| Child
Safety |
. |
Physical
Abuse |
| There
is nothing more precious then the innocence of a child. In our society,
it is all too often that children are abused, and that innocence is lost.read
more |
|
In
many cases we see that Non-accidental injury to a child that may include
severe beatings, burns, strangu- lation, or human bites. read
more |
| Physical
Neglect |
|
Emotional
Abuse |
| Failure
to provide a child with basic necessities required for growing mentally
and phsyically. Will hinder a child's development and ability to perform
daily activities. read
more |
|
A
pattern of behavior that attacks a child's emotional development and sense
of self worth. i.e. name-calling, put-downs, terrorization, isolation,
... read
more |
| Child
Care |
|
Sexual
Abuse |
| Some
times in the busy lives of parents, it unfortunately comes down to "who
can watch my children?" more then "who is the person caring for my ....read
more |
|
Sexual
exploitation of a child, including rape, incest, fondling, exhibitionism,
or pornography, all of which are damaging to a child's physical and....
read
more |
| Tip
of the day |
|
Kids
Games |
| Baby
have hiccups?.. Try moistening a cotton ball with cool water and placing
on bridge of nose. Baby teething?... Try frozen mini bagels....read
more |
|
In
our high-tech world often the activities we ourselves did as children have
been lost. I have listed here some "rules" to games that require few...
read
more |
.
| In
the heart of Southeast Pennsylvania, which may not sound exciting to some,
there is a lot to do, with a little planning. The Philadelphia area and
its surrounding suburbs are full of activities for children of all ages.
Bucks County is home of Sesame
Place, and many historic shopping areas such as New Hope and Peddlers
Village The City of Phila is full of museums and places of learning
that can be loads of fun for the entire family.
There
is the Franklin Institute Science
Museum, The U.S.Mint,
and The Phila Zoo,
just to name a few. Traveling just north of Phila to the Pocono Mountains
you can enjoy such activities as mountain biking or white
water rafting, water parks, or majestic waterfalls at Bushkill
Falls.
For
the outdoor enthusiast there is plenty of camping and hiking sites located
throughout
the Pocono
area. For those who enjoy sand under their feet and ocean breezes, the
New Jersey Shore is just a 1-2 hour drive from the Phila area. These beach
towns are full amusement piers, state parks, fishing and crabbing areas,
and just simply relaxing on the beach.
So
come and enjoy the area, there is something for everyone.I have included
a link to a site so appropriately named " are we there yet?" on my links
page, as well as some others. |
....
.
| Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the diagnosis given for the sudden death
of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete
investigation. Because most cases of SIDS occur when a baby is sleeping
in a crib, SIDS is also commonly known as "crib death".
A
number of factors seem to put a baby at higher risk of dying from SIDS.
Some
of these factors include:
Babies
who sleep on their stomachs are more likely to die of SIDS than those who
sleep on their backs.
Mothers
who smoke during pregnancy are three times more likely to have a SIDS baby,
and exposure to passive smoke from smoking by mothers, fathers, and others
in the household doubles a baby's risk of SIDS.
Mothers
who are less than 20 years old at the time of their first pregnancy
Babies
born to mothers who had no or late prenatal care
Premature
or low birth weight babies.
There
currently is no way of predicting which newborns will succumb to SIDS;
however, there are a few measures parents can take to lower the risk of
their child dying from SIDS:
Good
prenatal care, which includes proper nutrition, no smoking or drug or alcohol
use by the mother, and frequent medical check-ups beginning early in pregnancy.
Parents
and other caregivers should put babies to sleep on their backs as opposed
to on their stomachs.
Parents
should make sure their baby sleeps on a firm mattress or other firm surface.
Avoid
using fluffy blankets or covering as well as pillows, sheepskins, blankets,
or comforters under the baby.
Infants
should not be placed to sleep on a waterbed or with soft stuffed toys.
Babies
should be kept warm, but they should not be allowed to get too warm because
an overheated baby is more likely to go into a deep sleep from which it
is difficult to arouse.
|
.
| The
world we live in is full of dangers to children. Most parents think of
the common lessons to teach their children i.e. " Don't play in the street"
or " Don't talk to strangers". Unfortunately all too many parents are reluctant
to discuss guns with their children. Some fear discussing this topic will
make children more curious, but today, children see guns just about everywhere.
Movies, Television and books are overloaded with images of guns. We can't
hide our children from them, but we can teach them some important lessons
and rules about them.
It
is also our responsibility as parents and caregivers to make sure our children
are safe, which includes asking "Can play-dates lead to gunplay?
Many
parents do not think of asking if there are guns present in the home of
the child's friend, but as statistics show, many innocent children are
injured or killed, by "innocent" play with a REAL gun. Parents who do allow
guns in their homes should ask themselves if twenty dollars is too much
to help save a life? Twenty dollars can purchase a trigger lock at any
retailer that sells guns, and regardless of if the gun is loaded, this
device should always been in use. A simple rule to live by should be "A
loaded gun should never be left in a house".
A
few important tips to consider :
Consider
making your home gun free (especially if there is a person with depression,
aggressive behavior or suicidal thoughts). Guns are the most dangerous
consumer products and should be locked up, just as poisons are.
Bullets
should be locked and stored in a place separate from the gun. A gun is
the most dangerous product in the home. Guns and ammunition should be made
inaccessible (especially to minors). If you keep a gun, empty it out and
lock it up !!!
|
|
Divorce
and your child
|
.
In
television portrayals of family life in the 1950's; everyone was happy,
children were all well behaved, and couples married and stayed together
for life. That is not so often the case these days. The reasons are as
varied as the people involved, but we must realize the fact that divorce
is an accepted part of our culture. Regardless of the circumstances, religious
beliefs of those involved, or our cultural norms and notions surrounding
divorce; it is ultimately the children who suffer the most.
They
had no choice in who their parents were, or in how their young lives will
be effected by the decisions their parents make about love and life. The
parents need to remember and understand, that though you may not think
your children realize what is going around them, they do. Children sense
when their is trouble between their parents. A loving and caring approach
to a divorce can make all the difference in how a child perceives each
parent, and how they look at future relationships in their own lives. Regardless
of what the difficulties are between the parents, they are each still individually
that child's parent. Children should not be denied the chance to know that
parent, and choose to love that parent. The healthiest of these situations
is where the parents can be mature enough to not put down the other parent
in front of the child. The child will need reassurance that each parent
loves them, and that it is an adult problem that is causing this split,
and never the child's fault.
Children
will go through many different feelings and stages throughout this process,
accept these feelings and changes, but also learn how to best deal with
them. I have included links to sites dealing with your child's feelings,
fears, insecurities about divorce. There are also numerous resource books,
written on a child's level, located in your local library. Most libraries
have a special section for these material.
|
.
Regular
check ups at your pediatrician's office or local health clinic are an important
way to keep children healthy. Each child needs to be given their immunizations
by age two. This is the most vulnerable time for childhood illnesses that
they can easily be protected from. Some immunizations require follow up
treatments to be fully effective throughout your child's life.
Some
religious practices do not believe in immunizing children, but with the
rapid rate of these diseases causing unnecessary death, it is something
that must be done. An example of how vaccines can protect children; statistics
show that the in 1952 (pre-vaccine) there was 21,269 cases of polio in
children, in 1995 (post vaccine) there were no reported cases in the US.
The incidence of children becoming seriously ill or dying as a result of
being immunized are minimal. The benefits far outweigh any possible negative
effect. Immunizations protect children against: hepatitis B, polio,
measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), pertussis (whooping cough), diphtheria,
tetanus (lockjaw), Haemophilus influenzae type b, and chickenpox. Listed
on the "Parents link" page are some sites which include schedules for immunizations. |
