Play Safe with Holiday Gifts!

With the holidays, children are gifted with new toys and trinkets from well-meaning loved ones. While everyone enjoys a child’s face when they open a new gift, be sure to follow all safety precautions when introducing a new item. The goal is for playtime to be hazard-free. Here are some tips for safe gifting:

•  Choose age appropriate toys. Toy packaging notes the proper age group for a specific toy. Choose gifts that are suitable for the child’s skills, abilities, and will spark their interest.

•  Follow directions. Before handing a new toy to a child, be sure to read the instructions. This is best to do before buying the item to ensure that there are no serious dangers.

•  Buy safety accessories. If purchasing items such as a bike, skateboard, scooter, skates, or the new hot ticket hover board, buy the necessary safety gear. Items such as arm/knee pads and helmets should be added as part of the gift.

•   Properly dispose of packaging. Tags, zip ties, plastic bags, and staples are just some of the harmful debris that comes with new packaging. It is best for the parent or caregiver to open the new item prior to playtime, or be vigilant about the cleanup of a torn open package.

•  Pay attention. Monitor children when they are playing with a new toy. Be sure that the child is capable of managing the toy and no safety concerns arise.

•  Store toys after playtime. Put toys away when they are not in use. Tripping, stepping, or falling on a toy left lying around can cause an avoidable accident!

Remember, play safe and play smart!

Talking To Kids About Tragedy

In light of the recent Paris attacks and continued fight against terrorism, parents and caregivers around the world are a little more vigilant and keeping a closer eye on their environment during their daily activities. When tragedies occur, how do parents and caregivers explain abstruse situations to innocent children?

Begin by finding out what they already know. Never assume children know all details. They may have walked by a room when adults were talking or listened to snippets of the news. Launching into unnecessary detail may cause information to be shared or exaggerated or cause undue fear.

With children, the more lucid the explanation, the easier it is for everyone. Analogies are a great form of communication for young children. Relate the occurring tragedy to situations they encounter every day. Children should be informed about their surroundings, never fear them. Acknowledge which emotion they could be harboring and reassure them that they are secure with you. Children need to know that they have safe places where no harm can come their way. Allow children to ask questions before providing them with excess details. Too much information can sometime cause more fear than security.

Prepare children. In case of emergency, they need to know who to contact, where to go, and that someone is there to protect them. Watching the news (age appropriate) with children gives allowance for age appropriate dialog. The older they become, the more detailed the conversation will be. In today’s world, the most important thing a parent, or caregiver, can do is to monitor their surroundings and take all necessary precautions for safety. Talking to Kids About Tragedy

 

Introducing Sesame Street’s Julia

There is a new neighbor on Sesame Street! The newest muppet created by Sesame Workshop is Julia, a preschool girl with autism. Julia is described as a girl who “does things a little differently.” The character invention comes one year after Sesame Workshop partnered with Autism Speaks to raise awareness and to help educate families. Not only can you see Julia on the Sesame Street television program, but parents and caregivers can also go online, or download the app, to receive helpful tools and advice caring for children with autism.

Just as a young child is beginning to walk and function by themselves, one of the most trying experiences for a parent is to be told that their child may be on the autism spectrum.  Unfortunately, there is a rise in the number of parents that are faced with this issue.  One in every 68 children in the US is diagnosed as being on the spectrum for autism. What does being on the spectrum mean? Autism Speaks defines it as, “having exceptional abilities in visual skills, music and academic skills.” About 40 percent have intellectual disability (IQ less than 70), and many have normal to above average intelligence. Indeed, many individuals on the spectrum take pride in their distinctive abilities and “atypical” ways of viewing the world. Others with autism have significant disability and are unable to live independently. About 25 percent of individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) are nonverbal but can learn to communicate using other means.

             Julia is not only a character. She is a learning tool. Julia inspires feelings of understanding, compassion, acceptance, and determination. Sesame Street believes that this new character will “reduce stigma, and demonstrate the commonalities that children with Autism share with all children.”

CDC Helping Fight the Flu

The 2015-2016 flu season has arrived. The flu virus is constantly changing so it is not uncommon for a new virus strand to appear each year. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive a flu vaccine. It is best to be vaccinated before flu season, or as early as possible into the season, to ensure that as many people as possible are protected against the virus before flu season goes into full affect. While vaccination is the first step in prevention, the CDC has a few other helpful tips for fighting the flu this season:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs such as the flu.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, body aches, headaches, chills, and fatigue. In some cases, someone could also experience vomiting and diarrhea. If these symptoms occur, contact a medical professional. And if feeling flu-like symptoms, please be aware of spreading germs in the workplace.

Social Media Professionalism

Social media can be a professional liability. Prior to hiring, employers may search potential employees’ Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Without updated privacy settings, entering a name into Google will display all active social media accounts. While hiring decisions cannot be made solely on what is found, it certainly can influence opinions. Once hired, employers can check these sites to monitor behavior, comments, and status updates at any time. To keep social media professional, here are a few helpful tips:

Think before you post. Social media posts are meant to be active, engaging, and non-offensive. Stay clear of foul language, discrimination, and comments that demean personal character.

Who will read the post? Before posting, determine if anyone reading the post will be offended personally or professionally. Also, social media posts are time stamped. This makes it easy to place where you were at the time of the post. Were you at work?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Posting inappropriate pictures can cause educational consequences, professional dismissal, or public shame. A photo posted online can be seen by millions.

Who will remember this? The internet is forever. Once something is posted online, it remains forever. If deleted from a particular site, the image, or comment, is still in cyber space and detectable if searched for properly.

Aside from professional social media forums, educational institutions have now included social media guidelines within their ethics policies. Indecent commentary or negative portrayal of an institution can result in expulsion or criminal charges.  Before posting online, check privacy settings. They can usually be found under account settings [privacy]. Since social media sites update regularly, account settings should also be checked periodically.

Why Enlist the Help of Experts?

We are disappointed to hear, yet again, about a negative event involving a nanny.  This new occurrence, in Georgia, involves a nanny being accused of identity theft and stealing money via credit card charges.

Hiring a nanny can be tricky and complicated.  If we look at the odds of an impending hire gone awry, most times, things work out absent of catastrophe, whether a parent goes the professional, more expensive, nanny agency route with expert help or the cheaper “DIY” route.  This event highlights, however, why the DIY route may result with real disillusionment, no differently than going to Las Vegas and playing the roulette wheel.  It is 100% predictable that the outcome is unpredictable.

How can a parent avoid a negative outcome resulting from hiring, a basic stranger, to care for their children, pets and home?  This is a question on the minds of every parent hiring a nanny.  Though, the critical question all parents should ask themselves is…”how do I minimize the risk in hiring a stranger?”  Therein lays the core issue.

The majority of people working with children are safe and honest.  So most times, everyone is a winner, unlike playing roulette.  The real issue, though, is when a surprise rears its ugly head.  We all know there is a minority population of people who are not at all safe to leave alone with children, pets and give full access to the family fortune.  They don’t wear a label “DISHONEST” like a name tag.  That’s the world in which we live.

What’s the solution?  Because young children are involved, the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies, advocates using expert help to put together as many of the puzzles pieces about a person as possible so that a parent has a fully focused picture of who is getting hired.  This expert help can come in several versions to help provide transparency.  One option is to use the crème de la crème full service APNA member agency to do all the vetting work.  This option leaves a parent feeling most secure, least exposed, though admittedly, it is the most expensive route.  Another option is to enlist the help of the experts.  Many APNA agencies offer the next best solution which can help defray the cost, yet not take the full gamble.  These agencies will help with the screening process of a candidate a parent found through other resources.  As a result, this is a real blended alternative of DIY and expert help at a deeply discounted cost.

The pure DIY route was the option the Georgia family took.  Undoubtedly, they knew others who took that route successfully, and they decided to spin the wheel.  Unfortunately, it was too late when they discovered they lost the bet. While APNA doesn’t recommend spinning the wheel as such, there is the recognition that many parents find success.  Why not use the expertise of an APNA agency to vet a candidate a parent finds on their own if the cost to have the agency do the whole process is out of reach?  It is cost effective for those parents who have financial limitations but want to minimize the risk of discovering the unknown.  Admittedly, using experts will not take away every molecule of risk (humans aren’t perfect…yet!), but it does heavily minimize risk by adding a real degree of predictability.  After all, all parents strive for their kids to feel safe and secure. And the truth is, there is real help available to sidestep these events, no matter the budget.

Summer Reminders!

As summer begins to wind down, remember that August is considered the warmest month of the year so it is important to remain cautious of summer risks.

• A Hot Car Is No Place for Kids. It only takes 10 minutes for a car to heat up 20 degrees. While some assume that cracking a window helps, partial ventilation only helps a little. A child’s body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult’s and once a child’s temperature reaches 107 degrees, heat-related death may result. Heatstroke can happen when the temperature outside is as low as 57 degrees. 

•  Be Cautious On the Playground. The sun can cause playground equipment to become very hot, which could lead to burns on kids’ sensitive skin. A quick touch test before playtime begins helps. 

•    Humid Weather Is Dreadful for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers. Watery eyes, congestion, runny noses, sinus headaches, and sneezing increases as the air quality decreases with humidity. Use air purifiers in the home to enhance breathing and use the air conditioners to keep windows closed. Note: shower before bed to remove access pollen off of the body and use neti-pots to clear nasal passageways if congested.

•   Mosquitos Fly During Warm Weather. Pick the right bug repellant. DEET, a common ingredient in most bug sprays, can be about 10% to work. For longer days outdoors, 20% DEET proves more effective. Always consult a physician before applying bug repellent to children under the age of three.

•     The Warmest Month Can Bring the Hottest Sun. Sunscreen, containing at least 15 SPF, should be applied before outdoor activity and reapplied according to the label instructions. Along with skin protection, UV-filtered lenses should be used to protect eyes from sun exposure, some say brown lens are best.