Archive: Mommy Math

Mommy Math: Playground Safety

Each year, emergency rooms in the U.S. treat more than 200,000 children for playground-related injuries. While some involve bumps and bruises, many are much more serious, resulting in severe fractures, amputations and even death. Although girls are slightly more prone to injuries on playgrounds, the gender at risk is nearly ½ and ½. Playgrounds at low-income locations are more likely to have maintenance-related injuries, but all children who play on both public and private grounds are at risk. MomTrusted has put together a few playground safety tips to help keep your child out of these statistics.

Be present and aware. The best way to practice playground safety is to simply keep an eye on your child. It’s OK to bring a book or magazine, but don’t get so engrossed that you lose watch. If you see your child climbing, hanging or crawling where they shouldn’t, be sure to show them the proper way to use the equipment.

Let your child go down slides on his or her own. Many parents try to protect their toddlers by having them sit on their lab as they go down a slide, but this is a mistake. Hospitals see an alarming number of slide-related injuries due to children sliding down on a parent’s lap. The added height, weight and speed leave room for shoelaces and feet to get caught and dislocated or pulled in unnatural ways. The best solution? Just let your little one slide alone.

Supervised swinging only. Most injuries on back-yard playground sets occur on swings. If you have a toddler, make sure they use a swing with a back for extra support and protection. Watch out for swings’ metal chains, which can pinch little fingers and misuse of them, like standing or jumping off.

Check out the condition of the equipment. Another way to practice playground safety is to keep an eye the equipment as well. Wet, rained-on slides, swings and monkey bars can get super slippery. Sometimes the grounds heat up too much under the summer sun, making them dangerously hot. Keep on the lookout for any broken equipment. Always investigate the condition of a playground before your child plays.

Sources: -“Playground Injuries: Fact Sheet.” CDC -“A Surprising Risk for Toddlers on Playground Slides.” The New York Times -“Playground Safety.” Kids Health

Mommy Math: Reading and Singing to Children

While most experts agree that reading to children improves literacy and language skills later on in life, new studies show that singing also has a positive impact on children’s learning. MomTrusted put together this infographic on reading and singing to children. Check out how many parents read, tell stories and sing to their children of different ages:

Mommy Math: Kids and ADHD

ADHD has been receiving more and more attention in the media as diagnosis numbers continue to rise. This disorder affects children more than adults by nearly eight times and boys are two times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. In our most recent Mommy Math, we dug into the math surrounding the disorder:

Mommy Math: Children and Reading

Did you know that the amount of parents who read to their pre-kindergarteners daily has decreased by 5% in recent years? Yet college enrollment seems to be on the up-and-up or at least it was until 2010. MomTrusted digs into the statistics behind children and reading, from reading scores to college enrollment:

Mommy Math: Tech Savvy Moms

Kids aren’t the only tech savvy family members out there. Moms make use of their smartphones, computers, social media and even blogs to make their lives easier and keep in touch with friends and family. Crowd Science and Mashable polled groups of mothers on how they use technology to enhance every day life.

Mommy Math: Most Popular Baby Names

For over five years, Aiden has reigned as the most used boy name and Sophia has made the top five. At MomTrusted, we mapped out the five most popular names for boys and girls, using a star system. Each year, the most popular received five stars and the fifth most popular received one star.

Mommy Math: Tantrums

Less than 10% of preschoolers have daily tantrums. But daily outbursts or extreme ones, where they last an unusually long time or harm others, can be a sign of mental illness, according to a study at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center surveyed parents of 1,500 preschoolers to compare tantrums types and levels. Here’s how they compare: