Tag Archives: child-safety

Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Your child’s separation anxiety: Is it normal?

It’s not unusual for a young child to feel worried or anxious when being dropped off at daycare or someone else’s home. In most cases, separation anxiety is a normal stage of childhood development. However, in some children, the anxious feelings persist or even intensify over time, causing chronic worries and interference with daily activities.

Fortunately, there are actions that parents can take to help their children.

 

What’s Normal and What’s Not

In children younger than four, reactions such as throwing a tantrum, crying or becoming clingy are natural and expected. What is not normal is a continuance of these feelings or feelings of anxiety that interfere with school and playtime. Intense or chronic separation anxiety are suggestive of separation anxiety disorder.

 

What Are the Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder?

Children with separation anxiety disorder may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • An intense fear that something bad will happen to their parent, sibling or another loved one
  • Worries about permanent separation
  • Nightmares about separation
  • Reluctance to sleep, especially if the parent isn’t at home
  • Refusal to go to school
  • Complaints of physical illness such as headaches and stomachaches

 

What Can Parents Do to Help Their Children?

Parents can take action to lessen the symptoms of separation anxiety in their children. One of the first things parents should do is to avoid the triggers that cause the anxiety.

Reducing stress in the child’s life and maintaining a consistent environment and routine help children to lessen their anxiety. Parents can also act to control their own behaviors, as children who observe anxiety in their parents are more likely to become anxious themselves.

Parents can talk about the issue with their children. Listening to and respecting the child’s feelings show the child that his or her parent is aware.

Providing a consistent pattern for daily activities, setting limits about following school and household rules and offering choices about the separation such as bringing a favorite animal or listening to favorite music along the way can help to ease the transition. Patience and self-education about the issue can go a long way in helping parents cope with separation anxiety in their children.

Sometimes professional help is also needed for the child as well as the parent. Counseling, play therapy and medications are some of the treatment options.

 

Bullying, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director, SYN The Bully Expert

Stop Bullying in 10 Steps

The following 10 steps can play a role in reducing or even eliminating bulling altogether for your child.

1. Never Ignore Bullying
Never brush off behavior as kids playing or as something harmless. Any type of bullying should be addressed in the appropriate fashion.

2. Look For Signs of Bullying
Children may be afraid to come forward about being bullied. Therefore, it is important for adults to look for signs of bullying like anxiety, decreased appetite or unexplained injuries.

3. Intervene Right Away
Adults who notice bullying have a responsibility to intervene. Sometimes, a small action taken early on can prevent months or years of bullying that may lasting effects for students.

4. Be a Good Role Model
It is important to model good behavior when bulling is noted. Adults shouldn’t get angry, yell or place blame. Instead, they should calmly direct everyone involved to move along, expect to be spoken with later or disperse.

5. Deal With Children One-on-One
Trying to deal with the bullying in a public space rarely works. Speaking to children individually ensures that everyone gets to speak their mind and be heard.

6. Don’t Try to Solve the Problem on the Spot
Adults shouldn’t get children to apologize on the spot or try to deal with bullying in a matter of minutes. Expect to consult with each party and think carefully about the consequences before saying them out loud.

7. Give Bystanders Responsibility for Their Behavior
Remember that it is rarely just a problem with two children. Bystanders should also be told that simply watching bullying is wrong, and they should be told how to better handle the situation.

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Out a Professional Opinion
If the bullying won’t stop after intervention, or it is not clear how to continue, then bringing in outside help is appropriate. School counselors, teachers or nurses are all viable options.

9. Be Fair to Both Parties
A bullying situation is rarely as clear-cut as it first appears. Listening to and empathizing with both parties can help reveal the cause of the bullying as well as how best to handle it without seeming unfair.

10. Learn How to Deal With Bullying
No one inherently knows how to handle bullying perfectly, so it is okay to need advice and training. Seeking out additional resources may make it easier to handle instances of bullying in the future.

 

Anti-Bullying, Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Back-to-School Safety and Health Tips

Parents today need to keep a closer eye on their children than ever before. It seems like the news reports on missing children and sexual predators nearly every day, and many parents find themselves frequently worrying about what their kids are doing throughout the day. Though parents cannot keep an eye on their kids every hour of the day, they can work with their kids on these back-to-school safety and health tips.

 

Traveling Safely

Kids can walk to school, take a bus, ride their bikes or go with their parents or the parents of their friends. Those who take the bus should know that horseplay is dangerous and that they should wait carefully for the bus to come to a complete stop before moving towards the vehicle.

Bike riders should always wear a helmet and other protective gear, have lights and reflectors on their bikes and obey the rules of the road. Anyone who drives one or more students to school must ensure that those 13 or under sit in the backseat and that everyone wears a seatbelt or sits in a booster or car seat.

While walking to school, it’s helpful to outfit children in bright colors and make sure they understand when and where to cross the street.

 

Healthy Eating Habits

Most schools plan menus well in advance and inform parents of what it plans to serve every day. This lets parents decide if they want to give their children money to buy a school lunch or send them to school with a bagged lunch.

If the school has vending machines available for students, parents should look closely at the items inside and encourage their kids to choose healthier snacks and drinks such as bottled water, milk, wheat crackers or fruit.

 

The Dangers of Bullying

Students all across the country face bullying from their peers. Something as simple as a child wearing a certain type of shoes can lead to bullying. Parents need to talk with their children about the dangers of bullying and what to do when they feel harassed by another student.

Talking to a teacher or the principal is the best option, but kids should also feel comfortable enough to open up to their parents and talk with them about the problem. Kids deserve the right to feel safe in school without worrying about bullying or other issues.

With some help from parents and teachers, kids can increase their school safety and health, letting them focus on learning.

 

Bullying, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director, SYN The Bully Expert

Does Criminalizing Bullying Reduce Reporting?

More and more communities are enacting harsh criminal penalties for bullying offenses.

Youth advocates are concerned that criminalizing these acts will further reduce reporting of bullying incidences. Lack of reporting prevents healthier and more proactive approaches to this problem. Even without criminal penalties, only one in three incidents are actually reported.

In circumstances where bullying is treated as a criminal offense, reporting is reduced even more, preventing trained school officials from turning bullying incidents into learning opportunities that will change behavior in a positive way.

 

Why Bullying goes Unreported

  • Severe consequences make victims hesitant to report
  • School officials may look the other way because the severity of punishment is disproportionate to the offense
  • Teachers and school officials lack ability to deal with bullying within additional legal boundaries
  • Criminalizing does not discourage bullying, but it does create a more negative climate for all students
  • Parents fear making a bullying situation worse and do not know what to do
  • Children do not want parents to report bullying
  • Some parents fear being over-protective and think it is best for children to work it out themselves
  • Parents of victims do not want their children to be traumatized or victimized further by a process that requires their child to be a sworn witness

Recommended Actions to Prevent or Manage Bullying

  • Create an environment where students feel supported, safe and engaged because all students in these environments are less likely to behave badly
  • Promote learning and healing of both victims and bullies instead of punishment and blame
  • Focus on forgiveness, responsibility and respectful dialogue
  • Develop policy on uses of technology that could affect online behavior in or out of the classroom, or at home
  • Community-wide strategies can help to change the attitudes of both youth and adults who tolerate bullying behaviors in areas outside of schools

Although the intention of laws designed to criminalize bullying is to make schools and communities safer, criminalizing bullying tends to drive it underground even more.

Unreported bullying prevents trained professionals from helping not only victims of bullying and bullies, but members of the community who are also negatively impacted by bullying.

 

Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Type 1 Diabetes in Kids

Diabetes mellitus type 1, known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder that most often manifests in childhood.

As the name suggests, those with type-1 diabetes must be on insulin therapy indefinitely, and the disease requires careful monitoring of both diet and insulin intake. Managing type-1 diabetes in kids is an ongoing collaboration between the doctor, the parents and the child.

 

Causes

Type-1 diabetes is the result of an autoimmune disorder in which the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas are destroyed.

While the underlying cause of Type-1 diabetes is unknown, proposed theories include genetics, environmental factors and virus triggers, which induce a vigorous autoimmune response that attacks other cells in the body.

Other causes currently under investigation include the ingestion of water that has high levels of nitrates, the timing of transitioning a baby to cereal, and low dietary levels of vitamin D.

 

Symptoms

There are some very clear symptoms of Type-1 diabetes, including an increase in thirst, frequent urination, persistent dry mouth, fatigue, blurred vision, increased hunger and weight loss.

In children, symptoms may also include irritability, moodiness and other behavioral changes. Girls with Type-1 diabetes may develop a yeast infection, and babies can develop yeast-caused diaper rash.

 

Complications from Type-1 Diabetes

Long-term, there are a number of complications that can affect both function and quality of life for a child with Type-1 diabetes.

As adults, people who had Type-1 diabetes diagnosed in childhood have some of the same complications and risks that people with adult-onset Type-2 diabetes experience. These complications include a higher incidence of both stroke and heart disease, high cholesterol and triglycerides, which can cause cardiovascular problems, diabetic retinopathy and diabetic neuropathy.

Careful management of Type-1 diabetes through insulin therapy, diet and exercise will minimize these complications.

Insulin therapy and education are the cornerstones for managing Type-1 diabetes in kids. However, the ultimate goal is to have the child grow to be a healthy adult by taking responsibility for effective management of the disease.

 

Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Swimming safety tips to keep this summer both fun and safe

For parents and children alike, the summer is a time for going to the beach, getting out in the sun, and swimming in lakes, rivers and the ocean. Many people also enjoy swimming in both above-ground and below-ground pools on their own property.

Before going out for an afternoon of fun with the children, though, parents should be aware of these important swimming safety tips.

 

Active Supervision is the Best

By far and away, the best way for a parent to keep their children safe is by actively being near the water and watching them while they swim. Going inside or trying to watch from the deck will not always cut it. Parents should be involved and connected.

 

Designated Water Watchers Can Help

When a group of parents are gathered by the pool, it could lead to a dangerous situation where everyone assumes that someone else is watching the children, but no one really is.

To keep this from happening, it is important for parents to designate specific people to be “water watchers,” a task which they can carry out for fifteen minutes to a half an hour before turning it over to someone else.

 

Slow Progress Works Well for Babies

After they reach about six months old, it is fine to take babies into the water for the first time. However, parents should always go slowly, just introducing them to it for a few minutes at a time and never trying to push them to do more than they are able.

 

Take Children to Swimming Lessons

When they go to swimming lessons, children will often learn more than just how to swim. They could also learn:

– What to do if they are in trouble
– Things to avoid in the water
– Different safety tactics
– When to call an adult
– What designated beach swimming areas look like

This education can really help children when they are then sent to the lake or river to swim without the direct eye of an instructor. The more they know, the safer they will be.

 

A Dedication to Safety

Parents who decide to use these swimming safety tips will find that they can keep accidents from happening, reduce stress and increase the amount of fun children can have in the summer. Above all else, parents must have a dedication to safety at all times so that they never overlook anything.

 

ADHD & Focus, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

An Overview of ADHD symptoms

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder presents itself as a lack of ability to focus, hyperactivity and the inability to control behavior. It can be a combination of these symptoms, or only one of them. When these behaviors are noticeable and disruptive, the individual is often diagnosed with ADHD.

 

The People Who Have ADHD

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 3 to 5 percent of all children have ADHD. Other experts say this figure is even higher, at 8 to 10 percent. Mental health professionals are reluctant to diagnose ADHD in children under the age of 5.

The demands of a structured school day are usually the circumstance that exposes ADHD symptoms. Difficulties in school will cause school professionals to urge parents to have their children evaluated for ADHD.

More than half of the children diagnosed with ADHD continue to struggle with the disorder as adults.

 

Symptoms

Children or adults suffering from ADHD regularly demonstrate three or more of the listed behaviors, which have lasted for at least six months.

• Easily distracted
• Unable to follow directions or complete tasks
• Makes careless mistakes
• Does not listen when spoken to
• Inability to wait their turns
• Struggle to process information accurately
• Have difficulty organizing and remembering daily tasks
• Do not enjoy activities that require concentration, sustained efforts or sitting still
• Frequently loses things
• Difficulty playing quietly or independently
• Talking excessively
• Blurting out answers before questions are completed
• Interrupting others

 

Managing ADHD

ADHD cannot be cured, but it can be successfully treated with combinations of different types of medication, psychotherapy, education and training. The most common ADHD medication is stimulant medication, which will calm a person with this disorder.

The ability of a stimulant to calm ADHD symptoms is also a good way to confirm the diagnoses because a stimulant would have the opposite effect on a person without ADHD.

 

The Importance of Treating ADHD

Although some individuals do not agree that so many children and adults need to be evaluated for ADHD, the alternative is not good for those with the disorder.

Children with uncontrolled ADHD symptoms get punished frequently and are unable to establish friendships. These children also fall behind in reaching academic milestones. Adults with ADHD struggle more with employment, personal relations and parenting issues.

Research has provided the tools to help people with ADHD have happier, healthier and more successful lives.

 

Child Health, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Sunburn treatment and prevention for kids

Sunburn spares no one. Every person, from infants to the elderly, is at risk of sustaining sun damage and burns every time there is sun exposure. However, those individuals with the most sensitive skin, such as children are typically at higher risk than adults.

Learn about the most effective sunburn prevention and treatment strategies for children in this post.

 

Sunburn Sensitivity

In addition to age, individuals are born with different skin types. Some skin types are more sensitive and vulnerable to sun damage than others.

In particular, individuals with lighter skin tones tend to burn both more quickly and more deeply than their peers with darker skin tones. By understanding who is at greatest risk for sunburn and skin damage, parents can keep the risk of sunburn to a minimum using prevention techniques.

 

Sunburn Prevention

Prevention is the preferred method of ensuring sun safety. There are several proven techniques to prevent sunburn, sun damage, and the common long-term result of each, skin cancer.

Here are some of the best sunburn prevention tools for children.

– Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, when the sun’s rays are at their peak strength.
– Cover up – including the head and feet – when going out in the sun.
– Use a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor).
– If in water, reapply sunscreen of any strength at least every 60 minutes.
– Keep infants ages 6 months or less out of the sun entirely – their skin is so sensitive it can burn in minutes.
– Remember that visual clues may not show up for six to 12 hours after the sunburn or sun damage has occurred, so visual clues cannot predict the onset of sunburn.

 

Sunburn Treatment

Should a child sustain sunburn, here are the best immediate treatments to provide relief.

– Offer acetaminophen at an age-appropriate dose to ease pain and swelling.
– Apply cool compresses or bathe the child in cool water with a soft washcloth.
– Smooth on natural aloe vera gel to ease pain and swelling.
– Seek medical care if burn or symptoms appear severe.

By understanding proper prevention and treatment of sunburn, it becomes possible to predict when sunburn is most likely to occur and take steps to prevent it from happening.

 

Child Safety, Discipline, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Do your kids know about stranger danger?

Children can be very trusting of others, an issue that can lead to serious problems if a stranger’s intent is malicious. While many strangers are nice, a child needs to learn to recognize a situation to avoid stranger danger from those who aren’t trustworthy.

A parent can help a youngster by teaching and reinforcing the following concepts.

 

Defining a Stranger

It’s important to emphasize that a stranger is someone not known to a child or to the family.

A common perception established through cartoons and other avenues is that a stranger looks scary, but this may not be the case in real life. Help a child to understand that a person’s appearance alone isn’t enough to determine whether they is nice or not.

Additionally, explain that being recognized or called by name by a stranger doesn’t mean that the child or family know that individual.

 

Good Strangers

It’s important to help children understand that not every stranger is bad.

Some strangers have jobs of protecting or helping others, and a child may need to approach safe strangers in instances of need. For example, firefighters and police officers are easy to recognize.

In work settings, school officials such as teachers and office staff may be strangers who can help. An employee in a store at a cash register or desk may be helpful, especially if a youngster is lost. Provide examples of situations and locations where help may be safely sought.

 

Understanding Dangerous Scenarios

Role playing or discussing dangerous situations can help a child who needs to better understand how to deal with strangers.

Warning signs of suspicious situations may include:

-An adult asking a child to disobey his parents
-An individual asking a child to keep a secret
-Any situation that makes a child feel uncomfortable

A youngster should be taught to deal with these situations as well. “No, go, yell and tell” is a simple mnemonic device to help a child remember what to do when in an uncomfortable situation.

-It is okay to say no to a stranger.
-It is important to go someplace else, leave the situation.
-It may be necessary to yell for help.
-It is important to tell an adult about suspicious individuals.

 

Safety Measures

Parents play a key role in keeping children safe from stranger danger by knowing where their youngsters are at all times. Additionally, parents can designate safe places and people to seek for help.

 

Child Fitness, Child Safety, SYN Digital Enrollment Director, SYN The Bully Expert

Weapons in schools compromise everyones safety

It seems as if every day on the news there are new reports of weapons in schools. When this happens, students, teachers and staff are all put at risk, due to the unpredictable circumstances that can take place. However, it is important to evaluate why these students are bringing weapons to school and what can be done to stop this trend from increasing at such an alarming rate.

The reasons that students bring weapons to school vary. A recent study showed that some of these reasons include:
• Being bullied about physical appearance or learning disabilities
• Feeling unsafe about other kids bringing weapons to school
• Showing off to friends
• Complete emotional disconnect

These common instances are easily preventable. With help from parents and educators, these problems can be corrected. For example, the reason that some students bring weapons to school is because they think others are bringing weapons as well. The more that this snowballs and accumulates, the greater the concern. This is a dangerous situations that can happen in any school. With preventative counseling and outreach, instances like this can be avoided.

child-safety

Furthermore, there is a connection to be considered between bullying and the use of weapons. If students who are bullied do not feel safe, they are 49 times more likely to bring weapons to school in order to protect themselves. Despite an increase in awareness across America, this alarming rate demonstrates just how explosive bullying in schools can be.

Some of the most popular choices for weapons include:
• Firearms
• Knives
• Clubs
• Makeshift weapons

The concern here is that many of these weapons can be taken from home. Children can even make their own weapons with instructions from the Internet. Parents may not even be aware of the problems their children are experiencing at school. Simple communication is the easiest remedy for such a troubling problem.

As the concern over weapons at school increases, so should the public awareness of the situation. Parents need to continually check in with their children to see how things are going at school. Parents should also be informing their children of what to do if they see weapons in school or if they hear someone has a weapon.

Through these precautionary tactics, we can start working towards safer schools for our children and teachers.