Safe and Healthy Tips For Halloween From Children's Medical Center

Did you know more children under 14 get struck by a vehicle on Halloween than on any other day of the year?

Definitely not what you want to hear, but this fact is a good reminder that things can go bad if you don't take a few precautions for a safe and healthy Halloween. 

As you and the kids prepare for a fun night of trick or treating, make sure to remember these tips from Children's Medical Center Dallas to ensure this fun event doesn't turn into a nightmare. 

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

1. Remind kids that spooky decorations are only for fun and aren't real. A good night can go real bad if a child gets scared and doesn't understand the difference between what's real what's make believe.
2. Costumes should be short and snug. Baggy sleeves, long capes and skirts can catch fire if they
3. Shoes should fit. Big, floppy shoes that are hard to walk in may cause your child to fall.
4. Eye holes in masks must be wide enough. Make sure your child’s mask fits well and the eye holes allow him or her to see fully. Better yet, paint his or her face using kid-friendly, glow-in-the-dark face paints.
5. Drivers cannot see costumes in the dark. Be creative and attach retro-reflective tape, stickers or have your child wear glow-in-the dark bracelets.
6. Always cross streets at crosswalks and intersections. Stop at street corners. Look left, right and left again, and don’t cross between parked cars.
7. Always buckle up. Children should be buckled up even on quick trips between houses while trick or treating. 
8. Make sure an adult checks all the treats before kids eat them. Teach children to pick only wrapped candy when they trick-or-treat.
9. Keep hands and teeth healthy and make sure to wash hands often with hand sanitizer and brush those teeth after eating all that candy! 
10. Got a big loot of candy, but don't want to consume your weight in candy? Then give it away! Bring your extra Halloween candy to the Endocrinology Center at Children’s. We’ll send it to Operation Gratitude which sends care packages to troops serving our country.

Hope you have a safe and fun Halloween!

Travel This Summer with the 10 Best Family Cars For 2013

Travel Tuesdays:

Just in time for the summer, Parents and Edmunds.comrevealed their list of 2013’s 10 Best Family Cars. For the sixth consecutive year, car experts from both organizations examined hundreds of vehicles to offer a list of best-in-class vehicles. “The Best Family Cars of 2013” appears in the July issue of Parents magazine, on newsstands June 11.

“With summer road trips on the horizon, we are thrilled to present this comprehensive list,” said Parents magazine Editor-in-Chief Dana Points. “Given the amount of time that American families spend in their car, we feel it’s important to highlight the safest, most affordable and family-friendliest that the industry has to offer.”

The panel of judges focused on safety; each car on the list excels in crash tests and comes equipped with at least six airbags, as well as electronic stability control. The judges also considered updated fuel-efficiency technology, in addition to next-generation dashboards that allow consumers to customize infotainment options on the go. In addition, The 10 Best Family Cars for 2013 includes several stylish rides that young parents will be proud to show off. 

The Chevy Traverse makes the list of the Top 10 of the Best Family Cars by Parents.com.
Photo credit: http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/traverse/

According to Parents and Edmunds.com, the 10 Best Family Cars of 2013 (including starting prices) are:

HYBRID

1. Toyota Prius C ($19,080)

BUDGET

2. Subaru Impreza ($17,895)

3.  Honda Civic ($18,165)

SEDANS

4.  Ford Fusion ($21,900)

5.  Honda Accord ($21,680)

CROSSOVERS

6. Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ($24,700)

7. Honda CR-V ($22,795)

SUVs

8. Chevrolet Traverse ($30,510)

9.  Nissan Pathfinder ($28,650)

MINIVAN

10. Toyota Sienna ($26,585)

To see more of the breakdown, check out the full story on Parents.com.

Find Fido: New Technology to Find Your Pet 24/7

Try-it Tuesdays: 

This week is set to be all about protecting the ones you love and today we're talking about one of the most beloved members of your family, your pet. 

Meet our (other) baby, Birddie, pictured here in our family photo 2011. 

Our family pet is a black lab named Birddie. She has been with our family almost from the birth of our son in 2008. And like my other children, she also has a mind to go exploring - especially when our gate or front door gets left open, which unfortunately is more often than I wish. She has a tendency to get out so much that even my neighbors know her by name and bring her back to the house without even checking out her collar. And I can't even remember how many times I've ran down the street to try to catch her. I won't admit how many times she's been out, but I decided it couldn't  happen any more.  

Birddie meet Tagg.

This little thing is everything I had been looking for... Tagg—The Pet Tracker is an advanced pet tracking system equipped with GPS and wireless capabilities that enables pets to stay in touch with their owners.  The Tagg tracker is designed for dogs and cats over 10 lbs. and is a small, lightweight and durable device that attaches securely to an existing collar.  

Built to withstand all the running, digging and jumping of a pet’s busy day, the tracker is meant to be worn at all times, even while swimming.  The long-lasting battery can last up to 30 days, but actual battery life will vary based on usage patterns. And best of all you can track your pet from your IPhone! I know where my pet is at all times and what she's doing. And if she gets out of the "home zone" the program alerts you that your pet is out, as well as low battery and other alerts. (The only thing I can even say negative about this product is its battery life,which could stand to last a little longer, so make sure you follow the instructions in hope to maintain its maximum longevity.) 

While the cost is around $100 for the Tagg tracker, it costs around $8 per month to maintain GPS services with Verizon (you don't need another phone plan, it is embeded with the program.) But that's a small cost to pay to have the freedom of mind to know I can always find Birddie! 

Looking for something a little simplier to know where your pet is? 

Another way to keep your dog safe is with a LED collar and leash set from Dog-E-Glow. Dog-E-Glow collars and leashes illuminate their entire length and are seen up to 1,000 feet away for maximum visibility.

• Collar and leash lights are visible when turned on in a steady or flashing mode
• All products contain batteries that last up to 150 hours of use
• ALL of the Dog-E-Glow products are:
• Safe
• Lightweight and highly durable
• Weather resistant
• Made of high quality nylon sewn around (100,000 Hour) LED bulbs
• And did you see you can get your favorite college mascots or other fashionable designs?

Don't you love what technology can do to keep your family safe? 

DISCLAIMER:

I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC's 16 CFR Part 255, "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.")

5 Ways to Make Your Home Safer

When I moved into my neighborhood several years ago, it looked much like the perfect scene out of a movie – nice houses, beautiful wooded area and a great place to begin my family...

Now as a parent of two children, I’m much more alert to hearing about crime issues, especially when it’s happening close to my zip code and when it’s too close for comfort. Between changes in the area as well as social media allowing me to stay on top of all the crime happening around me, my picture-perfect neighborhood doesn’t seem to be the place it once was... Especially when families I know just like mine were becoming the victims of burglary.

Burglary Facts infographic

So began my research into safety precautions I can do to create a safer home for my family. Did you know that according to the FBI, a home burglary happens every 13 seconds? While thankfully my home hasn’t been broken into, I have had things taken from my car in just a matter of minutes. Crime happens so quickly, we have to do what we can to either prevent it or at least deter it.

While there are countless ways to proactively TRY to create a safer home, here are 5 simple ways to creating a safer home while still living life (since living in a bubble is not possible.)

BE INFORMED!

Stay on top of crime in your area with crime reports with online sites like CRIMEMAPPING, an online system that tells you what type of crime are happening at a certain address in a specific time frame. I’m also signed up to text alerts from my city police department and am informed about programs that my city offers to help prevent crime.  Make sure you’re alert to what is happening around you, so you can make decisions to prevent them from happening to you.

GET A SECURITY ALARM!

This should be a no brainer. While the thought of someone breaking into your home while you’re home should be alarming enough, most robberies actually happen during the day when you aren’t home. And now with today’s technology, not only can you get alarm system for as low as $30, you can also get one with access on your IPhone (so you can make sure you’ve turned it on) and even take a peek at your home while you’re away with cameras. I also learned many insurances companies will provide a discount for having an alarm system, so you may actually save some money by installing one.

Most importantly, make sure you put the sign in the front yard that says you have an alarm system. Time and time again, both criminals and cops say that sign is a huge deterrent for people looking to break into a home.

CREATE A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH!

My neighborhood is not in a HOA, so I don’t have the luxury of having a gated community or a security team to watch my home. But we do have a community watch group that daily patrols the neighborhood for suspicious activity through volunteers. It’s easy to work with the police department to form one and the benefit is you get to take control of your safety.

CLEAN OUT YOUR CAR.

I hate this one honestly, but it works. While yes a car is stolen in Texas about every 5 minutes, many times it’s not the car they want, but the stuff inside it. I know my car is like my office with laptops, purses, and other valuables, it doesn’t take long for a criminal to see you either walk out of your car without a purse for a quick trip into daycare to break in your window and take it. And at home, it may be easy to leave your stuff in the car for the next day, but it just invites criminals to break into your car and nab the things you need most!

CONSIDER A BODYGUARD?

Seriously, a bodyguard? Yes, what may have seemed only something for the rich and famous, bodyguards are becoming a convenient way to take charge of your safety – especially when you’re hosting a party or event at your home. Unfortunately, some friends of mine were victim to a burglary and the thief left with their gun. Afterwards, the family didn’t feel safe for many weeks and wondering if the thief would return to their home to get more goods. A bodyguard would have been an easy way to keep watch over the home when they were there or not and also watch for any suspicious activity that might help them find clues to getting their stuff returned. While the police department can assist, there’s just no way they can plant their car in front of your house. With a company like guardNOW residential services are possible to feel safe wherever you go, you can have the peace of mind that comes from having someone watching your home when you can’t and feel safe sleeping at night. 

While nothing can guarantee your safety, this is a great place to begin to create a plan that might be able to prevent your family from a crime in the future.

More about guardNOW

guardNOW is an easy to way to get security guards to your front door, nationwide. Whether it be a wedding, party, or an eviction, guardNOW is you one stop shop for security personnel and patrol. You no longer have to worry about how you are going to get hold of someone when you need security because guardNOW will be there. Call 877-guardNOW to book a guard today.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of guardNOW. The opinions and text are all mine.

This blog post also appears on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Mom2Mom.