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Safety Tips for Family

Child-proof your Home to keep Kids SAFEHere are some tips for childproofing your Home:

Use covers on electrical outlets and latches on cabinets.

Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding burns.

Prevent poisoning by keeping household cleaners, chemicals and medicines completely out of reach and always store them in their original container and know your local Poison Control Center number (1-800-222-1222). Also, buy and use products with child resistant caps.

Make sure that used or hand-me-down equipment, such as car seats, strollers, toys and cribs, etc., haven't been recalled for safety reasons. Call the manufacturer or the Consumer Product Safety Commission for an up-to-date list of recalled products (800-638-2772 or www.cpsc.gov).

Use stair gates and window guards.

If your home was built prior to 1978, it most likely has lead paint issues. Have your pediatrician test your child for exposure to lead and remove any lead paint from your home.

Maintain smoke free environments for your children. Second hand smoke can be deadly and is known to cause pneumonia and other illness in children.

Remove mobiles from the crib and playpen once your child can stand.

Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers in the house and use flame retardant sleepware.

Install fire extinguishers and consider purchasing flame resistant or flame retardant furniture in your home.

Remove furniture with sharp edges or use soft guards.

Use nonskid backing on rugs and make sure carpets are securely tacked down.

Remove breakables from low tables and shelves.

Remove small toys and other choking hazards from around your child.

Tie cords of blinds, curtains and appliances up out of reach or use a blind cord wind-up device. Remove loops from blinds.

Do not use a mobile baby walker. Stationary walkers are much safer.

Do not carry hot liquids or food near your child and do not allow your child near stoves, heaters or other hot appliances (especially curling irons). When cooking, use the back burners and turn pot handles inward. When serving hot tea or coffee watch little ones around table cloths. They can pull the corner of the table cloth and spill the liquid on them causing severe burns.

To prevent drowning, empty all water from bathtubs and pails, keep the door to the bathroom closed and never leave your child alone near any container of water.

In the bathroom, use a lid lock on the toilet, a non-slip mat on the tub floor and consider a cushion for the tub faucet.

Child proof the swimming pool by enclosing it in a fence with a self-closing and self-latching gate and never leave your child alone in a swimming area, even if he is a good swimmer. Anything can happen in seconds.

If you must have a gun in the house keep it and the bullets in a separate locked place.

Be cautious of certain dog breeds (Rottweilers, pit bulls, German shepherds) that account for over fifty percent of fatal dog bites and closely supervise children when in the presence of animals.

If using bunk beds, remember that kids under age 6 years of age should not be allowed to sleep in the upper bunk.

Make sure your house is free of enviornmental health hazards, such as radon, carbon monoxide, asbestos, mercury and mold.

If considering buying a trampoline, keep in mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that 'parents should never purchase a home trampoline or allow children to use home trampolines' and that even when supervised, children under age 6 years should not be allowed to use a trampoline.

Place childproof covers on doors that your child could use to leave the house.

Keep a list of emergency numbers near the phone and keep a phone handy at all times in case of an emergency.

Lock rooms with a childproof lock or door knob cover, that are not childproof and the exterior doors of your house so that your child can't get out the front door or into the garage, attic, or backyard without help.

Safety Tips for HalloweenCostume Safety

Make sure that the costumes are flame retardant to keep the little ones safe near candle-lit jack-o-lanterns and other fire hazards.

Prevent trips or falls by keeping costumes short enough for safe walking to avoid the really scary 'bumps in the night'

Make-up is safer than a mask. Masks can obstruct a child's vision and this can be dangerous when crossing the streets or going up and down any steps.

Consider light colors when shopping for a costume or put reflective tape on the kids so that they are visible to cars when crossing streets or driveways.

Encourage children to make costume accessories out of card-board or other flexible material if they NEED weapons. All of the excitement sometimes brings out aggressive behavior. Even toy weapons that are purchased from a store can sometimes hurt and cause injury. (ie. swords) Remind kids that they don't NEED weapons to be scary and fun!

Trick-or-Treating Children should always trick-or-treat in a group and at least one parent should accompany the group to keep them safe from REAL 'Monsters' who don't always wear a mask! Treat Safety

Kids sould know not to eat their treats until they get home so that a parent o guardian can inspect them. The BEST way to do this is to make sure they eat dinner before they go trick-or-treating AND let them start the trick-or-treating at home FIRST! This way they will have some treats that they KNOW are safe to eat!

Go through ALL treats at home in a well lit place.

Allow children to eat ONLY those unopened candies in original wrappers that you can't unwrap and re-wrap. Inspect fruit and any homemade treats for anything suspicious.

Ventura County FairI hope everyone gets a chance to go to the Ventura County Fair this year! If you watch the schedule, they have some FREE days for kids, seniors, and people with disabilities. They also offer discounts on certain days. There are concerts every night so the entry fee is well worth it! I took my kids to see the Beach Boys and we had the BEST time! As we stood there singing along, I couldn't help but think of how fortunate we are to live in such a wonderful place! The beautiful sunset was the backdrop to the stage. The weather was perfect and the music was awesome! Every seat was taken and there were lots of people standing.The Beach Boys are timeless! The Band had the crowd going and played all of the favorites! People of all ages knew the words to the songs and were singing along. John Stamos, (who is known as "Uncle Jesse on Full House" by my kids) was a great addition to the band! He proved that he is truly multi-talented on the Bass and the Drums! The two remaining Beach Boys proved they still have what it takes! TALENT!!! Santa Barbara is home to one of them so if we are lucky, they will be back next year. If so, try not to miss it!