November 19th, 2010
By Heather
Even in 2010, lead poisoning is still one of the most toxic dangers in our homes. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized.
Did you know that there are simple testing kits you can find at most hardware stores to detect lead in your home? A ten-minute blood test can also determine if your young child has a dangerous amount of lead already in his bloodstream. If your home was built before 1978, these two tests can give you peace of mind or help you take corrective steps.
Executive Medical Director for the California Poison Control System (CPCS) Dr. Richard Geller reports, “Lead poisoning is an important cause of learning disabilities, anemia, as well as growth problems, and children exposed to lead may have attention and aggression problems. Children are most commonly exposed to lead by ingesting paint chips or dirt that is contaminated with lead.”
Dr. Geller offered the following 5 lead poisoning prevention:
- Do not let children chew on painted surfaces, such as windowsills.
- Cover peeling or chipped paint with duct tape until it can be safely removed.
- Ask your doctor to screen your young children for lead even if they seem healthy.
- Do not let babies play with or teethe on your keychain since keys frequently have small amounts of lead in them.
- Flush the lead out of your pipes by running the faucet for a few minutes before using cold water for cooking, drinking or preparing infant formula.
To see the rest of Dr. Geller’s list, read the guest post on Non-toxic kids.
See more at the CDC website for lead poisoning prevention.
Tags: lead, poisoing, Safety, toxic
Posted in Safety | No Comments »
October 4th, 2010
By Whitney
There is a fine line between telling kids what they need to know and giving them too much information. When it comes to safety, I wrestle with this one.
I don’t want my children to worry needlessly about death. I have assured them that people don’t die until they get to be very old, usually around 100. And lucky for us, we haven’t had to discuss any exceptions during their lifetimes. They have two great-grandfathers in their nineties and my son definitely believes those guys will simply keep living as they are each day until their 100th birthday at which time they will not wake up. I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with that story. We can correct it when the time comes.
Yesterday, in the car my three-year-old daughter tossed a plastic container lid up to the front seat. It hit my husband on the head. We pulled over and I told her sternly that we do not throw things in the car. I specifically explained why not, that if the driver gets hit, he might close his eyes or turn his head, taking his eyes off the road and crashing the car. I felt like this was relevant and a quite legitimate reason that we don’t throw things at the driver.
My daughter usually interprets the consequences of unsafe actions to be that you might fall “and then you will cry.” Crying being the ultimate of disasters, it seems. Now that they have watched me endure a broken foot, I can give other examples of consequences. There is pain, there is the scary hospital visit (they have built me up as brave for having visited the hospital), and of course there are things like uncomfortable casts or not being able to play soccer. Still, nothing over which to lose sleep.
At what point do I reveal the more extreme consequences that we are trying to avoid by not leaning out the window, running across the street, or undoing seatbelts before the car stops moving – namely, death? I have skirted the issue due to the “people die around age 100” myth that we have introduced, but my son is starting elementary school next month. Maybe it’s time he knows the truth.
When did you teach your child the ugly truth about life’s real dangers?
Tags: children, Safety
Posted in Kids, Safety | No Comments »
September 20th, 2010
By Whitney
Life has become easier for American women since slings hit the market. The ability to keep your baby near you and happy while you use your hands to do other things? We’ll take it! Whether your child carrier of choice is a sling, a front carrier, or a framed backpack, make sure that you are wearing it properly.
For tips on your child’s safety, see our earlier post about babywearing. What I’m focusing on today is YOUR safety. Your back and shoulders are the only ones you have. Enduring pain in order to wear your baby could lead to more complicated back pain later.
- Take the time to make sure you are wearing your baby correctly. Google the brand name of your carrier and “how to adjust” to find tips. Do not wear your baby too high or too low.
- Consider bringing a stroller when you can. Put your diaper bag in the stroller when the baby wants to be worn so that you are not carrying a bag on one side of your body AND wearing the baby.
- Take a break – and switch carriers from time to time. Instead of putting pressure on the same spots day after day, change it up a little bit.
What other advice do you have for babywearing mamas?
Photo credit: Marketing Mommy on flickr
Tags: baby, back, Safety
Posted in Safety | No Comments »
September 17th, 2010
By Whitney
Safety is clearly our number one concern when it comes to our children, and this starts from the moment we are expecting them. Parents may be totally overwhelmed with information about the various threats to their children’s well-being, so we hope that sharing this information will not result in you lying awake tonight pondering the dangers of being alive. It just seemed like a good time to do a round-up of some helpful information that you may not have come across yourself.
- Breast pump care – if you are using a pump, make sure to keep the parts clean and sterilize when possible. Bacteria in milk are no good. If you’ve tossed the manual that came with the pump, find it online and read up on how to take care of your pump properly.
- Safe sleep tips for babies. Make sure you are following all the guidelines to reduce SIDS. It’s not hard to do, but recommendations change. Here’s a recent video
- Stay up-to-date on issues surrounding BPA and other chemicals in your environment with Healthy Child Healthy World. (Liking them on Facebook makes it easy to stay informed.)
- 7 Days To A Safer Home – this step-by-step plan from UL will give peace of mind to families who follow it.
Tags: baby, mother, Safety, UL
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
September 2nd, 2009
By Heather
In our town, if you live less than 1.5 miles from school, you are not eligible for the school bus … budget cuts, wah, don’t get me started! Consequently, there will be many little people walking, hurried commuters driving, enviro-conscious bikers pedaling, and the regular school bus traveling its route all fighting for the same roads. Throw in some hills, weather and a sunset for poor visibility, and you have a recipe for chaos.
Getting to and from school safely
As schools get back in session, please take extra care during morning and afternoon commutes:
- Respect and obey school crossing guards. Wave hello to them; they are doing an important job.
- As you pull into traffic at all intersections and near school parking lots, be aware of walking children.
- Remember school zones and follow posted speed limits. Don’t try to speed around school zones. If your commute permits, consider taking another road next time.
- Follow basic rules for a stopped school bus:
1) When a school bus stops and flashes red light(s), drivers approaching from either direction must stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.
2) Once stopped for a school bus, drivers may not start until the red lights stop flashing or the bus driver waves
3) After stopping for a school bus, drivers must watch for children along the side of the road and drive slowly until past them.
- Be on the lookout for children who may wander into traffic while waiting for and when getting on and off of the school bus.
Just as I ask you not to speed through my neighborhood street in the summertime, now I ask you to please be cautious as you drive when our children are heading back to school. Thank you!
Related post: cross roads safely and silently
Tags: back, home, safe, Safety, school, UL
Posted in Kids, Safety, Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 25th, 2009
By Heather
When you’re on a family road trip, the only thing that beats the sight of a baby sleeping is the sight of a baby sleeping at the right time.
Photo credit: Heather Flett
I can’t promise you perfectly timed naps and roads clear of construction and traffic, but I can give you a few pointers as you plan your getaway. Before you pull out of the driveway, consider these tips:
1. Car. Get your car serviced before you get on the road. Increase your peace of mind with a full tank of gas, properly inflated tires and a carwash, too.
2. Maps. Know your best route before you start driving. Bring along maps or a handy dandy GPS unit.
3. Schedule. Plan your driving times to coincide with nap times, if at all possible. Bring along pacifiers, loveys and sleepytime music to encourage the rest.
4. Food. Pack a little cooler for chilled sippy cups of milk and healthy snacks for rest breaks. Please DO NOT give your child baby carrots or any choking hazard while driving.
5. Toys. With two little guys in car seats in the backseat, I keep a tote bag filled with toys and books they can reach themselves. No crayons … nothing with small pieces.
6. Music. Fill your iPod or make a mix CD of favorite kid’s music in addition to your own.
7. Rest. Expect that you’ll need to stop and stretch (or run!!) for about 20 minutes every two hours … at least.
Most importantly, keep your expectations in check. As long as you expect it to be a wild adventure with some tears and much, much slower than you’d travel on your own, you will have a great time!
Tags: car, map, mom, road trip, Safety, schedule, trip, UL
Posted in Holidays, Kids, Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 20th, 2009
By Whitney
My husband has had the same cell phone number for 10 years. You can imagine how surprised I was when I began to dial his cell phone number from my home phone one day and couldn’t remember the order of the digits. Why did I suffer this memory loss? Two minutes earlier, my 4-year-old son had run full speed ahead into a doorway and was now cradled in my arms, bleeding profusely from the forehead. And my cell phone was acting wonky. And my two-year-old was clinging to my leg. And my home phone is not programmed with speed dial numbers because, well, I have a cell phone that does that.
So there I was, carrying my bleeding kid around the house, searching for a scrap of paper on which I may have written my husband’s cell phone number for a babysitter, cursing myself for having not kept it on the fridge like I did when my son was first born and my habits were more safety conscious.
Safety tip #1: Do not rely on memory or technology for phone numbers. Use the old-fashioned method of posting critical information on the fridge.
Later that week, as I repeated this now funny anecdote to some other moms as we sat waiting for our children’s swimming lessons to end, our conversation turned to 9-1-1. I had not forgotten the conveniently short number 9-1-1 during the head-bleeding incident. But, I knew that the wound I was dealing with, which required one stitch across the eyebrow, did not merit a 9-1-1 call. (I had lost my memory, but not my mind.)
When I have called 9-1-1 in the past, I told the other moms, I have waited a long time for my call to be answered. Also, a 9-1-1 call placed from a cell phone may not be identifiable to the call center in terms of location. The call is picked up by the nearest cell tower and then dispatched to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. If you are in a true emergency and call 9-1-1 from your cell, be sure to provide your location clearly.)
Safety tip #2: Look up your local police dispatch phone number and program it into your phone. Use “9-1-1”as the contact name to force your electronic address book to list it first.
Tags: babysitter, cell, home, mom, mother, phone, police, Rookiemoms.com, Safety, UL
Posted in Safety | 1 Comment »
August 11th, 2009
By Whitney
To buckle and unbuckle one’s own seatbelt ranks high in a toddler’s list of life’s most satisfying accomplishments. My four-and-a-half year old son does both by himself. My two-year old daughter once spent more than 30 minutes in a large baby gear shop playing with the floor model strollers, buckling herself in and then asking me to unbuckle her so that she could move to the next stroller. Repeat. Repeat. I’ve heard from other parents that their children are equally obsessed.
And on the airplane? To release, simply lift the metal buckle and pull. We’ve all heard it hundreds of times. Suddenly your child has a new, easier-to-open buckle, enticing with its novel shape, weight and texture. For some kids, this temptation will be too much. They’ll spend the duration of the flight buckling and unbuckling, and driving you crazy.
But it’s dangerous. And I’m not talking about pinched fingers. Since you’re a grown up, I don’t need to explain why buckles must stay buckled. I’ll save my safety lecture for my kids.
I’ll give you a trick I just learned from another smart parent on the web: Cut the foot off of a tube sock so that you are left with just a tube. Now you have a seatbelt buckle cozy. Bring it on the plane and slide it over your child’s seatbelt buckle to remove access to the temptations of clicking and unclicking that might drive you off the deep end over the course of a flight.
P.S. This tip comes to you courtesy of ParentHacks.com where creative parents shared two other uses for this same piece of tube sock: 1) Place it over itchy bug bites on arms or legs to prevent scratching and 2) Use it to hide the smell emanating from a strap that’s been thrown up on.
You’re welcome.
Tags: buckle, children, home, Kids, Safety, seatbelts, UL
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 4th, 2009
By Whitney
Having traveled from Oakland to Chicago to meet up with women who had traveled from all over the country to be at the BlogHer ’09 conference, early conversations were filled with travel-related stories. As I sipped my drink and chatted with the lovely Susan Wagner, she asked me why I had been evacuated from the airport, a surprising status update she had read on my Facebook page earlier that day. (I still did not know, but I assured her that it had been a calm and quick evacuation and that we easily flowed back through the security lines and made it to our gate on time.) I asked her why she, a fashion blogger, had written last week that flip-flops on an airplane are a no-no.
“Is it because it’s yucky to expose your fellow travelers to your bare toes?” I asked, thinking of all the stylish open-toed shoes women wear on their way to warm climates via airplane.
No, Susan assured me, it’s not a yucky factor.
And then she reminded me of the airplane that emergency landed this year into the Hudson River, forcing passengers to deplane atop the wing of the aircraft. Imagine having been on that plane and stepping out onto the moist fiberglass wing, inches above the freezing river. I’ll bet we’d all wish that when we looked down at our feet at that moment, we’d find that we smartly wore our closed-toed rubber-soled waterproof boots.
(via bbc/cnn)
Ok, not realistic? I get it. We’re not going to do all our air travel in hiking boots for worst-case scenario purposes.
So how about a compromise? A shoe that protects your foot and has a decent grip is simply a sensible choice for the plane.
Whether you are navigating through a crowd of panicked airport evacuees who are haphazardly navigating wheelie bags over your feet or – less likely, but worse – having to traverse unexpected terrain as part of an escape plan, we’d all be better off in something other than flip-flops. Even if we’re headed for the beach.
Tags: airbus, airplane, blogher, fashion, plane, Safety, shoes, UL
Posted in Safety, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
July 28th, 2009
By Whitney
Today is my husband’s birthday and one of his gifts is a small refrigerator for the garage. I called it the “beer fridge” for his entertainment and stuck a sign on it claiming this function. But the truth is, whenever we buy enough beverages to host a birthday party, we run out of room in our medium-sized kitchen refrigerator.
I was tickled when he examined the cord and asked if the fridge is UL certified. Rest assured, it is.
Selecting this gift reminded me of a distant memory. It is 1989 and I am going out to the ancient refrigerator that lived in my garage when I was in high school, searching for a soda in my jean shorts and bare feet on a hot summer day. Cue the Indigo Girls. I reached for the handle of the fridge and ZZZZZZZZ! A shock ran through my body. Since I was still alive, I was really confused. I had lived my previous 15 years with confidence that electrical shocks equal immediate death. Apparently, there are various degrees of shock.
I ran to tell my stepfather what happened, indignant. He listened to me recall my near-death experience and then responded calmly: Never go into the garage barefoot.
I was expecting sympathy, but instead I received a lesson in common sense.
Unsure if this was directly related to the shock I experienced, I filed this away under “useful tips to live by” and now pass it on to my children.
And now, a short list of other garage guidelines:
- It’s worth repeating: always wear shoes in the garage
- If you have a fridge in the garage, keep it unplugged when not in use
- Do not place anything heavy on top of your refrigerator
- Make sure the electricity in your garage is properly grounded
- Check cords and appliances for UL certification
- Never let children operate an automatic garage door
- Keep the garage door open or closed, never in an in-between state
- Do not allow games involving escaping before an automatic garage door closes and avoid modeling this behavior for children
- Test the door operator monthly. The garage door must reverse on contact with a 1 1/2 inch high object (or a piece of two-by-four lumber laid flat) on the floor. If the door doesn’t stop and reverse after contact with the object, disconnect the operator and use the door manually until the operator is replaced or repaired by a qualified technician.
Tags: garage, Safety, UL
Posted in Safety, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
