• Costumes should fit properly.
• Cuff, cut or hem pant legs to make sure children can walk easily.
• Make sure that there is nothing around a child’s neck that could be a choking hazard.
• If a mask is worn, make sure that the child can see clearly through. Enlarge eyeholes if necessary.
• Opt for face paint whenever possible to avoid a mask all together.
• Add reflective gear to a costume, especially if it is a dark color.
• Use the buddy system. Stay in groups and wait for others to finish at one house before proceeding to the next. There’s nothing scarier than a lost child when it’s dark outside. 
• Bring a flashlight or glow stick along to light a path. Glow necklaces or bracelets are another idea.
• Keep outside lights on to make it easier for “Trick or Treaters” to see their way.
• “Trick or Treat” only at homes of people you know.
• As an alternative to Trick or Treating outside, visit the local mall or other indoor “Trick or Treat” opportunities instead.
• Children should never eat any treats until an adult has inspected them.

By following these tips, you are sure to have a “Sweet” Halloween. Have fun and Be Safe!

• Install the Kidco Safety Rail to ensure safety when getting in and out of the tub.
• The Kidco Bath Storage Basket is helpful to keep toys out of the way when your child gets into the tub.  Keeping toys drained and dry cuts down on mold and mildew growth too.
• Cover the bottom of the tub with Tub Water Temps which check the water temperature and provide grip for no-slips.
• Step Up Step Stool allows your preschooler to safely reach the sink and gain some independence too!
• And, don’t forget to wash behind those ears!

What else do you need in your bathroom?  For more bathroom baby proofing advice, contact Kidproteq, LLC at kidproteq@verizon.net or (610) 688-7404.

The Sweet Beginning: Baby Proofing Your Baby’s Nursery

All the “Safety” websites recommend crawling on your hands and knees to view your home from your baby’s perspective.   It’s a great idea and can be quite enlightening.

So, here you are… crawling around the kitchen, living room, bathroom… many hazards to be seen.  But, what do you do?  How do you keep your baby safe from all the potential harm she could encounter?  There are so many products on the market.  What is a “must-have?”  What do I need right now?  Where do I begin?  Let’s Start in Your Baby’s Bedroom.

The Nursery

• The Crib: Whether brand new or a sentimental heirloom, there should be no broken parts or slats. Slats should be no more than 23/8” apart or the width of a soda can.  The mattress should be firm and fit tight in the crib.  Drop down sides, found on older cribs, can cause entrapment.
• Bumpers: Make sure that bumpers fit snugly around the perimeter of the crib with no gaps.

• Mobiles & Baby Gyms: Remove after 5 months of age or when baby begins to reach up.

• Activity Centers: Always place on wall side of crib to avoid pulling or climbing up.

• Furniture and Placement: Do not place the crib under a window.  Avoid placing any furniture under or near a window that your older baby can climb on.  Secure furniture such as chests, wall units, book cases to studs in wall with anti-tip straps to avoid tip-overs.

• Electrical: Babies are attracted to electrical outlets because the image looks like a smiley face to them.  Install Universal Outlet Covers that will automatically cover plug area or Devoted Daddy Safety Caps.

• Lighting: Good general lighting and a covered night light work well together. The Babeebrite clip on LED night light is great for late night feedings and diaper changes.

• Ventilation: A recommended room temperature of 61° -67° is vital in creating a safe sleeping environment.  Often, the nursery is kept too warm.  The Grobag Egg digital thermometer changes color to signal when temperatures become unsafe for your baby.  An appropriate sized ceiling fan with a light is also a good option.

• Windows:  Windows should be set to open no more than 4”.  Most new windows have this locking option.  If not, Window Wedges, Super Stops and Mesh Window Guards are easy to install.  Remember:  A window screen is not a barrier. Use blindwinder or drapery cleat to keep cords out of your baby’s reach.

So, your baby is now safely in her nursery.  But, you still have the rest of your home to baby proof!  Don’t panic.  There will be more issues of Safety 101.  Next time, we’ll cover “Making a Safe Zone for Your Baby to Play.”  Our mothers called it a “playpen” but parents of our generation (or parent in 2010) want to give our kids more area to explore…

In the meantime, if you want to get started baby proofing your home, you can call a local baby proofer.  A professionally trained baby proofer can offer a fresh point of view and help to highlight areas of concern.

Kidproteq, LLC serves Philadelphia and its suburbs.  Kidproteq Owners and Professional Baby Proofers, Rachelle and Jeff Gansky are there to help.  Jeff performs the home evaluations and is available for installations.  A Kidproteq® in-home safety evaluation takes approximately 1.5 hours.  Rachelle handles all daily operations and is available for phone and email consultation. Rachelle provides the best, most current information by keeping up on the latest in the childproofing industry through her connections with IAFCS and Safe Kids USA.  Feel free to contact Rachelle with questions at (610) 688-7404 or kidproteq@verizon.net.  Be safe!

“Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s House we go…”

You remember visiting your grandparents when you were a kid.  You may recall getting a special dessert, being able to stay up late or even receiving a present “just because.”  But, now that you are “the parents” and your parents are “the grandparents”, your perspective about a visit to “Grandmother’s House” has changed!

As a new parent, you’ve done your research and made many decisions about your baby’s safety and well-being.  If you are fortunate, your family is nearby and available to create your support network.  Often times, family lives far away and you may visit for an extended period of time.  In either situation, new parents want their parenting decisions to be acknowledged and respected by their family.

Parents and Grandparents call Kidproteq® daily.  They want to get this safety thing right, but are often perplexed.  This is what we hear:

• I have a new grandchild and I want to make my home safe for him/her.  I want my children to feel confident leaving the baby with us, in our home.
• I have a grandchild and my children are obsessed with safety.
• I have a grandchild and my children are so laid-back, I could scream!
• My children want me to put gate on the stairs, but I don’t want to put any holes in my walls.
• Do you have a baby proofer that can come to the house and tell me what I need?  Is the baby proofer available for installation?
• Can I arrange for you to go over to my daughter/son’s house and tell them what they should be doing?
• My son/daughter turned out okay without all of this stuff even though there was a tumble or two down the basement steps.

Being “Nana & Pop Pop” since 2005, we would do anything to keep our grandchildren happy and safe.  Our four grandchildren:  Chase, Kody, Alyssa, and Sasha give us more joy than we can express.  After becoming grandparents, Kidproteq® was born!

Shortly after becoming grandparents, our kids urged us to do some of the following things:

• We took a class available at our local hospital under the auspices of the American Red Cross:  Infant and Child CPR.
• We did get down on our knees and looked around.
• We replaced our square glass coffee table with a large upholstered storage ottoman and added a plexiglass insert.  This was before we knew about the Toddler Shields for Tables. (Ask us about these …when you call 610- 688-7404)
• We replaced our outlet covers with Universal Outlet Covers by Kidco.
• We removed breakable objects out of reach.
• Made sure that all electrical and telephone cords are out of sight and reach.
• Installed the Blind Winder and Drapery Cleats where necessary.

Even though we live in a flat, we’re lucky to be able to devote a room to the little ones.  It includes a Pack n Play with a changing table, a full size platform bed for Sasha & Alyssa with Secure Top Bed Rails attached, and The Safety 1^st. Digital Monitor.   When they nap, I can keep the monitor with me in our living room or down the basement in my office.  We store toys, puzzles, books, dress-ups and 3 shopping carts in a wall unit affixed to the wall with the Hangman Anti-Tip Kit’s.  Our three oldest grandchildren race the carts down the hall making Jeff and I laugh until we’re exhausted!  Now that Kody is two, we’ll begin a new phase with sleeping bags for all of them.  The littlest, Chase, will sleep tight in the Pack n Play.  Believe it or not, the Closet and the upper half of the Wall Unit still belong to Jeff and me.  We use Bifold Door Locks on the closet doors and almost every wall switch in the house is equipped with The Kidproteq Light Extension Rods.

We are fortunate to have a room to devote to our grandchildren.  Not everyone can manage this and some people do not adapt as well as others.  Be patient with us, grandparents.  We are learning too!

You might want to discuss your concerns with your parents.  Are you worried about their pets?  Suggest that they consult a pet professional about sensitizing their pets to your children.  Do they live in a high-rise?   Are you concerned about windows, sliding glass doors and balconies?  Take a look at our options for Windows & Doors.   If they have stairs, ask them to install a hardware mounted gate at the top of the stairs.  Take a look at the KP-SS30.  Are there areas in the kitchen that might be hazardous?  We have all kinds of locks and deterrents that are quickly installed.  The Kidco Swivel Mount Cabinet Locks  KP-S333 can be disengaged when the kids leave.

One thing you can count on, Kidproteq’s “Nana & Pop Pop” will help them find the ultimate solutions to alleviate any concerns:  yours or theirs.  Snap a few photos and email them to us with measurements.  If you or they live in the area give us a call so we can stop by.

Kidproteq, LLC serves Philadelphia and its suburbs.  Kidproteq Owners and Professional Baby Proofers, Rachelle and Jeff Gansky are there to help.  Jeff performs the home evaluations and is available for installations.  A Kidproteq® in-home safety evaluation takes approximately 1.5 hours.  Rachelle handles all daily operations and is available for phone and email consultation. Rachelle provides the best, most current information by keeping up on the latest in the childproofing industry through her connections with IAFCS and Safe Kids USA.  Feel free to contact Rachelle with questions at (610) 688-7404 or kidproteq@verizon.net.  Be safe!

Officer Friendly came to school to teach the children how to stay safe, how to identify a stranger and what to do if a stranger approached them.  Of course, as parents, Jeff and I had taught the kids not to talk to strangers.  But Officer Friendly took it a step further by empowering them with some advice.  Officer Friendly suggested that the family determine a secret, easily remembered code word.  Our kids agreed upon Indiana Jones.  This was their word, not ours.  And, they were the ones that needed to remember it.

The code word was a “Safe Secret.”  The code word belongs to the family and was only used as a sign that a person was considered “safe.”  For example, if I was stuck in traffic and couldn’t make it to pick up Dana at her piano lessons, my neighbor, Judy, would pick her up.  She would use the “code word” so Dana knew that I wanted her to go with home with Ms. Judy.  The kids knew NEVER to go with a person unless they heard the code word.  In addition to the code word, Officer Friendly asked the family to determine a specific list of “safe” people like Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Pop Pop and Ms. Judy, your next door neighbor.

I reflect on that night at the dinner table.  Keeping our children safe was always a top priority for Jeff and me.  Fortunately, the children were never approached by a “real stranger” and never needed to ask for the “code word” but, to this day in 2010, our children remember our code word, Indiana Jones.  Now, our “kids” are 36 and 32 years old, both married, each with two children.  Our four grand-children range in age from 6 months to 5 years old.  They are the inspiration for Kidproteq®.

For information on L.E.A.P./MY Child ID/Amber Alert:    Kidproteq & Amber Alert on Facebook

Kidproteq, LLC serves Philadelphia and its suburbs.  Kidproteq Owners and Professional Baby Proofers, Rachelle and Jeff Gansky are there to help.  Jeff performs the home evaluations and is available for installations.  A Kidproteq® in-home safety evaluation takes approximately 1.5 hours.  Rachelle handles all daily operations and is available for phone and email consultation. Rachelle provides the best, most current information by keeping up on the latest in the childproofing industry through her connections with IAFCS and Safe Kids USA.  Feel free contact Rachelle with questions at (610) 688-7404 or kidproteq@verizon.net.  Be safe!

CALL TO ACTION
The Officer Friendly Program still exists and “is designed to humanize children’s perceptions of police officers and their work, improve rapport between children and police, increase awareness of safety and civic responsibility and reduce crime involving children.”  Sadly, programs like Officer Friendly are being cut.  For example, both The Officer Friendly Program and DARE program were eliminated from the curriculum of our former school district in November 2009 due to budget constrictions.

MOMS, please lobby for these programs in your schools!  Contact your school.  Share the ideas with others.  Make other aware of these programs and the value they have for your families and your community!  For more information, contact your local police department.

When it comes to baby proofing,
parents fall into three categories.

Take the Baby Proofing Parent Quiz
and find out what kind you are!

Your baby has discovered how to open the kitchen cabinets. So, you do which of the following…

a.       You let your baby play in the “pots and pans” cabinet and hope she doesn’t explore the rest of the kitchen.

b.      You put cabinet locks on all of the cabinet doors and drawers in the kitchen as well as the bathrooms, dresser drawers… anything cabinet or drawer you can find…

c.       You install locks on the low level cabinets and drawers that are within your baby’s reach.

At long last, your baby is crawling!  You immediately…

a.       Encourage your baby to crawl up and down the stairs.  Practice makes perfect!

b.      Rush to buy a gate for every doorway in the house.

c.       Consider your lifestyle and where you would need gates in your home, researching which ones best suits your needs.

You get a new flat screen TV.  Your first thought is…

a.       “I can’t wait to watch football in HD this season.”

b.      “It’s a shame that our little angel won’t be able to watch Sesame Street on the new TV.  This room will be off-limits!”

c.       “I wonder if we should investigate some anti-tip straps or TV locks to make sure the TV doesn’t topple over onto our baby.”

If you answered mostly A’s… then you are

• The Skeptic:  This parent figures that if he/she survived the “dangers” of childhood, this new baby will too.  There is usually talk of vigilance, and letting kids learn by their mishaps, otherwise; how will they learn?

If you answered mostly B’s… then you are

• The Zealous Enthusiast:  This parent may have the entire house baby proofed five months before the baby’s birth.  Skeptics consider Zealous Enthusiasts to live in “lockdown”.

If you answered mostly C’s… then you are

• The Cautious Realist:  This parent is eager to learn and provide a safe environment for the baby.  It may be a little bit at a time or all at once.

Some parents start out as a Skeptic but, as soon as they discover their baby in the bathroom unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper, they become Cautiously Realistic very quickly.  Others begin as a Zealous Enthusiast until they have baby proofed themselves out of the bathroom!  No matter what category you fall into, parents love their children and want them to be safe.  Go to www.kidproteq.com to find more baby proofing information!

Kidproteq, LLC serves Philadelphia and its suburbs.  Kidproteq Owners and Professional Baby Proofers, Rachelle and Jeff Gansky are there to help.  Jeff performs the home evaluations and is available for installations.  A Kidproteq® in-home safety evaluation takes approximately 1.5 hours.  Rachelle handles all daily operations and is available for phone and email consultation. Rachelle provides the best, most current information by keeping up on the latest in the childproofing industry through her connections with IAFCS and Safe Kids USA.  Feel free to contact Rachelle with questions at (610) 688-7404 or kidproteq@verizon.net.  Be safe!

• Make sure to remove chairs or any item that your little one could climb up on to access a window.
• Remember, screens are not barriers and will do nothing to prevent a fall.
• Windows should be blocked from opening more than 4”.
• For Double Hung Windows, use Window Wedges, Super Stoppers,  Window Stops, Mesh Window Guards
  
• For Outward Opening Windows, use The Window Latch.
• Brand new for Sliding Glass Doors:  The Lock-n-Block Gate

For more baby proofing information contact Kidproteq, LLC at kidproteq@verizon.net or (610) 688-7404.

A safety (and helpful) tip:  Any time you come across a small, random toy, put it in a clear plastic sealable bag.  This keeps little choking hazards away from little ones and also helps older kids have a “go-to” spot if a toy goes missing.

Kidproteq, LLC is your resource for keeping your kids safe.  Contact us at kidproteq@verizon.net or (610) 688-7404 for more information.

• Play in the bath water, not the toilet water!  Start closing the lid early on.  Put Toilet Locks on the lid to keep the kids (and pets) out!
• Use Toilet Paper savers so your bathroom doesn’t end up looking like a college frat party.
• Keep all medicines in the Smart Guard Medicine Safe.
• Put Cabinet Locks on vanity cabinets as an extra precaution.

For information to arrange your home evaluation, contact Kidproteq, LLC at kidproteq@verizon.net or (610) 688-7404.

• Make sure you have your baby’s towel, shampoo, body wash, diaper, wipes and change of clothes.  You never want to leave your baby unattended in the water to grab something you forgot.
• Remember to set your hot water heater to 120° to avoid burns.  Test the water to make sure the temperature is not too hot.  Tub Water Temps can help.
• Play with a couple of toys at a time.  Overcrowding the tub with toys can be overwhelming for babies.  Make sure to store toys safely in a Boon Frog Pod, for example.  Clean toys with mild soap after each use to avoid mold and mildew build up.

To schedule your home evaluation, contact Kidproteq, LLC at kidproteq@verizon.net or (610) 688-7404.