As the numbers rapidly grow regarding kids with cell phones, parents wonder more and more what they can do to keep tabs on their child’s actions. Research indicates that 75 percent of 13 to 17 year old kids now have cell phones, and with that comes virtual communication freedom. According to the Boston Globe, there are several measures you can take as a parent to keep tabs on exactly what your child is using their cell phone for.
There is newer software that does essentially the same thing for text messages on cellphones. One of these services, called My Mobile Watchdog, insists on making the cellphone monitoring clear to the child. Another, called FlexiSPY, promises exactly the opposite, marketing itself as a way to either "Protect Your Children!" or "Catch Cheating Spouses!" The array of services makes it possible for parents to know exactly what their teenagers are saying and doing at most any hour.
The article goes on to question just how much parents should snoop into their child’s life. It is a fine line between trying to keep your child safe and losing all trust you have with your child.
State representatives in Ohio are bringing forth new legislation in another step to help keep children as safe as possible. State Rep. Linda Bolon has proposed legislation that would keep retailers responsible for the removal of products from their stores that were deemed to be unsafe. There is already federal law in place, but Rep. Bolton would like to see retailers held even more accountable for unsafe toys. The new bill requires the following:
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Requires the director of Commerce to “maintain and update a comprehensive list of unsafe children’s products and make this list available to the public.”
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Requires commercial dealers to provide recall notices to customers or their designees and to post the information on the company’s Web site.
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Requires retailers to remove products listed as unsafe from their store shelves and Web site, provide recall notices to customers who may have provided an address or e-mail and to post recall notices in stores and on the store Web site where customers will see them.
The bill is expected to go to the floor in the fall. Yet another great step in insuring that our children are as safe as possible.
Getting your kids to brush their teeth is a struggle isn’t it? They either think the toothbrush is a toy for them to play with, or a chew toy for them to bite down on and chew up instead of using it to actually brush. But good teeth health is so important and something that needs to be started at an early age to instill good, healthy habits in kids. Dr. Mahnaz Khan gives Newsday some fantastic tips to make sure your children keep their teeth and gums as healthy as possible.
Another fantastic development is the electronic toothbrush. Let him pick one with a cartoon character on it, or one that has flashing lights or music. The musical choice is a great one because it actually times the brushing - he should brush until the music stops, Khan said.
If you have severe issues with your children and brushing their teeth, consult with your pediatric dentist for other tips that might work in your specific case.
When your child becomes of age to get behind the wheel of a car, it is a scary time for any parent. There are so many issues to discuss…the dangers of drinking and driving, paying 100% attention to the road and not the other distractions we all have in the car, learning the rules of the road, etc. Car insurance company Allstate has come up with some fun web tools to help you begin a dialog with your child about safe automobile operation. They even include a cool "parent - teen driving contract" to point out big issues that plague teen drivers. With over 6,000 teen car accident fatalities a year, it is a conversation you can’t afford to skip.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has opened a new child safety center to help provide parents with proper safety equipment for their children and advice on how to properly use them. With so many different safety products on the market these days, it can be overwhelming for parents to know exactly the right thing to buy to keep their child as safe as possible. Now, there is help for Philadelphia parents.
Now with help from Kohl’s, C.H.O.P. is trying to help all parents keep their kids as safe as possible. The ‘Kohl’s Safety Center’ not only has affordable safety products but also health educators to help parents get the right fit and the right tools.
If you live in the area, the center is open at the hospital from 11am to 5pm on weekdays and many products are sold at cost.
Did you know there is not a national Amber Alert system? This, according to AmberAlert.com:
There is a common misconception is that there is a ?National AMBER System.? In fact, the Department of Justice administers an unfunded mandate that requires each state to implement the AMBER Plan. Each state been challenged to find, develop and maintain its own alert distribution partners and channels.
The AMBER Plan is implemented in each state in the following fashion:
Once law enforcement officials confirm a missing child report, an Amber Alert is sent to radio stations, television stations, and cable companies, and can be text messaged without charges to some wireless telephone subscribers. Broadcasters interrupt programming to relay the information using the EAS to voluntarily deliver the information to the community - the same concept that is used during severe weather or national emergencies. A description of the abducted child, suspected abductor, and details of the abduction are broadcast to millions of listeners and viewers. (The Alert is read after a distinctive sound tone and the announcement: "This is an AMBER Alert.") The Alert also provides information about how members of the public who have information relating to the abduction may contact the police or other appropriate law enforcement agency.
The more you know about how the Amber Alert system works, the quicker we can all help missing children be returned safely to their homes. Additional child safety services, like InstantAmber, help enhance the responsiveness of this service.
Baby proofing companies are proving to be huge business these days as parents have to work longer hours and live in larger homes. Since many parents are unaware of some of the smaller dangers that may lurk in their homes, they are turning to the experts to make sure their houses are 100% safe for their children.
“Child safety has become a big issue,” said Mark Gottlieb, who runs Upper Southampton’s Safe at Home Baby-Proofing. “These days, you’ve got both parents working, they’re living in larger homes than before and there’s more reliance on babysitters.” Gottlieb started his baby-proofing business 11 years ago. It is a full-time job. His services include safety gates for stairways, latches that secure cabinets and drawers and door locks.
Each year roughly 2 million children five years old and younger are treated in emergency rooms for injuries that happen in the household.
We all want to work as hard as possible to keep our kids safe, and that includes politicians who work day in and day out to enact legislation to make our states as safe as possible for children.
KidsInDanger.org
keeps a running list of all of the efforts to pass the Children’s Product Safety Act in each state to help keep parents informed on what is being done on a local level to keep their children as safe as possible.
Children’s product safety is a national, even an international concern. The most effective changes in safety must come in the national arena. A strong U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), with the power and funding to oversee product safety, is critical. KID encourages policy makers to consider ways to improve recall effectiveness. However, the root of the problem is inadequately tested products that reach the market before their safety is assured. Until pre-market safety testing is mandated, our children will continue to serve as guinea pigs.
If you would like to get involved, KidsInDanger.org provides you with information and tools to help you get in touch with policy makers on such important issues.
Summer is upon us and for many that means the annual family vacation. Airports can be a frightening place for not only children, but parents too as they try to navigate their way through the crowds and keep the family together. MSNBC offers up some tips as well as information about several airports that have air themed areas for children to play.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has an aviation-themed play area with a miniature air traffic control tower, runway, aircraft and so on. The gear, meant to be handled, is padded, and there is a place for parents to sit down while they keep an eye on the young ones.
Remember to allow your family plenty of time to make your flight so that a mad dash to a plane doesn’t result in a lost child.
First time parents have many confusing things to worry about when they bring their child home for the first time, including the right car seat alignment for their child. The Evansville Courier Press lays out an excellent time table to decide when you should graduate your child from one car seat to another, even when to change the particular car seat position.
The first car seat your child will need is a rear-facing infant seat. Babies should continue to ride facing the rear until they are at least 20 pounds and 1 year old.
Because of differences in neck bone rigidity and ligament strength, infants facing forward are more likely to suffer a spinal cord injury in a crash, so it is advisable to keep your child facing the rear as long as possible, even if your child reaches the 20-pound mark before his first birthday.
There are other steps covered in the handy guide, from when your child can graduate to a booster seat to getting rid of the seat altogether. Seeing that the leading cause of death among children is car accident, following proper car seat “rules” for your child is of utmost importance.