By: Allana Pinkerton, Certified CPST and Global Safety Advocate for diono

Did you know every 33 seconds, one child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash? As September 17^th kicks off Child Passenger Safety Week and September 23^rd marks National Seat Check Saturday we wanted to share some tips on car seat safety.

Check List for Proper Installation
1. Read the manuals for the car seat and vehicle. Pay close attention to warnings, expiration dates
and registration procedures.
2. Watch car seat manufacturer installation videos on their website. Always use a reputable source
to get more information on installations.
3. Make sure the car seat can be installed with the LATCH system and seat belt individually. Many
car seats have weight limitations on the LATCH system and you will need to install with the seat
belt eventually.
4. Place seat belt or LATCH strap through the proper belt path. There is only one for infant car
seats and two for convertible car seats. Convertibles have a rear-facing and a forward-facing belt
path. Forward-facing Combination seats have a forward-facing belt path only.
5. Be sure seat belt is in locked mode if using vehicle belt. The seat belt will most likely lock at the
retractor or at the latch plate.
6. Pull LATCH or seat belt webbing tight.
7. Check for tight fit at the belt path, only. Car seat should move less than one inch in either
direction.
Securing Child in the Car Seat
1. Place harness strap in the correct position. Harness straps for a rear-facing child should be
placed at the shoulders or coming from just below. Forward-facing is at or just above the
shoulders.
2. Pull the harness straps snug and comfortable so you cannot pinch the webbing when grasping at
the collar bone. The straps should lay flat on the child and not be twisted. Harness straps should
be comfortably snug.
3. The chest clip is a positioning device to help keep the straps on the child’s shoulders. Place the
chest clip at arm pit level.
4. If you are using an infant car seat, check the manual for the correct position of the carrier
handle when traveling in the car.
General Safety Tips
1. Choose a car seat that fits your child and vehicle correctly. Choose a seat you will use correctly
every ride.
2. #LookforBaby may sound silly, but we are all living more distracted lives these days. Too many
children are unintentionally being left in hot cars. It can happen to anyone. Keep your purse or
phone on the floor in the back seat. When you reach your destination you are more likely to
remember to get those items which will help you keep an eye on baby before you lock the door.
3. Check the car seat installation before every ride. Just give it a tug at the belt path to be sure it is
still secured to the seat belt or with the lower anchors.
4. Don’t transition children too soon. Keep them rear-facing as long as possible. Keep them in a 5
point harness and do not skip booster stage for older children. Some children do not fit in the
adult seat belt until age 12.
5. Set a good example for your kids and make sure all passengers are properly buckled so they stay
safe as well.
6. Register the car seat so you can be notified in case or any recalls.
7. Do not use the car seat if it has been in a severe crash or following the instruction manual
guidelines.
8. Do not buy a used car seat unless you know the history, how it was stored and if has not
expired.
9. Follow the instruction manual for proper washing instructions. Never soak harness straps or use
abrasive cleaners on any part of the car seat.

Allana Pinkerton, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
Allana Pinkerton is the Global Safety Advocate for diono. She began her career in Child Passenger Safety as a National Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician in 2001 and advanced into the position of a National Instructor in 2002. In 2004, she founded a non-profit organization, Sit Tight, which provided education and free car seats to underserve communities.

As the Global Safety Advocate, she facilitates educating the staff, consumers and the media about car seats. Allana works closely with the marketing team, educating at consumer and industry trade shows, as well as writing blogs on CPS issues. She is called upon to work with engineering and product development team on current and new products. As diono expands across the globe, Allana continues to expand her role assisting the diono European and China teams.

Thank you ALL for participating in the Disney on Ice Rocks Birmingham promotion.  Congratulations to all of our winners! For those of you that didn’t win, here is an offer for you on tickets to the show.

Save $5 off select seats and performances!

Coming  September 22-24, 2017 to the Legacy Arena at BJCC
Use Customer Code: MOM17
Restrictions, exclusions and additional fees may apply.
Tickets at market pricing. Offer valid on the following performances: Friday, September 22^nd at 10:30am & 7pm, Saturday, September 23^rd at 6:30pm and Sunday, September 24^th at 5pm. Offer expires 9/24/17.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Follow your heart straight to adventure at Disney On Ice! Just keep swimming with Dory and new pal Hank from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory as they set out to find her parents. Cheer with the Emotions from Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out. Venture to wintery Arendelle where Olaf and Kristoff help reunite Anna and Elsa and learn love is the most powerful magic of all. See the Disney Princesses achieve their dreams through bravery, kindness and perseverance. And celebrate true friendship with The Toy Story gang. Make unforgettable memories with Mickey and your Disney friends when Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart skates into your hometown!

Every school as cliques, and unfortunately, every child will be introduced to them at some point. Cliques aren’t necessarily bad, but children who are both inside and outside of a clique can be effected negatively.

Andrew Harper, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and medical director at the UT Harris County Psychiatric Center says that, “Cliques serve a function to help children feel like they are fitting in, some cliques may motivate kids to perform in school, if your child is part of the academically gifted clique. And cliques might influence them to do other positive things”.

Helping Your Child Navigate Cliques 

Your child has needs that can be met by cliques. Here are some tips about the dynamics of cliques:

• Positive roles. Harper stresses that the need for belonging and acceptance is powerful. That’s why it is a good idea to help your children understand the positive role they can play in their own clique, even if they don’t belong to a clique at the top of the school hierarchy.
• Understand strengths. Every child has strengths, interests, and talents that can help them survive and thrive in school cliques. Help your child find groups with similar values or interests, perhaps by coordinating after-school activities such as sports, faith, or scouts programs.
• Reach out. If your child just doesn’t seem to fit in, is withdrawing, or shows signs of fear or anxiety about school, consider an underlying depression or anxiety problem. Seek help from a medical professional, counselor, or psychiatrist.

Should You Be Worried? 

“The problem becomes when the sole purpose of the clique is to exercise power — by excluding and being mean to others. That creates an adverse dynamic for those who are on the outside, but even inside it can create the anxiety of ‘What if I get kicked out?'” says Harper.

Most young people will have times when they are part of a clique and times when they are not. If your child’s clique has thrown them out or simply fallen apart, you can talk to your child about this painful learning experience. Just remember to:

• Be strategic. Focus on emphasizing and building on your child’s strengths.
• Discuss coping strategies. Remind your child life is full of people who may not like you, but you have to find ways to get back into the swing of life.

“The kids that really have a lot of difficulty are those who feel like they don’t fit in anywhere,” says Harper. The children who don’t fit in anywhere are more likely to end up in one of the undesirable cliques and turn to substance abuse.

If you child feels they don’t fit in anywhere it can be hard to make them understand that their desired clique isn’t the only place they can gain recognition. Always highlight your child’s strengths and encourage involvement in activities that could help them shake this belief.

Tips were taken from www.everydayhealth.com

About Brittney:

Brittany was born and raised in Alabama. She is a Wife and Mama of two sweet babies- her son John is two years old and her daughter Annie is ten months old. She has her degree in Home and Family Studies with an emphasis on Child Development from BYU.

Technology is disrupting sleep across many demographics. As gadgets have become more accessible to younger users, they’re also starting to have a negative on toddlers’ sleeping patterns.

Ideally, toddlers around 1-3 years of age should get around 12-14 hours sleep per day. However, this might not always be possible. If not, parents should at least try and ensure their toddlers get at least 10-hours per day so that they don’t suffer any health implications as a result of a lack of sleep.

Parenting Science suggest toddlers who don’t get enough sleep tend to be more sickly, linking childhood sleep loss with bad moods, poor memory, fatigue and a short attention span, among other worrying side effects.

It has been well publicized how toys can be distracting so much so that can keep children from sleeping at night. But in the last 10-years, new tech innovations have paved the way for tablets and mobiles to become easy go-to gadgets that keep toddlers occupied and give parents much needed rest.

Journalist Katie Forster discussed this topic in an article on the Independent, stating that the more time toddlers spend using touchscreen devices, the more likely they will find it hard to sleep at night or take a nap in the afternoon. She went on to say that most kids nowadays have access to tech gadgets like an iPad or smartphone.

Why Tech Gadgets are Dangerous

Apparently, the danger here is that the light emitted by electronic screens can decrease the amount of melatonin in the body. Melatonin is important as it help regulate sleep and has many properties in it that help the body relax.

As previously mentioned, one thing that can affect a toddlers’ ability to take a nap is their exposure to the screen’s blue light. Before the problem gets out of hand, parents must find ways to address the issues at hand. One solution is to avoid having any light emitting devices in the child’s bedroom when it’s sleeping time. Leesa discussed some tips to help improve sleep and dedicated a number of important variables to consider when it comes to tech devices in the bedroom. They suggest keeping “tablets, smartphones, and televisions out” of the bedroom so that there are no distractions. If there are no distractions for your toddler, the chances are they will be able to relax and get a good night’s sleep.

Also, it’s worth noting that the responsibility lies with the parents too. If they go for the easy option of handing their child a tablet to keep them from crying or to keep them distracted, the potential long-term problems are endless. The ability to regulate your toddlers’ sleep is down to you. Remove the tech gadgets from your toddlers’ bedroom and the chances are they will improve their sleep quality and you will see a much more energetic child during the daytime.