Crib Safety Tips

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission more infants die every year in accidents involving cribs than with any other nursery product. In addition, thousands of infants are injured seriously enough to require hospital treatment. Below are a few crib safety tips. This safety list is by no means complete, but it is a good place to start.
Safety Tip One:

Put your baby to sleep on his or her back in a crib on a firm, flat mattress. Make sure there is no soft bedding underneath your baby. This will help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and prevent suffocation.

Safety Tip Two:

Never place your infant to sleep on an adult bed, water bed, or bunk bed. Babies up to 18 months can suffocate in their sleep when their bodies or faces become wedged between the mattress and bed frame or the mattress and wall.

Safety Tip Three:

Never put a crib, child bed, or furniture near window blinds or drapery. Children can strangle on window cords or fall through screens. If local fire codes permit window guards, install them. Make sure all drapery or window blind cords are out of a child’s reach. CPSC receives numerous reports of strangulation deaths on window blind cords. To keep cords out of reach of children, use tie-down devices, or take the cord loop and cut it in half to make two separate cords. Consumers can call 800-506-4634 or visit windowcoverings.org/20.html to get free repair kits.

Safety Tip Four:

Never use strings to hang any object, such as a mobile or a toy or a diaper bag, on or near the crib where a child could become caught in it and strangle. If you have toys with cords or elastic for hanging, cut the strings/cords off.

Safety Tip Five:

To prevent strangulation, never tie pacifiers/teethers around your child’s neck. Remove bibs and necklaces whenever you put your baby in crib or playpen.

Safety Tip Six:

Always lock the side rail in its raised position whenever you place your child in the crib. As soon as your child can stand up, adjust the mattress to its lowest position and remove the bumper pads. Also, remove any large toys — an active toddler will use anything for climbing out of the crib.

Safety Tip Seven:

When your child reaches 35 inches (890 mm) in height, he/she has outgrown the crib and should sleep in a bed.

Safety Tip Eight:

Never use plastic bags as mattress covers. The plastic film may cause suffocation.

Safety Tip Nine:

Check all crib hardware; tighten all nuts, bolts, and screws frequently. After a crib is moved, be sure all mattress support hangers are secure. Check hooks regularly to be sure none are broken or bent. Open hooks may allow the mattress to fall.

Safety Tip Ten:

Secure bumper pads around the entire crib and snap or tie in place at least in each corner, in the middle of each long side, and on both the top and the bottom edges. Cut off any excess string length.

I hope that sharing these tips with you will share a child's life. Please share this information with anyone who have a baby. This above information comes straight from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They put out a brochure on baby safety that all parents should read.

Baby Food Allergies - How To Identify And Avoid Them

by Christine Albury

Many parents find the risk of baby food allergies one of the most worrying aspects of introducing new foods to their baby. But there are simple steps you can take to minimise potential problems and make your child's introduction to solid food a safe and happy one.
Allergic reactions take place when your baby's immune system mistakenly treats a harmless substance as a harmful one. Baby food allergy symptoms include diarrhea, eczema, nausea, constipation and watery or red eyes. Very rarely, a serious reaction known as allergic shock can occur. This can cause the throat and tongue to swell dangerously, which could lead to choking. In this situation, professional medical help must be sought immediately.

Baby food allergies should not be confused with food intolerance. A baby with food intolerance would have difficulty in digesting a particular type of food, which can be caused by many other things besides an allergen. In either case, diagnosis should be made by a medical professional.

In order to prevent baby food allergies such as these, or to identify foods to which your baby reacts, it is important to follow these simple guidelines --

1. Try to delay feeding your baby solid food until he is at least 6 months of age. His immune system will be better developed by this stage.

2. Only introduce one new food at a time and wait for a few days to see if a reaction occurs. It will then be easy to spot the "problem" food and eliminate it from your baby's diet.

3. Avoid foods that are known to be more likely to cause allergic reactions. Examples of such foods include eggs (particularly the whites), shellfish, gluten and citrus fruits.

4. Decide whether or not your baby is at a particularly high risk of developing allergies -- for example, do you suffer from an allergy yourself? This can often lead to an increased risk of allergies for your baby, although not necessarily to the same allergen (i.e. the substance responsible for the reaction).

5. Discuss any concerns with a medical professional.

Whilst it is sensible to be cautious, it is still important to remember that baby food allergies only affect around 8% of children. So try to keep things in perspective, introduce new foods individually and stay alert for possible reactions -- these measures will give you the confidence to safely introduce the delights of solid food to your little one.

Christine Albury may be contacted at http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/ admin@homemade-baby-food-recipes.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
Christine Albury is a mother of four and the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com, a site which deals with the many aspects of feeding and caring for baby throughout his/her first year.

Ways to Help your Child Fight Childhood Obesity

Halloween, slumber parties, birthdays — sometimes, it seems like childhood is one big food fest. It is difficult to deprive your child with special delicacies and delights when all her friends are having a grand feast.

However, this simple condition can bring about more trouble than you can think of. Treating your child occasionally may be good, but giving them the chance to devour every sweets and treats that they want could mean one big problem — childhood obesity.

In some instances, some people claim that genetics can play a major part in childhood obesity. It does, but not as big as the role that parents do. It is a falsehood that genetic materials induce a child to be heavy at an early age.
For the greater part of the population, genetic materials may establish the lower maximum values of people’s weight, but people themselves establish the higher maximum values by their food choices. In addition, since most kids cannot simply set the limits and choose the food that they need to eat, it is the duty of the parents to set the limits.

You do not know how to do it? Here are some tips that will help you keep track of your child’s food and eating regimen and help him fight childhood obesity.

1. Happy Halloween!

As the only festival dedicated almost completely to overeating on “sugar-laden treats,” Halloween holds an extraordinary place in hell for most parents dealing with childhood obesity.

This can understandably be a very tough time for your child to get through, but you can make it easier. Try focusing on the real spirit of the season and make a special haunted house for the kids, or let them have a “spooktacular” party with ghost stories, rubber spiders, and the old “spaghetti intestines and grape eyeballs” game.
For younger kids, a costume party with pumpkin painting and other activities is always fun. The important thing is that you shun away your kinds from any signs of sugary sweets.

2. Overnight trips

The first solo sleepover can be nerve-wracking for both you and the host parents. Kids old enough for slumber parties and overnight trips are typically at least starting to manage some of their own food and diet regimen, which helps.
Spend some time with the parents in advance of the event to give them a briefing on what your child might potentially need, and make yourself available via phone for any questions they might have.

Provide them with healthy snacks that they can eat and give them nutritious to cook.

3. Calorie-conscious kiddos

It is important to teach your child about the kinds of foods that they are expected to eat. Splurge some time teaching your child the comparative calorie substance. That will make your child make better food choices.

It is better to teach them early how to read food labels to help boost their food awareness.

4. Snack on the right foods

Children are very vulnerable to snacks; hence, it would be difficult to remove them. The only best way to prevent childhood obesity is to allow them to snack on the right foods. Give them some apples instead of a bar of chocolates.

Keep in mind that eating is a habit. If your children’s eating regimen has been accustomed to healthy eating from the very start, they will grow healthy and strong.
Indeed, fighting childhood obesity is not a problem. It is just in the manner parents teach their children the right stuffs to eat."


chidi bonny may be contacted at chidibonny@yahoo.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
obesitytopics.com is a free information site that offers articles and resources on Obesity. If you want to read or share information on Health & Fitness, you're always welcome!

Reading To Your Children

by Brent Shields

It's one of the hardest things to do in this day and age of hyper-active kids and super busy, multi-tasking parents... but spending good quality time with your children doesn't have to be a painful torture tactic.



One of the best, most enjoyable things you can do with your kids, is to read to them. This is a great way to connect with them and to share different parts of your life story in a natural, easy, and relaxed setting.



One of the best books, or sets of books, to start reading your kids, is the "Little House on the Prairie" series. Beginning in the late 1800's, it tells the story of a distant, almost forgotten, time in American history. A time that many of us might not believe ever existed, if Laura Ingalls hadn't shared her life with us.



Can you imagine living without cars, without light switches, without TVs? Well, once you start reading "Little House", you will be transported, in your imagination, back to moments that seem almost surreal. A time where kids actually played outside, and got dirt between their toes and beneath their fingernails. Where children were thrilled to get 1 or 2 holiday gifts, and enjoyed playing with them for months afterwards. A place where adults planted and grew, hunted and prepared their own foods, right from the land they were living on.



The Little House "picture" can't be painted completely rosy, either. There are some statements and beliefs, throughout the series, that can make you cringe. You may even want to reconstruct how they are read to your kids. For example, almost all of the comments about Native Americans are derogatory. But you can not just sweep American history under a rug, or hide it, in the hopes that all the painful parts will just disappear or go away. Remembering the struggles and accomplishments is a large part of sharing and passing on your heritage to your children.



Your kids will probably be excited to share such relaxing, enjoyable quality time with you. Plus the thrill of each chapter, will provide a rich and pleasant adventure for you and them.



Whether fighting a bear in hand-to-hand combat, or travelling all night across a frozen lake, or enjoying the beauty of Jack Frost's artwork on a window pane, you are sure to find something that you and your children will love in the "Little House" series. So make plans to start reading to your kids, and open up a whole new world of imaginative possibilities.



Brent is a regular writer for www.home-n-family.com - for more home and family related information please visit www.home-n-family.com



Article Source: Article Interchange

12 Must Have Products That Will Keep Your Child Safe Around The Home

About 2−1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that
many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today.
You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety
devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug
stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order catalogues.

Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children. The red numbers
correspond to those on the image following the text.

1. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help
prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children
from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.
Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a
guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances.

Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.

2. Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety
gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them. Look for safety gates that
children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates
that screw to the wall are more secure than "pressure gates."

Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.

3. Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with
possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards,
including swimming pools.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult
in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could
help prevent many kinds of injuries.

Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5
and up.

4. Use Anti−Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti−scald devices for regulating water temperature can
help prevent burns.

Typical cost of an anti−scald device: $6 to $30.

5. Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are
essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.

Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they're working. If detectors are battery−operated,
change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10−year batteries.

Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.

6. Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and
landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.

7. Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and
fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.

Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8. Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help
protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution. Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by
children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9. Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon
monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping
areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with
attached garages.

Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.

10. Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling
in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on mini blinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and
drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can
help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds.

For older mini blinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that
older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie−down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying
new mini blinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent child strangulation.

11. Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door
holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors
and door hinges.

Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.

12. Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when
they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.

Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call.
Cordless phones are especially helpful when children are in or near water, whether it's the bathtub, the swimming
pool, or the beach.

Typical cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.
Taken from the Ebook: Baby Safety Tips

Simple Summer Safety Tips for Children

by Nicole Dean
Summer is a fun time, but it’s also a time when a lot of accidents happen. Here are some ways to keep your children safe this summer.
Water safety.
If you have a pool or plan to be around the water at all, then make sure you’ve got all security devices in place. All gates must be locked, and alarms installed, especially if you have non-swimming children at home.

Some general simple rules for children around any body of water are:

1. No running or horseplay near the pool.
2. Kids only swim with an adult watching them.
3. Make sure your children are taking swim lessons that teach, not only the basic strokes, but also survival strokes and basic water safety as well. All American Red Cross certified programs incorporate water safety into their swim lessons.
4. Of course, if lightening is possible, leave the pool until the weather risk passes.
5. If your children are swimming in the ocean, follow the flag warnings and be cautious of the tides.

Sun safety.
No matter how old we are or how careful we are, that sun will surprise us and we’ll suffer a burn.

Some simple rules to keep your children safe in the sun are:

1. Always apply sun screen – even if it’s a cloudy day.
2. Have your kids wear a t-shirt and hat if they have fair skin.
3. Make sure you have water proof sunblock on your kids if they’re in the water.
4. Apply sunscreen often, especially if your kids have fair skin or are playing in water.
5. Provide your children with plenty of water, juice, or popsicles. Keep them hydrated to help prevent heat stroke.

Bicycle safety.

Some simple rules to keep your children safe on their bikes are:

1. A helmet is a must. Ask any nurse in any Emergency Room and you’ll find out why.
2. If you’ve got a child who daydreams, wear a whistle around your neck when you go on a bike ride together. If you see him or her being unsafe, you can blow the whistle. This is much more effective than trying to yell.
3. Look for bike paths in the woods. (Many state parks have these.) These paths allow your child to ride freely without the hazards of traffic. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it.

Many life-changing accidents are preventable. Make it a safe -- and a fun summer!



Nicole Dean welcomes you to http://www.ShowKidstheFun.com -- a free website filled with activities to make memories with your children and http://www.ShowMomtheMoney.com -- a fun and informative resource for moms who want to make money from home.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicole_Dean

Kids Need To Play Outside, How Do You Do That Safely?

by: Willie Jones

If you are a baby boomer then you'll remember the good old days when you played outside all day and complained vehemently when you were told to go inside for the night.
If you take a look outside these days the streets are fairly empty with few people even walking on the sidewalk or playing in the grass. We've become somewhat paranoid and the game has changed.

It seems like the children have lost their freedom to play safely outside by themselves and with their friends. Instead we now have very controlled environments of driving your child to a friend's house or taking them to various extra curricular activities. While this is still valid I find it a shame that we are victims of fear in this society. We also have more children becoming couch potatoes watching TV or playing video games. You've probably noticed obesity on the rise in America and this is true for our children as well.

But we can have some of the good old days back and here are some things you can do to make it safer to let your kids play outside;

1)If several kids on your street that play together, you can get together as adults and assign on a rotating basis who will keep an eye on all the kids while the others are getting important things done. But do this job with great care. You have precious little future adults that still look to you for safety.

2)Better still, play games with them. Someone who is looking to annoy, tease or do harm, is less likely to do so if active adults are on the scene.

3)Prepare for possible emergency. A family plan firmly in place and understood by all and *drilled*, may be more successful then not having a plan at all. An example of something you can do, is hang a whistle on a string. Every time the kids go out they put the whistle around their necks. They are taught that they blow the whistle hard in an emergency situation only! Tell them the cry wolf story and let them know what the consequences are for blowing the whistle in a non emergency situation. Can you imagine if all parents in your area are grooved in on this and you hear a whistle go off, you may have half a dozen people or more flying out the door instantly to investigate.

4)Last year on the Oprah Winfrey show there was a family that had an emergency plan in place that was quite ingenious. In a prior family meeting they developed a code and I believe it was a number code, but any simple code would suffice. They were told never ever reveal the code to anyone for any reason. It paid off because a man approached their younger daughter and told her, that her parents wanted him to bring her home. She asked him for the code. He could not produce one and instantly she ran and averted a potential disaster. On the show, Oprah tried to get the girl to reveal the code but the little girl remained true and would not reveal it. She was highly praised by Oprah and I thought this was a fantastic plan the parents had come up with. It worked for them and could possibly work for you.

5)Adults are obviously much stronger than children but that doesn't mean that a child cannot hurt an adult. Karate or Tae Kwan Do classes can be of benefit to boys and girls. It can not only build character and strength, but it can also teach them how to get out of certain grips and holds and where to hit in an emergency situation. It may be enough to get away. Also, it's a great way to keep them fit and healthy.

6)I think that the best thing you can do is teach your child to be aware. If children learn early on basic safety precautions, it becomes a life long habit. Do you remember as a kid walking down the street, staring at the sidewalk as you were walking? Teach your children not to do that. Have them scan ahead and all around. This will do two things; a) they can spot potential trouble ahead of time and b) it gets you out of your head and seeing the world around you. This is good for you to do as well.

Kids need to play and be social and it's ok to get dirty sometimes. I see it all the time with my grandchildren that they are the most happy and energetic when they are outside. They actually fight less and work more as a team with each other and their friends when they can safely play outside. Make yourself and your children more aware and for peat sake, have some fun!
About The Author: Willie is a freelance writer and researcher and is dedicated in bringing information on health related issues and other topics. http://www.babysnkids.com