The latest statistics are shocking in Norway, where car accidents are cited as “the main cause of serious injury and death among children.”
According to an article in Science Daily, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health study found that 37 per cent of all children under the age of 16 were “incorrectly restrained in the car”—23 per cent of whom would have faced “serious consequences” if involved in a collision.
"With the correct use of safety equipment, fewer children will be injured and killed in traffic," said Dr Marianne Skjerven-Martinsen from the research project "Barn i Bil" (Children in the Car) at the Institute's Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research.
During six separate roadside studies, Skjerven-Martinsen’s team stopped cars and examined how children were secured. In addition to findings above, the most common safety breaches were among 4-7 year olds, including “misplaced seat belts, twisted belts, loose straps, belt under the arm instead of over the shoulder and young children, sitting in a seat without side support.” Booster seats were also used incorrectly.
"We see that adults want to use the equipment to protect their children, but they may lack knowledge of what can go wrong if they do not use the equipment properly,” said Skjerven-Martinsen.
In an earlier study of traffic accidents in Norway between 2007 and 2009, researchers found that more than half of children injured or killed were not adequately restrained. The most common errors were loose or “out of position” belts. Other hazards included loose objects in the car that could strike children in an accident.
Full results of the "Children in the Car" project will be published in spring 2013.
Do you think we are any safer when it comes to car restraints here in Canada?
The Dallas mom who reportedly super-glued her 2 year old's hands to a wall faces life in jail.
According to an article in the Huffington Post, 23-year-old Elizabeth Escalona beat her daughter, Jocelyn, so badly that “she suffered bleeding on her brain.”
Escalona pleaded guilty in July to attacking her daughter over “potty training problems.”
During the sentencing hearing, gruesome photographs revealed the extent of Jocelyn’s injuries, including “bleeding on her brain, a fractured rib, severe bruises and others likely caused by direct blows.”
"When I think about the time involved in that and what that scene must have looked like, it's overwhelming," said Dr. Amy Barton, a former child abuse specialist at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Apparently when police came to the apartment, they found a bottle of super glue and a section of an apartment wall marked with Jocelyn's handprints.
While Jocelyn remains in hospital, Escalona has not asked about her daughter’s condition, though she cryptically keeps repeating "I'm taking the blame," as if she really weren’t responsible for the abuse.
Escalona’s four other children—including a baby born this year—are currently under the care of her mother, Ofelia.
I have no words for such horrors, except that raising a child takes a village. Surely the abuse couldn’t have gone unnoticed by family members and friends.
Has baby gear become the latest markings of status? When it comes to gearing up for the appearance of your pride and joy, should money be no object?
In an article in the Globe and Mail, dad Mark McGregor admitted his motives for getting the Origami had little to do with the baby he was about to have. The Porsche of strollers, it apparently "charges his smartphone, measures his distance and speed on an LCD screen and guides his way with headlights."
“It’s kind of an ego-booster,” admitted the 31-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., in the article which draws attention to a so-called "era of conspicuous parenting."
The Origami, owned by the likes of Natalie Portman, doesn't come cheap. Like the Bugaboo before it, at a staggering $900 the Origami is not the only eye-wateringly expensive baby product out there. There are car seats retailed at $450 and an internet monitoring system with a $350 price tag, even a diaper bag priced at $180.
First-time parents are likely the worst culprits in the spending craze. They are excited, and no doubt, having no idea what they truly need, impractical and willing to overspend.
As parents, are we really justified in spending such obscene amounts of cash on baby products? How much is too much? Or is there no such thing as too much when it comes to our little darlings? Or is the trend simply due to a demographic shift? Couples are deferring parenthood until later, typically when careers and earning power are more established. And with many families opting for fewer children, they can afford to spend more on their children than their own parents could.
Are parents getting better quality products, asks the Globe and Mail article, or are they simply being manipulated? The answer, not surprisingly, is both.
As a self-professed tight wad mama, I have made an art out of saving money when it comes to my son. Toys—often plastic and wipeable—are often second-hand. Clothes are often gifts or very 'gently used' (he's only going to wear out the knees in a couple months, anyway, with the exceptions of underwear, socks and PJs, which are always new). My jogging stroller, from a yard sale, turned a nice profit when I sold it a few years later. Personally, I'd rather spend money on things that matter: experiences that in turn create memories. My son honestly is none the wiser.
Do you shell out on luxury baby products? Why/why not?
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