Toy Safety

As your frantic search for the perfect toys for your kids begins to heat up, let's remember -- as always with our kids -- SAFETY FIRST!

First, there is a great website that I refer to every year and you should too:
http://www.toysafety.net/.

It's got a lot more than I can put in my brief blog, including what to watch for in purchasing safe toys and some of the most worrisome toys on the market this year. When it comes to safety, become a sophisticated consumer!

Here's a quick summary of what may make a toy unsafe for your kids- especially those under three years old:


CHOKING HAZARDS

Between 1990 and 2004, at least 157 children died after choking or asphyxiating on a toy or toy part; seven children died in 2004 alone. Toys that can be a choking hazard are required by law to have a warning label like this one:

• Even if there is no label, avoid toys with small parts that can fall off.
• Balloons (especially latex and rubber balloons) still cause more choking in children than any toy, especially in children under 8 years of age.
• Mylar balloons are less of a choking hazard.

• Children under 6 years of age are at risk for aspirating (inhaling into their windpipe) objects (such as rubber balls) less than 1.75 inches in diameter. Don't give them objects smaller than 2 inches!

STRANGULATION HAZARDS

• Keep mobiles out of the reach of children in cribs. Remove mobiles completely before the child is five months old or can push up on hands and knees.
• Keep cords short or out of your infant children's reach.
• Check the ends of pull toys. Remove knobs or beads from cords longer than one foot to prevent the cords from tangling into a dangerous loop.
• Check openings on cribs and play gyms to be sure that your infant's head cannot be trapped.

LOUD TOYS

15% of children ages 6-17 show some signs of hearing loss, perhaps in part due loud toys as well as high volume music on stereo headphones.

• Avoid toys that make noise greater than 85 decibels.
• If a toy seems loud to you, it is probably too loud for your child.

TOXIC CHEMICALS IN TOYS

Some toys can expose children to dangerous chemicals that can be linked to serious health problems.

• Avoid nail polish sets containing toxic chemicals, such as toluene and xylene.
• Avoid toys that use "phthalates", a class of chemicals used to soften plastic material (like PVC).
• Choose wooden or cloth toys, instead of those made from PVC
• Avoid toys colored with a lead-based paint.

OTHER TOY HAZARDS

Non-motorized scooters and other riding toys, for example, cause more toy-related injuries every year than any other category of toy.

Supervise your kids closely if you give such a toy and be sure to outfit them with the proper safety equipment, such as CPSC-approved helmet with a bike; a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads with a scooter or skateboard; and a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards with inline skates.

REPORT A DANGEROUS TOY!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the authority to recall dangerous toys and products from the market. If you think a toy or product is hazardous, contact the CPSC and submit a report by:

Phone: 1-800-638-2772
Web: http://www.cpsc.gov/incident.html
Email: mailto:%20info@cpsc.gov

Related Topics: Unsafe Toys Still on Store Shelves, Einstein's Toys, Don't Make Holidays a Ho-Ho-Horror

Dr. P's 2006 Flu Update

Symptoms of the flu
About 5-20% of the U.S population will contract the influenza ("flu") virus this year. (And remember: most fevers and colds are not caused by the flu.)

Symptoms of flu may include:
- fever (usually high)
- headache
- extreme tiredness
- dry cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle aches
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (more common in kids than adults)
- sinus or ear infection (more common in kids than adults)

For how long is the flu contagious?
Influenza is spread by an infected person sneezing or coughing virus-filled droplets, which are then inhaled or touched by another person, who then touches his/her mouth or nose and inhales the virus into the body. Most carriers are contagious to others one day before the onset of symptoms and for about five days after.

How can I lessen the risk of contracting flu?
Having the flu vaccine administered is the most effective preventive measure you can take. Additionally, there are sensible precautions to try to decrease the odds of your family contracting the flu:
- Be sure good hand washing occurs at home, school, day care, etc.
- Be sure no one is coughing, spewing saliva, giving wet sloppy kisses etc. on your child.
- Avoid crowds as much as possible in an area where there has been a flu outbreak.
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing.

What if my child gets the flu?
If a child (or adult) does contract the flu, there are anti-viral medications that can be given (best in the first 48 hours) to help there to be a less severe, less prolonged course. (But repeat after Dr. P: Antibiotics are useless against viruses, including the flu.)

So if you suspect your child might have the flu, contact his/her pediatric provider and discuss if s/he should be tested for the flu and/or if one of these anti-flu medications might be worthwhile.

Aside from that, tincture of time is the only real cure. Comfort measures include lots of fluids (a little chicken soup wouldn't hurt), fever / pain medicine (acetaminophen or ibuprofen but not aspirin) and, most importantly, lots of TLC.

Related Topics:
Top 10 Questions about the Flu, Protecting Children from Germs, A Bout of Flu

Welcome From Dr. P

Hi! My name is Steven Parker. Welcome to my blog!

First, the bad news:
I've never read or seen a blog before in my life, so this will be a new adventure for me.

Now, the good news:
I'm really excited about using this forum to support, inform, entertain, provoke all of you out there, you who are engaged in one of the toughest and most important - and underappreciated - jobs there is: raising healthy and happy kids in the 21st century.

A little about me, so you have some idea with whom you are dealing.

I finished pediatric training in 1980 and then completed a 2 year 'fellowship' in "developmental and behavioral pediatrics" with T. Berry Brazelton. I was in part time private practice in general pediatrics for 5 years, but then left to work full time at Boston City Hospital (now called Boston Medical Center) and the Boston University School of Medicine, where I have been ever since.

Currently I run a few clinics - one is primary care clinic for children with significant developmental disabilities and complex medical problems. Another is the Developmental Assessment Clinic for children with behavioral and developmental challenges.

In 1996, Dr. Spock asked me to collaborate on the latest edition of his book - Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care - which was published just before he died in 1998. In 2000 I began to work with WebMD on its Pediatrics Message Board and 25,000 questions later, we're still going strong.

There are other things I've been doing in my checkered career, but you've probably heard enough. Bottom line: at this stage I've been around long enough and done enough different stuff that I actually (if somewhat immodestly) believe I might have something to offer you in a forum like this.

But you'll be the judge of that. We shall see.

Now let's get blogging. I'll be as interested as you to see where this all leads!