In Austin, the Avalon Palms apartment complex has been purchased by Los-Angeles-based Palms of Avalon Apartments Texas LLC. The 352-unit apartment complex situated just off US 183 in North Central Austin was constructed in the early 1970s and boasts 13 acres at 9001 and 9003 Northgate Blvd. According to Travis County tax records, the complex has a value of $10 million. In the sale, the buyer was represented by Los-Angeles-based Greg Salyers. The seller was represented by Hendricks & Partners.

Another new project in Austin promises to make a school more effective for children. About $110 million is being offered in state funds to The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). The money is earmarked for renovations. The 150-year-old campus will be modernized so that it is more child-friendly, according to TSBVI staff. TSBVI is considered one of the top schools in the nation for the visually impaired. Now, the campus will be top-flight as well, with renovations scheduled for the next four to eight years. Landscaping and security will be updated and some buildings will be demolished to make room for new construction. A new student activity center, a vocational building, eight dormitories, a new physical education and therapy building, an indoor pool, track-and-field facilities, and independent apartments will be added to the campus. New student housing will be designed by Dallas firm Halff Associates, a company that has offices in Austin. Staff and students at TSBVI are excited about the proposed renovations, which promise to make learning far more enjoyable in the future.”

Technorati Tags: Austin, Childproof, Estate, Green, Real, Texas

Here are 10 child safety devices you need to help prevent injuries to young children.

1. Safety latches and locks – use on cabinets and drawers to help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.

Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but that are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances. Even products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away, out of reach. A safety latch or lock usually costs less than $2.00

2. Safety gates – use to help prevent falls down stairs and keep children away from dangerous areas. Look for safety gates that children can’t easily dislodge, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates that screw to the wall are more secure than pressure gates.

New safety gates that meet safety standards display a certification seal from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). If you have an older safety gate, be sure it doesn’t have “V” shapes that are large enough for a child’s head and neck to fit into. A safety gate will cost from $13.00 to $40.00

3. Doorknob covers and door locks – use to help keep children away from places with hazards, including swimming pools. Be sure the doorknob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency.

By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, doorknob covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries. To prevent access to swimming pools, door locks should be placed high out of reach of young children. Locks should be used in addition to fences and door alarms. Sliding glass doors, with locks that must be re-secured after each use, are often not an effective barrier to pools. A doorknob cover usually costs about $1.00 and a door lock usually costs $5.00 and up.

4. Anti-scald devices – use for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. An anti-scald device will cost from $6.00 to $30.00

5. Smoke detectors – use on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.

Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they’re working. If detectors are battery-operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10-year batteries. A smoke detector usually costs less than $10.00.

6. Window guards and safety netting – use to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. Check these safety devices frequently to make sure they are secure and properly installed and maintained. There should be no more than four inches between the bars of the window guard.

If you have window guards, be sure at least one window in each room can be easily used for escape in a fire. Window screens are not effective for preventing children from falling out of windows. A window guard or safety netting usually costs from $8.00 to $16.00.

7. Corner and edge bumpers – use to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Be sure to look for bumpers that stay securely on furniture or hearth edges. A corner and edge bumper usually costs $1.00 and up.

8. Outlet covers and outlet plates – use to help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution. Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them. An outlet cover usually costs less than $2.00.

9. Carbon monoxide (CO) detector – use outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. Install CO detectors near sleeping areas in your home. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector usually costs from $30.00 to $70.00.

10. Cordless phone – use to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they’re in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas. A cordless phone costs $30.00 and up.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to childproof your home. But you do need to do it now.

Technorati Tags: Childproof, Home, Need, Things

If you are here because you are pregnant with your first, second, third or even tenth child, congratulations!!!  And yes, even someone pregnant with their tenth child can learn something here!

In the world of child safety products, there are always new inventions, updated products and (heaven forbid it be something we own and are using) product recalls.  Even if you have older children, we have a list of items we recommend (house alarms and pool alarms, to mention two).

My name is Cindy and my husband Ed and I are the proud parents of two children, 3 year old, Isabella and 6 year old, Sophia.

When I was about 6 months pregnant with Sophia, I gagged and bound Ed to pay a visit to register at Babies R Us  (as much we love our significant others, I truly believe they would rather get a full bikini wax than spend time registering anywhere! But I digress…)    OK, I didn’t gag and manhandle him, but it took heaping on a good pile of guilt, (“Come on, this is for your child too; Don’t you want our precious baby to be safe?”) and he agreed to come.

The items on the top of our checklist were baby safety items.  I had a general knowledge of what I’d need:  some gates, those annoying cabinet locks that all of your friends with children seem to have, electrical plugs, to start.

We (or rather I) waddled over to the baby gates.  Wait a minute… There are literally DOZENS of baby gates here.  Why are some $19.99 and some over $100?  I asked the Babies R Us employee to recommend a gate, and poor girl, she really tried to help, but she was a teenager with no children. So, I whipped out my collection of baby books and was even more confused. The models that they were recommending weren’t on the floor, and most likely the previous models which were now clearance and/or discontinued. (In the world of baby items, new stuff comes out all the time and models are constantly being upgraded).

So, which baby gate were we going to register for?

After standing there for 10 minutes, Ed wanted me to finally pick a gate, scan it to the registry, and move on to the next item.  But, if you are like me (which, if you are here, you most likely are) you are not content with picking ANY gate.  It MUST be the safest, highest quality, most aesthetically pleasing gate for the most economical price.  I just knew that if I went ahead and picked ANY gate, I would only find out later, after it was to late to return and exchange, which gate I really SHOULD have gotten. And what if the gate I was supposed to have wasn’t carried at Babies R Us, but at Baby Depot, or somewhere online?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place where all new moms and experienced moms could have a place to talk and recommend items?  A place for totally unbiased views on products for the well-being of your most precious possession (unlike asking a Babies R Us employee to recommend an item when you know they are just trying to make a sale)?  Well my friend, that is how this place, ChildProofTips.com, was born.

Right now, we have a complete rundown on each child safety item you may want to consider.  There are links to online sites and stores in your area that carry the products.

Your life is crazy enough as it is right now preparing for the arrival of that adorable bundle, what you need right now is a concise list of what child safety items you need, easy instructions to install those items, so you can call it a day and move on to the next thing on your to-do list.

Feeling lazy?  Want to hire someone to come in and do it all in a day like Rachel on Friends’ did when she was expecting baby Emma?  We also have a list of baby proofers in your area.

The forum will be up and running soon!  Feel free to come back and pop in, register and ask as many questions as you would like!  If you are in the know, feel free to help out other moms in need.

And if you have suggestions, please drop one in the Suggestion Box or leave a comment.  This place is for YOU and so we value your input!

Sincerely,

Cindy

Technorati Tags: Babies R Us, baby depot, Baby Gates, Child Safety, Childproof, Product Recall