Strollerderby : danger

Babysitter Sleeps While Kid Plays Among the Alligators

JeanneSager — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:36:00 GMT

Your babysitter was never this bad - trust me.

A Florida sitter fell asleep on the toilet while her two-year-old charge went out and wandered around in an alligator-infested canal.

According to some reports, the boy was wearing nothing but a shirt and covered in feces when he was spotted and promptly rescued. When police got to the house, they say they found his babysitter on the toilet - passed out - and a bottle of oxycodone. The sitter, Brandy Albright, was woken up by police and placed under arrest for child endangerment, while the boy has been returned to his mom.

Unless you live in Florida or another coastal area of the country, you likely don't have to worry that your kid is going to be out playing with the alligators when you aren't home. But does a sitter really have to be told not to take drugs while they're watching your kid? There's a warning about not operating heavy machinery while taking these drugs on that bottle for a reason.

Just remember this one the next time you want to complain about your sitter. At least he or she remains upright throughout the day. If not, it's time you get yourself a new sitter!

Image: APP

Kid Falls 40 Feet Into Hands of Superheroes

JeanneSager — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:01:00 GMT

A little girl hanging from a window forty feet off the ground. Two guys walking by her apartment building - one all the way across the street.

The three meet, and oh . . .my . . . Gawd.

Robert Lemire was talking on his cell phone in front of a pizza joint when he saw a little kid hanging from a third story window across the street. He made a mad dash across the street (no, he didn't stop to look both ways) where he met another guy, Alex Day, just walking out of the building from a Bible study class. Together, the two men put out their arms just in time to catch eighteen-month-old Caliah Clark just before she would have hit the ground.

Can we say totally freakin insanely awesome story here? I know that's not exactly fine English but, wow! They couldn't have planned this one on a movie set with stuntmen.

These are two heroes, and since they reside in Boston, and their superhero capes don't get them much farther, here's a reminder to everyone else to GET WINDOW GUARDS if you have a toddler.

OK, off the soapbox, just going to enjoy the high of such an awesome story on a Monday.

Image: Christian Odyssey (not child in story)

Danger Babies: Why Why Why?

Amy Kuras — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:01:00 GMT

I am heading into Toddlerdom: The Sequel so one would think I am fairly imperturbable by now, but not so much. Reading this story from USA Today about the terrifying near-misses toddlers get themselves into alternately made me laugh, screech in horror and knock every piece of wood I could reach, lest I tempt fate by finding any of this the least bit amusing.

We’re talking kids who unlock gates and toddle into the street – at 18 months of age. When they had been sound asleep in bed. Twins who boost each other over the baby gate.

This makes my near misses sound mild (my daughter pulled her toy shelf onto herself and a TV down on the floor, both of which still give me the twitches when I think about how lucky we were things were not much, much worse).

But there are some evolutionary reasons for this heart-stopping behavior, apparently. Gumming everything may expose them to tiny amounts of germs that help strengthen their immune systems, and eating dirt maybe gets them some iron (I don’t know, my daughter was borderline anemic and my funniest memory of her first mobile summer was watching her sit in the garden while I worked and just fling dirt over her head and attempt to eat it).

Of course, then you’d think evolution would breed this dangerous behavior out of them –but children in early hunter gather cultures were carried in slings throughout toddlerhood, giving hem less opportunity to get into stuff.

Honestly, I think it’s better for kids to be a little more free-range once they can stand on their own little feet. Even the most dedicated babywearers I know tend to let them down a little more once they are bigger, and both my kids have to be on the move to be happy.

But there are days when swaddling him in bubble wrap doesn’t seem like the worst idea. What’s your best “mear miss” moment with a toddler?

Family Sues Over What Kid Found in Hotel Room

JeanneSager — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:40:00 GMT

A Massachusetts family that made a stop-off on their trip home from Florida is wishing they'd just kept on driving north.

Steven and Amy Wolfe and their three kids stayed at the Homewood Suites in Mount Laurel, N.J. for just one night on the trip home to Pittsburgh, Mass. Things went fine until the next morning, when the Wolfes' twenty-two-month-old son picked up something left behind by previous guests and put it in his mouth - something used . . . and made of latex.

You guessed it. Cleaning crews apparently missed a dirty condom left behind by previous occupants of the room, and the Wolfe's youngest child had already swallowed a portion when he started choking and she rushed to his side.

The child is fine - at least choking-wise. But he'll have to undergo further testing to determine if any diseases in the condom might have put him at risk. His parents, meanwhile, are suing the hotel.

From the Philadelphia Daily News: "The suit contends that Homewood Suites and its subsidiaries, Hilton and Blackstone, put the boy at risk by leaving the "life threatening" item in the room and subjecting the boy to an increased risk of contracting a "sexually transmitted disease, including HIV or AIDS, or some other, potentially life threatening, potentially fatal illness."

I already knew hotel rooms were icky. This story highlights why it's so much more difficult to avoid the ick factor when you've got kids. As an adult, I immediately throw off the comforter when I walk into a hotel room, knowing they are often not washed between guests. My three-year-old, however, wants to roll around on the bed just like she does at home. She begs to take a bath in the hotel tub; I refuse.

After reading this, I'm even more inclined to say "Let's drive through the night honey. We can sleep when we get there."

Image: TripAdvisor.com

Child Matador's Killing Bulls, Kicking Up Controversy

JeanneSager — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:02:00 GMT

Remember Michelito Lagravere, the child matador who had people up in arms over his sixty kills last summer?

He's back, and he's upped his numbers. Little Michelito killed six young bulls in a ring in Southeastern Mexico last weekend, a feat his parents have sent on for possible inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records.

That killing bulls would anger animal rights advocates is obvious - some of Lagravere's fights in his father's native France have been canceled because the boy is bloodthirsty. "He fights in corridas [bullfights] aiming to kill," they say.

But the Lagraveres are getting equal attention from outraged parents for putting their pint-sized son in a dangerous ring with angry bulls. Saturday's fight was initially suspended by Mexican officials based on the pressure of child protection officials and the animal advocates. A judge finally gave the go-ahead based on documentation provided by Michelito's father Michel, a former French bullfighting champion. Michel said his son has been in the ring since he was six years old, and he's never had a serious accident.

I have always found bullfighting to be as abhorrent as dog fighting (I am, after all, a vegetarian), and I'm sickened by the bloodlust exhibited by a child - or an adult for that matter. Still, I can't summon the appropriate outrage over a child being put into a bullfighting ring. Yes, it's dangerous. So is skateboarding. And hockey.

There's also a distinct cultural difference between America and France or Mexico. In the Madeline books, the Spanish ambassador's son, Pepito (the bad hat), showed off his toreador skills to impress the little French girl. My colleague, Cole Gamble, likened child matadors to children armed with a gun and sent into the woods to kill a deer here in America. That too is highly cultural. As appalled as an urban dweller may be at the thought, kids here in the sticks are put through intensive gun safety training courses. They spend countless hours watching an adult prepare for hunting, they do it under the watchful eyes of an adult, and in the end they bring home a deer that the family may well eat off of for a month. Disgusting? Perhaps, but people have to eat.

Which puts this back into the animal rights portion of the argument. Is it necessary for this little boy to be killing his prey? Are these young bulls slaughtered for nothing more than sport? No, and yes.

I don't have a real problem seeing Michelito Lagravere follow in his father's footsteps into a sport that takes cunning and skill - his age be darned. I do, however, have a problem with an eleven-year-old with a bloodlust that is encouraged for nothing more than glory.

Images: Sky News, AP

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Bizarro News: Flaming Squirrel Sets Elementary School on Fire

Cole Gamble — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:30:00 GMT

This is going to be tough for the school to collect insurance on. I severely doubt the school district’s insurance policy includes, “Destruction by Act of Flaming Squirrel.”

Firefighters in Jones, Oklahoma say the probable cause for a 5 acre wildfire that triggered the evacuation of an elementary school came from a squirrel exploding into flames due to touching two power lines and then falling into a grassy field.

The elementary school children were evacuated to a local high school; none sustained any injuries.

Donations for the squirrel's bereaved family will be accepted at your nearest tree.

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Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

JeanneSager — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:34:00 GMT

For the first time since a law was enacted putting the responsibility for a dog's attack on its owner, a Texas couple has been convicted in the death of a 7-year-old child. They were sentenced to seven years, one for each year of life taken from their 7-year-old neighbor by their vicious pack of pit bulls.

I know what you're thinking. She's gunning for those dogs. But where my heart aches for parents who've lost their child, I can't blame that all on a dog. And I wouldn't blame it all on a breed.

Tanner Joshua Monk was walking to playing with other neighborhood kids the last time his parents saw him on May 18. He was headed in the direction of Crystal Smith and Jack Watson's house. His body was later found in a ditch, surrounded by the couple's four pit bulls, 100 yards from his home and 70 yards from Smith and Watson's property line. The dogs were outside of their property and a clear danger - so more power to the court that convicted the couple for not keeping them locked up.

BUT, and this is a big but, I'm not ready to join the forces out there who are ready to ban pit bulls to protect our kids. That makes as much sense as banning cars because accidents are the leading cause of death in American children, and automobiles account for the largest number of these accidents (according to the National Institutes of Health).

Not every pit bull is a hulking beast with bloodthirsty jaws and no heart, a lesson I learned after warily watching as my friend began dating and then bought a house with a pit bull owner. Their move put the dog in the same house as her now 4-year-old son, who invites my daughter over for frequent playdates. Buster is certainly strong. His body is a lean block of muscle so strong that when he's leaning on me - as he loves to do, it's one of his ways of showing affection - he could easily drop me to the floor. That he maintains the control not to let me fall was one of the first signs that I could let down my guard when Buster is around my daughter.

He is your classic case of nurture versus nature, a dog whose owner has worked hard to train him to obey. My friend's boyfriend has lavished him with the kind of love that has brought out in a breed known for its mean streak a desire to cuddle up on the couch with anyone who's willing. He's no more of a danger to my daughter than our own dog, an exuberant hound and boxer mix who's more than earned a sign on our door that reads "warning, an attack licking may occur." Her presence in our home is also part of the reason I have stopped worrying about Buster. From the get go, we've taught our daughter how to act around animals, not to grab their tails or touch them while they're eating. Out in public, we warn her not to approach an animal without first asking its owner if she can put out a hand.

Maybe being a dog owner has made me biased, but I've never owned a pit bull. I wonder, how do other dog owners feel about their kids around pit bulls?

Image: The Sula Foundation, a rescued pit bull puppy

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The First Look at Booster Seats Shows - Unlucky 13 Fail

JeanneSager — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:35:00 GMT

That's it. I'm putting my daughter in a bubble. No, really. I bought a gas guzzler because I wanted the most steel I could put between her and everyone else on the road. I kept that little booty facing backward for as long as the law allowed. I went through one of those car seat inspections to make sure I got it right.

I waited until she was exactly 38 inches (by the pediatrician's measurements, not my writer's math) before putting her in a booster seat. And now this: the first ever review of child's booster seats finds a list of dangers lurking in our backseats. Excuse me, did that say FIRST EVER?

What has the Institute for Highway Safety been doing since, oh, I don't know . . . I was a little kid? Because I had one of those protective mothers (and you wonder where I get it from?) who bought a booster seat for her kid decades before they became a mandate in all but 12 states. These days, 21 states require kids be in a booster seat up until age 6. Another 17 (plus DC) require them until kids are 8. That's a lot of booster seat use. And yet this month the Institute issued its first report on booster seats, put together with the cooperation of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

I guess we could say better late than never. And they did come up with a list of winners - 10 in all (and my daughter's is on there, phewww) - and a list of losers (the unlucky number 13). Here's a look at them all. Let's just hope it doesn't take this long for the next go-round.

Image: Amazon - Graco's TurboBooster, one of the winners

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When is Too Young to Teach Them 911?

They Say: Country Livin's Not So Safe For Kids

Amy Kuras — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:31:00 GMT

As a city person, I don’t understand how graffiti-ed streets and homeless people and traffic and crowds could freak anyone out. I can walk down nearly any city street without fear, but if you want me to freak right out ask me to walk down a country road alone at nighttime.

Turns out that at least for kids, rural areas are more dangerous than cities. Accoridng to the National Safe Kids Campaign, kids are more at risk of serious or fatal accidents on the farm or in rural areas than they are in urban or suburban areas. And most injuries to farm kids happen when they are not actively working at farm chores.

Machinery, motor vehicles and drowning account for more than half of all farm-related child fatalities. Makes sense, since kids on farms have access to heavy farm machinery, tractors and off road vehicles, and often there are ponds or irrigation ditches on the farm. And that leave aside farm animals (I told you people chickens were dangerous) and chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.

Nearly half of all fatal motor vehicle accidents happen in rural areas.

Yikes. I mean, I know it’s in current moral vogue among my fellow liberals to worship the simple, organic back to the land lifestyle one fantasizes about when thinking about farming, but in fact, the reality doesn’t bear that out. And while conventional wisdom says country life is safe and clean while city life is dangerous and dirty, it’s interesting to find out that it’s actually the reverse.

Hybrid Cars Will Kill Your Kids

Cole Gamble — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:16:00 GMT

Now I don't want to to give any global warming deniers out there fuel for the fire, but it turns out there is a downside to hybrid cars: they are dangerous to children.

What insidious reason is there for children to fear the Toyota Prius?...

They are silent.

Eight-year-old Owen Erickson discovered this first hand while riding his bike, one of the ubiquitous Priuses “sneaked” up on him, and the boy ended up on the hood. Luckily he was not hurt, but Owen's mother blamed the accident on the car's quiet running engine.

This isn't the first time there has been complaints against the noiseless hybrids. In my mind, the greater chance of danger goes to cats and dogs who often love to nestle under cars until that engine turns over and sends them running.

It's an easily solved problem, though. Just equip every new Prius with a bass-heavy sound system and a Cyprus Hill cd. Or you could just install an air horn that never shuts off. Wouldn't that be fun?

Top 7 Most Essential Products for Parents Who are Scared of the World

Adrienne Martini — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Money may not buy love, but it can certainly buy safety and cleanliness.

1) If your biggest fear is getting a face full of urine, Whizz Kid Wee Blocks are the modern day parent's Pee Pee Tee Pees.

2) Terrified that your toddler might choke on a piece of fruit? Don't hack it into small pieces! Just wrap it in a mesh feeder. Because apple and fabric is the next chocolate and peanut butter.

3) If a dirty dress is your personal nightmare, pick up a few motorized ice cream cones. (Two AA batteries are not included.)

4) Baby's knees are in danger! Get her a pair of baby knee pads, which will keep her safe during all of her crawling adventures.

5) Protect your toddler's noggin with the Bumper Bonnet (pictured)! Sadly, we're out of the giant rolls of Baby Bubble Wrap (TM).

6) Do you have a fast eater? Does she keep burning her mouth on hot mac 'n' cheese? Don't wait an extra five minutes to serve her, just get a Mac and Cool.

7) GERMS! Especially PUBLIC POTTY GERMS! Don't stop to wash your hands, just wear Potty Mitts! Or the GERMS will GET YOU!

Photo credit: leapsandbounds.com

They Say: Never Give Drugs to Your Kids

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:30:00 GMT

I like a good list as much as the next parent. Give me a couple of bullet points and I'm yours forever. However, I'm thinking this recent Parentcenter list might have missed the point.

I know that their motives were pure when collecting the Seven Medicines You Shouldn't Give Your Child. Every sane parent wants to avoid harming their offspring with meds. And, in case you haven't been paying attention, it's good to know that aspirin is still bad, as are adult meds, cough and cold meds, and expired meds. A little obvious, maybe, but still good to reinforce.

Here's the rub, however. Everything that I could think of giving to my child that hasn't been prescribed by a doctor, appears to be on this list. The sole exception might be acetaminophen. So what drugs *should* I give my child if he or she has some minor medical incident? Are my only options either a) wait it out or b) rush to the pediatrician no matter what?

Photo credit: www.pharmaceutical-technology.com

Cosmetics are Making Us Infertile?

Madeline Holler — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Okay, we all know we’re smearing chemicals on our faces, scalps and body as a part of the daily beauty regimen. They’re safe, right, these products? Not tested on animals! FDA approved! Well, yeah, but still, a writer/activist says we’re soaking up lots and lots of carcinogenic crap and other dangers whenever we look to Revlon or Maybelline or Lancome and all the rest to get rid of those lines/blemishes/narrow eyes/dark circles/double-chins/bulbous nostrils.

Read Alternet’s interview with the author for all the juicy-lipped details.

I don’t wear a lot of make-up and not because I have Julianne Moore’s skin and Angelina Jolie’s lips. I’m just suuuuuuper lazy and plain Jane vanilla when it comes to beauty. However! As the mother of two girls, I know the drill -- they’re probably going to want make up someday. Already they line up for face cream and lipstick anytime the bottles and tubes come out of the cabinet. They smear whatever I do have all over themselves with some frequency. I think I’d like grandchildren some day. So, yeah, time to read the teeny tiny labels on lip balm too.

Did the possibility of lead in your lipstick make you throw everything out and start over? Do you know a phthalate from a paraben? Does it matter?

Have We Made Our Kids Wussies?

Kelly Mills — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:35:00 GMT

This weekend I sat on a beach, which you might think would be a real relaxing thing. Actually, I spent most of the time completely tensed up and ready to spring into action as I let my daughter and another little girl play in the shallow part of the waves. I had already succumbed to temptation and given her the undertow-is-dangerous lecture, and now I just had to sit back and watch from ten feet away. I waved faux-cheerily to her from time to time and mentally reviewed all my teenage lifeguard training, using every bit of willpower I had to stop myself from rushing across the sand and demanding she play four inches from my towel. And I thought often about this great column on how we've engineered all the danger, and also a good amount of fun and learning experiences, out of our kids' lives.

When I was a kid I played in much deeper water, with much sharper objects, in much more perilous places, and with much less adult supervision than my child has ever known. Perhaps it's a mass helicopter parenting movement, but I do think our anxiety about our children falling and fighting and feeling has overtaken us. The only problem is that I'm still too freaked out to let her do the things I did as a child. All I can tell you is that step by step, with a first-aid kit hidden in my purse, I'm doing my best to put her a little more in harm's way. And I'll pretend I wasn't relieved when the other girls' mom, terrified of the water, made our girls come farther onto the sand.

If you'd like to relive your own near-death experiences, check out the comments here too.

Strollerderby : danger

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