Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability to U.S. children. According to the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, 20 children die each day as a result of preventable injuries – resulting in more deaths than all other diseases combined.

Motor vehicle crashes, choking, burns, falls, drowning and poisoning are just some of the health threats that bring nearly 200 children to the Emergency Department at Children’s of Alabama every day.

“Injuries in children are preventable,” said Kathy Monroe, M.D., medical director of the Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department and professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Children’s is participating in National Injury Prevention Day on Nov. 18 to bring awareness to the alarming statistics related to childhood injuries and to help parents and caregivers learn how to anticipate and prevent childhood injuries.”

The rooftop lights at Children’s of Alabama will be lit green on Nov. 18, joining other pediatric hospitals across the country to “help light the way toward child injury prevention.” Doctors in Children’s Emergency Department and the Adolescent Medicine and Primary Care clinics as well as physicians around the state from the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics will distribute safety education materials to patient families.

Injuries affect children of all ages. Dr. Monroe and the team of physicians in the Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department offer these age-based tips to protect children from the most common causes of injury.

Infants –  Safe Sleep

There are about 3,500 sleep-related deaths among U.S. babies each year, which occur from accidental suffocation, co-sleeping or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Risk Factors:

• Placing infants to sleep on their stomach
• Sharing a bed with an adult
• Sleeping on a soft surface or with loose bedding
• Exposure to secondhand smoke

What You Can Do:

• Follow the ABCs of safe sleep: Alone, on his or her Back and in a Crib.
• Put your baby to sleep alone. (Never let the baby sleep in bed with you. It is okay to share a bedroom, but not the same sleeping surface until your child is at least one year old.)
• Put your baby to sleep on his or her back. (Babies should always be placed on their backs when going to sleep for both naps and bedtime.)
• Put your baby to sleep in a crib or bassinet. (This should be completely empty except for one fitted sheet.
• Do not use soft bedding, bumpers, blankets, pillows or soft toys in the crib or bassinet.)

Toddlers – Poisoning

Children of all ages are at risk of poisoning in the home. Young children and toddlers often put what they find in their mouths as a way of exploring their world. Safely storing household medications and products is the best way to prevent your child from accidental poisoning.

Risk Factors:

• Brightly colored or scented cleaning products
• Pills that look like candy
• Toys that have small parts can be a choking hazard

What You Can Do:

• Place cleaning products and chemicals on a high shelf, out of reach of small children.
• Store all medications in a locked place, such as a lockbox or a locked cabinet.
• Do not leave medications out on the counter where children may easily reach them.
• Follow instructions from your doctor or pharmacist to dispose of expired or unused medications

Preschool Children – Drowning

Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death in U.S. children ages 1 to 4 years. Drowning can be fast and silent. Children can drown in less than 1 inch of water and can occur in bathtubs and toilets, buckets of water, swimming pools and natural bodies of water.

What You Can Do:

• Use childproof doorknob covers and toilet locks to keep unsupervised young children out of the bathroom.
• Empty buckets, inflatable pools, and bathtubs immediately after using them.
• Ensure that all children wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket while boating or around natural bodies of water.
• Enroll children in swim lessons from an early age to learn water safety skills.
• If you have a pool, install a fence that is at least 4 feet tall and surrounds the pool on all four sides. Use self-closing and self-latching gates to keep young children from entering the pool area unattended.

Older Children – Firearms

Firearm-related deaths are the third leading cause of injury-related death among U.S. children. Young children are curious and cannot truly understand how dangerous guns are (even if you have talked to them about gun safety). If your child comes across a loaded gun, he or she can be accidentally hurt or killed, or may hurt or kill others. Teens can be impulsive and may act without thinking.

What You Can Do:

• Keep all guns locked, either with a gun lock or a gun safe.
• Store guns unloaded and away from ammunition.
• If anyone in the house is undergoing treatment for mental health disorders such as depression or suicidal thoughts, remove all firearms from the house for his/her safety.

Adolescents – Motor Vehicle Safety

Motor vehicle collisions are the number one killer of older children and teens. Learning to drive is an exciting time, but inexperience and distractions can put teens at risk.

What You Can Do:

• Properly restrain children in the correct car seat, booster seat or seat belt, depending on their age.
• Discuss car seat safety with your pediatrician, and make sure you learn how to properly install your car seat in your vehicle.
• Do not allow children under age 12 to sit in the front seat of the vehicle.
• Teach teenagers to obey traffic lights and street signs, drive the speed limit and wear a seat belt.
• Remind teenagers not to talk on the phone or text while driving.
• Model good behavior: always wear your own seatbelt while in a vehicle, and check to be sure that your children are wearing theirs.
• ATVs should only be used while wearing a helmet and following the safety instructions from the manufacturer. Never let a child under 16 ride an adult-sized ATV, and never allow more riders than the
• ATV was designed to carry.

All Ages –  Fire Safety

More than 60 percent of all house fires occur in homes without working smoke detectors. It is important to install smoke detectors on each floor of your home. Test smoke detectors frequently.

What You Can Do:

• Change the batteries of your smoke detectors and check that they work every 6 months.
• Have an escape plan from the home in the event of a fire, and practice with your family.
• Place fire extinguishers in the kitchen, basement and garage.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
• Teach children what to do in the event of fire: stop, drop, and roll.
• Make sure space heaters do not come in contact with clothing or other flammable materials. Do not keep space heaters in bedrooms.

All Ages – Motor Vehicle Safety

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 19 and under, and more than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly.

What You Can Do:

• Properly restrain children in the correct car seat, booster seat or seat belt, depending on their age.
• Discuss car seat safety with your pediatrician, and make sure you learn how to properly install your car seat in your vehicle.

Visit www.childrensal.org/emergency-department for more information.

The BIG McWane Discount 2020

We’re partnering with the McWane Science Center again this year, and we’re offering Birmingham Moms (and Dads!) some BIG Savings!

We’re offering this AMAZING discount of $20 off any basic membership level to our readers, and it’s good for 1 week only!! November 15th – November 21st.

It’s one of the biggest discounts you will see this year for the McWane Science Center and it’s only available for a limited time through BirminghamMommy.com

Here’s how to take advantage of this deal:

• Use Code BHAMMOMMY20 to purchase online at McWane.org. (click the Bhammommy Logo on the membership page or follow THIS LINK directly)
• Call member services at 205.714.8318, M-F, 8:30a – 4pm
• In person at the Ticketing Desk at the McWane Center
• In person at DIY Crafts in Homewood – during normal store hours Monday – Saturday
• *In person with a BirminghamMommy Representative if COVID-19 restrictions allow. We will update social media if and when we know locations for in person sign ups.

If you’re currently a McWane member, you can renew for next year at this rate!

You can purchase as many of these memberships as you want as gifts! Tip: Call the grandparents, aunts and uncles and let them know this is what your kids want for Christmas. They can mark you off their shopping list and it takes up no space in your house! A win/win for everyone.

You’re busy during fall and cleaning can pile on fast, making your home a horror zone for odors. Eerie smells and bacteria can lurk in your couches, carpets and curtains, making your home smell a bit spooky.

Oust Foul Funk:
Open your windows and air out your home during the day. Ultraviolet components from sunlight can help to disinfect and remove odors.

Exorcise Ominous Odors with Odor Out Plus
Use Stanley Steemer’s Odor Out Plus to neutralize gnarly smells at the source on upholstery and carpet.

Vanquish Stink from Shoes
If you can smell your shoes from a mile away, sprinkle baking soda on the inside to help absorb the smell.

Wash Wicked Waste Bins
Wash your trash cans. Use hot soapy water to clean inside and outside your trash cans that may be keeping unfriendly smells in the home.

From Pungent to Perfumed
Use dryer sheets everywhere. Place dryer sheets in drawers, closets and even in the bottom of trash cans throughout your home for a fresher scent.

De-Gross a Grody Garbage Disposal
Clean your garbage disposal. Toss lemon or lime rinds into your disposal and run water to clean it out. This will give a fresh citrus scent.

Simmer a Cauldron of Spices
Add citrus slices, herbs, mint or cinnamon sticks to water in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat to create a pleasant aroma to fill your home.

Mask your Mattress
To remove odors from your mattress, sprinkle baking soda on the top, let sit and vacuum away.

Obliterate Must
Rid your home of any musty smells with equal parts vinegar and water. It destroys the must and disinfects.

Vanishing Vinegar and Essential Oils
Dislike the smell of vinegar? Add essential oils to make your DIY disinfectant smell even better.

Potion for your Pantry
Baking soda soaks up odors. If something in your pantry is foul, open up a box of baking soda and stick it in your pantry to absorb smells.

Refresh a Rancid Refrigerator
If your refrigerator smells, open a box of baking soda and keep it in the door of the fridge to remove odor.

Expel Carpet Stench
Make a DIY deodorizer with baking soda. Sprinkle it on your carpets to take away the smells, let sit and vacuum away!

Looking to get rid of scary smells, spills and spots? Schedule deep cleaning services with Stanley Steemer instantly online or over the phone!

Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line.

All Stanley Steemer water restoration specialists have Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the most widely recognized and accepted certification program in the industry. These individuals are highly trained and prepared for any emergency water removal task they encounter. In addition to certification, our technicians attend IICRC-accredited continuing education and training programs throughout the year. We provide the time and money to train our people, and we supply them with the best equipment available.
For more information on their 24/7 Emergency Water Resmoval visit their site

Stanley Steemer provides trained technicians and state-of-the-art equipment you can’t get anywhere else. When flooding occurs, why muddy the waters? Call Stanley Steemer.

Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

Cooler winter months are coming and our time spent outside will be limited. Luckily, there are plenty of fun activities that the entire family can do together at home. Here are a few to inspire your own family:

1. Movie Night—This is a simple activity that everyone will enjoy. Every time you have a movie night, let a different family member pick their favorite. That way, everyone will have a turn choosing something to watch in the coming weeks. Better yet, consider a movie marathon over the weekend and allow each family member to choose one leg of the marathon. Don’t forget to bring popcorn and treats. In fact, make it part of the activity and make a delicious treat as a family to share during the movie.

2. Homemade Pizza—Many families have a tradition of ordering pizza once a week (or when no one feels like cooking). Do things a little different and learn to make pizza at home. Choose one type that everyone enjoys, or let everyone make a personal-sized pizza and add whatever toppings they’d like. Learning to make pizza at home is also an excellent opportunity to teach your kids a new skill.

3. Indoor Camping—Just because you can’t go out doesn’t mean you can’t have a family adventure indoors. Involve the whole family in setting up a tent (if you have the space) and sleeping bags. Sing songs, tell stories, and make these campfire cones in the oven.

4. Dance Party—Make a playlist of your family members’ favorite songs. Gather together in one room and dance to your new playlist. It’ll be a great way to laugh together and let go of any stress you may be feeling at the moment. It’s also a great way to get moving and get some exercise!

5. Art Night—Bring out the crayons, pencils, watercolors, and paper. Come up with a theme, such as nature, animal friends, or family portraits. It’ll be fun to see what everyone comes up with while allowing them to get creative.

It can be challenging to know how to keep your entire family entertained during the cold winter months. However, it’s the perfect opportunity to make creative new memories!

Thank you to our site sponsors, Sophia Leece and Scott Boudreaux with LAH Real Estate. For more information on what’s happening in the Birmingham Housing Market, or to schedule a free home buyer/seller consultation, you can reach them:

Sophia Leece, 205.895.9120 | sleece@lahrealestate.com
Scott Boudreaux, 205.835.9787 | sboudreaux@lahrealestate.com