Child Safety Tips: As mercury goes up, so do safety risks for kids!

By picpoke.com

Yes, it is really getting hot out there this week!!!  Coming from Florida to DC last year, I thought “OK, so it will not get nearly as hot up here, or at least not as early in the summer.”  Yes, I was wrong.  This thought brought me to thinking about some of the fun things to do in the summer, but also the dangers for our little ones during this time if we are not extra careful.  Lo and behold, I found this article today, courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and reprinted by the Kansas City Star:

Emergency-room professionals have their own name for the long, lovely, lazy days that kids look forward to in summer: trauma season. Because that’s when hospitals see a spike in drownings and heat-related accidents.

The article discusses several myths and related facts associated with those myths.  Here are a few samples from the article:

MYTH: Pool parties are safe as long as adults are around.

FACT: Many drownings happen when adults are close by. The problem is too much commotion. The key is to have a designated adult watching the water because that is where the danger is. The pool should be free of excess toys that can block the view of the water.

MYTH: Floaties keep little ones safe in the water.

FACT: Floaties are designed for fun, not safety. They give a false sense of security, can deflate and can slip off.

MYTH: The kids will be fine in the pool for the short time it takes to answer the phone or get a cold drink.

FACT: In a minute, a child can go under water. In two or three minutes, the child can lose consciousness. In four or five, the child could suffer irreversible brain damage or die. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death for children 1 to 14 years old, second only to car and transportation-related accidents.

The article states several other myths and facts, which include the hazards of leaving children unattended in cars and car seats, as well as sun exposure and dehydration.  We encourage you to read the article in its entirety.  Let’s all have a safe summer out there, please!!

Consuming Interests: 1.5 million Graco strollers recalled due to fingertip amputations, lacerations

Let’s start off with a quote from The Baltimore Sun report on strollers that carry the risk of your child’s fingers being amputated.

Families that own Graco Passage, Alano and Spree strollers and travel systems should stop using them until they receive a free protective cover kit from the company, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Graco issued the voluntary stroller recall after receiving seven reports of children hurting their fingers in the canopy hinge, resulting in five fingertip amputations and two lacerations, the CPSC has announced.

About 1.5 million of these strollers and travel systems have been sold at stores like Burlington Coat Factory, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, Sears, Target, Walmart between October 2004 and December.

But not all of these models have the offending hinge — be sure to check your model number on the CPSC site and compare your canopy hinge to the photos above to determine whether yours is affected.

Cribs, strollers, bracelets, jackets – you name it – there’s probably a recall.  For parents concerned -as I’m sure you all are – about what products for children are out there that pose safety risks, we suggest you check out the list on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

You can also follow them on Twitter.  Just type in U.S. CPSC and then do the drop-down to follow them.

Why wait until you read it – possibly too late – in a newspaper account of some other horrible tragedy involving a child.

Did you know that 210,000 children’s jackets with drawstrings manufactured by GTM Sportswear Inc., of Manhattan, Kansas were recalled?

How about children’s greeting cards with bracelets – called Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards with bracelets?  174,000 of them were recalled because they were found to be in violation of the lead paint standard.

Did you know that just under 10,000 toy guns (called Special Forces and Police SWAT Toy Gun Sets) were recalled because the orange tips located at the end of the toy guns’ barrels, which are designed to distinguish them from real guns, can easily be removed from the barrels, posing a choking hazard to children.

You get the point no doubt.

The information on dangers to your children and recalls by the CPSC is all out there.  Even if you don’t ‘do’ Facebook or tweet, check out the CPSC website.  If you’re a blogger, check out their blog page – OnSafety.  Like RSS feeds – that’s there for you as well – just click on one of these links and make your RSS feed connection.

An informed consumer is also a safety-conscious parent.