Helping children to deal with fear & Halloween

Many children eagerly anticipate as it can be a very exciting time exploring magic and mystery, however, for some children it can be a very scary experience.

Below are some ideas on how to help children manage any anxieties they may experience around Halloween;

• Make time to talk with your child about feeling “scared”, what this means to him/her and how they can deal with these feelings

• To dispel fears about loud noises discuss common creepy sounds with your child and be sure to explain to them what is really causing those noises

• Draw pictures of monsters, ghosts, goblins and witches with them and then discuss what is real and what is make believe

• In the week leading up to Halloween play dress up games with your children – this will help desensitise them to seeing people in costumes

As a parent you may have concerns about the practice of trick-or-treating due to things like road safety and bullying. However, the following safety advice can ensure that it is a safe and fun experince for everyone involved:

• Trick-or-treaters should always be accompanied by an adult

• Stick to well-lit familiar streets and housing estates

• Carry a torch and ID

• Where possible restrict visits to family and friends

www.idme.ie 

1 in 5 children will go missing on holidays

Child Safety ID Band

A survey* of 656 Irish parents by Childline has shown that nearly one in five childraen accidentally get separated from their parents on holidays at home and abroad.

Almost 10% of Irish parents reported they had been separated from their child or children under 10 years of age abroad.

50% of parents worried about not knowing enough about the area to find their child, while 17% said not having a command of the language was a problem in locating their missing child.

Children between the ages of 4 and 6 were the most likely to go missing, the survey found, while boys disappeared four times more often than girls.

The survey found that husbands and male partners were by far the most likely to be separated from their children.

Making sure your child is wearing an IDme ID band with your information on it will ensure a speedier and safe reunion.

*Survey carried out by Empathy Research

Safety Tips for Kids Cycling

Cycling for children

Using a bike for the first time and learning to ride has been a rite of passage for generations of Irish children. Cycling is fun and sociable and, like swimming, a life-skill that stands to children in later years.

Yet, like many activities, cycling carries an element of risk. Parents play an important role in minimising the risk by giving them proper guidance and instruction at an early age to ensure that basic safety rules are absorbed while young.

Do’s and dont's of safe cycling for children

Do ensure they:

• Cycle a bike matched to their height and experience
• Wear a safety helmet
• Wear an iDME wristband ensuring ICE info is at hand
• Use lights in dark or dusky conditions

Don’t allow them to:

• Cycle on public roads unsupervised (if under 12)
• Wear loosely-worn scarves or other clothing that could get caught in the wheels or chain-set
• Take unnecessary risks

Why you should wear an iDME ID Band

If you have or care for children, are a fitness enthusiast heading out for your daily run, have a medical condition or like to travel the world, the question should really be why don’t you?

• Child I.D.

Let’s face it, children love to wander. Most parents have experienced that dreaded moment when their heart has sank and their world stopped, even for just a moment, when they could no longer see where their child had disappeared to. Ensuring your child is wearing an iDME wristband will help you to be reunited as quickly as possible by having emergency contact information on hand.

• Sports I.D.

Carrying your I.D. is as important as putting on your seat belt when getting into car, or strapping on bike helmet to go for a ride. If you participate in swimming, cycling, jogging, walking, climbing, skating, skiing, this list is endless, then you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to carry I.D. and wear reflective safety gear, remembering to be seen, be safe.

• Medical I.D.

Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, advanced arthritis and heart disease much more common today as we all continue to live longer. Carrying medical I.D. can inform medics as to the correct treatment to be administered and provide a record of people to call in an emergency which can be lifesaving action for the elderly and infirm.

• Travel I.D.

We are all travelling a lot more these days, for work and for fun but can still fall short of knowing the local dialect. Carrying I.D. in case of an emergency is crucial to ensure that our information is on hand if needed.

The Importance of Wearing a Sports ID band

Wearing your ID band is as important as putting on your seat belt when getting into car, or strapping on bike helmet to go for a ride. If you participate in running, cycling, jogging, walking, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, this list is endless, then you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to carry ID & wear reflective safety gear. 

Cycling Safety - Advice and tips on how to stay safe while cycling on Irish roads. Cycling is a common means of transport. It’s popular for several reasons: it’s great exercise, it’s cheap and it cuts down on travel time, especially during rush-hour. But cyclists are also a vulnerable category of road user. Every year there are several cycling fatalities on Irish roads and countless collisions involving cyclists. As a cyclist, you can reduce your risk of death or injury by following some simple advice:

• Never cycle in the dark without adequate lighting – white for front, red for rear
• Always wear luminous clothing such as hi-vis vests, fluorescent armbands and reflective belts so that other road users can see you, although you can hear a car coming and see its lights, the driver may not see you (and certainly won’t hear you)
• Wear a helmet
• Wear an iDME wristband to be easily identified in case of emergency
• Make sure you keep to the left. Always look behind and give the proper signal before moving off, changing lanes or making a turn
• Follow the rules of the road, never run traffic lights or weave unpredictably in and out of traffic
• Maintain your bike properly – in particular, your brakes should work properly and your tyres should be inflated to the right pressure and be in good condition
• Respect other road users – don’t get into shouting matches with motorists; stop at pedestrian crossings; don’t cycle on the footpath
• Watch your speed, especially when cycling on busy streets and going downhill
• Steer well clear of left-turning trucks: let them turn before you move ahead

At iDME we encourage every runner, cyclist and swimmer to wear an iDME wristband. Wearing an ID band just might save your life. Our wristbands are designed to provide vital lifesaving information to paramedics in the event you are involved in an accident or suffer a medical incident when exercising.

• Highly reflective –reflective material, essential for jogging low-light conditions 
• ID card is kept securely and discreetly within the Sport ID wristband
• Easily updated – spare ID card included 
• 100% waterproof – Perfect for outdoor pursuits
• Comfortable and discreet
•  Unisex design
• Sizes -  Small (wrist circumference 12.5cm to 15cm) Medium(wrist circumference 13cm to 17cm) and Large (wrist circumference 16cm to 21cm)

Testimonial

    "We recently received an order for our cycling club. This idea was sparked from a situation where one of our members had an accident and was knocked on conscious. We shortly realized nobody in the group had details for his immediate contact. We did not know if he was on medication, had any heart problems or had any allergies. IDME wristband gives us the flexibility to put a number of important information & data that may be helpful in any future accidents. It is now compulsory for all our members to carry a wristband when out cycling." Emmett, Secretary at Over the Hill Cycling Group, Cork

My experience in New York; an abundance of offers to help me build my business

“If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere!” Frank Sinatra summed this great impenetrable city up in one immortal line. I can’t say that I even began to question where I would start if I was to do business in New York as the thought never occurred to me in the first place.

A group of highly spirited women arrived in Cork in July from NewJersey and I was handed a golden ticket to visit them on their own home ground thanks to a competition organised via CorkInnovates and the Cork Foundation. As the ever-resourceful Siobhan Finn and I started to brainstorm about the trip, it made sense to add some time in the heart of the Big Apple to the itinerary. Now, if you were to spend some time in NYC seeking business contacts, where would you start? At the beginning of the Summer I wouldn't have known. The answer is now overwhelmingly clear to me – the Irish diaspora. Birds of a feather…

During the course of the 72 hours spent in New York, we met 8 people spanning a wide number of organisations including New York Digital Irish and the IIBN. While the meetings were all very different, I spotted a common thread running through them. Each person was immensely positive, with wide ranging offers to help and a willingness to suggest ideas and introduce new contacts. My experience was filled with openness, warmth and a sense of connection through Irishness.

So, have I sold 100,000 wristbands and opening an office in Manhattan? If I’m to be honest, I thought this should be the result of my trip across the Atlantic. However, reality was quick to set in as I realised that the realistic objective and result of these meetings was the beginning of a valuable relationship. I have a huge to-do list when I get home. I have to create a spreadsheet of contacts, follow up individually, help them to help me, engage with them and invest time and energy in that relationship and start planning my next journey to the US. My experience in New York was exhausting, exhilarating and exciting, but now the work starts to generate the highest ROI that I can from the opportunity.

For any reader who thinks doing business in the US is only for multinationals, I urge you to think differently. Start thinking now about whom you know, what they can do to help you and what you can do for them. For any reader planning their own trip to the States with a view to navigating their way through the commercial landscape, factor in as much time afterwards to follow up as that’s where the true value sits. For any reader who is dreaming about a holiday to New York in the coming months, check out the sites of the aforementioned organisations which may give an opportunity to start your own star spangled little black book. The US really is the Land of Opportunity; now is the time for me to find IDME’s place in the city that never sleeps.

5 Photos of our kids we should all avoid sharing online.

If anyone knows how tempting it is to share our kids' hysterical, adorable, or the ‘you won’t believe what they've done now’ moments with our entire social networks, it's us. We get it. As proud parents we want to shout their children's accomplishments regardless of how big or small. But the Internet is a vast and potentially scary place, and it's our duty to protect our families. As nice as it would be if those privacy settings were a sufficient barrier, there are still limitations to every safety net that we have to be conscious of. Here are 5 Photos of our Kids that we as parents should hold off on sharing with the Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter-verse.

1. Other Peoples kids

 Everyone has their own positions on sharing their children's faces on social media, so before you go posting and tagging away after a birthday party or school trip, be sure to respect the views of the other families involved.

2. Where they go to school

We hate to think of our kids' schools as being anything other than a safe zone, but the reality is, it's a scary world out there. If you share photos of your children in the classroom or on school grounds, make sure that the name and/or features that distinguish its location are kept hidden.

3. Nude Photos

The childhood pics I have with my dad sharing bath time are among my prized possessions, however the reasons to steer clear of this category are pretty obvious. While your rationale for sharing photos of your bath time tots is as straightforward as "they're so cute!" it's simply not worth the risk of those pictures getting into the wrong hands. Most social networks employ nudity standards, but as parents we should take these a step further. If a photo could be misconstrued as being sexual or suggestive in nature, just don't post.

4. Photos that show their whole name

Just as we should stay clear of personalized backpacks and jackets for our kids, parents who post should refrain from sharing pictures that include their children's names. Whether it's a name tag for a school event, a team jersey, or holding up an A+ school report, make sure that your child's full name is blurred or cropped out of the image before sharing.

5. Anything your kids may not want public

An easy guideline to follow when you're deciding which snaps of your kids to share is this: if you think that they might not want the picture made public (now or years down the road, if they're little), then don't share it. It's as simple as that. If a photo is embarrassing, unflattering, or seems like it should be private, then respect your child. Best keep those shots to use on their 21^st birthday cake ;-)

To find out more about us visit iDME.ie