Tag Archives: toddlers

Top 4 Toddler Choking Hazards in the Car

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So you have your toddler perfectly strapped into their 5-point-harness Britax or whatever the Consumer Reports choice car seat of the month du jour happens to be. The harness is aligned midway on the sternum of the child and is has only one finger width space from the harness to the chest. You are parent extraordinaire!  You know how to read a manual, Dagnabit!!

Cruising down the highway, you hear a strange wheeze/whistle coming from the back middle seat. You stretch your neck to peer into the rear view mirror, which is perfectly angled to catch the other mirror reflecting your backward facing two year-old straining to cough – changing from a red faced child to purple to…

SCREECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Crossing three lanes of traffic, veering to the highway shoulder while coming to a complete stop in a record 2.5 seconds, you unlatch your seat belt and hurdle the driver’s seat to find your precious child choking!  You didn’t leave any choking hazards for your youngster. You are “Super Parent” – able to scale minivan consoles in a single bound!

Nonetheless, there are five common choking hazards for restrained toddlers while their parent is driving. Most of us don’t think of these.  Lord knows, I know I didn’t!

Ready? Now place your forehead on the screen to begin the osmosis process…

1)      Pacifiers – Normally these suckers are what help your little one nod off to sleep on the open road; but if you have an inexpensive paci, or one your child has been able to pull at with their teeth, the nipple can pull away from the base and become a choking hazard. Sca-reeey!

2)      Hair bows and barrettes – Parents of boys (you get a freebie on this one), unless you like to pin up your son’s Bieber bangs in the car. When kids are strapped in the car seat without anything to do, pulling on hair accessories and putting them in their mouths can be all fun and games until the airway is blocked!  These little pretties cause many a minivan to swerve to the roadside. Luckily, parents usually hit the brakes so hard, the bows pop on out; but trust me – don’t chance it!

3)      Snacks – I know giving your kid some Goldfish crackers in the shopping cart at the market is a lifesaver at any time of the day. Seven am? Goldfish snack in the produce aisle is a thing of beauty. But if baby is hollerin’ in the back seat on the way to the store, don’t give in and toss him a Ziploc of those delish cheddary, yet salty bait bites. Those are trachea plugs just waiting to happen and you don’t want that happening when you are in the drive-thru ordering your Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte, now do you?!

4)      Chewing gum –Thankfully, I never had kids who were completely bald, and since I didn’t want to have to remove gum from their hair, I never gave them gum until they turned five years of age. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of them swallowing the stuff. (Just a personal choice, not the standard.)  However, there are many parents who give their young kids gum and my medical advice is, “STOP IT, FOOL!” And please don’t give gum to kiddos in their car seat. Reclined. Toddlers. Will. Choke. On. Gum. Or maybe not…but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

So there you have it!  Four little tips which might help you from having palpitations on the roadways. Now you only have 56 additional baby vehicular dramas which can occur while hauling your most precious cargo around!  Today, however, we are only tackling four.

Have a safe day; enjoy those toddlers and your Pumpkin Latte!

Need to know what to do if your child is choking? Check out the American Red Cross for answers.

Want to follow my blog? Scroll to the top right side of the page to “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” add your email address, then click on “SUBSCRIBE.” New blogs will be sent to your inbox as they are posted.

© 2012, Stacey Hatton.  All rights reserved.

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Infant Car Seat Installing for Beginners

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 GUEST POST: by David Hermes Stanley

Off to get a mani and pedi…Mr. Stanley (aka Car Seat writer guy) has so kindly offered to write this informative piece on car seat safety and how to get the durn thang installed correctly.  Isn’t he totally awesome!?  My additional advice is…(because I just can’t keep my opinions to myself)…ALWAYS HAVE A CAR SEAT PROFESSIONAL (FROM THE CITY, POLICE, OR YOUR HOSPITAL CHECK YOUR CAR SEAT FOR CORRECT POSITIONING!! ~ Nurse Mommy

(Now David, it’s your turn to shine!!!)

I am sure you all know by now that if you are driving by car with your baby, he or she should be seated and secured in a specially designed infant car seat, not just because it is required by law in all American states and pretty much all the countries in the world, but also because it is the only way to ensure that your child will be safe in the unfortunate event of a crash. With that being said, nowadays those car seats are usually pretty high on a parent’s “to buy” list when preparing for the arrival of his or her baby.

Buying a good infant car seat however, is only one half of the equation. The other half is installing it properly and unfortunately, most parents seem to fail at that. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 3 out of 4 or 75% of infant car seats found in cars, are not properly installed! Here are some tips and instructions that should help you install your seat as properly and safely as possible, even if you are doing so for the very first time in your life.

1. Read the manuals

Before you start installing your baby car seat, you should carefully read the manual that comes with it, as well as that of your car. Keep those manuals close to you throughout the entire installation process; they will certainly come in handy!

2. Proper placement and orientation

The safest place to install an infant car seat is as close to the center of your car’s backseat as possible, or in the middle backseat if you own a minivan, a station wagon or a “people carrier”. When it comes to the seat’s orientation, all infants, newborns and toddlers should be seated in a rear facing seat. Please note that a rear facing seat should NEVER be installed in the passenger seat of a car equipped with passenger side airbags. Children should remain in those seats until they get at least two years old or until they reach the weight and height safety limits indicated by the seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows his rear facing seat, he or she may “graduate” to a front facing one.

3. Proper installation

Modern infant car seats are installed and secured using two methods: the so called LATCH system and the car’s seat belts.

  • Using the LATCH system: LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children and is a system that has been specially designed to make infant car seat installation as easy, quick and safe as possible. All cars manufactured from 2002 onwards and many earlier models are compatible with it. Seats using the LATCH are permanently attached to special “anchors” found in the rear seats of the cars mentioned above. You can locate those “anchors” by reading your car’s manual, or by feeling around the backseat. Just attach the seat to the anchors following the instructions provided by the seat’s manufacturer and you should be fine.
  • Using the seat belts: If your car is not LATCH compatible or if you don’t want to use this system, then you’ll have to secure your infant car seat in place using your car’s seat belts. The most important thing when installing an infant car seat this way, is making sure that the seat belt is threaded through the right slots, so keep checking the seat’s manual to make sure that you have the right one. Apart from that, you should also pull the belt as tightly as possible; making sure that it has no slack. Once you’ve done that, buckle the belt and start trying to move seat forwards and backwards and side to side, if it’s not moving more than an inch in each direction, you’re good to go! Please note that the seat belts of some older models only lock into place in if the car comes to a sudden stop. If that is the case with your car’s seat belts, then you are going to have to get a locking clip to secure them into place.

4. The inch rule

Your seat should always be installed as safely and as tightly as possible. The best way to ensure this, is putting some weight on it when you are installing it. You can do this by placing your knee on the seat for as much of the installation process as possible. This will make sure that your infant car seat is installed as closely to your car’s seat as possible. Once you’re done installing the seat, try yanking and moving it forwards and backwards and side to side. If it doesn’t move more than an inch in any direction, then congratulations, your seat is properly installed. If it does move however, you are going to have to reinstall it.

 

David Hermes Stanley is a freelance writer currently writing for a website focusing on reviews and articles concerning the top rated car seats for infants and toddlers.

 

 

 

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Potty Training Woes? Try our Toddler Changer 3000

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Are you a parent struggling with a bad back, aching knees or chronic neck pain?  Are you always battling to lift your toddler to and from the car seat or the shopping cart?  Or is your little walker running you wild, yet won’t pee or poop in the potty?

Well, Crazy Lazy Tables has the answer to your chronic pain and potty training woes…

The Move-it-on-up Toddler Changing Table 3000!!

It is constructed of an entire 3/4 inch wide durable laminated beige material.  Just perfect for easy cleaning!

(Not actual photo of product:  unable to stop jumping up and down with excitement long enough to get a picture in focus!)

This one-of-a-kind table includes easy-to-roll-out stairs for your little tike to climb up…YES, you heard me right!   No more lifting your toddler onto the changing table to wipe his heinie.  He can scale these petite easy-skid stairs perfectly constructed for his stubby legs and throw himself willingly onto his back for his favorite past-time…a good ole de-pooping of the crack.

These stairs aren’t just for the overachieving butt wiper in your family.  Oh, no they can also double as exercise equipment for your pride and joy.

“Run up those stairs, Junior!  Make it burn!!”

Or if you don’t want your toddler to be more fit than yourself, which is TOTALLY understandable, we would like to recommend our newest addition to our line.

The U-Lift Me Up Toddler Changing Table (1234 Series)!!!!!!!!!!!

This beauty comes complete with a tiny escalator which has an added safety feature which won’t catch footed P.J.’s or Crocs.

  • Muzak can be set at low, medium or nauseating levels when, and only when, the belt is moving.
  • No returns are accepted with any brown or yellow stains present.
  • If your child decides this apparatus is far too humiliating and immediately heads to the toilet to potty train before the plastic is off the table – no returns for you!

Available in beige, tan, taupe and sand…perfect for your suburban home!

I’d LOVE to hear from you about how well this would work for your potty-training kid! ~ Nurse Mommy

© 2012, Stacey Hatton.  All rights reserved.

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