The tragic death of Natasha Richardson on the ski slopes has sparked a debate on whether wearing helmets should be mandatory while skiing.

Winter sports is a big thing here in Switzerland where we are currently living. Everybody skis, well, almost everybody, and I am one of the very few who can’t or don’t. Swiss kids start learning how to ski as early as two years old. Every February, there is a two-week school break called the “sports break”, referring to winter sports, of course. My neighbor confided to me last week that her two boys aged 14 and 17 have never been to the seaside as they spend all their vacation money during the winter holidays. Yet, even this country so crazy about winter sports doesn’t make helmet use compulsory.

Every year, hundreds of people in the skiing slopes of the European Alps get injured or even die. Earlier this year, another woman and mother of about Natasha’s age died in Austria after colliding against the prominent German politician Dieter Althaus. The politician has been charged with manslaughter and awaits trial. He was wearing a helmet during the collision. She wasn’t. All over Switzerland, there are posters reminding people to “Watch your speed” on the slopes. Yet, helmets are not obligatory here.

I really can’t understand about people’s aversion to wearing helmets, be it while riding a bicycle or skiing. Some say it’s bothersome, some say it’s uncomfortable. Maybe some people just didn’t learn to wear helmets as a child.

But we have helmets now and they are affordable and medical science has proven time and time again that helmets can prevent head injuries and save lives. Motorcycle helmets are mandatory almost everywhere; so are bicycle helmets in many countries. So why not skiing helmets? And what can we do to make sure that our kids grow up to be safety-conscious?

Start ‘em early.
My twin boys got their first helmets the minute they sat on their first trike at 18 months. For some people, this was perhaps overcautious because how fast can they really go on a trike. For me, it’s all about association and getting used to. I wanted my kids to get used to wearing helmets early in life. Unlike my childhood, their childhood is full of opportunities to learn wonderful sports like in line skating, skateboarding, skiing, among others. However, these sports can also be potentially dangerous. Apparently, many people think so. This year, the ski rentals for my boys included helmets as well.

Explain what helmets are for.
Kids should know why helmets are necessary. It’s not about making a fashion statement. It’s not because everybody is wearing them. It’s not about being cool. Helmets are worn for a good reason and kids should know just how important they are.

Set a good example.
I always wear a helmet while cycling. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t be it while cycling or skiing. He is normally particular about safety and he knows how important helmets are, especially for kids. But not for him. Maybe it’ simply difficult to teach old dogs new tricks. I’d rather concentrate my energy on my little boys instead.

Currently, there is a big discussion going on whether a helmet could have saved Natasha’s life or not. Maybe we’ll never know. What I know for sure is it’s better to err on the side of caution. Especially with my kids.

Hey, mommies and daddies, are the holidays stressing you out? I, for one, admit it – yes, they do. And I can understand why “mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again.”

But did it ever occur to you that the holiday season can also be stressful to kids? According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the holidays can also bring stress and confusion to  kids. And situations like recent changes in the family structure, e.g. divorce, separation, remarriage, and illness or death of a close family member are just some of the reasons for this. “The holidays often remind children of what’s changed and what’s now different“, according to an APA child and adolescent psychiatrist.

To help both parents and children alike to cope with the stress that the holiday will possibly bring, the APA gives some practical tips. The key points, according to the APA, are preparation, patience and honesty/openness.

Even without the dramatic transitions and major conflicts mentioned above, the change in routine and too much excitement may become too much for kids. For this reason, here’s what we did/are doing to reduce the stress on my kids:

• We make sure the kids get enough sleep. We are a bit flexible about bedtime during the holidays but we don’t overdo it either. We also encourage naps – a nice break for kids and adults!
• We try to keep to our normal daily routine. True, we tend to have breakfast later than usual, but the 3-meals-a-day is a must during our normal eating times, give or take an hour. No skipping meals. And no overeating either.
• We keep the kids moving. We go for walks, be it around the block or a day trip to the mountains. Weather permitting, the kids spend at least an hour playing outside each day.
• We never give in to the convenience of TV. It’s a great distraction for the kids; it gives us parents some breathing space. But it’s also dangerous to get use to it. So our TV rules during the holidays remain the same – 30 minutes a day max.

We try to keep to our normal routine whether we are at home, visiting at grandma’s or at a holiday place – with a bit of flexibility, of course. After all, the holidays are about having fun.

At the end of the holidays, we observe it’s easier for the kids to get back to their normal schedule. Besides, when kids are not stressed, it’s less stressful for us parents, too.

So how about you? How do you keep your sanity during the holiday season?

Have you ever considered inducing labor? A friend of mine did this – twice. And with the help of her midwife. Each time, she wanted to deliver a few days before her due date in order to be able to fly to attend a wedding party. The first time it worked out and everything went well. The second time, something went wrong and she had to have an emergency C-section. Luckily, she and her baby came through safe and sound.

But seriously, I think it was very irresponsible of her. And of her midwife. Forcing your baby out of your tummy because you don’t want to miss a party is – well – I’d rather not say it.

There are medical reasons when labor has to be induced and the most common are when baby’s long overdue, way beyond (more than 6 days) the expected date. A lot of inductions, however, are done for convenience, according to researchers at La Trobe University, Australia.

Researchers advise against induction of labor unless absolutely necessary. And before doing so, the benefits should be weighed against the risks.

So what are the risks?

According to the Australian study:

• Induced labors increased the risk for C-section (2 to 4 times more), forceps delivery (20 to 70%), and hemorrhage (17%) compared to spontaneous deliveries.
• It also increased the likelihood for babies to be in need of neonatal care (24%) and active resuscitation (15 to 100%).
• For the mother, the risk of tearing of the perineum or episiotomy is high during induced labor compared to spontaneous delivery.

And what are the benefits?

Other than convenience, you mean? Hmmm………..

What about you? Would you go for induced labor for the sake of convenience?

During the busy holiday season, I’ve found that when you need to order specific gifts for kids, like board games, video games, and sports jerseys, it’s best to save yourself the hassle of running around. Instead, place an order online. With these gifts, it’s not the thought that counts—the kids have already done the thinking.

Save your precious time for more interesting things—that is, of course if you’re a shopper, like me. I rummaged through toys at a discount store and found a couple of quality gifts for our baby and my baby nephews. Babies don’t have Christmas lists, so we get to have fun picking out things that will make them laugh, smile or squeal on Christmas morning (and, hopefully interest them for a long time afterwards).

Despite a tight budget this year, Santa is still coming to our house. We’ve decided to skip some gift exchanges between adults. I just have to give something to my sisters, though. I’m spending less on them than usual but putting a little extra thought into their gifts. I bought them soft, snuggly slipper socks, small Yankee candles in a jar and plan on buying them each a box of yummy tea, maybe a holiday flavor or something to help them relax and unwind (they’re busy moms, too). I’ll put it all in a little basket with a tag reading: “Have a warm and cozy winter!” Smaller, thoughtful gifts can have a big impact.

Also, instead of filling the kids’ stockings with a bunch of junky toys, I’m trying to fill them with useful things, for the most part, like Chapstick for my older son who’s always complaining about his chapped lips and sticky notes.

Does anyone else have any tips for smart shopping on a budget this holiday season?

On the way to school on Monday, pay attention and look at the ads that your and your kids are bombarded with. According to this study conducted by Australian researchers, children are exposed to ads for junk food, sweets, soft drinks and alcohol 5 times more than healthy foods on the way to school than in other places. Billboards, posters, and other forms of outdoor ads in the vicinity of primary schools abounds and 80% of these are for “non-core foods, those that are energy dense and nutrient poor.” Other findings are:

• Sweetened drinks, especially softdrinks, ranked first as the most frequently advertised, followed by alcoholic drinks and coffee.
• Areas around primary schools have twice the number of advertisements compared to areas away from school.
• Alcoholic drinks were the single most advertised product within a 250 meter distance of primary schools

Studies have shown that children are responsive to the ads around them. There are concerns that this advertising strategy of food companies is encouraging consumption of non-healthy food, leading to obesity. But I am wondering about ads for alcoholic drinks – are they meant for the kids or for the adults taking them to school? Even if they are targeting adults, are they also making an impression on the kids, perhaps grooming them as alcohol consumers of the future? I can also be grateful that cigarette ads are long banned in many areas. Otherwise, I’m sure they’d be on top of the list of most advertised products.

In a previous post, I wrote about the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative launched by the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ (BBB) to curb advertising of non-healthy food. Let’s hope this initiative will also look into advertising around schools.

Earlier today, our cat threw up and soon after, the baby rode across the kitchen and into the throw-up, in his walker. Yuck.

When you’ve got kids, you’ve got messes. At times, my husband goes with the flow and accepts this fact pretty well. Occasionally, though, he’ll get into his uptight, neat-freak mode and be very bothered by it. During these times, he dwells on things like fingerprints on the walls and cabinets.

I like a clean house, too but I refuse to drive myself crazy about it. I tell my husband to relax when he gets irritable about fingerprints, spills and other messy situations. The good part about his neat-freak mode is that he notices dirt and helps with the cleaning. I just can’t get to a lot of the housework, now that we have a baby again.

Chasing after a baby on the go, reminds me of when our older boys were babies and all the things they got into and messes they made. I walked into the kitchen when our oldest son was a toddler and found him sliding around the tile floor on a bunch of smashed raw eggs. He had opened the refrigerator and dumped one dozen eggs from their carton.

On another occasion, our middle son, then age 2, decided to get artistic on our brand new cream-colored carpet. He drew different colored lines from one side of the room to the other. Who knew that crayons showed up so well on carpet? Then, not long after that he decided to pee from the open stairway on the second floor onto the first floor.

These times made me want to scream but soon afterward I was able to laugh. I’ve got to give the kids credit for being creative. I couldn’t make up anything funnier than some of the crazy things they do. Yes, life is messy but life without kids would be something I dread much more: it would be lonely and boring.

Does your partner help with the housework? What memorable messes have your little ones made?

When you make the choice of your baby’s first car seat, you can either get a rear-facing infant seat, or a convertible infant and toddler seat.

The second option is financially more economical. But, the infant seat will save your sanity. Babies tend to fall asleep in the car. A baby in an infant seat can be unclipped or unstrapped and carried, sleeping, around wherever you are going, or back into the house. If you are expecting a baby right now, do not underestimate how important this option is.

Consider the sleeping baby in the convertible seat. You can’t take this seat out of the car and carry sleeping baby around. So what do you do baby falls asleep in his car seat? your choices, once you arrive at your destination are 1. Wake baby up. 2. Sit in car until baby wakes up.

Option 2 is clearly inconvenient, although I’ve done it when arriving home with my son. I had a stash of books, magazines and candy in my car just so he could get a decent nap in. I wouldn’t like to do that in the winter though. I knew another mom who did drive through banking, picked up medicine at the drive-through pharmacy, and got lunch at MacDonald’s drive through while her son slept in the car.

Option 1 is risky. Baby make wake up and then be extremely grumpy. If you are going home, you may be able to rock or nurse or lie down with baby and baby may go back to sleep. Or baby may not. Naps for the rest of the day may be thrown off.

Eventually, my son learned to go back to sleep when I bought him into the house from his convertible seat. It took several attempts before he’d consistently fall back asleep in his crib, so if you try and your baby won’t go back to sleep, don’t loose heart: keep trying.

From the day my son grew of his infant seat, until he learned how to go back to sleep, I missed the infant seat like mad.

So my advice is, get an infant seat, rather than a convertible one, for your newborn, and appreciate how portable your baby is. It doesn’t last long enough!

As my nephew is about to celebrate his first birthday, I?ve started to think about all of the parties we?ve held for our boys over the years.

While it can be fun to celebrate your kids? birthdays in a variety of places (trust me, I?ve been to ?em all), my favorite parties are always those spent at home. I value the time and effort that parents put into hosting their parties.

When it comes to party planning, I have learned that some things are worth splurging a bit on and others are usually a waste of money. Party hats are cute and may reflect your party?s theme, if you have one, but they are almost always worn for five minutes and then quickly forgotten. The same is true of theme- or character- oriented plates and napkins. I learned pretty quickly that basic colorful plates and napkins work just fine; kids are usually much more interested in the yummy cake on top of their plates than the design beneath it.

Party favors, on the other hand, usually get reluctant kids to say ?goodbye? when the party?s over. They are souvenirs from your child?s special occasion. I really like the theme-oriented party-favor boxes sold by BirthdayExpress.com.

It takes more effort to make up your own goody bags but can actually be fun, especially if the birthday child is involved.

Sometimes the biggest party-favor hits are one larger prize to take home. We had a sports-themed party in our backyard for our son?s third birthday. We sent each child home with an inflated ball. They were similar to beach balls but were instead footballs, soccer balls and basketballs. They seemed like something the kids would enjoy playing with for a few days. They were definitely a hit.

Inflatable toys such as this can be purchased from Oriental Trading Company. The website and catalog are full of fun party and craft supplies at reasonable rates?which brings me to another activity at that third birthday: The kids made sports door hangers for their rooms (although I think I may have given the girls pink and purple hangers with flowers to decorate).

We lined up several long tables for the kids to eat and make crafts on, and covered them with paper (from a big roll). We put several small buckets of crayons on the tables and the kids had fun doodling.

At later parties (when our sons were at least five), I wrote something like ?Ben is 5!? on a large piece of poster-board, in colorful letters. Each guest was asked to sign the poster as a memento of our boys? special day.

I?d love to hear all of your ideas for babies? and preschoolers? birthday parties!

The baby still sleeps in a bassinette in our room at night but I need to get his room organized and decorated before he moves in. My husband already painted the walls a pale green, a color that is supposed to be calming and relaxing (perfect for a baby’s room). The baby can grow with this color so we won’t have to think about repainting for a long time. We use a paint that stands up to handprints and dirt: spots can be wiped off with a damp cloth. Even if this paint costs a bit more, it is so worth it since you can keep it looking decent for a long time.

The rest of the room will have to be done on a budget. I plan to purchase bedding for the crib from Marshall’s or another store that sells brand names at discounted rates. I’m not stuck on having everything ‘matchy-matchy’, so I can look for curtains that fit the color scheme but don’t necessarily come with the set.

Posters, pages from colorful child-oriented calendars and even cards and postcards can be framed with inexpensive frames from craft stores. Michael’s and A.C. Moore craft stores have weekly coupons for 40% off which can be used for these. When baby gets older, it’s always nice to frame some of his artwork and hang it on his walls.

I may also hang the beautiful quilt my mom made for my older son on one of the walls.

A wall paper border or wall paper ’stickies’, which come in many shapes, themes and colors are another easy way to dress up the walls.

And finally, I will be sure to start hitting the thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales for other odds and ends. Vintage toys and knick-knacks can make a room interesting and unique. I like the idea of buying some old-fashioned tin cars and trucks to display on baby’s dresser or on a shelf.

Now that the wheels are spinning in my head, I think fixing up Jack’s room will be fun. I will continue to look at catalogs and magazines for inspiration, and duplicate some of the looks I see without spending an arm and a leg.

I’d love to hear anyone else’s ideas for decorating baby’s room on a budget!

This is my first post since giving birth to my 3^rd child, boy # 3, who was born three weeks ago today (Thursday). My little guy was born on May 1^st (aka May Day). His name is Jack.

After experiencing some painful contractions for a few hours on Wednesday night, and poking my sleeping husband a few times, I knew it was time to go to the hospital. I wasn?t certain at first if it was ?the real thing?, as I wasn?t due until May 18^th. We called my mom, my husband packed up the car, and as soon as Mimi (Grandma) pulled into our driveway, zipped off to the hospital. The drive was the longest 15 minutes of my life: the bumpy road made my contractions even worse.

We arrived at the hospital at 1:15 a.m., checked in, and I was wheeled up to Labor and Delivery. After quickly changing into my gown, I dashed to the bathroom, where my water broke, made it back onto the delivery table and the nurse checked my progress. I kid you not: She said, ?Okay, you?re going to have this baby in just a few minutes. You?re fully dilated.?

There was no time for pain meds or an epidural even if I?d wanted one. Little Jack-Man was born at 1:36 a.m., just sixteen minutes after I?d gotten to the delivery room. He was my little peanut, at 6 lbs 10 oz and 20 ?? long (kind of surprising, as my 8- and 11 year-olds weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and 8 lbs even, and were also early.)

Unfortunately, I got stuck with the one doctor in my group I was hoping not to get. Thank God the labor went quickly and she was ?outa there? after that. I got to see my favorite doc during rounds the next morning.

The little guy lost weight after birth, of course, but as of this Tuesday was up to 7 lbs 8 oz. I now have the task of growing three young boys and have been thrown back to a vaguely memorable time of late-night feedings and diaper-changes. As my 11 year old experiments with algebraic formulas in Math class, my 3 week old is busy testing the latest baby formulas (Sadly, I am unable to breastfeed this time around). Life is busy. I just keep reminding myself of how quickly it all goes and that this is the very last time I?ll watch one of my babies grow up.

I could no longer put off the much dreaded grocery store trip (I say dreaded because with a family of 7, it’s a huge event) and so I packed up the baby and off we went for our almost weekly shopping excursion.
Since he still has the lingering effects of a cold, I decided to check out the medicine aisle and hopefully save myself a trip to the drug store. I was checking out the saline drops etc and I was surprised to find that Lil’ Noses brand medicine still has the infant decongestant on the shelves. Well, what was left of it anyway.

So, it begs the question why Pediacare pulled their infant drops a few months ago. I found some info here. I checked out the Lil’ Noses website as well.

It appears that the Lil’ Noses brand does not contain pseudoephrine like the Pediacare. Perhaps that is why? In our state, even adults can’t buy pseudoephrine products without going to the pharmacy, showing a license and having the amount you purchase recorded. That’s a little funny.

When I was pregnant, I used that stuff a lot, until my blood pressure skyrocketed from toxemia. It made me a little worried you know, how much is too much and would the feds come after me? (don’t I have an overactive imagination)

Imagine, them breaking the door down and there I’d be, very pregnant in the kitchen with a bunch of kids taking my decongestant tabs every 4 hours to help relieve some of the nasal stuffiness I hated so much.

I almost bought the Lil’ Noses brand. Almost. And then I thought of the recall and I erred on the side of caution and bought the saline drops and Tylenol instead.

Am I wise, or letting fear rule me? I’m not really sure. My grandmother tells me that saline drops worked just fine for generations and I’m need to get over myself. Well, for once I’ll just accept grandma’s advice and not question.