Friday, September 28, 2018
What You Need to Know about Outlet Covers
The small plastic outlet plug in model which I have used for decades may be a choking hazard. If your cover is small enough to fit through a toilet paper roll, then it is a choking hazard. There are covers that screw into the wall over outlet plate and slide shut over outlets when outlet is not in use. This eliminates the choking hazard problem and in addition you will never lose it or forget to put it back in when you are finished using the outlet.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
More Ideas for Rear Facing Baby Seats
After my post regarding the rear facing mirrors for your baby, it was brought to my attention by my son-in-law, who is a father of two young children, that there was another alternative. I did some research regarding baby cams for rear facing car seats. I found three options.
The Yada Digital Tiny Traveler Wireless Video Baby Monitor costs around $150. It was the least expensive of the three but it requires two cigarette outlets to power and the cords provided seemed to break a lot. The cords seemed to be a hazard.
The Zooby Wifi Direct Portable Video Baby Monitor is the only certified crash tested stuff animal car baby monitor. It has two-way talk, night vision, plays three lullabies, zoom in capabilities and is android compatible. This unit costs around $170, but has mixed reviews. There is some difficulty with charging as the monitor requires a USB port and the camera has a micro USB port. Both camera and monitor must be turned off when leaving the car. It was often reported to freeze up or shut off and the sound quality was not very good.
The Garmin Baby Camera seems to be the best option. The camera costs around $190 but it only works with a Garmin GPS. Since most of us use our phones as a GPS, a Garmin GPS would also need to be purchased, bringing the total to about $350 for both. It can be used for rear facing or front facing car seats. It is easy to install to the car headrest with a twist to clamp bracket. It uses 2 AA batteries and the GPS can be hooked to up to four cameras in order to monitor more than one child. It is voice activated and informs parent that child is still in car when car is shut off. I really like this feature since there are a number of infant car deaths each year because parents have forgotten children in their cars.
The Yada Digital Tiny Traveler Wireless Video Baby Monitor costs around $150. It was the least expensive of the three but it requires two cigarette outlets to power and the cords provided seemed to break a lot. The cords seemed to be a hazard.
The Zooby Wifi Direct Portable Video Baby Monitor is the only certified crash tested stuff animal car baby monitor. It has two-way talk, night vision, plays three lullabies, zoom in capabilities and is android compatible. This unit costs around $170, but has mixed reviews. There is some difficulty with charging as the monitor requires a USB port and the camera has a micro USB port. Both camera and monitor must be turned off when leaving the car. It was often reported to freeze up or shut off and the sound quality was not very good.
The Garmin Baby Camera seems to be the best option. The camera costs around $190 but it only works with a Garmin GPS. Since most of us use our phones as a GPS, a Garmin GPS would also need to be purchased, bringing the total to about $350 for both. It can be used for rear facing or front facing car seats. It is easy to install to the car headrest with a twist to clamp bracket. It uses 2 AA batteries and the GPS can be hooked to up to four cameras in order to monitor more than one child. It is voice activated and informs parent that child is still in car when car is shut off. I really like this feature since there are a number of infant car deaths each year because parents have forgotten children in their cars.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Keeping Up with Baby Recalls is Important
New parents should keep an eye out for baby items that have been recalled. They are taken off the store shelves but it is impossible to notify parents who purchased these items prior to the recall. Sometimes these new items run into more problems then they are solving. They are taken off the store shelves but it is impossible to notify parents who purchased these items prior to the recall.
Here are some of the recent baby recalls you should be aware of: some of the baby gates, wipe warmers, bumper pads and bath rings. The suction on the bath ring has come unstuck and the child tips over and has been the cause of 123 infant drownings since 1983, that is just under 4 deaths each year. Some of the baby gates are constructed in such a way that a toddler can climb up on them. Some of these baby gates have been responsible for baby strangulation deaths. Wipe warmers can become a fire hazard. An alternative way of warming baby wipes is holding them in your hands for a moment and they will warm right up. Bumper pads have been a baby staple for a long time but they may cause a risk once the baby is able to roll over. The baby could roll over and press their face against the bumper pad and suffocate.
No need to panic, just keep informed. You are better at this parenting thing than you think!
Here are some of the recent baby recalls you should be aware of: some of the baby gates, wipe warmers, bumper pads and bath rings. The suction on the bath ring has come unstuck and the child tips over and has been the cause of 123 infant drownings since 1983, that is just under 4 deaths each year. Some of the baby gates are constructed in such a way that a toddler can climb up on them. Some of these baby gates have been responsible for baby strangulation deaths. Wipe warmers can become a fire hazard. An alternative way of warming baby wipes is holding them in your hands for a moment and they will warm right up. Bumper pads have been a baby staple for a long time but they may cause a risk once the baby is able to roll over. The baby could roll over and press their face against the bumper pad and suffocate.
No need to panic, just keep informed. You are better at this parenting thing than you think!
Monday, September 17, 2018
To baby mirror or not to baby mirror, that is the car seat question
Recently, it was brought to my attention that some individuals who are certified to properly install a car seat are having new parents take down the mirrors that allow drivers to see their rear facing babies. I did some research and found that these certified individuals are not all in agreement about these mirrors. Since there is no definitive answer regarding this topic, I will provide information from both sides and leave the decision up to you.
Those in favor of taking down the mirror feel that this can first and foremost be a distraction for the driver. If the driver is frequently looking in the rear-view mirror to check on the baby instead of paying attention to the road, the driver is more likely to get in an accident. In addition, they believe that the baby mirror could become dislodged in an accident and injure or kill the baby. They state the when dislodged the mirror could either hit the baby with force or cut the baby if the mirror breaks. There were no reported statistics regarding either of these two scenarios.
Those in favor of the mirror feel that parents are better able to monitor a baby in a rear-facing car seat with the mirror. They also stated the there were no reported infant injuries due to these mirrors, although there have been a few reports of parents intervening when their baby was choking or vomiting in their car seat. They do acknowledge that these mirrors can be a distraction for the driver but raising awareness about this may reduce this risk.
My feelings on this topic are as follows: being aware that these mirrors may be a distraction to your driving and only checking on baby when it is safe may eliminate most of the concerns. The models most at risk for becoming a projectile in an accident seem to be those mirrors that have additional things attached such as music, lights and toys or those models that rely solely on velcro to attach it to the car. They are heavier and may be more likely to dislodge. Mirrors that are lightweight and have rounded edges that are cushioned might be a better choice. In addition, I found several companies that had developed a mirror that could be placed in the middle seat and angled so that the baby could be monitored from the rear-view mirror. Other designs attach to headrest with velcro and hooks as well. A third option that I found was a mirror that attached to the ceiling of the car like a tension rod.
No matter what your decision regarding the mirror is, always drive safely. Remember you have precious cargo on board.
Those in favor of taking down the mirror feel that this can first and foremost be a distraction for the driver. If the driver is frequently looking in the rear-view mirror to check on the baby instead of paying attention to the road, the driver is more likely to get in an accident. In addition, they believe that the baby mirror could become dislodged in an accident and injure or kill the baby. They state the when dislodged the mirror could either hit the baby with force or cut the baby if the mirror breaks. There were no reported statistics regarding either of these two scenarios.
Those in favor of the mirror feel that parents are better able to monitor a baby in a rear-facing car seat with the mirror. They also stated the there were no reported infant injuries due to these mirrors, although there have been a few reports of parents intervening when their baby was choking or vomiting in their car seat. They do acknowledge that these mirrors can be a distraction for the driver but raising awareness about this may reduce this risk.
My feelings on this topic are as follows: being aware that these mirrors may be a distraction to your driving and only checking on baby when it is safe may eliminate most of the concerns. The models most at risk for becoming a projectile in an accident seem to be those mirrors that have additional things attached such as music, lights and toys or those models that rely solely on velcro to attach it to the car. They are heavier and may be more likely to dislodge. Mirrors that are lightweight and have rounded edges that are cushioned might be a better choice. In addition, I found several companies that had developed a mirror that could be placed in the middle seat and angled so that the baby could be monitored from the rear-view mirror. Other designs attach to headrest with velcro and hooks as well. A third option that I found was a mirror that attached to the ceiling of the car like a tension rod.
No matter what your decision regarding the mirror is, always drive safely. Remember you have precious cargo on board.
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