The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Top 10 tips for celebrating Easter

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Whether you’ll be celebrating with just your family or inviting a crowd, here are tips for having an Easter that’s terrific:

1. Planning and organizing

Keep it simple. Use plastic eggs to avoid mess and waste. Plan a simple menu or arrange a potluck. For more suggestions, see “Top 10 Tips for a Great Easter.”

2. Decorating

Choose pastel colors, yellow and green, for example, that complement each other for your table. Select or create a tall dramatic arrangement. See “Top 10 Tips for Easter Tables" for more ideas.

3. Easter eggs

Use natural items such as onionskins, beet juice, spinach leaves juice, and turmeric for dying Easter eggs. For details, go to “How to Dye Easter Eggs Using Natural Materials.”

4. Memories

Make a list of your favorite Easter memories. Ask your family or your guests to share their memories, too. Visit “What’s Your Favorite Easter Memory?” for ideas.


5. The hunt

Select safe places to hide the Easter eggs. Mark the area of the hunt with flags or tape so that children spending a lot of time searching areas where there aren’t any eggs. Visit “Top 10 Tips for an Easter Egg Hunt” for more suggestions.

6. Safety

Separate age groups so that the large kids aren’t knocking over smaller children. Or enforce a no running rule. Visit “10 Safety Tips for Easter Egg Hunting” for more ideas.

7. Non-sugar treats

Select stickers, small age-appropriate toys, and dried fruit to put in plastic Easter eggs rather than candy. Go to “Ideas for Non-sugar Easter Treats” for additional suggestions.

8. Activities

Take a walk in the park or go to a beach. For other ideas, see “Top 10 Fun Things to Do With Your Kids This Easter.”

9. Family traditions

Follow your favorite family traditions. Attend a church service, go to your favorite quiet spot in the great outdoors, or visit a nursing home.

10. Green Easter

Think of ways you can “green” your Easter such as using real grass clippings or recycled paper in Easter baskets, buy Easter baskets you can use for many years, and look for farm raised eggs. See “Green Tips for Easter Sunday” for more information.

Whatever your plans, have a wonderful Easter celebration.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Parents and grandparents: Are your poisons and medications locked up?

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialists

A 12-month-old boy sucked on the wick from an oil lamp. Immediately, he began choking and his lips started turning blue. The ambulance dispatcher and poison center worked together to be sure the youngster was treated appropriately. After an overnight stay in the hospital, he was able to go home. He was lucky; other children who choked on lamp oil have suffered life-threatening lung injuries or even died.

The message? Poisons need to be locked up where children can’t see or reach them. Other types of products that can cause life-threatening lung injuries include gasoline, kerosene, tiki torch fuel, furniture polish, lighter fluid, and baby oil.

A 3-year old visiting from out of town swallowed some of granddad’s Viagra pills. They were left on the bedside table. Instead of flying home that day, the child spent the afternoon in the emergency room to have her blood pressure monitored.

The message? All medicines must be locked up, out of sight and reach of children. This is true in children’s own homes and every home where children visit.

A 2-year-old daughter was at a friend’s house. Several mothers there were babysitting so the other moms could run errands. The child got into one mother’s purse and swallowed adult prescription drugs. They were in a non-child resistant bottle. They weren’t sure exactly which of a mix of drugs in the bottle the girl had ingested. The mothers were on the phone with Poison Control when the mom returned. A Poison Control representative told the mom to get her child to the hospital immediately. The girl had to have an EKG and drink a dark, charcoal-like substance. After a few hours of observation, she was released.

The message? If you carry medications around in your purse, put it out of reach, like on top of the refrigerator, where young children can’t get to it. About half of the accidental poisonings occur in children under age six.

Most children who swallow poisons or medicines can be managed safely at home if the poison center is contacted right away, Rose Ann G. Soloway, R.N., clinical toxicologist for the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C., told me in an e-mail. To reach your local poison control center call 800-222-1222.

“Just this week, I’ve taken calls about children who swallowed too much cough medicine, bit into glow sticks, drank medicated shampoo, swallowed a sibling’s prescription medicine, and ate batteries from a toy, among many others,” Soloway said. “Parents who confused medication schedules and double-dosed a child and parents who used the wrong type of measuring device also called.”

All of these children were able to stay at home with poison center guidance. This saves anxiety, time, and money compared to calling 911 or going to an emergency room, she said.

This week is National Poison Prevention Week. Celebrate it by locking up your prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, pesticides, household cleaners, and other poisons. It could save your child or grandchild’s life – and save you the heartache of being the one responsible for the injury of death of a child you love dearly.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top three safety tips for children’s toys this holiday season

Although new toy safeguards have contributed to a decline in toy recalls since 2008 and toy-related fatalities decreased in 2009, toy-related injuries are increasing, reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In 2009, about 186,000 emergency room-treated injuries occurred related to toys with children younger than 15. This is up from 152,000 injuries in 2005.

Often these injuries involved cuts and bruises on the child's face and head.

The commission offers these safety tips:

1. Which toy for which child – Always choose age appropriate toys.

2. Gear up for safety – Include safety gear whenever shopping for sports-related gifts or ride-on toys, including bicycles, skates, and scooters.

3. Location - Be aware of your child's surroundings during play. Young children should avoid playing with ride-on toys near automobile traffic, pools, or ponds. They also should avoid playing in indoor areas associated with hazards such as kitchens and bathrooms and in rooms with corded window blinds.

Additional safety steps include:

• Scooters and other riding toys – Helmets and safety gear should be worn properly at all times and be sized to fit.

• Small balls and other toys with small parts – For children younger than age 3, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.

• Balloons – Keep deflated balloons away from children younger than 8 years old to avoid choking or suffocation on deflated or broken balloons. Discard broken balloons at once.

• Magnets – For children under age 6, avoid building or play sets with small magnets. If magnets or pieces with magnets are swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.

After the gifts are open:

• Immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging on toys before they become dangerous play things.

• Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.

• Supervise the charging of batteries. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to young children. Pay attention to instructions and warnings on battery chargers. Some chargers lack any mechanism to prevent overcharging.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

New campaign on crib safety for parents, grandparents, and caregivers

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is joining three child safety organizations to launch a crib safety video, “Safe Sleep for Babies,” aimed at helping avoid suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment risks when children sleep.
 
The commission is working with the American Academy of Pediatrics, Keeping Babies Safe, and the New York Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital to educate new and expectant parents on crib safety while they’re at the hospital or visiting their pediatrician’s office. The video shows how to keep babies safe and sound in cribs, bassinets, and play yards.

The education effort is part of commission's Safe Sleep Initiative, an effort aimed at reducing deaths and injuries associated with unsafe sleep environments. In addition to this education effort, the initiative includes the development of new crib standards; warnings about drop-side cribs, sleep positioners, and infant slings; and the recall of millions of cribs in the past five years.

About 30 crib deaths and hundreds of injuries have occurred, reports the commission. Cribs are a leading cause of nursery product-related deaths. About one-third of the deaths result from structural failures of the crib from loose, missing, or detached hardware. The majority of deaths in cribs are attributed to the presence of extra bedding in the crib, such as pillows and comforters.

The commission plans to distribute the "Safe Sleep" video online and through its network of about 100 hospitals nationwide.

The video also is available at www.keepingbabiessafe.org. This is a good way for grandparents to see it so that any crib, bassinet, or playpen used in their home is safe.

To create a safe sleep environment for your baby, the video urges parents and caregivers to follow these crib safety tips:

• Place infants to sleep on their backs.

• Use a firm, tight-fitting mattress.

• Never use extra padding, blankets or pillows under baby.

• Remove pillows or thick comforters.

• Don’t use positioning devices. They’re not necessary and can be deadly.

• Check cribs regularly for loose, missing, or broken parts or slats

• Don’t try to fix a broken crib.

• Place cribs or playpens away from windows and window covering cords to avoid fall and strangulation hazards.

• Place baby monitor cords away from cribs or playpens to avoid strangulation.

Other crib safety recommendations from the commission:

• Don’t use any crib with missing, broken or loose, parts. Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy.

• Check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operate smoothly when using a drop-side crib. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for parts separating that can create a gap and entrap a child.

• Don’t try to repair any side of the crib. Babies have died in cribs where repairs were attempted by caregivers.

• Don’t use a crib that is older than 10 years. Many older cribs may not meet current voluntary standards and can have a variety of safety problems.

• Check if your crib has been recalled at www.cpsc.gov.

Visit the commission Crib Information Center more information on Crib Safety and Recalls.

The commission also announced yesterday three new drop-side crib recalls. Go to www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Happy Grandparents Day

More than one in three baby boomers are grandparents with the average age being 53.

Being a grandparent – it’s one thing that makes me very happy. Even though my grandchildren live far away, I get to visit several times a year.

Best wishes on Grandparents Day. I hope you are able to spend the day with your grandchildren or can visit with them soon.

While being a grandparent is often joyful, it also has responsibilities. See my post “How Grandparents Can Offer Loving Support to Grandchildren” for some ideas on this.

Here are other articles about grandparenting:

"Making Your Home Safe for Grandchildren"

“Boomers Stepping Up to Raise Their Grandchildren in Record Numbers”

“Have Questions About Grandparenting? The Web Offers Ideas, Answers”

“Buying Safe Toys for Your Grandchildren”

“Watching Your Medications When You’re With Your Grandchildren”

Happy Grandparents Day. I hope it’s the best day ever.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer experiences cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: Selling things on Craigslist

Craigslist worked well once I got the hang of it. At first, I thought you had to wait for the photos to appear after you uploaded them. I discovered that you needed to hit "Continue," then the photo would finish uploading.

I also found that reposting items on Friday brought interest on the weekend. People had more time to come to look at things or buy them.

The people inquiring and who came were interesting. One couldn’t come on the date she said. And, when she did show up, she was late. Another was very organized, bringing two helpers and a pickup for the table and chairs she wanted to buy.

I’ll certainly try Craigslist again. The tip to start two weeks in advance was helpful. It takes a while to find the right people for your items.

My worst: A doctor who wouldn’t help in an emergency

In the parking lot at 5:05 p.m., my granddaughter choked on one of those pieces of hard, red-and-white candy that she got at Spanish class.

She choked, vomited a little, and struggled to breathe. After drinking some water, she said her throat still hurt.

Wondering what to do, we went to a nearby doctor’s office. The receptionist said they were "all closed up" and couldn’t help us. She didn’t say the doctor wasn’t there, but implied that since it was 5:10 p.m., they couldn’t help in an emergency. So much for the Hippocratic Oath.

My daughter talked to her pediatrician’s nurse. The nurse said since my granddaughter was having pains in her chest, we should go to the Emergency Room.

Fortunately, a satellite ER for a local hospital was nearby. The doctor said if she could drink water she was fine.

I'm so happy the choking incident ended O.K. However, the doctor's office that wouldn't help a family in distress gets a "thumbs down" from me.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer experiences cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: Great bargains at Old Navy

 

My daughter and I went shopping for school clothes for my grandchildren. We found good prices at Old Navy. And, everything fit.

My worst: Grumpy customer service people at Best Buy

 

My landline phone is very staticky at times.

I tried to buy a new one, a Uniden brand, at Best Buy. When I got it home, the phone had an irritating feature: A delay occurred each time I answered the phone. Callers thought no one was on the line. I resorted to saying, "Hello," three times when I answered the phone.

I decided to take the phone back. When I arrived at the Best Buy customer service counter, the young sales associate looked bored out of her mind. To speed things up for her, as I went through the dozen or so receipts I had in my purse, I told her that I’d like to return the phone and get an upgrade to a more expensive phone for my inconvenience.

She gave me an incredible look, and then called her supervisor over. After she told him what I wanted, he sneered at me as he said no. I took my refund and left.

Later, I called Best Buy and asked to speak to the manager so I could complain about the poor customer service I’d received. Unfortunately, the person who came on the line was the man who had treated me rudely.

I’ve had a couple of good consumer experiences at Best Buy. I was hoping the store would be better than Radio Shack, but it’s not looking good.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

More and more children dying in hot cars

It’s surprising how fast a car can get hot.

Today, when it was cool in the morning, I took a nap in my car. I was waiting to pickup my daughter and her family from the airport. In a half-hour, the car became uncomfortably warm. I was surprised when I opened the windows that it was much cooler outside. Cars get about 20 degrees hotter than the outside air temperature in an hour.

Deaths of children from hyperthermia or heat stroke are rising. Since the beginning of the year, two dozen children in the United States have died after being left or getting stuck in hot cars, reports the WalletPop article "Safety Alert: Child Deaths From Heat Stroke on the Rise."

Since 1998, 469 deaths of kids in hot cars have been recorded, says meteorologist Jan Null. That’s about 37 a year.

Earlier this year, I read two heartbreaking stories about a parent and a friend who were busy and stressed and left a child in a hot car. Both died.

See Kids and Cars.org for these and other stories about children dying in hot cars.

One of the tips I read when reviewing these articles was that parents and caregivers should always put the child’s diaper bag or backpack or another item belonging to the child in the front seat so they’ll be reminded the child is in its safety seat in the backseat.

Nell also suggests something I hadn’t thought of. Always lock your car in the driveway so your children or neighborhood kids can’t get in. Cars lock automatically these days, so once children are inside, they’re trapped.

Other tips from Nell:

• Never leave a child alone in a car.

• Call 911 if you see a child alone in a car.

• Make sure everyone leaves the car when it is being unloaded.

• If a child is missing, check the car and the trunk first.

• Teach children to not play inside of cars.

Be sure to think about these tragedies when it’s hot and don’t make the mistaking of leaving your child in a hot car.

For other safety tips, see "Top 10 Summer Safety Tips."

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Eight deaths, 3,300 injuries occur each year from children falling out of windows

When people open their windows during the summer, the number of children falling out of them increases. In recent weeks, several children have fallen from windows.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about eight deaths occur annually to children age 5 or younger while an estimated 3,300 children in the same age group are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Hospitalization was required for about 34 percent of these children.

These deaths and injuries frequently occur when kids push themselves against window screens or climb onto furniture located next to an open window.

Parents and caregivers can prevent these life-altering injuries by installing window guards. Window guards are easy to install and have a release mechanism in the event of an emergency.

To help prevent injuries and tragedies, the commission recommends the following safety tips:

• Use window guards or window stops to safeguard your children. For windows on the sixth floor and below, install window guards that adults and older children can open easily in case of fire. Install window stops so that windows open no more than 4 inches.

• Never depend on screens to keep children from falling out of windows.

• Open windows from the top not the bottom, whenever possible.

• Keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

• Check your local regulations to see if landlords are required to install guards.

Taking action to install window guards can prevent a tragedy from happening in your family.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer happenings cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: A book on how to make paper airplanes

 

When I was at the Museum of Flight last week for the Washington Press Association’s awards luncheon, I stopped in the gift shop to look for a present for my grandchildren.

I saw a book I liked, "Kids’ Paper Air Plane Book" by Ken Blackburn and Jeff Lammers.

It was a big hit with my grandchildren, age 6. We started out with the Slice, Count, and Butterfly. The first two were the best fliers.

We enjoyed making and flying the airplanes in the book. It was a great, fun-filled activity for kids.

My worst: Getting my Linksys router to work again

Working with Linksys to reconfigure my router for Wi-Fi was frustrating.

First, it was irritating to find out that I’d have to pay $30 for technical support or $40 if I wanted to pay for six months of technical assistance or six sessions.

Second, the first technician who helped me was hard to understand at times. Then she disconnected me when she attempted to transfer me to the place where I was to leave my credit card number. Super, super frustrating.

Finally, the second technician on the third call was able to make the router function properly. At last.

Cisco certainly needs to do work to improve its customer service.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist