Overlooked Choking Hazard

Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics appealed to the Food and Drug Administration to have warning labels placed on hot dog packages. Why? Research has shown that 17% of choking incidents involving food were cause by hot dogs. This is not news to me. In fact when our daughter was at the age where she could eat solid foods my husband was quite adamant about cutting up our daughters hot dogs to the consistancy of pre-chewed food. At the time I willingly obligued believing I was accomodating his over protective daddyness. I soon realized through research that hotdogs are resposible for the majority of choking incidents in children under 3. Coming up close behind are hard candy and grapes.

The reason is obvious for hard candy and grapes, they are around, they are hard and they plug the throat like a cork. Most parents don't view hot dogs in that manner, for some reason we brush them off as soft, maliable and safe. Trust me, they're not, so please if you want to give your kids hot dogs cut them up first.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate sitation of having a choking child do you know what to do? First things first, DO NOT stick your finger in your childs mouth to try and pull it out of their throat. You could inadvertantly push it farther in, making it harder to dislodge. If the child is coughing and gagging, give them firm pats on the back to help dislodge the object. If this does not help, place child down your leg, or on your forearm, head down and pat their back firmly. The patting and gravity will usually work to dislodge the object. Don't be alarmed if the child vomits, this is the body's natural reaction to help clear the way. Use the link below to review the procedures and consider looking into first aid courses for children and infants. Most YMCA's and/or Fire Departments offer some CPR/First Aid courses. It's a good place to start and they can point you in the right direction.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_infant-first-aid-for-choking-and-cpr-an-illustrated-guide_9298.bc

Here is a link to a story about the dangers of Hot Dogs:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/EB9C681D789227F2862576EF000E1C1D?OpenDocument

Autism Benefit

The Tiny Toes Boutique is participating in an event to raise money for Autism Research. The event is being hosted by Bridgette McDonald, owner of Roka Boutique. The event will take place on Thursday, August 29th from 5pm to 9pm. There will be a silent auction, live auction and raffle give away. I strongly encourage everyone to participate in this event. Autism is near and dear to my heart as one of my brothers is living with Autism.

Research to help prevent, treat and rid our children of Autism is of utmost importance. Please consider a small donation if you are unable to attend the event. Every donation counts!

Please visit the link below to learn more about this event:

http://www.facebook.com/mamalego#!/event.php?eid=113246278706251&ref=mf

Recently we've all heard about the tragic deaths related to the baby sling carriers and the subsequent recall. I admit that in the past I too used a sling type carrier, however I did not do so until my daughter was one. They made me nervious for the very reasons that they have now been found to be dangerous. I was concerned first with my daugther falling out and second that all that fabric might suffocate her.

When mom indroduced me the the My Baby Nest, my fears of using this product were quickly set aside as my son was in an upright position. He was still close to me but becaue of the sling design I could have him in either a nursing position, or an upright position. Most importantly in the nursing position he was still above my breast. This is important because I could see his face and know that he was still accessing fresh air.

For this reason I continue to carry the My Baby Nest wrap, a safe alternative to the baby sling carriers that are currently being recalled. To read more about the recall visit the link below.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10177.html

Operation Christmas Child

Each year a non-profit group called Samaritans Purse lauches Operation Christmas Child. The program provides Christmas presents to children around the world who would otherwise receive nothing. These are often children who are orphaned because of violence. Some are even physically marred by the violence they have experienced. Operation Christmas Child collects shoe boxes filled with gifts for boys and girls of various ages and delivers them around the world. (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/)

These small gifts are so charished by these children. Although the collection time for this event has passed, there are other ways to give this holiday season. As you walk through the store looking at toys, games and clothes, ask yourself, "Does my son/daughter really need another Wii game? Does he/she have toys from last year they never even played with after the first day? Would it be too burdensome for me to put one thing for my child back and give something to a child in need?"

Now more than ever our nation is filled with children and families in need. I urge you to look into how you can help in your community, whether it be food banks, volunteer opportunities or Christmas Angels. Do something for someone in need, the reward you get in return is beyond value.