Does your youngster or ’tween know how to use her cell phone in an emergency?

A third of the 20 million American children between the ages of 8-12 have a cell phone.

Just because they know how to download games and ringtones, however, doesn’t mean they know how to use their phones as safety tools. Consider these tips:

1. Teach your child to push “9-1-1” and then the cell phone’s “call” or “send” button — in an emergency. Explain that “emergency” for 9-1-1 means threat to body or life — tell them it means they are afraid they will be hurt.

2. Program your child’s speed dial feature with all important phone numbers — including your home, your office and cell phone numbers. Make sure your child knows how to find these numbers in his phone and then how to place a call using one.

3. Add “ICE” (in case of emergency) to the contacts list, e.g. ICE Daddy Cell; ICE Home, along with the corresponding numbers. First-responders know to look for ICE on cell phones.

4. Tell children to remain on the line after calling 9-1-1, and to be prepared to describe their location as well as they can because 9-1-1 centers’ automatic locaters sometimes don’t work or may be inaccurate.

Sources: Researcher Nicholas P. Sullivan and David Aylward, director and founder of COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance

Household Dangers

In recent years, millions of baby and children’s products have been recalled. But what’s even more alarming is that some of these recalled products may still be on the market or show up at tag sales, and many products that haven’t been recalled continue to injure and even kill children.

ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, reveals things around the house that can pose serious dangers to your children:

Window-blind cords — Children can get caught up and strangled in the cords of blinds or draperies. Window cords kill an average of 12 children annually in the United States.
Safety strategy — Use cordless blinds, cut looped cords in half to form two strings, roll cords up and tie them with rubber bands or twist ties.

Pool and spa drains — The suction from a pool, hot tub or spa drain outlet is powerful enough to hold an adult underwater. But most of the victims of pool and spa suction injuries are children.

Safety strategy — If your pool or spa has flat drain covers, replace them with anti-entrapment drain covers that meet the latest industry safety standard.

— ShopSmart, July 2008