San Diego Mom - Carmel Valley

The car seat laws are straightforward, but our own comfort level about safety when your child is under 60 lbs but already 6 and older varies.  And again even after they get older and you need to consider when to permit them to leave the booster seat behind.  

This site offers a 5 step test to determine what is ideal for your child as they get older and how long they should remain in a booster even after they’ve long outgrown their carseat.  http://www.carseat.org/

 

Thanks to a good friend who set up a private session for our playgroup, my 6 yr old just went through self defense, safety training that is well worth the time and minimal fee.

Check out http://www.radkids.org/ataglance.shtml 

Radkids is a program that is offered at various schools, local centers.  In San Diego I have heard of pre-schools bringing them in, and several instructors who will conduct a class of a group of friends.  Contact them directly to inquire.

What I liked about the program was that it is active - the kids can practice techniques they learn, including the kicking and yelling.  Sensitive subjects are dealt with in an age appropriate way (stranger danger and inappropriate touch) and topics we may have felt we covered well such as fire safety and traffic each had new recommendations or approaches I hadn’t thought of.

I highly recommend this program.  They also note that you can return to a Radkids program as many times as you wish for no additional cost until your child is 13.  A nice touch I thought as the techniques and topics will change as they get older. 

 

We all try to read the recall notices, but you still worry its not enough to be sure the toys your kids play with are safe.

http://www.healthytoys.org/ 

They test the toys out there and they are giving you a rating on things like level of lead, arsenic and and mercury.  They lay out why these chemicals are bad and what they can do to your children.  And they let you submit a toy and ask that it be tested.

I liked looking through their worst and best toys - and of course you can search for an item you suspect could be a problem and if they’ve tested it you can a very detailed answer. 

 

This is another resource that provides the location/residences of felons who may live nearby.  It provides you with the map of the area around your address, and identifys the felons by name and location who are nearby.

 

 

Curious how many cell antennas or towers are in the vicinity of your home?  Type in your address and this engine will give you a full list and who owns the towers.  

Useful if you’re trying to figure out what provider to purchase - who has the best coverage.  Useful too if you’re stuck in a fight with a provider over having them put an Antenna near your home….find out how many they have and where. 

http://www.antennasearch.com/