Boat Safety For Kids

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Guests

Everybody loves a day out on the water, especially the kids. Children savor life’s experiences and treasure the memories forever. However, the little ones do not have the cognitive skills that an adult has to sense danger and keep themselves safe. You want to give your babies and toddlers a fabulous day out and do everything correctly to keep them safe and sound. The first step is to make sure your BC boat license is up-to-date and follow the top 5 safety rules for kids on a boat.

1. Life Jackets
Your kids should have a life jacket just their size. These durable and reliable life preservers are able to secure an infant as young as four months. When fitting your child into the life jacket, be sure the straps are secure enough that the child cannot wiggle out of them, yet loose enough not to constrict their blood circulation.

2. Sunscreen
If you’re boating with baby, keep your child under a covered canopy, whether fitted to the boat or a shade you bring yourself. Remember that your baby has virgin skin that has never seen the sun and will sustain a serious sunburn within a short period of time to sun exposure.

3.  Emergency CPR
Learn how to do emergency CPR. Kids can run like jackrabbits and all it takes is one second for them to accidentally fall overboard. Although the child’s life jacket will keep his or her head above water, the initial shock of a fall causes the child to gasp, and therefore take water into the lungs. Your boat communications system will send you a rescue unit, however a parent or guardian should be able to sustain the child until help arrives. CPR instruction is a snap to learn and available through community classes or from a safety training manual.

4. Make Yourself Mobile
The parent or guardian with babies and toddlers on board a boat should wear comfortable non-skid shoes. Solid footing on a boat is a preventive measure to enable you to react quickly to an emergency situation. Thong sandals do not provide a firm footing on a contoured deck and bare feet can spell disaster if you slip. Rubber soled shoes are ideal for boating and the safest footwear for persons responsible for children.

5. Supervise 100% Of the Time
Enjoy your day on the water and be sure to keep a sharp eye on the children. Kids have no sense of danger and may lean over the boat and fall into the water. In addition to their lungs filling with water, a child who falls directly down from the deck is at risk of a concussion should their head hit the side of the boat. Be sure to remain vigilant and never let them out of your sight.

Studies have shown that children who are introduced to new and exciting experiences at an early age are likely to develop a mind with broad interests. This head start in life can open your child’s mind to do better in academics, lay the foundation for avarice reading, and prepare them for a healthy dose of physical activities. Boating is a wonderful outlet of new sights, sounds and scents. Your little ones are eager to experience the world, so be sure to make it as safe and sound as you can.

Filed under: Parenting | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Fun Baby Shower Ideas

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Guests

If you’ve ever been to a baby shower were you played games like Pin the Sperm on the Egg and Never Say Baby you may sigh and dread baby shower invitations.  There are hundreds of ridiculous and, let’s be honest—awkward—baby shower games.  Some of them are all right if your guests have all had babies of their own, but these days you may have men attend or women who don’t really like baby stuff.  Baby showers are a celebration for the mother and her unborn child, but should be inclusive and not alienate those who are uncomfortable with things getting too baby-centric.  Here are a few ideas for baby showers that will be fun and comfortable for all parties involved.

Painting Onesies
Buy a few packages of plain white onesies and t-shirt paints.  Set up a station and let everyone get creative.  At my sister’s baby shower someone painted one that said, “Milk is for Closers” and had a little business tie on it.  We all got a real kick out of that one.

Baby Proof The House
This may sound like a job and therefore weird to ask people to do at a party, but having people, especially seasoned parents, help you make things safe can be fun, inclusive and practical.

Alcohol
Obviously the mom-to-be can’t have alcohol, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have at least wine and beer mixed in at the beverage station among the tea and soda.  Depending upon the guest list, some people feel like they’re being treated like a child when there aren’t 21 and up privileges available.

Parenting Advice
You can play a speed game kind of like hot potato, where you all sit in a circle and toss a baby rattle or toy around and each person has to give the mother-to-be parenting advice.  It can be silly, but it has to be fast, there is a penalty of more than a 3-second stall of having to don some embarrassing attire or stuff a marshmallow in their mouth.

Baby showers don’t have to be tightly structured with a lot of game play or too much of a schedule to follow.  It’s a party for a mom who’s having a baby. Ask her what she wants and just try to make her comfortable.

Melissa

Melissa is a guest blogger on subjects of baby and bridal showers, children’s birthday parties and general decorum and etiquette in today’s social occasions. Visit The Party Works to cater for your special occasion with princesses, superheros, sports, Disney, Spongebob and Super Mario Bros party supplies.

Filed under: Pregnant | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

It’s all about being together

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Lorraine

For the first five years of motherhood I lived nearly 5000 miles away from my family. It’s my fault – I chose to up sticks and move away. When we were just a couple I was fine with a visit from my parents once a year, a yearly trip home for us and weekly phone calls, but somehow, having babies made me feel closer to my family despite the vast distance between us. I realised how much a rookie mom needs her mom.

As Pickle grew and Bowser arrived seeing my family only once or twice a year and the limited time my parents had with their grandchildren fanned the flames of my smoldering feelings of homesickness. Surviving the nine hour flight and the accompanying jet lag also made traveling home less appealing. So, when Pickle was five and Bowser 18 months we packed up and went home. Now we are a much more sensible 60 miles apart and can see them, if not whenever we want, at least 6 or so times a year.

So that’s how we’ll be spending our upcoming school break – with Nanny and Grandad. We won’t do anything terribly exciting; it’s very relaxed. We might visit with some extended family. I usually get to have some precious ‘me time’ and have a couple of nights out catching up with old friends. We may see a family movie (currently trying to decide between The Muppets and Puss in Boots). Pickle in particular is just as excited about seeing Nanny and Grandad as she is about what we will do when we’re there. For her it’s all about being together. It’s like she’s making up for lost time.

Pickle would like if we were part of an African or Indian culture where the extended family all live together under one roof, but we adults know that we also need our own space. We always try to explain to her that if we spent all of our time together then we wouldn’t be able to look forward to visits. However, when we leave there are always tears that last for at least the first 15 minutes of the journey.

Nanny always has a little welcome gift for them, usually a sticker book and a craft kit for Pickle, a couple of Hot Wheels for Bowser and always a pack of Kinder eggs each. When the Kinder eggs are opened this time I will have a little wry smile as I’ve just become a member of the #KINDERMom program with KINDER® Canada. I expect being a KINDERMom I will see more than usual of these little fellows in the next few months. Nobody around here has any complaints about that.

We’ve decided that we’d like to share a little of our KINDERMom KINDERFun with our blog readers. For a chance to win a 24 pack of KINDER® SURPRISE® eggs, (YES, 24!!!) simply leave a comment below telling us who you would share this delicious bounty with.

For bonus entries:

  • Like The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
  • Like KINDER® Canada on facebook
  • Retweet this giveaway ‘ Share a little #KINDERMom KINDERFun with a 24 pack of KINDER® SURPRISE® eggs via @RookieMommy http://wp.me/pC8a1-2PP #Giveaway ‘

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries.

  • Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only
  • Winner will be drawn at random
  • Giveaway closes February 28th, 2012

Check out the KINDER® Canada Facebook page for a peek at the 2012 toy collection, and exclusive monthly contests through the My Kinder Moments application – this February they’re giving away $500 towards the ultimate staycation!

Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Filed under: Parenting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 93 Comments »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 94 other followers