Tag Archives: nanny

Summer Safety Tips – Car Safety/Child Car Seat Info

More safety tips from Walgreens’ website.

CAR SAFETY

  • Always wear a seat belt.
  • Obey traffic laws and drive defensively.
  • Do not drink alcohol and drive.
  • While driving, try to avoid any distractions from others in your car.
  • Keep your vehicle properly serviced, especially before going on a long trip. Keep an emergency kit in your car.
  • Take the weather into account before venturing out on the roads.

INFANT AND CHILD CAR SEATS

  • Car seats are required by law for children under 40 pounds.
  • The safest position for an infant car seat is rear facing in the back seat.
  • In most models, the infant seat is used AT LEAST until the child reaches 20 pounds and 1 year of age. (Some experts recommend rear-facing child seats until the child is 30 pounds; check the weight restrictions on your specific seat.) At that point, a forward-facing seat can be used. This may require a new car seat — it depends on the model.
  • Booster seats should be used for children 40 to 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring that children up to 8 years old or 80 pounds be put in booster seats.
  • Read the car owner’s manual to determine the safest place to fasten a car seat in YOUR car.
  • Know how your car seat is designed to be used. Read the instructions carefully.
  • Adapters may be needed for certain types of cars or certain seat belt types.
  • For more information call your car seat manufacturer, car manufacturer, or the State Highway Safety Office.

Summer Safety Tips – Household Safety

Another set of safety tips from Walgreens’ website.

HOUSEHOLD SAFETY

  • Wear protective footwear and eye wear when mowing the lawn, operating power tools, working with a chisel, or hammering metal on metal.
  • Keep tools away from children until they are old enough to use them properly.
  • All stairways should have a sturdy hand rail.
  • All entryways should have bright lighting.
  • Don’t leave objects on stairways. Make sure that carpet on stairways is securely fastened.
  • Unplug appliances (such as heating pads and electric blankets) when they are not in use.
  • In the bathroom, use non-slip floor mats. Put non-slip appliques on the bathtub.
  • Don’t use any electrical appliances when you are wet or in the bathtub, shower, or pool.
  • Make sure that each fireplace has a fire screen.
  • Keep guns locked up and unloaded. Firearms and ammunition should be stored separately.
  • Make sure your house number is easily visible from the street.

Summer Safety Tips – Sun and Bicycle Safety

This is from Walgreens’ site, and contains a lot of excellent information. I’ll probably post a few of these.

SUN PROTECTION

  • When outside on a warm, sunny day, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, a water-proof sunscreen, and loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
  • Sun protection is especially important between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Drink plenty of water, but avoid drinking alcohol on hot, humid days when you are outside. Alcohol can cause dehydration.
  • If you become overheated, sit in the shade, drink plenty of water, and try to keep your skin cool and moist.
  • Keep very young children’s skin from being exposed to the sun.
  • Never leave children or pets unattended in a car in the sun — even for a few minutes.
  • Wear appropriate sunscreens — a sunscreen rating of 15 should give adequate protection for most people.
  • Remember, there is no such thing as a healthy suntan.

BICYCLE SAFETY

  • Wear a bike helmet.
  • Make sure bikes are the right size. A child should be able to straddle a bike with both feet on the ground.
  • Young children should use bikes with coaster brakes — the kind that brake when you pedal backwards. With hand brakes, a child’s hands should be large enough and strong enough to use the levers.
  • Avoid riding at night if at all possible. Make sure your bike has reflectors.
  • Stop at stop signs, check for traffic before turning, and never ride out into a street without stopping first.
  • Ride on the same side of the road as the cars.
  • Be predictable and ride defensively. Ride where drivers of cars can see you. Bicycles are frequently hit by cars because the driver did not even know the bike was there. Many accidents have been avoided because the biker was watching out for cars.
  • Wear brightly colored clothing so that motorists can easily see you.

Peace Day Competition

I know it’s kind of a contradiction, but Au Pair in America held a Peace Day competition for our au pairs to submit art or poetry on the subject of the International Day of Peace. You can see all submissions on our Global Awareness page at http://www.globalawareness.com/

Global Awareness is our educational program, where au pairs go to schools, Boy or Girl Scout meetings, birthday parties, etc. and share aspects of their culture. They can teach a traditional song, talk about holiday customs, maybe even share a recipe. If you would like to have an au pair visit your school or other youth event, contact me!

What to do when your kids say "I'm bored"

Sometimes, especially with younger children, cries of boredom are really calls for companionship and attention—their friends may be away on vacation and without the structure of school they may find it difficult to keep occupied during long summer days. Prolonged intervals where the kids have nothing to do can be stressful . When bored, children often become whiny, cranky and demanding. Calendar-of-the-season-300×216

Here are a few easy tips to help au pairs and host parents combat summer boredom and help kids develop the internal resources that are important for developing creative, resource and time management skills:

Put a weekly calendar together so as not to overwhelm yourself with planning entertainment for an entire summer, just take it one week at a time—day trips, arts and craft activities, play-dates, reading time, nature hikes, picnics, bike rides, a trip to the movie theatre etc. This way kids will have something to look forward to during down time. A calendar also helps with getting kids prepared for what comes next.
Ask: “If you could do anything, what would you like to do?” Try and encourage your children to generate their own ideas for activities—they are more apt to have fun when they thought it up on their own! Reinforcing that children use their imaginations will also help them develop a sense of resourcefulness and get them in the habit of making their own choices about how they will spend their time.
Keep an “art box” handy full of supplies: scissors, fabric, felt, glue, paints and brushes, stickers, paper, markers, canvass, needle and thread, beads, yarn, picture magazines etc. Rummaging through a box of art supplies can ignite the imagination and occupy children for long periods of time. They could even begin an entrepreneurial enterprise and sell their wares at the end of the summer.
Inspire them to play with water. Water is very calming and soothing for children and they can while away many hours playing and keeping cool. Get them to wash the car, hose off the deck, or run through a sprinkler. Spend time together at the beach or pool

(Thanks to Jan Peedin, Annapolis Community Counselor, for the great posting!)

National Library Week April 10-16

Libraries are great places to take kids of all ages! National Library Week is the ideal time to check out all the opportunities at your local library. From preschool story time to resources for high school research projects, libraries can be an important part of caring for children. In the Twin Cities, go to www.hclib.org to find your closest library and check out what’s happening!