Customer Reviews

365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe: How to Make Your Child's World Safer, Ages Birth to 16

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As my wife was first expecting and as we later became the proud parents of a new born son (he is now 7 years old), we had bought and read just about every book there was on the health and safety of children. If there was a new childhood safety device, we usually bought it as well. Quite frankly, most of the books we read were somewhat boring and hard to finish reading all the way through, even though the subject matter of childhood safety is so very important. So, I was blown away when I first opened and started reading through Don Keenan's new book. This book contains a treasure trove of information on how to keep kids safe in the increasingly dangerous world that we live in. Unlike the other books that we have read, this book is chock full of color pictures, diagrams, graphics, and (most helpful) checklists. To me, this book is not just a one time read. It will provide an invaluable future reference for new activities and situations that our children are first engaging in, but we, as parents, often wonder if we really know enough about them in order to protect and safeguard our kids. In the past, I have registered new parents to receive the CPSC notifications on children's product recalls and have done other things that I think will help them to keep their children safe. But from now on my wife and I know (without a doubt) that the best thing we can ever do, whenever we receive a new birth announcement or when my wife gets a baby shower invitation, is to give them a copy of this new book.

As a child psychologist, I often see children who have experienced trauma including injury and/or loss. 365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe is filled with information about potential hazards in the home, community and school and uses real case studies to illustrate the life altering consequences of ignorance of those hazards, as well as a description of the legal actions taken and outcomes of those case studies. Related laws, regulations and statistics are provided in an easy to read and easy to understand format. Most important are the actions parents can take to protect their children, including checklists, to help parents be sure they are doing everything they can to minimize risk to their children. I keep this book available in my waiting room and often find parents reading it. I highly recommend this book not only for parents, but also for the waiting rooms of therapists, pediatricians and other medical or health practitioners, schools and day care centers.

June 22, 2006

Barnes & Noble Reviews
Amazon Reviews


To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing you to recommend a book on child safety that I believe should be in the hands of every parent in the North American Continent. In my opinion, the book entitled "365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe" is the most thorough yet easy to read book on child safety.

Prevention is the key to child safety and this book written by Don Keenan, Esq. clearly identifies nearly all hazards that may put your child at harm. Mr. Keenan has been a nationally recognized child advocate and trial attorney for over 30 years. He has represented nearly every form of child injury and believes that all were preventable. He also established a non-profit foundation (Keenan's Kids Foundation) nearly 13 years ago to create safety programs and public awareness. This informative book covers risks associated in the home, neighborhood, recreational activities, schools/daycare, transportation and other arenas. There are many products that are noted and illustrated with photographs. In addition, there are checklists and report cards for each category that are to be used as tools to assure the utmost safety.

Finally, there is information on child safeguards that is easy for the general public to understand and follow. Though we have come a long way, the emphasis in our country needs to continue to strive for even greater prevention rather than treatment.

As a board certified physiatrist (medical doctor that specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), who has treated pediatric injuries for 17 years, I also believe that nearly all incidents could have been prevented. This book is an excellent tool to bring our society closer to a safer environment for our children and avoid these heartbreaking injuries that effects so many. Once you have had the chance to read this valuable tool, I am certain you will agree that this easy to follow book would be beneficial to any parent in our nation.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly @ 561-842-5695.

Respectfully,


Craig H. Lichtblau, M.D.

When I first began reading this book, my thought was that with two teenagers, there would not be much in this book that would apply to me. However, before I had even finished it, three of Mr. Keenan's warnings personally touched my life.

I do not usually read the obituaries, but on the eve of the burial of my father, I looked at them in his hometown paper. I was shocked to find that a four year old girl would be buried that day in the same cemetery as my dad, having accidentally strangled herself with the cord of the blinds in her bedroom. It was the very thing Mr. Keenan had warned us about in chapter three. My heart ached for those parents as I thought if only those parents had read Mr. Keenan's book last week.

The very next week, I learned of a 14 year old girl (family friend) who had suffered a catastrophic stroke after breaking her leg in a four wheeler ATV accident. Just an hour earlier I had come to the chapter in the book where Mr. Keenan discusses the dangers and precautions needed with four wheelers (chapter 23). Unfortunately, some of the precautions he outlines had not been followed. The injury to this active and attractive teen has dramatically altered the course of her life, and that of her family, forever. Again, I reflected, if only they had Mr. Keenan's information.

As I approached the end of the book last week, I was awakened in the middle of the night with a knock at our door. "Get out of your house! Hurry, your neighbor's house is on fire." Tragically, we watched our neighbor's home burn to the ground. As the fire was extinguished with the rising sun, all that remained standing was the garage. The contents of the home were but mere ashes. The family had barely made it out. We learned that in their panic, the husband, with his wife and two year old son, had escaped through the garage, while their nanny went out the front door. After getting outside, the husband heard the nanny screaming. He thought she was trapped inside and went back in to rescue her. All the hair on his body was singed. It was determined that the fire started with an appliance in the basement. Again, my mind went back to Mr. Keenan's book. If only they had checked the electrical appliances, if only they had had a better smoke alarm in place, and if only they had had an emergency escape plan with a designated meeting place.

All three of these tragedies could have been prevented by acting on the anecdotal stories of those who had already suffered similar experiences. This book has humbled me. No longer do I believe that it does not apply to me. It can benefit all who read it. But once read, one must act on the knowledge learned, and pass the book on to others to read. Do not make a spot for it on a bookshelf.

This book is excellent. If you have children, you can't live without it.

This book is an excellent resource not only for all parents, but for anyone. I learned so much about things that I take for granted everyday with regard to the safety of children. I highly recommend this book. It is well-organized and educational.

This is a big 400 page book that covers every possible way a child can become seriously injured. It is very easy to read with checklists and report cards and the end of each chapter. The author describes the specific hazards, how often the injuries occur, the fact that there are very little government regulations to prevent these things from happening. Although I've raised two sons and have one at home, I never realized the hidden dangers in toys, playgrounds, the neighborhood, schools. It was a real eye opener, and frightening, but the saving grace of the book are the things to look for and most importantly how we parents can prevent these hazards from injuring or worse, killing our children. This is a book worth having and keeping it close.

A must have for anyone with children in their life - parents, teachers, babysitters, caregivers. An excellent teaching tool. You will refer to this book again and again.