Bona Vista's Child Care Solutions

In the frenzy of the holidays, it's easy to overlook safety hazards. But while you're busy wrapping the presents, lighting the candles, or trimming the tree, it's important to keep the following in mind:

Every little button and ornament is a potential choking hazard
You already know that toddlers will put almost anything in their mouths, so watch where you're leaving that bowl of tiny pinecones or potpourri. Wreaths, ornaments, Holiday scenes, and other decorations with unsecured pieces become choking hazards if left within reach of little hands. Be sure to keep seasonal decorations and dishes of holiday treats — especially nuts, candies with hard shells, and hard candies — well out of your child's reach on high tables or counters. Finally, clean up carefully when wrapping presents. Young toddlers love scrap pieces of tape, ribbon, and wrapping paper (especially shiny foil papers) and could choke on them. And you don't want your child getting his hands on scissors and other sharp tools used to cut paper and ribbon.

Candles and matches create a fire hazard
Young children are drawn to flames, so keep lit candles well out of your child's reach. Don't put lit candles on a tablecloth or anything else that your child could pull down or knock over. And always keep lit candles far away from your tree and never let a candle burn in an unoccupied room. Place lighted menorahs, or any type of live fire, in a safe spot.

Lights and other tree decorations can be dangerous
Strings of electric lights are as dangerous as they are attractive to young children, who can easily get wrapped up in the wires and risk being strangled or even electrocuted. And while tinsel can make a tree sparkle, it's also a choking hazard. If you use strands of tinsel or lights of any kind, hang them high and out of your child's reach.

Lead may lurk in unexpected places
Like nearly all appliance cords, most strings of Christmas tree lights are coated with plastic that contains lead. The amount of lead varies widely, and it's hard to say how dangerous it might be. To be safe, don't let your child handle the lights.

Lead is also a concern if you have an artificial tree that's old. Some of these trees may contain unsafe levels of lead and give off dust that can spread lead through the air. Throw out any suspect artificial trees and replace them with either the real thing or a modern imitation. When buying an artificial tree, check for lead warning labels.

Holdiay Plants
Although pretty and festive, some holiday plants may be poisonous to you and your children. Be sure to check with your local nursery before purchasing any holiday plants.

As you flip through prenatal books and baby store catalogs you are bombarded with pictures of babies serenely sleeping, giggling, or curiously gazing at the camera. For many these pictures become a rarity in the early days of parenting. What we see instead is a face red and puckered from crying. So what is all the crying about?

When babies cry it can become frustrating. It is normal to feel discouraged, helpless, and even embarrassed at not being able to soothe your baby. Crying is a baby’s major form of communication. It is establishing what the cry means that can be challenging. A problem solving approach can often be best. So, consider sorting through the following to see if your little one has an unmet need:

• Hunger-Not all babies eat at regular intervals. It is not unusually for some babies to eat much more one day than another. A hungry baby will often cry intensely before a feeding or after. If you are not sure if your little one is hungry then try feeding a small amount of milk. If the milk is only taken a little before your baby turns away hunger is probably not the main cause of the crying.
• Boredom/ Feeling Overwhelmed- a baby who is not tired will not sleep and will cry out of boredom. Try singing songs or placing your baby on his/her tummy while you play together for tummy time. A baby will also cry if too much is going on in the environment. When a baby is overwhelmed some other signs are often excessive drooling, averting eyes, and hiccups. To calm an over-stimulated baby use soft tones and remove as many of the stimuli as possible.
• Needing Comfort- as adults when we become upset we calm ourselves down with deep breaths, taking a walk, meditating, etc. babies are not capable of self soothing. To help a baby calm down a few tricks can work wonders. Sucking is a natural calming response that babies actual display prenatally. Sucking on a pacifier, finger, or thumb can sometimes help calm a fussy baby. Holding a baby while you rock to create a gentle swinging motion helps recreate womb like comforts and can also help ease crying. Soothing sounds such as a lullaby or shh sound can also help but remember your singing has to be louder than the crying for the baby to be able to hear it.
  
• Hurt-do a head to toe look over your little one. Especially sensitive babies could cry because a sock is too tight, or a piece or hair is caught around a finger. Doing a check to make sure that your little one does not have any sore spots is always a good idea
• Too hot or too cold- We tend to overdress babies and being too hot is no fun. The ideal room temperature for an infant is about 68 degrees, a baby should not be sweaty, or shivering.
• Wet or dirty diaper- not all babies are as intensely bothered by soiled diapers as others, but changing diapers frequently can help prevent diaper rash which can be extremely painful.
• Tiredness-babies can become very tired quickly, but they will often struggle to fall asleep. A little background noise can often help a baby fall to sleep, remember the womb was full of the noises of mom’s heartbeat and more so babies are not accustomed to extreme quiet. Try turning a radio to a static station, running a vacuum cleaner, or using a noise maker to create white noise.

If you are still struggling with working through crying do not be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your child’s pediatrician, share your struggles at a new mommy or new dad’s group, or call your resource and referral agency and ask for the infant and toddler specialist.