Halloween was less than a week ago, but if you still have Halloween candy in your house, you have a lot of fortitude! Or you let your kids hoard their candy (and have the strength not to steal it). Either way, you are exhibiting an amazing amount of self-control. After you peel your kids off from the ceiling (man, those are some crazy sugar rushes) check where out where you kids have stashed their candy. Don’t let your kids hide the candy in their rooms. Yes, they may feel it is safer from the sticky fingers of siblings, but the candy could also attract bugs or worse, your child or a younger sibling could choke on a piece of candy when you aren’t looking. November is National Child Safety Month and conveniently enough this week is also National Heimlich Maneuver Week! If you don’t already know how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, help keep your kids safer by learning how.
The Deaconess Heimlich Institute provides these instructions for how to help a choking victim.
- From behind, wrap your arms around the victim’s waist.
- Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim’s upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel.
- Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands.
- Repeat until object is expelled.
To help you keep an eye on your kids and the candy, keep the candy with your other foodstuffs. Consider clearing a space in the pantry for each child, so that your kids’ will feel like their candy is safe and each child can still have their separate stash. Don’t forget to strongly enforce the no stealing candy rule (unless you are the one stealing the candy).
National Child Safety Month is also a great time to review other child safety concerns in your home. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of four! If you have young children and are moving to a home with a pool or are considering building a pool, safety and drowning prevention should be a primary concern for your family.
A fence around the perimeter of the pool or an alarm system on your back door that will beep every time it is opened are great options for helping to keep your kids safe. Make sure all your family members are well versed in locking the doors that access the pool area and ensure that no toddlers or young ones slip out unnoticed. November is also be a great time to take a CPR class so you are prepared in the case of an emergency. Do you have any safety tips to share with other families? Let us know, by connecting with Square Cow Movers around the web.
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Image Source: flickr.com/photos/clappstar/8152822679