Archive for December, 2009
The baby sleep sack is a blanket that is wearable. You can get the sleep sacks made of 100% organic material that is another safety factor for baby safety.
The sleep sack replaces blankets in the baby’s crib as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and SIDS organizations. This reduces the danger of SIDS and suffocation as well as keeping the baby warm and cozy all night. The sleeveless design keeps the baby from rebreathing and overheating during the night.
We are becoming accustomed to reading labels on the foods we buy because we want to know what we are eating and drinking. We should also read the labels of our cleaning products, pesticides, medicines where they clearly display the words, “Keep Out of the Reach of Children.”
We use cabinet door locks, drawer locks to provide for child safety at home, but we should still put these hazardous materials out of reach in a locked cabinet. Most of these substances will be found in the kitchen, bathroom and garage.
It is also important to leave the hazardous materials in their original containers as they have important instructions for what to do if accidentally ingested. If left is a cup, they may be mistaken for food or drink.
When you show pictures to you child it is the beginning of the formation of his imagination. Children always notice pictures first and words later. If you try to explain to a child the look of a horse, it is not nearly as interesting or formative as a picture of a horse. Some Christmas cards have pictures of a snowy landscape with a house covered with snow and lights glowing from the windows. Some will show a sleigh being pulled up to the house by a team of horses.
Telling your children a story of the snow, the cold, the home and the sleigh will be remembered and you may be asked to repeat the story from time to time. If you show the child the Christmas card and ask him to tell a story about it, you are helping him develop an imagination.
Pictures of beautiful things placed inside the mind of a child will challenge the baser things of life. The form and color of the picture as well as the detail and harmony are used to open the senses of the child.
It is so exciting to see the baby roll over for the first time. It is a great achievement both for the baby and the family and the beginning of new concerns about the baby’s safety. This movement comes gradually, so that we almost don’t notice the difference, but it becomes necessary to start putting tiny objects a little higher, place gates to limit the movement of the baby so you can keep track of him and still get something else done.
The older children must be educated about what they must do for the safety of the baby. We put covers on the wall electrical outlets, tie down furniture that could tip over, cover sharp edges of the furniture. Put the glasses of liquid a little further from the edge of the table so the baby cannot reach.
Some babies are great climbers. Some can climb up the drawers in the kitchen cupboards. It is best to fix the drawers and cabinet doors with fasteners so they cannot be opened by the baby. The outside door of the house can be fixed so the baby cannot turn the handle to go outside without your knowledge.
There are a myriad of safety devices to keep the baby safe. If you have something that especially worries you, with a little searching, you will probably find the solution.
In response to a number of entrapment issues in the United States and Canada, Stork Craft Manufacturing, Inc., of British Columbia, Canada, in cooperation with the U. S Product Safety Commission, has voluntarily recalled 2.1 Million drop-side baby cribs to improve the baby’s safety. A number of the cribs have the Fisher Price label.
Stork is providing a repair kit which will convert the crib from a drop-side to a firm sided crib. They are requesting that you do not attempt to repair the crib yourself without the kit. Please find other sleeping arrangements for your baby until the repair kit arrives. You can call to order the free repair kit to (877) 274-0277 or log in the www.storkcraft.com.
Sometimes when the temperatures really drop, it seems impossible to keep warm with our regular heating system and we add extra blankets and electric heaters. There are several safety tips to keep the children safe around this new environment.
- Keep this children away from the space heater.
- Do not allow them to move or adjust the temperature.
- Do not use an extension cord and keep the cord extended straight.
- Keep the heater away from flammable materials, such as: drapes, bed clothing, towels, or items that could fall on the heater.
- Always place the heater on the floor.
- Do not dry items in front of the heater.
- Turn off the heater before leaving the house.
We hope everyone can keep warm during these cold days of winter.
Electronic media is not the answer to childhood learning. There are so many toys and videos offered today that claim to be educational toys or educational videos, but studies have shown that the previous methods of baby learning are just as good today as they were in the “old days.”.
Talking to your children and offering them open-ended materials to play with are still worthy activities. If you are having trouble with a subject for conversation with your child, you might try item identification. Not only the items that you find of interest, but watch what your child is looking at and give them information about that item.
Dr. Barry Lester, Ph.D., director of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, has led a team which has developed a newborn exam called the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). School readiness and behavior at age 4 could be identified with this exam to show if there is a developmental delay. Early intervention to prevent these problems is a possibility.
This new tool could be very beneficial to children throughout their lifetime and give parents an opportunity to make a difference by providing the proper intervention efforts. The NNNS exam is already being used around the world, as well as in the U.S., for both research and intervention.
When we place the baby into the crib for the nap or their nightime sleep, we worry because we are not watching them. With the baby monitor we can keep them with us even when we are out of the room.
There are several kinds of monitors. Some will let you hear the sounds that they make whether they arre crying or coughing. Video monitors will let you have a view of the baby. Or, you can get a monitor that will sensor if the baby has been still for too long. There are wireless baby monitors, or monitors which require batteries or that you plug into an outlet.
When making a decision to purchase a monitor you will want one that has clarity of vision or of sound. Take care in positioning the monitor so that you will get the correct view, clarity of sound, or motion detection you desire.
A fire in the home is inconceivable to many of us and some have experience in that disaster. To provide for the safety at home, a plan for your family in case of fire is a must. In fact, a home fire drill would be appropriate for such a dangerous event.
Each of the children and adults should have an exact plan in mind in case of fire. They should know their escape routes. It is better to have more than one. They should know who is responsible for each of the children and for disabled adults. There should be a meeting place agreed upon where each person who leaves the home goes to make sure they are all there and everyone has left the home.
Some of the fires produce great amounts of smoke. It is important to know the effects of the smoke and toxic gases in the home where it is almost impossible to see and people can become disoriented and dizzy.