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Bike helmets, sun block and seatbelts

… organic milk, life preservers on the boat, daily vitamins, trampoline with a safety net, I could go on. Yes, I would have to say when it comes to my kids’ safety; I tend to lean toward cautious.

I don’t even know if bike helmets were around when I was 8 – if they were I never had one. I definitely took my share of falls, but nothing serious. However my son recently fell off his bike and ended up with a concussion and he was wearing his helmet.

Sun block? As a teenager I remember using suntan oil and getting sunburn at the beginning of every summer on my way to a deep golden tan. Now, I read the label to make sure it blocks both UVA and UVB rays and sits on top of skin vs. chemicals that are absorbed into the skin which can lead to other health issues.

Rear facing car seats, then front facing car seats, booster seats, we did it all. They’ll be in booster seats until they’ll tall enough (4ft. 8in.) to move out of those, too. And of course we all always wear our seatbelts.

I don’t want my kids to live their lives wrapped in bubble wrap – of course accidents happen and I can only do the best I can with the information available to me. My husband rolls his eyes over the sun block and shakes his head at the organic milk but, to me it just makes sense to know what’s out there and do my best to keep them safe and healthy. Do you take precautions with your children that weren’t available when you were a kid?

Laura Feit is the mother of two. She lives in Walworth County and works full time for Gazlo.com. Laura is a community blogger and her opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.