Tag Archives: child care St. Paul

Winter Fun and Safety – Sledding!

Tubing au pairs

SLEDDING SAFETY TIPS from the Minnesota Safety Council
CHOOSING A SLED
Look for solid construction – avoid homemade sleds, inflatable sleds that could be punctured, and equipment with sharp edges. Energy-absorbing seat pads will help cushion jolts to the spine.
Examine sleds to be sure handholds are secure and steering works easily.

FINDING A SAFE SLEDDING LOCATION
Look for an area that has been designated as a safe place to sled. Injuries are most likely to occur on poorly lit, unsupervised hills with obstacles such as rocks, tree trunks, etc. Check for signs posted by local police or parks and recreation departments.
Check that the sledding area has adequate space at the bottom to allow the sled to come to a complete stop. It should be far from traffic and water, and free of obstacles such as rocks and trees.
Be alert to hidden hazards under mounds of snow.
Don’t let children sled on ice.

Provide adult supervision as appropriate for children’s age and abilities.
Before sledding, remind children of the basics: Encourage them to sit up with feet forward (lying flat on the sled increases the chance of head and abdominal injuries), and to roll off the sled if they’re about to collide with a tree or other large or hard object.

Dress children appropriately for the temperature and in multiple layers. Outerwear should be water- and wind-resistant and free of drawstrings, which could pose a strangulation hazard.

It is recommended that kids wear helmets when they sled. Although a helmet has not yet been designed specifically for sledding, until such a helmet exists, wearing a bicycle, skateboard or ski helmet may be preferable to wearing no helmet at all.
Source: Safe Kids Worldwide

Clearing up myths about au pairs

There are a bunch of misconceptions about au pairs, so I thought I would try to put together one document that clears up the ones I personally hear most often.

First, having an au pair is not only for rich people. An au pair costs about $365 per family per week (plus room and board.) The average cost of care for an infant at a center in the Twin Cities metro area, according to mnchildcare.org, is $321, and $179 at an in-home daycare. This is per CHILD, not per family. So for one child, it’s slightly more expensive but significantly more flexible. For more than one child, it’s actually less expensive!

Second, au pairs do not come here to get married. While some of them do end up falling in love and marrying, the vast majority stay for the duration of their visa and then go back home. The State Department is constantly reviewing all au pair programs to ensure this is the case.

Third, au pairs are here to do childcare, to share their culture with Americans, to learn about our culture, to take classes, and to meet new people. They do not come here to party – it’s a lot easier and cheaper to do that at home!

Fourth, au pairs can drive. They all come with either an International Drivers License, or their home country’s license if they aren’t able to get an IDL where they live. So they all have passed at least one driving test. It is true that some of them have difficulty transitioning to our roads. We offer a course at our orientation that helps with that transition.

Fifth, au pairs are experienced, caring child care providers who love children. We exhaustively check childcare and personal references and provide transcripts to prospective host families. We give them personality tests and we are careful to only select candidates we feel will be successful with our host families.

If you have questions about au pairs, please let me know! I’m happy to answer anything!