Halloween Safety Tips

 

We hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween!  You can have fun and be safe all at the same time! Remember a lot of dentist offices in our area pay kids $$ for there candy!

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Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids. Here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to help ensure they have a safe holiday.

All Dressed Up:

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and Trick-or-Treat bags for greater visibility.
• Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.
• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.
• If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.
• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.
• Do not use decorative contact lenses without an eye examination and a prescription from an eye care professional. While the packaging on decorative lenses will often make claims such as “one size fits all,” or “no need to see an eye specialist,” obtaining decorative contact lenses without a prescription is both dangerous and illegal. This can cause pain, inflammation, and serious eye disorders and infections, which may lead to permanent vision loss.
• Teach children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

Carving a Niche:

• Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
• Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest.
• Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

Home Safe Home:

• To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations.
• Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
• Wet leaves should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
• Restrain pets so they do not inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

On the Trick-or-Treat Trail:

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
• Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind Trick-or Treaters:
• Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
• Carry a cell phone for quick communication.
• Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
• If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
• Never cut across yards or use alleys.
• Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
• Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

Healthy Halloween:

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
• Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
• Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween

Technology in kids bedrooms lead to poorer health--Study suggest

 

Many children go to bed with one or more screens in their bedrooms, and doing so is damaging their well-being, according to a new study from the University of Alberta.
“If you want your kids to sleep better and live a healthier lifestyle, get the technology out of the bedroom,” Paul Veugelers, a professor in the school of public health and co-author of the study, said in a release.
Researchers examined data from a survey of nearly 3,400 Grade 5 students in Alberta that detailed their evening sleep habits and access to screens. Half of the kids had a television, DVD player or video game console in their bedroom. Just over one-fifth – 21 per cent – had a computer, while 17 per cent had a cellphone. All three types of screens were found in the bedrooms of 5 per cent of kids.
The more screens kids have at bed time, the worse it is for their health, the research suggests. Access to one gizmo made it 1.47 times more likely for a kid to be overweight compared with a child with no tech. Kids with three devices were 2.57 times more likely to be overweight.
Kids who stay up watching television on the sly for a little while may not seem to be doing anything all that harmful, but that’s not true, according to the study, which found that just one extra hour of sleep reduced the chances of being overweight by 28 per cent and cut the odds of being obese by 30 per cent.
The more sleep kids get, the more likely they are to engage in more physical activity – perhaps because they’re not completely zonked come recess – and make better choices of what to eat, according to the study, published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

**thanks Dr Jopling for sharing this story
***Dave MCGinn--The Globe

More sleep = Imporved Behavior and Alterness

 

While healthy sleep is essential for alertness and other key functions related to academic success, research involving the impact of the amount of sleep on a child’s day-to-day behavior in school is limited. An estimated 64 percent of school-aged children (ages 6 to 12) go to bed later than 9 p.m., and 43 percent of boys ages 10 to 11 sleep less than the recommended amount each night.

In the study, “Impact of Sleep Extension and Restriction on Children’s Emotional Lability and Impulsivity,” published in the November 2012 issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 15), a modest addition of sleep each night – an average of 27 minutes among children ages 7 to 11 – resulted in significant improvement in their ability to regulate their emotions, including limiting restless-impulsive behavior in school. Conversely, children who decreased their sleep 54 minutes were associated with detectable deterioration of such measures.
Study authors say these new findings support the importance of sleep among school-age children, and the need for greater efforts to eliminate child sleep problems.

What you can do:

Sleeping Environment

• Get comfy. Make sure your bed and bedding are comfortable.
• Remove distractions. Get the TV out of the bedroom. Avoid watching or listening to upsetting, violent, or scary materials within 2 hours of bedtime. That includes the news, conflict-filled talk shows, and high-anxiety dramas. Use the bed only for sleep and intimacy, not for TV, reading, working, talking on the phone, or playing electronic games.
• Soothing sounds. Listen to relaxing music, sound from nature, or the sound of silence. Keep the noise level down. Consider earplugs if you can’t control the environment.
• Security and safety. Before you head for bed, make sure your doors are locked, the stove is off, the iron in unplugged, the water taps are turned off, and there are no bogeymen under bed (just kidding on this last one, but it does help to go through a routine to ensure you’ve done what you can to ensure your personal safety).
• Darker is better. Turn the light off. Darkness promotes sleep and healthy levels of melatonin, an important hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness.
• Keep it cool. Cool room temperatures promote sleep and minimize interfering itchy sensations.
• Smell the roses, or better yet, lavender or chamomile. Soothing scents such as lavender have proven effective in helping people fall asleep, even in noisy intensive care units.
• Warm it up. A person warmed passively by a hot bath or sauna (not from intense exercise) falls asleep more quickly than someone who is cold. Even just a hot foot bath has proven helpful to ensuring good night’s sleep in a scientific study; so even if for some reason you can’t soak your entire body, consider a warm foot bath before bed to help you drift into dreamland. Keep the body warm and the room cool.

Sleeping Routines

• Consider eating a light snack containing a protein (eg, seeds, nuts, low-fat milk, hard-boiled eggs) and a complex carbohydrate (eg, whole grain cracker or toast, slices of fruit or vegetables) within 2 hours before bed.
• Take a warm bath or shower within an hour before bedtime.
• Make it routine. Head to bed at the same time daily.
• Read something soothing, reassuring, or inspiring. Save the action/adventure stories, headline news, and murder mysteries for daytime reading.
• Manage your stress constructively. Practice mediation, autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, prayer, counting your blessings, extending good will to others, or other relaxing stress management techniques.
• Keep a journal. Write down or record any worries, anger, irritations, or other negative perceptions. Get them out of your head, set them aside, and let them wait until tomorrow. Write down or record a list of things you appreciate or for which you are grateful. Make notes about little kindnesses you have observed in others or offered to others. Did someone smile at you today? Offer a handshake? Ask how you were? Open a door? Let you go first? Just noting small acts of kindness can help us feel better and more connected to other people. This helps us feel more positive and secure.

During the Day

• Limit daytime naps to 45 minutes, maximum.
• Expose yourself to bright light in the morning; this helps set your biological clock so you’ll be tired in the evening. Avoid bright lights before bed.
• Exercise during the day; yoga or other slow, meditative exercises may be helpful in the afternoon or evening.
• Check with your doctor. Make sure you can breathe easily at night; congestions and obstructions to breathing reduce restful sleep. If you snore, ask your doctor to check for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. If you have a painful or itchy condition, discuss optimal management with your health professionals. Review your medications (if any) to make sure they aren’t the culprit.

What Else Can You Do?

• Consider a cup of calming herbal tea such as chamomile, lemon balm, hops, or passion flower.
• Talk with your clinician about trying valerian, melatonin, tryptophan, or 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) supplements.
• Get a massage or at least a hand, foot, shoulder, or back rub from someone you trust.
• Consider trying acupuncture, especially if pain makes it hard for you to sleep. (Sleepiness and a sense of calm and relaxation are side effects of acupuncture.)
• Ask your clinician about cranial electrotherapy stimulation or electrosleep.

What to Avoid

• Avoid alcohol within 4 hours before bedtime (alcohol use just before bed can lead to rebound wakefulness 2-4 hours later).
• Avoid caffeine 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
• Avoid heavy or spicy foods 4 hours before bedtime.
• Avoid strenuous exercise within 2 hours of bedtime.
• Avoid stimulating TV, electronic games, and arguments within an hour of bedtime.

If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed, leave the bedroom, and try one of these strategies – snack, warm bath, soothing music, inspiring book, making a list or jotting in a diary.

Tramploine Safety

Trampoline Saftey Update

 

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An updated report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cautions against home trampoline use, and provides updated data on the number of and types of injuries caused by trampolines. Since publication of the previous AAP policy statement in 1999 (reaffirmed in 2006), the key recommendation remains consistent against recreational trampoline use, and includes data on injuries unique to trampolines.

In the updated policy statement, “Trampoline Safety in Childhood and Adolescence,” in the October 2012 Pediatrics (published online Sept. 24), the AAP provides pediatricians with guidelines on patterns of injury with trampoline use, the efficacy of current safety measures, and unique injuries attributed to trampoline use.

Trampoline injury rates have steadily been decreasing since 2004. In 2009, however, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimated almost 98,000 trampoline-related injuries in the U.S., resulting in 3,100 hospitalizations. The rates of trampoline injury appear higher for children than in adults.

“Pediatricians need to actively discourage recreational trampoline use,” said Michele LaBotz, MD, FAAP, co-author of the updated policy statement. “Families need to know that many injuries occur on the mat itself, and current data do not appear to demonstrate that netting or padding significantly decrease the risk of injury.”

Most trampoline injuries (75 percent) occur when multiple people are jumping on the mat. The smallest and youngest participants are usually at greater risk for significant injury, specifically children 5 years of age or younger. Forty-eight percent of injuries in this age group resulted in fractures or dislocations.

Common injuries in all age groups include sprains, strains and contusions. Falls from a trampoline accounted for 27 percent to 39 percent of all injuries, and can potentially be catastrophic. Many injuries have occurred even with adult supervision. The AAP policy statement also addresses the safety of trampoline parks. The AAP suggests that the precautions outlined for recreational use also apply to all commercial jump parks. Injury rates at these facilities should continue to be monitored.

The report includes key recommendations for pediatricians and parents, including:

• Pediatricians should advise parents and children against recreational trampoline use.
• Current data on netting and other safety equipment indicates no reduction in injury rates.
• Failed attempts at somersaults and flips frequently cause cervical spine injuries, resulting in permanent and devastating consequences.
• Homeowners with a trampoline should verify that their insurance covers trampoline injury-related claims.
• Rules and regulations for trampoline parks may not be consistent with the AAP guidelines.
• Trampolines used for a structured sports training program should always have appropriate supervision, coaching, and safety measures in place.

**aap.org

Researchers say Turn Off the TV

Parents, if nobody is watching the TV, please turn it off.
Researchers who conducted a national survey of kids' exposure to TVs droning on in the background say, "The amount of exposure for the average child is startling."
How much is it, exactly? Try just under four hours a day for the typical kid.
So why care about a TV that nobody seems to be paying attention to? Well, the researchers write, background TV may lower the quality of interactions between parents and kids, lower kids' performance on tasks that require real thinking and drain kids' attention during playtime.
 
The findings, published in the latest issue of Pediatrics, come from a telephone survey of more than 1,400 English-speaking households conducted in early 2009.
The researchers asked people to go through the activities of a typical day, noting whether a TV was on while the child was doing something.
There were a few significant patterns in the responses:

1. Kids living in single-parent homes were exposed to more background TV than those in two-parent households.
2. Children in the poorest households were exposed to the most background TV.
3. Infants and toddlers were exposed to more background TV — 5 1/2 hours compared to 2 3/4 hours for kids aged 6-8.

Pediatricians say the littlest kids — those 2 and younger — shouldn't watch any TV at all. Older children should spend no more than 2 hours a day plopped down in front of a computer, TV or other device with a screen.
The researchers behind the latest study suggest that it might be best for doctors and parents to concentrate on reducing the TV exposure of kids under 2, since they should watch the least and are being exposed to the most.
The work was funded by a grant from a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Thanks Dr Jopling for this interesting article!

**info from NRP.ORG

CPR Class this SATURDAY!

It is time again for another CPR class! This is such a great class and we have so many people that want to take it so make sure you sign up fast!

CPR Courses for Parents!

Saturday, Oct 6, 2012 at 2:00 pmThe class will last approximately 1 hour

$15 per person

15-20 spots available

To sign up, please speak with our office co-coordinator, Shaylynn. You can contact her by calling the office. There are only a few spots left so call today! 

Spots will be offered on a first come first serve basis!

This is only a CPR class, NOT certification. It will be taught by Christine Keddington, who is certified to teach CPR.

Flu Reminder:)

Flu Season Has Begun

 

Parents are encouraged to get their children and themselves vaccinated to prevent influenza. Now is the time to get vaccinated since flu season might begin as early as October and can last through May. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends seasonal vaccination for all individuals, including all children and adolescents, aged ≥ 6 months during the 2012-13 influenza season.  It’s important to get vaccinated each year because the vaccine is updated to help prevent infection among the most common circulating flu strains; additionally, the protective effects of the vaccine lessen overtime. Getting vaccinated will also help prevent infection among infants younger than 6 months and others who are ineligible to get vaccinated.

Vaccination is important for all children and adults but it is especially important for certain people who have a higher risk of medical complications if they acquire influenza or who are in close contact with these high risk people, including the following groups:

• Children younger than 5 years of age, and children of any age with a long-term health condition like asthma, diabetes or disorders of the brain or nervous system. These children are at higher risk of serious flu complications (like pneumonia). For the complete list of those at high risk, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm. The flu can make some medical conditions worse, and can increase the risk of serious complications.


• Adults who meet any of the following criteria:
• Are close contacts of, or live with, children younger than 5 years old.
• Are out-of-home caregivers (nannies, daycare providers, etc.) of children younger than 5 years old. 
• Live with or have other close contact with children of any age with a chronic health problem (asthma, diabetes, etc.).
• Are health care workers 

It is important to get vaccinated to help prevent the spread of influenza which is a dangerous and unpredictable disease sometimes leading to hospitalization or, in rare cases, even death. Every year in the United States, even healthy children are hospitalized or die from flu complications. Annual vaccination is safe and effective in preventing influenza.

 

We have several days we are doing FLU shots/ and mist....PLEASE call our office today to BOOK with a nurse.
 

Additional Resources:

http://www2.aap.org/immunization/illnesses/flu/influenza.html