From #sleddingban to sex ed to sheer criminal stupidity, momstown offers a quick roundup of safety-related subjects in the news
By Sonia Verma
National Editor
Civil Disobedience In Snowpants
Ontario families are heading for the hills over toboggan bans in its municipalities. Parents and bundled-up kids are lining up to slide ride past "no sledding" signs posted at the top of city-owned hills across the province. It's even a hashtag on instagram. For municipalities, it's often a question of insurance and liability linked to safety.
But for families, a ban hits at the very core of what it means to be Canadian in the winter. You bundle up, you get out there and you rediscover how much fun winter, white stuff and gravity can be. For free.
What do you think about it? Weigh in on today's #momstownchat. Posts go up daily at 1:30 ET.
Chillingly Stupid
An Indiana couple was arrested after police found a home video of them letting their one-year-old play with a handgun and encouraging her to put the barrel in her mouth and say "bang."
The girl and her one-month-old twin siblings have been placed in emergency care.
Teach Them Young: Only Yes Means Yes
Ontario again, this time with good news: The province is recommending school boards include consent in the sexual education curriculum. Also on the cards is a plan to teach kids about safety online and on social media.
Sweet Tight — Literally
And for the sleep-deprived among us, a reminder from Today's Parent re: co-sleeping. More than half of babies still sleep with unsafe bedding. If you sleep best when your baby is close by, remember to get rid of loose bedding and other dangers.
Forward-Facing Can Wait
Don't hurry to switch your toddler to a forward-facing car seat position. Research shows the longer the kid stays rear-facing, the better. Parents see it as an exciting milestone, and kids LOVE being able to see out the front. But it's preferable to keep your child rear-facing for as long as their car seat safely allows them to do so.
