Toddlers: Safety Recreation and Travel

Keeping your child safe is a major priority for parents. Here we have many excellent articles that will help parents protect their toddler children. Unlike the other areas at KidSource, we're not rating these articles individually because we think they all are important. The toddler categories are:

• General
• At Home
• Clothing
• Poisoning
• Recreation, Travel and Holidays

We suggest that you also refer to the Product Recall Notices and to our overall list of Safety articles.

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The Dangers of Electric Toys Electric toys and other electrically operated products intended for use by children can be extremely hazardous if improperly used, used without supervision, or not properly designed and/or constructed.

CPSC Releases Holiday Safety Tips for Avoiding Fires and Injuries As the holidays approach, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging people to look for and eliminate potential dangers from holiday lights and decorations that could lead to fires and injuries.

Free Coloring Book and Free Safe Toy Purchasing Guide Available For the Holidays To keep children's safety in mind during your holiday shopping, Prevent Blindness America is offering a free toy safety card. The card, designed to fit easily into a wallet, lists safe toy suggestions and provides space to keep your holiday shopping list.

Falls from Shopping Carts Cause Head Injuries to Children Falls from shopping carts are among the leading causes of head injuries to young children. Here are several useful tips to prevent these injuries.

Simple Gift Giving For The Early Years During the holiday season, we are frequently bombarded with advertisements for children's toys that are often expensive or inappropriate, and many adults find themselves at a loss when trying to decide on the right gift for that special child in their lives. Selecting toys for young children is an important task that involves decisions about the kinds of interests, motivation, and skills we want children to develop.

Holiday Preparedness Calendar We've created our annual holiday calendar. It's 30 days of activities and reminders for a healthy, safe, fun and giving holiday season.

CPSC Releases Safety Tips to Prevent Halloween-Related Injuries To help prevent injuries to children this Halloween, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is releasing safety tips. Halloween-related injuries can involve burns from flammable costumes ignited by open flames from items such as candles and jack-o'- lanterns, and abrasions from sharp objects attached to masks or costumes.

Top Ten Tips for Keeping Your Children Safe Under the Sun This article has "Top Ten Tips" on keeping children safe from the sun during summer months.

Preventing Skin Cancer Begins at Birth Protecting your baby's skin willprevent sunburn now and also may guard against a more serious problem in the future. This article describes which children are at a greater risk for sunburns and it describes how to put sunscreen on infants. It also counters commonly held myths about sun exposure.

CPSC Releases Study on Pool Alarm Reliability Pool owners, especially those with young children and grandchildren, should always keep in mind the deadly hazards a pool can pose. Most of the cases of drowning or near-drowning involve residential pools. To prevent this tragedy, many pool owners use pool alarms designed to sound a warning if a child falls into the water.

Safety Barrier Guidelines for Home Pools Swimming pools should always be happy places. Unfortunately, each year thousands of American families confront swimming pool tragedies - drownings and near-drownings of young children. These tragedies are preventable. This U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) handbook offers guidelines for pool barriers that can help prevent most submersion incidents involving young children.

CPSC Warns Consumers of Suffocation Danger Associated withChildren's Balloons The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents and guardians of young children about the suffocation hazard presented by uninflated toy balloons and pieces of broken balloons.

KidSource Calendar/Summer Safety Parents can do quite a bit to ensure the safety of their children during the active summer months. This calendar is filled with 30 ideas, activities and resources to help you get prepared for summer fun and safety. From water safety to vacation safety, and more, this is a great resource to start the summer off on the right foot. Accompanying this chart, are articles and websites, all on summer safety issues.

Playground Safety Signs Are Important Do you know what signs should be on playground equipment? Read this article to learn how these signs can help keep your child safety - whether it's at school, at home or at the local park.

Crib Safety Initiative for Hotels and Resorts The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National SAFE KIDS Campaign today announced a crib and play yard safety initiative to keep children safe when traveling with their families. Recent spot checks by SAFE KIDS found unsafe cribs and play yards in 80 percent of hotels and motels visited.

Eye M.D.s Offer Tips for Safe Toy Selection The American Academy of Ophthalmology -- the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons (Eye M.D.s) --reminds gift givers to keep safety in mind when selecting toys.

CPSC Summary List of Dangerous Recalled Toys This is the summary list of toys, description of problems and contact information for recalled toys still being used by consumers. These are toys that have been recalled in 1998 and 1999.

CPSC Announces Holiday Toy Safety Round-Up The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is conducting a holiday toy safety round-up to get hazardous toys out of people's homes before the holidays. Despite recall notices and public warnings, CPSC has found that many products with the potential to seriously injure or kill are still being used by consumers.

Playground Gifts for the Holidays What better way to get little hearts pumping than to show the kids a new playground wrapped in a bow? None! A new playground in your backyard is sure to bring enjoyment for years to come. Let's keep it a memorable event, year after year, by following some simple rules so that the children do not become injured, or worse.

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Tips for Holiday Shoppers As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges gift-givers to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children. In 1998, CPSC received reports of 14 toy-related deaths and estimates that more than 120,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries.

Parking Lot Safe Driving Tips In anticipation of increasing holiday traffic found around shopping malls and parking lots, here are some precautionary measures drivers can take to ensure safety for themselves and their families.

Holiday Travel Safety Tips Just in time for holiday traveling, here are some helpful safety tips for preparing the family car for safe holiday road trips.

Playgrounds: Keeping Outdoor Learning Safe Parents and teachers may use these tips to promote playground safety and provide children with an outdoor environment that helps them learn and enjoy.

CPSC Releases Safety Tips for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters A few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect children who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween. Read this article before Halloween - before your children select their costumes!

Playground Safety - Equipment Play and Appropriate Behavior Part of being safe on a playground, is knowing how to behave and how to use the equipment correctly. Here are some helpful suggestions for parents to help protect their children.

Top Ten Kids' Birthday Party Tips 95 percent of children under age 10 had some type of celebration for their birthday, and the most frequent place for the celebration is home, either the parents' home or someone else's home. Here are ten great tips to help make your child's party a success - for both you and your child.

Playground Safety - What You Can Do Playground safety has become an increasingly important issue in the past several years. This article focuses on how parental supervision can reduce the risk of playground accidents.

Tips to Keep Your Beach and Lake Vacations Safe Simple reminders to keep these safety tips in mind when playing around water.

Health Travel Tips for Spring-Break March is the month when the most serious cases of cabin fever strike adults and college-students alike. A few basic tips can help keep travelers healthy while on vacation.

CPSC Releases Safety Tips for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters By following these safety tips, consumers will help make this year's Halloween holiday a safe one.

Baby Walkers: A Dangerous Ride Nearly 20,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each year for baby walker-related injuries.

ADA Study Identifies Most Common Sun Protection Activities For Children A study conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) determined that nearly 75% of adults practiced one or more sun protection behaviors with the children, ranging in age from newborn to 12 years old, in their care.

Infants Continue to be Placed in Harm's Way Despite Universal Awareness of Risks Air Bags Although most have heard and are heeding the warnings, alarmingly, 11 percent of parents who regularly transport an infant in a vehicle equipped with a passenger air bag continue to place babies in the front seat -- amounting to as many as 175,000 babies at serious risk. That's according to a survey released today by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.

CPSC Gets New, Safer Baby Walkers on the Market The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is informing consumers of the availability of a new generation of safer baby walkers. These new walkers have features that will reduce the stair-fall injuries associated with traditional baby walkers.

Set Your Sights on Eye Safety: Tips to Help Children See into the Future The eyes have it. Whether they are darting glances or in wide-eyed wonderment, eyes are constantly soaking up visual stimuli. From infancy, children use their eyes to learn about the world around them, so their care should be "eye-deal."

Prevent Drownings of Young Children The arrival of hot weather around much of the nation means many people are now opening the family pool for the summer. Pool owners and parents, especially those with young children, should always keep in mind the hazards a pool can pose. A young child can drown quickly and silently, often without any splashing or screaming. It can happen in just the few minutes it takes to answer the telephone.

NHTSA Announces Comprehensive Plan to Improve Air Bag Technology And Reduce Air Bag Dangers The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced a comprehensive approach to preserve the important safety benefit of air bags while minimizing their danger to children and at-risk adults.

American Academy of Ophthalmology Warning: Homemade 'Potato Guns' Causing Severe Eye Trauma Severe eye injuries, sustained by children playing with a homemade firing device known as a potato gun, are described by Dr. Barker-Griffith, et al., in the March issue of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's peer-reviewed, scientific journal.

CPSC Issues New Safety Standard for Bike Helmets The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously today to issue a new federal safety standard for bike helmets. The new standard will for the first time provide one uniform mandatory safety standard that all bike helmets must meet.

Use Sunscreens as Part of Sun Safety Program Dermatology The American Academy of Dermatology urges Americans not to decrease their sunscreen use following a report this week at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) questioning the protective benefits of sunscreen.

Home Playground Safety Tips Each year, about 200,000 children are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for playground equipment-related injuries - an estimated 148,000 of these injuries involve public playground equipment and an estimated 51,000 involve home playground equipment. Here's a list of home playground safety tips.

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Tips for Holiday Shoppers As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns gift-givers to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children. The CPSC requires labels to be on all toys marketed for children from 3 years old to under 6 years old if the toys pose a choking hazard to children under age 3. These labels tell consumers two critical things: They let them know that a toy is not safe for younger children and why it is not safe.

ASPCA Halloween Safety Tips for Pets & Pet Owners Halloween can be a traumatic and even dangerous time for your pet. Ms. Jacque Schultz, ASPCA Director of Companion Animal Services, offers common-sense tips to protect your pet on Halloween.

CPSC Releases Safety Tips for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters As Halloween approaches, the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents and caregivers that as with trick-or-treaters, Halloween's hazards to children also come in disguise.

Fireworks Fireworks are an important part of our Independence Day celebrations. But these displays also result in numerous injuries to participants and bystanders alike. In the United States, fireworks cause approximately 2,000 eye injuries each year. About one-third of these results in permanent eye damage and one-fourth in permanent vision loss or blindness. The American Academy of Ophthalmology encourages you to view public fireworks displays rather than put on your own show. If you do use fireworks, however, protect your eyes using these recommendations.

CPSC Announces Test Results of Nestle Magic(tm)Toys The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in response to several state agencies' concerns, announced that the Nestle Magic(tm) chocolate- covered ball, containing a Disney toy figure, does not violate federal safety regulations.

Summer Safety Tips from Children's Hospital and Medical Center Now that most children are out of school and on break, summer brings endless hours of sun and fun. Yet it's also an opportunity for both small and serious injuries from playground falls to drownings. Here are some safety tips from Children's Hospital and Medical Center that will help keep your child's summer a safe one.

'Enjoy The Ride Safely'- Advice on How to Safely Transport Your Child Vehicle collisions are the number one cause of injury and death to kids in our country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), current figures show that in 1995, 286,000 children under the age of 15 were injured in car crashes and 1,804 of them died. A significant number of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented.

Have a Safe Trip: Here's How Whether you are planning a long or short trip, Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle offers some traveling, heat and hiking tips to help make your summer vacation more safe and enjoyable.

MSPCC and MSPCA Warn Parents and Pet Owners of Winter Hazards The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) are urging parents and pet owners to guard against serious safety hazards facing children and animals this winter. This article offers ten good suggestions to protect young children and pets.

Veterinarians Offer Simple Tips for Safe Travel With nearly one million American households that moved last year, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reminds pet owners to keep the tips in this article in mind when moving or traveling with pets. These tips will help keep your pet safe and may prevent a loss that would be a traumatic event for your child.

Expert Suggests How Parents Can Choose Safe Toys There is great concern among parents about toy safety for young children. In this article from Discovery Toys, you'll learn about a new product that will help test the safety of small parts on toys. This article also has a toy-safety checklist for parents to use when evaluating toys for their children.

CPSC Issues Warning for Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting consumers and public health officials to steps they can take to reduce entrapment deaths and injuries associated with pools, spas, and hot tubs. The main hazard from hot tubs and spas is the same as that from pools - drowning. Since 1980, CPSC has reports of more than 700 deaths in spas and hot tubs. About one-third of those were drownings to children under age five.Other hazards include body part entrapment and hair entanglement.

Playgrounds: Keeping Outdoor Learning Safe With summer approaching, young children will be eager to take more of their educational play outside. Parents and teachers may use these tips to promote playground safety and provide children with an outdoor environment that helps them learn and enjoy.

Safety Checklist for the Family Vacation Family vacations are a time to relax, but parents need to remain on the lookout for child safety hazards. With America's peak vacation weeks just around the corner, the Window Covering Safety Council has issued a safety checklist for vacationing families staying in a rental cottage or cabin.

How Can We Provide Safe Playgrounds? Outdoor playgrounds can be exciting places where children explore their environment while developing motor and social skills; however, they also can pose serious safety hazards. This brochure discusses common playground hazards and recommends actions that parents and others can take to increase playground safety.

Playground Surfacing Materials The surface under and around playground equipment can be a major factor in determining the injury-causing potential of a fall. This article from the CPSC provides specific details for assessing and installing a playground surface.

Ten Steps Toward a Safer Playground Use this checklist to inspect your local school or community playground

Parents on Right Sun Safety Track: But Still Room for Improvement Most parents have gotten the word about sun safety, but there's still room for improvement especially compared to making sure their children wear their seat belts, eat their fruits and vegetables or wash their hands.

Safe Pool Season Means Carefully Following Safety Tips In addition to using caution and good sense, parents should supervise all pool activities. "Never leave small children unsupervised -- even for just a few seconds," cautions Worters. The I.I.I. offers these tips for a safe and enjoyable swimming pool season.

Halloween Can Be a Pretty Hairy Experience for Pets Halloween can be fun for all members of your family -- both two- and four-legged members -- if you take some simple precautions which include keeping your pets safely inside - a reminder from the United States Humane Society.

For Eyes, Toys Can Mean Trouble Playing is an important part of a child's development, and toys can help stimulate creative play. But the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) cautions parents to select toys carefully this holiday season. Toys are responsible for thousands of eye injuries each year.

Poll Shows Drivers Need Education on Latest Child Auto Safety Guidelines Many drivers don't know or don't follow the advice of safety experts that children are safest riding in the backseat of motor vehicles, according to a new national survey conducted on behalf of Morton International. In this news story, you'll also learn about basic auto safety guidelines for children.

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the Toys They Buy There's no time for dawdling during these final weeks before the holidays. So if you find yourself dazed and confused, meandering endlessly through toy stores, you may appreciate this advice about buying the appropriate toys for children.

NHTSA Permits Manufacturers to Use Lower Powered Air Bags As part of its comprehensive air bag strategy to reduce the risk of death and injury to children and small adults in low speed crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) amended the agency's crash protection standard to give manufacturers additional leeway in producing less powerful air bags.

U.S. Classrooms to Receive Unique Air Bag Safety Course In the wake of recent public concern about air bags and children, Chrysler Corporation (NYSE: C), the American Automobile Association (AAA), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced today that schools and day care centers across the U.S. will receive special educational materials on air bag safety.

NHTSA Proposes Two Changes to Reduce Air Bag Dangers The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a final regulation and two proposed regulations in its continuing effort to preserve the benefits of air bags, while minimizing their danger to children and at-risk adults.

Controlling Swimming Pool Accidents Precautions That Can Help Improve Safety During the hot summer days, many people will turn to swimming pools to cool off. Unfortunately, many swimmers are injured in pool-related accidents. This article offers many tips to help prevent accidents in swimming pools for both public and private use.

Some Timely Tips To Beat This Week's Heat When the weather gets hot, it's time for a quick review of ways to stay cool and to prevent heat related problems. The tips in this article, while written for the elderly, apply to children and families as well.

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Tips for Holiday Shoppers As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns gift-givers to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children. In 1995 CPSC received reports of 21 toy-related deaths and over 150,000 children who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries.

How To Plan For The Unexpected - Prevent Child Drownings In some of the nation's sunbelt, drowning has been the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under 5 years old. The information in this article from the from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, can help parents and caregivers provide young children with the protection they deserve.

CPSC Re-Issues Pool Safety Guidelines As the swimming season begins, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is re-issuing its pool barrier guidelines to help prevent about 300 drownings of children each year in residential swimming pools.

New Toy Labels Mean Safer Holidays For Kids The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission describes the new warning labels on toys that could choke small children.

Inspection Finds Most Safety Seats Improperly Installed Nearly 62 percent of child passenger safety seats inspected last month by State Police were improperly installed, according to Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Paul J. Evanko, who today urged parents to check the child safety seats in their vehicles.

Big Save Sued for Importing Hazardous Children's Products The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that with the Department of Justice it is suing Big Save International Corp. of Los Angeles, Calif., an importer and wholesaler of children's products. Between 1991 and 1995, Big Save imported more than 70,000 banned or mislabeled products including bicycles, baby walkers, pacifiers, rattles, toys, and crayons.

For Kids' Sake: Think Toy Safety The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission describes in detail how careful toy selection and proper supervision of children at play is still -- and always will be -- the best way to protect children from toy-related injuries.

Lawn Darts Are Banned and Should Be Destroyed Effective on December 19, 1988, CPSC banned the sale of all lawn darts in the United States. Pointed lawn darts, intended for use in an outdoor game, have been responsible for the deaths of three children. The most recent injury occurred last week in Elkhart, Ind., when a 7-year-old boy suffered a brain injury after a lawn dart pierced his skull.

Child Safety Protection Act Fact Sheet The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission outlines specific warnings that must be placed on different kinds of toys to warn parents. Specifications and warnings are given for different toy categories.

Soaring Temperatures Pose Deadly Threat to Children Exposure to hot weather could be potentially life-threatening to children. Summer heat can raise temperatures to deadly levels, especially inside of a car. This article warns as temperatures soar, parents and caregivers need to take extra precautions when traveling with children.

CPSC Reminds Pool Owners that Barriers Prevent Drowning The dream of owning a home with a swimming pool can become a nightmare when a young child drowns in that family pool. About 300 children under 5 years old drown each year in residential pools nationwide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds pool owners, especially those with small children, there are steps they can take to help prevent these deaths.

Backyard Pool: Always Supervise Children,Safety Commission Warns According to the CPSC, an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each year in residential swimming pools and spas. The Commission estimates that another 3,000 children under age five are treated in hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents each year.The CPSC offers specific tips for pool owners in this article.

Enjoy Fireworks Safely: Tips for Celebrating on the Fourth People everywhere are fascinated by fireworks -- by the mystery and splendor that light the night sky or turn a backyard into a festival of light and sound. Like nothing else, fireworks can excite, thrill and amaze us. But as dazzling as fireworks can be, they can also be harmful if used improperly. The National Council on Fireworks Safety (NCFS) urges you to put safety first when celebrating this Fourth of July.

Potential Dangers of Air Bags to Children This is a good overview article summarizing the potential dangers of air bags to children. It also summarizes the key safety rules that parents should follow when transporting their children in a car equipped with air bags.

Frequently Asked Questions about Air Bag Safety Frequently Asked Questions about Air Bag Safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The NHTSA answers commonly asked questions about airbag safety and children. The questions cover the dangers of airbags and young children, importance of safety belts, and more.

Drowning Rates Are Highest In Summer According to the authors, each year, more than 900 teenagers drown. With that in mind, this article provides sound recommendations for parents to follow to protect and to educate their children about the dangers of drowning. The information here is relevant to all families, not just those with teenagers.

Major Steps to Improve Air Bag Safety The American Automobile Manufacturers Association announced the implementation of major initiatives designed to further improve air bag safety for vehicle occupants. Air bags and safety belts save lives, but for children, air bags can be deadly. Included in this article is a good list of safety tips for parents to follow when traveling in automobiles with their children.

Evenflo Announces Consumer Corrective Action On Its SIDEKICK Booster Car Seat Evenflo Company, Inc. announced today a consumer corrective action on its SIDEKICK(TM) child restraint system.The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requires that test dummies experience a head injury criteria score of no more than 1,000 during a 30 mile per hour fixed barrier sled test. Recent tests conducted have revealed that some of the SIDEKICK(TM) booster seats can experience head injury criteria scores in excess of 1,000. No injuries have been reported.

Playground Safety Tips This article complements "Playground Safety in Everyone's Responsibility" and it includes a good checklist for parents to use.