Is your flat screen television safe?

Flat-screen televisions

The issue
Sales of flat-screen televisions have increased in recent years. With this increase in popularity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has been raising awareness of the risks of such televisions, particularly the danger posed by the possibility of children pulling televisions over on top of themselves.
USA experience
A study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, USA, found that from 1990-2007, an average of nearly 15,000 under-18s visited emergency departments annually for injuries received from furniture "tip-overs".
According to the study, which was published in an American paediatrics journal (Clinical Pediatrics) in 2009, three-quarters of injuries occurred among children under the age of seven years and nearly half resulted from televisions tipping over. More than a quarter of the injuries happened when children pulled over or climbed on furniture. The study found that there was more than a 40 per cent increase in furniture tip-over injuries during the study period, and that the injury rate also rose.

From time to time, RoSPA believes it is important to raise awareness of the potential for accidents to happen before an injury trend emerges in the UK. In this instance, we have taken note of the findings of US research which studied a huge number of furniture tip-over cases from an 18-year period. Not only did the research find that the number of such injuries had increased, but that televisions were the most commonly-involved item of furniture.

Information and advice
The UK's own home accident database was closed in 2002, before the surge in flat-screen television popularity. However, data from the last year of the system reveals that around 9,300 people had to go to hospital after television-related home accidents, of which 2,300 were children under the age of five years. The most common television-related accident involving under-fives was a child being struck by a falling television set.
RoSPA has heard about the deaths of children in the UK linked to televisions falling on to them, but it is not clear whether the cases have involved flat-screens or more traditional television sets.

Leading suppliers of child safety products can provide information on anti-tip furniture straps that can be fitted to televisions. RoSPA urges all stockists of safety equipment to make anti-tip straps easily available, so parents can ensure their furniture is stable.

To prevent children being injured in television-related accidents, RoSPA advises that:

• Free-standing, flat-screen televisions are placed on a wide, stable, manufacturer's base (designed to accompany the television), which reduces the risk of the screen toppling forwards
• Anti-tip straps are fitted. These are now available from leading suppliers of child safety products in the UK, and are an easy, inexpensive and effective way of ensuring that your flat-screen television stays safely upright. Straps are designed to be attached to the rear of flat-screen televisions (and other types of furniture) and then tethered securely to brackets fixed to the wall
• Children are kept out of the way while bulky, heavy objects such as televisions are being moved
• Toddlers are discouraged from pulling themselves up by holding on to a television set or furniture on which a television sits

If you are hanging your flat-screen television on a wall, take care to ensure it is fitted to a solid wall. Where internal walls are made of plasterboard, fixing brackets should be attached to underlying wooden studs. If in any doubt about this, use the services of a skilled tradesperson. Always check and follow the manufacturer's instructions for additional information about hanging your television on the wall.

RoSPA has produced two press releases relating to this subject:

Address Flat-Screen TV safety before accidents rise, says RoSPA - www.rospa.com/news/releases/detail/default.aspx?id=819    

RoSPA urges people to enjoy the world cup on TV, not in A&E - www.rospa.com/news/releases/detail/default.aspx?id=849

Text taken from RoSPA’s flat-screen TV advice and information webpage at www.rospa.com/homesafety/adviceandinformation/product/flat-screen-tv.aspx

Stammering & stuttering...what do they mean??

Learning to talk, like learning to walk, is never completely smooth and does not happen straight away. Young children often stop, pause, start again and stumble over words when they are learning to talk.

Between the ages of two and five years, it is normal for a child to repeat words and phrases, and hesitate with "um"s and "er"s, when he is sorting out what to say next.

However, about five in every hundred children stammer for a time when they are learning to talk. Many find it easier to talk fluently as they get older. Others continue to find talking difficult and often get stuck.

If you are concerned about you child's speech you should arrange to see a speech and language therapist who can show you how to help your child.

For further information go to -

http://www.stammering.org/under5.html#Talking&Fluency

http://www.stammeringcentre.org/

The World of Weaning

Welcome to the world of weaning, a world that is full of lots of information from many sources; information that can often be conflicting and may leave you feeling confused and unsure.


Firstly, I want to let you know that I am no expert. I am a mum of two boys, a health visitor with 14 years experience and more years as a sick children’s nurse before that.

In my mind, the only expert is YOU, the parent. You are the one that knows your baby better than anyone else, you are the one that knows what they need and when, not me or anyone else.

So what is it that you want to know about weaning? When to start? How will you know when your baby is ready? What foods to give and when; how much and how often? What about milk feeds and water? Can you give juice or any other drinks, and should it be from a bottle or cup? Are there foods that you shouldn’t give and how should you cook them? What about jars and packets, sugar and salt?

So, where to begin? Let’s get the research bit out of the way first. The latest research available from the World Health Organization shows that babies need nothing but their mum’s milk or formula for the first 6 months of their lives. This gives a baby’s digestive system time to develop enough for them to manage solid foods.

However, we know that every baby is unique and their needs are different and that’s why I want to encourage you to recognise what your baby needs.

The British Dietetic Association suggests that term infants (born between 37 and 42 weeks) should begin weaning by 6 months and not before 4 months (17 weeks). Within their report, they have identified research that suggests that in developed countries there are no reported disadvantages to beginning weaning onto solid foods between 4 and 6 months compared with waiting until 6 months



So how would you know that your baby is ready for solid foods?

Your baby will start –

- Putting toys and other objects in their mouth

- Chewing their fists

- Watching others with interest when they are eating

- To be hungry between milk feeds or demand feeds more often even though larger milk feeds have been offered?


From around 4 and 6 months your baby will generally start to do the above and this seems to be the best time to start solids because, from this age they learn to accept new tastes and textures relatively quickly.
(around this time your baby may also start to wake more at night, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are hungry and starting solids may not help them sleep through the night again). .

Ok, you have decided that your baby is ready and you are going to try them with some solids and they are between four to six months

Weaning is a learning process and your baby will only learn to accept and enjoy new tastes and textures if they are given the opportunity to try them.

They will need to learn –

- to take food from a spoon

- move food from the front of their mouth to the back for swallowing

- manage thicker purees and mashed food


When & How?

You need to find a time in the day that suits you and your baby; find a time when they are awake and alert but not expecting a milk feed. Try and be relaxed about the whole experience and enjoy it together.

What consistency?

Begin with a smooth puree and then move onto to mashed foods. From 6 months start offering soft finger foods.

What foods?

(Advice for this age group has recently changed to include foods that were previously not allowed)

Once you baby is able to eat solid foods you will need to offer a variety of foods from all 4 food groups to make sure that they get all the nutrients that they need and ideally these foods should be the nutritious family foods that you will expect them to eat when they are toddlers.


Foods to include are: -

All vegetables & fruits

Potatoes, rice, oats, pasta, bread and other cereals

Lentils, chick peas, pulses, dhal, hummus and smooth nut butters.

Full fat yogurt and cheese (full fat milk can also be used during cooking).

Meat, fish and eggs,

Jars & Packets?

If you choose to use either jars or packets/ or a combination of both that is OK. Just make sure that the foods you are giving are age appropriate and offer a variety of different tastes.

How much?

Allow your baby to lead the way, as a healthy baby will know how much or how little they want.

(NEVER FORCE YOUR BABY TO EAT IF THEY DON’T WANT TO).

How often?

Start with offering solids once per day and gradually increase as you feel your baby needs, gradually increasing the amount of food that they have so that by one year old they are having breakfast, lunch, tea and a mid morning and afternoon snack each day.

What about milk and other drink?

Continue with milk feeds and only offer cooled boiled water to formula fed babies if it is a very hot day and you think they may be thirsty between feeds.

(YOUR BABY DOES NOT NEED BABY JUICE/ SQUASH).

Salt & Sugar

Don’t add sugar, salt or stock cubes when cooking your own foods. Jars and packets must comply with regulations that monitor their sugar, fat and salt content.

Allergies

If you, your baby’s father or your other children have asthma, eczema, hay fever or food allergies then ideally your baby should be breastfed throughout weaning and the high allergen foods should be introduced one at a time so that if they do react, you’ll know which food it is. There is no clear evidence to suggest that delaying the introduction of these foods until after 6 months reduces the risk of allergy however, you may prefer to do this.

The high allergen foods are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, soya, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, lupins, celery and mustard.

Vegetarian & Vegan

Babies don’t need meat and fish to stay healthy, just make sure that you give a variety of foods such as eggs, milk, grains, pulses and cereals. If you are thinking of weaning your baby on a vegan diet, it may be worth asking for a referral to a dietician for some advice.

Premature Infants

The best time to begin weaning is likely to be sometime around 5 - 8 months after your baby’s actual birth date. For the majority, it may be better to delay starting solids until 3 months after their estimated date of delivery (EDD) so that they can develop enough. You can also speak to your dietician and medical team and more information is available on weaning babies born prematurely from BLISS (www.BLISS.org.uk)


Vitamins?

If you are breastfeeding your baby , you will need to take 10mcg of vitamin D every day and it is also recommended that toddlers between 1 – 5 years old take a vitamin D supplement too (especially, if they are fussy eaters and from ethnic minorities with dark skin).

What equipment will you need?

All bowls & spoons will need to be sterilised until 6 months.

Feed your baby in a baby chair or while they are sitting on your lap.

NEVER LEAVE YOUR BABY ALONE WHEN FEEDING

From 6 - 9 months

Your baby will need to learn to –

- move lumps around their mouth

- chew lumps

- feed themselves using hands and fingers

- sip from a cup


Food to give -

Mashed food with soft lumps

Soft finger foods

Soft pieces of fruit

Cooked vegetable sticks - carrot & courgette sticks, green bean, potato and sweet potato

Cooked vegetable pieces – broccoli & cauliflower florets

Cheese cubes

Crusts of bread or toast

Roasted vegetable sticks - parsnip, pepper, carrot, courgette, potato & sweet potato

(You can now introduce liver, limit it to one small serving per week because of high levels of vitamin A).


Drinks

Offer in a lidded beaker or cup – sticking to water, formula milk or well diluted fruit juice.


Vitamins

Breastfed babies need to be given a vitamin supplement containing vitamins A & D from 6 months old. Formula fed babies can wait until they are about 1 year old or when they are taking less than 500mls (20ozs) of formula per day.


Infants who are weaned at or near 6 months will need to be moved from smooth pureed foods onto the second stage of weaning (mashed/ finger foods) more quickly than those weaned earlier to ensure continued development of normal feeding behaviour and continued nutritional adequacy. In particular mashed food with soft lumps and soft finger foods and foods high in iron including meat, oily fish and pulses should be introduced from around 6 months.


From 9 -12 months

Your baby will need to learn to

- chewing minced and chopped food

- self-feeding attempts with a spoon

Offer –

Hard finger foods - raw fruit & vegetables

Minced and chopped foods

Sandwiches & toast

Family foods – that have been prepared without salt & sugar

(Nuts should be crushed, chopped or ground)


Drinks

Offer a cup of water with each meal and milk feeds should be reduced (if your little one hasn’t done it already), to 2 -3 each day.

From 12 months onwards

Your toddler should now be joining in and enjoying family meals.

You can now give them -

Honey

Foods that have been preserved with salt – bacon & tinned foods with salt.

Unpasteurised soft cheeses

Foods with added sugar (only offered at mealtimes to prevent tooth decay)


Foods to avoid until they are around 5 years include –

Whole nuts

Raw shell fish

Bran and breakfast cereals that have bran in them


Drinks

Cow’s milk should be introduced from one year old and full fat milk until 2 years old; semi-skimmed until 5 years (follow-on formula and growing up milk may be given to toddlers who don’t eat well, but be careful that they don’t fill up on milk and have no room for food)

Offer milk from a cup and ideally, stop all drinks from bottles. Limit milk to 100-120mls (3-4 ozs) 3 times per day or less if they are eating cheese and yoghurt regularly.

Offer your toddler 6-8 drinks throughout the day. One with each meal and one in between meals/ with a snack (this also includes milk drinks).

What can a parent do to make a baby feel safe & secure?

........a few parents and some colleagues have told me “it’s obvious, isn’t it?”, but is it?

Yesterday, I quietly observed (I love people watching, but it drives my family mad) a couple of families. The first a young couple having lunch with their two young boys, the mum spoke to one a few times to encourage him to eat. Otherwise there was no interaction between them. What were they doing? On their mobile phones!

The second couple were with their baby in the swimming pool; what a fantastic experience for all of them, except the baby was held so that there was no eye contact between them and again only occasionally did they speak to her. I had the urge to rush over and talk to them about the simple things they could do to make the most of this opportunity (but, of course I didn’t, so I’m doing it now).

To develop a relationship between a parent and their baby that is strong, full of joy and happiness, everyday from conception onwards parents need to feel supported themselves, give their baby lots of cuddles, talk / sing to them, play and buy a buggy that can face them

• Get support – being a parent has got to be the hardest job ever with many moments of joy but, also times of frustration, confusion and exhaustion. Asking for and accepting support from family and friends can be difficult. Adults, like babies are happier when they have support around them and it’s helpful to find out what is available locally too.

• Babies /children need lots of cuddles – touch produces oxytocin which helps relax them. It makes them curious about what’s around them and teaches them to be empathetic to others and to feel safe.

• Talking and singing – babies knows the sound of their parents voice and the voices of those that have been around regularly in pregnancy from the moment they are born. Talking and singing to them makes them feel happy and secure.

• Playing – Play is important for all ages. It helps relax us and makes us feel at ease. It helps our immune systems and muscles to relax and refresh themselves. For babies and children play is their work.

• A buggy that can face the parent – babies prefer to see their parents/carers, it’s more fun and it’s important for
them to know that they are there.


So it is obvious really...but these simple messages and actions can make a real difference to how a baby/ child develops.


(The IAIM provides baby massage courses communication between babies and parents/ carers. To find your local CIMI go to:

www.iaim.org.uk)

What shall I write about?

I've been thinking long and hard about this and have decided to follow a new parents journey from the birth of their baby until they go to school, all with my health visitor hat on. The plan is to explore things that you may worry about as a parent; what your baby can do at each stage of development; what your baby needs from you and finally, websites and books you may find useful.

Watch this space....starting soon Sharon x

Thrush & Breastfeeding

Sometimes a breastfeeding mum can get thrush in her breast and a breastfeeding baby can get it in their mouths/nappy area. How you would know? • Suddenly starting to have pain in yourbreast and/ or nipple • Itchy or super sensitive nipple • Shooting pains in the breast (may feel like it’s deep inside) • Severe pain that can last up to an hour after feeds • Cracked nipples that don’t heal • Permanent loss of colour in the areola/ nipple • Pain may occur in both breasts if baby has transferred the infection during feeding. Remember that it’s important to check,or seek professional advice to make sure that your baby is attaching toyour breast properly. What to look for in your baby? • Your baby may keep pulling off or away from the breast • They may be windy and unsettled • You may notice white patches in their mouth/ tongue which do not rub off. Sometimes you will find that there are no obvious signs of infection in either you or your baby. This does not mean that you don’t need to be treated. Make sure that you are aware of the risk of thrush and what to look out for. If it is thrush, make sure that both you andyour baby are treated at the same time. Once treatment starts, the pain will usuallybegin to improve after 2-3 days and it maytake longer to recover fully. If there is no improvement after 7 days seek advice as it may not be thrush. For more information about other causes of nipple pain, self-help measures and treatment call the National Breastfeeding Helpline.0300 100 02120300 100 0210 (Supportline)www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk

Mental Health Action Week 2010

Mental Health Action Week 2010
Each year we use Mental Health Action Week to raise awareness of mental health. This year, we're encouraged you to look after your mental health.

Mental health is about the way you think and feel and your ability to deal with ups and downs.

There are lots of things you can do to look after your mental health. Many of them are simple changes and don't cost a fortune or take up loads of time. Anyone can follow our advice.

Here are 10 practical ways to look after your mental health:

Talk about your feelings
Keep active
Eat well
Drink sensibly
Keep in touch
Ask for help
Take a break
Do something you are good at
Accept who you are
Care for others

Encouraging others to look after their mental health
You can help raise awareness of mental health in your workplace, school or university by purchasing our Good Mental Health Packs that provide helpful advice about how to maintain good mental health.