The next time you go to the grocery store or supermarket, look around you. Chances are you will find someone with their baby car seat on a shopping cart.

This is, in fact, very dangerous. It’s something that not a lot of parents know about.

Just the other day, I came across three different instances in a supermarket.

The thing is, supermarket carts have clear warning signs about not doing this. Unfortunately, this is simply ignored.

Surely, it’s convenient. However, is it safe? It definitely is NOT.

I’m sure someone is bound to say:

“I have always done that and nothing bad has ever happened. Besides, other people do it too so I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Is putting a baby’s in harm’s way a risk worth taking?

Take a pause. Think about it.

A study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has this to say:

“Although a voluntary shopping cart safety standard was implemented in the United States in 2004, the overall number and rate of injuries to children associated with shopping carts have not decreased. In fact, the number and rate of concussions/closed head injuries have continued to climb …”

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends not to place baby car seats on shopping carts due to the potential dangers associated with the practice.

With that, here are the 6 top reasons why placing a car seat on a shopping cart is a bad idea.

6. Too many innocent children are getting injured.

The unfortunate reality is that accidents involving car seats on shopping carts really do happen.

In fact, shopping carts are the leading cause of head injuries among young kids:

“According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), shopping carts are the leading cause of head injuries in young children – surpassing injuries from high chairs, strollers, changing tables, baby gates and other equipment. The CPSC estimates that about 16,000 children under the age of five fall out of shopping carts each year and nearly 1,000 of those injuries involve falling infant carriers.” (1)

In addition, the Huffington Post cited the following stats:

“Between 1990 and 2011, 530,494 children had to go to the hospital because of a shopping cart-related injury — which averages out to more than 24,000 children injured a year, or 66 children injured each day.” (2)

This means that 1 child every 22 minutes is treated in an emergency department for injuries related to a shopping cart accident (3).

Furthermore, these injuries can be severe or even deadly. Most injuries, about 70.4%, are caused by falls from the cart or by the cart tipping over (4).

The number of concussion-related injuries was significantly high. Most of these shopping cart injuries are unfortunately serious …

5. Head injuries accounted for 78.1% of the most commonly injured body region.

Most of these head injuries were associated with children ages 0 to 4 years, in other words … infants and toddlers.

In fact, the number of head injuries has been increasing:

“While soft tissue injuries were the most common diagnosis for these head injuries, the annual rate of concussions and closed head injuries (which are concussions and internal head injuries) increased significantly by more than 200% during the study period, with the number of these injuries going from 3,483 injuries in 1990 to 12,333 in 2011. Most of this increase was associated with children ages 0 to 4 years.” (5)

In a report by Action News 4, the children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh revealed that 80% of the children coming to the hospital with shopping cart-related problems primarily had head injuries. (6)

A lot of people think that car seats are designed also for the purpose of locking onto shopping carts. However …

Here is something most people do not know about car seats:

4. Baby car seats are NOT designed to be secured on top of shopping carts.

In fact, most shopping carts that you find in grocery stores and supermarkets have warnings saying that baby car seats should not be placed on top of shopping carts.

Unfortunately, no one appears to be reading or paying attention to them …

… even when the sign is right down in front of them as they put the carrier on the cart.

The big “Warning” sign is right there. If folks will just take time to read them.

And for those who read them, they seem not to take the warning seriously … until something tragic happens.

“Most car seat manufacturers specifically prohibit using their seats this way but that warning is usually buried along with 30 other generic warnings in the instruction manual so it doesn’t get much attention.” (7)

Safety experts have time and again explained this but this message seems to be ignored.

According to safety expert Debra Holtzman:

3. Shopping carts can tip over easily — and they’re more likely to if there’s a car seat mounted on them.

Holtzman, who is also the author of The Safe Baby, adds:

“The cart has a narrow wheel base in relation to its height, so the center of gravity is affected when you put a child in it. When your child’s car seat is on top of it, the center of gravity is affected even more, increasing the chances of tipping.” (8)

Did you know that it does not take much weight to tip over a cart?

“Safety experts say when kids are strapped inside a shopping cart it raises the center of gravity of the cart. As little as ten pounds can tip it over.” (9)

Accidents happen and they do often within seconds … most especially when shopping carts tip over. Within seconds, your life can change completely.

Here is one mom’s account of a shopping cart that tipped over with her 10 month-old baby:

“She flipped the whole cart over while still buckled just because I’d taken the groceries out. It was empty, and that makes it light enough that she can flip it. That’s not good … It happened so fast and the fact that she was able to flip it with her own body weight because it was empty … I’m really concerned those carts aren’t as sturdy as they need to be.”

Tragic stories from car seat on shopping cart accidents are real. Here is the heartbreaking fact …

2. Babies have died from head injuries as a result of their car seats falling off a shopping cart.

The sad truth is that …

“Any injury or even DEATH (Yes. Babies have died from head injuries due to their carriers falling off the shopping cart) that has come from a carrier falling off the top of a cart is 100% preventable.” (10)

It has happened before and it can happen again.

“A three-month-old boy has died after he fell from a shopping cart as it was pushed over a speed bump. James Anderson Berg died after the car seat he was sat in toppled from the top of the cart in a Kroger parking lot in Macon, Atlanta.” (11)

You can read the comments section on our Facebook page and you will see a lot of people saying that they have witnessed horrible incidents of carriers just falling off shopping carts with the babies getting seriously injured.

Having experienced seeing these firsthand is just something that they simply cannot get our of their minds.

It’s just really sad.

Finally …

Tragedies are preventable.

1. One child death is too much, too many.

Let’s put a stop to this. Fatalities and serious injuries from car seat-shopping cart accidents are REAL.

So parents, please take this seriously and protect your baby. Save yourself, your family, and your friends from grief with having to deal with a heartbreaking and tragic accident.

There are many options available.

Just DON’T place the baby car seat on top of the shopping cart.

Instead of placing the car seat on the shopping cart, a lot of moms opt to use baby carriers or wraps such as the ones shown below:

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends NOT to place car seats on shopping carts and suggests the following options for parents (12):

– Get another adult to come with you to watch your child while you shop.

– Put your child in a stroller or wagon instead of in a shopping cart.

– Wear a baby carrier or sling.

– Ask your older child to walk and praise him or her for behaving and staying near you.

– Leave your child at home with another adult while you shop.

– Shop online if your store offers shopping on the Internet.

– Never leave your child alone in a shopping cart.

– Do not let your child stand up in a shopping cart.

– Do not allow an older child to climb on the cart or push the cart with another child in it, because it is very easy for a child to tip the cart over.

Please share this article with family and friends who have babies and toddlers.

Let’s do our part in preventing another child from getting seriously hurt, or at worst, getting killed.

Would you still be willing to take a risk of your child falling from a shopping cart?

The post 6 Top Reasons “Car Seat On The Shopping Cart” Is A BAD Idea. #2 Is Heartbreaking appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

Were you spanked as a young child by your parents as a way to discipline you? Did it reform your behavior? Did it make you a better person or did it bring about feelings of resentment and anger?

These days, there remains a great divide among parents on whether parents should spank their kids. Here in the U.S. for example, even though spanking has become less popular over time, most polls still show parents favor and approve of spanking their children.

An ABC poll found that:

“Sixty-five percent of Americans approve of spanking children, a rate that has been steady since 1990 … Among parents with minor children at home, 50 percent report that they sometimes spank their child, while 45 percent do not.”

I happen to have grown-up in an age where spanking a child was okay. Yup, I was spanked and I hated it. I swore that my child would never have to go through such an unfortunate experience. Now in her teens, she has turned out to be a loving, well-behaved, responsible, and happy kid — a product of a no spanking household policy.

According to a study published in the Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics, there are serious consequences to applying physical punishment to kids.

“Harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, and several personality disorders in 2% to 7% of those observed.”

Lina Acosta Sandaal, an expert in child and adolescent development and infant and early childhood mental health, has this to say about spanking:

“The statistics and multiple negative outcomes of children that are disciplined with corporal punishment are well known to those who work with children. Children’s Trends, a research group, found that corporal punishment increases negative outcomes in adolescence like low academic achievement, alcohol and drug use, and antisocial behavior. They also found that the older the age of the child, the greater the negative outcomes.” Source: GoodMenProject.com

With that, check out the list of 8 vital reasons why you should not spank your child.

8. It is too easy for a frustrated parent to cross the line from spanking to abusing.

Unfortunately, by the time the smoke clears, many parents have crossed the line from spanking to hitting, shaking, slapping and other forms of child abuse. Source: ActiveParenting.com

This is the reason why parents who advocate spanking suggest to NEVER spank your child when you are angry. Some parents suggest to calm down first and not spank when your emotions are high.

Of course, when you have calmed down, you probably have by then thought of a better approach to handle the situation than spanking.

We all want our child to build self-confidence. However, Spanking goes counter to helping your child build self-confidence.

7. Spanking makes a child feel helpless and damages self-esteem.

It’s hard to feel like you have any control when you are told that if you don’t stop crying, you will be hit again. It makes a child ask, “What is wrong with me?” It’s hard to feel loved or have any self-worth when even your cries for help are demeaned by the person who is supposed to unconditionally love and protect you. It’s a betrayal. Source: SheKnows.com

When kids get very emotional, crying is their way of dealing with hurt and pain. Sometimes it takes time for a crying child (especially toddlers) to really calm down. However, some parents really go overboard with spanking, thinking that the threat of more spanking can stop all the crying.

Again, it is best for parents to calm down and try to work out the issue without further spanking.

Young children tend to model after their parents’ way of doing things.

Any aggressive behavior by a parent on a child might be misunderstood by a child as something that is okay to do to others.

6. Spanking teaches aggressive behavior.

Kids who are spanked learn to handle some problems by hitting or threatening to hit. Others find that their parents are too big to get even with, so they take it out on other kids. Source: ActiveParenting.com

Toddlers are very impressionable. They tend to copy other people’s actions without fully comprehending the reasons for such actions.

According to parenting expert Dr. Michael Popkin:

“We have to teach children that violence is only OK as a measure of restrained self-defense and never a way to “punish” others for misbehavior.”

By doing so, young children will learn to understand that it is not okay to hit others to resolve conflicts.

Sure, spanking might solve the issue with the child at that particular time. However, a child’s feelings of resentment may lead to more misbehaving just to spite a parent to get even.

5. Spanking usually leads to more misbehavior.

The problem with spanking is that it does work … for the immediate misbehavior. Kids will “stop it this instant!” However, they also resent the spanking and seek out conscious or unconscious ways to get even. Source: ActiveParenting.com

A study featured on Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that:

“… children who acted out more often got spankings that led to more acting out and, in turn, resulted in more spankings.”

In fact, researchers of the study discovered even stronger evidence that spanking children before the age 1 year may be a “catalyst that starts the cycle.”

Building a close and loving relationship with our child is something we strive for.

Did you know that hitting a child does not help build a stronger relationship between you and your child?

4. Spanking can damage your relationship with your child.

Spanking puts an emotional wedge between parent and child. Children depend on their parents to care for them. They trust them and their authority. Authority based on fear makes children lose respect for parents. It is hard to respect someone that hurts you. Source: FamiliesOnTheGo.com

According to Dr. Michael Popkin, author of the best-selling parenting book Active Parenting:

“When you spank often, you create a climate of hurt and revenge that undermines much of the good in the relationship. You may be able to overcome this, but why take the chance when there are better methods available?”

Some parents have felt this emotion after giving their kids some spanking. In fact, parents have felt some guilt that they may have gone overboard with their disciplinary action.

3. Spanking often leaves the parent feeling guilty.

Most parents are aware that spanking is now a controversial parenting method. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has come out against spanking. But even before this, many parents could sense that something was not right about hurting a child “for his own good,” and feel guilty afterwards. Source: ActiveParenting.com

Any parent who loves their child dearly is bound to also feel the hurt and guilt after spanking their child. As parents, we need to have confidence in our parenting methods.

If your approach to resolving an issue with your child brings about feelings of guilt, then you might like to look into better approaches of discipline or resolving issues that you will have more confidence in.

Frequent spanking has been found to cause this potentially troublesome long-term effect

It has been found that there is a direct correlation between mental illness and high incidences of childhood spanking.

2. Spanking can increase the likelihood of developing mental health symptoms.

According to this study, links have been found from later mental health diagnoses to higher incidents of childhood spanking for disciplinary purposes. I am willing to bet that when spanking your child, your intention wasn’t to create long-term psychological problems. Source: PsychCentral.com

Michele Knox, a psychiatrist who studies family and youth violence at the University of Toledo College of Medicine agrees with those findings.

Dr. Knox says:

“Spanking and other forms of corporal punishment have a huge variety of negative outcomes, and almost no positive outcomes. Those negative outcomes include aggressive behavior and delinquency in kids.”

Furthermore, research studies have found that harsh physical punishment in the absence of child maltreatment can also be associated with the following:

1. mood disorders
2. anxiety disorders
3. substance abuse/dependence; and
4. personality disorders

These research findings surely are worth thinking about as your child’s future may depend on how you instill discipline with them now.

If you think giving your child some whooping is the ultimate answer to misbehaving, think again.

Spanking is not the answer as there are other ways for you to deal with a misbehaving child.

1. There are many more effective methods of discipline.

The bottom line in all of this is that there are better ways to discipline kids in our modern society — methods such as polite requests, “I” messages, firm reminders, logical consequences, active problem-solving … These methods not only solve behavior problems but also help build such qualities of character as responsibility, cooperation, courage, respect and even self-esteem. Source: ActiveParenting.com

According to Dr. Bryan Carter, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist and professor in the U of L Department of Pediatrics/Bingham Clinic, and director of the Pediatric Consultation Service at Kosair Children’s Hospital:

“While spanking may give the child a signal as to what NOT to do, it fails to teach the important skills of problem solving and decision making, that is, what TO DO.”

The above are just some of the few reasons why I don’t spank my child. I also think that you should not either.

There are much better ways to discipline a child which do not involve any form of physical harm. You can check them out here.

If you by any chance have the urge to spank your child, please pause and give it some serious thought. I’m sure you can do a better job of parenting your child without any form of spanking.

If you agree with this article, please do feel free to pass this along and let other parents know why spanking is not a solution for disciplining a misbehaving child.

What’s your position on spanking? Is this an acceptable form of discipline or not?

The post 8 Important Reasons Why You Should Not Spank Your Child. #2 Will Make You Think Twice appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

Parents, please pay attention. In the interest of your child’s safety, there are certain common practices that you should be aware of that could potentially be harmful to your little one.

Just because a lot of parents are still doing it around you does not make it safe or right.

There is a good chance that you may be guilty of doing one of these things. I know I am. I’m just glad that nothing unfortunate happened to my child.

So to keep your child from having some unfortunate serious injuries or health problems, we thought that it was important to share this list of things that parents should not be doing to their child.

This list was put together just to inform parents who may not be aware that what they are doing may not be safe for their children. As one appreciative parent said:

I’m glad I came across your article. Now that I’m aware, I certainly would not be doing some of these and risking my child’s life. Thank you.

Sometimes, parents may also make bad decisions to save time or because making the extra effort appears to be inconvenient. However, doing so may come at the expense of a child’s safety.

Below is the list of 10 common yet unsafe things that parents should stop doing:

10. Putting car seats on top of shopping carts.

Shopping carts are not made to hold an infant car seat safely. Car seat manufacturers warn against putting them on top of shopping carts. Source: mom.me

Surely, it’s convenient. However, is it safe? It definitely is NOT. The unfortunate reality is that accidents involving car seats on shopping carts really do happen.

“According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), shopping carts are the leading cause of head injuries in young children – surpassing injuries from high chairs, strollers, changing tables, baby gates and other equipment. The CPSC estimates that about 16,000 children under the age of five fall out of shopping carts each year and nearly 1,000 of those injuries involve falling infant carriers.” Source: GreenChildMagazine.com

Baby car seats are NOT designed to be secured on top of shopping carts.

Furthermore, shopping carts can tip over easily — and they’re more likely to if there’s a car seat mounted on them. See 6 Top Reasons “Car Seat On The Shopping Cart” Is A BAD Idea for details.

You would think that parents would take extra care to never leave their kids all alone, especially babies in the car. Unfortunately, in spite of numerous tragic stories that we hear in the news, parents still do this:

9. Leaving kids in the car.

We’ve all heard the tragic news stories of babies dying from heat because they were left in a hot car. But heat is not the only danger. No matter their age, children should not be left unattended in a vehicle. Source: mom.me

How could someone forget a child in a car? To forget a child in a hot car is preventable. Yet, every year, we always read or hear about heartbreaking and tragic stories of babies and toddlers who died as a result of their parents forgetting them in their cars.

In fact, heat stroke deaths of children forgotten in the car number to around 30 to 50 a year, or 38 a year on average, according to KidsAndCars.org, a nonprofit safety organization.

Certain over-the-counter drugs are not supposed to be given to babies.

However, some parents still drug their babies to sleep. If you want to make your baby fall asleep, try this instead.

8. Giving babies Benadryl in hopes of a better night’s sleep.

Benadryl isn’t meant to be given as a sedative. It can be dangerous. And sometimes, your child can have an adverse reaction to it. Source: mom.me

According to Pediatrics expert Dr. Vincent Iannelli:

“While it might seem like a quick and easy solution to potential problems you might have when flying with young kids, most pediatricians try to discourage parents from giving kids anything to sedate them on an airplane.”

Dr. Iannelli also added that:

“The benefits usually don’t outweigh the risks … The sedative effects of Benadryl may last a good 4 to 6 hours, which may be longer than your flight, and even after your child wakes up, he may be drowsy or groggy for several hours afterward. So even if he sleeps on the flight, you might end up with a fussy and irritable child afterward.”

You might love StarBucks, but starting kids on this is something you should not do. Believe it or not, getting kids “caffeinated” is an increasing trend these days, according to a study by the Boston Medical Center.

7. Giving young children coffee.

Children who consume caffeine can suffer from several negative side effects such as slowed heart rate, high blood pressure, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, and more. Source: mom.me

The study by the Boston Medical Center looked at 315 moms and toddlers in the Boston area. Researchers were surprised to find that many moms were giving their babies coffee.

Caffeine is a stimulant. Caffeine consumption in kids has been found to cause children to sleep less. As we know, sleep is important for a child’s development and growth, especially at such a very young age. Some other adverse effects of caffeine on kids are jitteriness, nervousness, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure, among others.

Eventually, you will need to sleep-train your kid. However, some parents think locking their kid’s door is the answer. However, this could potentially have some serious safety repercussions.

6. Locking kids in their room while sleep training.

DON’T. I can’t think of anything more dangerous than a kid not being able to get out of their bedroom. If there was a fire or some other emergency, children need to be able to open their bedroom doors. Source: mom.me

Instead of locking your child in, this mom suggests this instead:

“Locks don’t belong on a child’s door. They belong to the things children shouldn’t have access to. Medication should always be kept in a locked box and then stored out of reach (like above the refrigerator). Lock the outside doors. Lock the basement door. Lock the bathroom door. I once knew a family that had double baby gates (one stacked above the other) on their kitchen entrance … I’d consider a door alarm, but not locking a child in.”

Of course, you would like to keep your kids warm especially when the weather is cold. However, keep in mind that you should not do this next practice. Time and again, parents are guilty of this, especially when they are in a hurry getting in and out of their vehicles.

5. Letting kids wear puffy winter coats in the car.

When the harness isn’t snug and tight, next to the child, it puts them at risk for being ejected from the car seat during an accident. Source: mom.me

When your child has a puffy winter coat on, the car seat harness won’t be snug and tight. This therefore puts them at risk of being ejected from the car seat if an accident occurs. Some people might find this hard to believe. The truth of the matter is that it really can happen.

Still not convinced? Check out this video to see how dangerous this can be.

Going to the mall with your baby is a great way to unwind. However, make sure that you don’t do this next thing.

A lot of parents still ignore signs warning about the dangers of using strollers on escalators.

4. Putting the stroller on the escalator.

It’s just dangerous. Instead, fold your stroller up and carry it while you ride, or better yet, take an elevator. Source: mom.me

There are very real dangers to boarding strollers on escalators such as this story, where a small child fell from a stroller while on the escalator.

“A 2006 study on Pediatrics regarding escalator injuries found that there were “disproportionate amount of escalator related injuries in children who were younger than 5 years of age.” … The study found that 6% of injuries in this age group were from a stroller, usually from falling out of the stroller.” Source: PediatricsNow.com

Simply take the extra time to use the elevator with your stroller as opposed to the escalator.

Bouncers and car seats are not meant to be placed in these areas. Parents should not ignore the dangers of the common practice of …

3. Putting Bumbos, bouncers, and car seats on high surfaces.

These items do not belong on high surfaces. There have been too many accidents related to falls. Instead, keep them on the floor where they belong. Source: mom.me

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported at least 28 incidents of babies falling out of Bumbo seats with three of the cases resulting in skull fractures. CPSC Senior spokesperson Julie Vallese said:

“The reports of serious head injuries prompted the CPSC to announce a nationwide warning to consumers that have these — not to put these on elevated surfaces and be aware that children can climb out of them or they can tip over in these chairs.”

One of the more serious incidents involving a Bumbo seat was baby Dylan Lamm.

“Dylan had arched his back and tilted the Bumbo Seat, causing him to fall backward and onto the kitchen floor. His skull cracked in two places. An emergency surgery saved Dylan’s life, leaving a long scar on his head.”

Buckling up a child in a car is important. Unfortunately, some parents do not strictly adhere to such practices at home. A study found that about 24 children a day are treated in U.S. emergency rooms for high chair-related injuries.

2. Not buckling kiddos into strollers, high chairs, etc.

Even if it seems unnecessary, always buckle your child into these things. Every year, there are countless accidents because children are not properly buckled in. Source: mom.me

A study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined U.S. Emergency Department data pertaining to the treatment of children ages 3 years and younger and found that:

“On average, more than 9,400 children were treated each year for an injury associated with a high chair or booster seat, equaling one child every hour nationally. In addition, the annual number of injured children increased during the study period.” Source: NationwideChildrens.org

Lastly, here’s something that is quite surprising …

You will be surprised that some parents remain complacent or naive about their homes when it comes to safety. It is really important that you baby-proof your home to keep your child safe as unintentional injury is one of the top killers of children in the U.S.

1. Not babyproofing.

Cover your outlets. Lock cabinets. Gate your stairs. Remove anything that could cause strangulation. Put medicines cleaning supplies and other harmful substances far out of the baby’s reach. Source: mom.me

Believe it or not, your home can be one of the biggest threats to your child’s safety. Child safety experts agree that baby-proofing your home gives your baby a safe environment to play and explore while preventing potentially serious injuries.

“Experts say that children between the ages of 1 and 4 are more likely to be killed by fire, burns, drowning, choking, poisoning, or falls than by a stranger’s violence … About 2.3 million children are accidentally injured every year and more than 2,500 are killed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Source: BabyCenter.com

Just don’t take baby-proofing for granted. It should only take you several hours in total. By doing so, you’ll have peace of mind and a home that is safe for your baby.

To learn more details about this great list of safety reminders that Lacy Stroessner of mom.me put together, you can read the full article here.

Please share this article with family and friends to keep your precious babies and toddlers safe from harm.

So which of these things are you guilty of doing?

The post 10 Common Yet UNSAFE Things That Parents Should Stop Doing. I Was Guilty Of Some Of These Too 😔 appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

When it comes to the safety of your kids, it’s never enough to be told once. Come to think of it, it’s not even enough to be told twice.

So proud mamas, please take note of this. You’ve probably heard it before, but it wouldn’t hurt to be reminded of it again.

When it comes to sharing information about your kids, you’re all for it. Nothing will stop you from doing it. After all, sharing “too much information” or “TMI” for short is something every proud mom is guilty of doing.

I was guilty of TMI too. LOL

Thanks to social media, sharing TMI has become way too easy. These days, there’s such thing as digital TMI. Photos of kids are posted and shared liberally on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and whatever social network or app your heart desires.

With many parents wanting to show family and friends how great their kids are, it is no surprise that some parents are oversharing at the expense of privacy and online safety. The University of Michigan study found that:

“While 67% of parents said social media helped them learn from other parents, many also had safety concerns about sharing too much.”

There’s no doubt that photos of kids are always cute and endearing but you need to be careful. Amid your eagerness to share, you might just be endangering your kids or somebody else’s kids.

So the next time you’re tempted to post a photo online, think about it. Take a good look at the photo because 6 types of kids’ photos should never be posted online.

Below are the 6 types of photos that parents should never post online:

6. Photos of Other Children Without Their Parents’ Consent.

Before you post a picture of your child’s birthday party and start tagging every single kid in the photos, make sure to first ask permission from their parents. Some parents might not mind having their kid’s photos posted online while others might do.

It’s really a matter of preference regarding personal privacy, especially when it comes to children. Just respect other parents’ policy on posting photos.

So to be safe, ask permission first especially since a lot of parents prefer not to have their kids names and photos posted on Facebook for privacy and security reasons.

“Everyone has their own positions on sharing their children’s faces on social media, so before you go posting and tagging away after a birthday party or field trip, be sure to respect the stances of the other families involved.” Source: PopSugar.com

So just ask other parents’ permission first.

You’ll be surprised how many parents will appreciate you asking them first about these types of matters.

Although innocently posted, these types of pictures could be misunderstood by some people. So be careful when posting nude or semi-nude photos of children. It’s just another measure to protect your children.

5. Your Child Doing Potty

Congratulations on your progress with your little one’s potty training! However, it’s advisable to keep these photos private.

While it’s wonderful to celebrate milestones, sharing such images could potentially lead to embarrassment for your child in the future. It’s best to refrain from posting them on social media.

Furthermore, not everyone really wants to know these details. Nancy Baym, principal researcher at Microsoft Research and author of Personal Connections in the Digital Age says that with excessive sharing,

“The risks are that parents may alienate readers who do not care about their kids’ details.”

Just share or post only when your child has some major milestones or achievements. Only share when it really counts.

By doing so, family and friends will take better notice of your posts.

4. Bath Photos or Nude Photos of Your Child.

Sure, bath tub photos of your child may look really cute and shareable. However, keep in mind that digital content can be easily copied and easily distributed. Having those pictures in the wrong hands is just not worth the risk. Even if the photos are totally innocent, the reality is that there are crazies out there.

Alex Brooks, executive editor of parenting website Kidspot says:

“Parents are discovering that once content becomes digital, it can be easily copied and redistributed willy-nilly. The result: photos of kids in compromising, colorful circumstances, and status updates recounting even more compromising, colorful circumstances, intended for a select few, are now spread out over the web for everyone.” Source: News.com.au

It absolutely is to you and your kid’s benefit to not have these types of photos posted on social media. It definitely is better to be on the safe side.

Just share these types of photos privately with your loved ones.

Besides, you don’t want your kid to be embarrassed with these types of pics, especially when they grow up, right?

Proud parents are usually guilty of posting pictures with information about where their kids go to.

I know, I know … we sometimes can’t help but be proud of our child’s achievement in school or where they go to school. If you are posting pictures of your kids in school, make sure to avoid sharing certain information.

3. Photos That Reveal Where Your Child Goes To School.

Of course, when we are excited to share something about a great accomplishment or award that our child got in school, we may tend to post them online without thinking about sharing too much information with people who may have some malicious intent.

Keep your child safe by ensuring that the photos do not include identifying information that might show where your child goes to school. Source: derrydaily.net

According to Kathy Simovska, National Manager Of Child Abuse Prevention Programmes at the child protection charity Child Wise, says:

“One of my concerns with posting personal information online is that we make it easier for child sex offenders to be able target children and find out more information than they could otherwise.”

This is what you should do:

“If you share photos of your children in the classroom or on school grounds, make sure that the name and/or features that distinguish its location are kept hidden.” Source: PopSugar.com

Again, this reminder is more out of concern for the safety of your kids.

Call me paranoid but I would rather keep my kids safe, most especially when I cannot be around them.

Sometimes, in your excitement, you end up posting photos of your kids with this info … Parents should be careful posting photos of their children with their full names shown. Such information can be used by identity thieves or by some really nasty people to abduct children.

2. Photos Showing Children’s Full Names.

You might say, “Duh, this is common sense.” There is no argument regarding that … However, some parents still do make this mistake in their haste and excitement to share photos of their kid’s accomplishments in school. Common sense is usually overcome by all the excitement and emotions.

Whether it be awards, report cards, certificates, sports jerseys, or that simple name tag in an event, just be reminded to pay a close attention to these when posting anything related to school photos.

According to Brian Gresko, a parent who has stopped writing about his parenting life as a result of a life-changing over sharenting incident:

“There are online stalkers as well, creeps who steal photos of children on Instagram and engage in virtual role playing, pretending that the children are their own. While this might not cause physical harm to you or your child, it is a violation — a sort of identity theft.”

Yes, child identity theft is a serious matter. With the advent of social media and the widespread access to digital information, child identity theft has been rising over the years.

Make sure to keep information about your child as private as possible. It will save you the trouble of having to deal with identity theft in the future.

Lastly, you might like to check with your child about this last type of photo … see next page.

If you think your child might be embarrassed and humiliated (now or in the future), just don’t post the photos. Once a photo is on the internet, anything can happen. So parents, think twice … even thrice.

1. Really Embarrassing Photos or Photos Showing Them When They Are Not At Their Best.

Keep in mind that decisions to share these types of photos may have consequences down the road. Sure, your kid might be a toddler now and might not think too much about these embarrassing photos. However, a few years from now, those photos can be cause for embarrassment.

Posting a child’s embarrassing photo can potentially make your child the target of jokes or cyberbullying. You wouldn’t like to put your child in that situation, right?

Sarah J. Clark, associate director of the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, says decisions to share information can have consequences down the road:

“When you tell what you think is a hilarious anecdote, in a couple of years when the child is older, and a classmate stumbles upon it, it might be embarrassing. The idea is yes, your kid is 2, 3 or 4, but they won’t stay 2, 3 or 4.”

Here is something to think about: If you think that photos or posts of your child might embarrass them a few years down the road, just don’t post them.

“If a photo is embarrassing, unflattering, or seems like it should be private, then respect your child — ask them if they’re old enough — and keep it in the confines of your own photo library.” Source: PopSugar.com

As parents, our priority is to keep our kids safe at all times. However, there are times when we may tend to overlook certain safety measures in our excitement to share our children’s pictures.

Protecting your child’s privacy while showing you are being a proud parent on Facebook and other social media is definitely a balancing act. Just make sure that you are aware when you are crossing the line when it comes to sharing your child’s photos.

The bottom line is this: Make sure that you do not give away too much personal information about your child which could strip them of their privacy or at worst, put their safety at risk.

Have you knowingly or unknowingly shared a photo of your child that revealed too much info?

The post 6 Types Of Children’s Photos Which You Should Never Post Online appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

Warning signs and labels are there for a reason: To keep your child safe. Unfortunately, it might come as a surprise to you that a lot of people tend to still ignore these at the expense of their child’s safety.

As parents, the SAFETY of our children should be our top priority. However, why is it that some parents appear to not pay much attention to safety warnings?

Could it be the lack of awareness regarding safety standards? Could it be a sense of complacency that nothing bad could possibly happen?

Some people even reason out that making the extra effort for safety is just so inconvenient. Really?

Whatever the reasons are, the fact is … children are getting hurt. Some seriously. And unfortunately, some end up losing their lives.

Please DO NOT ignore these everyday warning signs and labels. Your child’s life is way too important to take chances with.

Here is the list of warning signs and labels every parent with a young child should not ignore. From shopping malls to the grocery stores, you will still find parents blatantly ignoring this warning sign right underneath their noses …

1. No Baby Car Seat on Shopping Cart Warning Sign. Although a voluntary shopping cart safety standard was implemented in the United States in 2004, the overall number and rate of injuries to children associated with shopping carts have not decreased. In fact, the number and rate of concussions/closed head injuries have continued to climb. Source: EurekaAlert.org

Baby car seats are NOT designed to be secured on top of shopping carts. The next time you use a shopping cart while doing groceries, check and see if there is a warning sign saying that baby car seats should not be placed on top of shopping carts. If you see a warning sign, just don’t do it.

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends not to place baby car seats on shopping carts due to the potential dangers associated with the practice. Their recommendations are warranted given the risks and dangers of this common practice.

Shopping carts can tip over easily — and they’re more likely to if there’s a car seat mounted on them.

Debra Holtzman, who is also the author of The Safe Baby, adds:

The cart has a narrow wheel base in relation to its height, so the center of gravity is affected when you put a child in it,” she says. “When your child’s car seat is on top of it, the center of gravity is affected even more, increasing the chances of tipping. Source: TheBump.com

Also make sure to check the manual of your baby car seat and check the warning label to confirm that the car seat should not be used on shopping carts.

If your baby carrier manual warns you not to do it and the shopping cart you are using has the warning sign, then please DON’T place the baby carrier on top of the shopping cart.

The American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends NOT to place car seats on shopping carts and suggests the following options:

Get another adult to come with you to watch your child while you shop.

Put your child in a stroller, wagon, or frontpack instead of in a shopping cart.

Ask your older child to walk and praise him or her for behaving and staying near you.

Leave your child at home with another adult while you shop.

Shop online if your store offers shopping on the Internet.

Never leave your child alone in a shopping cart.

Do not let your child stand up in a shopping cart.

Do not allow an older child to climb on the cart or push the cart with another child in it, because it is very easy for a child to tip the cart over.

Next time you go to the mall, you might like to observe if some parents pay attention to this warning sign.

There are still some parents who seem to not pay attention to these warning signs in shopping malls.

2. No Stroller on Elevator Warning Signs. Escalator manufacturers and building owners frequently place prominent signs near escalators warning riders not to board with strollers, walkers, or carts. Other accidents involving strollers include strollers being dropped down the escalator and strollers becoming entrapped with the escalator. Source: ElevatorAccident.net

There are very real dangers to boarding strollers on escalators such as this story, where a small child fell from a stroller while on the escalator.

A 2006 study on Pediatrics regarding escalator injuries found that there were “disproportionate amount of escalator related injuries in children who were younger than 5 years of age.” … The study found that 6% of injuries in this age group were from a stroller, usually from falling out of the stroller. Source: PediatricsNow.com

Solution: Simply take the extra time to use the elevator with your stroller as opposed to the escalator.

Are you sure you have your child buckled up properly?

You might like to check if you buckle up your kid properly next time you get in the car.

3. Car Seat Buckle Warning Labels. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. In 2010, 655 children (under the age of 13 riding in cars and trucks) were killed in crashes. Of those killed, more than 1 in 3 were unrestrained … Research analyzed by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – a national leader in pediatric and adolescent medicine – shows that in the U.S., only 1 in 4 child car seats are properly installed. Source: BuckleUpForLife.org

Holly Wagner lost her 11-month old son Cameron after a car accident. Here is what she had to say:

If I could go back and change anything it would the lack of research I did on car seats. I would go to cert.safekids.org and find a tech local to me that could help install my seats and teach me how to use them the correct them. Before the accident I always made sure to strap the car seat down to the seat and always would buckle them all the way but I didn’t know all the little things … like how you’re not supposed to use after market products and how much safer rear facing is than forward facing.

Make sure to buckle up your child correctly. Spend a few minutes to watch the video below to learn more about how to properly buckle up your baby:

Safety labels with regards to having the appropriate car seat for your child is also very important. Did you know that most parents do not know when is the right time to move a child from a car booster seat to seat belt?

4. Booster Seat Warning Labels. Nine out of 10 parents of children ages 4 to 10 surveyed recently were found to have moved their children out of the booster seat before they were big enough, according to the Safe Kids Worldwide advocacy group. Seven out of 10 didn’t realize that children need to be at least 4-feet-9-inches and 80 to 100 pounds, the group said. Source: WashingtonPost.com

Most booster seat labels clearly show the minimum height and weight ranges for when kids should be able to move from a booster seat to seat belt.

According to CBSNews.com, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children older than 3 in the U.S. and cause another 179,000 child injuries each year. Using age and weight appropriate car seats is therefore really important to help reduce fatalities or serious injuries.

Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, says booster seats can reduce injuries by 45% over seat belt use alone.

If there were a crash and they weren’t in a booster seat, but just in a regular seat belt. They could suffer internal abdominal injuries or face or neck injuries caused by the belt tightening during the impact of the crash.

You would think it’s common sense that parents would know not to let kids do this. However, some parents allow their child to ride in the front seat in spite of the clear warning saying that this is extremely dangerous.

5. No Child In Car Front Seat Warning Label. Active seats belts and airbags are calibration sensitive and may be ineffective in protecting children. In fact, airbags (which explode out of a dash at up to 200 miles per hour) can be outright dangerous for infants and children. Source: Safety-Security-Crazy.com

The site Safety-Security-Crazy.com says that:

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration studied 3.3 million airbag deployments that occurred between 1990 and 2008. They concluded that airbags had saved over 6,400 lives. Unfortunately, airbags are thought to have caused 175 fatalities (104 were children) and many severe injuries.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, most states do not have a specific age wherein children can ride in the front seat. However, most states recommend that children ride in the back seat as long as possible. Keep in mind that airbags in the front seat are designed to protect average-sized adults and NOT children. These cannot provide adequate protection and in fact, can be extremely dangerous for small children.

Solution: Just have your child ride in the back seat as much as possible. If ever you are left no choice but to have your kid sit in the front seat, make sure that the airbag is set to “off”.

The next warning label is very much related to the above topic that we have just discussed. If your car has an active airbag, do not place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat.

6. No Baby Car Seat In Front Seat Warning Label. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommends to never place a rear-facing car seat in the front passenger seat. A baby riding in the front seat, even though the seat is rear-facing, is simply dangerous as the baby can be fatally injured in the event that the passenger air bag is deployed in a collision.

As already mentioned in the previous section, airbags (which explode out of a dash at up to 200 miles per hour) can be outright dangerous for infants and children. Source: Safety-Security-Crazy.com

Solution: Always put your baby in a rear-facing child safety seat in the back seat of your car.

The next warning label has something to do with a simple everyday item that you have in your home.

Be aware that the simple plastic bag or other fine plastic films scattered around your house can be deadly to babies and young children.

7. Plastic Bag Suffocation Warning Labels. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received an average of about 25 reports a year describing deaths to children who suffocated due to plastic bags. Almost 90% of them were under one year of age. Source: HelpKeepKidsSafe.org

According to CPSC, some of the deaths were attributed to situations wherein the baby crawled into a plastic garbage bag or when a child pulls a plastic dry-cleaning bag over their face. In some instances, a plastic garbage bag fell over the baby’s face and mouth while he/she was lying on a bed. Garbage bags also have also resulted to deaths when a baby climbed into them or rolled onto them while sleeping.

What you can do according to KidsHealth.org:

1. Never put an infant down on a mattress covered with plastic or on or near a plastic bag.

2. Promptly dispose of plastic shopping bags and plastic dry-cleaning bags. Tie several knots in each bag before throwing it out.

3. Keep all plastic bags, including garbage bags and sandwich-style plastic bags out of the reach of young kids.

4. When cleaning up after a birthday or holiday party, pay special attention to all plastic bags from packaging. Collect them and throw them out immediately.

The next warning label has something to do with things children love playing with.

Every child loves to play with toys. Just make sure to check the warning labels.

8. Toy Parts Choking Hazard Warning Labels. In 2011, 188,400 children under the age of 15 years were seen in emergency departments for toy-related injuries.That’s 516 kids every day. More than a third of those injured were children 5 and under. Source: SafeKids.org

Here’s what you can do: Be a toy label reader and make sure to buy toys which are age appropriate. Make sure to make your family aware that toys with small parts should not be left out where babies and toddlers could get their hands on them.

Here are other safety tips courtesy of SafeKids.org:

1. Consider your child’s age when purchasing a toy or game. It’s worth a second to read the instructions and warning labels to make sure it’s just right for your child.

2. Before you’ve settled on the perfect toy, check to make sure there aren’t any small parts or other potential choking hazards.

3. Keep a special eye on small game pieces that may be a choking hazard for young children. While these kinds of games are great for older kids, they can pose a potential danger for younger, curious siblings.

If you have babies, toddlers, and really young children in your house, you might like to be aware of this type of window blind …

Parents, please beware of corded window blinds …

9. Window Blinds Cord Warning Labels. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an average of 10 children die every year from window-blinds-cord related accidents.

While not a product targeted toward children, window blinds are an example of a household product that needs to be carefully designed in order to prevent harm to children. Unfortunately, the failure of window blind manufacturers to take children into account has led to the serious injury or wrongful death of many infants and toddlers. Window blind cords hang too low, get wrapped around a child’s neck and cause the child to choke. Source: ChildSafetyIllinois.com

Not convinced yet? You can check out this story about a child who was strangled by a window-blind cord. Fortunately, the child survived.

Here’s what you can do to prevent accidents from window-blind cords according to Home Depot:

1. Raise all window cords out of a child’s reach

2. Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from window cords

3. Inspect cord-stops for proper install and function

4. Permanently anchor continuous-loop cords to the wall

5. Update with a retrofit, safety kit, or replace older blinds with a cordless option

“If I Only Knew” …

Some people might say that these are all common sense. The reality is that what may be common sense to one parent might not be common sense to another. That is why we wrote this article just to spread awareness.

A child’s safety is more important than anything else. Just do not compromise safety for convenience. Always pay attention to safety labels and signs. They are there for a reason.

Let’s avoid hearing the words “If I only knew” from an anguished parent whose child was a victim of an unfortunate and preventable accident.

Please help create safety awareness by sharing this article with family and friends. Save a life by sharing this article. The life you save may be your child’s or someone close to you.

Again, let us all keep our children safe.

Are there any warning labels or signs that you are aware of that we should have included in this list?

The post 9 Safety Warning Signs & Labels Every Parent Should NOT Ignore. #1 Is Much Ignored appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

How could someone forget a child in a car? To forget a child in a hot car is preventable. Yet, every year, we always read or hear about heartbreaking and tragic stories of babies and toddlers who died as a result of their parents forgetting them in their cars.

In fact, heat stroke deaths of children forgotten in the car number to around 30 to 50 a year, or 38 a year on average, according to KidsAndCars.org, a nonprofit safety organization.

Although in certain cases, some of the parents have some history of neglect or knowingly leaving a child in the car, most of the other cases involve loving and attentive parents who simply forgot they have a child in the backseat of their car. This phenomenon, known as Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS), can happen to the best of us.

According to Amber Rollins, director of KidsAndCars.org, even loving parents can have moments of forgetfulness or FBS.

“People think that it is monsters or terrible parents, but this is happening to the most educated, responsible people … The No. 1 thing that we tell people is: ‘Don’t ever think that this can’t happen to you’.“

Be aware that every time a child is strapped in a rear-facing car seat in the backseat of your car, there is always a potential that you might forget your child. This also happens typically with younger children as they are usually asleep and not making any noise.

To prevent accidentally forgetting your child and avoid a tragic incident from happening, check out the must-know helpful tips to prevent forgetting a child in the car on the next page.

Here’s the list of 10 helpful tips to prevent forgetting a child in the car:

10. Place your handbag, briefcase, or cell phone in the backseat beside the baby.

Leaving something you routinely carry with you in and out of the car and placing these in the backseat is an excellent idea. You should not reach to grab it but make it a point to get out of the car to retrieve it. By doing so, you won’t help but notice your child in the backseat. This can help insure that you do not forget and leave your child in the car.

If you think you might still forget to grab your handbag, briefcase, or cell phone, then you might like to do this. Use something that you definitely cannot leave a car without. Note: This tip can only apply to people who drive automatic cars. Sorry, stick shift drivers.

9. Leave your left shoe in the backseat.

You might forget your purse, briefcase, or cell phone, but most likely, you won’t leave without your shoe. (1)

Aside from entertaining your child, stuffed animals can serve a life-saving purpose. A stuffed animal can be used as a reminder that you have your child with you in the backseat of the car.

8. The stuffed animal swap method.

Keep a stuffed animal in the car. When your baby is in the carseat, place the toy on the front passenger seat; when you remove the baby, put the animal in the carseat. This repetitive swap will indicate whether your baby is in the car. (2)

Treat your car like you treat your house.

Don’t you check the windows and doors of your house whenever you leave? Why not do the same with your car?

7. Always check the entire car before you leave (front and back).

The more you stick to a routine, the less likely it will be forgotten. (3)

If checking the front and back of your car is still not much of an active routine for you to do, then consider doing this instead … Take a more actionable routine whenever you leave your car after parking such as …

6. Always open the back door of your car every time you park.

By making this a habit, you can assure yourself that you are not forgetting your baby or toddler in case you have him or her with you.

If you carry a diaper bag with your baby when you leave the house, make sure that you do this with the diaper bag …

5. Leave the diaper bag in front.

This is a good suggestion to avoid forgetting the child in the back seat (child safety seat) of the car. So each time you put your child in the car, keep the diaper bag next to you on the front seat. You are likely to notice the diaper bag when you get off and will then not forget the child in the car. (4)

If your car can allow you to do this with the car seat, then place the car seat in the middle of the backseat …

4. Place your child’s car seat in the middle of the backseat rather than behind the driver.

When you set the car seat this way, it’s easier to see the kid. (5)

Changes in routine such as being assigned to drop-off your child in daycare when it’s not your normal route is one of the most common causes of FBS …

Avoid any distractions and make sure to keep yourself aware of such a change.

3. Be extra alert if your routine changes.

That’s when the risk of unintentionally leaving your child in your car increases. (6)

You might like to solicit the help of your child care provider …

Coordinate with your child care provider and have a system in place in case of a change in routine.

2. Set up a system with your child care provider.

Have them call you if your child has not been dropped off by her father, for example, on a day that mom would normally take the kid to child care. “It’s really important for you to put some things into place; even more so if you’re changing the routine,” says Joann Moss, injury prevention education coordinator with the Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program (KIPP) of Children’s Hospital of Michigan. (7)

Lastly, having a lot of distractions and stress have been major causes of FBS. Having your precious little cargo in the backseat should always be top priority in your mind. Minimize distractions and …

1. Be more “Present”.

Hold yourself accountable to be more aware so things like this do not happen. You can do this by making a conscious choice to interact with your children frequently when you are with them. Talk, sing, play, etc. Just do something other than nothing. (8)

Make it a point to discuss the topic of child hot-car fatalities with every person who drives your baby or toddler anywhere. This includes your family, relatives, grandparents, and babysitters.

Child safety expert and advocate Amber Rollins noted that saying to yourself ‘I would never forget my kids in the car’ is dangerous:

“This mindset creates a false sense of security. It can happen to any parent.”

Again accidentally forgetting your precious child can happen to anyone so please make sure to use any or a combination of the tips mentioned in this article to help prevent such a heartbreaking tragedy from ever happening to your family or friends.

Most importantly, if you ever see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or seem sick, make sure to get them out as quickly as possible.

Let’s help prevent any more tragic deaths of children in hot cars. Please share this article with family and friends. The life you save may be your child’s, a family member’s child, or a friend’s child. Thanks.

Do you have other tips that you might like to share to prevent FBS from happening?

The post 10 Helpful Tips To Prevent Forgetting A Child In The Car. #5 Is My Routine appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

Your baby’s safety should always be your top priority when it comes to riding in a car. That said, having the right car seat can really make a major life-saving difference in the event that you and your baby are involved in a vehicular accident.

Rear-facing infant car seats are designed for newborns and small babies.

This is the best seat for a child of appropriate size and weight to use. According to SaferCar.gov:

It has a harness and, in a crash, cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord.

Now as your baby grows, your child should then transition to a convertible car seat.

A convertible seat allows for children to stay in the rear-facing position longer. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends this:

Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

This begs the question as to when and why should you transition your baby from a rear-facing car seat to a convertible car seat?

A recent study by Consumer Reports recommends that you transition your baby to a rear-facing convertible seat before age 1 for the following reasons:

5. Convertible seats provide better protection. Consumer Reports recommends transitioning your baby to a rear-facing convertible seat because of a “key potential safety benefit”. “We found that in more than half of the infant seats we tested, the 12-month-old child dummy had head contact against the simulated front seatback, which could result in injury. By contrast, in nearly all of the rear-facing convertible seats, the 12-month-old dummy avoided head contact.” Source: ConsumerReports.org

In short, a rear-facing convertible seat provides additional much-needed head protection for your little one in the event that an accident occurs.

When using convertible seats, keep this next reason in mind …

Aside from your child’s weight, height also matters …

4. Height matters. Many infant and rear-facing-only seats have weight limits between 30 and 35 pounds, so you may think those seats are adequate until your child reaches that weight — at about 2 years of age. However, your child will more likely grow out of those seats, height-wise, before reaching those weight limits. Source: Yahoo.com

It is important for you to always check your baby’s height to make sure that she or he still fits safely in the infant seat. Babies grow fast so make sure to monitor and be aware of how they fit in their seats.

If it helps, there is no need to second guess on whether you should delay getting a convertible car seat cause …

3. You’ll need one anyway. In order to keep your kid rear-facing until her second birthday, you’ll still have to buy a convertible model. Not only do Consumer Reports’ child-seat experts encourage this strategy, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents keep children rear-facing until the age of 2. New laws in California, New Jersey, and Oklahoma require that all children under the age of two be in a rear-facing child seat. Source: Yahoo.com

Given the proven safety of keeping children rear-facing, more states are expected to enact laws requiring children under the age of two to remain rear-facing.

If child safety is your priority, then it’s really a no brainer that you do what is …

2. Best for your kids. A convertible seat “may provide additional protection over an infant seat in protecting a child’s head“. The longer shells and shape of the convertible seats provided additional space between the dummy’s head and the simulated seatback preventing direct contact of the head. Source: Yahoo.com

The results from tests by safety specialists at Consumer Reports speak for itself:

In previous testing of a group of infant seats that include a detachable carrier, we found that the 22-pound dummy, representing an average 12-month-old child, suffered a head strike against the simulated front seatback with 16 of the 30 tested models (53 percent).

In our most recent tests of rear-facing convertible models with that same dummy, we found that the dummy’s head contacted the front seatback with only one of the 25 convertible models we tested (4 percent).

Transitioning from an infant car seat to a rear-facing convertible car seat may be bring about certain inconveniences. The transition may bring about inconvenience but the advantages of …

1. Safety outweighs inconveniences. Yes, moving to a fixed rear-facing seat means you lose the convenience and portability of the infant carrier. But your growing baby’s weight, combined with the portable seat, become heavy to lug around, negating the seat’s appeal. Plus, the Journal of Pediatrics found that it’s dangerous to let a baby sleep in an infant seat when outside of the car. So don’t worry about waking your baby when taking him out of a rear-facing seat. It’s the safer option.

Please do take advantage of the added head protection that a convertible seat offers your little one. Make sure to transition your child to a rear-facing convertible seat by his or her first birthday.

Rear-facing convertible seats can range between $50 to $300. Consumer Reports also says that:

Price doesn’t necessarily reflect quality or safety — you can buy a safe, top-performing seat without breaking your budget.

Hope that you found this information helpful. Let’s keep our children’s safety in mind at all times. You can watch the video below for more tips on car seat safety.

Is your baby still using a rear-facing infant car seat or have you already transitioned to a rear-facing convertible car seat?

The post 5 Key Reasons Your Child Needs A Convertible Car Seat By Age 1 appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

There’s a good reason why kids are taught to eat slowly and to chew their food carefully. Aside from the fact that it’s good manners, it’s a safety precaution as well. There’s always the danger of choking when food is not chewed properly.

According to health.ny.gov, choking is one of the top leading causes of kids’ death:

Choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional death in children under the age of 5.

The website further adds that 5-year-old kids are at most risk of choking. Kids at this age have the tendency to put things in their mouth that can cause them to choke. Aside from toys and small household items, food is one of the most common things that kids choke on.

Unfortunately, the most common foods that your kids love to eat are choking hazards. There are 10 frequently eaten foods that can potentially choke your kids. It’s important that you know what these foods are.

Here are the top ten frequently eaten foods that can choke your kids.

10. Hot Dogs – 2.6% of food choking ER visits. Hot dogs are the same shape as a child’s airway and a usual suspect to be blamed for choking. Even if you cut it in a coin, it’s still the same shape as your child’s throat.

What is crunchy at first but becomes a gooey, doughy mess?

Well, Cookie Monster never choked on them but kids have choked on cookies.

9. Cookies, crackers, or biscuits – 3.1% of food choking ER visits. Pile in a handful of them, or biscuits, or cookies, and you’ll end up with a gooey, doughy mess that can cause problems.

We eat them in movie houses and never thought they can be dangerous to little kids.

Just beware of the hazards that these crunchy and yummy snacks can cause to little children.

8. Chips, pretzels, or popcorn – 4.6% of food choking ER visits. These are rigid items that kids can have difficulty chewing properly.

We often get them from convenience stores and snack on them.

Surprisingly, seeds and nuts — though small — have been known to cause choking when kids place a handful in their mouths.

7. Seeds, nuts, or shells – 6.5% of food choking ER visits. Kids often consume these by the handful, researchers noted. Sometimes the handfuls are too full meaning the kids get more in their mouth than they can handle.

Infants and babies need to drink this everyday to develop and grow.

Unfortunately, milk has been found to cause choking among babies so keep a close eye on them when feeding.

6. Formula, milk, or breast milk – 6.7% of food choking ER visits. While most of the kids were older, babies still exhibited signs of choking and were admitted to ER. Watch your feeder.

Kids love these as they are sweet and almost always served fresh.

Make sure to cut fruits and vegetables into really small pieces when serving them to little kids.

5. Fruits and vegetables – 9.7% of food choking ER visits. Make sure things are prepared in small pieces.

Chicken, meat, and fish have these. However, sometimes we may miss removing them when serving them to little kids.

Make sure to double-check and remove those little bones when serving meat, chicken, and fish to little kids.

4. Bone – 12% of food choking ER visits. Little fish and chicken bones can be nasty things. You and I would watch for them in our food, less experienced eaters won’t.

This common source of protein is good for little kids for muscle development. However, it is by far one of the three known causes of choking.

Make sure to cut up meat into little pieces when serving these to little kids.

3. Meat, not including hot dogs – 12.2% of food choking ER visits. Again, it’s a case of biting off more than they can chew. Serve your kids small pieces of meat and encourage them to eat slowly.

There is no doubt kids love things that are sugary and sweet. It’s not really good for their teeth. However, we tend to still give them this as a treat.

Gummy candies and other types of candies really need to be cut in smaller sizes when served to little kids as these types of candies have been known for years to result to kids choking, with some being fatal.

2. Other types of candy and gum – 12.8% of food choking ER visits. You really have to ask yourself if a kid needs candy and why / when you give it to them.

On the next page is the no. 1 cause of choking in kids. Here’s a clue: It’s also very sugary and something dentists have always warned parents about as a leading cause of cavities in children’s teeth.

Please be very careful in giving your kids hard candies as this is the no. 1 cause of choking among little kids. If you can avoid it, please do avoid it. Your family dentist will appreciate it too.

1. Hard candy – 15% of food choking ER visits. Think about how you eat it, it’s in your mouth and you suck on it, forcing the candy back in your mouth. A kid who doesn’t have the finesse to keep it in place with their tongue will fire that thing back in their throat fast.

It may not be that easy to stop your kids from eating the various foods on the list, but you should definitely keep a watchful eye on them. It’s important to note that when kids choke, they cannot scream for help.

The most they can do is cough but that may not be loud enough for you to hear. If you’re not close by, you won’t be able to recognize that they’re choking.

Although there is a universal sign for choking, mom should be able to look out for more signs in case their kid is choking. Coughing and grasping for air are the most common signs.

For immediate First Aid, mayoclinic.org recommends the “five-and-five” approach. You can give 5 back blows or 5 abdominal thrusts. You can also alternate the two. Keep in mind that even if you have dislodged the obstruction, you should still rush your kid to the emergency room to be more on the safe side.

As much as it can be fatal, choking can also be prevented. So learn more about the top 10 food-choking hazards on babble.com. This very informative article gives you more than enough reasons to carefully watch the food your kid eats.

Which food items in this list has your child had a close call with choking?

The post 10 Frequently Eaten Foods That Can Choke Kids. Can You Guess What The No. 1 Culprit Is? appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

This is a scene you wouldn’t want to happen. You’re walking leisurely in a mall. You turn around and your kid is gone. You look around, hoping your kid is just nearby. You start yelling out your kid’s name, no response.

Suddenly, you’re getting that nervous feeling in your tummy. You’re panicking. You start running, hoping you kid is just hiding from you. You’re hoping your kid is going to pop up to scare you off your wits.

Unfortunately, your kid is nowhere to be seen. Just the same, you’re starting to get scared out of your wits. This is a nightmare you would never want to go through.

Losing your kid in a crowded place such as mall, a theme park, or a public park is enough to kill you. You’ll feel totally stupid and there’s just no one to blame but you.

How can you have taken your eyes off your kid? What kind of parent would do that?

Parents are just human. It doesn’t take a bad parent to lose a kid in the mall. It can happen to any parent. To avoid this nightmare, you need to teach your kids these 5 crucial things.

Here are the 5 crucial things every kid should know about in case they get lost.

1. Know your parent’s name and phone number. If you ask most kids under 3 what their parents names are, they’ll tell you, “Mama” or “Daddy.” That won’t cut it when a kind stranger is trying to get information out of a panicked kid. Ask them, tell them, and practice your names over and over so they remember them. Make learning your phone numbers easier by turning them into songs.

2. Stay close to your safe adult. The rule is: if you can see them, they can see you. This goes a long way in preventing children getting lost.

3. If you get lost, stop where you are and yell. Kids aren’t often allowed to really yell as loud as possible but this is exactly what they need to do. Let them practice this. Have them yell your name or “mom/dad” over and over. Let them know that being loud will help you hear where they are.

4. Look for a mom with kids and ask for help. This is where it helps to know your name and phone number because you want that mom to try to call you. Why should they look for a mom with kids and not a dad with kids? We asked the same question of safety experts. It’s because statistically, this is the safest option. If the child is in a store, they can also ask a person at the cash register for help.

5. Know that you will be found. Being lost is a common childhood event and almost all the kids who go lost are found (and we won’t talk about the few who aren’t). Kids should be told: don’t hide because you’re scared. Don’t go searching the area. And certainly don’t leave the area (aka – don’t leave a store to wander the parking structure). Take a deep breath and remember your safety steps.

Teaching these 5 crucial steps entails a lot of role-playing as well. It’s not enough to tell your kids these 5 crucial steps. Your kids will have a better grasp of everything if you do an actual role-play with them. Practice at home. Simulate an actual situation so that they can understand the seriousness of the matter.

It’s also a good idea to have your kid memorize the 5 crucial things. You can come up with an acronym like KKLIS (Know your parent’s name, Know you’ll be found, Look for a mom with kids, If lost, stop and yell, and Stay close safe to an adult). An acronym can make it easier for your kid to remember the five crucial things.

It’s better to start teaching your kids these 5 crucial things at the soonest time possible. If it’s nerve wrecking for you to think of such horrible scenario, you just can’t imagine the sheer torment of actually experiencing it. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Equip your kid with safety tools as early as now.

When it comes to protecting your kid, you can never do enough. It actually is better to overdo things when it comes to your kid’s safety. You can learn more about the 5 crucial things from an article written by Abbie Schiller.

Do you think these 5 crucial things can lessen the chances of losing your kid in a crowd?

The post 5 Crucial Things Every Kid Should Know To Avoid Getting Lost appeared first on Oh My Parenting.

It’s a personal decision. Whether you want to pierce your baby’s ears or not, it’s all up to you. No one else can make that decision but you.

Piercing your baby’s ears becomes a hard decision to make since there’s just too much fuss about it. The debate about it goes on and on, with some folks calling to ban such practice.

According to abcnews.go.com:

An online petition with thousands of supporters is calling for a ban on baby ear piercing.

The source adds that Susan Ingram, the creator of the online petition, has this to say:

Severe pain and fear is inflicted upon infants unnecessarily. It serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent’s vanity. Other forms of physically harming children are illegal — this should be no different.

Susan Ingram is not alone. Aside from the fact that her online petition has garnered about 60,000 signatures, other moms have shared their thoughts on piercing baby’s ears as well.

While some moms think that ear piercing is a form of child abuse, Ashley Austrew of scarymommy.com has this to say about it:

… ear piercing isn’t the same thing as child abuse. Yes, it hurts about as much as a vaccination, and no, it’s not a necessary modification. That still doesn’t make it cruel or abusive. At worst, it’s a controversial decision that might be better saved for when a child is older, but even then, there’s nothing wrong with a parent deciding to go ahead and do it while their child is still a toddler.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric’s site, healthychildren.org, ear piercing is safe for cosmetic reasons at any age. They say:

If the piercing is performed carefully and cared for conscientiously, there is little risk, no matter what the age of the child. However, as a general guideline, postpone the piercing until your child is mature enough to take care of the pierced site herself.

With all these strong views on piercing baby’s ears, making the decision to do such a thing becomes a challenge. Should you or shouldn’t you do it? To help you decide on this matter, consider these 7 crucial factors before doing so.

Here are the 7 crucial factors to consider before piercing your baby’s ears.

7. Choose a Good Piercing Place. Parents have to be very meticulous when choosing a good piercing place. It is best to start off by asking if your pediatrician or dermatologist can do it for you. If they refuse, then ask them for a recommendation or ask your friends and relatives about the top piercing places they know about. When you have finally found a suitable piercing place, check whether the technician there is experienced or not, makes use of sterile equipments and keeps his hands clean while performing the procedure. Source: newkidscenter.com

6. The Jewelry Itself. Real piercers use sterile implant-grade stainless steel or titanium jewelry that is tailored to each individual piercing — the right shape, size, and width (gauge) to help allow proper healing, prevent migration, and also almost eliminate allergic reactions. Source: thestir.cafemom.com

5. Get Vaccine Before Your Baby’s Ears Are Pierced. Vaccination before piercing is of paramount importance as it can prevent the chance of a tetanus infection. Even though the technician is most probably going to use a sterilized piercer for the procedure, it is still good to make sure that she has received her vaccination prior to piercing. Source: newkidscenter.com

4. The Best Time To Do It. There is really no “best” time as an infant, but in order to help keep your baby’s hands away from her ears you should probably do it while she is still very little. A three month old won’t understand the concept of playing with her ears like a one year old would. Likewise, a two or three year old is more likely to figure out how to take off those pesky adult proof backings leading to her losing one of her earrings. Yes, she will always just lose one, making you have a lot of single earrings laying around for your baby. Source: babiesonline.com

Here is the continuation of the 7 crucial factors to consider before piercing your baby’s ears.

3. Possibility for Keloid Formation. Piercing at a very young age significantly lowers the chance of keloid formation. A study by Dr. Joshua E. Lane, a professor at the Mercer University School of Medicine, found just that. The study, which was co-researched with Dr. Jennifer Waller and Dr. Loretta S. Davis (from Georgia College), surveyed 32 patients all whom have keloids which have resulted from ear piercings. The study found that 80% of people who got their first piercing after the age of 11 had a keloid formed from that first piercing, whereas only 23.5% of those who got their first piercing under the age of 11 had a keloid formed. Source: keloidcenter.com

2. Potential Complications. The most common complication that might happen is infection. It is caused due to the use of unsterilized equipment by the piercer. Other potential complications that might happen include: keloid formation, allergic reaction, and tearing of the ear lobes. Source: newkidscenter.com

1. Consult Your Pediatrician. Before getting your baby’s ears pierced, many readers recommend you consult your pediatrician. He or she will be the best professional to assess whether your baby’s ears are a suitable size for earrings. Additionally, a pediatrician should determine what vaccines your child should need prior to piercing. Source: popsugar.com

While it is a fact that piercing your baby’s ears is a serious matter, you can make it safe. Make sure to do your research on the matter and consult your pediatrician regarding things that may concern you.

Keep in mind that healing and caring for your baby’s piercings is a very important part of this endeavor.

The American Academy of Pediatric recommends the following when it comes to care:

After the piercing, apply rubbing alcohol or an antibiotic ointment to the area two times a day for a few days; these applications will cut down the chances of infection and hasten the healing process. The earring should not be removed for four to six weeks, but should be gently rotated each day. If the area of piercing becomes red or tender, an infection may be developing, and you should seek medical attention promptly.

By simply following the 7 vital factors mentioned above, you can easily decide to pierce your baby’s ears without worrying too much. For more peace of mind, make sure to do #1 before anything else.

Are you planning to have your baby’s ears pierced sometime soon or are you still sitting on the fence regarding this?

The post 7 Crucial Factors To Consider Before Piercing Your Baby’s Ears appeared first on Oh My Parenting.