Child Safety Seats Save Lives

Thousands of children die or are serious injured in car crashes every year in the United States.  Children who are placed in a safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle are 45 percent less likely to experience an injury when involved in a car accident.

Who Needs Safety Seat?
Laws may vary state to state but in general, children under 4 feet 9 inches tall and who weigh less than 100 pounds usually need a safety seat or booster seat.  Some children may need at least a booster seat until they are 12-years-old.

Infants
Despite the actions of celebrities, infants should never be held on someone’s lap while riding in a vehicle (especially not the lap of the driver!)  Infants need to be placed in a rear-facing infant safety seat until they are at least 1-year-old and weigh at least 20 pounds.

Toddlers
Your toddlers can continue to use their infant rear-facing safety seat until they have reached the height and weight limit of that seat.  Then they need to be put in a forward-facing safety seat with a harness until they have reached the height and/or weight limit for that seat.

School-aged Children
After a child has outgrown their forward-facing car safety seat, they need a booster seat.  Booster seats should be used until the child is at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall and the adult seat belt in the vehicle fits correctly.  Generally, children will need a booster seat until they are between 8 and 12-years-of-age.

Preteens
After children have outgrown their booster seat, they should ride in the back seat with a lap and shoulder seat belt under they are at least 13-years-old

Booster Seat Check
Make sure that your child’s booster seat fits correctly.  The shoulder belt should be on your child’s shoulder.  The lap belt should rest across your child’s upper legs (thighs) and should be secured under both armrests.

Additional Car Safety Tips
Never leave your child alone in or around a car!  The heat rises quickly inside parked vehicles, especially if the windows are partially or fully closed.  Additionally, there have been reports of children being strangled by seat belts, sunroofs, and power windows.  Children have also been known to accidentally knock a vehicle into gear, causing it to move (without a driver!)  And children playing around a vehicle may get trapped inside the vehicle or inside the truck or may even be backed over if the driver of the vehicle is unaware of their presence.  Also, remember to be a good role model for your child and always wear your seat belt.  Before fastening your seat belt, make sure that your child is secure in their safety seat.  For young children, you may want to say something like, “Now I’m going to put on my safety belt so I can be safe in the car too!” and make exaggerated movements when buckling-up.  For older children, you don’t need to make such a production about it, but still bring to their attention that you are using you seat belt and they will need to too when they are older.

For more child safety information check out the blog for Amber Alert GPS child locator device.

Backyard Safety for Kids

You probably think of your backyard as the safest, most relaxing place in the world and true your child does not need a gps locator device while there.  While your backyard may very well be relaxing, it can also pose several hazards to your child’s safety.  Know the facts about backyard safety and help protect your child from danger.

Pool Safety
About 300 children under 5-years-old die every year from drowning in public or residential pools.  Thousands more children require emergency room treatment and hospitalization.  Some pool injuries result in disability and even brain damage.  Pool safety is one of the most important aspects of backyard safety.  Be sure that your pool (even inflatable pools) has a proper safety fence around it to protect your children and other children in the neighborhood from potential drowning and other injuries.  Educate your children not to run around the pool because of the dangers of slipping and falling into the pool.  And be aware of drains and suction that can entrap your child, or their hair, limbs, clothing, etc.  Disembowelment has even been reported from accidents with pool drains.  Be sure that your child is always supervised while playing in or around the pool and that they know that they should never swim alone.  If you have a “kiddie” pool, be sure to empty it and store it properly when you’re not using it.

Poisons!
Your backyard may contain pool chemicals, pesticides, cleaning supplies or poisonous plants.  Teach your children not to handle or eat any plants they don’t know are safe.  And be sure to store dangerous chemicals out of the reach of children and under lock and key if possible.

Helmets
If your child is riding their bicycle, scooter, skateboard, skates, rollerblades, miniature car or other toys / vehicles in the yard, be sure they are wearing a safety approved helmet.  If your child ventures out into the driveway, sidewalk, or road with their toys / vehicles, be extra certain they have a properly fitting helmet on.

Riding Lawn Mowers
Children need to be at least 16-years-old before operating a riding lawn mower and at least 12-years-old before operating any lawn mower.  When your riding or other lawn mower is not in use, be sure to keep the keys out of the ignition and out of the reach of children.  Never take a child “for a ride” on a riding lawn mower.

Playgrounds
Backyard playgrounds or equipment should be anchored on an appropriate surface and checked for damage and hazards.  Any damaged equipment should be repaired immediately.  If you are unable to repair playground equipment immediately, be sure to tell your spouse and children what is damaged and that everyone should wait to use the equipment until it has been properly repaired.

Other Backyard Safety Tips

• Apply SPF 15 or higher sunscreen to any exposed skin 15 – 30 minutes before your child goes out to play and reapply as needed (especially when swimming).  Remember that it is possible for your child (or anyone) to get a sunburn even if it’s cloudy out
• Use insect repellents as needed, especially if your child is going to play outside near dusk or while it’s dark out.

Protecting Your Child From Identity Theft

It seems everywhere you turn adults hear about their credit score and how important it is to have one that will make it easy to get loans and even jobs to get ahead in life. Accompanying this advice is the warning of just how bad getting your identity stolen can be to that score and the huge negative impacts it can have on everyday life. Yet identity theft is not just a problem for adults. Many kids find out the hard way when they try to open first bank accounts or get student loans that their identity had been stolen years before. These kids find out they have mortgages and multiple credit cards for hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt all in default.

While parents rightfully worry about child abduction and kidnapping to the extent they even use a child locator device many do not stop to think of their child’s identity. For a criminal who is looking for a name and social security number to use in fraud that of a minor is actually one of the best possible since so many years will pass before the theft is even discovered. While it may be surprising to many adults that credit can be acquired for a social security number of someone who is a minor this is actually not a problem. Plus since the credit is clean establishing and getting credit cards and even home loans is relatively easy for the criminals.

Just as with any social security number parents need to be very careful on whom they give this information to. Parents also need to be very careful with their tax forms as well since their child’s information will appear there as well. While many adults do keep tabs on their credit via the many credit score agencies they do not take the time to check the score of their child as well to see if there is any activity. This does not have to be this way though since even the top three credit reporting agencies will allow parents to do an annual check for free once they prove the identity of themselves as well as their child. By periodically checking not only their own credit status but their child as well parents can not really prevent identity theft but put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.

For the child early detection of the crime can give parents time to get the problem fixed before their child needs their credit. If it is not discovered until their need a student loan this can postpone them getting their start in life while the paperwork is sorted out which will have adverse affects on their career and more.

Comparing The Brickhouse Child Locator With the Amber Alert

When you ask most parents what they know about personal tracking devices for children more often than not the only one they have come across is the Brickhouse Child Locator. The aggressive advertisement campaign from the company has placed a commercial in front of many parents via the television that shows a mother losing her small son in the blink of an eye while they are at the park. Through the use of the unit she is able to find him quickly where he is safely getting a balloon.

While these units are very convenient for this situation they are only good within a short distance. As parents sometimes our children are across town in school while we are at work. This makes these units totally ineffective when they are traveling to and from school or playing at a friend’s house.

For parents who really want peace of mind of being able to find their children at all times the Amber Alert GPS locator device covers a much larger distance and offers many more useable features as well. The Amber Alert places a small GPS device in the pocket of the child, which the parents can locate at any time via their web-enabled cell phone. This GPS device can be located from just about anywhere making the biggest limitation to the distance this model can cover being the cell phone coverage area for the carrier.

When parents want to know the location of their child the Amber Alert tracking device will send them back a text message that features the coordinates as well as a map for the quickest recovery time possible. With real time tracking capabilities as well as the ability to set up safe zones the higher cost of this particular child locator device becomes very understandable. With safe zones in place parents can know exactly when their child leaves a specific area. Being alerted the instant that something is not right will give parents a head start to finding them quickly.

These devices are useful for kids of all ages including teens. With the speed detection parents can monitor just how fast their teen driver is going as well as where they are heading. Not only does this provide the parents with the information to allow privileges but also teens that know their driving is being monitored will usually drive safer in the first place.

When the news is full of kids of all ages disappearing parents today cannot afford to take the steps to protect their children. A child locator device will not prevent any child from being separated from their parents under any circumstances but they can make recovery of that child quick and easy. While both types of personal tracking device will get the job done only one will work from just about anywhere to cover the most scenarios in which children become lost or abducted.

Protecting Kids From Household Chemicals

Owning a home requires lots of upkeep, maintenance and cleaning; all of these things requires chemicals that are poisonous and toxic to humans especially if ingested. Of course this is not really an issue for most adults who know that these liquids are not to be drunk, but for some small children or even a special needs child these colorful fluids can be tempting to consume. Many parents know to keep these things out of reach of their babies and toddlers but as a child gets a little older it can get easy to begin to lax some of how they are stored away.

For some children this can become a temptation to maybe not ingest them necessarily but to at least get into them and clean the house like mom might. Many common household cleaners can cause damage to the skin if simply exposed to it. While others can cause damage to the eyes or the vapors when inhaled can be poisonous. Other cleaners may not be as dangerous until they are combined with another cleaner that causes a chemical reaction of some sort. Many chemicals when combined have effects that most people do not know about but a child could simply start by pouring one bottle into another as the are prone to do.

All household cleaners and chemicals should be stored and locked away where all children cannot have access to them. This means using locking closets and even storage sheds with padlocks. Many smaller toddler cabinet lock systems are too easy for slightly older children to access and they are in just as much danger with these chemicals as the smaller kids. Keeping your child safe outside of the home is simple with a personal tracking device but inside of the home it can get tough but a little common sense goes a long way.

Checking The Sex Offender List In Your Area

As parents we know that their registered sex offenders just about everywhere, but we do not like to think about just how close they may be to our children each and every day. It is easy to turn an eye and say that those who may harm our children live in the other neighborhoods, but not ours. This is not the case though. Parents who do take the time to look up the sex offenders in their area are shocked to see just how close a registered offender may be to their home or even the school their child attends.

Of course not all offenders who are registered are necessarily a threat to children. There are many individuals listed who have committed sexual based crimes that are not directed toward children. So it is important that parents remember this list is not to alienate or banish everyone on it who lives near you. But it is a good guideline on who you should not trust with your children. The registry is setup to where offenders are assigned a level based on their offense and this will give parents an idea of just how dangerous each one can be.

Searching the sexual offenders in your area could not be simpler. Each county maintains an easy to search database most often including maps that show the residence of those who are registered in the area. Parents should be pro-active and look at this list periodically as opposed to turning a blind eye and believing that someone like that would not live in their neighborhood. Sex offenders come from many diverse ethnic groups as well as financial brackets there is no cookie cutter picture of what one of these individuals looks like. Of course parents can also use a child locator device to help them track their children to ensure that they are safe.

Being Prepared For Non-Stranger Child Abduction

The recent abduction and murder of Sandra Cantu in California only reminds parents that those who may harm our children are not always the lurking stranger that so many of them visualize when they think of this subject. Statistics show that more often than not abductors of children are at least minor acquaintances of the family if not blood relatives. Stranger abduction is actually a fairly rare thing with only one in five kidnappings being done by a complete stranger to the child.

As parents what can we do to help prevent an abduction when it is carried out by someone your child knows from home or school and feels they can trust. Since these people are not strangers per say they rules of stranger danger does not apply as far as our children are concerned. One common tactic acquaintances use is that the parents wanted them to pick up the child for the parents. One way to combat this it to use a safety word in these situations. When kids expect the person picking them up to know a secret word they will only go with those who give this word.

Of course there is no 100% way to protect your child from any abduction whether a stranger or someone the family knows carries it out. But parents can use a GPS child locator to help them track and know the whereabouts of their child at any given time. With these handy devices you can always know where your child is which if any abduction does occur will give the authorities the info they will need in order to recover your child very quickly. The quicker a child is recovered the less likely it will be that the abduction of your child will turn our with the same results as that of Sandra.

Comparing The Child Locators On The Market

Many parents get the Amber Alert GPS confused with other child locator devices available from other companies. The concept behind each of these devices is relatively the same but their usage and functionality vary. So it is important that parents understand which device they are purchasing so they know exactly what to expect from their purchase. Many of these devices use radio frequencies to locate the chip that is placed on your child. This limits the range the device is capable of working. While these devices only cost a one time fee they are also only effective if you are within a limited range of your child. This makes them ideal for times when your child wanders away from you but they will do no good at all if you are not around.

The Amber Alert child locator device works by using GPS satellites to acquire the exact coordinates of the device itself. Your web enabled cell phone can access this info at any time. This means that you do not have to be near your child making them ideal for just about any time. Whether your child is with you and wanders off or they are playing away from home and are abducted by a stranger. There is a small monthly fee to use the service but many parents find that it is worth every penny.

Using The Amber Alert Child Locator To Allow Children More Freedom

As our children get older they start to want more freedom from us as parents to do things on their own without our supervision and assistance. From the little things such as answering the telephone on their own to larger things like being home alone or going somewhere alone on their bicycle. For parents it can be tough since we know we need to allow them to grow up but yet we want to make sure they stay safe at all times under our careful supervision. But there is a way we can start to give them more freedom and yet still have our peace of mind that they are safe.

An Amber Alert GPS child locator device can help you as the parent feel that your child is safe even when you cannot be there. Whether they are riding their bikes with friends to the store for a soda or just staying alone at home for the first time you can have the peace of mind that you can track them at any given time. If you ever need or want to know exactly where your child is at any given time you can get the coordinates of their location with your web enabled cell phone at any time to know that they are where they are supposed to be.

Protecting Children From Abduction By Strangers

Parents who worry about their child being abducted and who want to remain vigilante to prevent this crime against their family should know what situations are the prevalent in order to best be prepared. With the reported abduction cases in most years there is on average only 130 stranger abductions in the United States. Of these cases 71% occur in outdoor settings such as parks and even front yards. Authorities feel that criminals understand that many indoor facilities nowadays use video surveillance, which means their crime will be caught on tape. Of course a parent cannot attach a video surveillance camera to their child at all times to deter a crime, but they can attach a child locator device which can track their child not only if they are abducted but for just generally keeping on eye on them instead.

These devices use GPS technology to track the movement of a child that carry the small transmitter in the pocket or backpack. The parents cell phone can access this location information in order to get their current location at any given time in the day. This can be the absolute essential tool for recovering their child in the frightening event that their child is abducted. But of course the device can also be used when the child wanders off or if parents just want to check and make sure they are where they are supposed to be.

When a parent needs to know the location of their child they simply use their web enabled cell phone to access the Amber Alert GPS and get its whereabouts. The personal tracking device can then send them the exact location, within just a few short feet, of the child along with a map. This will give the parents a visual representation as well as GPS coordinates of the location of their child.