Tag Archives: safety

Three Ways for Au Pairs to Stay Red Cross Ready

Being knowledgeable in basic first aid and CPR is important for au pairs (and anyone else caring for children). Au Pair in America’s commitment to infant/child safety begins before au pairs arrive to the U.S., with pre-arrival training and continue throughout the au pair year.

#1 Training At Orientation

Our orientation includes seminars by American Red Cross instructors who provide hands-on demonstrations in infant/child CPR and safety. Printed materials are provided that reinforce the safety information and can be used to review from time to time.

#2 Enroll in a Red Cross Certification Class

After settling into their host community, all au pairs are encouraged to complete an Infant/Child CPR and First Aid certification program. Au Pair in America will pay for this training through the American Red Cross.

Classes are available through the Red Cross. Au Pair in America will pay for the cost of a class providing an au pair has at least six months left on her visa and is taking one of several approved childcare/child safety-related classes, such as Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED. Au pairs should check with their community counselor and host family before signing up. Au Pair in America will register the au pair directly.

To locate a class, visit www.redcross.org/takeaclass. For step-by-step instructions on how to locate a class and have Au Pair in America complete enrollment, click here.

#3 Stay Current on Safety Information

The Official American Red Cross First Aid app puts expert advice for everyday emergencies in your hand. Available for iPhone and Android devices, this app gives you instant access to the information you need to know to handle the most common first aid emergencies. With videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice, it’s never been easier to know first aid. Download the app for free from the American Red Cross website or in your app store.

Photos: Robin Leon

Privacy & Personal Information Online

We live in a time of constant sharing through social media. We often share pictures, plans of somewhere we are going or rants about problems, without thinking much about who will see it and what could be the consequences.

Before clicking “post”, stop to think:

  • Am I violating someone’s privacy?
  • Am I sharing personal info. that could put me in danger?
  • Would I want my current or a future employer to see this?

This will help protect your privacy and safety as well as that of your host family. It is important to respect your host family’s privacy and not share personal details and information.  This applies to all kinds of situations, including: personal conversations, email and social websites.

For your own safety, it is a good idea to be careful what personal information you share about yourself as well. You should not give out information like your telephone number and address to people you don’t know. Safer to meet a new friend in a public place, than to give them your address before knowing them.

Once you post something on the internet (even if you later delete it), it can show up elsewhere.  Unless you have specific permission from your host family, you should never post pictures of them, their children or their home on the internet.

If you have a blog or website where you post in your native language, remember there is translation software. So, even if you say it in your native language, be sure it is not something that might be misinterpreted in translation or something you will regret saying.

10 Tips for Summer Safety

  1. Remember to bring along drinks, especially water. Try to get children to drink water every 20 minutes, when they are outside in hot weather.
  2. Pay attention to surfaces that can be hot against children’s skin, such as metal slides and other playground equipment in the sun.
  3. Safety around water is particularly important. A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Whenever you are near water you must never leave a child alone – if the phone rings, take them with you or let it ring! Always stay within arm’s reach when the children are in or near water.
  4. Young babies should be kept out of direct sunlight. Keep the baby in the shade or under a tree, umbrella or stroller canopy.
  5. Dress babies in lightweight clothing and use brimmed hats.
  6. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside, even if it appears overcast (cloudy).
  7. Try to keep children out of the sun in the middle of the day when the sun is strongest.
  8. Learn what poison ivy looks like and keep children out of it. A good rule to teach the children is “leaves of three, let it be.”
  9. Use insect repellent spray to keep away mosquitos and ticks. Ask your host parents before applying.
  10. Check for ticks when you bring children in from playing outside, especially if you’ve been in tall grass or the woods.

Photo: Scott97006 (Flickr)

SaveSave

Preventing Dehydration in Hot Weather

Dehydration means that the body lacks the necessary amount of fluid. Infants and small children are more likely to become dehydrated than older children or adults, because they can lose relatively more fluid quickly.

Here are some steps to take to make sure children remain hydrated in the summer months:

  • Encourage your child to drink plenty of water. On hot days, children should drink significantly more water than usual, as they are losing more due to the heat.
  • Do not wait until your child is thirsty to give him water. By the time they feel thirsty, they are already becoming dehydrated.
  • If your child is resistant to drinking enough water, have other liquids on hand for your child to drink throughout the day.
  • Be alert to changes in behavior. A child may act confused or more irritable when they are becoming dehydrated/overheated. Get them into cooler temperatures and drinking more fluids.
  • Dress your child in lightweight clothing in the summer months, particularly if she’ll be playing outdoors in warm weather. You may also consider clothes that are well ventilated as they do not trap heat close to the body.
  • When there are heat and/or air quality advisories because the weather is dangerously hot, you should avoid taking the children outdoors. Check with your host parents for further guidance on this topic.

Remember to follow these tips for yourself too, so you stay well hydrated.

Photo: Darwin Bell (Flickr)

Summer is starting with a Heat Wave – Safety Tips

Tips for Staying Cool This Summer

  • heat wave Be aware of the heat. Pay attention to it and modify your activities appropriately.
  •  Pay attention to your hydration status and be sure to drink plenty of fluids.
  •  Try to stay in relatively cool areas, even when outside. Many public places, such as libraries, shopping malls and movie theatres, are air conditioned.
  • Avoid hot, enclosed places, such as cars. Never leave children unattended in a car!
  •  Use a fan, if available.
  •  Stay on the lowest floor of your building.
  • Eat well-balanced, light and regular meals.
  • Wear loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothing.
  • Cover windows that receive a significant amount of sun with drapes or shades to help keep your house cool.
  • Cool beverages are good for cooling down the body, while alcoholic drinks can impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperature.

Signs of Heat Overexposure

  • Heavy sweating — though if heat stroke sets in, the body can no longer compensate and stops sweating.boy drinking water
  • Pale skin.
  • Muscle cramps.
  • Feeling tired and weak.
  • Altered mental status (confusion or disorientation).
  • Headache.
  • Becoming semi-conscious or passing out.
  • Nausea or vomiting.

Steps to Take After Recognizing Heat-Induced Illness

  • Call 911.
  • Get the person out of the sun and into a cool area. An air-conditioned area is ideal, but moving someone into the shade will also help.
  • Apply water to help the person cool off.
  •  Apply ice to the neck or armpits, where large blood vessels are close to the surface.
  • Remove any heavy clothing.
  • Immerse the body in cool water, either at a swimming pool or in a bathtub.

cool offDon’t forget the pets, keep them cool and hydrated too!

Happy Passover!

    Passover begins at sunset on Monday, April 18, 2011. Its celebration continues through the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

    What is Passover?

    Passover, or Pesach commemorates the Israelites Exodus from Egypt. Its name refers to the passage in the Book of Exodus (12:11) when God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites during the tenth plague. Passover is one of three pilgrimage festivals, along with Sukkot and Shavuot.

    What are some Passover customs and practices?

    passover sederIt is traditional on Passover to only eat unleavened food. Many rid their entire house of hametz (food that is not kosher for Passover) or sell their leavened food to a non-Jew for the eight days of the holiday. The Passover seder is for the most part held on the first and second night of Passover, though some only participate in a seder on the first night. During the seder participants recount the story of the Exodus while drinking four cups of wine.

    What foods are traditionally eaten on Passover?

    The most common food eaten on Passover is Matzah, a cracker-like replacement for bread. During the Seder other unique foods are eaten, like haroset, a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and spices. For the duration of the holiday, all leavened foods are prohibited.

    Passover for Families

    Have young kids? Check out these links from Kveller.com for making the holiday fun for the entire family.

    Au Pairs Summer and Water Safety Training

    Each June Community Counselor Cindy Garruba teaches a cluster meeting to prepare her Au Pairs for the Long Island Summer Childcare.  All of the Suffolk County Au Pair in America Au Pairs will spend time at a beach or pool with their host children.  It is important that they learn water safety and prevention of drowning.  An experienced former Red Cross Lifeguard and Swim Instructor, Cindy stresses safety tips from her years of experience growing up along the Long Island Sound Shore. 

    Cindy also does training on sunscreen and sunburn prevention, basic first aid for cuts and scrapes, poison ivy identification and treatments, identification of ticks, lyme disease symptons, rashes, prevention and treatment recommendations. 

    This training is essential for a safe and fun summer in Suffolk County Long Island, NY.

    Smmer Safety meeting at Cindy's Beach house

    Smmer Safety meeting at Cindy's Beach house

    Childproofing

    With shorter days and colder weather, you and the children are probably spending more time inside the house. Please be sure that the house is “childproof” with these simple tips:

    • Children are curious; many small children put everything into their mouths. Be sure no small objects are within the child’s reach.
    • Plastic bags, long cords and very soft pillows can be dangerous to children.
    • If a toy gets broken and has sharp edges, keep it away from children!
    • Be sure that laundry soap and other cleaners are out of reach of the children.
    • Don’t leave any medicines in reach of children, not even vitamins.
    • Keep scissors and knives out of reach.
    • Store the toys that belong to older children out of reach of babies and toddlers.
    • Many cosmetic items and toiletries, such as mouthwash, perfume, nail polish, and hair spray, are poisonous. Keep them out of children’s reach.