“You watch television to turn your brain off and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer and Pixar, in Macworld Magazine, February 2004

Few days back I went to pick up my friends little girl from the child care center. I was shocked watching those little young children in front of the television set, watching babies and toddlers educational TV shows. I wondered, if there’s any age limit for kids “media watching”. Are there any benefits of those satellite television shows aimed at little boys and girls? Are those “Cartoon TV Shows” or “Kids Comedy Shows” helping our kids to become “Smart kids”.Whether its a Cable TV or Satellite TV or free to air television, all of them are filled with television programming aimed at young babies to toddlers to teenagers. It does prove that there is a market for young children television and TV stations are making money. The question that still remains unresolved is “How is your child been affected by watching television?”. Consider these findings from a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation:

For children under the age of 3:

More than seven in 10 (72%) of children under the age of 3 watch TV every day and nearly half of them watch videos or DVD’s every day. Most parents (95%) of these under 3 year olds who watch TV every day say they are in the same room with their child while they are watching TV either all or most of the time. 90% of all infants and toddlers have watched TV before the age of 3.

For children over the age of 3:

On average, toddlers and young children spend between 2 to 4 hours a day in front of the screen media. In most of the cases it is more than the time spent playing outside and other physical and mental activities. 99% know how to turn the Television on 85% turn on the TV by themselves 79% ask for their favorite videos and television shows Since the TV started ruling our lives there has been flood of research on how it affect us in many different aspects of our lives. In the last two decades there have been a great increase in studies on affects of watching TV on kids. In the last decade even the infants and the toddlers are getting their fair share of research, since the arrival of programming for infants and toddlers. Our busy lives make these programs our simple choice because it buys us the time to do things around the house or to have some “me time”.

Affects of TV watching for the children under the age of 3

Two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch TV an average of 2 hours a day. In 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV. Researchers at University of Washington in Seattle have carried out the study and found infants vocalize less and hear fewer words from nearby adults when the TV is on, which in turn affects their cognitive development. For the study, researchers equipped 329 infants, aged between 2 and 48 months, with lightweight recorders that captured every noise they heard in a 24-hour period. Then, a computer program determined whether each sound came from the infant, an adult or the television. The analysis showed that for every hour of television an infant is exposed to hear 770 fewer words from adults, on average a 7 per cent reduction. Infants watching TV also utter fewer “googoos” and “gagas” and interact less with adults than kids whose parents use the off switch more enthusiastically. The newborn brain is very much a work in progress. All that cognitive stimulation is critical to the underlying architecture that’s developing. Every word that babies hear, and every time they hear it, is extremely important. In fact, this finding is backed up by observations made by a team at the University of Massachusetts, which found that infants exposed to television hear 20 percent fewer words from their parents during each hour of programming they watch. Most of this infant programming and DVD’s, claiming to promote parent-child interaction, don’t really work. Best advise to all the new parents is to minimize exposure of TV during the first two years of your child. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development. Here is another two studies proving toddlers have difficulty translating the message from TV to the real life. First study is by G.L. Troseth and J.S. DeLoache. In these experiments, two-year-olds were shown videos of experimenters hiding objects in a room. Then the toddlers were allowed into the room and told to find the object. Accuracy ranged from 44 percent to 25 percent, despite the fact that there were only from four to six possible hiding places in the room. Their performance was no better than if they had simply searched the room at random, with no video to help them. Many toddlers did seem to look in the right spot after watching the first video, but if the task was repeated with a different hiding place, they simply returned to the original spot, ignoring the new video evidence. In a second experiment, the researcher hid a stuffed toy Snoopy in a separate room from the toddler, then either told the child where the toy was hidden in person, or on TV, before letting him or her into the room to search for the toy. Again, there were four possible hiding places. Once again, being told in person resulted in significantly better performance. As before, the TV-watchers got worse over time. Clearly the toddlers can understand the verbal descriptions of the objects, but somehow they don’t get the message on TV. these experiments show that toddlers don’t have true mental representations of scenes. Instead, they rely on direct experience. So while toddlers can understand what’s going on on TV, they don’t think about what they see on TV the same way older kids and adults do. They don’t connect it back to the real things they encounter in their world, so they can’t learn from TV. Whatever it is your toddler gets from watching TV, these researchers say, it’s not learning.

Affects of TV watching for the children over the age of 3

Kids between the age of 3 and 6 watch an average of about 2 hours of screen media a day, primarily TV and videos or DVD’s. Kids and teens between the age of 8 to 18 years, spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a Television screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games. Don’t forget the time spend on watching television on the internet. As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family. Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt that TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer. But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental:

Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight or obese.

Kids who watch violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.

TV characters often show risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.

That’s why it’s so important for you to monitor the content of TV programming and set viewing limits to ensure that your kids don’t spend too much time watching TV.

Teaching Good TV Habits

Here are some practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home:

Limit the number of TV-watching hours:

Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids’ magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube.

Keep TVs out of bedrooms.

Turn the TV off during meals.

Don’t allow kids to watch TV while doing homework.

Television is a privilege:

Treat TV as a privilege. Watching TV has to be earned its not a right. Establish and enforce family TV viewing rules, such as TV is allowed only after chores and homework are completed.

Try a weekday ban:

Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week. Record weekday shows or save TV time for weekends and you’ll have more family togetherness time to spend on meals, games, physical activity, and reading during the week.

Set a good example by limiting your own TV viewing:

Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time for programs your family can watch together (i.e., developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that reinforce your family’s values). Choose shows that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education (reading, science, etc.).

Preview programs before your kids watch them:

Come up with a family TV schedule that you all agree upon each week. Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when. And make sure to turn off the TV when the “scheduled” program is over instead of channel surfing.

Watch TV together:

If you can’t sit through the whole program, at least watch the first few minutes to assess the tone and appropriateness, then check in throughout the show. Talk to kids about what they see on TV and share your own beliefs and values. If something you don’t approve of appears on the screen, you can turn off the TV, then use the opportunity to ask thought-provoking questions such as, “Do you think it was OK?”  Talk to other parents about their TV-watching policies and kid-friendly programs they’d recommend.

Offer fun alternatives to television:

If your kids want to watch TV but you want to turn off the tube, suggest that you all play a board game, start a game of hide and seek, play outside, read, work on crafts or hobbies, or listen and dance to music. The possibilities for fun without the tube are endless — so turn off the TV and enjoy the quality time together.

Some resources to check out:

Kaiser Family Foundation’s report on children watching tv
Cognitive Daily: Are toddlers incapable of learning from TV?

Safety in the car becomes our first priority when kids are traveling in the car. Car manufacturers have come a long way about car safety and car safety ratings have improved. As parents its our responsibility too, to make sure that our kids are safe and secure once in the car. Most common cause of infant,toddler or young child death, is car accidents. Children in the car without the proper restraint can be seriously injured or die during the accident.

Child safety seats and seat belts are the major safety features for the kids. Children of all ages from new born to teenagers should be fastened properly in the car according to size and weight, when traveling. We have discussed the safety measures as per children age and weight because their safety requirements change. We are working on the assumption that the child has healthy weight. If the child is underweight or overweight please choose a suitable category.

Note: This is only a general guide applicable in most of the countries. For further details check the country specific child safety web sites at the bottom of the page.

Safety measures for new born to 9 months old’s/ children up to 9 Kg

Carry cot/ baby capsule is the preferred way to carry the infant child or toddler in the car at this stage. Baby capsule can be hired from the hospitals, maternity supplies, Red Cross and some local councils. You need infant seat or child seat basically for the first six months of babies life. Get it fitted before child’s birth because you will need it for that very first trip home from hospital. In some countries doctors and nurses will not allow baby to leave the hospital till car is fitted with a baby capsule or child seat.

Child should always be fastened in the child seat while in the car, whether traveling or stopped for a break. While stopped for relaxing taking infants out of the car is recommended. It will refresh them and relax their still developing muscles. A child should not be left in the child seat for more that 30 minutes in a day, it can damage their still developing muscles and cause back problems. If you travel long trips often, consider installing a carry cot/baby capsule will always be the preferred option than the child seat.

Child car seat should never be placed on the front passenger seat. Correct installation is critical, incorrect installation is an ineffective restraint. Make sure to get it fitted by trained and authorised technicians. It is recommended that the child seat for toddlers and infants should be placed facing backwards and in the center of the car, to minimize any injuries in case of an accident.

For the children placed in the carry cot/baby capsule, extra precaution must be taken because it does not provide same protection as the child seat.

Be careful if you are looking for a second hand child restraint. Make sure that the equipment is not been in the accident, does not have any cracks or broken parts, seat belt and 3 point safety belt fits properly. Before using it for the first time make sure to wash properly to get rid of any possible infection or germs.

Babies are not safe when being held by another person. The person’s arms will not be strong enough to hold the baby in an accident. In most of the countries it is against the child seat safety laws as well.

Safety measures for 9 months to 3 years old/ children weighing 9 to 18 Kg

At this age some kids may not like to stay in their safety seat. They continually undo the seat belt or other harness. There there are some devices available to prevent this happening but these are not recommended, in case of emergency they are hard to undo and can cause extra injuries. Only the parent, or another adult, should undo and fasten the child’s safety belt. Parents should not teach their child how to do this, as they can otherwise never be sure that the child is securely fastened. If they already know, best way to deal with this bad habit is to be very firm about children staying in their restraint. If the child undoes the seatbelt, stop the car and tell them firmly that the car will not move unless everybody has their seatbelts on. You have to be persistent till they learn you will not drive if anyone’s seat belt is undone.

In case of emergency if you have to place child seat on the front passenger seat, make sure to disable passenger airbag. Do not forget to turn it on after wards. If your car does not offer the option of disabling the airbag, move the seat as far back as possible. Airbags are made to protect adults weighing about 75kg. They are very powerful when, inflated. Child placed in front of an airbag may suffocate or be severely injured by the impact of a rapidly inflating airbag.

Safety measures for 3 to 7 years old/ children weighing 15 to 30 Kg

Keep using the child seat till they can fit in them. Once your child is too big to use the child seat you have to get a booster car seat, which is a raised seat using cars existing seat belt. Booster seat with back and wings provide better support and safety in case of an accident. In most of the countries, children at this age are legally allowed to travel without the child seat. As parents for their own safety seat them on the back seat and make sure that their seat belts are on at all times while traveling. Adjust the seat belts so that they are tight to fit your child, remember incorrect installation is an ineffective restraint. If you can not afford a booster seat at least get a child harness.

Safety measures for older children

Don’t rush to use the adult seat belt for children. Allow to use the child harness as long as possible. Make your kids sit on the back seats as long as possible. Once your child grows out of child harness than use adult seat belts and follow the basic safety principles like: make sure they are tight, always done while traveling. Try to avoid any confrontation in the car, as it can distract the driver causing an accident.

Have a safe trip.

Country specific child safety web sites

Australia

• www.officeofroadsafety.wa.gov.au/index.cfm

• www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.

Nsf

• www.atsb.gov.au/pdfs/child_restraints.pdf

Canada

• www.safety-council.org/info/child/childcar.htm

• www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/carseat/choose.shtml

Euro Zone

• www.etsc.be/documents/Fact_Sheet_Child_Safety_Restraints.pdf

• http://www.icadts.org/

New Zealand

• www.aa.co.nz/motoring/owning/safety/Pages/default.aspx

• www.childrestraints.co.nz

USA

• www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm

• www.nhtsa.dot.gov

• www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/childpas.htm

UK

• www.childcarseats.org.uk

• www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk

• www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/Roadandtravelsafety

More links coming soon.

It was just last week I was running late for work and driving down in the peak hour traffic. I had just hit the main road, suddenly I received a phone call from work, if I can pick up a client from the airport. I was really angry, it was already so hot and the peak hour traffic and another 10 km drive. Somehow I reached the airport and started looking for the car park. Another 10 minutes wasted looking for the parking. As soon as I opened the door I could hear the planes landing and taking off and than I heard some little kid screaming “Alloplane”. I turned around and it was my own one and half year old in the child seat whom I was supposed to drop at the day care center. I had completely forgotten about his existence in the car in the whole sequence. If he hadn’t said a word in that given moment, I would have left him in the car with windows closed in 35 degree heat with maximum of 48 degree on that day. Children left locked in cars can suffer from strangulation or choking from seat belt. In hot weather it can cause heatstroke, dehydration or hyper-thermia to your kids. On a typical summer day the temperature inside a car can rise by 30-40 degrees in just 15 minutes and leaving the window open does does not help much. You can call it a miracle or my stupidity but how often does it happen and how many kids die or become really sick and become statistics. Every year all around the world hundreds of kids die with this same scenario. As parents we don’t want to become part of these statistics and be haunted for rest of our lives. Here are some tips to make sure you don’t forget your precious one in the car:


Always put something very important you’ll need for rest of the day near the child on the back seat like cell phone, handbag, briefcase, office files etc.

Keep a large teddy bear in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the teddy bear on the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that anytime the teddy bear is in the passenger seat, the child is in the back.

Make arrangements with your day care provider to call you if your child does not show up when expected.

Tie or attach a bright colour tag or ribbon with your keys to remind you to check your back seat every time you get out of the car.

Playgrounds and outdoor play equipment provide fun, fresh air, and exercise, but they also can pose some safety hazards. Faulty equipment, improper surfaces, and careless behavior are just a few of the hazards of playgrounds. Many of these could be prevented with the proper supervision. You can make the playground a place that’s entertaining and safe for your kids by checking equipment for potential hazards and following some simple safety guidelines. And teaching kids how to play safely is important: If they know the rules of the playground, they’re less likely to get hurt. Playground injury is a serious and common childhood event.

The natural environment provides great opportunities for creative play. Creative play is essential for the development of children. Its a big learning experience for kids and give them essential development skills like:

• Learning about people, pets and the environment.
• Stimulating their imagination and satisfy their curiosity.
• Understanding the importance of rules and in different situations and environment.
• Developing logical thinking processes and extend and enhance their present abilities.
• Development of general social skills and self esteem.
• Learning from the failure and developing the art of not giving up.
• Ability to interact with the adults and developing team player attitude

To provide children with this learning environment a play space should incorporate areas for active, free, quiet, social, imaginative, creative, exploratory and natural play. This will allow children to learn while playing and using their imagination.

Safe Play Rules

• Always supervise your child and play fair.
• If you are paticipating in the game as well, than let the kids win, its good for their morale and they will not push themselves to the limits, causing accidents.
• Use equipment safely, sensibly and for their intended use.
• Adults should not try any stunts while kids are watching, kids will try to copy those stunts.
• Share with others and wait for your turn to use equipment.
• Play gently without violence, pushing and pulling can cause falls.
• Proper footwear and clothing to be worn while using play equipment to avoid any entrapment or strangling.
• Always inform the proper authority, if you find any equipment malfunctioning or broken, Don’t try to fix yourself, but put the sign up to inform others that its broken.

All children are eager to play outdoors. While the outdoors provides a wonderful outlet for children to release energy, there is always the potential for “accidents”. Children need and want to take risks when they play. It is therefore important to offer children stimulating, challenging environments for exploring and developing their abilities. It is however also important that the environment should be such that children are not exposed to unacceptable risk of severe injury. Getting outside with the family is great, but kids outdoor safety is an important factor not to be overlooked when planning outdoor activities.

Sun safety

Infants’ skin is particularly susceptible to sun damage, with research having shown that infant skin is thinner and produces less melanin than adult skin. Damage at a young age can have permanent, serious effects and you should always take precautions to protect your child’s skin.

• Avoid the sun between 10am and 3pm even when the day is cool or cloudy.
• If outdoors, stay in the shade where ever possible. Remember that the sun’s rays can still reach you in shaded areas through reflection and through the shade, use the sunscreen for safety. If you plan to change the shade or planning to install one, always look for the UV protection covering.
• Buy UV protected coverings and the shades for the pram and strollers.
• Make sure to dress your kids in protective and appropriate clothing for the activities they are doing.
• Protect any parts of the body that are exposed with a high-factor sun screen, look for: SPF 30+, and water resistant. There are special sunscreens available for kids of certain age so choose them for kids and before applying on whole body try on a small part first in case if it has any allergic reactions.

Water & swimming pools

• Remove areas where water can collect; a child can drown in as little as 5cms of water.
• Install covers or fences around fountains and ponds.
• The fence should have a well maintained self-closing, self latching entry gate which should never be propped open. It should be high enough so that a child couldn’t climb the fence
• Supervise children at all times
• Know basic resuscitation & have a chart handy in case of emergency.

Street access

• Make sure that play areas are securely fenced off from drive ways and street access.
• We will soon be posting a seperate article on the road safety and car safety.

Vegetation & insects

• Scan your garden for poisonous vegetation as kids keep picking things and putting in their mouth.
• We are working on to provide the list of poison contact numbers for several countries.
• When you take your child out for outdoor activities or walk, make sure to protect your child with screens or pram covers and insect repellant lotions

Backyard safety

• Keep garden sheds, garages and laundries locked
• Make sure all chemicals like, fertilisers, pesticides etc are locked away.
• Keep garden tools, household tools, electrical tools and any sharp objects out of reach.
• Erect a barrier around the barbecue to prevent children from getting near hot surfaces or playing with them.
• Keep items that children could use to climb to reach hot surfaces away from the barbeque when in use.
• Deck railings should be at least 1m high and should be well maintained with no gaps and with vertical slats to deter climbing.
• Always keep an eye on any nails popping out of the deck floor.
• If your deck exit leads to the stairs, dont forget to install the stair gates.
• keep moveable items that children could use to climb away from railings
• Supervise your children at all times.

Other general care

• Stay hydrated when playing outdoors.
• Keep a first aid kit handy.
• Always have kids wear life jackets when playing near a body of water, they may be looking out of place, but safety first.
• Appropriate head potection must be worn for all the activities you do.
• Walking on the trail, running on the sand on a public beach or walking around the neighborhood park requires activity appropriate footwear. Same shoes may may not be suitable for different activities.

Plan child proofing of the house before the child’s first arrival at home and keep updating with the development of the child. Try crawling around the house on your knees and see where you can reach and what you can touch. All of these things that you see from child’s eye have to be child proofed. Child proofing is essential and possible at your home but when you visit somebody only child proofing that works is continuous supervision. Here’s the list of things that we see in every household and what can you do to make them child proof.

Chemicals and other substances

• Keep all dangerous substances, medicines, chemicals and other poisonous substances out of reach of the children
• Cupboards within the reach of children should be kept locked
• Buy the products with child restraint lids and caps
• Keep the important phone numbers at hand for any emergency
• Never transfer chemicals and other substances to unlabeled containers

Electricity

• Get all work carried out by a qualified electrician
• Get a safety cut-off switch installed at the main switchboard
• Cover all unused power points with safety plugs
• Make sure all chords are tucked away from child’s eye

Fire hazards

• Install smoke alarms and check that they are working correctly on a regular basis
• Keep a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the handy position
• Install guards around heaters and open fires
• Keep matches and lighters out of the children’s reach

Hot water

• Fit guards to your taps to prevent a child turning them on
• Get thermostat valves fitted in the water supply to ensure that the water in your bathroom is delivered at a temperature not higher than 50^oC. Various devices are available, all must be fitted by a licensed plumber

Kitchen

• Keep bench tops and all other surfaces hygienically clean
• Keep sharp objects out of reach
• Keep plastic bags out of reach, they are a big suffocation hazard
• Keep appliance cords away from edges where a child could pull them
• Keep small fridge magnets out of the reach of children, they can be a choking hazard
• Keep the rubbish bin inaccessible to kids
• Keep cleaning products & other dangerous substances out of reach and locked away
• Get a stove guard to prevent a child getting near a hot oven door
• Keep the dishwasher locked
• Install cupboard and drawer locks where the child can reach
• Place protectors on oven switches to prevent child turning them on

Floor coverings

• Place anti slip mats under rugs
• Wipe up spills, wood & tile floors can be slippery when wet
• Don’t over-wax floors, it makes them very slippery
• Pin down any loose carpet or rug edges

Toys

• Before buying toys for your child, make sure to check the age suitability section
• Remove and discard all packaging before giving the toy to your child
• Beware of any loose or removable small parts that could represent a choking hazard
• Immediately repair or throw away damaged toys
• Beware of strings, ribbons & cords
• Keep toys hygenically clean

This section is dedicated to the safety of our kids, the most important asset that we have. “SUPERVISION” is the magic word when it comes to the child safety. Most of the childhood accidents are avoidable if we can supervise the little ones by ourselves and with the help of the kids safe technology at our hands. Having said that, it takes only a split second for the accident to happen. Only way to avoid that is the preventitive steps and making kids surroundings child safe. In the current market there are childsafe products available for any given situation. In most of the developed world there are kids safe centres that provide education and guidelines to the parents free of cost. If you dont have one of the kids safe centre’s around you than talk to your child specialist they can give you good advice. Another good place to look around will be your local child care centre because by the law they are supposed to be completely child safe. We will try to put as much information as we can to help you, but we will suggest you to buy some good kids safety books.

Here’s some general safety tips for in and around the house and we will get into more details as we go:

• Put locks on any cupboard or drawer where a child can reach
• Don’t carry your baby at the same time as hot food or drinks
• Don’t lift hot food or drinks near your child
• Use placemats rather than table cloths, a crawling child can pull or tug on a table cloth and pull everything on themselves
• Use door stoppers to prevent trapped fingers
• Protect children from sharp corners by using corner cushions
• Don’t leave any container filled with water in kids reach, even a few cintimeters of water can drown the kids
• Keep all small objects out of baby’s reach, keep the floor clean, small items are the biggest choking hazard
• Always supervise children in the bath, dont leave them in the bath unattended
• Make the rubbish bin inaccessible to a child
• Keep the bathroom and toilet door closed
• Fit stair gates at both the top and bottom of stairs. You can use the same gates to close the kitchen entry as well