[cocotbo]

I was minding my own business and watching a talk show one day when something jumped out at me. The maker of a voice smoke alarm was describing how children will sleep through a regular home smoke alarm. He described how a child's REM sleep is far deeper than an adult's and the only thing that will actually wake them is a familiar voice.

This struck me because my husband and I had seen evidence of this with our son. I had burned something in the kitchen and all of our smoke alarms went off, including the one directly above my son's crib and yet he slept through the whole thing!

So the fellow on this show explained that they had made a smoke alarm that would enable a parent to record a "wake up" message in their own voice. That way, when the alarm went off, it would be Mom or Dad saying "Suzy, wake up, fire!" or something to that effect. They actually showed video of their tests in a person's home. We watched their daughter sleep through the standard alarm but awake for the voice alarm.

We're getting into the colder months of the year now and fires happen every day, so I encourage all parents to look into this for their own children. I know you can purchase the original alarm at Hammacher Schlemmer and I've also seen them available recently at my local Target store.

[markbarnes19]

There are times when I definitely see my son sleeping very soundly. It appears that he could sleep through an explosion. Our alarm (installed by ADT) has gone off before at night. He actually slept through it, and it's incredibly loud. So, this is definitely something to consider.

[cocotbo]

Explosions are highly overrated. Kids can sleep through them easily and there are times when adults can sleep through them too. (I napped through a mortar attack once.)

[irishgal63]

Christmas time, I was having problems with my furnace---had to borrow
a space heater from a friend til 'the furnace guy' could get there to fix it!
STUPID ME---used a regular extension cord with the space heater---
the cord got TOO HOT & melted---I caught it in time---THANK GOD!
So I went to 'Menards' & got a new space heater---much warmer &
safer this winter !
P.S.---where were ya stationed, when ya slept through the mortar attack ?
you must've been exhausted !

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by irishgal63

P.S.---where were ya stationed, when ya slept through the mortar attack ? you must've been exhausted !

! yeah, I was. I was lying in a "hasty scrape" (a hole just deep enough so your nose peeks out over ground level). I had been digging foxholes all day so I was totally wiped out.

[irishgal63]

that you made it home SAFELY !
When I see the reunions on TV(soldier & family)---I CRY EVERY TIME !

[writehandgirl]

I saw this and just wanted to add because this saved my life last year and I make sure to tell *everyone* about it when the chance comes.

If you live in any area where you have to use a heating unit during the winters, you *must* buy a carbon monoxide detector. I started getting paralyzing headaches in mid December last year. On a whim, after nothing I tried worked, I went out and bought a CO detector. At first, the levels were only mid-range because the temp had went back up and I wasn't using the heating unit as much. However, a few days before Christmas, the temp plummeted and that night, the alarm went off. Not knowing what to do, I called the fire department and asked them if I should try to open the windows (not being familiar with the situation). The next thing I know, two fire trucks are outside of my house and firemen are opening all the windows, coming in with testing equipment and checking my vitals. The firemen told me if I had not called them that night and, instead, went to sleep, I might not have woken up. I had to live without heat for a few days until the problem was fixed (a pipe was blowing the CO back into the house and had to be replaced). They also told me that the severe headaches I had been experiencing were an early indicator of CO poisoning and that I was lucky that it hadn't escalated until that night.

So, you should definitely have a CO detector. They truly can save your life.

Sorry for the PSA (), but I do literally stop people in hardware stores when I see them eyeing them. I should be on commission!

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by writehandgirl

Sorry for the PSA (), but I do literally stop people in hardware stores when I see them eyeing them. I should be on commission!

This is good information for people to have!
It looks serious enough that our Safety Bloggers should have an article on it at http://safety.families.com.

[nickyswriting]

Thank you! I will be posting a blog about this soon. I have had my kids sleep through our smoke alarms twice. Ours are wired together, so when one goes off, they all do. We have one downstairs, one upstairs, and one in each bedroom. They are so loud and sensitive that you can hear your neighbors going off! I will let you all know about this new invention, how it works, and where you can get one.
Stay Safe!

Originally Posted by cocotbo

I was minding my own business and watching a talk show one day when something jumped out at me. The maker of a voice smoke alarm was describing how children will sleep through a regular home smoke alarm. He described how a child's REM sleep is far deeper than an adult's and the only thing that will actually wake them is a familiar voice.

This struck me because my husband and I had seen evidence of this with our son. I had burned something in the kitchen and all of our smoke alarms went off, including the one directly above my son's crib and yet he slept through the whole thing!

So the fellow on this show explained that they had made a smoke alarm that would enable a parent to record a "wake up" message in their own voice. That way, when the alarm went off, it would be Mom or Dad saying "Suzy, wake up, fire!" or something to that effect. They actually showed video of their tests in a person's home. We watched their daughter sleep through the standard alarm but awake for the voice alarm.

We're getting into the colder months of the year now and fires happen every day, so I encourage all parents to look into this for their own children. I know you can purchase the original alarm at Hammacher Schlemmer and I've also seen them available recently at my local Target store.

[nickyswriting]

Hi everyone!
I have posted a blog about this topic. You can read it here: http://safety.families.com/blog/smok...e-your-kids-up