**Today’s article is written by our guest writer, Ritika Puri. Ritika is a savings strategist at CouponMountain.com, a website that specializes in deals, promotional codes and online coupons. In addition to her speciality in shopping and deals, Ritika enjoys connecting with moms and consumers to share valuable tips. Visit CouponMountain.com for great deals and smart steals!
Ritika says:
Safety is a tricky concept to teach. It’s tough to tell kids what to do without feeling overbearing. One way to overcome this challenge is to keep your kids involved by teaching them why. Kids love to learn, especially about science, and there are many age-appropriate lessons that kids could learn from these safety tips.
Here are 3 safety tips that are worth sharing:
Good healthy snack choice, just don't forget the ice pack.
1. Food Safety — Recently, The Los Angeles Times reported a study that sack lunches may be too warm. The journal Pediatrics examined temperatures of 705 lunches with at least 1 perishable item about an hour and a half before the food was served to 3-5 year olds. Only a small portion of these lunches were at a safe temperature. As a parent, you should make sure to keep your kids’ lunches in well-insulated lunch
boxes with enough materials to keep everything cold (something to look for as you research back to school deals). Otherwise, your child may be at risk for food-related illnesses. Make sure that you also teach your kids to keep their food in a cool area as opposed to the hot sun. Tell them why—kids love to learn.
Visit www.facebook.com/StopBullying.Gov. to see the action taken by our government to battle cyberbullying.
2. Bullying & Cyberbullying — If your child is old enough to use the Internet and social networking sites, you should make sure to have a conversation about cyberbullying. This phenomenon is something that is new to this generation of children, so it’s tough for us to understand the consequences. In any case, it’s a conversation worth having to keep our kids, families, and communities happy, healthy and safe. See www.facebook.com/StopBullying.gov to see action taken by our government to battle cyberbullying. Teach your kids to talk to you or a trusted adult like a counselor or teacher if they are ever experiencing this problem.
Don't forget to pack a water bottle along with those textbooks!
3. Hydration — Many years ago, my brother was very active in sports. One day, I found out that he had fainted, and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. We had to call paramedics to make sure that he was safe. Luckily, he recovered and did not need to go to the ER, but my parents did take him to urgent care. As it turns out, my brother was dehydrated. He thought that he had been drinking enough water, but it turns out that he wasn’t drinking enough. As a parent, it’s important to remind your kids to stay hydrated, even if you think that they are drinking enough water. Make sure that you teach them early signs of dehydration and emphasize how important it is to drink enough water.
Thank you Ritika! What is your best safety advice for our kiddos? Tell us here in the comments section!
