Car Safety Tips

The single biggest threat to your babies life as documented every year by every relevant US government agency is the threat when they are travelling in the car with you, friends or family.

Here are a few tips to make sure your baby will always be safe when travelling in a car.

Car Seats

When buying a car seat, make sure you look for;

A label that clearly states that it meets or exceeds the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

That the car seat is setup exactly and will suit a child of your weight and height

Check recent car seat recalls before making a purchase

Be aware of the type of seat belts your car has; all car seats are not compatible with all seat belts

Consider choosing a seat that is upholstered in fabric - it may be more comfortable for your child.

The Best Way to Protect Your Children in the Car by Susan Dunn

Car seats may be required but there’s one other thing you should be doing to protect your children in the car, because the best-constructed car seat in the world doesn’t insure they’ll live through an accident.

Prevention is the best cure, and driver error has been documented to contribute to over 90% of collisions.

Your distractibility is crucial, and once again one of our best technological advances has proven to be a very mixed blessing. You might even say a very mixed curse.

And what is that?

It’s the conversation you’re having with your sister about the party next week. Or the quick call to verify directions or to say you’re running late. Or worst of all, an intense or complex relationship issue you’re discussing with your spouse. ON THE CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s hand-held or mounted, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re dialing, chatting, intensely relating, or hanging up. It’s dangerous.

According to the Fatal Analysis Reporting System, in one analysis of fatal accidents involving cell phone use, the cell phone-using drivers were all in what’s called “the striking vehicle.” This means they either hit a stationary object, or left their lane of traffic and struck a vehicle or obstacle. In these crashes, 75% of the drivers were engaged in conversation, 13% were dialing, and 13% were hanging up.

And worse yet - of those engaged in conversation, 1/3 were using mounted phones in the hands-free mode.

Risk of collision when using a cell is 4 times higher regardless of your age, driving experience, of experience with a cell phone, and - get this: the hands-free units offer no safety advantage.

People using cell phones simply take longer to react, and miss things that would allow them to avoid collisions. Even when not at-fault, cell users were unable to avoid collisions with others.

Your cell phone records can and will be subpoened in case of a lawsuit involving an accident, by the way.

So why not, when you strap the kids into their car seats, lay the cell phone down on the floor beside them and turn off the ringer?

C ell phones are great for productivity and personal safety. Just make sure you aren’t using yours to call the EMS after a car accident caused by the fact you were using yours while driving.

Go here for tips for safe cell phone use in the car (if there is such a thing). And when you buckle up, buckle up the cell as well.

P. S. And don’t let the grandparents off the hook either. According to the National Public Services Research Institute for AAA, where cell phone use in the car is concerned, the distraction effect in drivers over the age of 50 is 2-3 times as great and encompasses all tasks - placing calls, simple conversations, and complex conversations. They increase response time by 33-38%.

Travelling With a Baby - A Checklist

Travelling with a baby can sometimes mean that you are so consumed with ensuring that you have everything you need to care for the baby on the trip that you forget things you need for yourself. The best thing to do is to prepare a checklist of what you need and then check off each item as you pack it.

A sample checklist should include the following items:

Diapers/ pampers

Blankets

Sleepers

Baby wipes

Baby lotion and soap

Extra pacifiers

Bottle

Formula, food, water and/or juice

Resealable plastic bags

Extra clothes - at least one or two outfits per day

Nightlight

Car seat

Portable crib

Collapsible stroller

Sun hat and sun screen Toys

Plastic for use in changing the baby

Any necessary medicines

Extra shirt for yourself

Burping pad

Washable bibs

Feeding spoons

Kettle, if the hotel room does not have kitchen facilities

The packing for a trip involving a baby should start weeks in advance to ensure that no detail is overlooked. As you pack each item or article, check to make sure you have added extra in case of accidents.

Simply go through a sample day at home and make a list of everything the baby needs when not travelling. Add extra to the list. Bring a camera and plenty of film or if you use a digital ensure that the memory card can store lots of pictures.

Baby Safety Tips

About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today.

Must Have Products That Will Keep Your Child Safe around the Home

1. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.

Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances.

Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.

2. Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them. Look for safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates that screw to the wall are more secure than "pressure gates."

Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.

3. Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards, including swimming pools.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries.

Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5 and up.

4. Use Anti-Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti-scald devices for regulating water temperature can help prevent burns.

Typical cost of an anti-scald device: $6 to $30.

5. Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.


Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they're working. If detectors are battery-operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10-year batteries.

Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.

6. Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.

7. Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.

Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8. Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.

Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9. Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with attached garages.

Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.

10. Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on miniblinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds.

For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying new miniblinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent child strangulation.

11. Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors and door hinges.

Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.

12. Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.

Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call. Cordless phones are especially helpful when children are in or near water, whether it's the bathtub, the swimming pool, or the beach.

Typical cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.