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31 responses total.

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Keep your kids away from my Dad.

I think she meant other tips, vidar.

sirloin tips?

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).

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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.

I'd add to #7- don't get your kids realistic toy guns or let them think of 
ANY weapon as a toy, and teach them appropriate care and respect for such
tools at the earliest possible time.

And when would that be?

What's wrong with realistic toy guns? First off, it's illegal to sell them,
after that boy got shot by a cop while he was playing laser tag. Second, I had
a billion realistic toy guns, and all I ever did was have fun with them.

Laser Tag is realistic?

Check your child's crayons.  There has been a recall of a number of brands of
crayons for excessive lead content.  Toys R us crayons, for one. Speaking of
lead alot of kids eat paint chips.  In older houses, some paint has a lead base
and after awhile of eating the paint chips, kids can get lead poisoning.

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

Crayola crayons are fine, btw.

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????

cool washcloths.  lots of water play.  shade.  the mall. (pant, gasp)

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.)

electolytes=good.

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.

If my child was a week away from 6 months old, I doubt it would affect her,
right?  I don't understand why 6 months is the cut off age????????

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.

The point about honey, as I remember, is that up to about 12 months
kids shouldn't have *raw* honey.  As an ingredient in a loaf of bread,
it's OK.
On a separate issue, be careful with any kind of water play for little 
ones.  I forget at what age they learn to take their faces out of the 
water, if they fall down into it, but that is not a newborn reflex
and a 1 or 2-year-old could easily drown in a wading pool. You know, 
"never leave a child unsupervised".

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.

Sound advice, all of you.  I question current beliefs of most pediatricians
and books telling us we should NOT give little ones (under a year or so) tap
water.  My pediatrician (who I really like alot) said no, she gets all the
flouride she needs from the water mixed with formula.  But on hot days, I can't
see not giving her a glass of cool water.  Opinions?

I believe the problem, other than excess flouride, is levels of bacteria which
would not even effect an adult and so are within legal limits, but which
might make a baby quite ill.  Especially in the summer, this could be a real
concern- scary thought, ain't it?

It's truly terrifying!  And new since my kids were tots.  I know Ican't stomach
the unfiltered stuff, though.  

Really frightening!  We don't usually drink pop around here, only water or
iced tea, so now I feel like, what is safe for babies anymore?

apple juice.  boiled water.  Mild herb tea (it's been boiled,after all).Mama's
milk (usually).

And only seven years ago my pediatrician was telling me that I
*should* give my baby water, and my baby (otherwise 100% breastfed) 
was steadfastly unenthusiastic except during long car rides.

Well, I feel a little better.  The water we Kaitlyn is always pre-boiled.
My concern of the moment is that she'll get too much/gulp the liquid of choice
too quickly.  She is drinking from a cup by herself ok, but she's only 6 months
old, so I worry she can't control it well enough.  Should I worry?

Also, what are some good, safe, fun toys that don't cost a small fortune?

Wooden spons, pots, mixing bowls (both brightly coloured plastic and steel
are good) key chains, sock puppets (these need the help of an older playmate
--like Mamma) are some of the things my tykes especially liked.

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