Safety measures to be taken when buying children's clothingWritten by Charis-Jo
Here are some points to note on safety of children before you buy your child's clothing : * Ensure that small items attached to clothing are not easily detached or removed * Small items such as buttons, zipper pull, snaps or any decorative sequines should not be easily detach from your child clothing as this poses a choking hazard to young children. * Avoid hazardous items such as drawstrings * Children's jackets and sweatshirts with drawstrings around hood or neck of children's outerwear presents a strangulation hazard. Children can get entangled and strangle in drawstrings that catch on objects, including playground equipment, fences and tree branches. * Avoid Flammable Loose-Fitting Garments * The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns people not to put children to sleep in loose-fitting T-shirts or other over-size clothes made from cotton or cotton blends. These garments can catch fire easily and are associated with 200 to 300 emergency room-treated burn injuries to children annually. Loose-fitting clothing stands away from body, making contact with an ignition source more likely. Loose-fitting, non-flame-resistant child clothing allows an air space next to body that helps keep fire burning, possibly injuring children.
| | Children’s SexualityWritten by Rexanne Mancini
We are all born as sexual beings. It is as much a part of our anatomy, our emotional and mental make-up as breathing. Whether we are acting upon our sexual drive at any given moment is beside point. I think it’s important to realize that children have sexual feelings, just not as developed as adult feelings. Whether these instincts remain healthy is quite another story. As parents, I believe we need to instill a healthy outlook in our kids about sex and their imminent sexuality. The first inkling we have of our little ones being sexual is their first attempts at masturbation. This could take any form you can imagine but most parents notice our babies discover their genitals at about 10 months of age and maybe younger. Eureka! A new toy! Hopefully, we won’t freak out about it. It is, after all, their toy! This is their body and it is their innocent need to discover how various parts function, feel and react. There have been countless studies and articles written about masturbation. Clearly, it is a healthy form of sexual exploration and usually begins in early childhood. So, that said, let’s think about how we, as parents and caretakers, can deal with this sometimes-embarrassing issue. Personally, it never bothered me when my toddlers began exploring their bodies. I’d gently point out that it wasn’t appropriate to do in front of most people and certainly not at dinner table but other than that, issue was never really an ... issue.
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