Keep items that use button batteries out of reach of small children. This especially is true if the battery compartment is not secure and can be opened easily. If you think your child has swallowed a battery, go to the emergency room right away.

Share this video with your friends and family to help to get the word out about this danger:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfgzheWXQlY

So while we pull out the holiday decorations or purchase toys for holiday gifts, don’t forget to secure the batteries. For more information, visit www.TheBatteryControlled.com.

~ Libbe Slavin, coordinator, Safe Kids Wisconsin Coalition

Active supervision is the most important precaution for drowning. A supervised child is in sight at all times with your undivided attention focused on the child.

Undivided supervision is essential all places, including at home. Approximately 3 out of 4 pool submersion deaths and 3 out of 5 pool submersion injuries occur at a home pool.

Drowning is the second highest cause of unintentional death for children ages 14 and younger. Each year in the United States, about 400 children in this age bracket drown in pools and spas. That’s more than a child a day. Take these steps to protect your child and keep these statistics down.

For more information, check out these tips from Safe Kids Coalition:

• Home drowning prevention tips
• Open water safety tips
• Pool and hot tub tips

Safe Kids Coalition also has water safety videos here:

• Safe Kids Water Safety
• Water Safety for Children with Special Needs

~ Lisa Klindt Simpson, coordinator, Safe Kids Southeast Wisconsin

As in all of life, adulthood is not an event but a process that starts way before age 18.  By slowly giving and trusting your child with age-appropriate responsibilities, turning 18 becomes just another step in growing up. However, there are some big time legal changes that all teens need to be aware of.  Below is a short list of suggested discussion points about adult rights and responsibilities. Good Luck!

• You are legally responsible for your actions – please think before you act.
• You can own things; a car, a credit card – money is needed to pay for these things.
• You can vote – a right many other countries do not have.
• If you break the law you will pay the fine or perhaps go to jail.
• Risk taking behavior is part of early adulthood – be aware.
• I am here to help you make good choices – I will listen.

The State of Wisconsin Bar Association is revising its publication, On Being 18. You can currently only find it on-line.

~ Darcia Behrens, LCSW, supervisor/clinician, Family Services, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Whole grains have fiber, vitamins, minerals and more. Good examples of whole grain foods include:

• Whole-grain pasta.
• Whole-grain bread.
• Whole-grain crackers.
• Brown or wild rice.
• Barley.
• Low-fat popcorn.
• Oatmeal.

A good way to see if food contains whole grains is to look for a whole grain stamp. This stamp means the food has at least half a serving of whole grains.

If you can’t find a stamp, check the product’s ingredient list. Food with whole grain listed as the first or second ingredient can be good for you. Don’t be fooled by products that include enriched flour at the beginning of the ingredient list – these are not whole grain!

According to the Whole Grains Council, an average person eats less than one serving of whole grains per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s choosemyplate.gov recommends at least three servings or more of whole grains each day. Encourage your family to eat healthier by gradually introducing more whole-grain products. The benefits will do you a whole lot of good.

~ Heather Fortin, RD, CSP, CD, clinical dietitian specialist, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin with Stacy Brand, RD, CD, manager, Patient Services, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Treadmills
Treadmills are a top safety hazard. Children are fascinated by treadmills and want to imitate their parents by walking on them. On a moving treadmill, children can slip and fall, get clothing or hair caught in the belt or sustain burns from the moving belt.

Children younger than 10 should not use a treadmill. Children older than 10 should be watched closely while using a treadmill. When not in use, the activation key should be placed out of reach and the treadmill should be unplugged. If possible, the room where the treadmill is located should be locked.

Weightlifting equipment
Weightlifting equipment also can put children at risk for injury through misuse. Until children are preteens, they should use only body weight or resistance bands for strength training. Children do not have the understanding of their limits that is required for controlled weight training. This can lead to overuse or trauma injuries. A child also can easily get a hand caught in the pulleys of weight equipment.

To prevent weightlifting injuries, place weights in a locked cabinet or room so children do not have access to them. Instruct preteens and teens in proper weight training techniques. Parents should seek information through the school gym teacher, a fitness instructor or athletic trainer.

Other safety tips
In general, parents should not wear headphones while exercising to be more aware of the environment. This can help prevent children from sneaking up and getting hands caught in pedaling bicycles, treadmill belts or plates of weight-training equipment. Parents also should explain that exercise equipment is for adults only.

~ Stacy Stolzman, MPT, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

• Toddlers should eat approximately one quarter of an adult-sized portion.

• Children age 4 to 8 should eat one-third of an adult-sized portion.

Even when portion sizes are in check, the ratio of food groups offered can lead to weight gain. According to the “plate method,” one-half of a child’s plate should be vegetables, one-quarter should be starchy sides (including corn, potatoes and peas), and one-quarter should be lean protein. Fruit and low-fat dairy servings may be added. If a child asks for seconds, offer more vegetables.

~ Jennifer Crouse, RD, CD, CDE, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

For example, a recent proposed change in President Obama’s budget calls for the elimination of federal funding for Children’s

Thirty-six lab coats hang outside Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to raise awareness of the impact of proposed funding cuts to resident training programs on health care for children.

Graduate Medical Education. This cut is alarming because it has a real impact on Wisconsin and the health of our children. The funding provides children’s hospitals with much-needed dollars for physician education. In Wisconsin, 60 percent of residents from Children’s Hospital’s training programs choose to stay here when they complete their residency training. Some may practice in primary care by joining a pediatric practice and others choose to train further. All of them help our children.

So, you may ask, how does the elimination of federal funding for this program impact our children? It means we’ll have fewer doctors who specialize in the care of children to take care of our kids.

Please consider contacting your federal elected officials. It truly can have a great deal of impact and only takes a few minutes. In fact, it takes less than 10 individual letters to get an elected official’s attention on a particular issue. To learn more about the funding cuts, visit nachri.net.

Are you interested in learning more about Children’s Hospital advocacy efforts and the work we are doing with elected officials? Sign up to receive updates from Children’s Advocacy Network.

~ Michelle Mettner, vice president, Government Relations, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

In 2009, over three million children were reported abused and neglected in the United States.  Of that, more than 56,000 reports of child abuse and neglect occurred in Wisconsin.  This means, a child is reported abused and neglected in our state at a shocking rate of every 9 minutes.

You can help us provide hope. You can help us make a difference in the life of a child.

~ Jennifer Hammel, director, Child Abuse Prevention Fund

I am a survivor of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse. My mom spent several years in prison for selling cocaine and for having firearms. Despite this, I loved my mom and was devastated when she left one day and didn’t come back for three years. I was 12 at the time, so I had to help my grandmother raise my sisters and brother.

It wasn’t uncommon that I looked for love in the wrong places, finding myself with two kids and no parenting skills or family support. I was overjoyed to hear of a program that would help me become a better parent. I became involved in the Healthy Families program, a home-visitation program supported by the Child Abuse Prevention Fund at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. These programs work.

Healthy Families taught me how to set goals. The program taught me how to discipline my children in a positive way. I learned what behaviors to expect from my kids at different ages. My support worker, Shirley Wehmeier, was my mentor and coach. She taught me I could do anything.

I got my High School Equivalency Diploma and went to college for a year. I got my driver’s license, a car and a job in an office.

My family is a product of the Healthy Families program. My kids excel at school and are involved in sports and activities. I provide free credit and budget counseling services to people through La Casa de Esperanza and United Way of Waukesha County. I am a bilingual certified tax preparer, a certified notary and a certified housing specialist, doing pre- and post-purchase counseling for first-time home buyers and foreclosure prevention counseling. I also volunteer my time to help build a stronger community. Most importantly, I was able to break the cycle of abuse and my children are happy and healthy.

The Safe at Home campaign raises money to support home visitation programs like Healthy Families. Help families like mine. Visit safe-at-home.org.

~ Gina M. Sanchez

One of my primary functions is to assess needs and develop health programming for more than 30,000 youth members. The Health & Life Skills department is one of five core service areas that educates youth about key issues that affect our community. We cover topics such as childhood obesity, teen pregnancy prevention/sexually transmitted infection, substance abuse awareness and healthy relationships. The majority of interventions are provided to youth via traditional instruction, such as classroom lectures, small group style facilitation, hands-on activities and service learning. I’m an avid fan of technology and incorporating innovative tools such as iPads, social networking and video messaging to increase teaching efficiency.

I quickly realized one issue that impacts our department’s ability to reach our youth is how we use technology. We needed to make our health messages relevant and engaging. I found the solution to my dilemma at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Best Practice conference.

The staff from Children’s Health Education Center conducted an interactive session about the BlueKids.org e-learning programs. I was very impressed with the interface and ease of use of the program from the adult perspective. Shortly after the presentation, I met with Bridget Clementi and Clay Anton to explore opportunities for our club members and BlueKids.org. We decided It’s UR Choice youth substance abuse prevention model was the best fit for a pilot, because it neatly fit into an existing substance abuse prevention program we were offering called Smart Choices.

Mr. Jamar Wills, Milwaukee Reality Check Coalition coordinator, organized and facilitated the Smart Choices program, which includes peer education and positive peer modeling. The Boys & Girls Club has received funding from MillerCoors to provide the Smart Choices program to youth members with this program, they have demonstrated increased resistance to drugs and alcohol, greater abuse awareness and positively changing social norms of substance use.

Currently, It’s UR Choice is being piloted at three club sites in the urban area. Our goal is to enable 20 youth members per site to complete the entire program. Use of It’s UR Choice for middle school students has been well received. I am very impressed with the pilot’s progress to date. It is our intent, once the pilot has been successfully completed, to expand access to It’s UR Choice, to all youth in the Smart Choices program.

~ Jeanette Kowalik, MPH, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee