The Safety Mom Chronicles

What's Your Sweet Valentine's Message?

Today my son reminded me that this week will be February 1st which can only mean that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Every year I find myself scrambling to find some small but clever gift to get him and my daughters.  I try to stay away from the sugar-laden chocolate but, let's face it, it's Valentines Day and their just has to be a sweet treat!  That's why I was so excited to learn about Fruit Roll-Ups new offering, My Fruit Roll-Ups.  They're the fruit flavored snacks that we all know but now they can be customized and personalized with a message that you create.  When you visit the site, www.myfruitrollups.com, you can select a picture from a variety of categories including special occasion, sports, hobbies or animals.  Then you can add your personalized message.  My son is crazy for Fruit Roll-Ups and when he gets some delivered to his home for Valentine's Day that say "You Rock Spencer, Love Mom" he'll be completely excited! (And another one for my hubby isn't a bad idea either!)

General Mills is so convinced that you'll love My Fruit Roll-Ups that they've invited me to host a contest for Valentines Day.  Send me the sweetest message you've ever created or received - either from your kids or that special someone - and I'll award the three people with the sweetest messages a promotional code to put that message on a box of My Fruit Roll-Ups.   But respond to me as soon as possible so that you can receive these in time for Valentines Day.

The FDA Says "No" to OTC Medicines for Babies - Is It Time To Get Back to Basics?

The FDA today released a statement declaring OTC cough and cold medicines too risky for children under the age of 2 and warned parents to avoid using them ""because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur."   This comes on the heels of drug companies pulling many of their infant cold medicines off the shelf this fall.  Today, however, is the first time the government has issued a ruling on this matter due in large part to concern that parent's are not heeding the previous warnings.  And by spring, the FDA will rule whether these medicines are appropriate for children even older - up to age 12.  Click here to read the entire article FDA Statement

I suspect that this will leave parents once again confused as to what is and is not safe.  Many "veteran moms" and, I suspect, some pediatricians will tell you that these medicines can still be given safely.   Some will wonder which medicines are safe and others, hating to see their children suffer, will still "sneak it."   But, as always, I say know the facts and practice pragmatic parenting.   As with the recent toy recalls, many moms are saying that now is the time to get back to basics.  There are many remedies to help relieve cold symptoms that are safe and effective.

Honey:  According to a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, giving children over the age of 1 a teaspoon of honey has proven to be more effective than cough medicine at quieting the cough and helping them sleep.

Lots of Fluids: "It's critical to keep children extremely hydrated when they have a cold." explains Barb Dehn, NP and national health expert.  Some creative ideas for getting children to take fluids include giving them slushy drinks, cut up melon and jello cubes.

Keep Their Environment Moist: Place a cool-mist humidifier in the nursery to keep the air moist.

Relieve a Stuffy Nose: Use saline drops to soften secretions and a bulb syringe to suction out mucus.

Offense is The Best Defense! 

• Practice good hand-washing skills and carry alcohol-free hand sanitizer gel with you to clean hands in high-germ areas such as grocery stores, playgrounds and especially pediatricians' offices. 
• Frequently wash down "high-touch" items such as door knobs, phones, remote controls and light switches.
• Don't allow family members to share food, cups, utensils, toothbrushes and towels.  Allow a child who is sick to use paper plates and cups and plastic utensils that can be thrown away.
• Teach children to cover their mouth with their arm when they cough and sneeze.

Can MySpace Really Protect Our Kids?

It was just announced today that a group of state attorneys general have teamed up with social networking site MySpace to form a joint task  force.  The goal is to better protect children from online predators and educate parents about the risks of social networking sites.   As part of this initiative, MySpace will now make private the default profile settings for all members under the age of 18, so that adults whom they do not know in the physical world will not be able to find them.  It will also develop an e-mail registry for parents to block their children from accessing the site.

This sounds great in theory but reality is another matter.  Ask any 16 year-old to give you a "tour" of MySpace.  First, you will find out that there is nothing to stop them from lying about their age.  A 14 year-old girl who wants to meet college boys simply registers as an 18 year-old.  And, do a quick search trying to meet 16 - 18 year-old girls in a particular zip code and a bevy of beauties pops up.  Then it's just a matter of sending one of them a message.  And creating a new e-mail address which a parent doesn't know about takes mere seconds.  While it's admirable for MySpace executives to talk about protecting our kids from online predators it's virtually impossible when our kids are intent on hooking up online.  It is completely unrealistic and naive for any parent to rely on the government and website executives to protect our children when they really don't want to be protected. 

According to a study by Pew/Internet, 55% of teens online have a profile and 32% have been contacted by a stranger.    Additionally, of those with a profile, 61% have included the name of their city or town and a full 49% have included the name of their school.  The majority of teens surveyed admit to altering information about themselves and believe that a motivated person could eventually identify them.   For many teens, there is an excitement surrounding meeting people and forming relationships online. 

It is up to parents to thoroughly research social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace so they understand what their children are viewing.  It's also important to educate teens on the dangers of social networking sites, not just regarding online predators but cyberbullying.  Our kids need to become "cyber savvy" on how to deal with these issues and recognize potential threats.   

Social networking is here to stay and it's growing dramatically.  As moms, we need to stay ahead of the curve and get smart about cyber safety in order to protect our kids.

New Learning Software That's Safe and Fun

Internet safety is one of the largest issues that we as parents face today. With all the information available it is often difficult to decipher what is “safe” for our children to interact with online, or even on the computer in general. Even when a game claims to be safe and educational, we find ourselves still being a little skeptical, those types of promises are too often made without being completely true. However, one game now can provide us with the piece of mind that our children are learning safely on the computer and are games they will actually ask to play.

JumpStart World, created by Knowledge Adventure www.knowledgeadventure.com, is a bright, adventurous game that combines both the features that keep kids interested and the educational tools parents want. At the heart of JumpStart is a learning curriculum with hundreds of lessons containing the key skills to help our children progress. In addition, parents are also provided with progress reports and e-mails that keep you updated on your child’s navigation through the units. These units include math and reading that build a solid core to their education.

Since JumpStart World is downloadable software, you never have to fear that your kids may stray off into unsuitable content. It creates a safe, educational environment that both children and moms can enjoy.

What Marion Jones Can Teach Our Kids

Today Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for obstruction of justice related to her steroid use and her participation in a check cashing scheme.  She will also need to serve 800 hours of community service.  The judge has required this service be with children and emphasize the need to tell the truth.  While it breaks my heart that Jones will be seperated from her two small children for six months, I'm happy that her community service will require her to speak with kids about honesty and integrity.  Until now, the message that our children have received from our super-star athletes is win at all costs.  Whether it requires lying, cheating or taking performace enhancing drugs, winning is the ultimate goal.  At times it's difficult, as parents, to make our children understand that this philosophy is wrong.  That good sportsmanship, team spirit and trying their best will truly make them winners.  When they see athletes receiving endorsements worth millions, entree to the world of celebrities and the adoration of fans, it's hard for mom and dad to explain that these things aren't the most important part of the game. 

I applaud the judge for sending a message that lying will not be tolerated.  I hope the next message will be that taking drugs to enhance performance is also unacceptable.  Our children need to see that, indeed, there are consequences for their actions.  That even the greatest sport celebrities need to abide by a code of conduct.  And yes, honesty and integrity are important traits, even when it might mean losing everything.   We need to have athletes and celebrities that are children can look up to for the right reasons and who can teach them that winning through the use of performance enhancing drugs is a hollow victory.

Keep It Light For Kids In Car Seats

As I was on my way to Boston the other day I watched my car's thermometer drop from 12F to 4F and fondly remembered my years in sunny California.  When it's this cold, all I can think of is wearing thermal fleece and warm wooly coats.  It's every mom's natural instinct to bundle her baby up before taking her out and while this is great for outdoors, once you get in the car the coat needs to come off.  Heavy, bulky coats will compromise the secure fit of the straps on your child's car seat.  Padded snowsuits and jackets add extra bulk and create a cushion between the seat straps and the child. Because that padding would become compressed during a collision, the harness is looser than it should be.  You should never be able to fit more than one finger between your child's body and the car seat strap.

Rather, dress her in one layer of light-weight fleece and then place a blanket around the car seat once you have her strapped in.  Also, be mindful of overheating your baby once you're back inside as this can increase your baby's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  Layering is always your safest bet.