Monthly Archive for June, 2009

So when do I turn my child’s carseat around?

Published on June 23, 2009 in Safety. 0 Comments Tags: .

Many parents will turn their child’s car seat around when the child reaches 20 lbs and is at least one year of age. This is done for convenience typically. Literature does suggest that facing rearward is safer for young toddlers as well.  This may give us parents reason to pause and think when a child turns 1 year of age about what is best for the child.

Below is a recent study.

Rear-facing seats safer for bigger kids too

 BMJ – Parents should keep their children in rear-facing car seats at least until the age of four, according …

Thu Jun 11, 7:08 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – Parents should keep their children in rear-facing car seats at least until the age of four, according to a British study released Friday.

Currently it is common practice in many countries to switch babies to front-facing seats when a child is about nine kilos (20 pounds), the average weight of an eight months old boy, said the study.

British general physician Elizabeth Watson and Michael Monteiro of Sunny Meed Surgery in Woking, near London, reviewed key studies from Europe and the United States to see if any safety patterns emerged.

They found that small children were consistently safer in a car when they were looking where they have been rather than where they were headed.

“Parents and guardians should be advised to keep young children in rear facing seats for as long as possible,” the two researchers concluded.

“Excessive stretching or even transection (cutting) of the spinal cord can result if a child is involved in a head-on crash while in a forward facing car seat.”

Data from Sweden — where rear-facing seats for kids up to four is the norm — showed that some children in forward-facing booster seats who died in accidents could have survived had then been facing the other way round.

A review of US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data on crashes between 1998 and 2003 involving 870 children concluded that rear-facing seats were better at protecting kids up to 23 months across all types of accidents.

Unlike forward-facing seats, rear-facing car seats keep the head, neck and spine fully aligned so the force of the crash is distributed over all of these body areas, noted the study, published on the website of the British Medical Journal.

The researchers called on manufacturers and retailers to increase the availability of rear-facing seats for older children.

They also called for a change to the current weight-range labelling of European seats, which suggest that forward- and rear-facing seats are equally safe for kids over nine kilos

Appreciate the moment

Published on June 18, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , .

With Fathers Day just around the corner, I thought I would take a little time to talk about the joys of being a parent.

Children are wonderful and amazing but it can also be challenging at times. I have a 5 year old that is going on 15 and an almost 2 year old.  Nothing is more touching than the unprompted “daddy I love you”. It just melts my heart. It also helps balance out the occasional disruptive behavior where my daughter is trying to stake her claim at independence or the 2 am wake-up call to fix the night light that is just too bright.

It also makes me sad to realize that this time period will go by too quickly. At times I catch myself trying to rush through the bedtime story and realize there will come a day when they do not want me to read to them because they want to do it themselves. That day is rapidly approaching for my oldest. It makes me pause and take in the that moment and appreciate the quality time I get to spend with my family right now.

Happy Fathers Day to all and lots of thanks to all of the moms out there as well.

What’s that buzzing sound?

Published on June 12, 2009 in Safety. 0 Comments Tags: .

Stings 

This time of year, flying insects are starting to buzz around everywhere. Anyone that knows me is aware that hornets and wasps are some of the ones that make my heart beat a little faster. I seem to be a magnet for stinging insects, fortunately I am not allergic to them.

Bees, hornets and wasps can cause painful and potentially serious (if your child is allergic) problems. They can also cause a lot of fear and anxiety. 

Avoid wearing scented lotions or perfumes. Last spring a pro baseball game was cancelled after five innings due to swarming bees, apparently attracted to the Colorado Rockies pitcher’s coconut oil scented hair gel. Bright colors and food sources also attract these stinging pests.

Discourage bees and wasps from building nests around your house. Keep close watch around the outdoor areas where your children play and eat and as soon as you see the beginning of a nest, use an anti-wasp/bee/hornet spray.

If your child is stung, check to see if the stinger was left behind. If it was, remove the stinger by using a dull knife to scrape it away from the bite and to avoid squeezing additional venom into the wound. The area will probably become painful, red and swollen. Treat the pain and swelling with Tylenol or ibuprofen. Topical medications such as hydrocortisone can be used to treat the itch and a topical antibiotic can be used to prevent infection. If your child is having problems breathing after a sting, call 911 immediately. 

Kids and Sunglasses

Published on June 10, 2009 in Safety and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

Thought this was a nice little article in the Seattle Times recently.  Eye protection is important for children and a good habit to start early. It can be challenging to get a young toddler to keep them on, so keep on trying.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009305207_zhea06sunglasseskids.html

It’s cool for kids to wear sunglasses

Children should where sunglasses to protect their eyes from health issues later in life.

How important is it for my child to wear sunglasses?

The long-term effects of excessive sunlight aren’t seen early in life — they show up when people are 60 or 70 years old and experience macular degeneration or cataract issues, says Steven Schiff, an optometrist in Deer Park, N.Y.

Just as parents want to protect their children from skin cancer by putting sunscreen on them, parents should protect children’s eyes by getting them in the habit of wearing sunglasses outdoors. “Some children are easier to convince than others,” Schiff says. Emphasize the important of sunglasses by the time their children are 5 or so, he says.

Most sunglasses labeled 100 percent UV protection, and preferably 100 percent both UVA and UVB protection, are the best bet.

One mistake parents make is having children don the shades only when they are going to the beach. If a child is outside playing sports or at a park, the eyes should be protected then as well, Schiff says.

An elastic strap that holds the glasses to the head or a looser-fitting strap that keeps the glasses around the neck when they’re removed will help. Of course, a cord should not be used with a toddler’s sunglasses.