Stuff We Like: Keeping Kids Healthy & Safe

What's more important than our kids' health and safety? Here, some info you need to know and our top product picks for keeping little ones safe and sound.  

Ah, Coconuts!

Put it on your skin-care short list: CapriClear Natural Spray-On Moisturizer has just one ingredient—one soothing, emollient, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic ingredient: all natural, 100-percent fractionated coconut oil. I’ve been using this gentle spray-on moisturizer to soothe my 4-year-old’s eczema because it’s free of all the bad stuff (there are no preservatives, dyes, parabens, sulfates, PABAs, or other potential irritants commonly found in skin care products), and the simply good stuff—it’s super-effective—is easy to apply. Misting this fast-drying spray over his body is barely a blip in our bedtime routine (which wasn’t the case for the lotions he previously fought me on), and the scratch marks that blemished his precious skin have all but disappeared. ($16.99 for 5.4-oz. bottle or $6.99 for 1.6-oz. travel size; capriclear.comor at Bed Bath & Beyond stores)  

Hidden Household Risk

Kids play with remote controls—that’s a fact. But their doing so is more than a find-the-clicker nuisance: It can be dangerous, especially for the 4 and younger set. The powerful coin lithium batteries that power so many of our electronic conveniences—car key fobs, calculators, bathroom scales, and more—can cause serious harm or even death if lodged in a child’s throat. Each year, more than 3,500 swallowing cases of all sizes and types of button batteries are reported to U.S. poison control centers, and statistics show that the threat is growing fast. So keep these devices out of reach of young children, secure them (make sure those tiny screws are tight on your kids’ talking books, for example, and seal remotes with tape). If a coin-size battery is swallowed: • Go to the emergency room immediately, and tell medical providers that it might be a battery. • If possible, provide doctors with the identification number found on the battery’s package. • Do not let the child eat or drink until a chest x-ray can determine if a battery is present. • Do not induce vomiting. And while only 8 percent of swallowing incidents trace the battery package as the source, why not buy child-safe packaging to be truly safe? Energizer’s coin cell battery packaging complies with child-resistant packaging standards and recommendations made by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and features durable, flexible materials that prevent access by children but can be easily opened by an adult with scissors. Contact the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 202-625-3333. Watch this video about the risks and how to protect your family: