Kids and backpacks just seem to go together. Whether sending kids off to school, to a sporting event, or for a sleepover with a friend, chances are they are bringing a backpack with them. But carrying an heavy load unevenly or improperly can result in poor posture and even distort the spinal column, causing muscle strain, headaches, neck and arm pain, and even nerve damage. More than 50 per cent of young people experience at least one episode of low back pain by their teenage years.
Beaches, parks and back yard play: Summer is about fun in the sun. But there’s nothing fun about a sunburned baby. Little ones are especially vulnerable to the sun’s burning rays. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, a single blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles the risk of developing melanoma later on in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that most parents aren’t doing enough to protect small children from sunburn; sunscreens are often applied incorrectly, leaving little ones exposed to skin damage. Here’s how to keep your little one happy and safe this summer.
In many schools, fewer hours are allotted to recess and physical education each year, but summer is the perfect time to commit to the challenge of your kids riding to day camp or getting them physically prepared now to ride their bikes to school in the Fall.Bicycling is a fun and fitness-friendly method of transportation that, with a little planning and attention to details, could replace your carpool.
When you become a parent, you take on lots of new roles, like chief diaper changer, colic analyst, playdate organizer and breast pumping principal. As if that’s not enough, you’ve gotta be the safety police too. If not you, then who? Sure, you can hire a professional babyproofer. But child proofing is also something you can and should do yourself because it’s not a one-off deal. It’s an ongoing process because kids are, well, kids.
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