response 3 of 31:

Mar 28 02:31 UTC 1994

I think she meant other tips, vidar.

response 5 of 31:

Mar 28 18:37 UTC 1994

seriously- I think people are going off a LITTLE half-cocked over the draw-
string issue: how long have kids been wearing draw-strings and how long have
they been playing on playgrounds?  But given the availability of velcro, one
might change the fastener without too much difficulty.

My favorite form of child-proofing is a two-letter word. Of course, I do lock
the cupboards with the REALLY lethal stuff, but mostly I figure that a kid
who responds to "not for babies", etc. at home will be safer out than one whose
home is so safe that they have never learned any limits.  What if you go
visiting?  Of course, I spend a lot of time chasing Gareth and pulling him out
of hazzards I never thought of before (neither did Timothy) and saying "NO" for
the umpteenth time about stuff I had thought safely resolved (the cat dish and
stereo, mostly).

response 7 of 31:

Apr 1 15:11 UTC 1994

Store your ammunition away from your guns.  Have your guns in a case with
trigger locks on them.  Keep the key to the case on your person at all 
times.

response 9 of 31:

Apr 2 03:28 UTC 1994

And when would that be?

response 11 of 31:

Apr 2 04:46 UTC 1994

Laser Tag is realistic?

response 13 of 31:

Apr 6 16:09 UTC 1994

thank you.  I avoid Consumers R Us if at all possible...

response 15 of 31:

Jun 21 00:18 UTC 1994

This item hasn't been touched in 2 months+, and since the heat is upon us, I
think now is a great time to discuss SUMMER SAFETY.  One of the most important
words I can think of is...sunblock!   I used 50spf on my 6 month old this
weekend while out on the boat and it worked wonderfully.  Any other hint and/or
suggestions for the summer????

response 17 of 31:

Jun 21 03:21 UTC 1994

Encourage lots of water drinking!  In this heat even (especially?) the littlest
ones sweat out alot of their body's water store, as well as the elctrolytes.
They also tend not to want to eat as much as usual.  Don't fill their
tummies with sugary stuff, give them cool, clear water when the heat is up.

(Bananas and oranges are good, too, especially early in the day and in the
evening, to rebalance the electrolytes lots in persperation.)

If you're nursing, make sure you drink even more water than usual
(yes, I know "but I'll float away!" -- No, you won't.  And you and baby are
sharing the water reserves you tank up on.  Neither of you can afford to
dehydrate.)

response 19 of 31:

Jun 22 13:04 UTC 1994

re #15  be careful with sunblock.  If your child is less than six months
old, do not use sunblock.  It absorbs into the skin and can have toxic
side effects.

also, there is a very good cupboard lock called totlock.  It has a magnetic
lock, and a "key" that is a very strong magnet.  You have to hold the 
"key" on the outside of the cupboard door where to lock is.  A refrigerator 
magnet will not open the lock.  It is not only childproof, but person-
proof.  As I said, it's a VERY good lock.  I think it costs about $8, and
you can buy it at Meijers, or most hardware stores.

response 21 of 31:

Jun 24 03:31 UTC 1994

re:#20- Kimba, don't take ANY developmental advice as gospel.  It's all subject
to the judicious application of common sense.  I guess that before 6 months, or
more accurately, the common weight range and metabolic efficiency that shows
up around them, the quantity of PABA or whatever absorbed is too high a % of
body weight.  I suppose there's always zinc oxide.  Or light-weight
long-sleeved clothes.  Other age-bound issues: popcorn, grapes, hot-dogs,
honey.  Of those, I'm moderately cautious about popcorn, cut grapes and
hot-dogs slices in half. I use honey topically, and only buy raw honey so it's
not as big a deal as with store-boughten, but I now actually know someone whose
kid got botulism from honey, so I can't blow that off completely.  But they
forget to tell us that caro syrup, corn sweetener and even maple syrup are also
risky.  sigh.  I'm quite firm in avoiding chocolate until age 2 and trying to
keep other sweets to a minimum- it seems to have a real effect on
appropriateness of food choices and sugar intake over time.  And of course, no
soda before age 2 or so, no nutrasweet for kids under about 12 (it's a bad
habit, whether or not it actually is bad for the brain), no caffiene until they
set their own bedtime...  So many details for a mom to remember.

response 23 of 31:

Jun 24 21:06 UTC 1994

I only use "raw honey", as the store-boughten (Sue Bee, etc.) brands may be
adulterated with corn syrup, and has had more opportunity for contamination
from handling in the preparation and packaging process.  Since you are using
raw as an opposite for cooked, I agree: ok to cook and bake with honey.  Don't
leave a kid alone in the bath or wading pool before age 3 or 4: their head is
too heavy to balance safely or get up if they go under.