How to Protect Your Child from Choking Hazards

Last updated on July 5th, 2017 at 10:24 pm

In a policy statement published in Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls upon food manufacturers to reduce choking risks for children. Pediatricians want manufacturers to make foods that are known choking hazards safer by changing the size, shape, and/or texture of high risk foods. They also request labeling of such foods with a warning about the potential for choking. Foods such as hot dogs, carrot sticks, grapes, peanut butter, and many others fall into the high risk category because of the frequency of choking incidents among young children involving them.

Hot dogs can be especially dangerous for young children under the age of 3. The size and shape, along with the ability to compress easily can cause the complete blockage of a child’s airway and can be lodged in too tightly to remove, even with proper medical equipment. According to the AAP policy statement Choking on food causes the death of approximately 1 child every 5 days in the United States. Hot dogs accounted for 17% of food-related asphyxiations among children younger than 10 years of age in a 41-state study.

Whether food manufacturers heed the call to re-design high risk foods or not, parents and child care providers must take responsibility for protecting children against choking on any food. Here are some recommended tips for helping your child eat safely:

• Cut up food into small pieces, no more than 1/2 inch in diameter.
• Do not feed children under the age of 4 any hard, smooth, round or firm foods that have to be chewed with a grinding motion without cutting them up into small pieces. Peanuts, grapes, hot dogs, and carrot sticks must be cut up first.
• Do not let children eat while playing, laughing, walking, or running around.
• Teach your child to chew food thoroughly and to swallow before talking.
• Do not feed popcorn, nuts, or hard candy to children under the age of 4.
• Learn CPR and how to appropriately and safely assist someone who is choking.

Life Saving In A Kit – Infant CPR Anytime

Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 02:35 pm

Question: What’s available in English or Spanish, takes less than half an hour to complete, may be shared among family and friends and costs less than $39.00?

Answer: The Infant CPR Anytime (R) kit from the American Heart Association.

This complete kit contains an infant mannequin, Skills DVD, Quick Reference guide and is intended for parents, grandparents, baby sitters- anyone who for what ever reason interacts frequently with infants. In just 22 minutes, this course will teach you how to perform infant CPR and choking intervention techniques in the comfort of your own home.

Learning these critical life saving skills has never been easier or cheaper. For so little money- for so little time what have you got to lose? For more information please go to the American Heart Associations, Infant CPR Anytime (R) website.

Children’s Pajamas and Flame Retardants

Last updated on November 3rd, 2018 at 05:37 pm

First, let’s understand that pajamas for children need to meet certain flammability requirements to prevent the risk injury from fires. For the most part, the risk is a loose sleeve or pant cuff catching an open flame, such as a candle. So, sleepwear intended for children between the ages of 9 months and 14 years must meet specific flammability requirements. Note that sleepwear for children under the age of 9 months is not subject to the requirement. This is because babies have limited mobility, are not expected to be unsupervised for long, and are not likely to catch a sleeve or pant cuff on an open flame.

If you are buying sleepwear for children between the ages of 9 months and 14 years, whether you have chemical flame retardants depends on what you buy. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers flame retardant treated pajamas to be safe. Generally, the chemicals used on pajamas or pajama fabrics include chlorinated and brominated flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants such as antimony oxides, and phosphate-based compounds. In the 1970s, the CPSC banned brominated Tris and removed chlorinated Tris from being used on children’s pajamas after they were found to mutate DNA and identified as probable human carcinogens. These chemicals were removed from children’s sleepwear after it was found that children were exposed from their treated sleepwear. So, these two particular chemicals won’t be used, but what is actually used on pajamas is difficult to discover: just try asking a retailer what particular flame retardant is used on any particular item of sleepwear.

Unfortunately, chlorinated and brominated flame retardants are contaminating the environment and accumulating in the human body. For example, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been linked to damage to the nervous and reproductive systems and impairing thyroid function. And you generally can’t tell what flame retardant is being used on any particular clothing item. And you can’t really wash the flame retardants out. The regulations require that the fabrics demonstrate their flame resistance after being laundered at least 50 times.

But you can avoid flame retardants in pajamas and still have pajamas that are safe from the risk of fire.

To meet the regulatory flammability requirements, children’s sleepwear must either pass certain flammability tests, or be tight fitting and meet certain specifications as to dimensions. This means that your child’s pajamas either have flame retardants added or are snug-fitting and probably free of flame retardants. So, you can have snug fitting pajamas without chemical flame retardants and be safer from the risk of fire.

To tell the difference check the fabric content. Look at the label and see what is identified as the primary fabric used. If the item is sleepwear and it is made of a synthetic fiber, it has flame retardants. All synthetic materials have flame retardants added. The issue for synthetic fabrics is whether the sleepwear is “chemically treated” or not. Only some sleepwear is “chemically treated” with flame retardants. Chemically treated fabrics have a chemical flame retardant added to the sleepwear. These sleepwear items include nylon and acetate fabrics.

However, most synthetic fiber sleepwear has a flame retardant inserted into the fabric fiber, including most polyester fabrics, as opposed to the fabric being “chemically treated” with a flame retardant. Fiber with flame retardants inserted into the fabric fiber are considered chemically stable. These manufacturers may claim that the sleepwear is not treated with a chemical flame retardant, and that’s true. The sleepwear is not “chemically treated.” But that doesn’t mean it is free of flame retardants. If children’s sleepwear is synthetic, flame retardant is present, whether the fabric is treated with flame retardant or the flame retardant is bonded to the fiber.

To avoid flame retardants in children’s sleepwear altogether (other than making your own) you can purchase snug fitting natural fiber pajamas, such as cotton. (And to be green and avoid pesticide residues, buy organic natural fiber cotton with low-impact dyes.) Sleepwear that is snug fitting meets flammability standards by being tight enough to a child’s body that no stray sleeve can catch fire, and also by not allowing extra air between the fabric and the skin to promote the fire’s growth if accidentally started. How can you tell if the cotton sleepwear in question is flame retardant free? Look for the hang tag that says “must be snug fitting” and “not flame resistant.” Last year, Costco had some fabulous organic, snug-fitting, flame retardant free pajamas. Snug fitting natural fiber pajamas are also available at Target, Gymboree, New Jammies, and many others. (The author has no relationship whatsoever with any of the previously mentioned companies…other than she has shopped at them.)

But be warned. It isn’t enough to just look for natural fibers. Some natural fibers are actually treated with chemical flame retardants. These are generally sold as “flame resistant cotton” and generally do not have the hang tag that says “must be snug fitting.” Instead, these pajamas will generally be labeled as flame resistant cotton.  You may see cotton sleepwear advertised as containing Proban, which is made from tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride, or THPC. Studies have shown low migration from sleepwear, but the chemical used in the process is associated with genetic abnormalities and damage to the liver, skin and nervous system. Securest is another name for Proban-treated fabric. If you see flame-resistant 100% cotton, then that cotton has flame retardants. If you don’t want flame retardants, then always look for the specific key phrases “must be snug fitting” and “not flame resistant.”

For Every Little Girl – Unlocking a Cure for Breast Cancer

Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 03:10 pm

Everyone knows someone – a mother, a daughter, a grandmother, a friend who’s had it. For me, it was my mother…and not too long ago I had that awful pit in my stomach when I thought it was my sister too. This October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And Master Lock is showing its commitment to breast cancer awareness with the introduction of new pink security locks.

“Breast cancer remains one of the most prevalent types of cancer in women and we need to do everything we can to help find a cure,” said John Heppner, president and CEO of Fortune Brands Storage and Security, which includes Master Lock. “…we hope to help unlock a cure for breast cancer by raising awareness and funding research.”

And Master Lock is doing just that. There are 4 different types of lock – each bearing the pink awareness ribbon, the universal symbol of breast cancer awareness. There are locker locks – for work or for the gym, bike cables, even luggage and backpack locks that are approved by TSA for airline travel. And each comes stamped with a little pink ribbon to remind us that with everything we lock up to keep safe, we’re helping to unlock a cure to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

I would add that in addition to raising awareness, Master Lock is supporting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) with a $15,000 donation. It is also up to each and every one of us to support BCRF in any way we can. My mother and my sister were lucky. My mom is in full remission and with my sister it was just a scare. Not everyone can say that.

In gratitude, I offer this post as a prayer for every little girl born this year, that they have the chance to grow up in a world where there is no more fear of breast cancer.

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Additional Resources:

• The Master Lock Breast Cancer Awareness Locks may be purchased at local national retailers and at Amazon.com
• The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and genetic research worldwide. For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org or call 1.866.FIND.A.CURE.

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!

Safe Sizer Choking Prevention Plate – Our Story and Giveaway

Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 03:29 pm

I’m David Zak, the inventor of the Safe Sizer™ choking prevention plate and the dad of 3 beautiful kids aged 2 to 8. Now, I don’t consider myself an overprotective parent. When my kids are playing I don’t rush to them every time they fall down. But I do worry about the big things. Those potentially fatal but very preventable “accidents” that can happen so easily if you’re not careful. Choking on food is one of those things.

When my oldest was beginning to eat solid foods, I knew I was supposed to cut it up into really small pieces to reduce his risk of choking. But I was always asking myself “How small is small?” I should also mention that I’m a former engineer, and I simply needed a little more precision than “small”.

So, I did some research. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 75 children under the age of 14 die in the US every year from choking on food and about 7,500 are treated in emergency rooms. These are senseless and preventable tragedies. Additionally, the CDC data shows children under 2 years have the highest rates of choking deaths in this group, but children up to 4 years are still particularly vulnerable because they lack a full set of teeth.

I also found a recommendation regarding food size to reduce the risk of choking. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children younger than 4 years old not be fed any round, firm food unless it is cut into pieces no larger than one-half inch in any direction.

You think you know how small one-half inch is until you start trying to cut up pieces of food to that size. It’s smaller than you think. At least, it’s smaller than we thought. And, my wife Susie and I thought, maybe this is smaller than most people would expect. If most people have even heard of this guideline…and it’s pretty important. Nobody we knew had, and we thought they should.

As I thought about how to get this information out to more people, I kept coming back to the small objects test cylinder developed by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). The cylinder’s purpose is to show parents what objects are too small to give a child under 3 because it could block the child’s windpipe. If a toy fits in the cylinder than it fails. As a matter of fact, if a toy fails this test it is required to have a label on its packaging stating it is a potential choking hazard. So why not a test cylinder for food?

But food is a little different. You want it to be swallowed, so here smaller is better. But there is one big advantage with food that I thought would make a test cylinder idea work even better than it does for toys. Food is typically served in pretty standard ways. There’s usually either a plate or a placemat or a tray or some other type of tableware. So a food test cylinder could always be right in front of you if it was built into the tableware itself.

So I invented the Safe Sizer™ .  It is a ½ inch diameter ring that could potentially be put anywhere and on anything on which children can be served food, in order to:

1. inform those who don’t know about the one-half inch size recommendation
2. remind those who do to follow it at the exact place and time when they need the reminder
3. provide a test gauge to accurately measure bite sizes to one-half inch or less

After striking out multiple times trying to convince some large manufacturers of children’s tableware that the Safe Sizer™  was a good idea, Susie and I decided we would just do it ourselves. We formed a company and called it Midwest Monkeys® after our 3 monkeys who were all born in the Midwest. We live in Albuquerque now so it was also a way of bringing a piece of our personal history with us.

Over the next year and a half we joined the major industry group, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), met a great product designer, developed, tested, and finally produced our first product that incorporated the Safe Sizer™ feature. We designed a set of three colorful melamine plastic plates with a 3-dimensional raised ring version of the Safe Sizer™  built right into the plate. To use the 3-dimensional Safe Sizer™  feature on the plates, the parent or grandparent or babysitter or any caregiver serving a child a meal simply places a piece of cut up food inside the raised ring, turns it to ensure the piece fits in every direction without going over the sides, and then hands over the plate to the child..

While we could have put the Safe Sizer™  feature on any number of different tableware, the plastic plate made the most sense. It is probably the most commonly used serving dish for kids and plastic allowed us to mold the feature right into plate making it permanent. By using melamine plastic, we also got a very durable, dishwasher safe, and food safe plastic. Lastly, we tested at the CPSIA accredited Intertek Labs to ensure that the Safe Sizer™  plates were fully compliant with the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008). They  meet or exceed all standards for lead, phthalates, and melamine plastics.

The Safe Sizer™  choking prevention plates have been available since January 2009 and the response has been wonderful. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from parents about how their kids don’t want to use any other plate and how they love putting food in the Safe Sizer™ to show their parents that the food is the right size! We’ve been mentioned in numerous articles, on TV, and in mom blogs. We’re particularly proud of the awards we’ve won including iParenting Media, The National Parenting Center, PTPA (Parent Tested, Parent Approved), and Creative Child Magazine. But what we’re most proud of is that maybe we’ll help prevent one of those 75 kids and their parents from suffering a senseless tragedy.

HEALTHFUL HINTS

Choking Prevention Guidelines

Here are some great guidelines on food choking prevention from the American Academy of Pediatrics. I would encourage all parents and caregivers to look at their site (Parenting Corner Q&A: Choking Prevention) for more information.

1. Always supervise your children while eating
2. Insist that kids are sitting while eating. No walking, running, playing, or lying down.
3. Avoid the foods that kids most commonly choke on: hot dogs, nuts & seeds, chunks of meat & cheese, whole grapes, hard or gooey or sticky candy, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw vegetables, raisins, and chewing gum.
4. Cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, and teach them to chew their food well

***Introducing our: “SAFE SIZER PLATES FOR FEWER CHOKING KIDS” Giveaway!***

The Prize:  

For  3 winners: you may each choose your favorite 2 plates  *PLUS*  a wildcard (1 extra winner) – see below for details

And here’s how it works:

Below you will find a PEDIATRIC SAFETY CONTEST ENTRY FORM. It includes 2 MANDATORY entries for the contest as well as the opportunity for you to enter BONUS entries…

For simplicity (and so that you can tweet multiple times) you can use this form for each entry, however you must fill out a separate form for each entry for it to count!

How to enter:

For your Mandatory Entry: You MUST do these 2 things FIRST or no other entries will count!

1. We at Midwest Monkeys need your help. We’re trying to make some improvements to our website but we’re not really sure where to start. So please go to our site, come back here and tell us on the form below what you’d suggest we do to make the site better. We’re looking for real suggestions that show us you’ve actually gone to the site….plus…we have a surprise for you…the BEST suggestion will win our “wildcard prize”…a single plate of your choice in addition to the ones we already mentioned – and we’re choosing this winner! (1 entry)
2. Tell us which 2 plates you like best so we know which ones to send when YOU WIN (1 entry)

For your Bonus entries:

1. Follow @pediatricsafety on twitter and tweet the following: “I just entered a SafeSizer Choking Prevention Plate Giveaway @PediatricSafety http://bit.ly/mcrTp 3 winners! Safer kids! Great Idea!” 

OR “Toddlers need to eat food in pieces <1/2″. SafeSizer plates make that easy! http://bit.ly/mcrTp Giveaway w/ 3+ winners RT @PediatricSafety” (you may tweet both: 1 entry for each per day)

2. Blog about our story and giveaway on your own site and link to this post http://bit.ly/mcrTp. (2 entries – please submit 2 forms)
3. Join the Pediatric Safety community using the “Join our Community” button.  (4 entries – please submit 4 forms)

**CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 4 WINNERS **

Our 3 Main Contest Winners – Win 2 Plates Each:

1. Traci Fritz #62 – with a Bonus Entry:  joined the Pediatric Safety site
2. Stephanie Clark #77 – with a Mandatory Entry #1: website suggestion
3. Katrina Brandenburg #31 – with a Mandatory Entry #2: which 2 plates she wanted if she won

Our Wildcard Winners – Wins Their Choice of Plate for the Most Helpful Website Suggestion

• Kristen Chumley – I think the theme should be circles. Maybe you could make the navbar circles instead of a single rectangle. Show the 3 styles of plates and when you scroll over them, there could be a zoom feature for users to check out the safe sizer. Another idea would be to have a video demonstation so people could see how useful it is to get a visual guide of 1/2″.

Contest Rules:

Giveaway is open to USA and Canada readers only. Giveaway ends at noon EST Friday Sept 11, 2009. Please fill out a separate form for each entry with your name and a valid email address so we can make sure each entry gets counted. You will have 48 hours to email pediatricsafety.net if you win. 3 winners chosen using random.org for the main prizes; 1 winner chosen by Midwest Monkeys for the wildcard prize. Good Luck to all entrants!

 

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