My mother may have saved his life that day because she had the necessary “medication” he needed. However, I also remember that his wife and an ambulance came because he had been in the sun too long and did need medical assistance.

One thing he could have used was Emergentag, a new device that can be used in emergencies to give emergency workers all of your critical health information.

Do you have allergies? Seizures? Diabetes? Are you allergic to PENICILLIN?

EMERGENTag will plug into any standard computer running on Windows and emergency workers can download medical information about you when needed.

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Emergent Helps Keeps Kids Safe

1. Baking soda: gritty for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing. Speed up cleaning.

2. Borax: disinfects, bleaches, deodorizes. Toxic.

3. White Vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt. Choose white vinegar.

4. Hydrogen Peroxide: Disinfects and bleaches. Can also be used in Toothpastes but do not swallow.

5. Lemons: cuts grease and grime. Can be combined with salt and water to clean burnt coffee pots.

6. Olive oil: Polishes wood much like lemon oil.

7. Vegetable based soap like Dr. Bronners castille soap:

8. Washing soda: stain remover, helps unblock pipes…Toxic.

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Cheap Household Cleaning Products

Sam and Lola were in an SUV with the nanny, who was driving. Four cars were involved in the accident. Sources say they were both in their car seats and were protected.

 US Magazine

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Richards-Sheen Girls Safe

Unfortunately, for young kids or for special needs children like mine,  this just might not be possible.

When traveling, be sure to create a tag listing your cell phone number and the name of the hotel where you are staying. You can purchase tags just for this occasion at My Precious Kid.

They carry travel wristbands, luggage ID tags, wearable ID tags, Shoe ID stickers, and even Velcro Bracelets and trendy Dog Tags. Find all of those products right here on their home page.

I like them because they are perfect for special needs children who can not articulate to get help and they are perfect for travel.

*You should also make sure to label your car seats with all of your child’s information (including any allergies or special needs).

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Holiday Safety: Labeling

However, with little ones, I also know that I have to be very careful with the electricity because of the fire hazards and the electrical shock risks that can happen if I am not careful.

Home Safety Council has plenty of safety tips for you and your family during this time of the year. They recommend taking the following precautions when putting up decorations:

• Inspect holiday lights and extension cords before decorating.
• Check for red or green UL marks on all light strings and extension cords. The green holographic UL Mark means the light strings should be used only indoors.
• Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for stringing light sets together. As a general rule, UL recommends using no more than three standard-size sets of lights together.
• Hang or mount light strands carefully to avoid damaging the cord’s insulation.
• Do not overload extension cords or electrical receptacles.
• Unplug all holiday lights when you go to sleep or leave home.
• Plug outdoor decorations into outlets protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) to prevent shock.
• Automatic lighting timers can be used to ensure that lights are not left on. These are available for both indoor and outdoor use.
• Roll up excess electrical cords and keep them away from high traffic areas. Do not run electrical cords under rugs.
• Never keep an extension cord plugged in when it is not in use.
• When replacing a light bulb, be sure to use the correct bulb size (wattage) that is right for the fixture.
• Use safety caps to keep children from putting things into electrical receptacles outlets.

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Holiday Electrical Safety

1. Get rid of expired medicines. Check for missing original labels, and missing expiration dates. Discard them and everything older than six months. Check your first aid kit and see what gels (burn; antibiotic) need throwing away as well. As parent to allergic kids, I make sure the Epipen (epinephrine injector) for my children is not expired.

2. Dispose expired medications properly. Don’t just throw them into the trash can because your kids and pets can get to them. Pour liquid down the drain and rinse the containers. Place capsules and tablets into opaque plastic bags before throwing into the trash. Better yet, contact the poison control center or hospital for proper disposal. For example, I inject the unused Epipens into a spoiled fruit (citrus works best) this way I get to practice the emergency procedure too, before I discard it at the hazard bin in my pediatrician’s office.

3. List what medicine and supplies you will use. This includes over-the-counter medicines, prescription drugs you might be running out, instruments like glucose monitors and blood pressure cuffs, droppers and measuring spoons, and first aid supplies running low.

4. Buy only the medicine and supplies you need. There is a huge sale this month of cough, cold and sinus medications at several drugstores. That’s because the cold/flu season is about to begin. But be cautious about what you buy. The FDA recently announced that cough and cold medicines should NOT be given to children below 6, so don’t go buying these drugs even at rock bottom prices.

5. While you’re at it… Read the labels and drug information that come with your prescriptions, and make sure you get the dosages correct. Also review your first aid knowledge. Finally, take note of the date you purged and do it again after 6 months.

(This post was part of the Health and Wellness Channel Theme Day – “Harvest”. It’s a spin, I know, but you learned something today!).

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Take stock of your medicine cabinet

Family Resource has a 30-day checklist to making sure the house is safe. Definitely high on the checklist are fire safety, safe cribs/playpens and strollers. One of my to-do is enrolling in a CPR/First Aid class, which I know is a life-saver.

But my immediate concern right now is to separate the toys my preschooler plays with and the play area for the baby. There are just too many small items (including paper) that the baby can put into his mouth and cause choking.

Incidentally, do you know the 5 common food that are choking hazards for under 5?

Common choking foods for children under five years: Popcorn, hot dogs, chunks of meat, raisins, ice cubes, chunky peanut butter, peanuts (nuts of any kind), hard candy, grapes, raw carrots, potato chips and corn chips.

Tip #23 is something that makes sense but never thought of –

Get a piggy bank: this is a great place to put coins so they don’t end up on the floor, in the couch cushions and then baby’s mouth.

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30 ways to baby-proofing your home

The pediatrician said the rashes and fever might be caused by a virus, so we’re sort of quarantined for the next few days. And then today, my sister asked me if my son has a simple viral fever, or a roseola.

A what? ROSEOLA is an extremely common but mild infection that affects children under 2. Symptoms include a rash that develops after fever has subsided. Well, my son had the rashes before his fever even started, so he may not have roseola.

Still, if you suspect your child has one, click here for more information on symptoms and treatment.

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Just a virus, or roseola?

How do you know if your child has a swimmer’s ear? The most common symptom is severe pain, which becomes worse when the child tugs on the ear. Other symptoms include:

• Swelling in your ear or lymph nodes in the neck.
• Feeling of fullness or stuffiness in the ear.
• Pus draining out of the ear.
• Decreased or muffled hearing.

Swimmer’s ear is easy to treat but could have complications or pain that may require a visit to the doctor. Mild cases can be treated with a solution of half strength white vinegar ear drops (half water/half white vinegar) twice a day. 

Other home remedies for mild cases of swimmer’s ear include:

• Heat therapy. Place a warm (not hot) heating pad over or against your ear to help reduce pain.
• Pain relievers. Try over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs to ease your discomfort.
• Ear protection. Keep your ear dry while it’s healing. Use earplugs when showering or bathing. Don’t swim or clean your ears until the infection is gone.

Don’t let your child swim if he has swimmer’s ear. In fact, that’s also the key to prevention – keep water out of your child’s ears.

source: Mayo Clinic

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First aid: Swimmer’s ear

Keeping Children Safe In, On, and Around the Water

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Water safety for children – is learning to swim enough?