Dogs & Pups—Safety in Summer Time

There are close to 5 million dog bites each year in the United States (!!!!) with 800,000 requiring medical care; half of those are children. Dog bites are most frequent in summer months, likely because children are outdoors more often and playing in environments where dogs are present (parks, beaches, etc). Also, dogs themselves can have moods—and hot weather may lead to increased agitation and aggression, So, however cute and adorable doggies are, there are also important safety considerations—and summer is a great time for us to explore safety around doggies on the One Sassy Doctor blog. Here are some interesting facts and tips!

Realities of Water Safety

Water is fun! There’s a whole lot of developmental exploration and play that takes place in a bathtub or swimming pool. As we all know, however, water and safety are two words that go back to back.
As we’d expect, babies who are under 12 months of age are most likely to drown in a bathtub, toilet or a bucket. Babies can drown in just a teeny bit of water and can happen in seconds.

Drowning is the second cause of unintentional injury-related death among children between the ages of 1 and 14 (2005-U.S. Centers for Disease Control). In 2005, drowning accounted for 30% of unintentional deaths in children ages 1 to 4 years old. In University of Chicago economist Dr. Steven Levitt’s book “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything”, the professor says that children are 100 times more likely to die in a given year from swimming pool accidents than gun accidents.

Sun Protection in Infants & Toddlers—The Evidence: Part One

It is widely known that sun exposure is closely linked to skin cancer in adults. What about babies and toddlers? With information being relayed to parents about the importance of sun exposure for small babies with elevated bilirubin, and for the Vitamin D required for healthy growing bones, it can be confusing. How much sun is healthy and okay? What are the true risks of sun exposure in young children?

In the next two postings on One Sassy Doctor, we’ll review the fantastic research article from the 2011 Dr. Amy Paller published in the journal Pediatrics: "New Insights About Infant and Toddler Skin: Implications for Sun Protection." There is tremendous evidence support from research linking excessive sun exposure in the baby and toddler years to skin cancer later in life. Some interesting facts:

Why Do Babies Put Objects In Their Mouth?

Brittney M: My daughter is 15 months and she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and has been ever since she found her mouth! When she does I'll tell her "No, that's yucky" and she'll sometimes listen and not put whatever it is in her mouth. But I feel like I'm chasing her around all the time pulling things out of her mouth... I can wait for her to grow but I can't wait for her to grow out of this stage!! Any idea when that will be?

What a fantastic question! It allows us to explore several interesting topics, so a super Sassy thank you!

Nailed It!—Caring for Baby’s Nails

Can you imagine how many fingers and toes a parent clips over a baby, toddler and school age child’s lifetime? Here are some One Sassy Doctor’s calculations:

• 10 fingers + 10 toes = 20 clips
• Multiply that by once a week, 52 weeks a year = 1,040 a year
• I still clip my 8-year-old girls’ nails, so consider you’ll do it until they are 10 or so.
• That’s = 1,040 X 10 = 10,400 nail clips.
• I have four kids = 41,600 clips over a lifetime.

OMG. Want to come get a mani/pedi with me?

Now back to the informative part of this posting.

What Do You Do When Your Toddlers Are Hitting Each Other?

As a mom of two sets of twins, a question posed to One Sassy Doctor about twin-twin toddlers hitting each other was familiar!

Hitting is normal amongst twins and non-twin siblings. Although it is distressing to see one child hit—and another child be hit—it is an expected part of development that becomes more salient when both of the kids are your own! You’re looking at one child thinking, “My baby is getting hit!” and another child thinking “My baby is hitting another child!” Where do you begin?

Ho Ho Ho! Think Safety In Your Ho Ho House During the Ho Ho Holidays!

This is not going to be a relaxing blog post. Sorry, One Sassy Doctor fans, we’re popping balloons and pouring egg nog in the toilet for this blog post!

You’re enjoying egg nog: Think: Toddler spills egg nog, so toddler gets burned. Toddler drinks (alcohol-laden) egg nog, so toddler drinks alcohol (not a good thing).

Talking To Family & Sitters About Play Safety - Holiday Toy Safety Post #2

You may have a grandma or child care provider around the house when the floodgates of new toys arrive around holiday time. One Sassy Doctor has outlined some basic toy and play safety topics for discussion with anyone caring for your child related to play safety:

One Sassy Grandma – Holiday Toy Safety Post #1

Choosing safe toys for your baby or toddler isn’t just about product labels and age recommendations. We need to understand each child’s developmental level, the play environment and how these factors play into toy selection—a child with developmental challenges, for example, may require toys with capability features specific to their needs.

One super important element to toy safety is the “grandmother effect.” This is as looming as a fork in a light socket (well, kind of a dramatic analogy, but you get the drift). Parents must be super vigilant hawks when it comes to presents received by others.

Dr. Jen’s Tips on Biting

Having experienced my own children being bitten—and also biting others—I consider myself a mommy/doctor biting control pro!

Why do kids bite, and how should adults respond?

Biting is a way for a child to express frustration, anger and loss of control. It is a normal part of social development, although not an acceptable part. There are certain behaviors that parents, teachers and caregivers should simply ignore and let children work out for themselves. Biting is not one of them.

What Does One Sassy Doctor Think About Vaccinations?

The American Academy of Pediatrics and I (Dr. Jen) do not recommend any modification of the current immunization schedule. In light of significant buzz about potential vaccine connections to autism and other medical and developmental issues, I want to share some important facts which support why the current schedule is best for your little ones.

When In Doubt, Get Out!

This is our #1 family motto in the Canter house. When those winter days are getting to you, get out of the house! When it is spring or fall, and you can take a leisurely stroll, do it! When it’s summer and you can get into some safe water play, or have a social interaction with friends/family outdoors, motivate. I am a big believer in getting outdoors—for your own enjoyment and to set an example of healthy lifestyle.

Strolling Along, Sassy Style

Wow, did we go through a lot of strollers with these two sets of twins! I’m going to refrain from specific product suggestions here, but give you some of my tips for a start:

Go-Go-Go in the Car, Sassy Style

We’ve posted all about car seat safety in the past here on the One Sassy Doctor blog. Now we’re going to go into how to make car rides, the longer ones, more enjoyable for you and for your little one.

Here are One Sassy Doctor’s tips for a fun, safe and chilled out car ride:

Playground Safety: Dr. Jen's Take on the New York Times Piece

A repost from www.playthisway.com.

As a pediatrician with a sub-specialty in child abuse, and a mother of two sets of twins, I read the New York Times article Can a Playground Be Too Safe? with significant concern. In this piece, John Tierney explains the history of New York City’s playgrounds and safety. Specifically, regarding a 10-foot-high jungle gym in Manhattan near his childhood home, he explained that as long as he was the parks commissioner, the monkey bars were going to remain in place. This was despite researchers at the time, who cited accident statistics and the importance of safer playgrounds. Fast forward to 2011, and this article, in accordance with Mr. Stern’s 1990’s edict - critics saying that playgrounds may “stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone”.

Wow, do I disagree.

Dr. Jen's Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children

Summer time means more water play! One Sassy Doctor wants you to hear loud and clear: Water can be a lot of fun, but safety should be number one! (A rhyme, remember, bear with my goofy sense of humor!)

Here are Dr. Jen’s Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children:

Toy and Play Safety Tips for Caregivers, Nannies and Babysitters

Repost from www.playthisway.com.

While it is important for you children to have fun while in the care of others, it is even more important for your child to be safe. I’ve outlined some basic toy and play safety topics for discussion with your caregiver below:

1. Make sure your caregiver understands how toys are intended to be used, and that instructions are understood.

2. When opening new toys, it is important to discard plastic wrappings. When assembling toys or changing batteries, it is important to secure small parts and batteries in a safe place. Also, tools used such as a screwdriver, may present their own safety hazards.

3. Make sure your caregiver understands age recommendations for toys and what your expectations are for safe play between different aged siblings. Do you want older children to play with small parts in a designated area of the house? Do you want your caregiver to double-check after clean up?