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Consumer Product Safety Commission

Halloween Safety: Safety Alert

CPSC Document #100

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A few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect children who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Treats: Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has carefully examined them for evidence of tampering.

Flame Resistant Costumes: When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant. Although this label does not mean these items won’t catch fire, it does indicate the items will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from the ignition source. To minimize the risk of contact with candles or other sources of ignition, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

Costume Designs: Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists.

• For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
• To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
• Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.
• Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes . Mother’ s high heels are not a good idea for safe walking.
• Hats and scarfs should be tied securely to prevent them from slipping over children’s eyes.
• Apply a natural mask of cosmetics rather than have a child wear a loose-fitting mask that might restrict breathing or obscure vision. If a mask is used, however, make sure it fits securely and has eyeholes large enough to allow full vision.
• Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.

Pedestrian Safety: Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. All children should WALK, not run from house to house and use the sidewalk if available, rather than walk in the street. Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars, or across lawns and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.

Choosing Safe Houses: Children should go only to homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.

• Children should not enter homes or apartments unless they are accompanied by an adult.
• People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns, steps and porches. Candlelit jack-o’-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame. Indoor jack-o’-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, and other furnishings that could be ignited.

Miss Domestic on December 27th, 2006 | File Under Halloween, Parenting Tips | No Comments -

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Back-To-School Safety Checklist

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When you drop off your child at school, use this checklist to make sure these hidden hazards aren’t waiting to cause injury or death.

1. Drawstrings on Jackets and Sweatshirts — There should be no drawstrings on hoods or around the neck. Drawstrings at the waist or bottom of jackets should extend no more than 3 inches to prevent catching in car and school bus doors or getting caught on playground equipment.
2. Loops on Window Blind Cords — Cut the loop and attach separate tassels to prevent entanglement and strangulation in window blind cords. One child a month strangles and dies in the loop of a window blind pull cord or inner cord. Keep cords out of childrens’ reach. Install cord stops to prevent formation of loop in inner cord.
3. Bike Helmets — Buy a helmet that meets one of the safety standards (U.S. CPSC, Snell, ANSI, ASTM, or Canadian), and insist that your children wear the helmet each time they ride their bike. About 900 people, including more than 200 children, are killed annually in bicycle-related incidents, and about 60 percent of these deaths involve a head injury. More than 500,000 people are treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Research indicates that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent.
4. Soccer Goals — Make sure that the athletic director or the custodian anchors the soccer goals into the ground so that the soccer goal will not tip over and crush a child.
5. Playgrounds — Check the surfaces around playground equipment at schools and parks to make sure there is a 12-inch depth of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or fiber material to prevent head injury when a child falls. Each year, more than 200,000 children go to U.S. hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with playground equipment. Most injuries occur when a child falls from the equipment onto the ground.
6. Recalled Products — Make sure your child’s school has up-to-date information on recalled toys and children’s products. Schools, daycare providers, and parents can receive recall information by e-mail, or in the regular mail free of charge by calling the CPSC hotline, or writing to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207.

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Send the link for this page to a friend! Consumers can obtain this publication and additional publication information from the Publications section of CPSC’s web site or by sending your publication request to info@cpsc.gov.

This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without change in part or whole by an individual or organization without permission. If it is reproduced, however, the Commission would appreciate knowing how it is used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 or send an e-mail to info@cpsc.gov.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC’s web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Miss Domestic on December 27th, 2006 | File Under Parenting Tips, School Tips | No Comments -

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Be Sure Your Child Care Setting Is As Safe As It Can Be

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About 31,000 children, 4 years old and younger, were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries at child care/school settings in 1997. CPSC is aware of at least 56 children who have died in child care settings since 1990.

In a recent national study, CPSC staff visited a number of child care settings and found that two-thirds of them had one or more potentially serious hazards. Use the safety tips in this checklist (or the published, illustrated version in portable document format, pdf) (Texto Español) to help keep young children safe.

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Child Care Safety Checklist for Parents and Child Care Providers

• CRIBS: Make sure cribs meet current national safety standards and are in good condition. Look for a certification safety seal. Older cribs may not meet current standards. Crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8″ apart, and mattresses should fit snugly.

  This can prevent strangulation and suffocation associated with older cribs and mattresses that are too small.

• SOFT BEDDING: Be sure that no pillows, soft bedding, or comforters are used when you put babies to sleep. Babies should be put to sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm, flat mattress.

  This can help reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation related to soft bedding.

• PLAYGROUND SURFACING: Look for safe surfacing on outdoor playgrounds - at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

  This helps protect against injuries from falls, especially head injuries.

• PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE: Check playground surfacing and equipment regularly to make sure they are maintained in good condition.

  This can help prevent injuries, especially from falls.

• SAFETY GATES: Be sure that safety gates are used to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, especially stairs.

  Safety gates can protect against many hazards, especially falls.

• WINDOW BLIND AND CURTAIN CORDS: Be sure miniblinds and venetian blinds do not have looped cords. Check that vertical blinds, continuous looped blinds, and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. Check that inner cord stops have been installed. See www.windowcoverings.org for the latest blind cord safety information.

  These safety devices can prevent strangulation in the loops of window blind and curtain cords.

• CLOTHING DRAWSTRINGS: Be sure there are no drawstrings around the hood and neck of children’s outerwear clothing. Other types of clothing fasteners, like snaps, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro), should be used.

  Drawstrings can catch on playground and other equipment and can strangle young children.

• RECALLED PRODUCTS: Check that no recalled products are being used and that a current list of recalled children’s products is readily visible.

  Recalled products pose a threat of injury or death. Displaying a list of recalled products will remind caretakers and parents to remove or repair potentially dangerous children’s toys and products.

—

Send the link for this page to a friend! Consumers can obtain this publication and additional publication information from the Publications section of CPSC’s web site or by sending your publication request to info@cpsc.gov.

This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without change in part or whole by an individual or organization without permission. If it is reproduced, however, the Commission would appreciate knowing how it is used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 or send an e-mail to info@cpsc.gov.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC’s web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Miss Domestic on December 27th, 2006 | File Under Parenting Tips, Baby Sitting | No Comments -

by Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D.

Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (NAPS)-Parents naturally worry about the health and safety of their children. Many parents teach their kids to avoid getting involved with drugs, although sometimes adults forget about the drug most abused by adolescents - nicotine. Every year, teens continue to light up even though there is strong public awareness about the health hazards of smoking. When you’re young, it’s hard to think about the consequences of your actions. Kids don’t project that smoking today can lead to negative effects in their futuresÑincreased risk of cancer, heart attack, and stroke in adulthood.

Every year, teens continue to light up even though there is strong public awareness about the health hazards of smoking. When you’re young, it’s hard to think about the consequences of your actions. Kids don’t project that smoking today can lead to negative effects in their futuresÑincreased risk of cancer, heart attack, and stroke in adulthood.Many kids think they’ll just try one cigarette or two or three. These young smokers believe that they’ll be able to control their habit over time. Young people may experiment with cigars and chewing tobacco, which are also dangerous. Others try bidis, thinking they are a safe alternative to cigarettes.

Colorfully packaged with a variety of flavors like cinnamon, orange, and chocolate, these unfiltered cigarettes from India have 28 percent higher nicotine concentration than regular cigarettes.

There is good news - the number of teens who currently smoke has gradually declined since 1996. But there is also bad news - over 4 million youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are smokers. In fact, by the time they leave high school, more than one-third of graduates are active smokers.

Nicotine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once your teen is addicted, it will be very difficult to quit .

The cause of addiction is simple. Nicotine goes straight to the brain. The human brain has circuits that control feelings of pleasure. Dopamine - a brain chemical - contributes to the desire to consume drugs. Nicotine spikes an increase in dopamine.

When your teen smokes, he or she inhales the nicotine. It goes quickly to the brain. In just 10 seconds, the pleasurable effects of smoking reach peak levels. Within a few minutes, the pleasure is gone, and the craving for a cigarette begins a new cycle.

A teen can easily get hooked on nicotine, although it takes much more effort to quit. Many kids smokers, they find it hard to stay away from the drug’s effects.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is concerned about teen nicotine addiction and is working to determine the best methods for helping adolescents quit. NIDA has opened a Teen Tobacco Addiction Treatment Research Center in Baltimore, MD, to find the best treatments for young smokers.

Currently, the Center is assessing the nicotine patch and nicotine gum to see how safe, tolerable, and effective they are for adolescents. The Center is also determining whether teens use these quitting aids properly. At the same time, researchers are trying to find out whether these therapies work better alone or in combination with counseling and group support.

Nicotine addiction is a disease. But it is preventable. NIDA continues to fund innovative research to find the most effective treatment and prevention approaches for adolescents.

In the meantime, not starting to smoke is the best form of prevention. Talk to your kids about the threat of smoking. With your guidance, maybe they won’t light up.

For more information, visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov/ or call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686.

Miss Domestic on December 25th, 2006 | File Under Parenting Tips | No Comments -