Because sitters use different products depending on which family they’re sitting for (and must always remember how to use each unique item), it’s important that those products are intuitive and simple to use so they’re most effective.

For summer, we put together a list of some sitter-friendly safety products that sitters and families we know recommend. They’re all effective and some are pretty fun for the kids as well!

Take a look at some of these fun summer safety products.

Sun Protection

Great for babies: Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes
http://www.mdmoms.com/ProductDetails.php?PID=6&CID=2
Squirming babies and sunscreen don’t often mix, which is why we like these award-winning soft wipes. Each wipe — saturated with a gentle, sweat-proof, broad spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen that’s enriched with Vitamins E and B5, marine silk, aloe and oat — contains enough sunscreen to cover baby from head to toe, with no fuss and no mess. Very protective, very clean, very sitter-friendly.

Great for kids of any age: California Baby Sunscreen Lotion (SPF 30+)
http://www.californiababy.com/no-fragrance-spf-30-sunscreen-lotion-2-9-oz.html
This gentle, fragrance-free, water-resistant sunscreen is made specially for sensitive skin (at any age) and won’t sting the eyes. Made of mild, natural ingredients, it provides physical protection from the sun with non-whitening titanium dioxide. It’s also PABA-free, chemical-free, and gluten-free for the best sensitive skin protection you can get.

Sun Signal UV Sensors
http://tinyurl.com/sunsignal
These fun stickers go on kids’ clothing, skin, hats, etc. and change colors when it’s time to reapply sunscreen. They measure UVB rays, changing from yellow to deep orange when sun exposure approaches dangerous levels. Self-adhesive and water-resistant, these stickers are a great reminder for sitters to keep kids protected throughout the day.

First Aid

Baby MEDBASICS Instruction Pack
http://www.babymedbasics.com/
We LOVE this safety pack. It’s very, very sitter-friendly with clear instructions and helpful visuals to help sitters/parents in an emergency — including what to do in the cases of CPR, choking, fever, bleeding, burns and poison. It was created by a doctor-and-nurse/husband-and-wife team, and it comes in a smaller travel version as well (clip it on the stroller and you’re good to go!). Birth to 1-year.

First Aid Instruction Tips:

• Choose something with tabbed pages, so the sitter can flip to the right section quickly when she needs to.
• Choose something with uncomplicated illustrations, since some people are visual learners.

Medibag First Aid Kit
http://www.me4kidz.com/medibag.htm
This is a truly kid-friendly first aid kit — and it’s also doctor-recommended. It comes with 117 items as well as a free mail-in offer for a 45-item refill kit. The Medibag First Aid Kit comes with fun items such as neon bandages, blue kid-friendly plastic tweezers and smiley face stickers along with first aid staples such as gauze pads, an instant cold pack, antibiotic ointments, first aid tape, etc.

NOTE: Every purchase gives back to the disabled community, as they assemble these products.

First Aid Kit Tips:

• Choose a kit that is especially kid-friendly, so the child isn’t frightened by “scary” products.
• Always keep your first aid kit in the same place so the sitter knows where to find it.
• Before sitters come over, double-check to make sure the kit is well-stocked.

Bug Repellent

BugBand Wristband
http://www.bugband.net/bugband-store-wristbands-blue.php
Rather than spraying kids down with smelly repellents, sitters can just put these colorful wristbands on their charges to keep the bugs away. (There’s even a glow in the dark one!) The vapors from the naturally derived, plant-based BugBand wristband form a protective shield around the immediate area, keeping insects a safe distance for up to 120 hours. It can be worn around the wrist, attached to strollers, worn around belt loops, etc.

Pool Safety

Safety Turtle Pool Alarm
http://www.safetyturtle.com/
Children wear this fun turtle on their wrists, and if they fall in a pool (or hot tub, pond, river or lake), an alarm sounds immediately at the portable base station — within 100 feet of the water. The Safety Turtle is designed not to sound a false alarm if it is splashed or sprayed, and the entire product is easy to operate.

NOTE: Limitations apply to use in salt water.

Original Konfidence Jacket
http://www.konfidence.com/
Stretchy, comfortable and colorful, The Konfidence Jacket features 8 removable floats that allow adults to adjust the level buoyancy as the child becomes more confident in the water.

Pool Lock
There are tons of pool locks out there, and this is a very important element of pool safety. MagnaLatch is a popular pool lock whose different versions all adapt easily to any type of fence or gate. (The Top-Pull model is key-lockable for added safety.)

[image credit: BenSpark]

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Child Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.