Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Protect Your Child's Feet: Josyann Abisaab

Many parents would be surprised to know how often children are brought to the ER as a result of barefoot accidents. Emergency room doctors like Josyann Abisaab end up stitching feet that have been cut by glass, metal or jagged rocks as a result of children running around barefoot.

While it’s fun to run around barefoot, especially in the summer months, it’s very important for parents to keep their children wearing shoes when outside. Have a first-aid kit in the house, as well, so that you can take care of cuts and scrapes when they occur. Make sure to always keep your child’s tetanus shots up to date to prevent even worse consequences.

These simple instructions can cut down on unnecessary stitches and injuries and can keep your child’s feet safe and healthy all year round.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Keeping Burns at Bay with Josyann Abisaab

When children show up to the E.R. for burns, they are usually a result of hot liquids from the home. As doctors such as Josyann Abisaab and many others know only too well, most of these burns could have been prevented. Here are some important tips for keeping hot liquids away from little ones.

1. Never drink anything hot when you have a baby in your lap in nearby.

2. Keep containers of hot liquids away from tables and counter edges, and keep the cords out of reach as well. This will prevent children from pulling hot containers down from a ledge.

3. Make the stove a no-kid zone. Don’t cook with children nearby or let them sit on the counter to watch you.

4. Cook on back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles to the rear, not towards the room.

5. Make sure your water heater is set below 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you can’t control the heater, install an anti-scald device. This ingenuous device reduces the water flow to a trickle when the temperature reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Always test the bath water before a child steps into it.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Josyann Abisaab on Head Safety Advice

This is a scary and dramatic statistic: 75% of bicycle related fatalities in children could actually be prevented by using bike helmets. When riding a bike or a skateboard, wearing a helmet can prevent everything from a concussion, head trauma and even death.

This should be a hard and fast rule in every home from the time that kids are very little. If children are used to wearing helmets from a very early age, it will become second nature to them and they won’t challenge this requirement.

In addition to wearing a helmet for bike riding, doctors like Josyann Abisaab explain that they need to be worn for roller-skating, in-line skating, skiing, skateboarding, street hockey, horseback riding and more.

Make sure that the strap under the chin is buckled correctly so that the helmet can’t move around on the child’s head or slip over his eyes.