Should Texting While Parenting Be Banned?

As our use of cell phones, Facebook, IM, and texting has exploded, discussions about the impact on family life have started. I'm personally lost without my Blackberry - and on the upside, it lets me take an afternoon away from the office, attend a school event, and know that there are no work-related issues in progress. It gives me peace of mind and helps me stay in touch. Still, I know there have to be limits and that our natural inclination is to exceed them.

A child psychiatrist, Eitan D. Schwarz MD has written a book, "Kids, Parents, and Technology: An Instruction Manual for Young Families" that describesdevelopments in neuroscience that urge parents to rethink the place of media in their lives: "Be fully present with your children. Ban distracting media from your family time in the car and at home. When distracted online, a phone call, or texting, you may be interupting the vital bond your kids need for healthy wiring of their brains."

Warning that family life and childhood development itself are being weakened by technology use, the book helps parents turn technology into a positive family resource rather than a threat. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study shows that older children are engaged with the media as much as eight hours a day; only 1/3 of families limit media; but even when parents do set rules, media consumption by kids drops by only 1/3. Limiting and rule making are just not enough.

Dr. Schwarz provides an indispensible guidebook for parents of children from infancy through eight years. The book's goal, he says, is to help parents lead youngsters towards beneficial and positive uses of the Internet, videogames, smart phones, and other electronic media, “As they grow, they will form better habits than today’s media-soaked teens, 1/5 of whom now get as much as nineteen hours of media daily.”

“The instruction manuals we receive with digital media devices don't teach parents the most important things -- how to use the new gadgets to fully benefit youngsters and family lives," says Dr. Schwarz. "My work with parents and families showed me the problems technology is creating for them and helped me identify the type of information they need to make certain that these devices contribute to family life in a positive way.”

As years go by - we will undoubtably learn more about how our constant "connectedness" impacts our children's development. Let's ensure we stay connected to them too. Learn more at www.mydigitalfamily.org.

Important Winter/Holiday Water Safety Tips for Toddlers and Infants

While we don't often think about water safety during the holidays, it is a critical time to be vigilant, warns the Infant Swimming Resource(www.infantswim.com), a provider of self-rescue swimming lessons for babies and toddlers from six months to six years old. The organization just announced the following winter water safety tips to help families protect their young children as they travel this holiday season. Please read, and pass this link along to your family and friends.

According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, “Eighty-eight percent of children were under some form of supervision when they drowned.” 1

"The holiday season represents the highest probability of distractions and breakdown of normal supervision routines," said Harvey Barnett Ph.D., pediatric drowning prevention specialist and founder of Infant Swimming Resource. "If a child is missing, check the pool first."

Holiday and Winter Water Safety Tips

1. CEO Supervision (Constant Eyes On) - Never turn your back on your child around water. It takes just seconds for him/her to be in serious trouble. Segment the supervision responsibilities so there are never questions about which adult is responsible for watching the child and be aware of the distractions unique to the winter months: holiday parties, house guests, etc.

2. Educate Others - When traveling to relatives’ and friends’ homes they may not understand the importance of keeping gates closed, doors locked, closing toilet seats, emptying buckets, etc. Visiting family, holiday parties and celebrations can lead to breakdowns in routine supervision and effective barriers to the water.

3. Decoration Hazards - Decorations and lights can pose problems with young children around the house and water. Watch for lights and electrical cords around water, make sure no outside decorations provide a means for a child to climb over a fence or open a locked gate.

4. Maintain Pools in the Winter - Keep pools well-maintained with clear water even if it is too cold to swim. If someone falls in, they can be seen and be helped faster. Pool covers need to be drained of accumulated rain water and free of debris.

5. Hot Tubs - Supervision must be one adult per child due to the high temperatures and turbulence of the water in a hot tub. When young children are in the hot tub, keep the temperature below 90 degrees Fahrenheit and limit exposure to less than ten minutes.

6. Bath Tubs - Do not allow anyone who is uneducated about bath tub safety to bathe your child. Consider bathing an infant or young child in a tub with a handheld shower attachment, eliminating the risk of drowning in accumulating bath tub water.

7. Self-rescueTM Skills – Teach young children self-rescue skills. In addition to pool fences, alarms and gates, it can be another layer of defense. Survival swimming and a demonstration of the roll-back-to-float skills prior to all water recreation is vital year round.

For a full Family Aquatic Safety Checklist from Infant Swimming Resource visit:
http://www.infantswim.com/safety/index.html