As you may know, Maple Leaf foods has had an outbreak of Listeria in one of their plants.  This has lead to several deaths, currently we are at 15, although many of the newspapers have different statistics.  Most Maple Leaf foods have been recalled and if you are Canadian and haven’t heard about the recalls or you aren’t sure exactly what is recalled, visit this link for a detailed list. 

Listeria, if you aren’t sure, is a naturally occurring bacteria that can be found in many foods and in all kinds of environments.  It is one of the few bacterias that can continue to grow in the fridge and it is an environmental bacteria that can be found in soil and in water.  The biggest problem with Listeria, is that it can cause a disease called Listeriosis, which can lead to death.  It is particularly dangerous to women who are pregnant, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. 

Despite this outbreak, it can be easy for people to become infected by listeria and it is important to maintain a clean house, especially kitchens to avoid any infections.  Below are a few tips that can help in keeping your risk to a minimum:

• Avoid cross contamination: I used to follow this simply because I hated having lettuce that tasted like tomatoes and tomatoes that tasted like onions but using different knives and cutting boards between not only vegetables but meats is very important, especially between meats.  If you don’t have multiple cutting boards, simply wash the cutting board with soap and water, thoroughly.
• Keep your kitchen clean: Wash counters and surfaces with a disinfectant spray or wipe.  A wash cloth doesn’t cut it and can actually spread more germs.  Also, wash your fridge on a regular basis since listeria can form in a dirty fridge.
• Don’t leave food out too long:  If you are having a party, keep a two hour limit on your table spread.  If it isn’t eaten or wrapped up in the fridge by the time limit, just chuck it.  Bacteria builds on food that is left out.
• Don’t defrost food on the counter:  I’m sure you have done it before, taken a steak out of the freezer, plunked it on the counter and left it on the counter and went off to work.  This is the perfect way for bacteria to grow.  The best way to defrost something is in the microwave or in the refrigerator.

Sirena Van Schaik

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I know that for years, I was often confused by the best sunscreen and when I finally realized what I needed, I was often laughed at by a few family friends. (I want to add that on those occasions, my kids and I were the only ones without a blistering sunburn.)

When it comes to sunburns, babies are more likely to experience the effects of the sun since they have sensitive skin that does not have a natural protection built up. It is important to keep children under the age of one out of the sun for long periods of time. Keep them in shade, have them wear light clothing that covers, and use umbrellas to keep the glare of the sun off of them.

For other children there are a few tips for sunscreen that will keep them healthy and happy throughout the season.

• Use a cream sunscreen that has a minimum SPF of 15, although I would recommend SPF 45. SPF is a measure of how long you can stay in the sun before skin damage (a burn) occurs. For SPF 15, the amount of time would be 150 minutes before reapplying, although that is just an estimate and depends on what you are doing.
• Purchase sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection. Check those labels because some sunscreens do not offer full spectrum protection.
• Check best before dates and never use the sunscreen after the date since it could loose some or all of its effectiveness.
• Purchase waterproof sunscreen even if you don’t plan on going swimming. This will help with the loss of sunscreen from sweating.
• Apply sunscreen about 20 to 30 minutes before going outside or in the pool. Reapply every hour or so or immediately after swimming or if your child is sweating.
• Don’t forget to apply to the nose, ears, and back of the neck.

A few more UV Protection Tips:

• Have your child wear sunglasses that offer full spectrum protection.
• Wear hats when you are outside.
• The hours between 11am to 4pm is when the sun is at it’s strongest. Avoid going outside in the peak hours or use sunscreen for sure during those times.
• Wear clothing that covers most of the skin.
• Keep an eye on the daily UV ratings to know which days pose more of a threat for burning.

And the biggest tip that I will give is:

Have Fun!

Sirena Van Schaik

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It isn’t a big thing and with a little lotion, poison ivy can be fixed up. Of course, no one wants to see their children suffer through poison ivy and there are ways to avoid having to deal with an outbreak of poison ivy over the summer.

The most important key to avoiding poison ivy is to know what it looks like. Many people don’t know and I have to check my first aid book every year to refresh my memory. I remember years ago, my mother-in-law had gone out in the late fall to pick some late blooming wildflowers for her table. She searched everywhere and found this very pretty plant with beautiful white berries. After picking it, piling it into her arms and bringing it home to arrange in her center piece, her husband looked at it and exclaimed, “You picked poison ivy!” Needless to say, the next few days were filled with a lot of itching.

Poison Ivy has a saying that goes along with it “Leaves of three let it be, berries white, take flight.” Now the leaves of three can be confusing since some people conjure up images of a leaf with three points but in reality it means three separate leaves on one stalk. The leaves have a distinct arrangement in the fact that one faces left, another right and the third straight out from the stem. The leaves have a point with a rounded bottom and have a slight tooth-like edge around it. Generally the leaves are a deep green but they do turn scarlet red in the fall. In spring, poison ivy has green and yellow flowers and by late summer and fall the flowers have given way to green and then white berries. All of the plant is poisonous and there is no safe part to touch.

Once you know how it looks and show it to your children, they should be able to avoid it, although sometimes accidents do happen and you will have to take measures to care for it.

If you or your child touch poison ivy it is very important to do the following.

1. Wash the area immediately with soap and water.
2. Clean the area off with rubbing alcohol. Make sure to cover the complete surface since the oil from the plant can rub off from one part of the skin to the next.
3. Care for the rash and itching with either an colloidal oatmeal bath (carefully since the bathtub will become very slick from the oatmeal), calamine lotion, baking soda paste or a topical corticosteroid that your doctor may prescribe. If the rash is severe, it is important to contact your physician and he may prescribe an oral corticosteroid.

It isn’t the end of the world if you or your child gets poison ivy but from what I have heard, it certainly feels like it.

Still, I hope that you, and your family will have a fun, safe and poison ivy free summer. For more information on Poison Ivy and for pictures to identify it, please visit this site.

All the best,

Sirena Van Schaik

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If you are hosting a garage sale, and are in Canada, it is important to understand that you are legally responsible for the items that you sell.  If they are damaged or do not meet safety regulations, you can be responsible for any injuries that are sustained.  It is important to check the safety of the items you are selling before your garage sale.

If you are attending garage sales and are picking up some items for your kids or your baby, it is important to understand some of the safety issues when it comes to garage sale items.  I have listed some of them below.

• Cribs: There are many inexpensive cribs being offered through garage sales and occasionally you can find a good deal on one.  It is important to bring a measuring tape with you to check the width of the bars and the height of the posts.  The crib bars should never be wider than 6 cm apart and the corner posts should never be more than 3mm high.  The mattress itself, should never be farther than 3 cm from the side of the crib.  When it comes to age, any crib made before 1986 should be avoided since it does not meet current standards.  Other cribs to avoid are ones with suspended mattresses held on by an S hook.
• Walkers:  This is something that is applicable to Canada since walkers are banned.  Exersaucers are legal but these are the toys where baby cannot push himself around with.  Walkers lead to a high level of accidents and should be avoided.
• Bicycle Helmets:  You should never purchase any type of helmet at a garage sale since there is no way to know the history of the helmet since they could have minute cracks that offer the child no protection if they were to fall.
• Baby Gates:  Avoid any gates with large openings or a “V” shaped pattern.  Also make sure that you have all the important information with the gate such as manufacturer, and the date it was manufactured.
• Car Seats:   I would recommend never purchasing a car seat at a garage sale since you do not have any of the history on the seat.  If a car seat is in even one accident, it is deemed unsafe and should not be used or sold.  Since there is no way to really determine if it was in an accident, it is better to avoid them all together.  If you do decide to purchase a car seat make sure it meets all the Motor Vehicle Safety Standards of your state or country.
• Strollers:  Any stroller manufactured before 1985 should be avoided and you should also check to make sure that everything is in working order.  Test the brakes, folding buttons, wheels and straps.  Also make sure that the folding button locks securely and that the stroller will not fold up on your child.

For most of the other items, you can pretty well use common sense. Avoid purchasing anything that was used for bathing and try to purchase items that are not broken in anyway. All in all, if you feel uncomfortable with the item, don’t purchase it, even if the seller is offering it to you at a steal. 

All the best and happy garage sale hunting.

Sirena Van Schaik

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This post actually came about because of a news report this morning about another online predator being arrested after broadcasting a live web feed of him abusing a child.  It sickens me that this is so rampant in our society today and it just reminds me that I need to continuously teach my children how to protect themselves. 

Today’s post isn’t about protecting against online predators, I will cover that on another day, but is about protecting your children from predators in general.  It is a statistical fact that 85% of children know their abuser and many predators use this as a means to coerce or threaten the child. 

I have listed some ways to protect your children and your family.

• Open communication: This has to start before you even get into talking to your child about predators and staying safe.  It is more of a way to live than an actual step to follow since having open communication in your family will foster the knowledge that your child can talk to you about everything and anything.  When they get a bit older, you need to reaffirm this open communication by stressing that if someone does something to them,  they should tell you and you won’t get mad at them. 
• Explaining bad touch:  This is important and my kids understand that no one is allowed to touch their genital area or other private places.  I did explain to them that in some cases doctors will need to touch those places for medical reasons but they would never do it if myself or my husband was not there.  My kids also have areas that are not allowed to be touched because they choose it.  For my oldest, he hates having his elbow being touched.  This to him is a “bad” touch, much like my stomach is a bad touch for me (I absolutely hate having my stomach touched, which was lovely when I was pregnant), and he has the right to say, “Don’t touch my elbow.”  Allowing your child to choose other places on his body that he doesn’t like being touched, even if it is a specific fingernail, helps him identify with the fact that this is his body and he has a right to tell someone not to touch it. 
• Teaching about good touch:  It is important to teach about good touch as well.  A pat on the back, a handshake, even a hug are considered to be good touching.  You also need to point out that good touch with family, say a hug, might be considered bad touch, especially by a stranger.  The best thing is to explain that if the good touch doesn’t feel good when it happens, then it has moved from being a good touch to a bad touch and he should say, “Stop, I don’t want you to touch me.”
• Knowing proper names:  The years spent in childcare has left me shuddering at the names some parents have given their children for their genitalia.  I have heard the usual; peepee, peetail, and then I have heard some pretty awful ones such as birdie, hotdog or taco.  There is absolutely no reason why a child should not know the proper term for their anatomy.  I know that it is hard to say the words to a child but it protects them and gives them the proper speech if they need to report something.  There is a story of a little girl who told a teacher about abuse that was happening in her room each day.  She had no word for vagina (vulva) except birdie. The teacher did not comprehend right away what the little girl was telling her and started asking her if her birdie had a name and other questions about birds.  I’m not sure of the validity of this story but the message is very clear, without proper language and terms, confusion can destroy any effort a child has put into seeking help.
• Be there for your children:  This is the most important of all the steps, just be there for your child. Be active and knowledgeable about his or her life.  Help out in the clubs she is in such as sports or brownies or anything else.  Know not only the children in your kid’s life but also know the parents of those children.  Be present and accounted for and your child will go to you if she needs help.
• Don’t focus only on stranger-dangers:  Remember that although strangers do pose a risk, it is people the child knows who can pose more of a risk.  85% of children know their abusers.  This means that when you are teaching good touch/bad touch, you should explain that if anyone, even someone they know, touches them in a bad way then they need to tell you.
• Saying No:  Since I mentioned language, a good word for your child to learn is “No.”  It needs to be said strongly and they should leave right away when they say it.  Another point to make is to teach your child to say, “These are not my parents” if someone grabs her from a public place.  Cries for help rarely get noticed and most people think it is a temper tantrum being dealt with.  If a child yells, “These are not my parents, they’re trying to take me,” it is more likely to get attention and, hopefully, aid.

There are many other ways to protect your children and although I would love to go through them all, this has become a very heavy post and I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much more.  I would like to sign off by giving this link to an excellent book that helps teach children from Kindergarten to age 8 what good touch and bad touch are. 

I would also like to direct you to this website, which is full of resources and information for parents on teaching safety to their children. 

Sirena Van Schaik

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These types of recalls are occurring more and more frequently and many people often complain about manufacturing standards in countries that manufacture the products but let’s face it, corporations are looking for the cheapest production costs and things are going to fall through the crack making a recall necessary. 

Since we are dealing with so many recalls, parents have to vigilant in keeping abreast of the latest product concerns and recalls.  This can be pretty hard if you don’t watch the news every night or read the paper every morning and if your radio listening time consists of the commute to work.  You could have several items in your house that has been recalled and not even know it. 

So, the Canadian and US governments have stepped up and has provided consumers with a site that lists recalls and concerns.  You can visit it here for Canadian recalls and here for US recalls.  I would recommend signing up for the newletter that the US Consumer Products Safety Commission offers. 

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Planting with kids is a wonderful activity and there is nothing more enjoyable than digging around in the dirt and unearthing worms and creepy crawlies.  I think my kids would prefer to leave the flowers out so they could have worm excavating holes but we eventually get the flowers planted.  Even with it being such an enjoyable activity, it is important to remember that many plants can be poisonous to people, especially young children. 

If you place poisonous plants in your garden, it is important to place them in areas where your children do not have access and to also be the person handling the plant.  I have listed below the plants that you should either avoid or handle with care and the part that is considered the most toxic.

Flowering Plants

• Oleander: the leaves and branches of this plant are extremely poisonous.
• Daffodil: bulbs are the most toxic and can be fatal
• Monkshood: the roots
• Narcissus: the bulbs and like the daffodil they can be fatal
• Lily of the Valley: leaves and flowers
• Star of Bethlehem: bulbs
• Hyacinth: Bulbs, which can be fatal
• Rhododendron: all the parts of the rhododendron is toxic
• Foxglove: leaves and it can be fatal
• Iris: Underground stems
• Rhubarb: leaf blade. Rhubarb leaves can be fatal in large quantities

There are many other plants that are toxic and for more information on those plants, please visit the toxic plant list produced by The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. It is important to teach children to never eat plants and to understand the qualities of the plants that you are placing in your garden. But after you have sorted out plants that are toxic, you can enjoy the bonding experience of growing a well thought out garden. 

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A few days ago, I was out running errands when I came across a scene that was almost alarming.  The river that runs through my town in a lazy swirl was currently a raging torrent of white water.  It had flooded its banks in places, was a mere foot from the bottom of several bridges and it had flooded a few roads.  All the water reminded me that I needed to reiterate some guidelines with my children about rivers and streams, especially during the spring months.

 *Even the most serene rivers can pose a potential water hazard, especially in the spring.*

This winter has seen a lot of snowfall in my province but even without a lot of perspiration in your area, the dangers of rivers greatly increase in the spring due to run off.  Not only are rivers at high risk but so are streams, lakes, ditches and sewage canals.  Although there should always be vigilance with children and water, spring is a time when parents should reassess how they approach that vigilance and to alert their children of those dangers.

Knowledge is the best way to protect your children and although you should not traumatize your child with tales of water horrors, neither should you candy coat the dangers.  Below are a few tips for  reminding your children about the dangers of rivers, ditches and lakes.

• Don’t discuss safe water practices without having some reference to point to unless the topic comes up in everyday dialogue.  If you are out for a walk or are running errands with your child and you happen to pass a body of water then it is a good time to mention the height of the water and that it is not safe to venture near that river.  This gives your child a frame of reference and you can use it when you get home to further discuss the dangers of water. 
• Keep the dialogue age appropriate.  Don’t go into a long explanation about under currents, run off, and water heights unless they are old enough to grasp the concepts.
• Explain how the river is dangerous for everyone, including grown ups.  My children know that if something is dangerous for adults too, then it is serious.
• Teach your children how to stay clear of rivers by informing them that the flooded banks and bridges are just as dangerous as the rivers themselves.
• Remind your children that water hazards exist even in small streams and ditches since they can become flooded as well in the spring.  Also explain how the dranage pipes can create a current that will pull a child or an adult into them. 
• Know where your child is going if you live near a river.  When they go out to a friends or on their own, remind them about the rules over the river and other water hazards.

Spring runoffs can create a potential disaster for any unsuspecting person, whether they are adults or children.  Giving your child the knowledge and the guidelines to follow will only give them the knowledge that they need to be safe. 

Sirena Van Schaik

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