Looking for a 2015 calendar? Free Get Ready calendar available now!

It’s a new year and you know what that means…time for a new calendar! If you don’t want to get stuck with a year’s worth of so-so scenery or creepy teddy bears, never fear — we’ve got you covered, and in the cutest possible way.

The Get Ready 2015 Tips from Tots Calendar is available online now for download, and it’s absolutely free. Featuring cute tots and preparedness tips, the calendar makes a great addition to your bulletin board, office wall or refrigerator.

You’ll look forward to each new month with our calendar’s adorable photos, which were submitted as part of our 2014 photo contest. And you’ll learn great preparedness info that can help keep you safe. Eight-month-old Dominic will advise what to do if you’re caught in a blizzard in February, while Jesse, age 7 months, will remind you not to forget your hat and sunscreen as you head outside in June. And there are 10 more months to go!

Print the Get Ready 2015 Tips from Tots Calendar for yourself and share copies with your friends and family so they can be prepared for disasters, too.

APHA announces the winners of its Get Ready Tips from Tots Photo Contest! And the winners are…

One of our Tips from Tots Photo Contest winners.

Thanks to everyone who entered APHA’s Get Ready Tips from Tots Photo Contest. We received so many adorable photos of prepared babies that judging was difficult. They are all such cuties!

In the end, we were able to narrow it down to 16 winners that had that special something — and they’re now sharing preparedness advice in our new 2015 calendar. In celebration of Get Ready Day today, the calendar is available for free on the Get Ready website.

From keeping cool in a heat wave to staying safe in a snow storm, these charming tots make learning about preparedness fun. And they’ll look completely adorbs on your fridge, bulletin board or office wall!

The 2015 Tips from Tots calendar can be downloaded and printed. Or pick up a printed copy at APHA's 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans in November. We'll be passing out copies of the calendar at booth 847 at the expo!

The Tips from Tots contest comes on the heels of the Get Ready campaign’s successful 2013 and 2014 photo contests, which used cats and dogs to share preparedness advice. If you liked those calendars, look out — these tots are even cuter!

Check out the winning photos in our baby photo gallery and share them with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.

And while you’re there, browse some of our favorite runners-up photos.

Which photo do you think the judges should have included in the calendar? Vote for your favorite!

 

Surviving the stress of a disaster



Laura Santacrose

Today’s guest blog on the importance of preparing both mentally and physically for disasters is by Laura Santacrose, MPH, the 2013-2014 student fellow for APHA’s Maternal and Child Health Section.

It is important to recognize that people can have emotional reactions leading up to a disaster, during a disaster and after a disaster strikes. Having a plan in place for a disaster can help lower the stress of an already stressful situation. In addition to having a plan for the family and an emergency preparedness kit, it is important to prepare for the emotional response you may experience as a result of a disaster.

While reactions to disaster will vary from person to person, it is common to experience feelings of shock and disbelief, and to experience difficulty sleeping and concentrating. People can even experience feelings of helplessness. Some people may experience changes in eating habits and use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. People often find it helpful to talk about their experience with friends and family, write their thoughts and feelings in a journal, or seek professional help and support. These are all healthy coping strategies that can help people deal with stressful situations like disasters.

Disasters can be particularly stressful for pregnant women and caregivers to children. The emotional and mental stress of experiencing a disaster can have a physical effect on a pregnant mother’s body, which can lead to poor nutrition and preterm complications. The stress of a disaster may increase the risk of preterm labor, low birth weight and even miscarriage. Therefore, it is important that all pregnant women know the signs and symptoms of preterm labor. Learn more about the signs of preterm labor from the Get Ready campaign and the March of Dimes.

Additionally, infants are completely dependent on their caregivers to protect them during a disaster. Therefore, caregivers need to care for their own physical and mental health in order to care for their infant effectively. An added benefit of breastfeeding your child is that by keeping baby close to the mother, it creates a soothing effect for both mom and baby, which can help to relieve some of the emotional stress felt after a disaster.

Check out the Get Ready campaign’s Mental Health and Disasters fact sheet for more information about how to prepare for the emotional toll a disaster may have on you or your loved ones.

 

Enter your baby in APHA’s Get Ready Tips from Tots Preparedness Photo Contest

Do you have a baby between the ages of newborn and 12 months? Is she or he completely, totally adorable? (Of course!) Snap a photo of your baby in a preparedness situation and be part of the Get Ready Tips from Tots Preparedness Photo Contest!

 
From now until May 23, send us photos of your child to enter the contest, which is using super-cute  babies as a fun way to promote preparedness. Winning babies will be featured in a Get Ready calendar!

Take a look at the topics covered by the Get Ready campaign - such as creating an emergency plan, stockpiling supplies or preparing for severe weather — and figure out how to illustrate them in a creative way with your baby. Check out our baby photo gallery for inspiration.
 
To enter, email us your photos or share them on Instagram with the #TipsfromTots hashtag. Check out our FAQs for submission details.
 
Sound like fun? Get snapping!

Preparing for disasters: What pregnant women and families with infants need to know

From vaccinations to home safety-proofing, pregnant women and parents with infants have a lot on their to-do lists. But there's another must-do for moms and parents: disaster preparedness planning. Disasters can be stressful for everyone, but if you're pregnant or have an infant, there are special things you need to know to be ready.

 
Luckily — just in time for Mother’s Day — APHA's Get Ready campaign and the March of Dimes California Chapter have partnered to release a series of fact sheets to help pregnant moms and families with infants prepare for emergencies. The six new fact sheets address ways that pregnant women and young families can prepare for emergencies such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires. A general fact sheet for pregnant women and families with infants is also available in Spanish.
 
The fact sheets include information aimed especially at pregnant women and families and with infants, such as special supplies they need to have in their disaster preparedness kits. For example, pregnant women should have scissors and sterile gloves in their kits in case of an emergency birth, and families with infants should stock ready-to-feed formula, even if the baby is breastfed. (While breastfeeding is best, disasters can interrupt your breastfeeding schedule.)
 
Read, print and share the new fact sheets from the Get Ready website, and share them in your community! (You can even add your group's logo!) While you're on our site, check out our podcast with the March of Dimes, and read our Q&A.
 
Have more questions about preparedness? Join Get Ready and the March of Dimes on May 14 at 2 p.m. ET for a Facebook chat! Our experts will be on hand on APHA’s Facebook page to answer your questions.
 
And don't forget to enter our Get Ready Tips from Tots Preparedness Photo Contest. Your baby could star in our new calendar!

National Infant Immunization Week: Keeping children healthy

It’s National Infant Immunization Week! The observance, which runs April 20-27, promotes the benefits of immunizations and works to improve the health of children. While immunization is important for overall health, it also helps people be more prepared for emergencies.

“Immunization is a personal preparedness step that can promote day-to-day emergency readiness and build a stronger public health system,” Steve Krug, chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council, told the Get Ready campaign.

Immunizations are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools to protect children against preventable diseases and keep them healthy. Each year, immunization of babies prevents 14 million cases of disease.

“Not only do (immunizations) protect vaccinated individuals, but they also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, such as chickenpox, measles and the flu,” Krug said.

Fully immunized children are better protected from diseases such as the flu or whooping cough that spread more easily when people are in close contact with each other. To check if you or your children are up to date on vaccinations, check out these immunization schedules recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information on how vaccines help protect us from disease, download our fact sheet with general information on vaccines or our fact sheet on vaccinations for kids.

Flu Fridays: Flu shot can protect pregnant women from more than just the flu

Happy Flu Friday!

Are you pregnant, or do you know someone who is pregnant? You’ve probably heard that it’s important for pregnant women to get the flu shot. That’s because if a pregnant woman gets the flu, both she and her fetus are at high risk for complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all pregnant women get the flu shot because it’s safe and because it’s the best way to prevent the flu.

A new study has found even more good news about the flu shot: It might protect from more than just flu! The study, published in APHA’s American Journal of Public Health, looked at medical records for more than 55,000 pregnant women. Researchers found that women who got flu shots during the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009-2010 had a much lower chance of delivering premature or stillborn infants. According to the study, when a woman got the flu shot, her risk for delivering a baby before 32 weeks gestation dropped by 27 percent and her chance of having a stillborn baby dropped by 34 percent.

So there you have it: More great reasons for pregnant women to get their flu shots. For more information about pregnant women and the flu, visit the CDC seasonal influenza Web page.

Flu Fridays: What parents can do to protect kids from the flu

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the U.S. flu season has officially begun, making this the latest start to a flu season in 29 years.

While flu activity has been relatively low compared to other flu seasons, CDC did report some sad news: There have been three child deaths so far this year from influenza. In the U.S., an estimated 20,000 children younger than age 5 are hospitalized every year from complications with the flu, which is why CDC considers young children a high-risk group.

Thankfully, there are things that any parent can do to help protect their child from the flu.

Parents with children 6 months of age and older can take their child to get a flu shot. CDC recommends that all children 6 months of age and older be vaccinated against the flu. This is especially true for children with asthma or other chronic health problems, because they are at higher risk for complications if they get the flu.

[Image: Child receiving flu shot, courtesy CDC/ Judy Schmidt]

Parents and siblings of babies younger than 6 months should get the flu shot themselves. Although a baby may be too young for the flu shot, family members can get vaccinated to reduce the chance of contracting the flu and passing it on to the baby. And parents should make sure that anyone who takes care of their baby — family members, baby sitters, nannies — are up-to-date on all vaccines, including seasonal influenza. For more information about children and the flu, check out CDC’s website. You can also read our Get Ready fact sheet that tells why it’s important for kids to get vaccines.

Pregnant women are also considered a high-risk group for the flu, because the flu can cause more severe complications during pregnancy, putting both the woman and developing fetus at risk. The great news is that the flu shot is safe for pregnant women, and the shot will also protect her fetus as well! Because of the safety and benefits of vaccination for pregnant women, the popularity of the flu vaccine has been growing in recent years. At least half of pregnant women in the U.S. reported getting their seasonal flu shot last year.

Aside from vaccination, parents of young children can teach good hand-washing techniques and other hygiene habits, such as covering their mouth and nose when they sneeze. The Get Ready campaign has a great selection of fact sheets about hand-washing for children of all ages to help parents and teachers.

For more information about families whose lives have been touched by influenza, visit Faces of Influenza and Families Fighting Flu.

We hope that this information will help your family stay flu-free this season!