Thank you to our Parents!

Thank you for enjoying our December Community Activities with us!  We enjoy seeing families participating in the activities with their little ones.  Attending community activities with you allows our staff the opportunity to help families work through challenges that come with all children in public places.  We hope you feel our support and know you can ask for assistance with those challenges.  All children provide unique opportunities for us to grow and learn when we are in the presence of strangers!

We also want to thank those who provide the community activities for us to attend!  Bountiful and Clearfield Libraries, Flippers Gym, Tri-City Nursery, Layton Hay Rides, and Davis Early Intervention Staff.

We also want to send out a big Thank You to the parents of such amazing children.  Thank you for letting us get to know you and your children.  Thank you for welcoming us into your homes and into your lives.  Thank you for being such great advocates for such great little ones.  Thank you for doing all you can to make your children's lives extraordinary.  We love working with you!

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.  We will see you next year!

Love,
Davis Early Intervention Staff

Car Seat Safety

The following article is from KSL.com, please read it and keep in mind the tips for Car Seat Safety as you travel around this winter with your little ones.

"During the winter, parents need to think twice before strapping their child into a car seat with a puffy coat on. Chances are the coat is putting the child in danger. New safety changes to the LATCH system are coming in 2014.

It's cold - you're in a hurry - and you strap your child into his or her car seat with a puffy winter coat on. It's a scenario many parents are familiar with, but there is a hidden danger.

"That puffy coat in a crash could compress leaving a lot of space in that car seat, causing the child to move forward and or come out of the seat," said Stacy Johnson, Zero Fatalities spokesperson.

"Sometimes with the puffy coat or bulky coat, we might not be able to tell if it's tight on the shoulders and so we think they're snug when really they are not," Johnson said.

In the event of a crash (the harness) distributes the crash forces over the entire body of the child.

–Stacy Johnson, spokesperson, Zero Fatalities

Another common car seat mistake is the placement of the straps.

"If the child is rear-facing, it needs to be at or below their shoulders, but if the child is forward-facing then the harness needs to change and the straps need to be above the child," Johnson said.

When it comes to how tight the harness needs to be here's a helpful tip: if you can pinch the strap, it's too loose. And the chest clip needs to be at armpit level.

"In the event of a crash, (the harness) distributes the crash forces over the entire body of the child," Johnson said.

A big change in car seat safety is coming 2014 and it involves the LATCH system.

Starting in January, if a child and car seat have a combined weight of 65 pounds, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises parents to stop using the anchors because their strength cannot be guaranteed.

Instead, use the seat belt to secure the car seat, and also check to make sure the child still fits in it.

"If your child's forward-facing car seat goes to 40 pounds (and the child weighs more than 40 pounds) then they need to transfer into a booster seat," Johnson said.

Child seats weigh roughly anywhere from 15-35 pounds, so if your child weighs more than 30 pounds, you should check your car seat manual to see if you need a new seat. Also, check your car manual to find out how much strength your latch system can take — not all vehicles are the same."

Safekids.org

Safekids.org also provides information for making sure your child is safe in their car seat.  They have car seat inspection events where a technician can check your car seat to ensure it is installed correctly. The next even for our area is listed below.  Check out the safekids.org website for more information on car seat safety.

CHECK UP EVENT - SAFE KIDS SALT LAKE COUNTY - 12/20/2013 - 09:00AM-11:00AM

CHECK UP EVENT

Friday, December 20, 2013 - 9:00am to 11:00am

Address

Southeast Clinic

9340 South 700 East

Sandy

, UT84070

Flippers

I just had to jump on and post about the amazing activity at Flippers Gym!  Brittanie, owner of the gym, provided a wonderful time with great activities.  The kids who attended were able to work on large and small motor skills, cognitive learning, social skills, behaviors and listening skills.  And they had an amazing time while learning!  Brittanie has agreed to let us have a community activity at her gym again next December and she also provides classes for children with special needs.  Classes are for children ages 8 months to 3 years and are offered on Mondays and Tuesdays at 11:00 am.  You can participate in a free trial class if you would like to check it out.  Just call Flippers Gym at 801 593-8484 to schedule your free class or ask any questions.  The discounted cost for this class is $48.00/month for class two times a week.

Flippers Gym offers a variety of classes for all ages if you are looking for something for other kids in your family.

Thank you to Brittanie and her staff!  It was fun to see a room full of happy little ones!

December Activities

This post will have two sections, one listing the community activities Davis Early Intervention will be attending to provide support as needed for your family to enjoy the activity together.  The second section will list other community activities available to families in Davis County.  We hope you enjoy your Holiday Season!

Community Activities with Davis Early Intervention
December 2nd:
     Bountiful Library Puppet Show at 5:30 and 7:00 pm
     Clearfield Library Puppet Show at 7:00 pm

December 3rd:
     Flipper's Gym  (only available for families in Davis Early Intervention)

December 5th:
     Bountiful ELC Activity at 9:30 and 11:00 am (Only available for families in Davis Early Intervention)
     Layton ELC Activity at 9:30 and 11:00 am (Only available for families in Davis Early Intervention)

December 7th:
     Tri-City Nursery Open House from 1:00 - 4:00
 
December 9th:
     Layton ELC Activity at 9:30 and 11:00 am (Only available for families in Davis Early Intervention)
     Tri-City Nursery Open House from 6:00 - 8:00 pm

December 11th:
     Layton Hay Rides at Layton Commons Park from 6:00 - 8:00 pm


Additional Community Activities:

November 30th - December 31st:
     Ogden's Christmas Village on 25th Street in Ogden

December 2nd:
     Christmas Lighting and Electric Light Parade on the City Block in Kaysville - 6:00 pm

     City Hall Lighting Ceremony at City Hall in West Point - 6:00 pm

     Tri-City Nursery Open House from 6:00 - 8:00 pm

December 4th:
     Utah Easy 2 Love Special Time with Santa at Station Park - 6:00 - 8:00 pm  This will be time for      children with delays and disabilities to see Santa.  You can also learn more about Utah Easy 2 Love - a support group for families raising children with special needs. If you would like more information, email utaheasy2love@gmail.com or check out their blog at utaheasytolove.blogspot.com

December 6th:
     Clipper Light Parade on Bountiful Main Street - 6:00 - 8:00 pm

December 7th:
     Breakfast with Santa at the Wight House Reception Center in Bountiful from 8:00 - 11:00 (I'm not sure if there is a cost for this)

December 9th:
     Christmas on Onion Street at City Hall in West Bountiful - 5:00 pm.  Fun activities for the kids and a chance to see Santa!

December 10th:
     Storytelling Night at the Museum at Whitaker Museum in Centerville - 7:00 pm

December 14th:
     Tri-City Nursery Open House - 1:00 - 4:00

December 31st:
     New Year's Eve Celebration at Davis High - Beginning at 6:00 pm