Health reminder: Hand washing is key for kids

My son started kindergarten this fall, and thus far the three R’s have taken a backseat to the two H’s. Hygiene and Hand-washing have been the subject of several school-day discussions, coloring projects, and videos. And this cleanliness curriculum has made an impression, with my son now lathering up before meals—without any prompting.

Of course, kindergarteners aren't the only ones being schooled in hand-washing and germ-control these days, as public health officials are urging us all to take steps to stem the spread of swine flu. A recent survey suggests such efforts may be making a difference, as more Americans are embracing good hand hygiene this year than last.

As my 5-year-old will tell you, good hand-washing is something everyone should do to stay healthy—and he'd also be happy to demonstrate proper technique. But in case you don't have an eager kindergartener at hand, here's a how-to video as well as some advice from the CDC:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or longer
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve
• Put used tissues in a waste basket
• Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Read the full Health blog post.

Also see Is the swine flu vaccine safe? and Tips for keeping your child healthy at daycare or preschool for related information.

Baby & child news roundup: Toys, outlet covers, family cars, more

Outlet cover choking hazard. A concerned grandfather wrote to us recently to say that the family of his "toddler granddaughter" had been given some animal-shaped outlet covers that he suspected were more of a hazard than an effective childproofing device. The multi-colored plastic plugs "certainly would seem to be attractive to a toddler," he wrote. Read the full Safety blog post.

Fewer toy recalls, more child injuries. The Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently hailed the significant reduction in toy recalls this year. But the CPSC's annual report showed that there were 172,700 toy-related injuries that sent children under 15 to the nation's emergency rooms in 2008, the highest injury level since 2001. Read the full Safety blog post.

What’s the better family car? "I'm trying to decide between buying a Camry or an Accord, which would you recommend for a family or four with two young children in car seats?" Find out our answer in the Cars blog family sedan chat transcript.

School lunch makeover. Having lived through school lunches of chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes, I realize that many school cafeterias have made some strides. But placing a largely ignored bowl of apples at the end of the line does little. Read the full Health blog post.

Despite risks, teens report texting while driving. A new study shows that a quarter of American teens have texted while driving—dangerous behavior for a group that statistically, already carries significant risks when behind the wheel. Read the full Cars blog post.

Holiday guide: Best toys for children 3 to 6 years old

By 3 years old, children start interacting with each other and engaging in pretend play. They enjoy acting out grown-up roles and using props such as costumes to bring their imaginations to life.

Suggested toys
Electronic toys that convert your TV or PC into a learning/interactive play site, nontoxic art supplies, books, videos, musical instruments, and outdoor toys such as a baseball tee, slide, or swing.

For related information, see our other reports: 

• toys buying guide
• best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies
• best toys for babies 4-10 months old
• best toys for babies 9 months to 1 year old
• best toys for babies and children 1 to 3 years old

Holiday guide: Best toys for babies 1 to 3 years old

Playtime can get messy starting at 1 year old, when children begin to take an interest in emptying, transferring, and rearranging their environment. Filling and dumping are organizing skills that help your toddler to experience how things work and relate to each other. Stacking toys, which kids younger than 1 might enjoy, continue to be fun for kids this age. Starting about 12 months, your baby might also begin walking. From 2 to 3 years old, playing actively and testing physical skills by jumping, climbing, and throwing is the name of the game. Toddlers this age also like using their expanding hand-eye coordination to work with basic arts and crafts, blocks, and simple puzzles.

Suggested toys
Those that encourage your child's budding ambulatory skills, including blocks, books, fit-together toys, push-and-pull toys, pounding and shape toys, fill-and-spill sets, and balls. To bath time, add spoons, a plastic pitcher, measuring cups, and plastic cups to encourage filling and dumping skills without a mess. Toddlers and preschoolers also love ride-on toys and starter tricycles. For more information, see our report on Tricycles, ride-on toys, and scooters.

See best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies, best toys for babies 4-10 months old, and best toys for babies 9 months to 1 year old for more buying advice.

Holiday guide: Best toys for babies 9 months-1 year old

Starting at about 9 months, babies play by shaking, banging, throwing, and dropping toys. They enjoy searching for hidden objects, taking objects out of containers, and poking their fingers into holes. Your baby will be able to grasp objects with her fingers and put one object on top of or into another, such as a ball into a box. Stacking and nesting are another way babies develop eye-hand coordination and learn about spatial relationships. Sorting helps babies to understand the relationships among objects—how they fit together and spatially relate to one another and how they differ in size and shape.

Suggested toys
Lightweight balls, nesting and stacking blocks or cups with rounded edges, pop-up toys that require sliding, toggling, pulling, and turning, squeeze and bath toys, soft dolls, puppets, and baby books, musical toys, and toy telephones and push-pull playthings.

See best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies and best toys for babies 4-10 months old for more buying advice.

Kellogg Co. removes immunity claim from Rice and Cocoa Krispies

If you’ve seen the claim on your box of Rice Krispies or Cocoa Krispies–“Now helps support your child’s immunity”–you might think serving these cereals to your family would arm them with one more layer of protection this cold and flu season. But claims such as these have come under scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last Wednesday, Kellogg Co., the cereals’ manufacturer, decided to remove the immunity statements from those packages.

In a press release issued November 4, 2009, Kellogg’s noted that the company began adding antioxidants to their cereal in 2008 in response to parents’ desire for more nutrition in kids’ cereal. Though antioxidants can help support the immune system, parents need to do more than feed their children cereal to build their immunity.

Some ways to help protect your child’s immunity include helping your child maintain a heathy weight, making sure your child’s immunizations are up to date, keeping the germs in your home under control, checking that their daycare or pre-school maintains good preventive hygiene, and staying in-the-know about swine flu.

--Artemis DiBenedetto, Web associate editor

Pets and animals: Child safety tips

Children often love animals and want to play with them. But a bite from an unfamiliar dog or cat can frighten and harm your child. By teaching your child how to be safe around strange animals, you can prevent a bite from occuring. Here are some tips, plus what to do in the event of a bite or scratch.

Teach your child to stay away from unfamiliar animals. Animals that appear friendly or are cute can still bite, scratch, or have rabies, including adorable dogs and cats. Each year, about 4000,000 children need medical attention for dog bites. This includes all children, not just infants or toddlers. Almost two-thirds of injuries among children 4 and younger are to the head and neck region. Rabies is a disease of mammals but is much more common among wild animals. Most-common carriers are skunks, raccoons, beavers, squirrels, bats, foxes, and coyotes. But even a cute goat at a petting zoo can transmit it.

Supervise children around pets. You might have a sweet older dog or cat that you would never could ever bite or scratch anyone. But even the most docile pet can be provoked into biting or scratching if a small child decides to pull on the pet's ears or tail, or otherwise inadvertently hurts the animal. So don't let your little ones play with your pets unless you are within arm's reach.

What to do if your child is bitten or scratched. Wash a dog or cat bite or scratch immediately and thoroughly for at least five minutes, then call the doctor. Bites, especially around the head or face, require medical attention. If the animal is a stray, call animal control. If you know the owner, find out if the animal has been vaccinated. If your child needs a rabies shot, it must be given as soon as possible. If you have a pet, keep all vaccinations up to date. If a wild animal bites your pet, your pet could be infected, so call your vet immediately.

See more general safety tips for children and pets and homeowners insurers don't like some dog breeds for related information. And see the Consumer Reports Guide to Childproofing & Safety for more great child safety tips, available here and at retailers nationwide.

What tips do you recommend to keep your pets and children safe? Let us know in comments.

Myth: Any temperature over 98.6 F equals fever in children

Most pediatricians consider any thermometer reading above 100.4 degrees F a sign of fever, not 98.6 degrees F as you might suspect. (See baby temperature-taking tips.)

That's because "normal" body temperature fluctuates in each of us throughout the day, depending on our age, general health, activity, how much clothing we're wearing, and the time of day. It's usually lower in the morning and higher between late afternoon and early evening.

There's a "normal," healthy temperature range for everyone. For children, it can run between 98.6 degrees F or so and 100.3 degrees F. Accuracy can vary depending on the temperature-taking method you're using, so mention whether you took your baby's temperature rectally or some other way. Your pediatrician probably will ask anyway. (See our buying advice for thermometers.)

For related information, see Swine flu and young children: Prevention at preschool and daycare, and Is the swine flu vaccine safe for children? (with video).

And see Consumer Reports Best Baby Products guide for more child product buying, use, and safety tips, available here or at retailers nationwide.

Safe sliding at the playground

Making sure the slide is a joy ride takes some caregiver preparedness. Some slides are meant for older and physically advanced children. Preschool-aged children should only use slides that are straight, or they may use spiral slides if they have only one turn of 360 degrees or less, since a child in this age group has limited ability to maintain balance or postural control. (Learn more about safe climbing at the playground.)

For extra safety, teach your child to follow these rules before using a slide:

• Hold onto the ladder with both hands as you climb up the steps of the slide. (Stay behind your child if necessary.)
• Never climb up two steps at a time.
• Don't climb up the front of the slide.
• Slide down sitting up with your feet first.
• Never slide head first.
• No sliding on your stomach.
• No kneeling to slide.
• Only one child should slide down at a time.

Learn more about playground germs, playing it safe on the swings, what to do when a child's nose bleeds, and best outdoor toys.

See the Consumer Reports Guide to Childproofing & Safety for more great child safety tips, available here or at retailers nationwide.

Playground safety: Quick tips for safe climbing

 
To avoid injury or worse, make sure your kids know (and that you help them follow) these rules before using any climbing equipment at the playground or in a backyard:

• Use both hands as well as the correct grip.
• Watch out for other children while climbing.
• Be just as cautious climbing down as climbing up.
• Stay a safe distance away from the child in front of you.
• Climb in the same direction as other children, starting at the same end of the equipment.
• Take your time, and climb carefully.
• Don't use climbing apparatus when it's wet.
• Watch out for other children's swinging feet.

Learn more about playground germs, playing it safe on the swings, what to do when a child's nose bleeds, and best outdoor toys.

See the Consumer Reports Guide to Childproofing & Safety for more great child safety tips, available here or at retailers nationwide.

Baby & child news weekly roundup

Be safe while trick-or-treating. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths among young pedestrians (ages 5 to 14) is four times higher on Halloween evening that any other evening of the year. Drivers should be extremely cautious on Halloween. For more safety tips, see the full Safety blog post.

Recall: "My Baby Soother" pacifiers. Earlier this week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an announcement urging parents and caregivers to stop using “My Baby Soother” pacifiers due to a choking hazard. The pacifiers, distributed by T & L Trading of Brooklyn, NY, fail to meet federal safety standards because the nipples can separate from the base easily, posing a choking hazard to infants and toddlers. T & L Trading has refused to recall these pacifiers, despite the fact they are in violation of the law. See the full Safety blog post.

Three more companies recall shades and blinds. Almost one million roman shades and roller blinds were recalled this week after three more children became entangled in the cords. Fortunately, the children were discovered before they were further harmed—unlike three other children who strangled on the cords of blinds and died. Learn more in the full Safety blog post.

Trim the tree? Deck the halls? Trim the budget is more like it. This holiday season, according to the new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, consumers are cutting back their holiday spending and using creative ways to fill the gift gap. Luckily for them, our survey reveals that grandchildren and grandparents stand the best chance of getting something this season. See the full Money blog post.

Out in left field. Whether you’re photographing a World Series game or your child’s soccer match, capturing sharp images while freezing the action in a sporting event poses two special challenges: You’re far from the action and your subjects may be moving quickly and unpredictably. Learn the only practical way to conquer the distance problem in the full Electronics blog post.

Safety tips, on and around the school bus

 
It's National School Bus Safety Week, and a good time to remember some essential safety tips on and around school buses.

Be aware of the bus danger zone. This is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of being hit. Your child should stay as far away from the bus as possible unless he is boarding or exiting. At a minimum he should stay 10 feet away from the front and sides of the bus and should never walk behind it. Teach your kids to take five giant steps out from the front of the bus and then wait for the driver to signal that it’s OK to cross.

Move away from the bus carefully after exiting. Even though drivers are not supposed to pass a bus as children are leaving it, some still do. Your child needs to make sure that no cars are passing the bus before she moves away from it. After the bus driver signals that it’s OK to cross in front, your child should then look to her left and right to make sure no other vehicles are passing before she crosses the street.

Tell your child to take his time getting on or off the bus. He should never hurry. You don’t want him to trip and fall under, behind, or in front of the bus. And he should wait for the driver to signal that it’s OK to board. Children should board the bus one at a time.

Horseplay should not be allowed around the bus stop. It takes only a moment for a child to fall in front of or under a bus.

Never pick up something near a bus. Tell your child that no matter how important the item is, she should never bend down to pick it up. The driver can’t see her, and she could be hit by the bus or slip under it. If she drops something, she should tell the driver and let him or the bus monitor retrieve it.

Get more safety tips in Consumer Reports Guide to Childproofing and Safety guide.

Swine flu and young children: Prevention at daycare and preschool

If you’re sending your child to a child care center, preschool, or other program, you may be nervous about what to do now that swine flu is in our midst. And that’s not unwarranted, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated children younger than 5 years a high-risk group for complications when it comes to this virus. (Infants younger than 6 months old are at the highest risk because they are too young to receive the seasonal or swine flu vaccine.) In fact, children 6 months and older are on the CDC’s list of those who should get vaccinated first.

As of now, authorities expect that children will require two doses of the swine flu vaccine, because their bodies have less experience developing immunity. But other common-sense measures can help prevent the spread of the virus. As we’ve mentioned in previous reports, while the CDC is still determining how severe the swine flu will be this year, they’re also publicizing preventive measures schools and child-care centers can take to offset its impact.

Here are some things parents can ask their caregivers, to be proactive about staying healthy.

According to swine flu advice from the CDC, any child care center or preschool should:

• Make sure all caregivers have received the seasonal flu vaccine, and the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. This applies to anyone who lives with or baby sits a young child.
• Make contingency plans to cover for staff who become ill.
• Update staff sick policies so they can stay home if they or a family member are sick. (A doctor’s note to validate illness should not be required.)
• Update contact information for families and staff in case of an emergency.
• Frequently remind children, families, and staff about the importance of staying home when ill.
• Strengthen the school or center’s sick policy to require parents to keep at home any child who has the symptoms of swine flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea or vomiting. Children and teachers should remain at home and away from others until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater (without the help of fever-reducing medication). Early childhood programs may want to require longer periods of exclusion before returning to the classroom.
• Separate ill children and staff from others if they develop symptoms while at the program, and until they can be sent home.
• Enlist the help of a qualified early-childhood health consultant—a licensed health professional, such as a nurse—experienced with health issues in out-of-home care.
• Conduct daily health checks, which includes observing all children and staff, and talking with each child’s parent or guardian and the child soon after arriving at the program. Caregivers should look for changes in the child’s behavior, and any signs or symptoms of illness, throughout the day.
• Provide adequate time for children and staff to wash their hands with soap and water (alcohol-based sanitizer is a second choice—but not if hands are visibly soiled), and parents and early childhood providers should wash the hands of children who cannot yet wash themselves. Soap, water, and paper towels should be readily available.
• Teach children to keep their hands away from their eyes, nose, and mouth, and cover noses and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• Routinely clean facilities, particularly items and areas that are likely to have contact with young children’s hands and mouths, such as toys and play areas.
• If flu severity increases, avoid bringing groups of children from different classes together. Utilize larger play spaces to allow space between children, and conduct activities outdoors when possible.
• Encourage families to seek medical treatment for flu-like symptoms early on to potentially decrease the severity of the illness.
• In partnership with public health officials, consider closing the facility if flu transmission is high to help decrease the spread of flu among children, balancing the risk of exposure with the social and economic disruption of closing.

What parents can do:
 
• Have your children age 6 months and older vaccinated to protect against seasonal influenza and swine flu.
• If your child who is younger than 5 develops flu-like illness, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible to determine if they need antiviral treatment.
• Check in regularly with the child care center to find out if other kids in your child’s class are sick (and check the CDC Web site, too, for ongoing updates as they become available).
• Keep children home if anyone in the household has flu-like symptoms to reduce transmission to others outside the home.
• Review basic hand-washing tips yourself, and with young children.
• Look to their early childhood providers and state and local health officials for information and guidance on swine flu in their specific location.
• On weekends and days off from school, consider activities that do not involve large crowds, such as home activities or walks, to reduce potential exposure to infected individuals.