All Forums > Baby Talk

Ask The Safety Guy: Safety Messages for Low-Income Families

Dana | Jun 18, 2009 | 0 | Posted in Baby Talk

Ask The Safety Guy

Linda from Oakland asks: What safety messages should we convey to low income families?

This question was raised while I was presenting to a group of nurses and pediatric residents who work with low income families many of whom reside in sub-standard housing situations. It is relevant and poignant as these families do not have the luxury of purchasing baby-proofing products (not to mention affording a professional service provider to baby-proof their home). For these families in particular, we want to educate and empower them such that they will at a minimum practice safe sleeping, safe bathing and safe transportation with their children.

SAFE SLEEPING
Thanks to a broad educational campaign, most parents are well aware of the importance of placing children (under 1) to sleep on their backs. However, too frequently, a safe sleeping location has not been provided. It is safest for a baby to sleep in a crib on a firm well fitted mattress in a crib that meets the current safety standards. The crib should also be free of decorative bumpers, plush toys, pillows and comforters. Co-sleeping, adjacent to a parent can also be safe, but only when safe practices are followed (e.g. no pillows, no entrapment potential, no soft bedding, no drug use by adults, etc.). Babies should never be placed to sleep on couches, chairs or bean bags. Safe sleeping is something every parent can provide for their baby, regardless of their socioeconomic condition by following these simple practices.

SAFE BATHING
Safe bathing is all about appropriate supervision. It’s not about having the Elmo spout cushion. Constant adult supervision is the key. Bring the phone into the bathroom with you so as to not be tempted to run and get it. Stay in the bathroom until the water is completely drained from the tub, and never rely on an older sibling to supervise a younger one. Several times each year a younger child drowns in the bath tub while bathing with a three or four year old sibling. A three or four year old is only marginally safe themselves not to mention supervising an 18 month old. No bath is better than an unsafe bath, so only give your child one if you can also provide your undivided attention.

SAFE TRANSPORTATION
Proper use of car seats should truly be a given by now. Low income parents can receive free car seats and professional installation from their local Safe Kids Coalition and other agencies. All parents should be trained as to the proper installation and use of their children’s car seats. Again, Safe Kids holds events and has a list of community resources available to help parents of every demographic and location. If you are not certain of the current best practices or of the proper use of your existing car seat(s), please contact Safe Kids today. They are the go to resource for safe transportation practices for our children.

Every child is entitled to at least safe sleeping, bathing and transportation. It is a good reminder to all of us to make sure we are following safe practices and encouraging others to do so as well.

My discussion with the hospital staff evolved to even counseling families to identify the proper crib location so as to be least susceptible to being hit by stray bullets. It is sad that this is reality for some parents. When families have to even consider such an issue, it is understandable why attention to other injury prevention best practices is often overlooked.

For all parents, awareness of the potential hazards that may impact our children is the critical first step. Awareness, when combined with active supervision and safe practices, goes a long way to reducing both the frequency and severity of childhood injuries.

Submit your questions to ms@homesafety.net. Martin Simenc, The Safety Guy, is the President of Home Safety Services, Inc., the Bay Area’s largest and highest rated baby proofing company.
They can be reached at 1-888-388-3811.

safety, child, sleep habits, health (all tags)

Child Safety - Furniture Bracing

Dana | May 26, 2009 | 0 | Posted in Baby Talk

Ask The Safety Guy

Kacey from San Jose asks: Which pieces of furniture should I brace to the wall, and how should I do so?

Last month, I answered the first half of this important question. I described which items should be secured to prevent a climbing toddler or an earthquake from toppling them. In the meantime, the CDC came out with an updated report on the frequency and severity of toppling furniture related childhood injuries. Per the report, roughly 15,000 children are injured or killed each year by furniture and appliances (i.e. televisions) toppling upon them. So, now that we have agreed upon the importance of bracing and which items should be braced, I will address how to do so.

Regardless of the type of hardware used, it is critically important that it be secured to the framing members (or studs) of your home. Most homes in our area have sheetrock or plaster over wood studs. Anchoring a piece of furniture only to the sheetrock or plaster will not provide sufficient strength to hold under stress. Hence, always be sure to locate the studs with a stud finder and make sure you hit the studs when installing a brace. It is equally important that the screws secured into the furniture are into a solid frame member as well and not just into a particle board backing.

There are several different types of hardware available to brace furniture. The simplest is an angle bracket. Available at any hardware store, screwing a pair of these “L” shaped brackets to the top of a piece of furniture and through the sheetrock to the wall studs provides excellent anchorage. Angle brackets work very well for tall bookcases that rest against the wall. They are not as appropriate for shorter furniture or for those that rest an inch or more away from the wall.

Shorter pieces with a finished top surface should be anchored from the back. This way the hardware will not be visible, and the furniture will not be damaged. My current favorite hardware for this application is a vinyl strap product available from safebeginnings.com. It is very secure, versatile and easy to install Other vinyl strap type products use Velcro and double sided tape connections are more widely available but are inferior. Bracing furniture from the backside is more time consuming, but the improved aesthetics are worth it.

Some folks hesitate to brace antiques and heirlooms, fearing damage or depreciation due to drilling holes to secure the hardware. However, if properly anchored from the unfinished backside of the furniture, the value will not be diminished. Furthermore, consider how much more valuable the piece will be if it survives the next earthquake without toppling.

China cabinets, desk and shelf combinations, and entertainment centers are often built as separate sections stacked on top of each other. It is very important to first brace the two sections together (using a flat joint bracket or mending plate on the backside) prior to bracing the top section to the wall.

Finally, as I mentioned last time, televisions also need to be securely braced. For table top flat screens, SafetyFirst makes a good wall mount anchor. For traditional tube televisions, I recommend using the Big Screen and Appliance Strap from QuakeHold (available at most home centers). Alternatively, you can use long lengths of industrial-sized Velcro with an adhesive strip on one side (available at Home Depot). Be sure to thoroughly clean the side surfaces of the TV with alcohol prior to applying the adhesive and then screw the other ends of the Velcro into the wall studs.

Living in earthquake country with young children in the house, there is really no excuse for not having our furniture properly braced.

Submit your questions to pros@homesafety.net. Martin Simenc, The Safety Guy, is the President of Home Safety Services, Inc., the Bay Area’s largest and highest rated baby proofing company.
They can be reached at 1-888-388-3811.

child safety, childproofing, emergency preparedness (all tags)

Ask The Safety Guy - furniture bracing - how and what to do?

Dana | May 04, 2009 | 0 | Posted in Baby Talk

Kacey from San Jose asks:

Which pieces of furniture should I brace to the wall and how can I do so?

Many parents overlook the hazard associated with the potential toppling of furniture. Living in California, we need to protect against both earthquakes and climbing children that cause furniture to topple and potentially cause serious injury.

The obvious pieces to brace are the tall and narrow bookcases. Unfortunately, a lot of parents stop at this point, not recognizing other equal or greater hazards. Shorter and apparently more stable pieces should also be secured, especially if they are climbable and especially if they have drawers.

Dressers, even relatively short ones, will readily topple if a toddler opens the drawers and climbs up the ladder-like steps. Shorter bookcases, changing tables, grandfather clocks, armoires and china cabinets should be secured in most cases. Stacked units, such as desk and shelf units, two-piece china cabinets and entertainment centers are particularly prone to toppling in earthquakes unless they are properly secured.

Technically, anything that is taller than it is wide can topple. However, a good rule of thumb is that if a piece of furniture is more than twice as tall as it is deep, it should probably be braced. Heavy objects such as armoires, entertainment centers, and china cabinets are not immune from this recommendation. Although your child may not climb on or pull these pieces over, a strong earthquake may.

Televisions warrant special attention. In many homes, the televisions have gotten bigger and bigger while the television stand has remained the same size. A large TV on a modest stand can readily topple, especially when an excited child watching their favorite video shakes or pulls on the TV or stand. Unfortunately, several children are killed or severely injured each year when TVs topple, thus TVs should also be braced or secured in a large cabinet.

Occasionally, parents are reluctant to brace an antique or heirloom piece, as they are concerned that bracing it will cause damage or reduce its value. Neither concern is valid since you can typically brace the furniture from behind without marring any of the finished surfaces, and the small screw holes that are required are insignificant relative to the damage and danger caused if the piece topples in an earthquake.

Now that we have identified which pieces of furniture should be braced, next time I will discuss the techniques and products for securely bracing them to the walls in your home.

Submit your questions to pros@homesafety.net. Martin Simenc, The Safety Guy, is the President of Home Safety Services, Inc., the Bay Area’s largest and highest rated baby proofing company. They can be reached at 1-888-388-3811 or www.homesafety.net.

child safety, injury prevention (all tags)

How do I convince my child's grandparents to babyproof their home

Dana | Mar 02, 2009 | 1 | Posted in Baby Talk

Ask The Safety Guy

Haley from Los Altos asks:

How do I convince my baby’s grandparents to babyproof their home?

I often hear this lament from clients, and it can be a real challenge to overcome. Let’s face it. Our parents raised us without many of the safety precautions that are generally accepted as the norm today. They survived without seatbelts and smoke detectors not to mention advances such as bike helmets and airbags. Although we cannot imagine a life without some of these, it is understandable that our parents may not appreciate the necessity for say a toilet latch. Your challenge is to empathize with your parents’ reluctance, but also to succeed in getting them to make some safety modifications.

Many grandparents have the mindset that their children survived just fine without extensive babyproofing, why should they do anything differently for their grandchildren. To their defense, most grandparents are not aware of how many children didn’t survive in their time. Whether by drowning in unfenced swimming pools, poisoning from unsecured chemicals or medications, strangling in dangling window cords or falling from balconies or windows, news and statistics of such tragedies were not tracked or communicated as efficiently then as they are today.

So, after empathizing with their reservations, how do we move toward making changes? You have several strategies from which to choose including the use of logic, guilt, an ultimatum or just doing it for them.

Logic – Do some research regarding the particular hazard(s) with which you are most concerned and present some statistical evidence. For example, if they are reluctant to fence their pool, let them know that drowning is the leading cause of preschooler accidental deaths in California and 75% of preschoolers that drown were missing for less than five minutes. You can even mention that a toddler recently drowned in a matter of minutes at her grandparent’s home in Woodside in a fountain (ironically while the mother was installing a carseat).

Guilt – That’s right. Your parents are expert at making you feel guilty; this is your opportunity to turn the table on them. Simply making reference to how badly you would feel for them if a tragic accident occurred at their home, especially one that could have readily been prevented.

Ultimatum – If your parents refuse to address critical hazards, frankly, it is your responsibility as a parent to not leave your child there. Many grandparents respond favorably when they realize that the safer their home is, the more time they will get to spend with their grandchildren.

Just Do It – Take the initiative and get it done. Do it yourself at your expense. Your parents may not buy-in to the need, but they will often allow it to be done if they don’t have to do it themselves. Alternatively, you can hire a professional to do it for them. Doing so has the additional benefit of bringing an objective and expert perspective to the table and a guarantee that the work will be done in a professional and expeditious manner.

child safety, childproofing, grandparents, home (all tags)

When is watching television good for your baby?

lkgrace | Feb 21, 2009 | 3 | Posted in Baby Talk

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a study that indicates early television and video watching can lead to ADHD by time child reaches age 7.

Since 1998 the AAP has recommended no television whatsoever for a child under age 2. They cite television watching as cause for aggressive behavior, obesity, and now Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

What do you think?

television, tv, tv dangers (all tags)

Looking for an infants PT class/group

Liz | Feb 06, 2009 | 3 | Posted in Baby Talk

I am looking for a group that a CCS therapist recommended.
It is a therapy group that meets with other infants and parents.
It sounds like one part of it is play with the babies and parents, and the other part is baby and therapist without parent.
I've called all over CPMC and no one knows what group I'm talking about and I'm getting the runaround.

thanks for any help!
...and do you know of other kinds of groups for parents and/or preemies (17 months old)?

pt, preemie, therapy, high tone (all tags)

Teeth coming in are not white

ysaito | Feb 02, 2009 | 0 | Posted in Baby Talk

My baby is getting his first teeth and it looks like they aren't growing in white. They are kind of greyish in color. The doctor said that it could be the vitaminD that he is taking, because it can stain teeth, so she told us to stop the vitamin for a week to see if it would help. It still looks to be the same, and I was just wondering if anyone out there has had the same thing happen to their little one.

(all tags)