This may sound silly, but when Alex first started playing in the pools and lakes, I was pretty picky about the floats that he was in.

I liked the floats that also had a canopy.  Not only did this help protect from the sun, but in case Alex had tipped over the canopy would have helped keep the float above water rather than just tipping over.

I have heard a few stories from friends about this happening, so I thought with summer rapidly approaching that I would share this with you.

Who doesn’t love to be outside enjoying this wonderful summer weather?  There are some things to consider doing in your yard before letting play time begin.

If you have a BBQ, make sure you teach your child that this is hot and shouldn’t be touched.  Even if it isn’t hot it could still tip over if your child decided to try and play with it.  Also keep all of the grilling utenicles, charcoal, and lighter fluid out of child’s reach.

One fun activity is walking through the woods to see all the pretty flowers and plants that are growing.  Make sure that your child knows not to pick anything without your permission as some of them may be poisonous.

It doesn’t take much water at all for a  child to drown in, so make sure you have an eye on your child at all times while they are in the pool.  Also don’t put a lot of water in the kiddie pools and then empty them out when you are done (let your animals drink the water so that is doesn’t get wasted) .

A very common hazard is lawn mowers.  These can be very dangerous and I have already heard many stories just this year of children getting hurt.  Keep your child either inside the house or in a porch that has a gate while you are mowing.  You generally can’t hear when you on a mower if a child comes up beside you.  When you are done keep your lawn equipment away from children.

These are some tips that I thought were important, I hope you feel the same!  Now everyone go enjoy a safe summer!

Did you know that it is safer to put the handle of your carseat down while it is in the car? This is because if you are to get in an accident the handle can break and hurt the baby, or possible another passenger.

Carseats do expire. It is important to check the date, especially if you have recived one from a friend or are buying from a second hand store. Generally they last about 6 years.  The date can usually be found under the carseat, and should be engraved on it, not on a sticker.

Keep your infant rear-facing as long as possible, as this is the safest position for them. The law is that the baby is to be rear-facing until they are both one year and 20 pounds, this is the minimum standard.

These are just some safety tips that I feel are important and wanted to share with all of you. I know you all want your babies as safe as possible!

This blue ribbon symbolizes child abuse awareness. Child abuse is a growing problem in our nation today. We all have such busy scheduals, but try to take a moment out this month and help raise awareness about this serious problem.

Handing out blue ribbons is a good place to start, even proudly wearing one to show your support. We all need to get together and be the voices for these children, and show them that there are people out there who care.

1-800-4-A-CHILD is the national hot line for child abuse when you call from a home phone, there is no need to worry about this number showing up on your phone bill so don’t be scared to call.

This was daylight savings time weekend, which is also a great time to check the smoke alarms and carbon dioxide alarms in your home.  This way you will always know when the last time you did it was.

Having working dectors can really be life or death.  If there is a fire in the home and you can save lifes just by having a working alarm.

Babies that get abused or neglected can speak for themselves and need us to do it for them.  If you have ANY suspicions that something is not right pay closer attention, look for any time of marks on the baby.  If you spot something that shouldn’t be on that baby then report it to authorities.

If it doesn’t get reported, the abuse and the neglect will only get worse.  If you are someone who is thinking about hurting a baby, please get help.  Call a helpline, get therapy, or just give your child to someone that you know will take care of them until you get help.

Everyone hug your baby a little tighter today and say just one more “I love you” to those that are close to you.

Many children get trapped because they can sleep through fire alarms, so here are some tips to help prevent that.

~Make sure that you have fire extinguishers on every floor of the house, especially near the kitchen.  It is also important that parents and older kids in the house know how to work them.

~Get a special fire alarm to put next to the children’s bed room.  It will actually talk to them and tell them to wake up.  Then put regular alarms in the rest of the house, and be sure to test them often.

~A Carbon Monoxide tester are great things to have in the house, some states require them

~ If you have a house that is a couple of stories, invest in a fire latter, then practice using it.

~Get your chimney cleaned every year, and keep all famables away from space heaters, and fire places.

~Cover outlets when you’re not using them and check on the electrical cords often.

~Get a fire safety blanket to store in your child’s room.

~Keep your grill at least 3 feet away from the side of the house.

~clean out the lint screen of your dryer every time you use it, and then turn the dryer off when you leave the house.

~Unplug countertop appliances after you are done using them.

~Make sure kitchen and bathroom outlets are protected with GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters).

To make sure you are being safe in the kitchen with a baby or toddler in the house, when you are cooking turn all of the handles of the pots inward.  This way if your baby/toddler tries to reach it or goes to grab for it they will not be able to pull the or anything that is in them on to themselves.  I know this seems like something that wouldn’t really happen, but it could so just to be cautious, just try to get yourself in this habit.