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The kitchen is the heart and gathering place in most homes. Keep our children safe and follow these tips:
* Install childproof latches on all drawers, closets, and cabinets containing poisonous materials and dangerous items.
* Unplug all small electrical appliances when they are not in use; when they are in use, be sure that the cords are not dangling down where your child can reach them.
* When using the stove, remember to keep all pot and pan handles turned toward the back of the stove; be careful when handling hot liquids that could spill or splatter; and repeatedly remind your child to stay far away when someone is cooking.
* When serving or consuming hot foods or beverages, be sure to set them down on the middle of the table — not near the edge where a child could pull them off. Be extra careful when using tablecloths that hang over the table and can easily be yanked off.
* Fold and put away all step stools.
* Keep knives, forks, graters, and other utensils out of reach of infants and toddlers.
(From howstuffworks.com Child Safety Tips)
Why do parents insist on putting their chldren into a car from the traffic side? Of course they always manage to get a spot just off the corner where people are making sharp turns…
I know I already complained about this. This thread just seems very appropriate to say it again.
kapusta – I think I know the answer to that one.
When it is a small child who needs to be buckled into a car seat, then the car seat is attached on one side and it’s usually not moved from that spot. If the car seat then happens to be located on the traffic side of the car, it is more difficult to buckle the child in from the opposite side – the sidewalk side. One must stretch across the car or actually climb into the back seat with the child to buckle him in. In that situation, the convenient, but less safe way, is to buckle the child in (as quickly as possible) on the traffic side.
That is the reason, but I agree with you that if it’s a choice between convenience and sakanah, choose inconvenience!
Now that I’ve gone into the long answer, I sure hope you weren’t just asking a rhetorical question!
Guidelines regarding child safety seats:
* Infants should be in a rear facing infant only seat or convertible seat until they are 1 year old and twenty pounds. Children who reach twenty pounds before their first birthday still need to face backwards and can be moved into a rear facing convertible seat.
* After they are twenty pounds and have passed their first birthday, toddlers can use a forward facing car seat until they are about 40 pounds or their ears have reached the top of the car seat.
* Children over forty pounds should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat.
* You should not use your car’s regular seat belts until they fit correctly when your child is about 80 pounds and is 4ft 9 inches tall.
* Your child will not be ready to use regular seat belts until the shoulder strap fits across his shoulder and not his neck, and the lap belt fits across his hips and not his stomach.
* Be sure to read the car seat manufacture’s instructions and your car owner’s manual to be sure that you are installing and using the car seat correctly.
Remember: All children under 12 years of age should be placed in the back seat of the car, especially if you have passenger side air bags, as air bag deployment could cause serious brain and neck injury and death. (c”v)
(Adapted from keepkidshealthy.com)
NY mom
Those are all very good tips thank you!
You’re welcome, mybat. I’m glad someone is reading them!
NY Mom: Rule number 28374 of the CR. Even if your post is not responded to, that does not mean people didn’t read it! Everything and anything you are willing to share is appreciated nontheless.
Yes, mepal. Thanks for reminding me of that 😉
Yoshi: Thank YOU so much for starting this thread!
It really is very important and it happens to be one of my personal “soapbox” issues. I am trying to keep the topic on the “big board” to help everyone focus on it. I hope more people will get into it, too.
Tizke L’mitzvos!
Child safety tips of the day:
Many families in the frum community utilize bunk beds due to large families (k”ah) and limited space. But did you know that, each year, thousands of children under age 15 receive hospital emergency room treatment for injuries associated with bunk beds? Most of these injuries are fairly minor and occur when children fall from the beds. Rowdy/rough play frequently contributes to these accidents. There are other less obvious, yet potentially very serious hazards, associated with bunk bed structures that have entrapped children and resulted in suffocation or strangulation deaths.
To keep your kids safe when sleeping in a bunk bed, you should:
* always use two side guardrails on the upper bunk. Keep guardrails securely in place at all times no matter what the age of the child. Children move about during sleep and may roll out of bed.
* not permit children under 6 years of age to sleep in the upper bunk.
* be sure cross-ties are under the mattress foundation of each bed and that they are secured in place even if bunks are used as twin beds.
* emphasize to children to use the ladder and not chairs or other pieces of furniture to climb into/out of the top bunk.
* teach children that rough play is unsafe around and on beds and other furniture.
* consider using a night light so that children will be able to see the ladder if they get up during the night.
(Adapted from About.com:Pediatrics)
Wow NY mom! Thanks for all your advice!
NY mom
Mepal is right! Its all great advice and I’m sure more people than you realize are reading it.
Mepal, mybat: Thank you both. <slight blush>
I hope discussing this will help prevent accidents!
By the way, I never mix the 2 of you up.
NY Mom, you dont? What about mazca and mybat? lol, I think we’re good now 😉
Here’s something that most people would never think of on their own,but when they hear it,a”light bulb” goes off in their head.Boys should not wear yarmulkas that have their names on them(whether in Hebrew or English).Strangers with bad intentions could call the boy by his name,and the child would think him to be trustable(“if he knows me,he must be Tatty’s friend…”).Unfortunately,nowadays this is all too plausable…
aimhabonim, also younger children sometimes have their names on backpacks. I once heard that if it has to be on it, to put it on the back part that sits against the childs back where no one can read it that shouldn’t.
Schools frequently put name and address stickers on little children as a safety precaution (should they c’v get lost?)
NY Mom, some bunk beds have guard rails on one side only. Our bunk beds are this type, so we put them against a wall.
AFT: Yes, good point. The main thing is that the children should not fall.
Joseph: You are right. Schools often have stickers or pins with the name/address/phone# on each child, but usually that is for young children who are under constant supervision. They go from their teacher, onto the bus, and from the bus to whoever is waiting for them at the bus stop. This is usually for identification purposes for the bus driver.
I think the scenario that Aimhabonim is describing, would be for a child old enough and independent enough to walk by himself, but young enough to fall for such a trick. Usually, children of younger ages would be accompanied or supervised by an adult or older child.
Thank you Aimhabonim!
Here’s one I didn’t see up here: For those in apartments with terraces, do not let your children play alone on the terrace!!! Not even if the terrace has a really high railing!First of all, kids can be really good climbers- even little ones. Secondly, little heads can get stuck between the bars. While I have never heard of such a scenario ending tragically, c’v, it is a most unpleasant experience.
Gourmet: As you say – see this news story from yesterday
Good point, aimhabanim.
To NYmom,
Speaking about news stories -see the one about a kid getting hit by a car. I think parents assume kids just know how to cross streets properly. I think kids have to be taught and then watched a few times to make sure they got it down pat.
And don’t forget to wear your seatbelts. If your child doesn’t see you wearing yours, why will he want to wear his?
Health, by ten years, I think a parent has the right to trust his kid in crossing the street.
First of all, I daven that Shimon Eliyahu ben Nechama Breindel should have a refuah shlaima min hashamayim. We can’t comment directly on this specific case, since we do not know exactly what happened. That being said, speaking generally…
Health and mepal: I think parents do teach their kids how to cross the street, and each parent has to know their own child and when he/she is ready to do this independently. But do they REVIEW the rules with them periodically? Do the EMPHASIZE to them regularly what can happen c”v if they don’t take this seriously?
Also, I think that kids see their parents crossing against the light, crossing between cars, and standing in the street waiting for the cars to go by. In short, they see the adults don’t take safety seriously so they don’t either. Parents need to “walk the walk” AND “talk the talk”. We must be an example to our kids and hopefully that will help prevent future accidents b”eH.
NY Mom, cant disagree with you on that one…
NYMom- thanx for all of your great tips!I have been following this thread carefully and really appreciate all of the people who take safety seriously!
My pet peeve in terms of child safety is the parents whose kids do not wear helmet when riding bikes, etc. When you mention it to the parents the response is ‘what am I supposed to do, they don’t want to wear it?’
One question for all you safety experts out there. This is one that has come up alot lately. At what point is it safe for a child to ride in a booster as apposed to a car seat? I have friends who put 2yr olds in a booster. I’m not asking for my daughter (she’s 3 and will stay in a car seat until she is too big for it, but I occasionally give rides to her friends, or others with kids her age and they say a booster is fine even for smaller kids, I’m not so sure. Anyone have any ideas?
Thank you all, and keep up the great work!
Lakewoodwife: Glad to hear you are finding the tips informative! 🙂
As for your question re: booster seats see this post from above
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/child-safety-laws/page/2#post-98717
NY Mom- I had read that post and I know that that is the ideal, but would you refuse to transport a smaller child (let’s say 2 or 3yrs. old) if all they had was a booster?
I will not transport any child that is not properly restrained, but this is one place where I have never been sure. It comes up fairly often as I actually have an extra booster seat in my car. I have looked around online, even checking some states’ laws, but I have not seen anywhere that clearly gives a minimum weight and/or age for booster seats.
Anyone have any info?
Lakewoodwife: see this link – http://www.hldi.org/laws/ChildRestraint.aspx
It is a map with state-by-state child restraint laws. (Just roll your mouse over the map and the law for that state appears)
But another resource is the instruction booklet for your child restraint. It always gives size/weight guidelines. If you lost it, you can call the company to get a new one or often they have it on their website.
Hope that helps!
Some thoughts culled from long experience:
The free standing kitchen stove/oven can be a scalding/death trap. Modern units come with a anti tip hook to be screwed into the floor board behind the stove. Make sure this is done and done by someone who cares. Without it, a weight on the open door, such as a toddler, a dropped pot, or a tripping individual will lever the whole oven and contents forward with horrific results.
Unbelievable but true: If you ever witness someone seat belted but holding a child otherwise unrestrained. Remind them that with the laws of physics in play in a collision the child will be ripped from those arms and rocketed into the dash or seatback.R”L Likewise, NEVER do or allow a passenger to belt a child into the same belt. The laws of physics in a collision with this parameter, would have the large mass pressed against the small mass pressed against the belt. It can cut a child in half. R”L, I don’t see this frequently, but not infrequently either.
Bicycle helmets are not just for kids. My wellness if not life was preserved by a helmet at age 40 somthing.
Yosef Hashem aleichem kachem elef p’amim….
To mepal,
You are only correct if the child was taught how to do it correctly the first time. And then the parent has to make sure the child practices it correctly. Recently, a yeshiva near me- the bochurim started eating across the street from their bais medrash. Not only do they cross with jay walking in front of me while I’m driving, now a lot are playing ball or other things in the street. This street doesn’t barely even have room for two cars to pass in opposite directions and it’s a two-way street. The thought has crossed my mind to hit one of them to teach them a lesson, but of course I would never do such a thing. These are teenagers, whom obviously were never taught about street safety. Even though most people crawl on this street, so they can stop or slow down in order for these kids to get out of the way, it will only take an un-familiar driver who will be speeding, for a tragedy to occur, chas v’sholom!
NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER shake a baby for whatever reason. Not to calm them and not to play with them.
Also, in what position do you put your newborns to sleep? I know the back is recommended nowdays as safest but anyone believes and does otherwise?
Smart cookie
I think My dr says to sleep them on the side.
Lakewoodwife: Thanks for the reminder about helmets. But I would say about 1/3 of the time I see children wearing helmets they are wearing them incorrectly. Parents need to be reminded to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and teach their children the correct way to wear a helmet. And the answer to the parents who say “what can I do, they don’t want to wear it” is “Take the bike away for 2 weeks.”
Smartcookie: The last info I heard was “back to sleep; front to play.” Through the years I’ve heard only on the back, only on the front, only on the side. In all cases, there are exceptions for special conditions. I think the trick is to use common sense and daven.
Health: How sure can you be that they weren’t taught right? Why are you blaming the parents? They could’ve been taught right and still not follow the rules. This has got to do with the kid, not the parent.
Thank you yoshi, lakewoodwife, and amok for reminding us about the importance of helmets for our children and for ourselves. Thank you haifagirl for the reminder to wear them correctly!
If anyone is unsure of the proper way a bicycle helmet should fit, see the following link from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. It is “How to Fit a Bicycle Helmet” :
This site also has a lot of good information about helmets like statistics and research, ratings of different types of helmets, and FAQs about helmets (examples: Where can I find a helmet for my big head? Is a cheap helmet as safe as an expensive one? What about my bald head?) Very interesting!
i have not read this thread, so if this is a repeat… sorry.
Car seats: if a person is in an accident, it is recommended (strongly) that the car seats for the children be replaced as there could be undetected damage to the unit.
Good point. Who woulda thought…
Haifagirl: I agree with you 100% about parents who try to give the excuse “What can I do? They don’t want to wear it” or “What can I do? They refuse to buckle up”.
No helmet = no bicycle.
No seatbelt = We are not moving until you buckle up.
That is what it means to be a parent! And especially for issues of health and safety.
BTW, I have also heard this one: “What can I do? They refuse to go to the dentist”. I don’t recall my parents giving me a choice in the matter! And I don’t give my kids a choice about it either!
Ames: I have found that, sometimes, if you say things in a helpful/informative/earnest tone to people – even strangers – they will be mekabel what you say, and not get defensive about it.
I am not talking about this case specifically – I’m just saying in general.
To mepal,
Of course they weren’t taught right. These are teenage yeshiva bochurim. They aren’t drug addicted drop outs who ended up with the wrong crowd. They do everything that’s expected of them. Obviously, safety was never instilled in them. I can’t even understand how you could blame the kids instead of the parents? It might also be the Hanhalahs fault, but the parents are ultimately responsible for raising their kids.
in regard to helmets- it saved me big time when i was a kid! the doctors said if not for the helmet, i was wearing while riding my bike, i might not have made it!
(i used to barely wear a helmet when i rode my bike, my mother always had to beg me to wear it! the day of that accident, was the first time in months that i had worn my helmet! Chasdi Hashem!)
You are wrong, Health. I know I dont cross the street the way my parents taught me to. And as many time as they said not to jay walk etc. I still do it 😉
Jax: WOW! Amazing story!
To mepal,
EDITED
Again…No personal questions.
Jax: Thank you so much for sharing that.
EDITED It was to make a point -that kids are the responsibilty of the parents- adults aren’t. Someone should stop these kids/teenagers from playing in the street before someone gets hurt!
Health: You should call the Hanhalah of the Yeshiva and speak to them about this issue!
If the boys are doing this during yeshiva time and any of them get hurt c”v, it will be the yeshiva which is liable. Believe me, any school which hears the legal term “You will be liable” should take it seriously! And if you speak to them in a way which shows your concern for the safety of the kids rather than angrily or in an accusatory fashion, I think they will understand where you are coming from and take appropriate action.
My son’s yeshiva had the same problem. I spoke to the principal and they took care of it – the kids don’t play in the street anymore.
Also, re: why they would play in the street. You should realize that sometimes kids will do things in groups that they wouldn’t necessarily do individually – sort of like a mob mentality. So it could be that some parents have emphasized to the children that the street is not a place to play, but when “everybody’s doing it”, then that is somehow different to them. Another example of this is when a class gets out of hand with a teacher. Individually, each child may be a good boy/girl and wouldn’t usually be chutzpadik, but when the whole class is making trouble, everyone feels OK to join along.
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