerable and more likely to experience severe illness requiring treatment or even hospitalization, Pue said.

Pue said infants and toddlers are at higher risk of salmonella infection because they commonly put their fingers and toys in their mouths. Therefore, children five years old and younger should not be allowed to handle wildlife or domesticated baby animals such as chicks and ducks. Further, adults should supervise older children if they handle these and other animals and ensure that they thoroughly wash their hands before moving on to other activities.

“While all this sounds serious, and it can be, it’s also very easy to prevent the spread of disease from these animals,” said Pue. “Proper hand washing after handling any pet is the key to preventing the spread of Salmonella bacteria from pets to people.”

After handling the birds or cleaning up after them, hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and warm water. The animals should be kept away from food preparation areas and children’s play areas. Animal feed and water bowls should not be cleaned or filled in food preparation areas or where small children are bathed.

Pue said day care providers and schools should take note of these risks as well. People sometimes bring baby animals to day care centers for children to pet and many schools do science projects involving hatching and raising chicks in the classroom. Parents should ensure that day care providers and teachers prevent children age five and younger from handling wildlife and domesticated baby animals. Because thorough hand washing is critical to preventing the spread of Salmonella, it is a good personal health practice to teach all children to wash their hands with soap and warm water after handling any animal, even the family pet.

Fears Lead Parents To Eco-Proof Their Nurseries

2009-04-08T15:43:00.002+01:00

When Pamela Davis was pregnant with her daughter Meaghan, she started to worry about contamination from the lead paint in her Hoboken, N.J., row house. Then she started reading about chemicals in plastic toys and baby clothes treated with flame-retardant.

Soon her entire nursery seemed to pose some mysterious threat to her impending bundle of joy. She was surrounded.

"Once you're aware of one thing it just spreads and you start questioning everything," she said. "You can drive yourself absolutely crazy trying to keep your baby healthy."

Davis' predicament is familiar to many expecting parents. Alarmed by the recent flurry of recalls of toys tainted with lead paint or unsafe plastic, families are trying to make careful choices about the toys and surfaces that surround their babies, the air they breathe and the food they eat.

A green baby industry has sprung up in the last decade to cater to like-minded parents looking for products that are safe for kids and gentle on the Earth. It's a concern common enough that eco-babyproofing services have spread across the country, typically run by public health professionals who can give a house a thorough once-over to find evironmental threats and offer remedies.

Eco-proofing a nursery, especially to reduce babies' exposure certain kinds of plastics, "absolutely makes a lot of sense," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Landrigan advises both pregnant women and new parents to pick baby toys and other products that are free of phthalates and bisphenol A, even though information about the effects of these chemicals is still largely unknown.

Congress recently imposed tough standards for phthalates in products for children 12 and under. Some scientists believe that long-term exposure to BPA is harmful to humans, but the European Union and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say the chemical is safe.

Still, Landrigan and other experts say that data from experiments on animals suggest that parents take a hard look at the plastic near their babies, from sippy cups to bouncy chairs, while recognizing that danger does not lurk around each corner of the playpen.

"It's important for parents not to feel the products in their homes are dooming their children," said Janie Fields, executive director of the Children's Environmental Health Institute. She recommends that parents discuss environmental risks with their pediatricians.

For Davis, it was important to surround her family with ecologically friendly products and foods that nurture both the planet and her own three children, now 14, 12 and 10.

In 2003, the Davis family created Our Green House, an online store that sells all the trappings of a green nursery, like pacifiers made from natural rubber, organic wool receiving blankets, cradles crafted from sustainable wood, organic formula and glass baby bottles for that organic formula. New products appear every few months.

In fact the sheer volume of environmentally friendly products can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. Just ask Jennifer Smith, 33, who began to move her Greenville, S.C., family in a green direction last year. She decided to start by simply buying fewer processed foods for her three children aged 13, 6 and 4. But on her first trip to the store she quickly encountered another problem with eco-friendly goods: the expense.

"Organic fresh produce alone costs twice as much at least," she said. The recent economic downturn limited both her husband's construction jobs and her forays into Whole Foods.

"Instead we've started to look for ways to be environmentally friendly that don't strain the budget," Smith said.

Alexandra Zissu, 34, co-author of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy," concedes the cost of organic food is prohibitive for many families, but stressed that going green does not have to be an expensive prospect.

"The whole point of the green movement is to have less stuff, not more," she said. "Many green choices are completely free."

Zissu, who offers eco-babyproofing services in New York City, said her number one eco-friendly tip is for families to take off their shoes when they come home and leave them by the door. Dirty shoes track in industrial grime, oil from cars and pesticide run-off, all of which can find their way right into the mouths of rolling, crawling little ones.

Some eco-friendly versions of products are actually cheaper. Zissu estimates she saved hundreds of dollars by outfitting her now 3-year-old daughter in reusable cloth diapers. She swapped plastic teething toys with frozen sticks of organic celery and replaced bottles of harsh cleaners with a mixture of baking soda, vinegar and water.

"It's probably not so important to focus on having everything perfectly organic or perfectly new," said Janie Fields, executive director of the Children's Environmental Health Institute. Parents instead should educate themselves on the toxins already present in their homes, things like lead paint or radon.

Jenn Savedge, author of "The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Environmentally-Friendly Living," encourages families to pick and choose ideas that meet their individual needs.

"Parents are juggling money and soccer practice or up all night with a baby," she said. "Those are things that can make any one of us say 'Forget it, I don't feel like recycling today.'"

So, as with many aspects of parenting, compromise is important: parents might decide to use cloth diapers and wipes, but switch to more absorbent disposables at night, to help sleeping babies stay asleep. Savedge's own playroom includes both organic toys and decidedly non-organic ones from her in-laws, who love to give her two daughters Emily 6 and Erin, 3, "tons of pink plastic."

And, as her children grow older, the eco-friendly choices Savedge made to keep her infants safe have become opportunities to teach stewardship. "It's easier and more fun when it's something we're doing together as a family," Savedge said.

"My six-year-old gets excited about it now. She says, 'Mommy, I'm protecting the planet!"

Child Safety Gates

2009-04-07T16:05:00.002+01:00

When Your home can present many hazards for the baby. Areas such as the bathroom, staircase, kitchen etc. can be dangerous to your baby. To prevent this, you can child proof your home using safety gates. Child Safety Gates are designed to block your child’s access to certain areas which might be pose a danger.

Child safety gates can be used in between the rooms to block certain areas of your home. They can also be used on the top and bottom of the staircase to prevent the baby from falling down the stairs. Installing child safety gates can ensure your child’s safety and and can give you peace of mind.

Types of Child Safety Gates:
The following are the types of child safety gates:

Hardware mounted gates: Hardware mounted gates are to be secured to the doorway with screws. They are more stable and do not come loose. They can be used in between the doorways and at top of the staircase where more protection is required
Pressure mounted gates: Pressure Mounted Gates use pressure to stay up. They are easy to install but are not as sturdy as hardware mounted gates. They can be used between the rooms and at the bottom of the staircase.

At places where you need added security, installing hardware mounted gates is recommended. During the installation of the gate, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instruction.

Child safety gates are suitable for children who are 6 to 24 months old. Once, you are confident of your child’s ability to walk and climb stairs safely, you can remove the child safety gates.

Where Have All the Bicycles Gone?

2009-04-06T14:17:00.002+01:00

Childhood has moved indoors. What a shame. Children are meant to be running free in open spaces, climbing trees, finding frogs and turtles, biking to the playground, and being hard to find at dinnertime. Today’s child is most likely to be found sitting in front of a screen – TV, video games, computers. 8 10 year olds reportedly spend an average of 6 hours a day staring at a screen. Given an additional 6 hours spent in school plus eating, sleeping, homework and we have taken our children’s worlds and turned them into tiny, structured spaces with little physical activity and almost no free play time. Organized sports have become the play of many children but actually only about a quarter of all children are playing an organized sport during any season of the year. So the vast majority are just sitting around, growing obese at an alarming rate and missing out on important socializing.

How did we come to such a place where the lives of our children are so restricted and isolated? Well, we can start with the lives of their parents. American adults, as chronicled in Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone”, have become isolated from their community. Participation in all aspects of community life has dropped dramatically over the past 30 years. One of the interesting points in Putnam’s book is that bowling remains very popular, but bowling leagues have virtually disappeared. Adults no longer feel they have time to make commitments to be with others on a regular basis. A colleague of mine just remarked about how she wanted to start playing bridge again, found some friends with a similar desire, found a teacher, and then discovered her friends were unable to commit to a regular time for lessons.

What has happened to American adults? Changes in family structure are a major factor. With so many divorces, we have a much higher percentage of single heads of households and blended families, resulting in much more complex life schedules for parents and children. Further, dual career parents have become the norm and work has increasingly encroached on the privacy of home life with the advent of cell phones and computers. Americans work longer hours than any other industrialized nation.

In this context of reduced hands on parenting and overwhelming schedules, the current generation of parents has evolved into an anxious group who are overly concerned about the safety and the academic/intellectual development of their children. Too bad … for the parents and the children. We end up with smarter fat children who are more stressed and growing up too fast. Higher rates of anxiety and depression are no accident.

So where have all the bicycles gone? Getting that first 2 wheeler used to be one of childhoods most exciting moments. It meant an expansion of the child’s world. The opportunity to travel beyond one’s street and meet friends at the playground, ball field, or just go to someone’s house on your own was an exciting new stage of independence. It also meant lots of exercise. But bicycle sales are plummeting. Over 20 decline in just the past 5 years. Now less than half of children ages 7 to 11 regularly ride a bike. This is a serious change in the culture of our children’s lives.

But it is not just the crazy schedule of parents or the increased temptation of “screens” to play with. A major role in the narrowing world of children is parental fear. Surveys indicate parents have a distorted expectation of the risk that if they allow their children to roam freely about the town, those children may be abducted by child molesters. School playgrounds are no longer deemed safe places to hang out. The woods are no longer a great place to explore. Biking across town has come to mean an increased possibility of being abducted.

Parents couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, there are only 100 to 130 stranger abductions a year in the U.S. This is a miniscule number. I’m not being insensitive to the pain of those parents who have had a child abducted and molested or killed but please let’s keep some perspective here. You and your child are 3 times more likely to be hit by lightening at a soccer game than your child is likely to experience a stranger abduction!

Notice I keep emphasizing “stranger abduction.” 75 of all abductions are carried out by people the child knows, I suspect most of which are done by divorced parents who are upset about custody arrangements. Children running free – meeting at the playground or in someone’s yard – are very safe. Not only safe, but these children are learning to make creative use of their time, being physically active, and improving their social skills. And it’s free!! Now what more could you ask for.

So please, restrict access to screens, send your children out of the house, encourage them to go places on their own, and don’t just smile when your child opts to use instant messaging to talk to her friend next door. Turn off the computer and send her next door! Consider it a pleasure to yell down the street or call a friend to find your child at dinnertime instead of simply having to pry him away from his XBox. Let’s make bicycles something special for children once again.

Chase First Day Blues Away – Tips For Parents

2009-04-05T16:12:00.001+01:00

The first day of school is never easy especially for young preschoolers. It is a period of adjustment for both parent and child. At this time, the parent is responsible for making it easier for the child to adjust in the new environment and accept the new situation of his or her daily life.

Here are some childcare tips on how a parent can help his or her child adjust on the first day.

• Choose the childcare centre that caters to children’s needs and will help develop their intellectual, physical and emotional abilities. Visit the centre and observe classes to know how educators or childcare providers handle children.

• Explain the situation. A child needs to understand that the childcare centre is for his or her benefit.

• It is significant that trust is built between the parent and the child. The child must understand and feel that his or her parents are not choosing childcare to abandon him or her but rather to create an environment for new learning.

• Be enthusiastic when talking about the childcare centre. Children are most happy when they have playmates. But for some, they fear a large environment. The parent must know what his or her child prefers. This would also help the parent choose the right childcare centre.

• Arrange a visit to the childcare centre days before the first day. Show the child his or her classroom. A parent may also introduce the child to the teacher or some classmates to establish a bond.

• Prepare a daily routine and explain it to the child. The schedule should reflect time for waking up, dropping off and picking up from the centre and bedtime.

• Have a reliable communication with the childcare provider to share the child’s daily activities.

• On the actual first day, it is important for the parent to be with the child during the first few hours. In some cases, a child prefers that his or her parent stays until the session is finished. Let the child know the time for the parent to leave. It is not recommended that a parent leave once he or she feels that the child is enjoying the class. This would result to distrust and the child would be more anxious to go to the centre on the next days.

• Never forced a child to immediately bond with classmates or teacher. Be prepared for situations when the child just sit and watch. This is the child’s way of observing his or her surroundings.

• Be punctual on pickup time. A child would appreciate more if he or she sees his or parents once he or she goes out of the classroom. Punctuality provides security for the child. Take the extra time to talk to the childcare provider or teacher.

• On the way home, ask about his or her first day. It is important for a child to know that his or her parent is interested on how the day goes.

• Praise the child for a successful and happy first day. Praise feeds the emotional needs of children. This would let the child know that he or she has done well and taken the first steps to being responsible.

Kids And Fire Safety

2009-04-04T08:30:00.002+01:00

Fires are the most threatening situation that a family can find themselves in. By teaching your child basic safety tips, it may save his life as well as your own.

Firefighters recommend that your family has a fire exit plan. This can involve drawing a map and practicing getting out of the house quickly. If you have grandchildren, you may also want to practice with them in your home since they are not as familiar with the layout as they are at their own house. You need to figure out the quickest way to exit the house from every area, including basements and attics. After all, if a fire does break out you do not know where everyone will be at that particular moment.

Once you have decided the best ways to exit the house, you need to pick a spot that your family can meet after leaving the burning building. This way you can make a quick check to make sure everyone is out and this ensures that no one goes back in needlessly, although you should teach your children that they should never reenter the building.

If you do not already have them, you should install fire alarms on every level of your house and particularly near sleeping areas. By detecting fires at their earliest stages, these devices have been proven to save lives. It is recommended that you check these alarms once a month to make sure that they are functioning properly.

In case a fire actually breaks out, you should teach your child to remain close to the floor and crawl towards the exit, leaving everything behind. As fires burn they produce toxic fumes that rise, so the cleanest air is towards the floor. When your child is leaving a room that requires opening a door, he should feel the door handle. If the handle is hot to the touch, he should not open the door. He should find an alternative route through another door or even a window if possible. A hot door handle means that the fire is on the other side. The vacuum created by opening the door can pull the fire into the room right on top of your child.

You should also teach your child the “stop, drop, and roll’ method in case his clothes would catch on fire. This method is very simple. If his clothes are on fire, the child should stop right where he is and drop on the ground. Covering his face with his hands, the child should roll back and forth again and again until the flames are smothered. This is something that you may also want to practice with your children, especially the younger ones.

Along with teaching your child how to escape fire safely, you should also teach him fire prevention. These are simple rules that children can easily remember. You should teach them that matches and lighters are not to be played with. Candles that are burning and stoves are also off limits as well as heaters and open fires. A child should never cook without the presence of an adult. Gasoline and other flammable liquids should not be touched by children under any circumstances.

By teaching your fire safety, you can help ensure his safety if a fire does occur. The main goal of all these recommendations is to enable the whole family to make it out of the burning house intact. You can replace your possessions but you cannot replace them.

Wooden Swing Sets A Parenting Decision You Can Feel Good About

2009-04-04T08:24:00.002+01:00

Remember how much fun it was when you were a child and you would go to the park and get to play on the playground with the swings and big slides? You kept wishing that you could have that playground in your own backyard. With today’s wooden swing sets, it is possible to have a sophisticated playground right in your own backyard for your children to enjoy. You will also have the security of knowing that a wooden swing set is more stable than the metal A frame designs. You even have the ability to tailor your swing set to the age of your children, changing components as they grow.

Once you decide to purchase a swing set, one of the first considerations you will need to make is whether or not you want to custom design it. With so many styles and designs available, you may find one (or more) that is perfect for your children. Think about the activities that you know your kids enjoy. If they like climbing, a rock wall and monkey bars are necessities. If they enjoy playing in contained spaces, such as homemade fort or clubhouse, you may want to include one as part of the swing set.

Many children are intimidated by heights. While they often grow out of this, you will want to consider this fear in your swing set purchase. Many designs include several tiered levels that are exited from tall slides. There are many features that can be used to reach these elevations, including ladders, rock walls, and ramps. The beauty of wooden swing sets is that these features can be easily changes, so consider what may be the easiest and safest for your children until they become comfortable with the heights.

Many people enjoy designing the entire layout of their swing set. If you fall into this category, your shopping will involve finding the accessories that you need, such as swings, monkey bars, and slides. Again, wood swings sets make it easy to change these features to enhance the value and enjoyment of the swing set. You will also need to find the hardware necessary, so consider a source that packages as many of these items together as possible.

There are many swing set kits that you can purchase that include all of the materials that you need, including the lumber. The advantage to these sets is that the wood is pre cut and pre drilled, so the assembly is easy. While the swing set kit is made for its specific architecture, you still have the option to substitute parts, such as swings. Swing belts are great for older children, but if you have a toddler, a bucket swing may be more appropriate for now. For some variation, consider substituting a standard swing for a glider or tire swing. You can also find many items to accessorize other parts of your swing set, from ship wheels to tic tac toe panels.

Regardless of whether you create your own design or choose a pre designed model, today’s wooden swing sets are sturdy and customizable, making them the perfect backyard accessory for your children, and one that they can participate in the planning of. You will feel confident knowing that the swing set is made of durable wood that will keep it strong and looking great for many years.

What To Do When Your Child Starts Climbing

2009-04-01T15:19:00.002+01:00

After a child has been walking for a month or so, she ll probably start climbing on chairs, beds, couches, counters, and anything else she can reach. She climbs because she has a strong urge to touch and explore things around her. When she sees her parents doing seemingly magical things like talking on the phone, washing dishes, turning on the lights, or opening doors, she wants to get closer and imitate them. And in order to do that to reach the phone or the desktop she has to climb.

The climbing stage can be difficult for parents because they have to keep their child safe, and that can mean almost constant supervision. If they leave her alone for even a few moments, they may hear the sound of a chair scraping along as she prepares for her next climb. They often stop her from climbing because they fear for her safety, or because furniture might be damaged, or simply because they don t want her to climb just then. But her urge to climb is strong and she may get angry and frustrated when she s held back. Then her parents will either have to deal with her behavior or try to distract her.

A child who climbs during the day may climb out of her crib at night or at naptime, either to be with her parents or to explore the room. Parents often are surprised the first time this happens. One mother put her child in the crib for a nap, then went to take a shower. As she was lathering her hair, she heard a noise in the bathroom and looked out to see her daughter standing there.

It s almost impossible to force your child to stay in her crib, but you can take precautions to make her climbing safer. If she is consistently climbing out of her crib, clear the nearby area and be sure there are no toys or pieces of furniture for her to trip or fall on. Close the stairway gates whenever she s in her crib, and use a night light in the hail so she can see if she climbs out during the night. If you feel she s ready, you might want to put the crib away and have her sleep in a bed.

To keep her safe and satisfied during the day, try at times to make climbing easy for her. You might give her a small stepstool to carry around or get a small piece of indoor climbing equipment, such as a slide, for her to play on safely. You also can place a chair near a window so she can look out, take cushions off your couch so she can climb on them, or even put a mattress on the floor so she can climb, jump, and explore in safety.

A great place to encourage your child to climb is in a facility that is equipped with a children’s. This facility could be a fast food restaurant, church etc When you visit one of these facilities, let your child go to the children’s play area. Typically, in this area a child can climb and crawl with reasonable safety.

Baby Food: Safe Food-Handling Practice

2009-03-30T15:07:00.002+01:00

Your baby has a very sensitive digestive tract and is not used to even the smallest amount of bacteria that might be lingering in your household. To protect your baby's health, it is important to handle all food items and food stuff carefully.

Cleanse and Sterilize Feeding Equipment

All feeding equipment such as new spoons, cups, bottles and especially nipples, should be placed in boiling water for 3-5 minutes before use. You should also wash the items carefully, preferably in a high heat dishwasher setting to add additional sterilization. There are also ways to steam sterilize bottle components and other feeding utensils or breast pump parts in the microwave - look for special bags for exactly this purpose. In the case of latex components, such as bottle nipples, read the manufacturer's instructions. It may very well be that you should be replacing those every three to six months to keep them safe for baby.

Keeping Formula Safe

Formula can be stored in an unopened container for long periods of time - look for the expiration date on the container to determine exactly how long. Once the formula is opened, however, ready-to-eat or condensed formula should be kept cold and used within 48 hours. Powdered formula can be opened at kept at room temperature, but be sure to keep the container's lid on when it is not in use.

Always mix formula according to the instructions and measure carefully as estimating amounts can make the formula to thin or too thick. While not especially harmful to baby, thick formula can cause constipation and thin formula might not provide the adequate amounts of nutrition required.

After mixing a bottle, it can only be used for about an hour after baby has started eating. Waiting longer allows bacteria to grow and can be harmful. If the bottle is made and not actually fed to your baby, you can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to forty-eight hours. Do not store a bottle, even in the refrigerator that has been partially drunk.

Breast Milk

If you pump breast milk, it can be stored at room temperature for up to six or eight hours, but four hours is a safe limit as room temperature can vary. Breast milk can be refrigerated for up to eight days, but for the best temperature settings, avoid storing the milk in the door of the fridge which experiences the most temperature fluctuations. Breast milk can be frozen in the top compartment of a refrigerator/freezer for three or four months and can last up to six months in a deep freezer. Again, avoid storing the milk in the freezer door. Once a bottle of breast milk has been started by your baby, it should be discarded in an hour or two.

Solids

When feeding solid foods, you can only use each container for two days once it has been opened. If you "double-dip" meaning you use a spoon in the container and then give it to your baby before returning it to the container, you've introduced bacteria to the food and should not use it for more than an hour. Throwing away every container you open after just an hour can be extremely wasteful, especially with younger babies who are just learning to feed. Prevent this by scooping out food from the container into a small cup and then storing the uncontaminated remainders of the container for a later feeding. You can then feed baby from the cup and not have to waste.

Are We Spoiling Our Kids With Too Much Stuff?

2009-03-29T14:22:00.002+01:00

Are you a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach or employer who is dismayed at the sense of entitlement many of our young children have?

And that is not all they have. They have clothes enough to outfit a small orphanage, toys enough for a play land and an excuse for every chore they are asked to do.

If so, you will certainly agree with Fred G. Gossman, author of Spoiled Rotten, Todays Children and How to Change Them.

He asks: "how can we take back our kids, restoring respect, excellence, civility, and decent values, not to mention self-esteem? For these children of plenty are not happy.

In a survey of students listed in Who's Who in American High Schools, an incredible 28 percent said they had considered suicide. And these are some of the best.

Our kids need discipline, direction, love and the gift of our time. Nothing more, nothing less. The battle has not been lost; their lives can be turned around.

But the excessive gifts and toys must end, the unreasonable concern for their every thought and feeling must end, and the acceptance of their mediocrity must end.

We must make crystal clear what our standards are, and clearly communicate and vigorously enforce consequences when they are breached. It is time to remind our children that they are, alas, just children; and although they are exceedingly important, the earth still resolves around the sun."

When Too Much is Too Much

A few years ago at a family Christmas gathering, the adults looked at the mounds of packages under the tree and shuddered. It was obscene in the over abundance of material possessions. One uncle mentioned that the Christ Child had only three gifts, so perhaps we should follow suit.

We carefully went through the packages, selecting every third one to put in a box. The mounds hardly looked smaller. Then this time around, we substituted an envelope for the present.

In the envelope was a promise for time; Uninterrupted, alone time with an adult that loved them. The next pass through was to exchange a present for a big envelope promising the gift to be delivered in two weeks time, if the child still wanted it.

The pile of presents looked more realistic and surprisingly only a few of the children complained and wanted more. When we explained that we had been confused when we bought so many toys and trinkets and had forgotten what the real gift was; our love and respect for one another.

We promised them a Christmas this year they would never forget like they had forgotten the toys from last year. The adults turned off the televised games, put down the newspapers and we all went for a long walk and outside games.

No to Presents, Yes to Presence

We spent time with each child and they heard something that we had all forgotten how to say. No.

It was a precious gift to give our children the knowledge that you can't always have everything you want. Sometimes in life you will be disappointed. Live with it. Understand that toys, clothes, trinkets and the latest thing advertised will eventually break or go out of style.

True Happiness is Never Given, it is Shared.

Electronics will never compare with a Grandpa who reads to you, or an Aunt who bakes chocolate chip cookies with you. It is time not trinkets that make happy children and families.

If you are concerned that your children and grandchild seem to be spoiled and selfish, I know how you feel, I felt that way too. Now we have found that the children look for less under the tree and more meaningful time spent with the adults in their lives.

Giving Your Child Medicine

2009-03-28T15:02:00.002Z

Giving medicine to children, especially infants and toddlers can be difficult. Children will squirm, spit, clench their teeth, and even vomit to avoid taking medicine. If you are having trouble getting your child to take medicine, talk to your doctor. He or she can suggest a helpful way to administer it or might prescribe the medication in a form that your child accepts more readily. Tell your doctor if your child vomits after taking medicine because the child may not have gotten the right dose.

Always dispense a medication in the exact dose your doctor prescribes. Giving too much medication or not enough can be harmful. If you don t understand something about a medicine that has been prescribed for your child, ask your doctor or pharmacist for an explanation. Ask your pharmacist to give you an information sheet with the medicine.

Make sure the doctor knows about any medications your child is already taking both prescription and over the counter. Tell the doctor about any allergies you know your child has. Be sure to find out these important points about any new medication:

• The exact name of the medication and its strength.
• What the medication is supposed to do.
• The exact dose to give.
• The number of times a day it should be given and when during the day or night. For example, does four times a day mean every 6 hours around the clock or at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime? You don t usually need to wake up a child in the middle of the night to give medication.
• Whether or not to give the medication with food.
• Any special instructions, such as shaking a liquid medicine before giving it.
• How to tell if the medicine is working.
• The most common and serious side effects.
• Any special storage instructions, such as refrigeration.
• Whether the benefits outweigh any known risks.
• If a generic form of the drug can be used.
• If the medicine interacts with any other medicines.
• Make sure that all labels are clearly marked so you won t give medication prescribed for one child to another.

Many children have difficulty swallowing pills. In fact, most children can t swallow pills until they are at least 4 or 5 years old. The best way to teach your child how to swallow a tablet is by showing him or her how you do it. When giving your child a pill, tell the child to place the pill on the back of his or her tongue. Keeping the tongue flat, the child should then sip a small amount of liquid and hold it in his or her mouth. While tilting the head back slightly, the child can then swallow both the pill and the liquid.

Generally, it may take sometime for children to get used to taking medicine. The best way to encourage a child to take medicine is to make the experience as pleasant as possible. If possible get medication that has a great taste that any child would like. This will make the child have a great experience and therefore not have a problem taking his medication.

Keeping Your Baby Safe On The Beach This Summer

2009-03-27T14:25:00.002Z

Even in the UK, the sun is strong enough to burn our skin and between the months of April to September, babies should not be outside without sun protection. It is also recommended that babies under the age of 12 months are keep away from strong sunlight, if possible, in the shade.

Because of the delicate nature of babies skin, they may only be exposed to the sunshine for as little as 10 to 15 minutes before they start to burn. Babies can even get burned when it doesn't even look sunny, on cloudy and cool days, as it is actually the invisible UV light which burns the skin and not necessarily bright sunlight.

If your baby does get sunburnt, ensure they are given plenty of fluids such as breast milk or formula if aged under 6 months old, or water if over 6 months. This is essential to prevent dehydration. If your child's skin is red and visibly burned, soak a flannel, soft cloth or muslin in cool water and gently place on the burned area for approximately 10 minutes at a time, several times a day to cool and soothe the skin.

It is also worth bathing your child in a luke warm bath. If they are in pain, then liquid paracetamol such as Calpol can be offered as per the directions on the box.

If the burn is very bad apply a water-based moisturising lotion, natural aloe vera gel or calamine lotion to relieve and soothe the area.

If your child has been sunburned it is perfectly normal for their skin to peel a few days after the exposure to the sun. This is an essential part of the healing process and a child should not be exposed to further direct sunlight whilst their skin is trying to heal.

You can protect your baby from the sun in many different ways through clothing, hats, sunglasses, parasols, UV tents but perhaps most importantly by applying a sunscreen to their skin.

For babies and children a sun lotion with a high SPF of at least 50 should be used. It is important to buy new sun lotion each year as it does have a shelf life. Lotion should be water resistant and applied to your child's skin approximately 20 minutes before they go outside. It should be re-applied during the day and at least every two hours if at the beach.

When trying a new sunscreen, do a patch test first to make sure your child doesn't have a reaction to it. If he does develop a rash or redness at the test site, choose a hypoallergenic formula instead.

Sun lotion cannot be relied upon by itself. At the hottest time of day, between 11-3pm babies and children should not directly exposed to the sun at all, as this is when the sun's rays are at their strongest. They should also wear cotton t-shirts and light weight trousers such as linen, to cover their vulnerable skin. If you have a young child with a pushchair it is a good idea to have a parasol fitted to offer some shade from the sun.

Also offer the child UV protected sunglasses. These are even available with bands which can be secured around a baby's head to keep them on. At the beach, it is also a good idea to use a large sun parasol, canopy or a pop-up baby tent which filters out UV rays.
It is also important to ensure babies are wearing a sunhat to protect their delicate heads.