The Other Gifts We Give Our Kids
There are many traditions at this time of year that involve parents giving their children presents – whether obviously or through Santa subterfuge! But there are many gifts we give our kids throughout the year that have a much more lasting impact than the latest hot video game or toy, even if our little people don’t yet realize it or always appreciate our efforts. Below is a selection of some of these gifts of love.
Vaccinations
The WHO cites a detailed history of vaccination that demonstrates how only clean water has done more for the health and wellness of mankind. Historical books, movies and TV shows detail just how frightening the diseases we vaccinate against once were. The shots we get for our children are a gift that provides a lifetime of protection – for them and those around us.
Safe Home
Every time parents install a cabinet lock to hide chemical cleaners, secure heavy furniture and TVs against tipping, or reduce the setting of their water heater they are providing invaluable gifts to their children – reduction in the risk of preventable poisoning, injury, burns. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that almost 1,800 kids are seen in Emergency Departments each year due to injuries from furniture and TV tip-overs – and 119 kids between 1 and 3 years old die annually from these incidents.
Safe Transport
Around 400-500 child deaths are prevented in the US every year due to use of car seats and other child restraints – and that’s not counting the reduction in severe injuries from use of safety seats for kids. Every time we strap them into a car seat we are giving them a precious gift and teaching them good car safety habits for when they become drivers.
Healthy Eating Appreciation
Obesity is one of the greatest health crises of our age, given its link to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, and even several cancers. Helping our children appreciate food for its support of health is a gift that keeps giving over a lifetime.
Active Lifestyle Encouragement
As parents, we all want our children to live a long and happy life. Physical activity is a important contributor to this goal, given how it reduces risk for chronic diseases and even improves mental health, sleep and mood.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, “only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”
Getting our kids to be active – and, more importantly, being a role model for physical activity is literally a gift of life.
Protection from Excessive/Inappropriate Online Exposure
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their guidelines for “screen time” to better reflect how entrenched online usage now is at all ages, they still make recommendations – such as developing personalized media use plans for your kids that takes into account each child’s age, health, personality and developmental stage – to ensure a valuable online experience. Putting limits in place for when our kids can access the internet and what they can see is an important gift for protecting their online reputation and preventing inappropriate connections.
So while you are savoring your kids squeals of delight when they open their presents during the holidays, remember to pat yourself on the back for all the other gifts you labor to give them year-round – gifts that protect them for a lifetime.
Saving Lives – Helping Kids Escape a Locked Car Trunk
We all know little kids love to climb. And hide-and-seek is often a favorite game. Unfortunately no matter how often you stress the danger, a car trunk can still look like a great place to play. That said, I think all of us would agree that with little kids around it’s a good idea to have an internal trunk release – especially since they are known to be the easiest and fastest way to escape from inside of a car trunk. What may not be commonly known however is that most vehicles older than model year 2002 do NOT have a trunk release accessible from inside the trunk compartment. An organization called Kids and Cars has made it a priority to not only pass on this information but to try and address the problem.
Kids and Cars‘ goals are to ensure that not only are children never left unattended in or around vehicles but also to support the design of safer vehicles that eliminate unnecessary deaths and injury to children. Kids and Cars maintains a national database tracking deaths and injuries to children left unattended in or around motor vehicles. Currently there is no federal or state agency that collects this information
In 2009, Janette Fennell, founder of Kids and Cars.org appeared on SpikeTV’s “Surviving Disaster: Home Invasion” during the segment on how to escape from a locked car trunk. Shortly after the broadcast, (upon receiving an abundance of requests), Kids and Cars began offering an after-market Emergency Trunk Release kit. If you do not currently have an emergency glow-in-the-dark trunk release, it is imperative you purchase one, whether from Kids and Cars or elsewhere; if you have one I highly recommend making sure every child knows what it is and how to use it.
Too many children have lost their lives after gaining access to a car trunk that did not have this simple safety device. Not a single trunk related fatality has been reported where one of these devices was installed.
The message is clear…we just need to hear it.
Today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day 2023!
Every year on average, 40 children die in hot cars in the US
What can you do??
- Always keep cars locked & keys out of reach of children. If a child is missing – check in all cars!
- Ask childcare to call you if your baby doesn’t show up as planned!
- A car is not a babysitter. NEVER leave a child or animal alone inside a vehicle, not even for a minute!
- See a child alone in a car? Get involved! Call 911 immediately
- If you think it can’t happen to you, please think again. (Ray Ray’s Story)
*Image credit: kidsandcars.org
Embrace Life by Buckling Up [Video]
It never ceases to amaze me how many people do not use their seat belts while driving or riding as a passenger, even with all the statistics and evidence that proves the risk of severe and/or fatal injuries is immensely higher for those who do not buckle up. As a registered nurse, I’ve seen too much to ever think of being in a moving vehicle without my seat belt on to protect me.
An ad has been circulating to promote seat belt usage in a new way. It is a short, simple message, and yet so powerful and it is the hope of the creators that it will inspire people to stop and think about all they stand to lose if they should ever be in an accident while unbuckled.
Do yourself, your family, friends, and all of us a favor – BUCKLE UP and drive safely! Your loved ones will be glad you did!
Distracted Driving Kills: Please Watch With Your Teens (Video)
Alex Brown age 17,
Cady Reynolds age 16,
Margay Schee age 13,
Joe Teater age 13,
Ashley Johnson age 16,
Julie Davis age 58 – her granddaughter was 2.
Kassy Kerfoot age 18.
What do all these people have in common? They are the real names of some of the 5,500 people who die
and the 500,000 people injured on our roads each year due to distracted driving. Some of the victims are innocent occupants and pedestrians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Innocent – small consolation – dead is still dead. Most are under 20- they are our children- they are our future.
Distracted driving is texting while driving; it is talking on cell phones. It is any activity that takes the focus off of the task of safe motor vehicle operation. It only takes a moment of inattention. But enough of me rambling.
Below is a link to a video that is 3 minutes 50 seconds duration. If you watch it-you WILL be moved, you WILL make a difference in someone’s life. You will show a teenager in your family this video- you will watch it together. You will think twice before you respond to a text while driving. You will set an example for your kids to follow. Just 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
Making a difference- changing a life for the better need not take long- it usually just takes action. Please make a difference- pass this along.
For more information on teen and districted driving:
- Fatality Facts 2018 – Teenagers: https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/teenagers
What You Need to Know About Car Seat Safety? Ask a Fireman
Being a firefighter, I come across a lot of situations that make me shake my head in wonder. The one that my fellow firemen and I continually come across is installing and checking car seats and the many interesting and creative ways people have managed to improperly install a car seat. Whether you are the SUV with a few seats that have been installed for a while, or the new dad sweating on the way to the hospital stopping at the fire station asking the nice firemen to install your brand new seat, there are a few things that need to be taken into account when choosing your car seat and then installing your car seat.
What choice could matter more than that of the one your child is going to be sitting in as you motor around town? Choosing the correct car seat for your new baby or young child requires some homework and label reading.
First there is price. Car seats come in all price ranges, from free at some local fire stations and community organizations to very expensive with extra padding, lights and toys. Just because a seat costs more does not make it a better seat than the one next to it. Check online at places like www.consumerreports.com or www.safekids.org to find out how these seats compare to one another will give you better insight as to the correct choice for you and may even surprise you.
Next is the correct size seat for your child. This is the part about label reading that I mentioned before. Car seats are designed with a specific weight and height in mind for each seat and making sure the seat is the correct size for your specific child maximizes the safety of the seat for your child. Seats that are too big may allow for too much room for movement and seats that are too small may make your child uncomfortable and ultimately unsafe. Car seats should be securely snug but not a tourniquet.
Installation. Having your brand new car seat is wonderful and having it installed correctly is the most important factor of all. Where can I go to have my new car seat installed? There are many places that will correctly install your new car seat by using certified installation experts that have been trained on many different types of vehicles and the important points of each type of vehicle. You may want to call your local fire department or hospital for information on places to go for installation and you can also consult websites like www.safekids.org or the national highway traffic safety administration website http://www.nhtsa.gov to find installation centers in your area and may even find info on installation events going on in your area right now.
If you have any questions about a soon to be purchase of a car seat or the one that is in your car right now, please feel free to stop in at any fire station and ask for a check. We may shake our head but we love knowing your kids are safe.
God Bless!
