School's Out, Summer's Here....

Summer's here and with that, it brings a complete different set of safety rules to the table. Here in New England, summer means longer days, warmer days and plenty of bugs. It also means sunburns, ticks, misqutoe bites and water activities. Each of these are items which can be prevented, if you take a few precautions.

Mom Central has joined with The Clorox Company and the MommyDocs to offer the following summer survival tips from MommyDocs.

• Have a Sun Protection Strategy: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sunscreen with a minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15. Look for products that provide "broad spectrum" coverage to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Use this sunscreen routine with your child--daily application 30 minutes before going outside and reapplication every 2 hours (or sooner if swimming, toweling off, or sweating). Creating a routine will establish good habits for the future. In addition, don't forget a wide brim hat, sunglasses with 99-100% UVA/UVB protection, and sun protective clothing.

For my girls, they know that before we go out, it means we need to apply sunscreen. I keep sunblock in my van, in bags, and near each door of the house. I know I lapse on reapplying sunscreen and occasionally forget, but a little vitamin D is also good for the body. I think many parent's biggest lapse (myself included) is to apply sunscreen on cloudy days. The suns rays are just as strong even when you can't see the sun.

• Keep Pests off Your Little One: In the summer, many insects can bite or sting your child. For pesky mosquitoes and ticks, consider a DEET containing insect repellant. Apply sparingly to exposed skin (avoid backs of hands and around the eyes and mouth) and/or to clothing once a day. As the percentage of DEET goes up, the duration of action increases. To prevent unnecessary exposure, always use the lowest percentage that will last for the planned length of time spent outdoors. Never go above 30% or use on children under 2 months old.
  

We have two types of insect repellent around the house, depending on our activity. For everyday use in our heavy mosquito filled yard, I use Skin so Soft from Avon. It's gentle on the skin and keeps the misquote's at bay. This is expecially important as Moe is highly sensative to insect bites and we live in areas where West Nile Virus is present as summer wears on. When we are trekking through the woods on one of our many hiking adventures, I use an insect repellent with DEET. I've already pulled two deer ticks off of us this summer, we don't need any more. I remember one of our first hiking forays, there was a location on the path that was non-navitable so we had to tread through some underbrush. We left that section of woods covered in ticks. There were no fewer than 50! covering our legs, shirts and shoes. They were, however, dog ticks and not carriers of Lyme Disease.

• Keep the Pool Cool and Clean: Small yard pools provide a great way for kids to have fun and cool down when the temperature rises, but they can also harbor germs, such as bacteria. To keep the pool free from unwanted "swimmers," after each use disinfect it with bleach by cleaning with a solution of ¾ cup regular bleach to one gallon of water, then rinse well and dry thoroughly. Safety must: Always supervise children regardless of age when they are around any water; whether it's a bucket, a small backyard plastic pool, or the local community pool.

Like many American's, we have a kiddie pool that the kids like to frolic in when the weather gets hot. Each night, we empty it and set it up to dry. I have to admit, I haven't disinfected it, but I remember growing up, my mom using bleach on our pool all th time. I also remember the sting of our eyes as there was always a little bleach mixed in the water. Supervision is a must, but I admit, as a parent of three little one's, occasionally I am out of sight. However, I insist at times like that, that the girls are in verbal contact with me at all times.

• High Heat Means Hydrate: Excessive heat exposure may cause your child to experience a heat-related illness such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or even heat stroke. How to prevent this: take breaks in the shade, avoid playing outside during peak sun exposure hours, and drink, drink, drink! Make sure your child is taking in plenty of fluids before he become thirsty.

For sports, I got the girls some reusable sports bottles. On really hot days or days where were are outside for long periods of time, I make the girls fill up their bottles and keep them at their side. I also encourage frequent water breaks. It's imoprtant to keep hydrated and for parents to know the warning signs of heat related illnesses.

• Rid Rashes and Relieve Itchies: Running through the yard in bare feet, taking a nature walk on a trail, and picnicing in the park are some of the joys of warmer weather. But all of this outdoor activity can expose your child to a host of plants including those which cause poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. If an allergic reaction occurs, ask the pediatrician about an oral antihistamine and/or a topical skin care product such as a steroid cream or calamine. If the rash is extensive, looks infected, or is not getting better, call your doctor right away.

My girls do not yet know how to spot plants that will make them itchy, but they are learning. So far, we've been lucky to make it through the previous summers itch free. But I always keep hydrocortizone cream and Calamine Lotion on hand for such emergencies!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend and don't forget to swing by MommyDocs to brush up on some warm weather safety tips.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Today was rather rainy, so what better time than now to do a review of the Rice Krispies site . I went through it first, since I was a first time visitor before allowing Meenie and Moe to have at it.

Obviously, they spent the most amount of time in the "playground" or games section. They fluttered from one to another, but after a short amount of time, started asking for another site. I encouraged them to stay here and look around.

One feature I liked about some of the pre-school games was that they are two player. In our long list of mom-approved bookmarked sites, I don't believe there are any that are two player (and if there are, I'm drawing a blank). So it makes it easy for Moe to play with me, or for any of the girls to play with each other. It also helps to lessen the complaints of "she's not sharing, I want a turn".

The games in themselves are not very difficult. Again, while I have numerous pages bookmarked for the older girls, I have a hard time finding games suitable for Moe. Even the games labeled as "Kindergarten" were very straight-forward and easy. The girls were able to figure them out without reading the directions (because you know, who wants to wait while mom reads the directions?). Meenie was disappointed that on the "paint shop play" page, she couldn't pick her own colors. It did allow you a choice if you clicked more than once in a section, however it doesn't give you the freedom to create your own works of art. Unless of course, you print out a black and white copy (which I tend to discourage or else I'd have enough printed pages to cover my walls).

Another part of the site the girls liked was the music videos. If your familiar with my blog, you know that my girls like music and like YouTube. So the "Box of Fun" song by Ralph's World was much more appropriate than many of their likes. Even if it means that I'm going to need to buy Rice Krispies for the next bazillion years. Or until they forget about the music video. Because you know, you can't just listen to it once.

There were some recipes on there that we may try - I'm always looking for new snacks - in the future. The girls love cooking, so anything that we can make together is always high on my list. I was actually surprised at how many recipes were listed - I assumed there would be only a few. Many of them have a fast prep time too, which means it should keep the girls interest from start to finish. Now if I could get them to clean up afterwards!

The rest of the items on the website were geared more towards adults. From the Tale of Rice Krispies (did you know they've been around since 1932?) to nutritional information to newsletter. There is also a link to Operation Spark, which aims to strengthens the bond in a family through play. It has games and activities for kids to do as well as hints on how to make to most of time together, be it bed time, meal time or that little time between activities. And lastly, there was coupon for a new flavor of Rice Krispies.

Overall, it's a good play to find games for younger preschoolers. I know I'll bring Moe back to it when her sister is in school so she can learn how to navigate and play some games on her own. And I'll leave it bookmarked for the older girls to play at their own free will. And I'm sue those recipes will one day come in handy, so I'll keep it as a snack resource as well.