by Michelle LaRowe
Editor in Chief

When it comes to car related injuries and deaths in children, many parents simply believe that their family is immune. Yet incident after incident shows children of seemingly responsible parents – including doctors and teachers – becoming victims of such tragic events.

1. Forgetting a child is in the car. When the typical schedule and routine gets changed or parents are rushed, a momentary-lapse in memory can have deadly results. Placing a briefcase or cellphone in the backseat with the child can help to ensure he’s not forgotten and if he is, with something necessary for the day in the backseat, the adult responsible is likely to return back.
2. Leaving a child in a hot car. Vehicular heat stroke can happen when a child is left in a car. A child’s body temperature rises 3-5 times faster than an adult’s, and even with the windows cracked the inside of a car can reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit in minutes, according to www.KidsandCars.com.  Prevent vehicle related heat stroke by never leaving your child in the car unattended, even for a minute.
3. Backing over a child.  Many children are accidently run over as parents back out of their driveways or parking space each year. This is because young children can’t be seen in the BlindZone of the vehicle. Longer and taller vehicles have a larger BlindZone. To get a feel for your BlindZone, set a 28 inch cone on the ground behind the vehicle and see how far away you need to be before you can see the top of it. The space between the back of the vehicle and the cone is the vehicle’s BlindZone. Always physically check behind your vehicle before backing out to avoid accidental injuries.  
4. Power window strangulation. According to www.KidsandCars.org, power windows have injured or killed thousands of children. Since 1990, 50 children have lost their lives to power window related incidents, and many more have suffered amputations and brain injuries, according to the website. Never leave your child alone in the car. Accidently pressing on the window switch while leaning out the window could have tragic results.
5. Improper use of car seats. It is estimated that 80 to 90% or more of car seats are misused or installed incorrectly. Visit www.safekids.org to find a certified passenger safety technician who can inspect your seat’s installation. Reading the vehicle and seat owner’s manual and watching installation and usage videos put out by the car seat manufacturer can help to ensure that you’re using the right type of seat for your child and your vehicle. 

While accidental car related injuries and deaths can and do occur, the good news is that most are preventable. By using the right seat the right way, never leaving your child unattended in the car and taking added safety precautions, you can reduce the risk of a preventable car related injuries and deaths.

We all hope our children will grow up to be the kind of adults that reach out a helping hand to those less fortunate. However, a service attitude doesn’t just happen; it has to be given ample opportunities to take root and grow strong. Parents can have a profound impact on nurturing that attitude. Here are a few ways you can help your child develop a service attitude that will stay with them throughout their lifetime.

Model a giving heart. Children learn best by watching those they love and respect. If you want your child to truly value helping others, show him that’s it’s important to you through your own words and actions. Find a cause that you’re passionate about and get involved in whatever way you can. It doesn’t always have to be a hands-on project; there are many support jobs that make the direct work possible. Maybe your cause is best served by working on the fundraising committee, or folding and mailing out newsletters, or managing the volunteers. Whatever you do, talk about it with your child and involve him whenever possible. Let him know how your actions help others and share the benefits you get by being part of the project.

Promote the idea that one person can make a difference. Many people today are pessimistic about the impact that one person can have. But the belief that one person who gives from the heart can make a real difference in the world is at the heart of the service attitude. Instill and nurture the belief that your child can make the world a better place. Seek out news stories that spotlight people, especially children, who have taken positive actions around an idea they believe in. Read books where the hero is kind and loving towards others. Celebrate small victories and acknowledge that every big victory started with one step. Focus on what you can accomplish rather than what you can’t. Starting a compost project in your neighborhood won’t stop global warming, but it will contribute to a sustainable community. Working a shift at a homeless shelter won’t end homelessness, but it will help local people get a night’s sleep away from the cold and rain. Empower your child to see and embrace the possibilities.

Give your child the opportunity to get involved in a real way. We often don’t let young children participate in volunteer projects because we want to protect them from the harsh realities of the world. However, most children are able to handle much more than we think they can. They’re able to see past the problems and connect with the people affected. There are many volunteer opportunities that welcome children and help parents explain the issue in age appropriate ways. You and your child can volunteer to serve meals at a homeless shelter, visit isolated seniors in a nursing home, collect winter coats for foster children, or work a shift at a pet adoption day. What you do isn’t important. Taking the time to volunteer on a regular basis is what counts.

Encourage giving with everyday actions. While volunteer projects are a great way to introduce your child to helping others, a true service attitude is something that’s present every day. Get in the habit of joining with your child to think of ways you can help others in your everyday world. Carry a supply of water bottles and granola bars in your car and hand them out to the homeless people standing on street corners. Purge the play room and closets on a regular basis and donate the toys and clothes that aren’t being used. Pick up trash off the sidewalk and put it in the street side trash can. Give up your seat on the train to an elderly person. Return a shopping cart to the store front for a mom with young kids. Ask a child who’s sitting on the sidelines if he’d like to join in the game. There are endless opportunities throughout the day for both you and your child to help others.

Start a gratitude habit. Studies show that people who are grateful for what they have, whatever that may be, are more likely to be happy in their lives. Being grateful also helps you feel good about what you have when others around you have less, so you should consider starting a gratitude habit with your child. Talk at breakfast about what you’re looking forward to, share at dinner what things happened during the day you’re grateful for, or end the night with saying thank you.

No matter how young your child is, take the time to nurture his service attitude. It’s a passion that will stay with him for a lifetime.

While minor injuries are a largely unavoidable part of an active childhood, one of the most important aspects of a nanny’s job is to keep her charges safe and healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than nine million children between infancy and 19 years of age are seen in emergency rooms across the United States each year, and that the leading cause of death among this demographic is injury. While the vast majority of the injuries that you tend to will be quite minor, eliminating the ever-present risk of serious or even life-threatening injury is of the utmost importance. By taking a few simple steps, you may be able to help lower the likelihood of a trip to the ER, or at least a few tears.

• Help Kids Learn Safe Behavior – While it is your job to help keep your charges safe, it’s also partially your responsibility to help them learn to make safe choices for themselves. It’s virtually impossible to be on guard and watching more than one child every moment of the day; for those times when your charges are playing around the corner or in the next room, it’s imperative that they have a working idea of how to keep themselves safe and avoid danger.
• Model Safe Habits – Children learn by playing, exploring, and asking questions; they also learn a surprising amount of their habits and behavior by mimicking the behavior of the adults in their lives. As such, it’s important that you make an effort to always model safe habits. Rather than taking a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to childcare, you should lead through example, helping your charges learn to behave safely by seeing such behavior in action.
• Practice Safe Car Behavior – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids between the ages of three and 14. While not all accidents result in such dire circumstances, it’s absolutely necessary for kids and their nannies to adhere to the basic rules of road safety, including proper restraints, keeping kids in the back seat, and minimizing distractions so that adults can drive as safely as possible.
• Supervise, Supervise, Supervise! – Whether it’s in the swimming pool in summer time or the bathtub in winter, drowning is a leading cause of death and injury among children. Any time your charges will be in or around water they must be supervised vigilantly the entire time. When there’s no water in sight it’s still not wise to lower your guard too far; an inquisitive and adventurous child can find themselves in risky, potentially dangerous situations much faster than most caregivers realize. Even experienced nannies can have injuries on their watch, so stay attentive and avoid as many distractions as you can while on duty.
• Eliminate as Many Hazards as Possible – Some parents childproof their homes the moment they get a positive result on a pregnancy test; others may take a more relaxed approach and opt not to install an array of devices and gadgets to keep little fingers from questing into unsafe territory. If your employers fall into the latter category you’ll have to be extra-vigilant in your supervision and eliminate as many of the potential hazards in a room as possible. Even in homes that are childproofed to the hilt, you should make sure that you keep an eye out for danger, and make sure that you’re not creating hazards through your own behavior. Keep the handles of pots and pans turned inward, spills wiped up to prevent slippery spots on the floor and dangerous chemicals under lock and key.
• Insist on Safety Equipment – Getting an elementary or tween-aged charge to wear a bicycle helmet alone can be a battle; convincing them to go whole-hog with the elbow and knee pads, wrist guards and other safety equipment can be near impossible. Though insisting on these safety measures might not make you the most popular nanny on the block amongst the kids you care for, it will keep them safe from major injury when they take the inevitable spill on their bike or skateboard.
• Prepare Food in a Kid-Safe Manner – Healthline states that approximately 17,000 children are treated for choking and related injuries annually in the United States, and that more than 80% of those episodes occur in children under the age of four. In addition to helping little ones learn to chew thoroughly, take small bites, and eat slowly, nannies should also be sure to prepare food in such a way that there is less of a choking hazard in the first place. Hot dogs should be cut both width-wise and lengthwise, rather than served in small, round slices that can easily block a child’s airway, for instance.

In addition to taking the proper precautions to prevent common injury, nannies should also make a habit of checking for product recalls to ensure that toys and other items marketed for use by children are in proper working order and as safe as possible. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is the single most reliable source of recall information, which can be found on their website.

By Michelle LaRowe
Editor-in-Chief

Whenever I hear that a child has fallen out of a window or drowned in a hot tub, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions: sorrow for the family who lost their child in such a tragic way and anger because a child’s death could have been prevented.

According to WakeMed Health & Hospitals, preventable injuries are the number one killer of children ages 14 and under in the United States. The North Carolina based healthcare system asserts that “90% of these injuries could be prevented if families took the simple steps necessary to protect their children.”

The Center for Disease Control reports that over 12,000 children died during the period of 2000-2006 as a result of an unintentional injury.  Parents and nannies must work together to create a safe environment for children to explore and interact with their world. While all safety risks can’t be eliminated, they can certainly be minimized to reduce the likelihood of a child becoming victim to a preventable injury.

Whether you are a parent or a nanny, it’s vital that you are familiar with preventable injuries and take steps to protect the children in your care.

Preventable injuries include:

Crib Suffocation – Infants can become suffocated by crib bumpers, soft bedding, loose blankets, and cuddly toys.  Removing bumpers, using a sleep sack, and putting the baby to bed with nothing else in the crib can help prevent suffocation.

Window Falls – Children can climb onto windowsills and fall out of open windows. Keeping windows closed and locked when not being used for ventilation, installing window guards with a quick release system, removing furniture to discourage climbing to look out of the window, and supervising children when in rooms and areas with windows can help to prevent window falls.

Drowning Deaths – From a few inches of water in a bathtub, to kiddie pools, to in ground swimming pools and large bodies of water, always practice touch supervision when children are in and around water. Never assume someone else is watching your child. Always stay within an arm’s reach to prevent drowning.

Heatstroke – Especially in young athletes, the risk of heatstroke is a real concern. Keeping children hydrated, having planned water breaks, reducing activity when the heat index is high, and cooling overheated children down quickly can help prevent heatstroke in children.

Hyperthermia – As of August 2012, 15 children have already died from hyperthermia as a result of being left in a vehicle, according to the San Francisco University the Department of Geo Sciences website. Preventing deaths from vehicle related hyperthermia is easy: never leave a child in a motor vehicle unattended. Parents and nannies should commit to always checking the backseat before leaving the vehicle.

Burns – “Keep your pot handles turned in” is more than just a catchy public service announcement tune; it’s a way to prevent accidental burns. Keeping hot liquids out of the reach of children, setting your water thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and keeping kids away from cooking surfaces and grills can help prevent accidental burns.

Crashes – It’s estimated that 80%-90% or more of car seats are installed wrong or are used incorrectly. A correctly installed and used car seat can help prevent injury or death to children who are in a motor vehicle accident. Always have a certified passenger safety technician check your seat installation to be sure it is being installed and used correctly.

Poisoning – Access to harmful medications and chemicals can be prevented. You should always store medications and chemicals out of sight and out of the reach of children. Store medications in locked boxes and store cleaning supplies in locked cabinets. Many women carry around medication with them. Be sure to keep the pocketbooks of visitors out of reach to children to prevent accidental access.

Lawn Mower Accidents – Many dads consider having junior help mow the lawn a real bonding experience. According to the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, there are 68,000 injuries related to lawn mowers each year. From driving the ride-on mower to helping push the foot propelled mower, each year children die and suffer serious injuries that result in amputation as a result of helping to mow the lawn.

Parents and nannies should work together and be proactive in preventing unintentional injuries. Take regular assessment of the places the child spends the most time and ensure that the appropriate measures have been taken to create an age-appropriate area that promotes free exploration while minimizing the risk of preventable injuries.

Don’t let a child you love become a statistic. While not every serious injury can be prevented, many of them can.