Search Results for: blog the choking game

Choking Game Death

I wouldn’t be a responsible blogger if I failed to correct something I addressed in my last blog, “You Just Never Know.” I mentioned the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy at my son’s middle school, from what was believed to be suicide. Yesterday an automated message was sent to every family from the school. It has been ruled an accidental death caused by the “choking game.” In spite of this, many children still claim the poor boy was the victim of bullying. So I had to ask myself, “Which is worse?” A young boy taking his own life or … Continue reading →

Should Foods Come with Choking Warnings?

Warning labels for choking hazards are required on certain toys — especially those with small parts and balls. Here in the United States, it’s a federal law! But there isn’t a similar law on the books for foods that may be choking hazards. The American Academy of Pediatrics — the largest group of pediatricians in the United States — would like to see a similar federal law for foods that may be choking hazards… or see more foodmakers willingly add choking hazard warnings to their labels. Another alternative would be redesigning foods to make them less of a choking hazard … Continue reading →

Games to Play at a Pooh Bear Party

Here are some games to play at your Pooh Bear Party! For a fun game, that is harder than it sounds, try to throw “bees” into a honey pot. The bees can be any decent sized candy. We used miniature Hersey candy bars. To make the candy look more like bees, draw black stripes on yellow tissue paper, then wrap a small pieces of the tissue paper around the candy and secure it with a piece of clear tape. To play the game, try to throw the “bees” into the pot. The honey pot can be a punch bowl, or … Continue reading →

Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?

Hopefully, not your kids, especially if the button in question is a battery. Button batteries, also know as coin cells, are designed to power small portable electronic devices, such as hearing aids, pocket-sized calculators, wrist watches and handheld video games. However, for some young children the smooth and shiny batteries are also the perfect fit for their mouths. In fact, so many children have attempted to “taste” the tiny batteries that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just published a report warning parents about battery-related dangers. The CDC’s report states that from 1997 through 2010, nearly 30,000 children ages … Continue reading →

Creating a Preschool Activity Station for the Car

My daughter can’t stand going on car trips. This has been true since she was a baby, and although now she has the maturity to resign herself to complaining instead of hollering at the top of her lungs, it’s still a trial to go anywhere in the car. She also can’t stand waiting for the bus, although the bus trip itself tends to be fairly interesting, since there are a lot of opportunities for people-watching. How do we keep her entertained in the car? The key is to create a selection of portable activities that are not choking hazards and … Continue reading →

Quarterback Dad – Bobby Mercer

I read and browsed through a lot of parenting books when I was expecting my first child. They were all geared towards mothers. In most of the books the fathers of the babies got a brief mention, or at best a chapter. The role of fathers has changed in the last few generations, and that leaves a lot of men without clear guidelines on what to expect, what to do, and how to be a good father. Quarterback Dad: A Play-By-Play Guide to Tackling Your New Baby is a great book written just for new and expecting dads. Author Bobby … Continue reading →

Celebrity Weekend—It’s a Wrap

It was a great weekend for Britney Spears. The pop princess steered clear of car accidents, her house in Malibu is still standing, oh, and she regained visitation rights of her sons, Preston, 2, and Jayden James. The singer was snapped cruising around L.A. in her damaged white Mercedes with her children securely strapped in their safety seats (bonus points for Brit) and a court-appointed monitor in the front passenger seat. This after a judge temporarily suspended her vitiation rights last Wednesday. Media reports say the judge removed her rights after the trainwreck was unable to be reached to schedule … Continue reading →

Mom’s Beware: The Little Things

Someone once equated taking care of babies as being the equivalent of trying to herd cats. Still, whether it’s true or not, there’s a lot of things you have to do to look after your little one and that’s also being aware of the little things that you might overlook. Here are a few items that we have had to learn and keep track of over the years. Button Batteries According to Parents magazine more than 2,000 young children swallow button batteries. A button battery is a small round buttons that we put in watches, video games and some small … Continue reading →

Little People in the Big Apple: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Living in New York City with five children under the age of seven, I can tell you that New York City is the perfect place to take a little trip–even with little kids. The trick is to know, what to see, what play ground is nearby, where the bathrooms are, and where the nearest McDonald’s is. It is with this idea in mind, that I offer some guest blogs on “doing” the Big Apple with your littlest crowd! The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of my kids’ absolute favorite places to go in the city. I think this is … Continue reading →

Parents Need to Monitor Teens Online Usage

Teens these days are familiar with the Internet, they use it to buy gifts, do research, and also find friends. That is where the problem lies. Many teens reveal personal information like their name, address, school, age, phone number, photographs, and other personal details. While the Internet is an incredible tool, if used wisely, it is also a breeding ground for child predators, who frequent sites primarily focused towards teens and children. But the greatest danger doesn’t lie in the child predators but in the peer groups that teenagers and tweens are finding on-line. Peer groups that support drug use, … Continue reading →