We know child seats are important, but do we know why?  How do they work to keep our children safer in a car accident, and why is it so vitally important that they be installed correctly?

It helps to first examine how seat belts work.  There's an old saying in injury analysis -- "it's not how fast you're going, but how fast you stop,"  meaning injuries occur not because you are traveling fast, but because you stop incredibly quickly (like under a tenth of a second).  To give an obvious example of this, a passenger jet lands at something like 150 mph, and everyone is fine because it comes to a stop over a relatively long period of time.  If that same jet crashes into the ground at the same speed, everyone dies instantly. The difference is the time period over which the plane stops.

So let's apply this to seat belts and child safety seats.  Let's say John runs his car into a wall at 50 mph, and is stupid enough to not be wearing a seat belt.  John's car stops in the blink of an eye, but poor John keeps moving at 50 mph . . . until he hits the windshield with his head (for all of you smart alecks out there - his car didn't have an airbag).  John has bought himself a ticket to the morgue, because his skull couldn't withstand those forces.

One of the best ways to protect your young child is to CORRECTLY put them in an appropriate child safety seat.  I emphasize correctly because the statistics show that only 72% of child restraints are properly used.  Here are the most common ways that restraints are improperly used:

• Inappropriate age and weight for child restraints
• Wrong direction for the child restraint
• Child restraint improperly placed relative to vehicle's airbags
• Improperly placed or secured child restraints (vehicle's belt or straps not tight enough)
• Crotch strap or harness strap of child restraint secure or tight enough
• Use of a locking clip for certain safety belts
• Improper vehicle belt fit across child in a booster seat
• Child restraints with broken parts.

It's amazing to me that these misuse statistics are so high when we know that proper use of child restraints is one of the most effective ways to protect children against serious injury.  Personally, I personally believe this is a combined failure of government regulation/education and a failure to focus on or address the problem by our vehicle manufacturers.

So, this month will be dedicated to the proper use of child safety restraints.  If there are any particular issues you want me to address, please let me know.

The CDC has released a report on child injuries which is fascinating and very instructive.  I'll write on this in greater detail over the next few weeks, but I highly recommend that parents take a look at the report for themselves.  One very sobering statistic - every day in the United States, 20 children die as a result of preventable injuries.  This is higher than the number of deaths from all childhood diseases combined.  Go to the next page for other highlights.

It's the holiday season, and families are coming together from near and far.  Almost without fail, we all tend to congregate in the kitchen.   Certainly people are attracted to the wonderful smells and holiday treats, but it's more than that - the kitchen table instinctively seems to be a gathering place for friends and family. 

It's also a fun place for kids.  Sweets are often there for the taking, and it's fun for children to help out with cooking and baking projects.  Cooking with Jane and Libby is one of my favorite activities to do together, and they are having fun learning a skill that they can enjoy for a lifetime (and they also get to taste the sugar).  In addition to making our time in the kitchen fun, there are a few simple precautions that can keep them safe, as well.  Go to the next page for a few tips on how to keep kids safe while they're in the kitchen.

Just in time for Christmas, an organization called W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm) has released its annual list of the top 10 worst toys.  What amazes me is that all of the hazards here have long been established -- choking hazards, projectiles that can damage eyes, etc - yet these dangerous toys still reach the market.  There is no approval or evaluation process by any government agency for toys - the CPSC only steps in when a problem is identified.  Please go to the next page for the list. 

Click here for a list of the worst toys of all time (complete with Lawn Darts).  These would be funny if not for the fact that each of these put thousands of kids needlessly at risk.

Some hazards are obviously dangerous to kids - the Drano under the sink, a pot of boiling water on the stove, or a car backing out of the driveway.  Those are things we as parents intuitively know can be dangerous to our kids, so we take precautions such as cabinet locks and stove guards to protect them. 

Not all hazards are so obvious, but they can be just as dangerous.  Window blinds are a great example.  They seem innocent enough, and it certainly doesn't seem like a child could hurt himself (or herself) if left alone with one.  Yet, the cords on certain window blinds can present a serious strangulation hazard to young children.  Over the years, hundreds of boys and girls have been seriously injured and even killed by becoming entangled and then strangled by window blind cords.

On Thursday, the CPSC issued two recall alerts.  Popular furniture maker IKEA is recalling its IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds, and Green Mountain Vista Inc of Williston, Vt. is recalling its Insulated Black-Out Roller Shades and Insulated Roman Shades. This past April, a one year old girl in Greenwich, Ct.tragically died as a result of strangulation by the cord of an IKEA blind.  She was found in her playpen with the cord from a nearby fully lowered blind wrapped twice around her neck.  This past June, a two year old girl from Bristol, Ct, was nearly strangled by a Green Mountain Vista blind when she placed a cord loop around her neck and then fell.  Luckily, she was saved by her brother.

No matter how much we try to educate ourselves and our kids about health and safety, it's a sad fact of life that serious illnesses and accidents are going to happen.  When they do, we can only hope that a child gets the best health care possible.  One institution that has been singularly dedicated to children for more than 80 years is the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

I'm writing about the Shriners because I had occasion to speak with one of their doctors last week -- one of the preeminent pediatric burn doctors in the nation.  I can only imagine what this doctor sees on a day-to-day basis, and it brings up the larger point about what Shriners does and how they do it.  Shriners has 22 hospitals, all dedicated to taking care of children.  They treat children up to age 18 for serious orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries (SCI) and cleft palate and lip conditions.  And the amazing thing -- they do this all at no charge and without regard to financial need.

Recently, there has been controversy over the safety and efficacy of many cough and cold medicines for young children.   Last year, the FDA.issued a public health advisory warning against the use of such medicines for children under two.  In October, manufacturers voluntarily changed the labeling and warnings to state that these medicines should not be given to children under four.

The CPSC has recalled over 13 cribs and bassinets since the first of the year.  Many feel that the CPSC is not aggressive enough in its recall measures, and that it is not sufficient to permit manufacturers to simply issue retrofit kits to satisfy the recalls.  The Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, has taken matters into her own hands, and should be commended for her actions.

Here's what's happened.  A company called Simplicity has had a lot of problems with recalls over the last year, some as a result of infant deaths.  Due to the recalls, Simplicity was forced into bankruptcy.  A company called SFCA, Inc, purchased the assets of Simplicity. That's fine, except it appears that the only thing SFCA wanted to do was reap profits, and did not seem particularly interested in helping to save the lives of children.  SFCA would not cooperate whatsoever with the CPSC recalls.  Given that children's lives are at stake, Madigan did not feel that the CPSC's response to SFCA was sufficient, so she undertook her own action to force SFCA to stop marketing these dangerous cribs.  She's to be applauded.

AG Madigan has also put out a very useful guide for identifying which cribs have recently been recalled, as well as safe sleeping tips for infants.

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Just tesing October 30th