Be Shopping Cart Smarts

Do you know that there are 23,000 children who end up in the emergency room mainly with head and neck injuries due to falls from shopping carts? This is really pretty astonishing numbers. As a mom with no other help around, my son is always with me anywhere I go. Plopping him conveniently into a shopping cart is the most practical thing to do to get the food shopping done pronto. But as my son grows, it gets more and more difficult to keep him sitting still but fortunately we haven't had any accidents yet (knock on wood).

Well since accidents happen the least you expect them, here are some tips to avoid them:

• Choose a cart that seats a child close to the ground. - Groceries have these carts with attached cars for little kids to sit in. The cars have seat restraints to keep the children in place while the moms wheel around to shop. At Stop and Shop where I buy our food they've got those. But the first time I used it, it was a struggle to get my son out of it. He enjoyed the ride so much he didn't want to leave the car ;-).
  

• Scout out stores that offer supervised play areas. - If you can't find one near you, shop with a friend who can push the stroller or hold hand with your child.

• Get older kids out of the cart - by giving them their own grocery list. This will be fun for them and they will learn how to focus and feel responsible.
  

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Halloween Safety Tips

While trick or treating should be a fun experience, with lots of children running amuck, laughing, screaming, and showing off their wonderful costumes, its should also be a time to take extra precautions. Here are some Halloween safety tips for your children to follow that will make their might out a fun and secure experience.

1. Smaller children should go in groups of two or more families - always with two adults.
2. Older children should be required to go in groups of five or more kids, tell you the exact path they plan to take, and when they will be home. It is also a good idea to make sure your children stay within walkie-talkie range and check in from time to time.
3. Make sure your children only go to houses of people you know.
4. Avoid any homes that are not well lit and do not have front porch lights on.
5. Never go into the home or hallway of a home to retrieve candy.
6. Always use the intersection and never cross in the middle of the street or take a short cut through alleys.
7. Avoid wearing dark costumes, jackets, or other clothing that cannot be seen at night.
8. If wearing dark costumes, use reflective tape on both the front and back side of the costume.
9. Purchase or make flame retardant costumes.
10. Avoid masks, that can often obstruct the breathing passage as well as your child's vision to not only see what is in front of him/her but who may be coming up from the side. If possible, stick to face paint instead of masks.
11. Keep sharp objects at home. When running to the next house, children can fall and hurt themselves on dangerous objects, or swing it around and poke the eye out of a passerby.
12. Carry an emergency whistle and/or can of pepper spray.
13. Bring along a flash light.
14. Always examine the candy before eating. Make sure there are no needle points or other signs that someone has tampered with the candy and throw out any unwrapped or opened candies.

Source : Kid's Corner of The Mansfield Buz

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