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Healthy Winter Tips

12/5/2019

photo credit: Huffington Post

It's that time of year when excitement is in the air as many families prepare for holiday celebrations, family gatherings, and lots of togetherness. It's also the time of year when viral illnesses, colds, coughs, and flu are in the air. Here are some tips to help you keep your family healthy so you don't miss any of the fun!

Top Recalls and Warning for Parents of Infants and Toddlers 2019

11/22/2019

Top Recalls and Warnings for Parents
Of Infants and Toddlers in 2019

Sometimes in our busy worlds we have a hard time keeping up with the safety of all of the many products that are out there for our little ones. Many times recalls happen but you will not get a knock on your door updating you on toys, food and furniture that could lead to injury or death for your little one. We all do our best to watch out for our families. We have put together a list of some recent recalls and warnings.

#1 Popular item is the Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper and inclined sleepers in play yards.

This has been a popular item in the past few years, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urges parents to stop using this product immediately due to 32 infant deaths.

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Urges-U-S-Consumer-Product-Safety-Commission-to-Recall-Fisher-Price-Rock-n-Play-Sleeper.aspx

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/us/fisher-price-infant-sleeper-recall-trnd/index.html

https://youtu.be/f3-p1nuvLYg

#2 High Chairs, Neck Supports, Bouncers, Toddler Bikes, Toys and more with recent recalls.

As of August 2019 there are new rules for high chairs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the AAP recommend that your high chair meets manufacturing or import on or after June 19th to meet new guidelines.

The Boppy Head and Neck support that goes in infant seats has been recalled because the head area can be overstuffed and cause suffocation.

https://www.aappublications.org/news/2019/08/20/healthalerts082019

#3 Be aware of what is in your baby’s food and juice. Recently it has been brought to light the many metals and toxins that are in commercial baby foods and juices.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/17/health/baby-foods-arsenic-lead-toxic-metals-wellness/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfEduOzYWo

#4 Child Restraint and Car Seats. Car seats now have been given expiration dates. Please make sure your child is in a safety approved seat. It is recommended that infants and toddlers stay rear facing through the age of 2. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx

To check to see if your car seat has been recalled:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/childseat.cfm

#5 Recent Food Recalls and Warnings. This involves more than 100 vegetable products from places such as Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s.

https://www.parents.com/syndication/100-vegetable-products-recalled-over-listeria-concerns/?utm_medium=browser&utm_source=parents.com&utm_content=20191104&utm_campaign=457742

https://mannpackingproductlist11-2019.us/

Practicing Pre-Literacy Skills

11/12/2019

"Literacy skills refer to all the skills needed for reading and writing. Pre-literacy skills refer to the skills a child gains before she can read or write. There are so many ways we can support young learners in our every day routines and interactions."

Excerpt from: Cari Ebert Seminars

To continue reading her blog post and learn different methods of support for practicing pre-literacy skills, click on the link.

Cari Ebert is a pediatric speech-language pathologist that practices in the Kansas City area. She is a wealth of knowledge and expertise. She has great ideas that many parent educators incorporate into their home visits with families. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, where she posts daily, with tips, tricks and ideas.

Halloween Safety

10/25/2019

A good scare can be fun on Halloween, but not when it comes to your child’s safety. Here are several tips to help keep your kids safe and sound as they join in the trick or treating fun!

The above tips and information can be found at SafeKids.com

Bully Prevention Month and You

10/11/2019

October is Bully Prevention Month. According to Wikipedia, "Bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behavior characterized by the following three minimum criteria: (1) hostile intent, (2) imbalance of power, and (3) repetition over a period of time. Bullying is the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another individual, physically, mentally, or emotionally." I often hear parents talk about something that has happened or something that has been said, and then refer to it as bullying when it actually isn't. Sometimes kids just do and say mean things. That isn't what it means to be a bully or be bullied.

Often when we think about bullying, we think about upper elementary or middle school children, but often, through no fault of their own, bullies are "made". Be sure to watch the following video, where Dr. Becky Bailey walks you through the stages of becoming a bully. There are several "road signs" along the way that warn us to potential tendencies, if we don't step in to help the child (a.k.a potential future bully.)

But, there is HOPE! There are things that you can do to help your child learn the important self regulation skills needed. You already know the Red Flags, now learn about specific interventions that you can use to help your child and those around you.

Road Sign #1 (0-3)

Road Sign #2 (3-5)

Dr. Becky Bailey has provides a multitude of resources, including printables and videos for FREE at her Conscious Discipline website. Check out her site and let us know which ones were most helpful to you!

Yoga for Littles

9/26/2019

September is national yoga month. If you've never considered yoga for "littles", you really should! Yoga is great for young children for a variety of reasons. It helps with large motor skills like increasing strength and flexibility plus it also encourages balance and coordination. But one of its biggest benefits is teaching children resilience and self regulation.

This video is one you can do with your child. It uses animals to introduce several different yoga poses in a way that children will love.

And here is a Yoga poster from Childhood 101 and Kids Yoga stories that show poses that your children will enjoy.

4 Tips to Encourage Early Literacy for your Family

9/13/2019

September is National Literacy Month!

I can think of no better time to create a literacy rich environment in your home.

Here are 4 easy ways to promote family literacy in your home...

Set aside time for reading together every day.

It doesn't have to be complicated. You don't need a fancy chair or even a huge home library. All you need is your lap, your child and a book or 2. To find out all of the benefits check out the video below!

Start reading to your child at BIRTH

Store books visibly around the home where your child can reach them.

Make frequent trips to your local library.

Photo Credits: Creator:Jennifer Hauck Credit:Valley News - Jennifer Hauck Copyright:Copyright Â© Valley News

Storytimes at Grandview Public Library

Storytime for Families
(for families of ALL ages)

Tuesdays @ 10:30 AM
1st & 3rd Thursdays @ 7 PM
Fridays @ 10:30 AM

Play & Learn
A special preschool playtime to strengthen early literacy skills

Wednesdays @ 10:30 AM
2nd and 4th Thursdays @ 7 PM

Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

8/30/2019

August is Eye Health and Safety Month! Do you know what you need to know about your child's eye health and safety?

Did you know that you can get a no-cost eye assessment for your infant between the ages of 6 and 12 months?

"InfantSEE®, a public health program, managed by Optometry Cares® -The AOA Foundation, is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an essential part of infant wellness care to improve a child's quality of life. Under this program, participating doctors of optometry provide a comprehensive infant eye assessment between six and 12 months of age free of charge regardless of family income or access to insurance coverage." Click this LINK for a list of providers within 10 miles of Grandview.

Did you also know that you can get a FREE assessment for your 3 year old?

"See To Learn was developed by the Eye Care Council as a preventive program to help make sure every child’s early education is unaffected by vision problems. Through See To Learn, parents can schedule a FREE vision assessment for their 3-year-old child in a participating optometrist's office." Be sure to click the "Find a Doctor" link to find a participating optometrist near you.

On the search for more information to keep your little one's eyes healthy and safe, year-round, check out THIS LINK.

Welcome Back!!!

8/15/2019

The Parent Educators with Grandview Parents as Teachers are excited to welcome you back to a new school year! We have a lot of fun things planned this year and can't wait to enjoy them with you and your family. If you do not have a parent educator, and would like one, please fill out the contact form. You can expect to hear from an educator as soon as possible. If you do have a parent educator and have not heard from her by the first week of September, you can find her number on that same contact page. Feel free to give her a call. She'd love to hear from you!

We look forward to partnering with you this year!!

Enjoy Your Children This Summer

6/10/2019

We'll See You in the Fall

Parents As Teachers will return in the fall
with new content.

Until then,
enjoy your children, make new memories
and have a great summer!

We look forward to hearing about all of your adventures in the fall!
Take pictures! We love to see pictures of you and your family enjoying one another.