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Welcome!
Summer vacation months can be an opportunity for everyone to
relax together - whether traveling as a family with your nanny or enjoying
poolside and beach activities close to home. This issue provides important
'tips' to consider before heading out the door so your vacation is both
enjoyable and safe for everyone!
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Have
Nanny, Will Travel?
As the summer vacation season heats up, you may be
contemplating asking your nanny to travel with you. Many families find their
nanny to be indispensable while traveling. Nannies provide added familiarity
for children encountering new places and activities. Nannies can also provide
that much needed respite for parents wanting a vacation from their vacation.
Before engaging your nanny to provided services while traveling, there are some
important issues to consider. Of the utmost importance is clear communication
between you and your nanny regarding the amount of work to be done and the pay
to be provided in addition to travel expenses. The following article from the
New York Times highlights how clear communication can help everyone to have an
enjoyable trip. It also illustrates how lack of communication can result in
unmet expectations and hurt feelings for both you and your nanny.
A Vacation Isn't All Fun and Games for the Nanny
www.nytimes.com
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Infant
Swimming Programs
Young children are fascinated by water. They will attempt to
get into any body of water they come across from a muddy puddle at the park to
a gleaming swimming pool. Given their natural curiosity about water, swimming
lessons seem like the perfect summer activity. The American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) cautions parents to look for developmentally appropriate
classes and to be aware of the risks inherent with young children in water.
Developmental Appropriateness of Classes - The AAP
recommends waiting until a child's fourth birthday before attempting to teach
traditional swimming strokes. Prior to this age, classes should focus on water
acclimation, water safety skills and play.
Water Safety - In California, drowning is the
leading cause of death for children age 12 to 24 months. While children's water
survival skills can be enhanced (see Infant Swimming Resource and Injury
Prevention Journal links below), the AAP cautions that parents should never
consider their children drown proof regardless of their skill level. They
recommend "touch supervision" - being within arms length of each other while in
or around water.
AAP: Swimming Programs for Infants and Toddlers
www.aappolicy.aappublications.org.com
Infant Swimming Resource
www.infantswim.com
Injury Prevention Journal: Water safety training as a potential means
of reducing risk of young children's drowning
www.ip.bmjjournals.com
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Vacation
Expectations
As with everything else in your life, vacationing will never
be quite the same now that you have children. The days of endless poolside
lounging or spur of the moment itinerary changes are probably a thing of the
past. While lounging has been replaced with diaper changing, there are other
rewards to traveling with your children that can far exceed the pleasure of the
former R&R. The following article illustrates the frustrations and delights
one can expect while traveling with young children.
Vacationing with Kids
www.drgreene.com
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Community
Spotlight: Summer Lunch Program
There are approximately 35,000 children of low income
families in San Francisco that qualify for free or reduced lunches during the
school year. For many of these children, there are times when the meals they
receive at school are the only meals they get. For children at risk of going
hungry, summer vacation can be a very difficult time. Fortunately for these
children, San Francisco offers a free summer lunch program for school age
children throughout the city. The program is funded through the US Department
of Agriculture and managed by San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth and
Their Families. The meals are prepared by the San Francisco Unified School
District and distributed to schools and community organizations around the
city. To learn more about how you can help this program or others like it in
the Bay Area go to www.summerlunch.org
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