Windows on first floor can even pose risk of falls for children

Dr Jopling found this article and thought it was a great tip. We know you are always concerned about the safety of your children. We thought this was interesting and a great resource.

More than 5,000 kids who fall from windows in the U.S. each year are hurt badly enough to require a trip to the emergency room.Perhaps it comes as no big surprise that preschoolers are the most likely to sustain injuries that involve a hospital visit. Researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found 2-year-olds accounted for the largest number of serious falls. Overall, the youngest kids — newborns to 4-year-olds — sustained 65 percent of the window-fall injuries that led children to an ER visit, according to data collected between 1990 and 2008.
 
The researchers, whose study appears in the latest issue of Pediatrics, also categorized the falls by distance and the surfaces where the children landed, whenever that information was available. Falls from the second story (12.1 to 24 feet) accounted for 63 percent of the injuries and those from the first floor (less than 12 feet) represented 31 percent. The rest, about 6 percent, were from the third floor or higher.

About 40 percent of kids were injured after landing on asphalt or another hard surface. Grass, dirt, and other firm surfaces were involved in 42 percent of injuries. The rest — about 16 percent — landed on something relatively soft, such as bushes or mulch.
Overall, the researchers, who looked at data gathered from about 100 hospitals, figure there were more than 98,000 injuries related to window falls across the country during the 19 years ending in 2008.

The rates of injuries dropped for the youngest kids (newborns to 4-year-olds), but didn't change much for those from 5 to 17 years of age. Most of the improvement for the smallest children came during the 1990s.

Window guards, improvements in construction, and greater awareness of the risks are all possible explanations for the decline in injury rates, according to the authors.
Still, the researchers point out that the nationwide decline in the rate of fall injuries for young kids wasn't nearly as steep as was seen in some places, such as New York City and Boston, which pushed window guards hard.

The rest of the nation could learn something from them, the researchers say. "The slower decrease followed by a plateau in injury rates found in this study underscores the fact that prevention effortsof the magnitude undertaken inNew York and Boston have not occurred nationwide," the researchers wrote.

Fact Friday: Summer is almost over :(

We can barely believe it ourselves! Summer is almost to the end and now it is time to get back into school. In the next few weeks we will be giving you several tips from the AAP about going back to school. The following health and safety tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Making the First Day Easier

• Remind your child that she is not the only student who is a bit uneasy about the first day of school. Teachers know that students are anxious and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible.
• Point out the positive aspects of starting school: It will be fun. She'll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her positive memories about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time.
• Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your youngster can walk to school or ride with on the bus.
• If you feel it is appropriate, drive your child (or walk with her) to school and pick her up on the first day.

Backpack Safety

• Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
• Pack light. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments. Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of your child’s body weight.
• Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles.
• If your school allows, consider a rolling backpack. This type of backpack may be a good choice for students who must tote a heavy load. Remember that rolling backpacks still must be carried up stairs, and they may be difficult to roll in snow.

Info from AAP and Healthychildren.org
Also, read our older post about back to school here and here :)....Good luck with this new school year.

Willow Creek Contest Update! FUN!!

We love doing contest and even more when we get to see what our patients did with the Giveaway! Remember our FUN contest? We gave away Lagoon tickets?! We are so excited that they shared pictures with us. We thank you all for following our blog and be sure to enter our new contest for a $50 Target gift card by clicking here!

(Note from family that won the 4 tickets to Lagoon!)
We just wanted to say thank you for the Lagoon tickets and share some photos of our fun day!  We had a blast!  Our daughter, Rachel, LOVES the new Bombora ride and went on it 6 times!  Josh would ride the train all day if we let him, lol.  We love Willow Creek and wouldn't go anywhere else!  See you in September (for our baby's 1 yr. well check)!
Memmott)

Happy 1st Blog Birthday and A New Contest!

Can you believe it has been one year today since our very first blog post?!? Hopefully this blog has been as useful of a tool to many parents and families as it has been for us. We have learned so much from the many topics we have had the opportunity to post about! This is a reason to celebrate! So, to commemorate our one year anniversary in the "blogging world", we would like to announce our next contest! Leave a comment telling us what you would like to see on our blog over the next year. Anyone who comments will automatically be entered in the drawing to win a $50 Target gift card! Leave your comments by Thursday, September 16th....that gives you an entire month to think of something great! The winner will be announced on Friday, September 17th. Good luck to those who enter, and thank you to everyone for ONE YEAR of support!

Disposal of Prescription Drugs

Death from legal prescription drugs is becoming more and more common in Utah today. Seven people per week in Utah are dying from use of legal prescriptions. Part of the problem is that adolescents do not perceive the use of prescription drugs as "drug abuse". From 1992-2003, opioid abuse by teens increased by 542%, and from 1999 to 2004, unintentional drug overdose deaths increased by 68%.

**Congress recently passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 to give consumers a safe and responsible way to dispose of unused prescription drugs. Consumers currently seeking to reduce the amount of expired or unwanted prescription drugs in their homes have few disposal options, increasing the risk drug abuse and poisonings. The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 seeks to reduce these risks by permitting individuals to deliver their unused medications to responsible state and private drug take-back programs.

Up to 17 percent of prescribed medication goes unused, and if improperly disposed, may contribute to drug diversion and environmental problems. The bill would allow consumers to give controlled substances to specially designated individuals for disposal, such as law enforcement officials. It also would allow long-term care facilities to dispose of certain prescription drugs on behalf of their residents.

Teenagers now abuse prescription drugs more than any other illegal drug except for marijuana, and the majority of teens who abuse these drugs get them for free, usually from friends and relatives and often without their knowledge.

The doctors of Willow Creek Pediatrics want to stress the importance of proper disposal of ANY leftover prescription medication. There are numerous locations all over the valley for disposal. You can visit http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/permanentsites.htm for permanent locations all over the state for prescription medication disposal. Everyone should join in the battle of abuse of prescription drugs. Be proactive in your house and clean out your medicine cabinet today!

**Information provided by http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/index.htm

***Statistics provided by Dr. Jay Bischoff, to educate medical providers about the dangers of prescribing more narcotics for pain than necessary

****For information on "Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day", on October 29th, 2011, visit http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/cleanoutcabinet.htm, and watch here for future posts!

Fact Friday: 1/3 of Children's diet is cooked outside the home

                    Study found a third of food eaten now is cooked outside the home

The amount of calories children ages 2 to 18 consumed from take-out foods increased significantly between 1977 and 2006, with the calorie percentage from fast foods higher than that from school-based meals, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. "We cannot control where these eateries are located or how they prepare their foods, but we can decide to cook more at home, which will ultimately save money and help keep our families healthy," dietitian Samantha Heller said.

**info from Healthday News

Recently HealthDay News Printed this article about the concern of children eating take-out food or fast food.(click here for full article) We want to remind you of some great websites that help support good eating habits. We recently posted an article about the New Food Pyramid and also about The Sneaky Chef. What are you doing to help your children have good idea habits? How many home cooked meals do your children get? Is your child getting a healthy and balanced diet? We know this can be hard but hopefully a few of these websites will give you some great suggestions. Thanks to Dr Jopling for providing our HealthDay News article. Hope you are having a great summer.

Excercising Children in Heat

Keeping your family safe this summer has been one of our priorities. We know many of our patients have started or are already playing outdoor summer sports. We thought this was a great reminder on how to beat the heat this summer and help your children stay hydrated. Remember if you have any questions you can call us and speak to a nurse or your pediatrician.

Heat Stress in Exercising Children

• The intensity of activities that last 15 minutes or more should be reduced whenever high heat and humidity reach critical levels.
• At the beginning of a strenuous exercise program or after traveling to a warmer climate, the intensity and duration of exercise should be limited initially and then gradually increased during a period of 7 to 14 days to acclimatize to the heat, particularly if it is very humid.
• Before prolonged physical activity, children should be well-hydrated and should not feel thirsty. For the first hour of exercise, water alone can be used. Kids should have water or a sports drink always available and drink every 20 minutes while exercising in the heat. Excessively hot and humid environments, more prolonged and strenuous exercise, and copious sweating should be reasons for children to substantially increase their fluid intake. After an hour of exercise, children need to drink a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage to replace electrolytes lost in sweat and provide carbohydrates for energy.
• Clothing should be light-colored and lightweight and limited to one layer of absorbent material to facilitate evaporation of sweat. Sweat-saturated shirts should be replaced by dry clothing.
• Practices and games played in the heat should be shortened and more frequent water/hydration breaks should be instituted. Children should seek cooler environments if they feel excessively hot or fatigue.

**to read full article click here
*thanks to AAP for the current information