THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SCARY HIDING APPS: Your teen may be hiding social media sites from you in plain sight! Here are a few to know about: Calculator%: It looks like a calculator but hides secret photos Omegle: A free chat site that will introduce you to strangers. Yellow: A tinder-like app used for flirting. Ask.fm: An app where you can ask an anonymous question often about a person. This site has been linked to severe cyber bullying. Hot or ... [Read More]
Teenager
SUNNY DAYS!
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM SUN DAMAGE SPF SPF refers to the Sun Protection Factor. It is a grading system used give a degree of protection against burns. If you normally burn in 10 minutes and you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 minutes, it should protect you from burning for 150 minutes (10 min x 15 SPF). SPF Barriers Your sunscreen can protect you with either a chemical barrier or a physical barrier. Zinc oxide is found in most children and baby sunscreens. It is a ... [Read More]
KEEP CALM AND CARROT ON
EAT YOUR VEGGIES! VEGGIE SERVINGS Children need 5-9 servings of fruits or veggies EVERY DAY! But how much is a serving? Age 1-3 A serving size is a 1/4 cup cooked vegetables. Age 4-6 A serving size is a 1/4 cup cooked vegetables or a 1/2 cup of raw veggies or salad. Age 7-10 A serving size is a 1/2 cup of cooked veggies or 1 cup of raw veggies or salad. Juice And Pouches? Friends Or Foe? When our children stop eating vegetables (usually as toddlers), we worry about ... [Read More]
Splish Splash
Safe Swimming And Water Safety At All Ages Pool Safety Pool Fencing Fencing should be separate from the house and should be fenced in on all 4 sides of the pool The pool fence needs to be at least 4 feet tall and any gates need to be self-latching and the gate should open out from the pool not in towards the pool. Pool Toys Pool toys should be removed from the pool area when not in use. Blow up pools or kiddie pools should be emptied and turned over. Pool Alarms Consider alarms ... [Read More]
Adolescence and Its Dangers
Today’s adolescents are growing up in a world consumed by the internet, especially via their smartphones. There are now constant pressures of social media, which was never an issue for prior generations. Kids also have much less privacy nowadays because of the internet. Plus, they are tempted by their peers to get high on bath salts and synthetic marijuana, and to try vaping. They are enticed to try new drugs as well as all the drugs previous generations grew up with. And whereas prior ... [Read More]