Shopping cart safety
Last updated on June 16th, 2018 at 12:34 am
While shopping at the grocery store, it’s quite common to see young children climbing on and standing up in shopping carts. Although safety belts have been available for many years on most shopping carts, there are still an estimated 21,400 children under the 
age of five who are treated in U.S. emergency rooms every year because of injuries sustained from shopping carts. Most of these injuries are head injuries due to falls from not being properly restrained in the child seat of the cart.
Most children love to climb and do not enjoy sitting still for long periods of time. So parents face the challenge of keeping their kids restrained and entertained while shopping and may be tempted to let them climb on the cart or ride in the basket just to keep them happy. Or a child may get out of the restraint belt while mom or dad is preoccupied with shopping. So how do you keep your little one safe while you shop?
Here are some tips to help.
Always use the seat belt/safety strap
Children who are properly restrained in the child seat of a shopping cart are much less likely to fall out of the cart so make it a rule that if your child is in the cart, the strap has to be fastened securely. This should be non-negotiable with your child, just as seat belts and car seats in the car are a non-negotiable rule when riding in the car. Infants who are not able to sit up without assistance should not sit in a shopping cart seat unless it has a built-in infant seat with a harness restraint system. Never allow kids to climb on the cart or ride in the basket. Older children should not push the cart if younger children are riding in it and should not be allowed to ride on the outside of the cart, as this could cause the cart to tip over.
Use a shopping cart cover
Shopping cart covers help protect kids in two ways. First, they cover the seat and bar of the shopping cart which protects from germs and provides some padding, making the ride more comfortable. Secondly, some covers provide extra safety straps to provide a more secure ride. There are numerous covers available in a wide variety of styles and designs so you may want to shop around to find the best one for your child’s needs. Some even have toys attached to the cover to provide entertainment during the trip through the grocery store. When shopping for a cart cover, make sure it is large enough to fit over the child seat and bar of the shopping carts you most often use and check whether or not it has its own straps to restrain the child or if you have to use the straps on the cart.
Engage your child in the shopping experience
If your child feels included while shopping, he may be more likely to sit safely in the cart through the whole trip. Talk with him about the choices of products you are buying. Let him help pick out some of the items, if he’s old enough and talk about what you will use the items for at home. If your child is old enough, let her help you read the grocery list and check off items as they are put in the cart. Or she can hold a calculator and add up the cost of your purchases. Even toddlers can be involved by using a list with pictures instead of words or using a cheap calculator and let them pretend to add up purchases. Keeping your child involved and entertained can not only make your shopping trip safer, but also more enjoyable for you both.
Use these tips to protect your child from shopping cart falls and injuries every time you shop!
Higher Penalties For Unrestrained Children…Says an 8th Grader
Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 08:00 am
It took an eighth-grader researching a civics project to get the attention of the public regarding a serious child safety issue. Alexa Sepulveda was so moved by what she learned, she wrote a letter to the editor and it was published by Shore News Today on April 28,-2009 Her letter was so incredibly insightful that I wanted to share it with you here in its entirety:
To the editor:
Hello, my name is Alexa Sepulveda and I am an eighth-grade student at the Galloway Township Middle School. I am currently doing a civics project and my topic is increasing the penalty for driving with an unrestrained child in the car.
This has become an issue which, in my opinion, isn’t addressed enough. I believe that the penalty should be increased because it would deter parents from not putting their children in a car seat or booster seat. Restraining a child in a car will make everyone safer while driving.
For my project I have done some research, and the facts are frightening. A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2002 showed that 42 percent of all unintentional childhood deaths were due to automobile crashes.
According to NHTSA, every day in the United States during 2006, an average of five children ages 14 and younger were killed due to crashes. During 2006, 6,983 car passengers age 14 and younger were involved in fatal crashes. For those children, 25 percent were unrestrained; among those who were fatally injured, 45 percent were unrestrained.
Most people think that they will never get into an accident, but it happens every day and you have to be prepared for when it does.
Many parents install car seats wrong, say they can’t pay for a seat or misuse it once it is installed. This is understandable for new parents or guardians whose financial situation isn’t good. For these reasons, many car dealerships, baby supply stores and police stations have places and times where you can take your car seat and they will install it in your car properly for you. If you are unable to buy a child restraint, there are many organizations that are more than willing to assist you in getting one.
As you can see, this is an ongoing issue all around us. In doing this topic as my project, I am hoping to make children safer, and to educate people about the need to restrain children to keep everyone safer.
Alexa reminds us of some important things: accidents can happen…we must make sure we are prepared so our children are safe if they do…and we are not alone, there are others who can help us get there.
Coincidentally, National Child Passenger Safety Week is coming on September 12th through 18th. It is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I’m hoping that all of you travelling in cars with young children take advantage of this opportunity to check that they are safely restrained. And a great big hug to Alexa Sepulveda for caring.
Furniture Safety: preventing furniture & television tip-over injuries
Last updated on June 14th, 2018 at 11:38 pm
If you have a toddler or older child, you know the moniker “curtain climbers” is an appropriate description for most kids when they become mobile. Kids love to climb anything they can and that often includes the furniture. Dressers, entertainment centers, TV stands, all are fair game when it comes to these curious explorers. Unfortunately, kids and many parents are unaware of the potential for furniture tip-over which can cause serious injury and even death.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “from 2000 through 2005, CPSC has reports of 36 TV tip-over-related 
deaths and 65 furniture tip-over deaths. More than 80 percent of all these deaths involved young children. Additionally, CPSC estimates that in 2005 at least 3,000 children younger than 5 were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TV tip-overs.”
So how do you keep your active child from becoming a victim of a dangerous tip-over? Furniture strapping and brackets designed to prevent tip-overs should be used on any piece of furniture that a child could climb, pull over, or knock over. Don’t be fooled by the weight of a dresser or other item of furniture. Even very young toddlers have managed to pull over very large and heavy pieces of furniture. If there is any doubt as to whether the furniture is stable enough not to be tipped over, go ahead and anchor it to the wall. Some furniture companies now include anchors, straps, or brackets with new furniture, but most do not. You may be able to find furniture straps at the local hardware or home improvement store, but if not, they can easily be ordered online at babyearth.com.
Televisions should be placed on appropriate stands and anchored in such a way that they can not be pulled or knocked off the stand or tipped over. Place the TV as far back on the stand as possible. Never place remotes or toys on top of the TV, as this may encourage climbing. Prevent a TV from sliding by using a rubber mat or grips between the bottom of the TV and the stand.
On an episode of the Ask MomRN Show, I interviewed Carri McQuerry-Funk, owner of MaddiesMessage.com, about furniture safety and her efforts to bring awareness to other parents about furniture tip-over dangers. In the interview, Mrs. Funk told of the loss of her two year old daughter, Madison Funk, who was killed by her dresser falling over on top of her as she attempted to climb it. Madison’s parents have created Maddie’s Message to warn and educate other parents, and are on a mission to prevent further tragedies.
Furniture safety is an important safety precaution parents need to add to child-proofing efforts. Take some time today to inspect and secure your furniture
CONTEST #1: What’s Wrong With This Picture???
Last updated on July 30th, 2018 at 04:57 pm
For the past decade ER and Grey’s Anatomy have been two of the most popular US hospital dramas. Medical consultants are a given at this level. Take a look at the following clips from both of these shows…both show an ambulance arriving at the ER with a young child.
Two questions: What’s right with these pictures? …and more important what’s wrong?
(scenes © ER and Grey’s Anatomy, all rights reserved. A special thanks to Young Estate Studios for creating these clips and making this possible)
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You are seeing a totally accurate picture of what happens today. Clearly someone was holding the child during transport – whether the parent strapped to a stretcher or the EMT or paramedic who is getting off the ambulance holding the child. Regardless, they did not unstrap the child and pick them up to hop out of the ambulance. The consultant got it right.
What’s wrong?
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The consultant got it right – someone was holding that child on the ambulance while transporting them to the hospital. Noone has strapped that child in and currently there’s no law – at least in the US as well as in a number of other countries – requiring them to do so. It is not the medic’s fault, for very little is available in terms of equipment to safely secure young children on ambulances. But what if that child needed CPR? Or even more important, what happens to that child if the unimaginable were to happen and that ambulance were to be hit?
Maybe they’re safer in an ambulance than a car? If we consider that we are highly likely to be going above the speed limit around curves and passing through intersections against the flow of traffic, I’m not sure I believe that. Also I can say without a doubt there is at least 1 child I know of that will never attend public school because we did not keep her secure in the back of an ambulance. So clearly what we’re doing is not working, but until we’re ready to say “this is unacceptable” nothing will change.
If you agree with me that the answer is yes…then let’s do something about it… Together we can get the message out about keeping kids safe on ambulances… Oh and hey, for the people working the hardest talking to all their followers, there just might be a little something coming your way!
***HERE’S HOW IT WORKS***
The prize: a little something cool – for you truly cool people to thank you for helping out:
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To one winner – a summer of weekly Frappuccinos (or at least $50 worth on a loaded Starbucks card)
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To two second place winners – a month of Frappuccinos (or $25 worth on a Starbucks card)
MANDATORY for entry:
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You must leave a comment with your twitter URL and a valid email address and tweet this: Starbucks Giveaway! RT @PediatricSafety We need to transport kids safely on ambulances-things have got to change http://ow.ly/auXc
And for EXTRA entries: (please leave a comment for each)
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Follow me on twitter @pediatricsafety
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Follow KiddiesCorner on twitter @KiddiesCorner
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Tweet the following: Starbucks Giveaway! RT @PediatricSafety We need to transport kids safely on ambulances-things have got to change http://ow.ly/auXc (You may tweet daily – 1 entry each)
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Follow my blog http://pedsafe.blogspot.com/ (1 entry) – please make sure to verify your email
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Follow KiddiesCorner Deals Blog https://kiddiescornerdeals.com/ (1entry)
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Click on the “Share This” at the bottom of this post & submit this to your favorite social network (1 entry)
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Blog about this giveaway and link to this post http://ow.ly/auXc (3 entries)
Contest Rules –
Giveaway is open to USA and Canada readers only. Giveaway starts Friday June 19, 2009 and ends at noon EST Friday July 3, 2009. Please leave email address or make sure it’s on your profile or you won’t win. You will have 48 hours to email me if you win. Winner chosen using random.org. Good Luck to all entrants!
Finally – for a special prize…I needed a mom who knew how to run contests to help me run this one… so to thank the amazing mom who is helping make this possible, I’d like to send a little personal frappuccino heaven as well – a $20 Starbucks gift card and a huge thank you!
Welcome to our first contest of the summer – we hope to run many more …because here at Pediatric Safety we firmly believe that ONE OUCH IS TOO MANY!!
****CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS****
1ST PRIZE: Stefanie Hartman
2ND PRIZES: Eve and JanetFaye
I will be emailing you shortly with the details.
Enjoy your Starbucks…and Thanks for helping us spread the word about keeping kids safe on ambulances!! Also special thanks to Nichol at Kiddiescornerdeals.com for help running this contest!!
Honoring the brave who have fallen
Last updated on August 30th, 2015 at 05:33 pm
water-filled hole. The boy was playing on Sunday at a home construction site when he fell into the foundation pit that was being dug for the basement. Garrett Townsend who lived nearby in the housing development jumped in to rescue the child but was unable to climb the muddy sides of the pit to pull himself out of the water. He did not survive however he managed to rescue the child who is doing well.(story by the Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/us/26brfs-MANDIESAFTER_BRF.html)
The law of averages
Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 08:14 am
