Family News

Car seat checkup
Keep your infant facing the rear as long as possible and follow this checklist:
• If she’s 20 pounds before her first birthday, put her in a car seat for bigger babies.
• The harness straps of forward-facing car seats should fit at or above shoulders.
• Booster seats should be used with a lap belt that fits snugly across upper thighs and a shoulder belt that crosses the middle of her chest.
• Your child can ride without a safety seat when she is 4 feet 9 inches tall or 8 to 12 years old. Shoulder straps should fit comfortably across her chest and shoulders.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics


Dog safety unleashed
A dog might be man’s best friend, but not necessarily a child’s. Each year, more than 2.3 million kids are bitten by dogs. To keep your young ones safe around dogs, follow these simple safety rules:

If you already own a dog:
• Be watchful. Never leave an infant or young child alone with your pet.
• Keep your pets healthy. Vaccinate them for rabies and other infectious diseases.
• Neuter or spay your dog. These dogs are less inclined to bite.

If you’re looking to buy a dog:
• Hold off. Wait until your child is at least 4 years old. Younger kids are more apt to be bitten.
• Buy a Lab. Labs and collies are the most child-friendly dogs.
• Socialize your pet. Get it accustomed to lots of people and interaction.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics


Finally!
After nine-plus months and lots of spicy food, New Mom blogger, Kathleen Crain, finally gave birth to her son, Bennett, weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Congratulations, Kathleen!

Blog with Kathleen and the rest of the Mom Squad at ocfamily.com.


Happy news
It’s been more than a year since Lori and Chris Coble, of Ladera Ranch, lost their three children – Kyle, 5, Emma, 4, and Katie, 2 – to a fatal car accident when a truck hit the family’s minivan.    
   
On April 30, the couple gave birth to triplets – two girls and one boy.


Online parenting help
iParenting Media has awarded empoweringparents.com as one of the best products for 2008. empoweringparents.com is an online magazine and forum that helps parents with children’s behavioral and communication issues.
   
The Web site is the brainchild of behavioral therapist James Lehman, creator of “The Total Transformation Program.” Lehman believes the site confronts some of the tougher issues tied to parenting.
   
Web site resources range from parenting articles to interactive blogs to one-minute transformations and advice lectures. empoweringparents.com will soon offer a variety of podcasts, videos and a parenting forum.


Swim safely!
7 ways to prevent drowning

Children ages 4 and younger have the highest death rate due to drowning. Most drowning incidents happen when a child falls into a pool or is left alone in the tub. Protect your kids this summer with these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (aap.org) and the National Safety Council (nsc.org):

• Never leave kids alone in or near the pool.
• Erect a fence or gate around your pool. Install a fence and self-closing gates at least 4 feet high around all sides.
• Keep rescue equipment, such as a shepherd’s hook, first-aid kit, life preserver and phone, by the pool.
• Don’t use air-filled “swimming aids” as a substitute for a life vest.
• If you’re visiting a public pool, watch your kids; lifeguards aren’t babysitters.
• Remove toys from the pool after the kids are done with them.
• Teach kids to swim with buddies and to never push others in.

It’s also a great idea to enroll kids 3 and older in swim lessons. But remember, teaching them how to swim doesn’t mean they’re safe in the water!


Tiger Woods gets pumped for kids
Tiger Woods describes the first time he beat his father on the golf course as a “fist-pump moment.” It was a small accomplishment for Woods, but it eventually led to greater achievements.
   
Woods has taken his idea of the fist-pump moment and launched it into a campaign to help kids establish and achieve goals. With parental consent, kids submit videos with their name, age, first fist-pump moment and the importance of the event to tigerwoodsfoundation.org. Web site visitors view the videos and vote on their favorites. The top 10 videos win prizes at the end of the month, like an Apple iPod Touch.
   
After children submit a video to Fist Pump, they can access Tiger’s Action Plan, a step-by-step guide directing children how to set and obtain long-term goals.
   
For details: tigerwoodsfoundation.org


Visit museums for FREE!
All Bank of America cardholders get free admission to the following museums the first weekend of each month:
• Inland Empire: Palm Springs Art Museum, Riverside Art Museum
• Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Latin
American Art
• Orange County: Discovery Science Center, Laguna Beach Museum of Art
• San Diego: California Center for the Arts Escondido, Mingei International Museum, Scripps Birch Museum