The Perfect Summer Camp…

Schools are letting out for summer break and soon camps all over the country will be filling with kids ready to have fun! If you haven’t already, then now is time to start making your kid’s summer camp plans. Most camps have been enrolling kids since early in the year, and many may already be full, but it’s not too late to find one for your child. There are camps available for nearly every sport, activity, or interest that your child might have, so start researching now online and locally. Let your kids help choose a camp but limit the choices to the ones that you have already pre-approved and have confirmed that there are still slots available for your kids.

Wondering how to make sure your child has a fun and memorable time at camp? Here are a few pointers to help your kids have the time of their lives:

• Choose a camp based on your child’s age, maturity level, interests, and location. Young children and those who aren’t ready to go to an overnight camp may want to attend a local day camp. Check out local organizations that offer day camps, such as Scouts, Campfire, YMCA, and many others. Talk with your child about his concerns and ideas about camp. Choose one that offers age-appropriate activities that your child enjoys.
• Prepare your child for the camp you have chosen by talking about the activities he will get to do there. If he is worried about missing his family, reassure him that it is normal to feel home-sick, especially if it his first time away, and that those feelings will lessen after a couple of days. Share some of your fun childhood camp stories too. Older kids who are ready for overnight camp may want to stick with one fairly close to home their first time, just in case.
• If possible, send a postcard or card a few days before camp to the camp’s address so it will be waiting when your child arrives. (Check with the camp first to make sure they will hang onto it until your child arrives.) And be sure to send some pre-stamped postcards addressed to home, so your child can write to you and let you know all the fun he is having!
• If your kid has friends who want to attend the same camp, try to coordinate with them so they can bunk together. My daughter and her best friend went to camp for the first time at an overnight camp that is three hours away from home. They were a little nervous about it, but had an incredibly fun time because they were together. My son and his best friend attended that same camp the next summer because their sisters had talked so much about it. Having a friend at camp can help kids beat homesickness and it doubles the fun!

Can’t find a camp with openings for your child?

Can’t afford to send your kid to camp?

Why not create your own?

Pick a week to have your own camp at home for your kids and their friends. Pitch a tent in the backyard or in the living room! Cook out on the grill or make camp food in your own kitchen. Make fun crafts out of everyday household items and play lots of games. Name your camp and have everyone pitch in to make it exciting and entertaining. Kids are creative and can turn anyplace into a summer camp if given some help from their parents. A great camp doesn’t have to cost a lot of money; it just has to be a lot of fun!

My Body Belongs to Me

As a prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes in New York City for more than a decade, I have often encountered children who were sexually abused for lengthy periods of time and suffered in silence. One case in particular had a profound impact on me and compelled me to write a children’s book called My Body Belongs to Me.

I prosecuted the case of a 9-year-old girl who had been raped by her stepfather since she was 6. She told no one. One day, the girl saw an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” about children who were physically abused. The episode, “Tortured Children,” empowered the girl with this simple message: If you are being abused, tell your parents. If you can’t tell your parents, go to school and tell your teacher. The girl got the message and the very next day went to school and told her teacher. I prosecuted the case for the District Attorney’s office. The defendant was convicted and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence.

I have thought often of that very sweet, very brave 9-year-old girl. It occurred to me that after three painful years, all it took to end her nightmare was a TV program encouraging her to “tell a teacher.” I wrote My Body Belongs to Me to continue that message. It endeavors to teach children that they don’t have to endure abuse in silence. Parents and educators can use it as a tool to facilitate an open dialogue with youngsters.

The story is a simple scenario involving a gender neutral child who is inappropriately touched by an uncle’s friend. The powerful message really comes through when the youngster tells on the offender and the parents praise the child’s bravery. The last page shows a proud, smiling child doing a “strong arm” pose. The text assures them that it wasn’t their fault and by speaking out the child will continue to grow big and strong. It is a compelling and uplifting message.

The “Suggestions for the Storyteller” section is an important, interactive feature that facilitates the discussion to follow. It will make any caregiver feel more comfortable talking about this important subject, thereby helping to PREVENT the unthinkable from happening to their child.  Research tells us that child sexual abuse does not discriminate. It is a problem that affects everyone.

• In the United States, approx. 1 of 4 girls and 1 of 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
• 47% of child sexual abuse victims wait 5 years or more to speak up, if they ever do.
• 93% of child sexual abuse victims are abused by someone they already know.

It is my sincere hope that by educating girls and boys about this taboo subject, My Body Belongs to Me will prevent them from becoming victims in the first place.

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

• To keep your children safe:
  1. No secrets. Period. Encourage your children to tell you about things that happen to them that make them feel scared, sad or uncomfortable. If children have an open line of communication, they will be more inclined to alert you to something suspicious before it becomes a problem. The way I effectuate this rule is as follows: If someone, even a grandparent, were to say something to my child such as “I’ll get you an ice cream later, but it will be our secret”, I firmly, but politely say “We don’t do secrets in our family.” Then I say to my child “Right? We don’t do secrets. We can tell each other everything.”
  2. Teach your child the correct terms for their body parts. This will make them more at ease if they need to tell you about a touch that made them feel uncomfortable.
  3. Teach your child to tell a safe person if someone touches them in an inappropriate way. Discuss with children the importance of telling a parent, teacher or other trusted adult right away.
  4. Let children decide for themselves how they want to express affection. Children should not be forced to hug or kiss if they are uncomfortable. Even if they are your favorite aunt, uncle or cousin, your child should not be forced to be demonstrative in their affection. While this may displease you, by doing this, you will empower your child to say no to inappropriate touching.
• If you choose to use My Body Belongs to Me as a tool for teaching your family about body safety, here are some suggestions:
  1. Read the book at least once for enjoyment before using it to get into a serious discussion.
  2. After reading the book, help lead an open-ended discussion by asking questions such as the following: What are your parts that are private, Why did the child get scared, What did the uncle’s friend do, What did he tell the little child, If someone touches your private parts, should it be a secret, Why did the uncle’s friend put his finger up to his lips, What did the child do when he did that, Were the mom and dad happy when the child told them what had happened, What did they do, If the child did not tell the parents, who else could be told, How does the child feel in the picture at the end?
  3. Find teachable moments with your child to reinforce the lessons learned in the book.

Pediatricians urge food manufacturers to reduce choking hazards

In a policy statement published in the March issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls upon food manufacturers to reduce choking risks for children. Pediatricians want manufacturers to make foods that are known choking hazards safer by changing the size, shape, and/or texture of high risk foods. They also request labeling of such foods with a warning about the potential for choking. Foods such as hot dogs, carrot sticks, grapes, peanut butter, and many others fall into the high risk category because of the frequency of choking incidents among young children involving them.

Hot dogs can be especially dangerous for young children under the age of 3. The size and shape, along with the ability to compress easily can cause the complete blockage of a child’s airway and can be lodged in too tightly to remove, even with proper medical equipment. According to the AAP policy statement Choking on food causes the death of approximately 1 child every 5 days in the United States. Hot dogs accounted for 17% of food-related asphyxiations among children younger than 10 years of age in a 41-state study.

Whether food manufacturers heed the call to re-design high risk foods or not, parents and child care providers must take responsibility for protecting children against choking on any food. Here are some recommended tips for helping your child eat safely:

• Cut up food into small pieces, no more than 1/2 inch in diameter.
• Do not feed children under the age of 4 any hard, smooth, round or firm foods that have to be chewed with a grinding motion without cutting them up into small pieces. Peanuts, grapes, hot dogs, and carrot sticks must be cut up first.
• Do not let children eat while playing, laughing, walking, or running around.
• Teach your child to chew food thoroughly and to swallow before talking.
• Do not feed popcorn, nuts, or hard candy to children under the age of 4.
• Learn CPR and how to appropriately and safely assist someone who is choking.

Toys For Children With Special Needs

Toys are learning tools for children. Children use these tools to express themselves, to learn, to explore, to dream. Give the wrong toy to a child and they will express frustration. But give them the right toy and they will have a very productive and enjoyable time. A toy that is properly chosen can aid a child in addressing his or her difficulties. At the same time, choosing a toy without consideration of a child’s special needs will only lead to aggravation for them and disappointment for both of you.

There are toy categories that are well suited for children with special needs. They are often used by therapists and teachers to help children build social and gross motor skills.  Here are some of them:

Board Games: These toys are excellent for children with difficulty mastering social or communication skills. These are perfect toys to teach them about rules, turn taking and social interaction with other kids.

Electronic Games: Although, you might be opposed to video games, there are video games that can be beneficial in building attention skills. Some computer games reward attention by adding difficulty as the child progresses through the game.

Sports Toys: Do not do a disservice to an uncoordinated child by declining to buy them a sports toy. A sports toy can actually help a child with limited gross motor skills. For example, a softer foam ball can give a child a chance to practice the art of throwing and catching without getting hurt. Well-chosen sports toys, designed to help build skills rather than to highlight weaknesses, can help.

Fantasy Toys: There is no better way to help a child with special needs than by engaging his or her imagination through play. Fantasy toys, from dolls to puppets, provide avenues for communication and a window of insight for a parent who might want to know better what a child is thinking or feeling.

Be prepared to adapt these toys to the needs of the child. Just because everyone else is playing with the toy in a certain way, it does not mean that they have to. Consider the setting. Where they play can have a direct impact on the child’s ability to enjoy the toy and the playtime. Be creative in your setup as well. You know your child more than anyone, so if your child has problems with attention he may have better concentration sitting in a chair at a table rather than on the floor of the living room. A child with low vision will need more lighting. A child with hearing difficulties may do better in a quiet room. Scan your play area with the child’s special need in mind before sitting down to play.

In the end, taking the time to match both the toy and the environment to your child’s special needs will make a world of difference in the enjoyment their new toy brings.

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Reference:  Marianne Szymaski, “Toy Tips”, Jossey-Bass, 2004, p. 74-78

Is This Toy Safe?

In 2008 Congress passed the first major overhaul of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since its creation. The new compliance laws provided for tough new bans on lead and phthalates, required larger printed warning messages on toy packaging, cracked down on smaller toy pieces that could choke a child and greatly improved CPSC’s ability to monitor and hold wrongdoers accountable. Toy vendors were required to be fully compliant as of this past February.

Toy recalls have dropped dramatically from 2007 when 45 million toys and other children’s products were classified as unsafe. Still there is no magic bullet to instantly make ALL toys safe. With that in mind, the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) published its 24th Annual Report on Safety for the Toy Industry with guidelines to help parents in purchasing toys for little ones. It also provides examples of toys that may pose potential safety hazards.

The main areas in the report concentrate on choking hazards, excessively loud toys, and toxins like lead and phthalates in children’s products. Key findings:

CHOKING HAZARDS

The law bans small parts in toys for children under three and requires an explicit, prominent warning label on toys with small parts for children between the ages of three and six. In addition, balls with a diameter smaller than 1.75 inches are banned for children under three years old. Unfortunately choking on small parts, small balls and balloons remains a leading cause of toy related deaths and injuries. In 2009 alone, 5.3 million toys and other children’s products were recalled due to choking hazards. 

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Avoid small toys or parts of toys that can fit entirely into a toilet paper tube.
• Avoid small balls and round objects. Balls should be at least 1.75” in diameter for children under three.
• Avoid cylindrical pieces of toys that can lodge in a child’s airway.
• Balloons and pieces of balloon can completely block a child’s airway. Never give balloons to children under 8. Mylar balloons are a safer alternative.
• Avoid hand me down hazards – keep toys for older kids away from young children.

LOUD TOYS

Almost 15 percent of children ages 6 to 17 show signs of hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by a one-time exposure to loud sound as well as by repeated exposure to sounds at various loudness levels over an extended period of time.

In March 2007, the American Society for Testing and Materials adopted a voluntary acoustics standard for toys, setting the loudness threshold for most toys at 85 decibels, and for toys intended for use “close to the ear” at 65 dB.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• If a toy seems too loud for your ears, it is probably too loud for your child. Don’t buy it.
•  Toys used close to the ear (like toy cell phones) should not be louder than 65 decibels, measured from 10 inches away. More info here. 
• Other toys should not be louder than 85 decibels measured from 10 inches away.
• For “loud toys” you already own: take the batteries and/or cover the toy’s speakers with tape.

TOXINS

Exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, especially the central nervous system. Lead is especially toxic to the brains of young children. Despite the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) bans, in 2009 the CPSC has recalled nearly 1.3 million toys or other children’s products for violations of the lead paint standard and an additional 102,700 toys and other children’s products for violation of the 300 ppm lead standard.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), levels of phthalates found in humans are higher than levels shown to cause adverse health effects. The data also show phthalate levels are highest in children. Still despite a CPSIA ban, 2 toys were found this year that exceeded the maximum phthalate levels.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Keep costume/novelty jewelry away from young children.
• You can screen a piece of jewelry or toy for lead using a home lead tester available at the hardware store. (This is a screening method, and should not be relied upon as a definitive test.)
• Check www.recalls.gov for recalled toys.
• Avoid plastic toys labeled as “PVC” They often contains phthalate softeners. Look for toys labeled “phthalate-free.”
• Choose cloth or unpainted wooden toys instead of soft plastic toys.
• Read the labels of play cosmetics and avoid products with xylene, toluene or phthalates.
• Avoid plastic bath toys or bath books.

For parents concerned about toxin exposure, the “Absolute Greatest Guide to Green Gifts for Kids” from Healthy Child Healthy World and www.HealthyStuff.org can be excellent resources

WHAT’S A PARENT TO DO?

The CPSC is one small agency and there are numerous new toys produced every year in the US…as well as imported from other countries. Unfortunately that means that CPSC is not able to test all toys, and not all toys on store shelves meet CPSC standards. This also means that there is no comprehensive list of potentially hazardous toys. There are things however that a safety conscious parent can do:

• Examine toys carefully for potential dangers before you make a purchase. US PIRG’s annual survey of toy safety should come in handy if you need an example of a dangerous toys for any of the categories mentioned.
• Shop with U.S. PIRG’s Toy Safety tips noted above in each section.  
• Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC

As always, in the end, it comes down to you and I being vigilant in the toys we purchase. Hopefully the tips we’ve provided can be of some help…for the holidays…and beyond.

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References:

• “Safe toys help make the season bright”, 12-23-09, Devin Monk
• “Trouble in Toyland: The 24th Annual Survey of Toy Safety, 11-24-09, by US PIRG
• Toy Safety, by USPIRG

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