ReadySetMom

Car seat check and installation in Beaverton

My days of installing car seats are finally behind me, but I remember clearly needing expert advice back when I was a new mom. Nothing like trying to buckle down an uncooperative car seat when you're sleep-deprived and your newborn is wailing away because he's tired or hungry or both.

We've written about car seat checks at Legacy Health Systems, but there is another westside option (and maybe others?) Certified technicians from the Beaverton Police Department will inspect and help install car seats on Saturday, July 26, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. The inspections are free, open to the public and take place behind Beaverton City Hall, 4755 SW Griffith Drive. Car seat checks are also scheduled for August 9 and August 30.

For car seat recycling, recommended for any that are more than six years old, visit Legacy Emanuel's inspection day on July 26.

Weigh in: is it OK to leave the kids in the car (even for a minute)?

There's an article in today's Oregonian about the dangers of leaving your kids in the car, some of which include predators, heat, and choking and safety hazards. A mother in Illinois was arrested last December for leaving her sleeping toddler in a locked, alarmed car while she walked 30 feet away to put change in a Salvation Army kettle. The charges were ultimately dropped. In Oregon you can get arrested under the statute ORS 163.545(1):

"A person having custody or control of a child under 10 years of age commits the crime of child neglect in the second degree if, with criminal negligence, the person leaves the child unattended in or at any place for such period of time as may be likely to endanger the health or welfare of such child."

That said, I'll admit that I have left my kids in the car, locked, on a few occasions -- if I can get a parking space directly in front of the drycleaners or Pizzicato, where I can have full view of the car and dash 10 paces to reach them if necessary -- then I don't feel like there is any danger. There are days when I just don't want to unbuckle and rebuckle two kids for a 3-minute transaction. (Wow. Writing that makes me realize how selfish it sounds.) But it's true, and I'll probably continue to do it (unless someone calls the cops). Would I ever leave a child in the car while I ran into the grocery store? No.

Do you ever leave your kids in the car? And would you ever call the cops if you saw a young child alone in a car?

Opting out of Google phone number, address and personal info listing

OK. I have to file this under "potentially creepy uses of the Internet." Thanks Jenifer for sending me this info:

"Well, don't get alarmed, but this creeped me out so I thought I would share. Especially for those of us that live in Portland where Google maps has completed its roadside views of about 80% of our private roads. My poor friend Kristin had her front door wide open when they did her street, so it looks EXTRA inviting. great. Might want to block your number."

Here's the deal. If you type your phone number into a Google search, chances are your name, address and even a picture of your house will be the result of the search. Personally, I decided to block it. You can opt out. It takes a few days for it to become "unlisted." If you want to be removed from this "reverse telephone book," click on your phone number and then click on the removal form.

When I first tried this, our phone number came up, with my husband's name (I guess the phone bill comes in his name), our address, and oddly a picture of our next-door neighbor's house. So I guess there are some small flaws in the mapping. In any case, I decided to remove ours since our kindergartner has just been memorizing our home phone number for a school assignment. I'm not comfortable with the idea that some stranger could overhear her or out-and-out ask her (despite our efforts to educate about stranger-danger).

Free car seat recycling this Saturday

There is no easy way to get rid of an old car seat. Most non-profits won't take them, because if a seat has ever been in an accident then it is no longer safe to use and is a liability. Plus, car seats are not supposed to be used longer than six years since over time the plastic actually breaks down and compromises the safety of the seat. If you've been holding on to an old car seat, then fear not, you can get rid of it this weekend!

Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital is sponsoring a free "drive-through" child passenger safety seat recycling event:

When: Saturday, February 23, 2008, 10am-Noon

Where: Legacy Emanuel Hospital campus, in the parking lot at the corner of N. Knott and N. Vancouver Avenues

What: People who have outdated car seats are invited to drop the seats off for recycling, free of charge.

No registration is necessary. Call Legacy Referral Service, 503-335-3500, for more information.

KOIN-TV is a co-sponsor of this event and they have a special report on their Web site about the dangers of expired car seats. Click on the link for Special Report: Expired Car Seat Dangers.

A trip to San Francisco is full of challenges

I just got back from a fun weekend in San Francisco, my first trip with just my 4-year-old. We had a great mommy/daughter excursion to attend a friend's birthday party and visit with family and friends.

Traveling is never without its challenges. What do you think was our biggest challenge?

Let's see, was it the five hours we spent at PDX on Friday, waiting for the huge storms in Northern California to clear? Actually, no. It was a long wait but bearable (thanks, in small part, to the Coffee People near our gate). We had books, magnet paper dolls, crayons and food. We spent some time on the play structure near the security checkpoint and wandered through the stores. Luckily, we didn't have to be in San Francisco by any particular time because we didn't arrive until 7:30 pm.

How about maneuvering through the security checkpoint? You know how it goes: Wait in line, get boarding passes checked while keeping daughter close, grab bins, put in purse, backpack, my coat, daughter's coat, get shoes off, help daughter get her shoes off, push bins through while keeping eye on daughter, follow her through the detector, head back to take off a bracelet that set off the detector, go back through the detector, gather up backpack, purse, two coats and two pairs of shoes while keeping eye on daughter, find a seat, put shoes back on while keeping an eye on belongings.

Believe it or not, this was not the most challenging part of the trip. Because our flight was way delayed, we didn't have to rush through security, and my 4-year-old seems to have the drill down for the most part. Answering her questions about the whole process was more challenging. "Why can't I bring my juice in? Why do they want us to take off our shoes? Why is that man taking his pants off?!" (He was just removing his belt.)

The #1 most challenging part of our mommy/daughter trip?

Going to the bathroom, of course. During our 5-hour wait, we made at least a couple of trips to the restroom. Normally, we'd leave our stuff with Dad at the gate. This time we had to haul it all into the stall with us. How do they expect you to hang the above mentioned backpack, purse and two heavy coats on one little hook without something falling to the floor (eeeewwwww)? How do you help your kid get an adequate amount of toilet paper when it keeps ripping off one sheet at a time? How do you lift your kid up to wash her hands while also holding backpack, purse and two coats, then wash and dry your own hands? And did I mention we also had to go on the plane? Even without our gear, we both barely fit into the lavatory -- and that was with one of us sitting and doing our business.

Will going to the bathroom ever be a topic we don't discuss on a regular basis?

Are you being more careful about the toys you buy?

We've had a lot of toy recalls this year. Choking hazards, lead paint, date rape drugs(!). I was at Thinker Toys today shopping for a gift for my one-year old nephew. I was constantly looking for the "Made in ___" label on each toy I picked up. Not that that is any guarantee about safety. I spent most of my time holding toys and trying to imagine whether my kids would have played with a particular toy at 12 months old. (I should have just got him a wooden spoon.) I stuck with simple and classic: no batteries, made of wood, a string for pulling.

I find that I'm spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about gifts for my kids. One has a birthday coming up, and then of course there's the holidays. I have so far removed about half the toys from the playroom in my effort to calm the fury of the evening clean-up time (they don't miss them). The kids have been having great fun playing with cardboard boxes and pillows a lot lately -- it's a game they call 'England' -- don't ask me why. So they don't need new toys. And I'm trying to put together lists for family members in an effort to stem the tide of battery-powered plastic.

Renee had an excellent idea the other day. It turns out that both of our big girls love to do homework. They both just love school. She suggested putting together a homework station for a Christmas present. Maybe a little desk or one of those lap desks, some newsprint notebooks that they use to learn to write their letters, a safe pencil sharpener. It's like giving an 'experience' rather than a 'thing'.

What about you? Are you being more cautious about the toys you buy? For safety reasons? Environmental reasons? Both? Or will you be buying the latest and greatest because, face it, that's what your kids (and all of their friends) want?

Emergency Preparedness Fair on October 6

It's easy to bury your head in the sand and just hope we never have to deal with an emergency along the lines of an earthquake, hurricane, tsunami or epidemic. But chances are we will. If there's any lesson from what went on in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it's that you're on your own; and that what happened there can happen anywhere.

That's why you should really consider taking the time to attend the Emergency Preparedness Fair on Saturday, October 6, 2007, at the Fulton Park Community Center. The fair will be from 1-5pm, and will feature information from the Portland Office of Emergency Management, local utilities, police and fire departments. Speakers who have experienced real-life disasters will tell you what you really need to know.

Slow down! Safety on neighborhood streets

Ah. Here is a topic that is a daily frustration for me, as I'm sure it is for many of you: unsafe residential streets. How many times do cars race through your neighborhood? If you live in SW, chances are your neighborhood doesn't have a sidewalk. How do you get drivers to slow down and respect the neighborhood? Here's Becky's scary story:

I was recently rear ended on Multnomah Blvd b/c a woman failed to notice that myself and the car behind me had stopped. I was turning into my driveway, at the Shadow Creek sign, and I did have my turn signal on. My 11 month old and dog were both in the car. The car behind me was totaled and mine was very compromised as well. The woman who hit us just didn't stop. My question is if you might know who I could contact about the streets that we live on. I tried to look though the archives to see if there is a similar topic but I really didn't notice any. My concern is that our street is not safe! I can't take my stroller out or my dog for a walk because its just not safe. Our neighborhood is marked as residential and yet the speed limit is 40 and almost no one drives that. I can not tell you the countless times that people have zoomed past me through the bike lane as I try and make this turn. I just wanted to know if there is someone who might be able to help. I am not the only one that has been in an accident because of this road.

I'm so glad neither you nor your daughter were injured! I've posted about the traffic situation on my street before and have since done a little research. First of all, contact the Portland Office of Transportation at 503-823-5185 and explain your concerns. They will send you a packet of information explaining how the city can help. Some of the things they offer: yard signs with various "Slow Down" messages (this can be somewhat effective if a whole street of neighbors puts them up at the same time); the police can put a traffic speed monitoring van along the side of the road, which tells people how fast they are traveling; and then there's the speed bump purchase program.

I would also encourage you to send an email to Sam Adams (commissionersam[at]ci.portland.or.us), the city commissioner who oversees the transportation department. He's going to be holding another series of neighborhood meetings all over the city to discuss issues like this. The next one in SW Portland is Sept. 17 from 7-9pm at the Multnomah Arts Center. (Click here for the citywide schedule.) I attended the last one and found it enlightening, though doubtful that the city will ever fund significant improvements.

Does anyone else have experience with traffic calming or any ideas to share with Becky (and all of us)?

Fisher-Price toys made in China recalled for lead paint

I just posted about this over at EnviroMom. It's happened again. If you purchased any of these Fisher-Price toys since May 1, 2007, remove them from your child's grasp immediately and follow the instructions given.

Lighting fireworks at home -- do you do it?

Growing up, my family never lit fireworks or hung out with other families that did. My mom says that my brother and I were afraid of them and didn't like the noise. I still have never lit fireworks and I hate it when kids (and adults) on our street are out till midnight setting them off (man do I sound like an old cranky-pants). So I have no idea what possessed me to stop at a roadside stand and buy a pack of 30 sparklers. Well, my whining daughter possessed me, but why did I give in? At fireworks shows I've seen plenty of kids running around with sparklers, so I guess I didn't think they were that dangerous -- until I Googled it and discovered that half of all fireworks injuries to children under the age of 5 come from sparklers. Uh, hello? It's FIRE. Why would I let my children play with fire?

Or am I being overprotective here? Do you set off fireworks and let your kids play with sparklers?