HaltonParents

Take the bite out of bugs! Insect repellent: What you need to know.

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

Bugs are a nuisance, but bug bites can be a big pain! The red bumps are bad enough, but the itchiness keeps me from sleeping, because all I want to do is scratch all night long! Aside from these obvious discomforts, mosquitoes can also carry serious diseases such as West Nile Virus and ticks can carry Lyme disease. This frightens me!

I try to prevent bug bites by staying indoors at dusk, or by covering up if I’m outside during this time. As a family, we enjoy the outdoors and I don’t want my worry to keep us inside.

DEET and Icaridin

I also like to know exactly what products I’m using on my growing and developing kids and what insect repellents are safe for young kids and older kids to use.

Can I use DEET and how much? What’s Icaridin? I know it was approved by Health Canada in 2012, but is it safe? Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged bug bites, DEET, icaridin, insect repellant, kids, mosquito bites, mosquitoes, Physical Health, safe | 1 Comment

Did you know Halton Region is testing and monitoring beach water?

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

The beaches of Halton Region are the perfect summer destination to relax, play and spend quality time together.

I feel so fortunate to live in a region that boasts so many spots for family fun in the water. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged babies, baby, beach, beach water, beach water monitoring, beach water testing, child, children, families, family, Halton, halton region, Halton Region beaches, health, infant, Keeping Your Baby Safe, kids, parents, play, preschooler, preschoolers, safe swimming, swimming, swimming with baby, toddler, Water, water quality | 2 Comments

The pool is NOT a toilet! Tips for staying safe this summer!

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

Summer is finally here! Time for some fun in the sun and a splash in the swimming pool. But as the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until someone poops in the pool. While this may sound funny, pool fouling can be very serious.

Recreational water illnesses can be spread by contaminated pool water and can make you, your child, or someone else very sick. The good news is that you can keep your splash time healthy all summer long by taking several easy steps: Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged babies, baby, child, children, infant, Keeping Your Baby Safe, kids, pee, play, pool, Pool Fouling, pool safety, poop, preschooler, preschoolers, Safety, swim diapers, toddler, water safety | Leave a comment

Discover Halton this summer: tons of family fun to be found here!

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Carolyn Wilkie, RN

The Summer 2015 edition of MoneySense magazine listed Halton Hills, Burlington and Oakville in their Top 25 Best Places to live in Canada. I feel so fortunate to live and work in such a great region!

Whether you live, work or just come to here to play, there is no shortage of things to do now that summer is here and school is out. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Pregnancy, Prenatal Health, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged activities, family fun, family time, outdoor activities, physical activity, summer activities, what to do this summer in Halton | 1 Comment

Summer fun and electronics; can there be a happy medium?

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

I can tell the summer-is-here excitement is already building for my kids. The sweet smell of freedom is in the air as they wait with baited breath for that last bell of the school year to ring. In my house, long, lazy summer days await my kids, as summer for us always includes some much needed down time for everyone. But how lazy should they really be?

My memories of lazy summer days include playing outside, riding bikes, exploring our nearby forests and sitting on the curb sharing good laughs with friends. This was back in the day when the only screen at our house was a TV and to us there was never really anything good on it except for Saturday morning cartoons. Continue reading →