Just How Safe Are We On The Internet?

Technology is a part of all of ours live and the internet has become something that we just can't avoid. I spoke in an earlier post about try to live without the internet but we tend to rely on it for so much these days that it would be hard to stop using it completely.

It is strange to think that when my parents were younger there was no internet and even when I was a child the whole concept was still relatively new, I didn't actually join facebook until mid 2008. Nowadays there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not using the internet whether it be on my phone, iPad or laptop and my children already use it to play on games, research homework but just how safe are our children when left unsupervised??

I was recently given the opportunity to join a Google hangout with some fellow bloggers and David Emm, Senior Security Researcher from antivirus software provider Kaspersky Lab.

David is a parent too so has the same worries and issues as us and he offered us some great advice and top tips on just how to avoid pontential dangers online and how to make it a safer place for our children to explore.

Did you know that our children could be as little as 3 clicks away from inappropriate or adult content on when they surf the web??

Cycling Safely

As our children grow there are always new skills that they are beginning to develop such as learning to walk, learning to talk or even learning to read.

Recently my eldest daughter has started to show an interest in learning to ride a bike, now this is something that I am leaving up to Daddy Hazelden because I myself even though I can ride a bike, I've never been confident doing it. And the trouble is I know the lack of my own confidence mixed in with worrying about Elise won't help her.

I was recently reading an article from Bolt Burden Kemp, they had produced a cycling safety survey, asking 1000 children about certain aspects of cycling and just how much they really knew. It made for an interesting read and gave me a good idea as a parent of just what I should be teaching my child and how I can best prevent any accidents from occuring.

Just take a look at some of their findings below :

It was surprising to see just how many children answered yes to riding without a helmet and how many said they used some sort of device whilst our cycling too.

I think the trouble is as our children get older it becomes harder to inforce things especially when they are out of sight. I am hoping that my girls will be sensible enough to know to keep their helmets on and keep their eyes on the road!!

Are your children keen cyclists, do you have any tips on how to keep our kids safe when out on their bikes???

xxxx

*This is a sponsored post*

Keeping Your Children Safe

I think as a parent, as soon as your child is born into the world, you get the instant need to protect them and keep them them safe from harm. As they grow up, I think this need only increases because they are introduced to more and more things that could either scare them or make them feel unsafe.

One of the things that seems to have been bought up a lot in recent years is the risks that come from using the internet ie clicking on links that could lead to sites that are not suitable for children and various social media outlets that have seen numerous kids becoming victims of online bullying. It was only a couple of months ago that I wrote a post asking whether modern technology is taking over the role of toys and books and it is these sorts of worries that make me step back and think about what I should be allowing my children to do online.

However in this day and age it is hard to avoid gadgets such as computers, tablets and smartphones. These are used on a daily basis by many people, me included. Even schools introduce our children to the world wide web from the begininng, I remember signing forms about allowing my children to go on the internet at school and there was a part to read through with my child about how they would use the internet safely whilst at school, this however does not take all the risks away. It saw only a couple of weeks ago an article in the guardian asking what role should schools play in keeping our kids safe online, especially from online bullying.

I myself feel it is my responsibility to teach my child the basics of internet safety and what they should be aware of, schools should then be able to reinforce what us as parents are saying but unfortunately no one can see what is going on with their children all of the time.

I will put my hands up and admit, that I haven't taught my children a lot about keeping safe online so far, something that I will rectify in the near future. So far they only use sites such as Cbeebies to play games and my eldest daughter who is seven, has used the site MyMaths to do her school homework on. They are aware not to click any other links and I am always sat right next to them supervising. However with my children getting older (need that pause button), I know they will need the internet to research things for school projects etc. Social media is one I hope I won't have to worry about for now, my children won't be getting phones of their own any time soon and if they want to talk to friends then they can at school or have them round to play, I think children are allowed to join these sites at far too young an age, I always say what happened to the traditional playing and talking!!

So I have researched a lot the past few weeks on just how I can increase my childs safety when on :

* Secure things with passwords and restrictions, stopping your children buying apps etc and running up high bills!!

* Using internet security suites and parental control software, allowing you to keep track of what websites your children are looking at, it also means that you can block them from seeing certain websites and keep an eye on things from your smart phone. You can even get software with features allowing you to see snippets of videos your children have watched online and see the keywords that they are searching.

* Talk to your children, a simple concept but a lot of parents don't do it, explain to them about being cautious who they talk to, about not sharing passwords, about not clicking links to other sites etc

I am now looking into being able to put restrictions on my iPad as this is something my children use frequently. I feel there should be more education about internet safety, not just for kids but parents too, I think it is a subject that you can never have too much information on!!

Have you taught your children about internet safety, do you have restrictions etc set up on all of your gadgets and do you have any tips to parents like me who aren't as internet savvy as others??

xxxx

*This post a PR collabaration*

Crawlerz Review

You may remember a competition I ran a little while ago to win a set of Crawlerz safety romper suits.

Since then, Crawlerz have kindly sent me one of their rompers to try out and review.

Now incase you haven't heard of them or are just wanting to know a little bit more about them, I will do my best to explain.

Crawlerz are rompers that have safety in mind. Made in sizes 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months,  they are designed to encourage your babies to crawl in a safe manner. They have unique anti-slip safety grips down the legs, toes and underfoot which are in the shape of paw prints. These not only give protection for your little ones, they also make it more comfortable for them whilst they are crawling around on different surfaces.

I was sent one of their rompers in their unisex white colour but you can also purchase them in pink and blue too.

Made from 100% cotton, Crawlerz are lovely and soft and feel like they have a little bit of stretch to them. 

I was accidently sent size 3-6 months, now I didn't return it because I thought I would pass it on to my cousin's baby once I had finished reviewing. Now either Layla is really small or these come up big because Layla is 13 and half months in this photo and the romper just about fits her!! 

Fairly easy to put on, there are poppers to do up down the centre of the romper. 

We have laminate at home and the romper definitely helped prevent Layla from slip sliding around on the floor. Layla in the past couple of months has started walking around and the ant-slip grips on the underfoot really came in handy in helping steady her without the need for putting shoes on.

Crawlerz are currently on sale for £9.99 each. Not only do they look cute and funky, they help your child to move around safely, which I think in turn helps build your little ones confidence as they will have less accidents to scare them.

I would really love it if they were to make these in bigger sizes, 12-18 months and 18-24 months would be great, many little ones are still crawling around at these ages. I would also like to see a wider range of colours available too.

Overall I would recommend these to others, anything that provides extra safety for my child is good in my eyes and I feel they last beyond the crawling stage, they also help when it comes to cruising and walking too, so you get your moneys worth from them.

xxxx

Disclaimer : I was sent this product free of charge for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.