The Safety Mom Chronicles

Toyota's Teen Driving Program

I remember when I first got my driver's license  (oh so many years ago!)  I felt invincible.  Just like any other teenager, I felt completley in charge and believed I knew exactly what I was doing.  That is until the first time I drove on a wet, slippery road and spun across three lanes of traffic.  Unfortunately many teens overestimate their ability to handle situations that come up while driving.  That's why I was so happy to learn about "Toyota Driving Expectations."  This is a four hour driving course for parent and teens to complete together.    Offered free of charge in cities across the country, the program goes beyond what is taught in typical driver training classes by putting teens behind the wheel to face challenging, real-world scenarios under the supervision of professional drivers.  It is also one of the only programs of its kind that hosts teens and their parents os they can learn how to drive more safely together.

This course goes way beyond traditional drivers-ed classes and helps teens practice how to best keep their eyes on the road, learn about how anti-lock braking systems work on both wet and dry roads and demonstrate how everyday distractions can have unexpected hazardous effects.   Parents and teens also drive a "distraction course" -- as they drink water, change a CD and text.  At the end of the program, to reinforce what they learned, teens and parents develop a safe driving contract together to be put into practice when they return home.

The class is being held this weekend, 5/2 - 5/4, at Belmont Park Race Track in Elmont, NY.  You can register to attend and get more information by visiting www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com.

Have you taught your teen to drive or did you send them to driving school?  What sort of rules have you set up for your teen when it comes to driving?  I'd love to hear from you!

BPAs - What You Need to Know To Protect Your Baby!

Many parents are aware of the serious threat that Bisphenol-A (BPA) poses for our children.  For parents-to-be, grandparents and anyone else who is not familiar with this chemical, it is found in millions of plastic products to make them shatter resistant, most notably baby bottles, pacifiers, teethers and other plastic baby products.  Many researchers and scientists believe it causes a wide range of health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, infertility, diabetes and brain damage. 

On Friday, the Canadian government announced that it considers BPA dangerous and that it will most likely ban the use of BPAs in baby bottles.  Unfortunately it seems as if once again our government is going to be the last to recognize these dangers.  The FDA points to two studies that deem the chemical safe.  What they do not say is that these studies were funded by The American Plastics Council.

But parent's mounting concern about BPA is finally motivating manufacturers to take action.  Playtex has just announced it will distribute one million free samples of Playtex Drop-Ins Original Nurser Systems, which are free of BPAs.  It also announced that the balance of the product line will be converted to BPA-free material by year end.  Simply fill out the form and, while you're at it, download the chart which lists all of their products and whether they contain BPAs or Phthalates.

While I'm excited that Playtex is taking this step I wonder which other major manufacturers are selling BPA-tainted products.  I don't seem to be alone.  I have received numerous e-mails from parents asking if their particular bottle is safe.  In doing some research on this, I ran across an amazing blog -    Z Recommends which reviews toys and infant products.  In their Third Edition on BPA in Infant Care Products they have provided an exhaustive list of each manufacturer and the products that are BPA free.  You can even send them a text message to find out information on a particular product.  A big thank you for saving moms a tremendous amount of time trying to research all of these products!

Now it's time for moms to take action in protecting our children.  Just as we couldn't rely on the government to protect our children from lead-tainted toys, we cannot rely on them to protect our babies from toxic bottles, sippy cups and other basic items.  Visit Moms Rising.org and sign a petition that will be sent to the five major manufacturers of baby bottles to stop the use of BPAs in our children's products. 

How familiar are you with the issue of BPAs?  Let me know your thoughts on this subject!

Remembering Abigail

Last month 6 year-old Abigail Taylor died.   In June of last year Abigail was injured at the Minneapolis Golf Club when she sat on a wading pool drain.  The powerful suction ripped out part of her intestinal tract and she needed to receive a new small bowel, liver and pancreas.  Unfortunately she suffered setbacks, including a cancerous condition sometimes triggered by organ transplants. 

She did not, however, die in vain.  Her parents, Scott and Katey Taylor, lobbied for tougher regulations to help prevent similar injuries and, in December, President Bush signed a law that bans the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards.  It also incentivizes states to adopt comprehensive pool and spa safety laws including mandating that new pools be completely enclosed by a fence as well as educate pool owners, builders and service companies about drown prevention.

As we are starting to get into warm weather, please take a moment and consider the safety of your pool and every pool that your child might visit: 

• Be sure that there is a fence with a self-closing and self-locking gate completely encircling the pool. 
• Install a pool alarm as well as an alarm on any door or window leading out to the pool.
• Have everyone watching your children certified in CPR and First Aid.
• Keep a cordless phone with you at the pool at all times.

Too many times parents don't consider the safety of public pools or other family's pools.  Before allowing your children to swim at any pool be sure that safety measures are in place and that you feel completely comfortable with the surroundings. 

Connor's Birthday

Yesterday was my son Connor's 11th birthday.  Unfortunately, he wasn't here to share it with me.  Connor died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1997 when he was 3 months and 24 days old.  Even though he was with us for a short time he changed my life profoundly.  He was my little angel and continues to watch over our entire family.  Spencer, Kelsey and Hannah, my other three children, all know Connor and help us celebrate his life every year.  We have a tradition of writing messages to him on balloons and releasing them as we sing Happy Birthday.   

SIDS is unpreventable and unpredictable and his death left me filled with questions I probably won't ever have answered.  What I do know is that it's made me  incredibly aware of everything that can happen to babies and toddlers.   And I try to never take for granted how lucky I am to have my three other beautiful children.   

For more information about SIDS and risk reduction measures please visit www.firstcandle.org.