Grandpa Richards Kids

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff today released its evaluation of various synthetic athletic fields. The evaluation concludes that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead in these fields.

CPSC staff evaluation showed that newer fields had no lead or generally had the lowest lead levels. Although small amounts of lead were detected on the surface of some older fields, none of these tested fields released amounts of lead that would be harmful to children.

Lead is present in the pigments of some synthetic turf products to give the turf its various colors. Staff recognizes that some conditions such as age, weathering, exposure to sunlight, and wear and tear might change the amount of lead that could be released from the turf. As turf is used during athletics or play and exposed over time to sunlight, heat and other weather conditions, the surface of the turf may start to become worn and small particles of the lead-containing synthetic grass fibers might be released. The staff considered in the evaluation that particles on a child’s hand transferred to his/her mouth would be the most likely route of exposure and determined young children would not be at risk.

Read the full report by clicking here (PDF file).

Wooden Toys Recalled by Earthentree Due To Choking and Strangulation Hazards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Wooden Toys

Units: About 375

Manufacturer: Earthentree of Kirkland, Wash.

Hazard: The recalled toys contain small parts or can break into small parts, posing a choking hazard. The recalled rattles violate the federal rattle standard. Some of the toys also have a string longer than 12 inches, which can pose a strangulation hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves a variety of wooden toys including egg shakers (maracas), pull toys, rattles, and trains. The toys are painted glossy red, orange, green, brown, yellow or natural wood.

Sold at: Earthentree’s Web site, Fairs, Trade Shows and retail stores nationwide from December 2007 through May 2008 for about $7 to $34.

I have always been fascinated by the fact that many cultures put much more emphasis on name meanings than many North Americans do. I know that my Anglo-Saxon given names, Richard and William, have meanings, but that is not why my parents picked them.

Here is a guest article about name meanings, written by Warren Wong. Enjoy.

A given name or a first name is the name given to a person to differentiate that person from someone else in the family or someone who carries the same surname or last name. This name is given to a person by the parents or guardians. The name is not carried down from generation to generation like the surname. Different groups have different name meanings and use the given names and surnames in different ways. Read the rest…

If you are like Grandpa Richard, you have trouble keeping up on the newest trends for children. My grand daughter is always mentioning this, that, and the other thing to me. Of course, not watching TV shows with a children’s theme (so I see the newest ads) does not help me.

So what is a Webkinz? A virtual pet!!! What in the world? Read the rest…

My grand daughter Jasmine has a new pet. A snail. She found it in the garden and has provided it with a home of water, pebbles, green growing plants, and a top with small air holes. Her mom even taught her that a snail is an hermaphrodite, meaning it is both a male and a female. Not sure what Jasmine thought of that. (and I’d like to know if her mom actually knew that word or looked it up online!!!)

She told me that its name is Shelley. My question back was, “What is its boy name”. A discussion ensued and she finally gave in and added Brayan to the name.

This got me thinking about other exotic, or non-traditional, pets. The resulting article is found at http://www.grandparichardskids.com/article/top-5-modern-pets.

In a recent incident, four children, between 7 and 14 years-old, suffered injuries when they ran stop sign and hit a car. They were riding in an ATV. Two of the children suffered serious head injuries and broken bones, while the other two were treated for minor injuries. The car’s passenger reportedly suffered a neck injury.

Parents need to be vigilant about what their children are doing, and where they are. Even in off-road areas ATVs are a safety hazard for children, even 14 year-olds. Only allow your children to use these vehicles under proper supervision, and only after you are satisfied that they can operate the ATV safely.

For more ATV articles, visit atv-lovers.info.

A recent accident in California highlights the need to be vigilant about children and open windows.

In this case, a babysitter placed a 2 year-old boy on a kitchen counter which was flush with an open window. The babysitter then turned briefly to tend to a meal cooking on the nearby stove. When she turned back, the boy was gone, having fallen out of the window to the ground below, a 12 foot drop.

It is thought that the boy was fascinated by some brightly coloured flowers in a window box.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that each year more than 4,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries received from falling from a window. The CPSC knows of at least 120 window-fall related deaths of children since 1990. Most of the injuries and deaths were to children under the age of 5.

One easily installed safety item are window stops. These stop the window from open more than a certain amount. The recommendation is that they be set to a maximum of 4 inches (10 cm). Some models have a feature whereby an adult can release the stop so that the window can be opened further.

Install window guards or window stops to prevent children from falling out of windows. If you are in doubt about whether to put a guard in a particular window, go ahead and install a window guard there. Better to be safe than sorry. Do not place furniture under or near a window to avoid giving children a way to climb directly to the window. NEVER depend on screens to keep a child from falling out of a window.

Childhood obesity is considered to be an epidemic in the United States and a leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children as young as 8 years old be given cholesterol-lowering drugs in hopes of preventing heart problems later in life.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that children as young as 2 years old start having their cholesterol levels screened if they have a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol. Screening should start no later than 10, the academy said.

It’s summer! I remember when I was young, we’d have a great July and early August, and then we’d start to get bored. As a parent, I would have loved to try some of these ideas. Maybe you can do them with your kids.

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As the long, lazy days of August arrive, keep it fresh with these fun ideas from Lever 2000 (www.homebasics.ca) . They’re guaranteed to help you relive the joys of your childhood, while savouring the moments that will fuel your kids’ nostalgia when they’re older. Read the rest…