A PARANOID PARENT'S TIPS FOR WINTER SAFETY AND SANITY

At this time of year, many families are off to the mountains to ski. Here are some creative parent-to-parent tips on skiing with your kids safely:

Be visible - Dress both yourself and your kids in bright jackets, but NOT red or orange. These are typically the colors of ski patrol employees and will make you and your child blend into the masses on the slopes. Choose a bright green or pink or purple. If this isn’t possible for your ski jacket, invest in bright-colored gloves, hats and scarves.

Identification – Place your business card or a note with the cellphone number you are carrying into the pocket of your children. If your child gets lost or hurt, the number to reach you will be immediately available.

Slope etiquette – Inform your children that people ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them - not for them to jump out of your way.

Ski to your child’s level – It is tempting to encourage your child to try the bigger slopes with you, but make sure they are ready. This winter my son dropped off a twenty-foot cliff because he wasn’t ready to navigate the more difficult slopes (he was unharmed, thank goodness!).

Chair Lifts – Make sure your child’s back is pressed up against the chair lift and they are sitting up straight (ski wear gets slippery and you don’t want a slouching child to slide underneath the safety bar). I always hook onto some part of my son while on the chairlift: arm, ski jacket, waist, to keep him secure. Don’t raise the safety bar too early when exiting the lift; keep your firm grip on your child until his skis safely touch the exit ramp.

Traveling with Kids - Using Public Restrooms

Since this is the time of year that many families take vacations to escape the cold weather or to take a break from the winter doldrums, I thought this would be a good time to talk about some issues involved when traveling with kids. The parents I speak to have indicated by an overwhelming majority that one of the most concerning aspects of traveling with kids is visiting public restrooms. Particularly if you are a parent traveling alone with children of both sexes. My Paranoid Parent Panel has given me some excellent suggestions that they use when they travel. Below are a host of great tips - I urge parents to take note of these tips and use any that they feel comfortable with:

• Try to plan bathroom breaks to coincide with meals. Restaurant bathrooms are cleaner and restaurants are generally more people populated (i.e. safer) than gas stations and highway rest areas.

• If you must stop at a rest area to use the restrooms (particularly if a night) do not allow any children to enter a restroom alone. An adult should be with a child at all times, even for older children who use the restroom without assistance.

• Never, ever stop along the side of a highway for a quickie potty break by the side of the road. This is outrageously dangerous - you are putting your lives in the hands of speeding truckers and sleepy-eyed travelers to spot you. If it is an absolute emergency, pull well off the road into a side street or exit.

• For older children of the opposite sex who use the restroom without assistance, there are several tricks that parents' use to keep them safe. My son is eight years old and I wait outside the men's restroom and call to him every 30 seconds to 1 minute. If he doesn't answer, he knows I am coming in.

• One mom calls into the men's restroom herself before her son enters, ensures it is unoccupied by peeking in, before allowing her son to use the restroom.

• Parents are people, too (really?) and need to use the facilities themselves once in a while. I keep my daughter inside the restroom with me and insist my son hovers near the door. They chat together or with me so that I always know, at least by sound, that they are nearby and safe.

• When traveling, there is a lot of eating out. Restroom safety in restaurants should be just as stringent. Several parents state that they use the 1 minute rule. If their older children are not out of the restroom in 1 minute, they call in - if no answer, they go in.

• For parents of younger children, using the public restroom is often a major event. Take advantage of the infant seat located in many restrooms these days to strap your toddler in so that he/she doesnt wander out without you. For infants, take your stroller or portable car seat into the restroom with you and secure your baby into it while you use the facilities.

• Many parents don't trust the infant changing tables, especially for older, slightly heavier kids where the structure is questionable for the child's weight. These changing tables are also high-traffic areas where feces is prevalent - how clean can they be? If you are concerned about safety and sanity regarding these changing structures, try always toting an over-sized heavy-duty changing pad with them and simply change diapers on the restroom floor. I could never seem to find a portable changing pad that was big enough so my kids heads didn't roll onto dirty floors so I improvised and carried a beach blanket - the fluffy kind with a vinyl coating to ward off sand. This functioned wonderfully as an oversized changing pad that was easy to clean and my children never rolled off into germ-laden areas.

• It is not a good idea to use the restroom while a child of the opposite sex uses the other restroom. I prefer to allow my son to use the restroom first and stand by the exit and wait for him so that I am always aware of where he is. Then, I go in while he waits by the door within earshot.

• Always wash up thoroughly after using a public restroom. This sounds obvious, but many little parts of a child touch things in the restroom: hands, arms, face, legs, elbows. Carry plenty of anti-bacterial wipes and wipe down any spots on your child that contacted a restroom surface. On occasion, I've had some items fall into the toilet or smear across the floor. I either call it a loss and leave the item, or (when this practice started to get expensive) tote a plastic grocery bag in my diaper bag. I would toss any fouled items into the plastic bag for a thorough washing later. I have been known to throw out my childrens underwear right in the restroom. Some things are just too much and the price of a pair of underwear is a small one to pay for a little Mom-dignity!

Surviving the Malls During Holiday Shopping

Can you name your worst holiday shopping experience? I can – the day I lost my two-year-old son in the bustling masses at Cary Towne Center. We found him safely, huddled beneath a rack of blouses, but since then, I’ve become a paranoid parent, envisioning danger lurking behind every department store display. To combat my holiday shopping paranoia, I’ve implemented some unique methods to get through this most joyous and most stressful time of year. Here’s how I do it:

Camera phones: As you enter the mall or those nightmarishly monstrous mega-stores, snap a picture of your child with your camera phone. Not only will you have a current picture of your child, but you’ll capture her in the exact clothing she’s wearing. In the event you can’t locate her, you have an instant description and photo.

Shopping with more than one child: If you must take more than one child with you to complete your holiday shopping, dress them each in the same bright colors (stay away from red and green as this will blend into the holiday scenery). This allows you to easily maintain a visual on each child at a glance.

Business cards: Insert a business card with the number of the cellphone you are carrying into each child’s pocket. Instruct children older than two to present this card to a ‘safe’ adult if they become lost. Younger children will unknowingly carry around this crucial information. Store employees can then immediately call you to retrieve your lost child.

‘Safe’ adults: As you enter the store, point out the store employee’s uniforms. Instruct older children that these are ‘safe’ adults and can be approached if lost.

Whistles: My favorite friend – the $.25 plastic whistle. Give each child a whistle to hang around their neck. When they cannot see you, or a stranger approaches them, tell them to blow their whistle as loud as they can. You can pinpoint their location instantly. My kids feel empowered with their whistle. Once, we came running to my three-year-old daughter blowing her whistle at the stranger talking to her. She didn’t recognize her aunt. Well, if her aunt wanted to be distinguishable from a stranger, she should visit more often.

Infants: Every parent knows not to take their eyes off their infant for even a second. My friend was so paranoid someone was going to snatch her baby, she would take two cellphones to the mall and insert one into the top of her baby’s diaper. Fortunately, she never had to call her own cellphone and chase down a ringing diaper.

The Power of Yelling: As parents, we are conditioned to telling our kids to “keep your voice down”. (Of course, I am usually screaming this myself, but that’s beside the point). However, when kids are threatened or lost, their most powerful tool is their voice. Encourage them to scream as loud as they can if a stranger approaches them or they can’t see you. I have been known to stand in the middle of Wal-Mart and shriek my child’s name at the top of my lungs. Some shoppers look at me as if I’m a lunatic, but I locate my children in seconds – and that’s all that matters.

A little preparation can turn an afternoon nightmare into a festive shopping experience. Happy shopping!

Surviving the Malls During Holiday Shopping

Can you name your worst holiday shopping experience? I can – the day I lost my two-year-old son in the bustling masses at Cary Towne Center. We found him safely, huddled beneath a rack of blouses, but since then, I’ve become a paranoid parent, envisioning danger lurking behind every department store display. To combat my holiday shopping paranoia, I’ve implemented some unique methods to get through this most joyous and most stressful time of year. Here’s how I do it:

Camera phones: As you enter the mall or those nightmarishly monstrous mega-stores, snap a picture of your child with your camera phone. Not only will you have a current picture of your child, but you’ll capture her in the exact clothing she’s wearing. In the event you can’t locate her, you have an instant description and photo.

Shopping with more than one child: If you must take more than one child with you to complete your holiday shopping, dress them each in the same bright colors (stay away from red and green as this will blend into the holiday scenery). This allows you to easily maintain a visual on each child at a glance.

Business cards: Insert a business card with the number of the cellphone you are carrying into each child’s pocket. Instruct children older than two to present this card to a ‘safe’ adult if they become lost. Younger children will unknowingly carry around this crucial information. Store employees can then immediately call you to retrieve your lost child.

‘Safe’ adults: As you enter the store, point out the store employee’s uniforms. Instruct older children that these are ‘safe’ adults and can be approached if lost.

Whistles: My favorite friend – the $.25 plastic whistle. Give each child a whistle to hang around their neck. When they cannot see you, or a stranger approaches them, tell them to blow their whistle as loud as they can. You can pinpoint their location instantly. My kids feel empowered with their whistle. Once, we came running to my three-year-old daughter blowing her whistle at the stranger talking to her. She didn’t recognize her aunt. Well, if her aunt wanted to be distinguishable from a stranger, she should visit more often.

Infants: Every parent knows not to take their eyes off their infant for even a second. My friend was so paranoid someone was going to snatch her baby, she would take two cellphones to the mall and insert one into the top of her baby’s diaper. Fortunately, she never had to call her own cellphone and chase down a ringing diaper.

The Power of Yelling: As parents, we are conditioned to telling our kids to “keep your voice down”. (Of course, I am usually screaming this myself, but that’s beside the point). However, when kids are threatened or lost, their most powerful tool is their voice. Encourage them to scream as loud as they can if a stranger approaches them or they can’t see you. I have been known to stand in the middle of Wal-Mart and shriek my child’s name at the top of my lungs. Some shoppers look at me as if I’m a lunatic, but I locate my children in seconds – and that’s all that matters.

A little preparation can turn an afternoon nightmare into a festive shopping experience. Happy shopping!

Nervous About Letting Your Child Ride the SCHOOL BUS?

The Good News
FACT: There is no safer way to transport a child than in a school bus. Fatal crashes involving occupants are extremely rare events, even though school buses serve daily in every community - a remarkable 8.8 billion student trips annually. Every school day, some 440,000 yellow school buses transport more than 24 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. Said another way to give perspective to the huge magnitude of pupil transportation, the equivalent of the populations of Florida, Massachusetts and Oregon ride on a school bus twice every day - almost always without a serious incident. Between 1990 and 2000, an average of just six children each year died as school bus passengers. These tragedies typically involved unavoidable, severe circumstances.

The Danger Areas
What is the most dangerous part of the school bus ride? The bus stop! Children are at greatest risk when they are getting on or off the school bus. Most of the children killed in bus-related crashes are pedestrians, five to seven years old, who are getting on or off the bus. They are hit by the school bus or by motorists illegally passing a stopped bus.
Young children are most likely to be hit because they:
hurry to get on or off the bus,
act before they think and have little experience with traffic,
assume motorists will see them and will wait for them to cross
don't always stay within the bus driver's sight.

Here are some recommended tips and real-world practices to ensure children get on and off the school bus safely:
o Children should not arrive at the Bus Stop too early. Kids get restless and will likely start running around or start up games to combat the boredom. I find that when I arrive too early to the bus stop, inevitably someone yells “Tag! You’re it!” and then kids disperse in all directions.
o An adult should wait with children until the bus arrives. This is particularly difficult for working parents who need to be somewhere on time. Take turns with other parents that you trust to monitor the Bus Stop before and after school. After school, kids often get off the bus and walk home by themselves. I recommend a parent to be there, lurking nearby or watching out the window. Sometimes I ‘pretend’ I am taking a walk around the neighborhood and just happened to be in the vicinity as the bus arrived. I remember when I was attending elementary school, my parents would set the alarm clock, plop me in front of the television and instruct me to go to the bus stop when the alarm sounded. Then, they left for work. How did I make it to adulthood!
o There are blind spots where the bus driver can lose sight of a child: FRONT DANGER ZONE: It's never safe to walk close to the front of the bus. Children should walk five giant steps ahead of the bus before crossing in front of it. SIDE DANGER ZONE: Children should always stay three giant steps away from the side of the bus. REAR DANGER ZONE: Never walk behind the school bus.
o Remind children NEVER to approach a car or driver of a car asking for directions or answer questions from strangers. Of course, if a parent is always at the bus stop, the adult should field strangers in cars.
o Remind children to stay to the side of the roadway. Most bus stops are at or near corners, which can be dangerous. This sounds obvious, but once kids get into play, they get distracted and aren’t vigilant about watching for passing cars.
o Kids will and do play in the yards closest to their bus stop. I and other parents encourage that they stay in the grass out of harm’s way. To be a good neighbor, we have asked permission for our kids to run about in these yards from the homeowners. Sometimes my son and I toss baseballs while waiting for the bus. This way his attention is focused on me, he is backed against the grass so that if a ball is missed, I am the one to go out into the street to retrieve it.
o Older children can and do bully younger children. Listen to the stories your children tell about activity at the bus stop, they are probably true. Arranging for an adult to be at the bus stop will prevent this from happening. Tell your child what is acceptable behavior and what is not. I remember when I was growing up there was an older child at my bus stop who thought it great fun to toss ice balls at my head (in summer, he preferred various sized rocks and stones). Why didn’t I tell my parents? Why did I let myself be target practice day after day? I suppose I was embarrassed. Encourage your child to tell you anything and everything.
o Teach your child to ask the driver for help if they drop something near the bus. If a child stoops to pick up something, the driver cannot see them. They could accidentally be hit by the bus. A durable book bag or backpack helps keep loose items together.
o Stay away from the bus wheels, and watch for moving cars.

If you think a bus stop is in a dangerous place, talk with your school office or transportation director about changing the location. The location of the bus stop is not an immovable, inflexible decision and everyone has the same goal – for kids to be safe. I know someone who complained and succeeded in having an additional stop in her neighborhood added to the route – right in front of her house.

The PLAY ZONE

The ‘Play Zone’
A great idea many parents implement is to set up an outside ‘play zone’. The play zone is the space that kids can play in while parents are cooking dinner, doing laundry, etc. and is usually the perimeter of your front yard and backyard. Imagine an invisible fence around the zone where your kids can play freely and without consequence – as long as they stay in the zone. In our family the play zone is our front and back yard and the yard of our adjacent next-door neighbor who are close family friends and our kids often play together. The yards bleed into each other and the kids do not have to cross the street to get from one yard to the other; they are easily visible from all areas of our house. The most important thing is for parents to:
1. determine the designated play zone
2. inform the kids and
3. emphatically enforce it. My kids know that if they are caught outside the play zone without asking Mommy or Daddy, outside play is over and there is BIG trouble (sounds scary, doesn’t it?). In this day of kids of all ages disappearing, kids being hit by cars and large numbers of accidents occurring at home, it astounds me that some parents still allow their kids to virtually roam the neighborhood at will.

Here are some tips to setting up an appropriate ‘play zone’ in your household:
o Your designated play zone should be restrictive, but within reason. Requiring kids to remain in a four-foot patch of grass is not likely to be heeded.
o Any areas in your play zone should not involve crossing a street, even a street in a cul-de-sac. We live in a cul-de-sac and one neighbor must be in training for NASCAR he drives so fast. Not all adults have children or young children and are not as diligent about driving slowly.
o All areas in your play zone should be easily visible from your house or yard; don’t allow kids to wander into heavy woods behind your home alone
o Remind your kids periodically of the boundaries of your designated play zone
o Reinforce that chasing balls and toys that have rolled or were tossed out of the play zone is not a reason to leave the play zone. Balls and toys must be left in the street or in whether they land until a parent has been consulted
o If a child leaves the play zone without asking, execute a swift punishment
o Be sure that your children know that the play zone is not only for them to stay inside, but for people they don’t know to stay out. Emphasize that if someone they don’t know enters the play zone or gets too close, they should immediately run and tell an adult.
- Many parents cover indoor outlets with protectors but forget about outdoor outlets. If you have young children and cover your indoor outlets, make sure to cover outdoor outlets in areas where kids play: back deck, front porch, sides of the house, etc.

Packing Your Summer First Aid Kit

Involve your kids in packing your first aid kit. You should a kit stashed in these locations: one in each family car, your beach bag and home. Kids will love to run around the house scooping up the items as if it’s a treasure hunt. This empowers them with the security of knowing that you have band-aids and medicine to make them feel better as well as provides an opportunity to reinforce safety. Here is a simple, to the point, list of things to include in a First Aid Kit. We’ve never needed anything other than these items:
o Extra sunscreen
o Basic thermometer
o Scissors
o Tweezers (for removing splinters)
o Bandaids (purchase a box with assorted shapes and sizes or those with their favorite characters on them)
o Children’s Tylenol or acetaminophen (pack an extra bottle of the brand/type that is suitable for your child’s age and that you use at home)
o Adult pain relievers (I get more headaches on vacation than anywhere else!)
o Hydrogen peroxide (for cleaning cuts and scrapes)
o Neosporin/antibiotic ointment
o Water bottles (for washing out scrapes and cuts and extra drinking water)
o Baby powder (not a safety essential item, but it’s the best way to rid sand from tiny feet before getting into the car. I find those crowded water faucets surrounded by a hundred kids trying to wash sand from their feet a nightmare. Using baby powder as our cleaning method eliminates that chaos)

Ready-packed First Aid Kits
You can purchase handy, ready-packed First Aid Kits at any pharmacy or mega-store such as Target, Wal-Mart and some grocery stores. However, be aware that these pre-packed kits may not contain everything you need at the beach. For example, the standard kits contain every size and type of bandage ever produced, but do not include extra sunscreens, children’s pain relievers (most contain adult pain relievers), and tweezers. What I do is purchase the pre-packed kit and stash the extra items inside that nifty box. If I decide to purchase all the items above individually, we stuff them into one of the kids’ mini-backpacks for ease in transporting. Parents also use other containers for First Aid supplies that are easy to carry or stuff at the bottom of a beach bag: soft-covered lunch bags, disposable plastic lunch containers, various sized Tupperware containers, the cloth carriers for portable chairs that tie at the top.

Preventing Heat Illness in Kids in Summer

Keeping kids safe in the summer is a full-time commitment, but one thing often overlooked is the potential for serious heat related illness. One of the best ways to prevent heat stroke and heat exhaustion in kids is to keep them hydrated – Kids should be drinking fluids almost constantly while playing in the summer heat. Here are some creative tricks to pump liquids into the little ones:
o Try toting water bottles with you in various frozen stages. Completely freeze some to last throughout the day, fill others halfway and freeze, filling the remainder of the bottle with water. This gives kids a cold drink even towards the end of a long day at the beach or at the park.
o If your kids prefer juice or sports drinks (great for replenishing electrolytes), bring plenty. These drinks can also be completely or partially frozen.
o Most parents prefer to tote water and juice in small plastic containers to allow for easy packing and individual consumption. On most beaches and parks glass is prohibited and plastic containers allow for easy freezing and can be tossed after emptied – that’s one less thing to drag back home!
o Don’t bring soda or caffeinated drinks to the beach as these have a diuretic effect and are not the most effectual ways to keep kids hydrated
o If you are toting along a cooler, stuff some of those Freeze Ice sticks in – kids love the syrupy juice and will suck it down even if it melts.