OHANA BRIEFS
Make bath, shower stall safe for kids
Advertiser Staff
At some point — usually between ages 5 and 8 — many children decide that baths are for babies. To make sure your tub or shower stall is kid-friendly, try these tips from Parenting magazine:
• Stick with tear-free shampoo for now.
• Empty economy-size shampoo and conditioner bottles into small, squeezable ones that are easier for a child to hold.
• Teach your child how to adjust the hot and cold water. Set the temperature for him until he gets the hang of it.
• Remove razors, shaving cream and cleaning sprays, etc., so he's not tempted to try them.
• Install mats or skid-free strips to the tub or shower floor to make it less slick.
• Pass on liquid body cleansers for now — they can coat shower bottoms and make them slippery. Opt for a bar of soap instead.
School supplies' bill adds up
The average American family will spend $73.06 on school supplies this year (not counting computers and electronics), according to the Washington Post.
When backpack becomes a burden
A child's backpack, when filled, should never weigh more than 15 percent of what he does, according to the American Physical Therapy Association.
For example, if you weigh 80 pounds, you should never carry more than 12 pounds of stuff in your backpack.
Other tips: Always use both shoulder straps (they should be well-padded), and make sure your pack has reflective strips on it. Right now it's still sunny in the evening, but before long it will be dark when you're leaving band practice.
Parents: redirect your anger
How often do parents have temper tantrums?
At least once a day, said 59 percent of parents who responded to a poll on Parenting.com (www.parenting.com). About a quarteer of parents surveyed said they lose their cool a few times a day.
Guinness World Records makes 50
The Guinness World Records book turned 50 with the publication of its 2005 edition. It's a collection of amazing, outrageous and useless facts, for example:
Most Spoons Balanced on a Face: Oregon's Jonathan Friedman, 11, balanced seven. That's one spoon on each ear and cheek, one on his nose, two on his chin.
Most Yo-Yo-ing: In Dublin, Ireland, 426 people yo-yoed for two minutes.
Youngest Solo Sailor: Sebastian Clover sailed across the Atlantic Ocean when he was 15. He departed from Spain on Dec. 19, 2002, and arrived on the island of Antigua on Jan. 12, 2003.
