According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause in injury of children under the age of 1 is a fall. Because the child develops so rapidly in this stage of their lives, their quickly increasing motor skills can lead to different injury risks.
Half of the estimated 328,500 infants 12 months of age or younger who were treated for injuries in hospital emergency departments each year from 2001 to 2004 were injured as a result of a fall, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first national estimate of infant injury by month of age was published in the May 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics.
Researching your child’s motor abilities corresponding to their age and being prepared for them is the best prevention against falls and other infant injuries.
For many parents, one of their first concerns is keeping their house safe for their infants and small children. This task can seem very overwhelming at times, so FamilyDoctor.org has put together a great list of simple things you can do around the home to keep your small children safe. Some of the topics covered include:
- Making the crib safe
- Keeping the nursery and kitchen safe
- Keeping medicines and poisons out of reach
- Making sure toys as well as bath time are safe
Using the items on this list as a simple checklist of things to do around the house can make the environment a much safer place for your child.
We all remember McGruff the Crime Dog from our childhood, but did you know that McGruff has a website to teach your children some safety tips? At McGruff.org your children can play games, get advice, download activity sheets, even read McGruff’s blog. McGruff.org is run by the National Crime Prevention Council.
NCPC has a variety of informational resources and products to help parents protect their children. Two resources that can help parents keep their children safe online are McGruff SafeGuard (the result of a new partnership between NCPC and Parents on Patrol) and McGruff Kid Safe Web Browser (the result of a new partnership between NCPC and the Children’s Educational Network).
And who can forget McGruff’s infamous catch phrase? "Take a bite out of crime!"
With National Missing Children’s Day celebrated last week, honors were bestowed on those going the extra mile in the search for missing and exploited children, as well as honoring the memory of those who have been tragically lost. The day also marks the second year of Project Safe Childhood by the Department of Justice.
This spring marks the second anniversary of the Department’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative, which brings together federal, state, and local investigators and prosecutors to combat online child exploitation crimes. The Department implemented PSC in 2006 and has built the initiative upon integrated partnerships involving international, federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors.
Law enforcement collaborating on such an effort is a great step towards keeping our children safe in communities across the country.
As schools around the country are preparing to end for the summer break, more and more children will be taking to the outdoors to play and spend their time off from school. The American Academy of Pediatrics outlines a few simple tips for parents to help keep their children safe in this time of heightened activity
- Children should never ride skateboards or scooters in or near traffic.
- All skateboarders and scooter-riders should wear a helmet and other protective gear; wrist guards are particularly important.
- Communities should continue to develop skateboard parks, which are more likely to be monitored for safety than ramps and jumps constructed by children at home.
- While in-line skating or wearing Heelys, be sure to wear appropriate protective equipment and only skate on designated paths or rinks and not on the street.
These few simple tips can keep your children safe and healthy throughout their summer breaks.
As any parent knows, it’s hard to keep you children safe on the Internet. There’s a limited amount of websites that children can visit that make parents feel safe. Fortunately, Scholastic has launched an oasis in a sea of junky sites aimed at providing children a safe place to learn and play online.
The new website is being coined the P.A.C., which stands for Parent Activity Center.
The new P.A.C. site on Scholastic.com offers parents safe, age-appropriate, and educational content about, and for their young children. Parents will find trusted tools and resources that support their child’s early education and development while kids play and learn with all of their favorite Scholastic characters and book series, including “Clifford the Big Red Dog®,” “Miss Spider,” “The Magic School Bus®,” “I SPY(TM),” “WordGirl!®” and “Maya & Miguel(TM).” Kids can experience fun and educational games and activities such as: I SPY Bingo, WordGirl “Synonym Toast,” The Magic School Bus “Simple Science” monthly experiments and more.
Scholastic is well known by both adults and children for their famous books and popular characters. The new site adds a new distractions that parents can feel good about.
