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Halloween may be scary but it doesn’t have to be hazardous. Yet, it is imperative that parents become educated about these potential dangers and take the necessary precautions to keep children and pets safe.

In fact, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other night of the year. In addition, falls and burns are also a common cause of injuries among children.

Here are some pointers to ensure a fun, safe and happy Halloween:

1. Make sure your child’s costume (including beards, masks and wigs) is clearly marked as flame resistant or look for flame resistant fabrics such as nylon or polyester. Avoid billowing or long trailing features, especially those made of lightweight fabrics or materials.

Your child should wear well-fitting shoes to prevent trips and falls. Costume accessories, including swords and knives, should be soft and flexible.

2. Consider non-toxic makeup instead of a mask. Facial gear can obstruct the child’s vision or restrict breathing. If they do wear a mask, make sure the child can see and breathe easily.

3. Decorate costumes, bags and sacks with reflective tape or stickers. Reflective tape and stickers will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Equip your child with a flashlight or glow stick to illuminate pathways and curbs. Make sure to stay on well-lighted streets. Read More

Kids start looking forward to Halloween as soon as they start seeing the decorations hit the stores. With the high cost of costumes, candy and décor, Halloween can be a budget buster if you are not careful!

With a little preparation and planning, you can ensure that balancing your checkbook at the end of the month isn’t a frightening experience.

CREATE A PLAN AND A BUDGET

One of the easiest ways to overspend during the holidays is to shop without a game plan. Making a list of what you need, and itemizing what you intend to purchase will decrease the likelihood of impulse buying!  Identify all the things you will need to purchase and decide on your budget – and make sure to specify the maximum amount you plan to spend on each item.  By doing this, you will be very aware of where your money is going.  Ten dollars here and there can add up very quickly and before you know it you have spent hundreds of dollars on candy and costumes alone!!

SHOP SMART

Once you have your list and know your budget, it is time to start shopping.

Online shopping can be a great option for frugal shoppers – especially now that many online stores have great incentives like discount codes or free shipping options.  Online shopping can also save the time and money required to run from store to store looking for that Buzz Lightyear costume in a size 4.  If you find an item that you’d like to purchase at an online shop, be sure to use your search engine to look for a coupon for that retailer – this will only take a second, but it can save you a bundle of money. Read More

Sleep: As most parents of small children know, it’s the Holy Grail. Having a child who sleeps well means having a child who is more likely to be even-tempered, easier to please, and more compliant—and a mom and dad who are rested, refreshed, and ready to face the day with their energetic bundle of joy. But let her skip naptime one time, and your typically happy-go-lucky toddler can quickly turn into a tantrum-throwing, argumentative, meltdown-prone monster. There’s a good reason and there are solutions out there to help lull your little one into better naps and nighttimes.

Children who nap and sleep well at night have fewer behavior problems. Overly tired children can’t appropriately balance their physical and emotional worlds, causing them to act out and behave badly.

Children and parents both need good rest to make sure they are presenting their best selves during the course of each day. Lack of sleep leads to shorter tempers on both parts, so making sure you catch enough z’s at night can mean having kids who behave better and parents who, well, parent with more patience. So what do you do if your child shuns sleep? There are seven easy things that every parent can do to get back to good nights (and days) in no time:

1. Figure out how much sleep your child should be getting. The amount of sleep your child needs each day varies depending on her age. The following guide will help you to determine whether or not your tot is getting enough shut-eye:

One year old: 13 hours
Two years old: 12–15 hours (includes nap)
Three years old: 11–14 hours (includes nap)
Four years old: 10–13 hours (includes nap)
Five years old: 10–12.5 hours (no nap)

If your child acts out, throws tantrums, or has a tendency to melt down in the early evening hours, then there’s a good chance she isn’t getting enough sleep. If she is under the age of four years old, make sure that she takes a daytime nap on a regular schedule. Read More

Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays for children because they can dress up in elaborate costumes and act out of character. However, as the sun goes down and trick-or-treaters start roaming the streets of your neighborhood, there are several things to worry about as a parent or guardian. Potentially hazardous costumes or accessories, tainted candy and crossing the street at night without supervision are only a few concerns that should be addressed prior to a child leaving the house.

Children ages 5-14 are four times more likely to be killed while walking on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year. Falls are the leading cause of injuries among children on Halloween. Halloween is a fun time for children, but it also is an important time to be extra vigilant for possible safety hazards—so that your children have a fun and safe Halloween.

Parents can follow these tips for a safe Halloween:

• Avoid costumes with excessive flowing fabric, such as capes or sleeves. Loose clothing can easily brush up against a jack-o-lantern or other open flame, causing your child’s costume to catch on fire.

• Make sure your child’s costume fits properly. Oversized costumes and footwear, such as clown or adult shoes, can cause your child to trip and fall, bringing them home with more scrapes and bruises than candy.  Avoid wearing hats that will slide over their eyes.

• Accessorize with flexible props, such as rubber swords or knives. Inflexible props can cause serious injury in case of a fall.

• Apply face paint or cosmetics directly to the face, and make sure it is non-toxic and hypoallergenic. A loose-fitting mask can obstruct a child’s vision. If a mask is worn, be certain it fits securely. Cut the eyeholes large enough for full vision. Read More

Food safety is on the front burner of list of concerns for families. In fact, according to the Federal Estimates, about 76 million Americans will suffer from foodborne illness and at least 5,000 will die this year. Small children, pregnant women, older people, post operative or individuals with compromised immune systems are at the greatest risk.  Indeed this underscores the importance of food safety, exceptionally when heading into the popular fall entertaining season.

Follow these tips for keeping healthy and worry-free when hosting friends, family and pets:

1. Store pumpkins in a cool, dry spot until you are ready to use them. Cover and refrigerate them once you cut the shell. They can be prepared in a variety of ways: baked and eaten as a vegetable, baked into a pie, or made into a soup. The seeds make a great snack when roasted.

For safety’s sake, don’t eat your carved Jack O’ Lantern. Pumpkins can spoil quickly when exposed to environments that promote bacterial growth. Dispose of them as soon as possible after festivities.

2. Make sure cider and juices are pasteurized. Pasteurization is a heat process that kills harmful bacteria. If you aren’t sure if a product is pasteurized, boil it for a minute and let cool before serving.

3. When cracking eggs for your favorite cookie recipe or cake batter, be sure to use eggs pasteurized in their shells so licking the spoon remains safe and fun. Raw eggs could be contaminated with Salmonella—a leading cause of food borne illness.

4. If you pick apples at an orchard, pick them off the tree and not off the ground, where they can be exposed to a variety of contaminants. Read More

Having a teenager is one of the most challenging times in a parent’s marriage — as well as their life. It is scary, frustrating, and chaotic. It is a time of letting go, enforcing rules, strengthening boundaries and also nurturing. Teens may appear to be fighting against us at times — rebelling against our rules, pointing out our inadequacies, and telling us how “out of it” we are.

However, they also still love and need us. They need their mom and dad to stay strong and enforce the rules and structure that help make them feel secure. There are certain things teenagers really need to hear from their parents. You cannot say these things when they would be most apropos. However, you can say them at night when the child is relaxed and going to sleep. They offer less resistance at night just before bedtime. They will remember what you said, and they will reflect on it when you least expect it.

15 things that should be said during your child’s teen years

1. No one will ever love you in the same way or have your best interests at heart more than your mom/dad and I will. Read More

Gather the fans for the Ultimate Big Game Party! Set up a “stadium” right in your own TV room and host a day of cheers, jeers and beers. Here are some super ideas for a Super Bowl, World Series, or any other championship game! Go team!

Welcome the Fans

Create invitations using mini-sports balls, baseball cards, or copies of the sports page. Place the invitations in large puffy envelopes and fill the envelope with real peanuts in the shell!

Wear Your Colors

Ask your guests to wear their favorite team’s colors. Or have them come dressed as a player, a cheerleader, a referee, or the ultimate fan. As host, you can play the part of a food and drink vendor.

Prepare the Party Room

Set up a sports arena or ballpark for your Big Game Party. Inflate balloons in the team colors using helium, and tie small footballs or baseballs from the balloon ribbons. Or decorate the balloons to look like baseballs or basketballs, using permanent markers. Hang up team banners and posters, and set out sports equipment.

Arrange your furniture and chairs in a half circle around the TV to simulate a stadium. Mark out your party room floor with field yard lines using tape or rope, and then set up a few homemade goalposts.

Give the crowd foam, “We’re Number One” fingers. Have several inflatable balls or balloons to kick and toss around at the party.

For the party table, buy paper products in your team’s colors and use programs for placemats. Cover the table with a white paper tablecloth and draw on yard lines with markers to make a gridiron. Tape drinking straw goalposts to either end. Make a centerpiece of footballs, helmets, and pennants—or whatever matches the sport. Add a touch of whimsy with some Ace bandages, Ben-Gay, crushed soda cans, and Gatorade. Read More

Let’s face it: animals can be scary to some children. They make loud noises, jump, and lick your face, which to a child can be traumatizing. But if your child’s fear of pets is preventing you from adopting, don’t worry! Give the following tips a try:

1. Don’t force contact:

Forcing your child to pet an animal or insisting that a pet is harmless may only increase your child’s fear. It’s important to keep your child calm around the dog or cat. If they are forced to make contact it may only frighten your child (or the animal) even more.

2. Story Time:

Read your child stories about happy pets and owners. Depending on your child’s age this can greatly impact how your child feels about dogs and cats.

3. Practice Pet:

Try showing your child how to properly act around pets with a stuffed animal. Show him or her how to gently pet and safely play with their furry friend. This makes for a lovable practice buddy that your child can feel more comfortable around. Read More

It’s likely the single most commonly used word in any parent’s vocabulary, and, not surprisingly, one of the first words most kids learn how to say. Yes, the word “no” crosses most parents’ lips multiple times a day. From keeping crawling babies out of harm’s way to correcting an energetic toddler’s rowdy behavior, it’s a powerful two-letter word that most of us use with reckless abandon. What most parents don’t realize is that saying no too often is actually doing our kids more harm than good.

When you are the parent of a small child, there are numerous opportunities to correct behavior during any given day. The problem is that most parents are saying no so much that their kids begin to tune them out—meaning that their ‘no’ no longer has an effect. This can be especially dangerous for parents of babies who are just becoming mobile and curious toddlers who may inadvertently put themselves in harm’s way. When mom sees her little one about to touch a hot stove and she can’t get to him in time, it’s important that he hears her ‘no!’ and it causes him to stop what he’s doing.

Parents often tell their children no when it comes to behavior issues—and leave it at that. So kids are left knowing what they can’t do instead of what they can. Helping kids to understand why a behavior is harmful or unacceptable and offering them a replacement increases their chances of changing the way they act. This way, the next time it happens, they’ll know what to do. Read More

When it comes to the health of infants, nothing can be taken for granted. It’s important for parents to know what precautions and preventive measures can be taken to keep their babies as healthy as possible. This is especially true for pediatric eye health; in many cases, failure to identify symptoms early on can result in vision loss and even blindness.

Soon after babies are born, doctors examine their eyes to rule out any immediate neonatal problems. But in the weeks and months following the birth, parents should monitor their infants’ eyes to check for signs of abnormalities.

The following tips can help parents identify vision problems during those first critical months of life:

· Children should be given an eye exam before their first birthday; if there is a significant family history of eye problems, then an eye exam during the first six months is recommended. Eye care professionals offer different recommendations on when that first eye exam should take place for a child. While opticians, ophthalmologists and pediatricians may differ in their point of view, an infant’s visual system is developing so rapidly in the first year that any abnormalities in vision can have long term effects if not identified and corrected quickly. I personally like to see my grandchildren get their eyes checked within the first 12 months. Read More