Prevent another child from drowning
We hear about it too much, it seems. A baby or toddler drowning. Many times in the care of responsible parents. It’s the leading cause of unintentional death for children.
I’ve written posts for Hiccups before on the importance of water safety, but in light of another recent drowning, I’d like to share my personal experience with a program my 3-year-old son is in.
Infant Swimming Resource is a program I found after a user on NewsOK.com posted a comment on a story about a baby drowning a couple of months ago. Her comment was, “If the family only knew about ISR.” That comment prompted me to look into this program.
I went to their Web site, www.infantswim.com, and watched the videos and read about parents’ experiences with the program. I have to say, I was instantly impressed. (Click below to see the video.)
These babies and toddlers weren’t just swimming, they were performing self-rescue skills. I found an instructor in the Oklahoma City-area using the online locator and got him started in the lessons.
I’ve had my son in swimming lessons before, but have been very disappointed with the results. He was only swimming with a floatie on or by using a noodle and these give children, and their parents, a false sense of security. Children don’t fall into pools with floaties on. If they did, no child would drown.
What ISR does is look at all aspects of a child. The program uses many fields of study in their approach – psychology, biology, physiology and anatomy. And most children go through the program and are skilled in self-rescue swimming in only 4-6 weeks.
When my son started, he had never even been put underwater. He never floated on his own. He was terrified of going underwater. Now he is in his last week in the program. He can swim underwater, turn to float to get his breath then continue swimming to the side of the pool. Without the aid of any flotation device. If you knew my son, you would know this is truly impressive.
The lessons are one-on-one with a highly trained instructor. Because repetition is key, they are every weekday for the full 4-6 weeks. To prevent water fatigue, the lessons are only 10 minutes long.
I urge every parent to check out this program. I am truly impressed with what my son has learned and with the professionalism and knowledge of the instructors. It’s a small price to pay and small amount of time to spend on preventing the senseless tragedy of losing a child to drowning.
-Erica Smith
Have a Safe Halloween
We all want our children to be safe this Halloween and with a few simple reminders, it can be a fun and safe time for everyone. Safekids.org has ten good rules of thumb to follow.
The first five are for trick-or-treaters:
1. Cross the street safely at corners. Use traffic signals and crosswalks. Walk, don’t run, and always look left, right then left again before crossing.
2. Stay on sidewalks or paths. No sidewalks? Then walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
3. Slow down, stay alert. Keep an eye out for cars turning or backing up. Don’t dart into the street or cross in between parked cars.
4. Young kids should always be with an adult. Especially those younger than 12.
5. Costumes should be safe. Reflective tap is essential. If possible, choose a light-colored costume. Choose nontoxic face paint over a mask that can obstruct a child’s vision. Have kids carry glow sticks and flashlights. Make sure they can be seen.
The last five are for drivers:
6. SLOW DOWN. Especially in residential neighborhoods and school zones. Most often, trick-or-treating is done between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.
7. Be especially alert. Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Kids can be unpredictable so be on guard.
8. Enter and exit driveways slowly and carefully.
9. Reduce distractions when driving. Don’t talk on your phone or text. It only takes a second to miss a child darting out in front of your car. Concentrate fully on the road and your surroundings.
10. Keep your headlights on so you can spot kids at a greater distance. Children may not be able to see your vehicle.
Let’s keep these 10 important tips in mind so everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Have time to play?
If so, you may want to check out the playgroups offered by the Oklahoma City County Health Department. They have several in the metro area.
Playgroups are FREE and for children from birth to 36 months old and their parents. Play clothes are suggested.
Parents will be able to play with their kids and meet other parents. Facilitators will also be there to talk about behavior of young children, language, age-appropriate play activities and positive parenting.
Here are some dates & locations:
Edmond: Peace Lutheran Church, 2600 E Danforth Rd.
Nov. 5, 19 and Dec. 3, 17.
Sessions are 9 to 10 a.m. and 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
NW Oklahoma City: Mayfair Church of Christ, 2340 NW 50.
Oct. 28, Nov. 25 and Dec. 9.
Sessions are 2 to 3 p.m.
Midwest City: Doctor’s Tower, 3rd floor, 6912 E Reno.
Nov. 10, 24 and Dec. 8, 22.
Sessions are 10 to 11 a.m.
To participate, you must pre-register by calling 425-4412. And check out the health department’s schedule of upcoming parenting workshops by going to http://www.cchdoc.com/ and clicking on the Parent Express Newsletter on the right-hand side.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
A mother lost
When tragedy hits a family, you can’t help sometimes compare the situation to your own family.
Especially when it is the death of a mother who leaves young children behind.
Shock is the initial feeling I felt when I heard my friend Karen Baker had died Sunday. She and I had been co- assistant leaders for our daughters’ Girl Scout troop, and then co-leaders.
Our children had attended the same daycare and then the same schools. Her children were similar in age to two of my children.
Karen was always smiling, laughing … You always felt good around her.
How saddening was my second thought. Her children. Her husband. Why?
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, my first reaction was fear, but it was quickly followed by a deep, sinking feeling that I might not be around for my children, then ages 1 and almost 5.
Karen’s children are middle school and high school ages, still very young. They still needed their mother.
My heart breaks for this family. And it also renews the worries.
Whether you’re a mother or father, you always want to be there for your children.
– Linda Lynn
The Princess and the Pew
- This is not my daughter, and this is not her bed. But, you get the color design idea.
Until this week, my daughter had been sleeping on a mattress I know is older than my husband. (At least she was sleeping on it when she wasn’t sleeping on the livingroom couch.)
The old mattress was hard, you could feel the springs, it seemed to tilt down at the head of the bed, and the box springs cover had started to tear away. Sounds awful, but it wasn’t until I spent quite a few nights in the bed during the nights she couldn’t go back to sleep that I began to realize just how uncomfortable her bed was.
First, I looked online to see what type of style she might like. We decided together that a twin or daybed would be perfect for her, since it would open up more space to play in her room. But I still hesitated making a purchase, because I wanted to make sure to get something she would love. Good beds aren’t cheap, so I wanted her choice to be one she would enjoy for several years.
This past weekend, she and I made the furniture row rounds, looking at bedframes, trying out mattresses, comparing styles and colors and prices. And we bought it.
A black, solid-wood daybed with two hot pink, soft mattresses.
I thought this would certainly help her go to sleep at night – and get her off our couch at night.
The day the bed was delivered, we also bought a new hot pink and zebra-striped comforter set, as well as hot pink curtain and body pillow. Everything looked so cute!
What I didn’t foresee was the smell!
The mattresses had a strong chemical smell, perhaps because they had just been unsealed from their protective plastic. It was so bad neither one of us wanted to spend time in her room.
That night, though her room was decked out and comfy, she slept on the couch.
–Linda Lynn
Toddler challenges answered
I had the great opportunity last week to go to a class sponsored by the Oklahoma City-County Health Department at the Edmond Library, called ”Common Challenges with Toddlers.”
As a parent of a toddler, I knew I couldn’t possibly be the only one who experiences the store -induced temper tantrums, the difficulties with getting him to eat, and dealing with this little person who is constantly asserting his independence.
I was greatly assured that yes, thankfully, my child is completely normal and not a pint-sized T-Rex.
Here are seven great tips I learned:
1. Don’t ask questions that require simply a yes or no answer. Instead, give your toddler some choices. But be sure you can live with any of the choices.
2. Avoid power struggles. It takes two to argue, so take yourself out of the equation. Consider allowing him to be his own boss, unless he poses harm to himself or others.
3. Children won’t do what doesn’t work. Ignore temper tantrums. Easier said than done, but if you want the tantrums to stop, you’ll have to stop reacting to them.
4. Make a statement. When talking to him about his day, don’t ask questions, but instead make statements. I tried this and it works! Instead of “Did you play outside today?” try “So you played outside today!” You’ll get lots more response from your little person.
5. Use descriptive commentary. Like a sports announcer, talk about what they’re doing as they’re doing it. It promotes conversation, builds vocabulary and makes them feel important.
6. Focus on behaviors you want, not the ones you don’t want. Instead of “stop running” say “I like it when you walk next to Mommy.” And always be specific in your praise. Just saying “Good girl” won’t let them know what exactly they’re being good about.
7. Use humor, and keep your sense of humor. Your toddler is learning to be an independent person and it can be a fun time if you just let it happen.
The health department has a great lineup of workshops and parent talks. I highly recommend attending. Their staff is knowledgeable and they give great advice. Go to www.occhd.org and click on the Parent Express Newsletter or call 425-4412 to find out what’s coming to a location near you.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Can you overextend a toddler?
My son is 3, which means he’s suddenly eligible for all sorts of extracurricular activities (otherwise known as energy-burning-so-he-doesn’t-run-circles-around-the-house activities).
So there he is … signed up for everything I could get my hands on. Gymnastics: One night a week. Swim lessons: Two nights a week. Soccer: Practice one night, and games on the weekends. Yes, he’s only 3.
There may be a misconception here that I’m sort of a stage mom. A “boys-need-sports” stage mom. But really, I just want my toddler to be active from an early age and to experience various sports so that he’ll be open to more than just one activity. I don’t want him to get into couch-potato mode.
I just know that all the running around can leave me a bit running-ragged. My son seems to enjoy it but ends up pretty cranky by the time it’s time to go home or leave the activity. Carrying him kicking and screaming through the gymnastics facility’s parking lot makes me wonder if it’s really worth it.
Any thoughts? Do you have your young children in sports? How do you make sure you have enough down time in your child’s day? Comment here or email me at esmith@opubco.com
-Erica Smith
“I’ve had my limit!” Can school please start now?
School starts back next Tuesday for my kids.
Anyone else ready for their children to get back into school?
I wouldn’t have expected to be so happy about this. But our house has seemed even more chaotic than usual. I’m not sure that it’s actually that the kids are out of school. I think the strain is partially caused by the stress of preparing to go to school.
Beyond the usual requirements of getting school supplies and some added clothing items to round out their wardrobes, we also are dealing with three information day sessions we need to attend, band meetings, band camp, doctors’ appointments, daycare enrollment, transportation issues with busing my young son to and from daycare, freshman orientation, both daughters’ worries that they won’t have friends in their classes, orthodontist and dentist appointments, approaching birthday party planning, passports for an overseas band trip …
And did I mention the frenzy of cash flowing out of our pockets to pay for many *incidental* things?
Last night, as my daughter asked me a question repeatedly after I had answered twice, I started to count to 50 … not 10, but 50.
At first, I thought, “What is happening to our family?” For several days we had all been snapping at each other, voices were being raised. Everyone, except maybe for the youngest member of our family, was ready to get away from each other.
Then, it occurred to me that maybe the stresses, anticipation, extra this and that were taking their toll.
So, yes, I think we’re ready to start school.
Then, we can deal with sleep issues, homework, ballgames, teacher conferences, lunches, juggling schedules and mealtimes …..
– Linda Lynn
Growth charts have grown up
We all remember the ways our parents charted our growth … pencil markings on the inside closet door, using a marker on a yard stick or just buying a growth chart poster to track our progress.
With technology a staple these days, some parents are taking a different direction when documenting how fast their kids grow.
One couple tracked it using a camera, taking a picture each day during their baby’s first year. The result? Click here.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
More milestones (and a knee in my rib)
The milestones seem to come and go so quickly. There’s the weaning off of bottles. The “disappearance” of the pacifier. Getting rid of dirty diapers … for good! And then there is …
THE TODDLER BED.
For two hours last weekend, I converted my son’s crib, Transformer-style, into a toddler bed. My son was ecstatic. I was relieved. “A big boy bed!”
I dutifully padded the floor around it, just in case of an accidental roll-out. I tucked him in for a nap and he did great. No major injuries, no crying fits. Then came the real test … sleeping through the night. I put him to bed, woke up the next morning and my first thought was “Wow! That worked! How easy is this!”
Not so fast.
There they were. Two little feet nestled next to my head. My son sound asleep next to me. A middle-of-the-night escape.
OK, I thought … so maybe it would take a night or two for him to get used to his bed. Maybe he got scared. Maybe there’s dinosaurs in his closet. But now it’s Friday. And I’m still waking up every morning to a visitor in my bed.
Now, I’ve seen all the nanny shows on TV. I’ve seen parents repeatedly put their kids back into their own beds, where they belong. But what do you do when they sneak out of their bed every night and you don’t know until you have a knee in your rib or an arm draped over your head the next morning?
If you have any ideas, short of deadbolting his door shut, please let me know!
-Erica Smith, Copy Editor
esmith@opubco.com
