Best activities to do with your baby that are age appropriate for a 3 month-old or 6 month-old baby

Today’s guest post comes to us from Jennifer Sheckelford at Themamaneeds.com and she writes about how to play with your 3 or 6 month-old baby and the types activities to do with your baby. The period between 3 and 6 months for a baby is developmentally equivalent to different lifetimes. Between 3 and 6 months a baby goes from laying and having tummy time to sitting up and able to grasp at different items around them. This article explores many of those developmental baby milestones and offers up some activities to make your time with your baby a lot of fun. I’ll be honest. When my first child was born, I had no idea what to do with her. I longed for the day to throw the ball in the backyard or fly a kite with my little one, but I was stumped as for what to do with a 3 or 6 month-old baby. These are definitely quality tips for those who are like I was an unknowing of what to do with baby in those first crucial months in building a bond with my little girl who changed my entire world.

Enjoy.
– Will

Best activities and games to entertain a 3 month-old or a 6 month-old baby

At the age of six months, your child’s behavior changes in new ways. He/she begins to react differently to relatives and strangers. Seeing strangers or relatives who can be rarely seen, a child may look at them with apprehension. A child smiles less and when a stranger speaks to him or her, babies can start to cry. But after a while, a child gets used those new people. This behavior is due to the fact that a baby does not know what to expect from strangers since a baby has no experience communicating and/or interacting with them.

At this age, child’s motor skills are improved. Many children try to move forward on their belly, sit steadily, and hold a baby toy with both hands. Things are changing fast and what you did one month or a couple weeks ago may need to change to accommodate the baby’s growth and development. At a loss for what to do? Here are some activities to do with your baby that are age appropriate for a 3 month-old or 6 month-old baby.

Activities to do with a 3 month-old baby

Firstly, in our activities to do with your baby list, let’s discuss how to entertain a 3 month-old baby. Three-month babies love to knock,m bump and touch various objects with arms and legs. Therefore, you can safely hang rattles so that your baby can reach them. It is advised to routinely change the baby’s rattles because one rattle can quickly annoy the baby. And you can even make your own rattle! To do this, simply stretch a rubber band through the crib and hang different toys on it.

Sing songs to your child, read fairy tales, tell interesting nursery rhymes to children. At the same time, you can try calling your baby by name more often.

At three months age a baby is able to hold a variety of things in their hands. Therefore, let him/her hold the rattles, but remember that they must match the age of the baby. They should be light enough and not have sharp corners. Another unique way to entertain a three-month-old child is to make small balls from different materials and stuff them with cotton.

Activities to do with a 6 month-old baby

During feeding, put your baby in a highchair and put cookie pieces on the table of the high chair. Your baby will take a piece of food and put it in their mouth. Through this item in our list of activities to do with your baby, the baby improves finger movements and coordination of hand movements.

Next in our list of activities to do with your baby, watch and observe your child’s reaction to various smells. Make a few balls from gauze or bandage, put a garlic clove in one of them and in another, piece of onion. In the third one some carnation petals or other flower petals. Bring them one after another to the baby’s nose, and see how your child reacts to the smells. By the mimicry of the child, active movements of the legs or turning the head in the opposite direction, you can determine which smells the child does not like.

When offering toys or performing activities with them, encourage your child to explore and make decisions. When the child holds a toy in both hands, offer a third toy. At first, the baby will try to take the offered toy, without letting go of one of the toys in their hand. But over time, the child will understand: in order to take this toy, it is necessary to release another.

Next up on our activities to do with your baby list is to entertain your 6 month-old baby with the sound game. Do not forget that educational toys for children of this age are almost all surrounding objects. Fill several metal jars with cereals or small toys. Alternately shake each jar so that the baby can see how you do it. After a while, the child will shake the jars himself to hear the sound.

Show your child a “bye-bye” gesture. When you leave the house, shake your hand and say: “bye-bye”. Very soon, your tot will wave a hand in return.

Do not forget to look at the child from time to time and smile. Bring the baby to a radio or tape recorder and let listen to music or songs.

How to play with your 6 month-old baby

• Conversation with a cup: Collect several cups of different size together and put them in a cardboard box. Then, place each cup on your mouth. In turn, repeat some familiar word. For example, your baby’s name. The kid will notice how differently the name can sound. Continue the game and try to pronounce a variety of sounds.
• Ball with water: Fill a balloon with a little water and tie a string to it. Show your baby how the shape of the ball changes, when you squeeze and swing it, and let your baby to do the same. The baby will soon find out that the ball is jumping from a floor, and swinging if it is twisted.

  Important: Do not leave the child alone with the balloon and remember if your child put it in their mouth, the balloon can cause the child to choke.

• Game with sounds: Pour a different amount of water into the plastic bottles. By striking a spoon on each of them, you will hear different sounds. A child will also notice the difference and after a while will join the game.
• Photos of Mom and Dad: In any opportunity, say the words “Dad” and “Mom”. Pin the pictures of mom and dad over the baby’s bed or tape them to the wall (or use 3M Strips so that tape doesn’t damage any paint job you might have done to spruce up the nursery). Every time you hear the baby saying “Mom” or “Dad”, show the photo and say: “This is Mom, and this is Dad.”
• Floating bath toys: One more in our activities to do with your baby list is to entertain your 6 month-old baby with floating bath toys. As your baby can confidently sit by now, add floating toys to your baby’s bath time fun like rubber duckies and plastic cups or cups with holes in them for draining/strain water. For everyday use, ordinary household items can be used. Offer your child a teaspoon, a lid from a saucepan, a sieve, or a wooden chopstick or spoon. Another option to entertain your 6 month old baby will be a plastic mirror in which the baby will be able to study his/her reflection. Or a small basket with toys, in which he/she will be happy to dig into to find a fun toy to play with.

  Which toys to choose? For your baby, the sixth month of life is a time of continuous study and learning about the world around him/her. Offer your baby toys with opening doors, mirrors, knobs, wheels, etc. The main thing is that your baby is experimenting under the supervision of adults.

Very often children of this age begin to show interest in “adult” items, for example, a remote control from the TV, a mobile phone or even a case for eyeglasses. As Parents, please watch your baby’s play carefully so that your baby doesn’t swallow a small item.

With this list of activities to do with your baby I hope you can find something new and fun to do with your 3 month-old or 6 month-old baby that you, perhaps, have not yet thought of doing to entertain and help your baby explore the world around him/her. Have fun with it and help shape your baby’s understanding of the world around them, growth and development.

About the Guest Post Author

I’m Jennifer, Owner of the blog Themamaneeds.com. I am a stay at home mother of six children (soon to be seven!) and have much experience with pregnancy and parenting in the real world. I understand the difficulty of the mothers and I will help them to overcome these difficulties to become a great mother.

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5 fun ways to cook using a pressure cooker

Today’s guest post comes to us from Chef Faisal Aziz at Best Pressure Cooker Reviews a website dedicated to the fun and food you can cook using a pressure cooker. This article outlines just how safe a pressure cooker can be to use if you follow Faisal’s 5 easy to follow tips on safe cooking using a pressure cooker. Growing up my mom used to cook using a pressure cooker to make deep fried prawns and scallops and the best fried chicken this side of the Mississippi. My mom’s family had midwest roots and the food I ate younger was a reflection of those roots. I can tell you that food that comes from a pressure cooker is like nothing else. It is so juicy and moist and not everything has to be deep fried. It is just that some of the tastiest food usually is that comes from a pressure cooker. That being said, please take a look at the article below and find out how much fun and how safe it is to cook using a pressure cooker.

Enjoy.
– Will

Enlightening details about the 5 most important steps for safe pressure cooking

Introduction to safe pressure cooking

Pressure cookers are considered some of the most convenient and safest cooking options. This is because a pressure cooker does not require much supervision while you cook using a pressure cooker. One just needs to set the timer and wait for the food to cook since the timer will switch off when the food is cooked. This means it is not necessary to stay nearby while the food is cooking and as a result one can start cooking and proceed to do other things. However, it is always important to observe safety while you cook using a pressure cooker. Here are the 5 most important steps for safe pressure cooking:

1. Ensure there is ample space
   As the name suggests, pressure cookers use pressure and steam to cook different kinds of foods. This means that there needs to be enough space inside the pot for the pressure. Because of this, it is important to avoid filling the cooking pots to the brim. This is because there will be no space for pressure and this can cause accidents. There are also some types of foods which expand when they are cooked and one needs to consider the space they will occupy after they expand.
2. Avoid opening the lid before the cooker is switched off
   It is always recommended that one should wait until the food is properly cooked until you move to open the cooker. Opening before the food is cooked will allow the pressure which was cooking the food to escape. Besides hindering proper cooking, this can be dangerous because the pressure also release steam which is usually hot. The hot steam can cause burns and it can be even more dangerous when it gets into one’s face. This makes it important to keep the lid on until the cooker is switched off. You can read power pressure cooker reviews for more instructions here on the necessary safety precautions one needs to take when handling a pressure cooker.
3. Regulate Pressure
   Pressure cookers come with options to adjust the pressure and heat levels depending on what is being cooked and the stage of cooking. Some types of food require a lot of heat so that they can cook properly and therefore they need high pressure levels. By not monitoring the pressure levels the pressure can be too much and eventually cause accidents. If a person is cooking while doing other things, it is advisable to use moderate pressure levels which are not likely to cause accidents.



4. Utilizing The Timer
   The timer of the pressure cooker is meant to stop the cooker once the time set has elapsed. But some people do not use a timer and this can cause problems. When the timer is not set, one can forget about the food getting cooked or get engaged in other things, consequently allowing the cooker to run unmonitored. The pressure cooker can experience problems or cause accidents if it remains running for long hours. This is why it is important to set the timer since it will stop the cooker even if the person cooking is not present.
5. Place The Cooker On A Firm Flat Place
   Even if there is no enough space it is always advisable to look for space which will hold the cooker firmly while it is cooking. This avoids the accidents that can be caused by the cooker tipping over and falling to the floor. This is one of the simplest safety tips but one where most people do not pay much attention to it. Therefore, by following the outlined steps one can safely do pressure cooking and enjoy well cooked foods.

It is my hope that when following these 5 basic safety measures when cooking with a pressure cooker, you will not only find out how easy it is to use a pressure cooker, but you will also learn to make many great meals with this fantastic cooking device. Please stop by my website and find out more about the fun and great tasting meals you can make with a pressure cooker.

About the Guest Post Author

Chef Faisal Aziz is the author of Best Pressure Cooker Reviews, a hobby niche blogger. Faisal loves to cook and publish his experience with his pressure cooker at Best Pressure Cooker Reviews.

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For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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4 food safety rules you can’t overlook when cooking with children

Today’s guest post comes to us from Lauren D. Brown atMess Makes Food and she writes about 4 must-follow food safety rules when cooking with children. Nothing can be more rewarding that doing an activity with your child where they are learning. One of those activities is cooking with children and helping them to learn to prepare and cook a meal from start to finish, including safely storing the food after the meal. Lauren speaks about how to properly ensure the safety of your family when it comes to cooking with children that might be something a child would not think about from washing hands to food prep to storage, Lauren covers each aspect as a reminder so that we all remain healthy and happy in our household. I really enjoyed the read. I hope you do too.

Enjoy.
– Will

4 must-follow food safety rules when cooking with children

Healthy cooking must start with food safety. If parents want to cook with their children often, a good way to start is by using something easy when cooking for kids, such as teach them how to cook rice using rice cooker or ask them to help you wash your vegetables carefully. It is necessary to teach them the fundamental rules of cooking, but it still enables a safe cooking with children experience. Let’s allow our kids to be food safety explorers! Don’t let bacteria have the ability to grow! Right now, we will learn the basics, including, clean, separate, cook, and chill.

4 Basic rules on food safety – checklist for children

Basically, food poisoning, due to viruses and bacteria, can be prevented by four simple rules when both parents and children are preparing a meal:

1. Clean – Wash your own and your children’s hands often

No one can deny the importance of washing your hands. Nonetheless, aside from that, cleaning all the surfaces of your kitchen is also vital, in particular, the countertops, the kitchen appliance, the reusable bags, and others (even if you need to peel or slice anything before cooking).

Taking a specific example, the inside of your microwave is easy to get dirty, owing to the food that can cover the insides of the microwave, so the bacteria can grow quickly. Correspondingly, it is necessary to clean both the outside and inside, involving, the buttons and handles to prevent food poisoning.

Washing hands in the right and most thorough way will dramatically decrease or remove the risk of food poisoning. Additionally, the spread of flu or cold is also minimized a significantly. Here are some things to always consider. You should also was wash your hands:

• Before and after eating, preparing the meal, after handling the pet, using the toilet, changing diapers.
• With the warm soapy water ~ 20 seconds. Asking your kids to sing a song while washing their hands can help these 20 seconds breeze on by.
• Cleaning the surfaces of the kitchen, particularly, the countertops, freezer, tables, fridge, shelves, and others

2. Separate – store your foods in a separate way – poultry, eggs, raw meat, and seafood

Cross-contamination can happen once germs from raw/ unclean objects (meat, fish, poultry,…) are placed close to the ready-to-eat or cooked dishes.

• Keep your foods separate so that it can prevent the cooked foods from cross-contamination by raw poultry, egg, meat, and seafood.
• Utilize more than a single cutting board – one for the cooked/ready-to-eat foods (vegetables, bread, fruits,…) and another for seafood, raw meat, and poultry.
• Clean these cutting boards with the warm soapy water after using and put them in your dishwasher. Additionally, you should also utilize a sanitizing solution or bleach solution on your cutting boards and don’t forget to rinse thoroughly with water after that that activity.
• Be sure to discard old cutting boards when you begin to see cracks, excessive scars of knives, and crevices.

3. Chill – Refrigerate properly to 40F or lower

The majority of the food safety programs recommend that housewives should refrigerate their foods properly at a suitable temperature. The purpose is to prevent food poisoning and slow the growing process of bacteria.

• Sets your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit and fridge under 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place a fridge thermometer in your fridge. Don’t forget to check it frequently.
• Put the foods that you bought from the store in the refrigerator and freezer right away, especially the perishable foods.
• Refrigerate any leftover foods from your meal.
• Store your foods in small containers ~ 2 inches or less.
• Consume packaged foods based on its use-by date/date of expiration.
• Use cold-running water or the microwave in order to thaw the frozen foods before cooking with children.
• Marinate your meats in the refrigerator.

4. Chill – Refrigerate properly to 400F or lower

Meat, egg, fish, seafood, and poultry must be cooked at the proper temperature so as to destroy any harmful bacteria. Even though you cook with modern appliances such as using a toaster oven, it’s also necessary to choose the right temperature for your dishes.

• To check to make sure each of the following meats are done: poultry, meat, seafood, fish, and dishes with eggs. Be sure to utilize a food thermometer if you are unsure of when a certain type of meat isn’t cooked completely yet.
• Leftover foods must be reheated at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. For older adults, reheat all deli style meat as well.
• Boil the meat marinade ~ few minutes if you want to use it for your meal.
• Follow the proper temperature below for your dish:
  • + Lamb, beef, veal ~ 1450F;
  • + Ground lamb, beef, veal ~ 1450F;
  • + Pork ~ 1600F;
  • + Egg dishes, casseroles ~ 1600F;
  • + Poultry ~ 1650F;
  • + Leftover ~ 1650F;
  • + Ground poultry ~ 1650F;
  • + Using a fork with and knife to open opaque meat to check how done it is on the inside;

It is my hope that these 4 rules will help parents have a healthy cooking with children experience. At the same time, the risk of food poisoning is also minimized and/or eliminated by keeping everyone safe from germs.

About the Guest Post Author

I’m Lauren, founder of Mess Makes Food. My passion is delicious dishes from all over the world. I like to introduce my healthy recipes to my readers. I also want to share my opinions on how to choose best kitchen gadgets and some tips on cooking processes. Make, have, and enjoy many great meals together with your children!

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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3 ways to include your family in exercise activities

Today’s guest post comes to us from Dan Chabert at RunnerClick and he writes about how to include your family in exercise activities. This article tugs at my heartstrings because I too find it difficult to get active and motivated to exercise. Perhaps employing these ways to incorporate my family in exercise activities will go a long way to building lasting memories and to lead by example with my children that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for both my mental well-being and physical well-being and it is a life-long endeavor. Not just when the time is convenient. It must be a consideration at all times. Building healthy habits now with your children will last a lifetime with your kids.

Enjoy.
– Will

3 excellent ways to incorporate your family into your exercise routine

Having a family places demands on your time that people without children simply don’t understand. Once you are responsible for the health and well-being of another living person, your time no longer belongs to you, and it seems like the only way you can do everything you need to do in day-to-day life is to somehow secure a magical 25th hour to your day. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but unfortunately, there is no 25th hour. We all have only 24 hours in each day.

It’s not all that surprising, then, that many parents often find themselves unable to exercise, or get into a regular routine, because they feel so strapped for time each day. It’s all too common that we parents get into the habit of caring for others and putting their needs before our own. By the time we realize that we’ve been neglecting ourselves, it seems like it’s too late: we’re stressed out beyond belief, our clothes don’t fit as well anymore (assuming they fit at all), we’re generally unhappy, and the list goes on. Here’s the thing, though: we have to take care of ourselves! We have to look out for our own general health and physical and mental well-being. We owe it to ourselves to do all that we can to make ourselves the very best, the very healthiest, versions of ourselves as possible, not only because it’ll make us feel fantastic, but also because we have to be our own biggest advocates. We parents routinely go above and beyond to care for our families, but no one is going to care for us but ourselves. Our health should be as big a priority as that of our family.

If you’re interested in starting an exercise routine but don’t know where to begin – particularly if you have young children in your family – might I suggest thinking outside the box and establishing an exercise routine wherein you routinely involve your family in exercise activities? Sure, it might sound counter-intuitive, if not also a bit counterproductive, but provided you give yourself some flexibility and patience, exercising with your family can become part of both your and your family’s healthy lifestyle. Besides, incorporating your family in exercise activities can be fun and could build memories that last a lifetime with your children.

Below, you’ll find my suggestions for ways you can involve your family in exercise activities and how to make it a regular routine. Like I mentioned earlier, the biggest, most important thing I can implore you to remember is that you absolutely must be patient and flexible. Some days, things might not go as swimmingly as you desire, and that’s totally ok! Do your best, and you’ll have nothing to be upset about – much like we tell our children.

My tips for how you can incorporate your family in exercise activities:

1. Go on a bicycle ride together. My first suggestion to include your family in exercise activities is going on a bike ride together. I bet you have found memories of riding your bike as a child, and it’s such a fun thing to do that I’m sure your children would love to do it now as well – and with you, it’ll be even more fun! If your children are too young to ride by themselves yet, you could always consider investing in a bike trailer that would allow you to pull them behind you while you ride. Don’t forget all the necessary safety components for bicycle riding – such as obeying traffic laws and wearing helmets (if not also other gear for the little ones). Fortunately, in northern Nevada, you’ll have a variety of terrain to choose from (flats or mountainous areas) and typically-favorable weather that will allow you to ride outdoors nearly year-round, if you so choose. This method of including your family in exercise activities is a great one.
2. Run together as a family. As a hobby, running is incredibly versatile, and it’s an activity that you can do basically anywhere you go: around your neighborhood, through a park, alongside a river, up through the mountains, and the list goes on and on. Plus, children naturally love to run, as evidenced by how quickly toddlers transition from walking to running. Running together as a family could help you create lifelong memories together, and much like it is with bicycling together as a family, the speed or distance you post doesn’t matter. What matters more is that you enjoy the process and the experience and that you emulate for your children how fun it is to regularly incorporate physical activity into your healthy lifestyle. In addition, if your children are too little to run by themselves quite yet, you could consider purchasing a running-friendly stroller and push them in it while you log some miles with the rest of your family. In fact, some bicycle trailers transition into running strollers so if the day isn’t good for a bike ride, you can run or vice versa.



3. Explore your world together on foot by hiking or walking. Perhaps the most accessible exercise that you can do together as a family is simply going for a walk or a hike together. It takes basically zero equipment, save for a good pair of shoes and some water perhaps, and it doesn’t matter if you stay indoors or go venture through any of Nevada’s amazing landscapes, up Mount Rose, around Davis Creek or out near Pyramid Lake. Anyone can walk, and speed and distance do not matter here, either. You can chat with your family while you’re on the move about their observations of the world around them, teach them about the wildlife and vegetation, and you might learn more than you realize when you begin to see the world through your childrens’ eyes.

It’s understandably really challenging, when you’re a parent, to find a way to devote time for exercise nearly every single day. However, it’s incredibly important to do so for all the obvious reasons, but also because you’ll likely find that regularly exercising makes you a better parent and a better partner. While none of us can extract a 25th hour from the day to devote to exercise, one way that we can ensure that we get our daily dose of sweat on our brows is by involving our family in exercise activities. Doing so, will teach the youngest ones in our families that exercise is a normal and enjoyable part of a healthy and active lifestyle, and it will surely help set a positive example and precedent for your children to follow as they grow, develop and mature, as well.

About the Guest Post Author

Dan Chabert is a husband, entrepreneur, long distance runner, travel enthusiast, web guru, certified geek and author at RunnerClick.com, a website dedicated to research and reviews about the many topics, and categories that running encompasses.

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For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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Baby proofing in 10 easy steps

Today’s guest post comes to us from Crystal Watson at MakeYourBabyLaugh and she writes about how to make your home safe for your baby when baby proofing. This article is very through, from electrical outlets, to owning a gun safe, to pets and even when your baby sleeps, Crystals covers many of the possible ways to make your home safe for your baby.

Enjoy.
– Will

10 tips on making your home safe for your baby

Home is a place where children grow and learn; a place where they find love, care and comfort. It is also a place where they can get to see, touch, explore and also experience the world that is around them, so that their young minds and bodies can develop properly. Home is also a place where children need to feel secure.

However, home injuries are a leading source of accidental death for children. There are Almost 21 million medical visits as well 20,000 deaths each year that are caused by home accidents. Some of the home accidents include your child being bitten by a pet to choking on balloons.

Nevertheless, home injuries can be avoided through education as well as baby proofing prevention in ways to make your home safe for your baby and young children. Parents can put safety measures in their homes and also teach their children a few practical rules. Becoming a parent is a blessing in several ways. However, there are some challenges that come with being a parent, such as protecting your child from harm. Here are some tips to make your home safe for your baby when baby proofing. When it comes to baby proofing your home, leave nothing to chance.

1. Never leave your child alone near water. Children love splashing in water at bath time or when playing as they do not know the possible hazards of water. Drowning is very possible in water that is above half an inch. This makes bathtubs, pools, sinks, as well as pails very dangerous. For your child’s safety, it’s important that you prevent situations that can cause accidents. Therefore, you should never leave your child alone near water.



2. Install safety gates. One of the most popular causes of injuries to children is accidental falls. You should therefore take precautions that can help to prevent a serious problem. The effects of the injury usually depend on the distance of the fall, so you should know the dangers of the heights.

   You must never let your child sit on a bed or even a counter unattended. You should also ensure that the stairs, as well as the hallways are clear and free of any mess that can cause your child to trip and fall. It is recommended that you install safety gates so as to block a child from accessing the staircase.

3. Keep your child safe from household cleaners and chemicals. Most of the many products in our homes are possibly poisonous if swallowed. In order for you to childproof/baby proof your home, you have to think from the perspective of a child. Ensure that you install cabinet guards on every cabinet where you store cleaners, chemicals and garden fertilizers. Also store the products in their containers; don’t store them in containers that your child may mistake them for food.

   Store medicines in a cabinet that is locked or keep them in a place that your child can not access.



4. Cover electrical outlets. Electrical shocks are one of the major causes of deaths as well as injuries. Electrical shocks occur when a child touches an object that is electrically charged, while touching a surface which can conduct the electricity to the ground. Electrical safety devices, appropriate grounding and also avoiding dangerous situations can greatly help to prevent electrical shocks.



5. Keep sleep areas safe. Suffocation is a major cause of accidental injury-related death. About 60% of suffocation cases occur when a baby is sleeping. A child’s nose and mouth may be accidentally covered by fluffy pillows, comforters or even stuffed animals which restrict your child from breathing.

   You should therefore ensure that your baby’s crib is as bare as possible. You should also use a light blanket and tuck its ends below the mattress so as to create a pocket. The blanket should also reach the center of your infant’s chest so that it cannot be pulled above his head. You should dress your child in warm pajamas when the weather is cool instead of covering him/her with additional blankets.

6. Baby safety equipment. When planning for your baby, a baby swing might be low on your list of preferences. After all, it’s a piece of baby gear which takes up a significant amount of space at home. Nonetheless, this is still a very useful piece of equipment for baby safety.

   Although it might be a necessity like diapers, having a good baby swing is one of the most useful pieces of gear in the baby’s first six months of life. As such, you should always choose the best swing for baby. Beyond mere convenience, babies require soothing and the parent’s arms are usually the best places for it. However, all arms do require a break and a baby swing is a perfect option in such circumstances.

7. Install an alarm. In the case of a fire that may break out, you will have little time to escape from the heat, smoke as well as deadly gasses. You can increase your survival chances by installing and also maintaining smoke alarms.

   If fireplaces, space heaters, central heating, furnaces as well as water heaters are not well ventilated or they leak, the hazardous gasses may escape. Set up a carbon monoxide detector and a fire detector, and ensure that they are properly maintained so as to secure your home.

8. Store a gun safely. In case you own a gun, it is your responsibility to ensure that you use it safely. You must ensure that the weapon is not loaded with ammunition when you store it. You must also store it in a safe place that your children cannot access. Locked cabinets, gun safes as well as other storing options that can help you store your gun securely are also available.



9. Keep small items away from your child. Many injuries are caused when children are not able to breathe properly because food or any other object has blocked their airways and can cause choking. Most of the choking injuries happen with food, so should ensure that your child’s meals or snacks are cut into pieces that can be swallowed easily. You should also keep small candies, carrots, hotdogs, nuts, grapes, and popcorn, out of the reach of your children when unsupervised as they can cause choking.

   Ensure that all small household items, such as buttons, jewelry, coins, small balls and pins are properly stored away from your child’s reach so as to avoid unintentional choking. Furthermore, do not select toys that have many small parts until your child is old enough to use them properly.



10. Keep children safe around the family pet. Pets bring love as well as companionship to many families. Nevertheless, more than 155,000 children in the United States are bitten by their pets every year, and most of the bites are caused by a familiar pet. Each and every pet possesses the potential to bite, especially when they are scared, threatened or even when they are over excited. You must ensure that you choose a pet that well suits the lifestyle of your family.

Summary

Children are always curious. They like exploring new things. They also like to put things into their mouth and stick fingers in unusual areas, play with hanging cords, and push/pull over furniture. Bearing this in mind, even the most harmless room at home can be a minefield of danger for them.

Luckily, there are many measures that you can take so as to protect your children from injuries or accident within the house. The above article gives you some safety tips that will help keep your baby out of the harm’s way.

About the Guest Post Author

Crystal is the founder of MakeYourBabyLaugh. She started to write the blog to help mothers and fathers who are struggling to raise their children. She hopes that her experiences in child-rearing can inspire and help parents overcome their parenting struggles.

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For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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Add vinyl wall decals to your remodel and save on remodel expenses

Following up from their first guest post a couple of weeks ago, today’s guest post comes to us again from Twiisted Design Print Media who write about ways to update your home’s décor with vinyl wall decals. If you are looking to save on the expense of a remodel, adding tasteful vinyl wall decals can be a relatively inexpensive method to update the look of your home. Below are some great ideas and tips to make it happen..

Enjoy.
– Will

6 tips on how to install vinyl wall decals on textured walls

Gone are the days of conventional paints, vinyl wall decals are the hottest trend ruling nowadays. We all love painting different shades of color to our walls, but designing beautiful patterns, picturing flowers and writing your quotes offer an altogether compelling visual appeal. But what makes vinyl wall decals so great, is their ease of installation on walls and their affordability. Nevertheless, installing vinyl wall decals and stickers over textured walls can be a little tricky. If, you too, have textured wall and plaster on your home or office décor, and want to learn how to install your favorite vinyl wall decal theme on it, follow these quick tips and you’ll be a pro in no time:

1. Choose the right kind: To decide what may suit your wall type best, perform thorough research on different vinyl wall decal options. Don’t just rely on the shop around the corner but research online as well, until you find the right kind of vinyl wall decal that works better on your bumpy walls. Twiisted Media can offer you a wide variety of inspiring wall graphics and vinyl wall decal ideas.
2. Work with your existing colors: While opting for a special vinyl wall decal with beautiful colors, consider matching the shades and color pallettes with your appliances and things like your cabinets, sink, countertop, as well as backsplash, and don’t foget about your surrounding wall colors. You can go for shiny or brushed metal colors, plain black or white, woody or textured and several other color options with your vinyl wall decals. Furthermore, consider matching colors with your kitchen flooring as well.
3. Magical glue stick: Why magical? Because it can sort out the ever growing problems of vinyl decal wall decal applications. Sometimes, one end of a script letter or side edges of another beautiful piece doesn’t stick on the wall. Here comes the importance of a glue stick in making the vinyl holding onto their desired place. Make sure to use an accurate amount of glue as not to create a messy application.
4. Use a hair dryer to increase the design’s flexibility: Before using a hair dryer for extending flexibility feature of your vinyl wall decal, set the right temperature so as not to melt the plastic vinyl. Flexible vinyl is easier to adapt to the wall’s folds, therefore, sticking better than it would otherwise.
5. Clean the wall surface before any application: Elements like pet hairs, dust, a scratched surface and so forth might not be visible right away, but will impact your application if you are not careful. If you want your stickers to go on smoothly and last longer on your walls, it is important to first clean and prepare the surface rather than assuming that its clean beforehand. For this, you can either employ a cleaning solution or a dab of alcohol over the surface. Also, do not hurry to apply the vinyl wall decal unless the area is completely dry!
6. Pay extra attention to the end result: As a tip, use a store shopping club card, gift card or even a debit/credit card to help help in obtaining a higher quality result.

Start by following the given series of steps to apply your vinyl wall decal to your textured wall:

• Remove the backing of the vinyl and then stick the decal onto the wall. You may want to apply a small piece of it at a time and pull more of the backing off as you go
• Rub the sticker surface firmly
• Swipe the card quickly over the area and do not stop until you feel that the vinyl is correctly applied (without any air pockets or air bubbles)
• Be careful while sticking multiple or small pieces to line them up with eye to detail
• Once you are done with pasting an entire vinyl stock over your textured wall, slowly remove the paper away from the vinyl in a descending direction.
• After pulling off the unwanted layer, rub over the art decal again to ensure its better durability as to how long it will last on your wall.

This list can assist you better in vinyl wall decal installations on your walls. You can choose from millions of vinyl wall decal ideas and designs to decorate your office or home. Often, performing home renovations can result in high costs. You can also go for custom wall vinyl wall decal design options for adding a personal touch to your space. Vinyl wall decals offer a creative perspective of changing the old picture aesthetic of your home décor to give it an entirely new look without hitting your pocket book in a major way.

About the Guest Post Author

Twiisted Media started with an idea sprinkled with creativity, passion and a love for design. This idea evolved to a commercial design and print company.

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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Remodel your kitchen using vinyl wall graphics

Today’s guest post, as a part of a 2-part series (view their other guest post here), comes to us from Twiisted Design Print Media who write about ways to update your home’s décor, especially in the kitchen with vinyl wall graphics. If you are looking to save on the expense of a remodel, adding tasteful wall decals can be a relatively inexpensive method to update the look of your home. Below are some great ideas and tips to make it happen.

Enjoy.
– Will

How to make your kitchen a masterpiece using vinyl wall graphics

The kitchen, might not occupy a considerable space, nevertheless, it is the heart of the home. Especially for those who love cooking, the kitchen’s visual appeal matters a great deal. People often relate kitchen renovations to purchasing lavish appliances, expensive countertops and sophisticated cooking gadgets, while the walls are often left ignored as an afterthought or not even thought of at all. Making significant, though small changes on your walls with vinyl wall graphics can help you get the desired look without paying for a massive renovation. Beautiful wall decal themes and graphics can guarantee successful visual satisfaction and aesthetic by helping you to accomplish your primary goal of kitchen beautification. And to get that done, listed below are a few tips and tricks for your kitchen walls to look beautiful and to improve your kitchen’s décor conveniently and instantly with vinyl wall graphics:

1. Think of the overall design and aesthetic flow of your home: Before choosing your favorite kitchen wall decal and vinyl wall graphics and sticker ideas, first decide the style you want to implement. You may not want to make your kitchen look entirely different from the rest of your house. Be sure to choose designs and themes that relate well with your overall house décor.
2. Work on colors: While opting for a special wall decal with beautiful colors, consider matching the shades and color pallettes with your appliances and things like your cabinets, sink, countertop, as well as backsplash as well as wall colors. You can go for shiny or brushed metal colors, plain black or white, woody or textured and several other color options with your vinyl wall graphics. Furthermore, consider matching colors with your kitchen flooring as well.
3. Find a vinyl decal that matches perfectly with the dimensions of your kitchen wall(s): It’s important to get the perfect size vinyl wall graphic for your kitchen space. Take measurements and include them in the selection process to find customized vinyl wall graphics for your home and/or place of work.
4. Search for the ruling trends: Consider taking a look at a few home décor magazines to get an idea of the latest vinyl wall graphics that are in fashion. The latest in vogue options carry higher attention to the following trends:
   1. Mix and match multiple materials and textured designs with your vinyl wall graphics. For example, if your kitchen consists of cream colored cabinets and countertops, you can opt for pasting granite colored decals on one or more of your kitchen walls and back-splashes to add a strong contrast.
   2. Be playful with your back-splash. Do not limit your creativity for kitchen updates. Apart from installing vinyl wall graphics into your kitchen space, consider adding lighting, hanging colorful plates or decorating the area with small pieces of artwork.
   3. Wall decals with inspirational messages or quotes can help in creating a positive environment.
   4. Use bold red wall decals or graphics for an attention-grabbing background or focal point.
   5. Bring the beauty of nature inside your kitchen by installing flower/tree prints or designs of clouds, leaves, etc. into your vinyl wall graphics.
   6. You can also apply a full-scale vinyl wall graphics of your favorite football player or your idol’s photograph on one of your kitchen walls.
   7. Or you can seek assistance in your selection from Twiisted Media’s wall design and print professionals to guide you on what may or may not suit your kitchen’s décor.

Why Choose Vinyl Decals Over Paint?

Until now, we have focused entirely on how to decorate your kitchen using vinyl wall graphics so as to save huge expenditures on renovations and stay in tune with the latest home décor trends. Here are a few basic shots to summarize the importance of going vinyl for your home or office walls than choosing to paint:

• A vinyl wall decal is the best option in case you already have your house painted, but want to spruce up your kitchen as they are easier to install and remove.
• Vinyl wall graphics are comparatively cheaper than painting and can be used instantly and conveniently.
• Wall prints can feed your creative hunger, as you can install different styles of graphics on each wall.
• Vinyl wall graphics are among the latest home décor trends. They offer a modern look to your home.

Final Thoughts

Vinyl wall graphics and decals are the best options to simplify your kitchen renovation needs. You pay less for wall decals without compromising on the quality and still get the benefit of an intense visual overhaul. Furthermore, pasting vinyl decals on your walls rather than painting your entire house can help save vital time and effort since wall graphics are instant art and easy to peel and stick on the wall.

About the Guest Post Author

Twiisted Media started with an idea sprinkled with creativity, passion and a love for design. This idea evolved to a commercial design and print company.

Sponsor this article for $1.00

Enter sponsor title and e-mail.

Enter website URL. Sponsor title will be hyperlinked with this URL.

By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

By clicking the button below, I agree with the Terms & Conditions.

What is your baby’s nutrition worth to you?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Emma Claire at CookNovel who writes about baby food recipes so that you can make your baby food right at home.

When our children were little (today, at the time of this post they are 8, 6 and 3 respectively), we used the BEABA Babycook steam cooker/blender to make our baby food. We put the food in ice cube trays and put them in the freezer and pulled them out when we needed them.

Making food for our children without preservatives and all of the extras of store-bought food off of the shelf helped us feel good about what our children ate while growing at such critical stages in their brain development. Even to this day, we only buy Horizon brand organic milk with DHA labeled on the container.

The nutrition our children receive is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. We hope you can use some of these recipes for your own little ones. Thanks for the great article, Emma.

Enjoy.
– Will

5 Delicious wholesome homemade baby food recipes for your baby

When it comes to your baby, there’s no such thing as “trying too hard”, particularly when it comes to their food.

Cooking your baby’s food at home might take some extra time, which can be a problem for busy parents but there are several good reasons why you should consider homemade and wholesome baby food.

1. Since you’re the one that makes the food, you’ll know exactly what your baby is eating, down to the last ingredient. No preservatives, no colorants, no extra sugar. Just want you chose to eat.
2. It can be more affordable. This is not always the case but high-quality, organic, pre-packaged baby food tends to be pretty expensive. Luckily, making your own baby food can help you cut on the costs.
3. You can personalize your baby’s food based on what they like. This can help you gradually introduce new things in their diets, take out the foods they don’t like and eliminate any allergy risks.
4. You can share your food with your baby by making their food with similar ingredients as the one you used for your family’s dinner, saving time and money!

Now that you know why making your baby’s food at home is so convenient, it’s time to look at some of the most wholesome baby food recipes out there so you can make sure you’re giving your baby nothing but the best!

Delicious apple, oatmeal and pumpkin baby food

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Ingredients:

½ cup of unsweetened apple sauce.
½ cup of pumpkin, pureed.
1 ½ cup of cooked rolled oats. (Unsweetened)

Cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg to taste. (Remember not to use too much as to not to overwhelm your baby’s palate)

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Instructions:

Step 1: Mix the unsweetened applesauce, pureed pumpkin and the cooked oatmeal together.
Step 2: Gradually add the cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger and taste it. Add more spices if necessary.
Step 3: Stir everything until perfectly mixed and blend if necessary.

This recipe is fantastic for babies aged 6-8 months.

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Creamed peas and nuggets

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Ingredients:

4 cups of peas, preferably fresh.
1 cup of whole milk
2 tbsp. of flour
2 tbsp. of butter
Chicken

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Instructions:

Step 1: In a sauce pan, mix the flour with melted butter. Cook no longer than a minute.
Step 2: Add the milk and mix as you do it to prevent any lumps.
Step 3: Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add other spices if you feel it’s appropriate.
Step 4: Cook while stirring until the mix starts to thicken.
Step 5: Add the peas and cook them for about five minutes or until they’re heated through.
Step 6: Add chicken

Since this recipe has dairy consult with your pediatrician before introducing it to your baby’s diet.

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Squash and rice puree

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Ingredients:

1 cup of mashed butternut squash
½ cup of fresh water
¼ cup of rice of your choosing.
Yogurt (optional)

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Instructions:

Step 1: Using a blender or a food processor mix your mashed squash and the water. Slowly integrate the rice until perfectly blended.
Step 2: If your baby doesn’t like the consistency add more water to thin it or, if your baby can eat dairy, add yogurt to thicken it.

This recipe is perfect for babies 8 months old or more!

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Banana Avocado Baby Food

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Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana

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Instructions:

Step 1: Peel and de-pit your avocado
Step 2: Remove the avocado meat and mash it with a food masher or a fork.
Step 3: Peel your banana and mash it with a food masher or a fork.
Step 4: Blend everything together in a food processor or a blender until you reach the desired consistency.

This recipe is perfect for babies between 6 – 4 months and it doesn’t need to be cooked so you can make it in a pinch.

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Sweet potato soup

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Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of sweet potatoes, cooked.
1 tbsp. of flour
1 tbsp. of butter
1 ½ cups of chicken broth
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup of whole milk

You can use cinnamon instead or nutmeg or, if you prefer it, you can also use 1/8 of nutmeg and 1/8 of ginger for extra flavor.

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Instructions:

Step 1: Melt the butter and mix it with the flour in a saucepan. Mix until it acquires a caramel-like color.
Step 2: Slowly add the broth while mixing the entire way to prevent any lumps. Keep the soup simmering and slowly stir in the potatoes and whatever spices you chose.
Step 3: Cook for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Mix using a food processor or a blender (Top 5 best personal blenders for smoothies). Add the milk when you serve the baby food.

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Storing homemade baby food

If there’s a downside to homemade baby food is the fact that it doesn’t keep as long as pre-packed food.

There are two ways you can store baby food, in the freezer or the fridge.

Fridge

You can store your homemade baby food in the fridge for up to 48 hours, as long as you keep it in an airtight container.

Freezer

You can also freeze your baby food so it lasts from 1-3 months.

The best way of doing this is not adding liquids (such as milk or broth) to the food until it’s time to eat it:

• Puree the base of your baby food and freeze it in ice cube trays.
• Take out only the baby food cubes you’ll need. (1 cube is optimal for young babies)
• Thaw the pureed baby food and integrate the liquids
• Reheat and serve

What do you think of these recipes?

Do you know any others that you think need to be included in this list? Do you have any doubts? Questions? Suggestions? Want to let us know if your baby liked the food? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to share with your friends and family if you found this article useful.

Thanks for reading!

About the Guest Post Author

I’m Emma, founder of CookNovel blog, and I’m absolutely in love with food blogs. I’d like to share the interesting recipes, food tips and top lists of kitchen gadgets. I’m a foodie at heart but being the mother of 3 kids, it’s not always easy to keep up with fancy dinners… so I rely on the support of other blogging moms like me to help along the way.

Sponsor this article for $1.00

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By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

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Pool safety is no joke

Today’s guest post comes to us from Sean Morris at LearnFit.com. He writes about pool safety in the off-season. Even though we are in Northern Nevada, some of us might have pools in our backyards. Pool safety with young children is no joke. It can only take seconds for a toddler or young child to drown. Please take these precautions when wrapping up your Summer fun zone in the backyard. Thank you for your fantastic article, Sean. We really appreciate the contribution.

Enjoy.
– Will

4 ways to protect your child from drowning in the off-season

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) names drowning as the top cause of unintentional deaths for children ages 1-4 years? An astounding 58% of these occur in in-ground pools.

But never fear: here are four ways to ensure pool safety to protect your little one from drowning during the off-season.

1. Invest in a pool fence.

A pool fence can be the ultimate safeguard for your home when it comes to pool safety. All kids have the tendency to wander off to forbidden areas, and this can include your backyard and pool area. In fact, more than 75 percent of children who drown are seen five minutes or less before they are discovered in the pool. Reduce the risk dramatically by blocking off the water, and ensure the gate to enter has a self-latching, child-safety lock on it to deter even the craftiest of children.

2. Ensure that pool drain and filter covers are secure and out of reach.

From 2005 to 2007, 24 cases (and two deaths) were reported of a child becoming trapped in a pool or spa drain. Kids have been known to play with an open drain only to have hair, a hand or a foot get caught in the suction, leaving them unable to escape. Public pools are required by law to adhere to specific child-safe drain covers; these kinds of covers might be a valuable option for your own home as a pool safety measure!

3. Keep that rescue equipment right where it is.

If you have a pool and a young child, you certainly have a life preserver and shepherd’s hook by the pool. Keep them there! Even if your pool is covered for the season, even if your gate is locked and secured, always keep your pool safety tools handy.

4. Consider an extra, louder layer of protection.

Consider adding an alarm to your pool area, especially if your child is particularly precocious and ambitious, add an alarm to your pool gate. This could save precious seconds if a toddler figures out the child-safety locks. Remember, it takes only seconds for a child to drown.

“Off-season” doesn’t mean “out of danger.” When it comes to pool safety, even the most conscientious parents can have close calls. Remember these tips and keep your child safe from drowning no matter the season!

About the Guest Post Author

Sean Morris recently left his career as a social worker to be a stay-at-home dad to his wonderful kids. He and a couple of his friends created LearnFit.org. On the site, he enjoys writing about parenting, marriage, how to achieve work-life balance, and more.

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Enter website URL. Sponsor title will be hyperlinked with this URL.

By sponsoring this article, your sponsorship will display for a period of 180 days (6 months). If, for any reason, and it is up to the discretion of the authors of Windy Pinwheel, we feel content linked to or the name provided does not coincide with the objectives of this site for our audience we will issue a refund and pull the sponsorship of the article. This action does not limit you from sponsoring an article on our site again. However, by sponsoring again, we will issue the same review criteria as the prior sponsorship and if it fails, we will follow the same process as before and issue a refund and pull down the sponsorship. We truly appreciate the support of our audience and hope you can help offset our costs of operating this site by sponsoring our site articles.

For all reviews, please exercise discretion. If the sponsor of the article is in conflict of the topic of the article, we will pull down the sponsorship to remove any conflict of interest with the article at-hand. For instance, there is an article about a hamburger restaurant and a competing hamburger restaurant sponsors the article; we will pull the sponsorship and issue a refund.

By clicking the button below, I agree with the Terms & Conditions.

Do you like to cook?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Olivia Rose at mykingcook.com. She writes about essential kitchen gadgets to keep handy in your kitchen at home. These items are must-haves and essential for any budding cook or experienced chef. With the holidays coming up, these would make excellent stocking-stuffers too. Thank you for your great article, Olivia. We truly appreciate the contribution.

Enjoy.
– Will

Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets Every Food Enthusiast Should Have

Every home cook should have a best friend in the kitchen. But in my case, I have more than one that I rely on when I whip up something delicious at home. As a matter of fact, these tools are not just perfect for food enthusiasts like you and me, but also, having different kitchen gadgets, appliances and tools can definitely come in handy for emergency dinners and get-togethers at home.

So, if you are looking for great ways to spruce up your kitchen, aside from having the best cookware for glass top stoves, then here are my favorite kitchen gadgets on your list of must-haves.

5 Innovative Kitchen Tools and Gadgets for You

1. Digital Volume Spoon Scale

Say goodbye to doing manual measurements. No more having too much or too little of a certain ingredient, because having a digital volume spoon scale will ensure perfect measurements every time. It is a measuring cup and spoon, all rolled into one device. Just attach or detach the spoon or cup and you are all set. It’s battery operated with an LCD panel where you can read the measurements. Now, you can measure your spices, such as smoked paprika, thyme, or dried basil without fuss.

2. Portable Vacuum Sealer

It doesn’t matter whether you are planning to sou vide your steaks for the holidays or you simply want to keep your food (wet or dry) fresh; you definitely need to own a decent vacuum sealer at home. Trust us, when we tell you that owning even a food saver can help you save tons of money on food. I have a heavy duty one at home because I do a lot of experiments in my kitchen. You can do the same, if you as adventurous. There are different kinds of sealers on the market, from large commercial kitchen grades to handheld mini-sealers. Just choose the one that serves your needs.

3. Digital BBQ Tongs and Thermometer

Are you a BBQ lover like me? If you are, then this gadget definitely deserves a space in your kitchen. Each person has his or her own degree of cooked preference when it comes to their meats. So, it is important that we have the right temperature every time we fire up the grill. The handles on this item have a built in, battery operated thermometer to help you find out if the your choice cuts on the grill are cooked to delicious perfection.

4. Instant Wine Chiller and Refresher

Everyone deserves a perfectly chilled glass of wine, don’t you think? Most of us follow the practice of just leaving your wine bottles out there in the open or stuck in an ice bucket. With this mini wine chiller, you simply have to stick the spout in the freezer for about 6 hours and attach it to the neck of the bottle, and voila! Instantly chilled wine in your glass. This gadget chills the wine and not the bottle! It’s simply perfect for every wine lover out there.

5. Vegetable Spiralizer

With the increase in the number of people who are becoming more and more health conscious, it is definitely time to join in. Now you can use zoodles (noodles made from zucchini), carrots, sweet potato and cucumber spirals as substitutes for carb-loaded pasta with ease. There are different types of spiralizers in the market, so you can choose the bigger ones or the handheld veggie noodle makers. All you need is your spiralizer and your imagination, or some fantastic recipes to try, and you can start making delicious and healthy dishes at home.

Bonus Kitchen Gadget: Flameless Marshmallow Roaster

Usually, I am not-so-keen on single-use gadgets but who doesn’t want to have a s’mores party from time to time? This is something that most people would consider a complete splurge. But, however you would look at it, you can’t deny that this roaster is pretty awesome. Now you do not need to go out camping just to enjoy this sweet treat. Consider this my our bonus!

These gadgets and tools will surely make your life in the kitchen a little less stressful and a lot more fun!

Sources:

1. Admetior Digital Volumetric Spoon Scale
2. 30 Innovative Kitchen Tools & Gadgets by Hongkiat
3. 25+ Of The Coolest Kitchen Gadgets For Food Lovers by Bored Panda

About the Guest Post Author

My name is Olivia Rose. People say I am a housewife and have nothing much to do, but being a mother of two kids is itself a ful time job. I like to research and learn about new food and health related discoveries. I want to share my knowledge, that is why I have established mykingcook.com. I have shared my very own recipes also. I hope readers like my content and learn from it.

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