According to a recent study by the University of Glasgow in Scotland, the more children a couple have, the happier they are.  The catch?  This only holds true for married couples.  The same children and happiness correlation didn’t apply to single, co-habiting or separated parents. The study took into account not only marital status but gender, income, age, and education.

So what seemed to explain this difference?  Dr. Luis Angeles, who headed the program had this to say:

“One is tempted to advance that children make people better off under the ‘right conditions’ — a time in life when people feel that they are ready, or at least willing, to enter parenthood…likely signal…may well be the act of marriage.”

That’s Not What I’ve Heard

This is the first study that challenges previous ones which concluded that having more children makes parents less happy, not more. However, the key with the distinction may well be the marital status of the parents.  In other words, marriage is the signal that one is ready for commitment, not just to marriage, but to family life in general.

Other interesting findings is that the happiness correlation was markedly stronger with Moms. The parents also expressed that children were one of the most important thing in their lives.

So if you and your spouse want to improve your life satisfaction? Have kids, and don’t stop at one, or even two.

Last week two showbiz icons from my youth passed away. For me, Farrah Fawcett was always the sexiest of the Charlie’s Angels from my childhood TV years and Michael Jackson was always the youngest and cutest of the Jackson Five’s and I will always remember him – not for “Thriller” or “Billy Jean” – but for childhood favorites like “Happy” and “Ben”. (Huh, am I giving away my age?)

But these two people are not only celebrities – they are also parents. So what happens to the children when celebrities pass away? The ones who have the normal family set up such as the children of Natasha Richardson seem to fare rather well despite tragically losing their mom. However, I can imagine that things can become complicated in the case of the so-called “patchwork” families. Do they get tangled in custody battles and fights over wills? Do they end up rich like Dannielynn, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter or end up with nothing like Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda Rose?

Farrah Fawcett has a 24-year old son with her long time partner Ryan O’Neal. At least he is already an adult and can probably manage on his own despite his drug problems.

Michael Jackson’s family set up is a bit more complicated. He leaves behind three children from two relationships for whom he had full custody. From his second marriage, he had a son Prince Michael Joseph Jr. (12), and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine (11). He had another son Prince Michael Jackson II (7) in 2002 but the identity of the mother was never revealed, although there are speculations that he was born through a surrogate mother implanted with an embryo fertilized with Jackson Sr.’s sperm. With Michael Jackson’s untimely death, I wonder whether he has provided properly for his children, considering the financial problems he had been having lately.

I can imagine that celebrities, especially superstars, can sometimes feel invincible. Even at middle age and beyond, death seems very remote. Does it occur to them that they can’t live forever and that their kids might become orphans? I feel sad for them, but I feel even more for their children especially if they are as young as Michael Jackson’s children. I hope that they won’t be caught in nasty court battles about custody, paternity/maternity and money. I hope that they will be protected from the relentless media coverage.

The deaths of Fawcett and Jackson made me ask myself questions about  life and death, about my children and my family.

How about us who are “mere mortals”? Are we prepared for all eventualities? Do we know what would happen to our children in case something happens to us?

Art as a therapy for children has been proven to be effective in helping young patients cope with physical, mental, as well as emotional difficulties. Here are two children art exhibitions you might want to check out.

The “Welcome to Gulu” art exhibition at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in Manhattan is one of a kind. The pieces of art it is exhibiting and selling are depicting one of the most horrendous of crimes – human trafficking and were painted by the children who have experienced this crime first hand. The 200 paintings on exhibit are works young artists who were former child soldiers and abducted girls from Gulu, a place in northern Uganda. They were unveiled in May at the New York headquarters of the United Nations. The works were produced in the framework of an art therapy project by critically acclaimed New York artist Ross Bleckner last January. These unique paintings seen through the eyes of abused and traumatized children will be on sale until this Saturday 13th June so it’s not yet too late to go and check them out. Proceeds from the sale will be allocated to helping the children of Gulu so it’s for a worthy cause.

Meanwhile, the Oncolink Art Gallery is a project of the cancer survivor site OncoLink and is featuring art works of the pediatric cancer patients at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Through art, children with the serious and life-threatening diseases can express their feelings, their hopes and fears. “Confronting cancer through art is an exhibition by people whose lives have been touched by cancer.”

As the summer season approaches, and as we start to enjoy the great outdoors, we need to be reminded of sun safety for ourselves and for our family. It is no coincidence that several health observances in this month of May focus on how to protect ourselves from the sun:

• May is Ultraviolet Awareness Month sponsored by Prevent Blindness America
• May 4 was “Melanoma Monday” sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
• This coming Friday, May 22, is the first ever “Don’t Fry Day”, jointly sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP).

I have compiled a couple of sun safety tips for you and your family:

Sun safety should be age appropriate

• Is it safe to use sunscreen for babies? Yes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For babies younger than 6 months, sunscreen should only be applied on small areas of the skin, e.g. face, back of the hands. However, the best way to protect your baby is avoiding direct exposure, using protective clothing and staying in the shade.
• For babies older than 6 months, sunscreen can be applied all over the body but be careful that it doesn’t get into the eyes.
• Older children and adults should apply sunscreen as well. The sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before going out to give it time to be absorbed by the skin.

Choose the right sunscreen

The AAP recommends:

• Use a “broad spectrum” sunscreen with filters out both UV B and UV A radiation.
• A sunscreen with a minimum of 15 sun protection factor (SPF) is needed. The higher the SPF, the better is the protection.
• Check the labels for the new UV A rating star. One star is the lowest UV A protection while four stars is the highest protection available in OTC sunscreen products.

Choose the right sunglasses

• Wear sunglasses with at a minimum of 99% UV protection to block both UV A and UV B rays.
• Children’s sunglasses should be child-sized and fit properly. They should be made from unbreakable polycarbonate material to avoid injuries from breakage.
• Wrap-around sunglasses are highly recommended for everyone because they protect the eyes from up front, from the side, as well as provide protection for the skin around the eyes.

Choose the time and the place

• Avoid direct exposure to the midday sun – e.g. between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. – because this is when UV radiation is strongest.
• If you have to be out, then stay in the shade as much as possible.
• Use protective clothing, including clothes with tight weave and sun hats. For children, choose sun hats that cover the ears and the back of the neck.
• Check your UV index of your place of residence. The UV index can predict radiation levels depending on the weather. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes it easy for you with this online tool.

Resources

The NCSCP has a wealth of age-appropriate educational resources on sun safety, including short stories for children.

The AAP gives detailed tips on skin sun protection for children.

The AAD gives us some tips on simple self-examination for potentially dangerous skin moles that may lead to melanoma.

The swine flu has claimed its first fatal victim in the US - a 23-month old baby in Texas. The current official CDC count of confirmed cases in the US is 91 in 10 states.

The earliest confirmed case of swine flu in Mexico, referred by doctors a patient “zero”, is a 5-year old boy in a Mexican pig farm. He survived the virus. The World Health Organization has declared a level 4 pandemic status, meaning that the risk of human-to-human transmission is high. Several schools in New York and Texas have been closed. In addition, the CDC states that two groups of people highly susceptible are children and pregnant women and the agency has issued “new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus.”

Which is why the first thing I did this morning was go to the pharmacy and buy a box of surgical masks (100 pcs per box) and a bottle of disinfectant. But I tell you, I was embarrassed and felt foolish while doing this. I haven’t even informed my husband about what I did. I told the pharmacist that we are going to Spain on holidays “soon” so I’d better be prepared. This is actually a white lie because the trip isn’t till early June. But why do I feel this need to justify my actions?

I guess I’ve always prided myself as being a rational person who is not prone to panic based on news headlines. However, as a mother, rationality sometimes flies out of the window when I hear little babies get sick and die of epidemics.

I am not sure whether the masks and the disinfectant can protect my family from swine flu but it is the best I can do. What I also do is regularly keep up with official updates. And to be fair, I also have read what the other side – the conspiracy theorists – has to say (and what they have to say is shocking). Even with my scientific training, it is not easy to know the truth from the lies in this case. However, what I pay attention to are the figures and the numbers and what I am convinced of is that children are highly vulnerable. I guess for now I will let my maternal instincts rule over my rational self. So don’t be surprised if you hear that I am stockpiling food in our cellar.

So how are you reacting to the swine flu epidemic news? What are you doing to prepare and protect your family?

I never thought I really missed springtime that much. Until it was there.

For me, springtime has a lot of meanings. It means lots of house work – spring cleaning, gardening, washing the curtains, to name a few. It means spending lots of time outdoors – more frequent jogging runs, walking, hiking and cycling.

Bur most of all, it’s the time of the year when I realized how much my children have grown.

• When I put away the winter clothes and take out the summer clothes, I could see how much I have to throw or give away and how I have to buy.
• As I checked my boys’ summer shoes the other day, I realized that their feet have gone two sizes up; that I have to check ebay and second hand shops for bargains to avoid going bankrupt.
• As we took out the bicycles for maintenance last weekend, we had to put up the saddles to accommodate the new centimeters gained during winter months. This is also another indication that we might have to invest in bigger bicycles in a year’s time. The helmets are definitely too small for this year.

I see my children everyday and this frequency keeps me from noticing the small gradual changes of the previous months. But looking how much shorter those trousers have become or how that favorite shirt only reaches down to the navel, then I realize how much has changed. It’s not only in the centimeters or kilos gained. It’s how they talk and walk; how they beg on trying out those roller blades with the protective gear (no way, Jose, says mommy). It’s how they can outrun and outswim me now. It’s how they insist “I can do that myself!”

For me, springtime is the time to reflect on the changes that have occurred and the changes that are to come. It is the time to realize that time, indeed, has wings, and how short childhood can be.

So what is springtime for you?

This post was partly inspired by fellow blogger brit’s post on spending time outdoors with kids and partly by my boys’ preschool schedule of activities. Springtime is expected to be here soon and according to their schedule, lots of time will be spent going to the forest, hiking, and exploring nature’s seasonal changes. And with this additional comment: All outdoor activities will take place rain or shine so dress up your kids appropriately.

After almost 20 years in western Europe, I still can’t get over the fact that people here like to go outdoors, regardless of the weather. Coming from tropical Asia, I used to be cold- and wet-weather shy. Since I got married to a European, I’ve learned that there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong gear.

What I find amazing (and great) is the fact that children here are encouraged to do the same. My boys’ preschool is situated in the middle of the city of Zurich, Switzerland, on the 2^nd and 3^rd floor of an office building. The school doesn’t have a yard, a garden or a playground. When we checked out the school before moving here 2 and a half years ago, the teachers assured us that they go out everyday to different playgrounds in the area. My husband and I took their word for it, knowing the Europeans’ affinity for the outdoors and we weren’t disappointed. The classes go out regularly on class trips to zoos, animal parks, forests, made possible by Zurich’s wonderful public transport – at no extra expense to the parents. Only under extreme weather conditions such as snow- and thunderstorms that outdoor activities are canceled. During those trips, they learn a lot of things, mainly to respect nature. They can touch and draw snails and other sedentary beings but not hurt them. They learn to take home their own rubbish. And they learn to put out the fire before leaving the camping area.

I have already observed this close connection with the outdoors when we were still living in Germany. Starting at 18 months, children could join a playgroup ran by the local mothers’ club. The kids were allowed to play outdoors in a fenced-off public playground for 3 hours, 2 mornings a week. Moms took turns to be on duty to watch the kids. There were usually 3 moms watching 15 kids and watch duty happened at most once a month. This was a great help for all moms who could go shopping, go to the hairdressers, etc. I made use of my free hours by going on jogging runs. Again the play dates were for the whole year, rain or shine and the only shelter the kids had was a shed where toys and a portable toilet and a changing table were stored. When I suggested to a friend from another continent living in Germany at that time to sign up her kids, she was horrified. Maybe it’s a cultural thing

She would have been more horrified if I had told her about Waldkindergarten (translated as forest kindergarten) which exists not only in Germany and Switzerland, but in some other European countries as well. Basically it is what the name suggests: a kindergarten in the forest. The classroom is the woods, with perhaps a hut or a boxcar container as shelter in case it gets too wet. Although my husband and I liked the idea, we decided that our kids should receive some real classroom experience as well, thus our choice of preschool.

But we do not leave the outdoor activities to the preschool alone. We reinforce them as part of family activities. We had out first springtime family walk last Saturday. It lasted for 3.5 hours over creeks, hills, and through forests and even patches of snow left over from the winter. What better – and cheaper – way to spend the first sunny day of March with the whole family?

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.

When it comes to family matters and bereavement, it is only right that politics be put aside to show solidarity. That is why UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown suspended prime minister’s question (PMQs) at Westminster Wednesday, Feb 25, to show respect to Ivan Cameron, deceased son of Brown’s archrival conservative Tory leader David Cameron. And there is no doubt that the Prime Minister is sincere about his sympathy for the Cameron family. You see, differences in political beliefs aside, Brown and Cameron have a lot in common. They are both fathers, much more, they have both lost children and both have sons who have serious debilitating diseases. Cameron’s son Ivan suffered from epilepsy and cerebral palsy at birth. He died last Wednesday at the age of 6, The Guardian reports.

Brown lost a prematurely born daughter in 2002. He has two sons, and one of them, Fraser was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 2006.

It was speculated that it was this common bond between the two men that paved the way to the approval of UK’s human fertilization and embryology bill last year, a bill that promotes medical research using animal-human hybrid embryos. I guess that for many parents like these two political leaders who have children with incurable disorders, the only hope lies in ground-breaking and sometimes controversial research.

PMQ is a constitutional ritual in the UK. For 30 minuets every Wednesday, the Prime Minister answers questions of the members of the parliament (MPs). It has only been canceled a few times in history due to very important events.

The Cameron family requested that instead of sending flowers, well-wishers should make a donation to one of the following five charities: Mencap, Friends of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, Friends of Jack Tizard School, Helen & Douglas House, Twickenham, and Shooting Star children’s hospice.

Children who are fit and healthy are more likely to take vitamin supplements than those who actually need them. This is the result of a study by researchers at the University of California Davis.

We live in an era of vitamin supplementation as millions of people swallow supplement pills each day ranging from your OTC vitamin and mineral supplements to more “exotic” dietary supplements such as krill oil and flax seed extract.

But do we really need these supplements and do they really work?

The UC Davis study showed that most American children and teenagers who take supplements actually do not need them. Ironically, many children who are malnourished and are at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiency are not taking any.

The results are based on data from 10,828 children aged 2 to 17 years old who were part of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2004. Here are some specific figures:

• 30 to 40% of children whose daily diet meet their nutritional requirements are more likely to take vitamins.
• Only 28% of children who are underweight, have poor diet or medical problems take supplements.

It seems that supplement use is closely associated with socioeconomic factors.

• 22% of children below poverty cut off take vitamins
• 43% of those in middle- and upper-income levels take vitamins. These are also the children who have greater access to health care.
• 36% of children in households with sufficient food take vitamins.
• 15% of children in households with “food insecurity and hunger” take vitamins.

These figures reflect the inequalities in health care not only in the US but in many other parts of the world.

You may ask, is it so bad that these children take vitamins that they do not need?

Apparently experts think so. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages vitamin use in healthy children under 1 year old though this probably does not include vitamin D. Several studies put doubt on the benefits and safety of vitamin and dietary supplements.

The researchers also point out that feeding unnecessary pills to very young children, e.g. 2 to 4- year olds, might confuse them and give them the impression that taking medications is a part of our normal daily life.

Indeed, with unnecessary supplementation for our children, even if we can afford it, we could be creating a pill-swallowing generation.

A recent study by an Australian researcher that suggest that children tend to make food choices following their parents’ example even at an early age – as early as 5 in fact. The study was conducted through the University of Southern Australia’s Centre for Nutritional Physiology and was entitled Parental Attitudes and Nutrition Knowledge.

The researcher conducted a survey of 200 children age 5 to 6 years old about their food choices using picture cues and compared the results with surveys conducted with their parents.

The results showed that there is a strong positive link between parent’s nutritional knowledge and children’s food choices. In addition, even 5-year olds seem to be able to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy food choices based on their experiences at home.

As the researcher pointed out, parenting cannot be learned from the books and comes with many different roles – including that of a nutritionist/dietitian, a teacher and well – a good role model.

We’ve been lucky so far. Our twin boys will be turning 6 this year and they are so easy going when it comes to eating. Sometimes when I see how fussy about food some of my friends’ children can be, I really wonder what I and my husband did right except perhaps by just being ourselves – uncomplicated eaters with a strong inclination towards good nutrition and a strong aversion against fast food.

I remember when my nephews were growing up and the hard time my sister had in getting them to eat anything at all except fast food. For her two boys, the terms “food” and “eating” get response like “Oh, no! Not again!” as if the act of eating was a punishment. This changed as soon as they reached puberty but mealtimes during early years were quite tiring for both parents and children alike.

But it’s not only about eating as such but also about what my kids like to eat that sometimes surprises me. They are the only kids I know who would say “yummy” over a platter of vegetable cuts or a bowl of fruit salad, specifically request for a lunch of rice, broccoli soup and fish and are crazy about smelly French cheese. We (me and my husband) do set a good example but so did my sister. So do friends whose 6-year old girl would touch neither fruit nor vegetable.

So yes, parents do play a big role in influencing the eating habits of their children. But I still think there is more fussy eaters than just bad role models.

What do you think?

US President Barack Obama signed the extension of State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), now the so-called Children’s Health Insurance Bill after having been approved by the US House of Representatives, according to the New York Times. This is a major victory for those who have been campaigning for the bill for several years which former President Bush strongly opposed. Similar bills have been vetoed by the former administration. With the extension of the bill also comes some expansion, namely:

• The bill covers not only citizens but legal immigrants who are under 21 and who are pregnant. Immigrants were previously not qualified for Medicaid.
• Dental care for children.
• Mental and physical illnesses equally – the so-called “mental health parity.”

Proponents of the bill are happy and see this as a first step towards major reforms in the US health care system. Opponents think such a bill too closely resembles “socialized medicine” or “government-run health care for every one” including those who can afford private health insurance coverage. In addition, this will cost taxpayers a lot of money.

As a European resident, I am not really involved in American politics but the health care problem is an issue that I’ve been following closely. Most European countries have universal health care systems and we Europeans tend to take medical care for granted. Regardless of how the health care reforms turn out, I’m just glad that children and pregnant women now have access to health care in a time of recession.

SCHIP stands for State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Last year’s figures indicate that enrollment was up by 4% equivalent to an additional 7.4 million American children enrolled for 2008, according to this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) update.

SCHIP is a state and federal insurance program created in 1997 to help provide health care to uninsured American children with funds available for 10 years. This was extended by the SCHIP Extension Act of 2007.

Children covered by SCHIP are those living with families whose income are about 200% of the federal poverty level ($42,000 for a family of four in 2008). In many states, this income cut-off is too high to qualify for Medicaid, yet these families cannot afford or qualify for private coverage. The increase in SCHIP enrollment in 2008 might be related to the currently ongoing economic crisis and the increase in unemployment.

The current funding SCHIP ends in March 2009. On January 14, members of the US Senate and the US Congress have already approved the new reauthorization but some reconciliation is needed before it can be passed on to the White House.

For millions of American children, SCHIP may be their only means of survival in the tough economic times ahead.

Doors are dangerous things, especially for kids. The person who designed them originally must be very proud of himself/herself. They are sturdy and strong and can keep the wind and rain and big bad wolves at bay. But they also have hinges and jambs and they move and squeak, thus presenting a fascination but also a major threat to little limbs, fingers and toes. I’ve heard of so many tales about lost fingers, permanent disfigurement and disabilities.

I remember when my twin boys were 18 months old. I took R out of the car first, carried him inside the house, leaving the front door open while I ran back for his brother. Wham! He pushed the door closed, with a forefinger caught in the hinges. Luckily, the finger wasn’t broken but the nail did turn black and eventually came off. But boy, was I scared. We did have special door stoppers and hinge guards then especially to protect those little fingers but not on the front and back doors. That wasn’t the last time that it happened but I always thought it would get easier as they grow older. Well, I had another scare just today. While playing chase and catch, F decided to escape to his room and closed the door on his brother’s hand. Another heart-stopping moment for me. Again, lucky it was a minor injury.

Another thing about doors is that one can easily get locked in. Especially our little ones. In most European homes, doors are locked by turning the key in the keyhole. We have no bolts or one-push door locks. This is quite convenient because as soon as our boys were mobile, we just put away the keys (again except for the front and back doors). Swiss doors are even niftily designed to have a special cubby hole on the door itself to keep the key in so they won’t get lost or mixed up. But it’s a different story when it comes to public toilets and changing rooms at the swimming. My boys already locked themselves in a changing room at age 6 months. Luckily, it’s one of those cubicles that is open on top so I could climb over (with some help from below) and rescue them. That’s when I started this rule never to lock toilet doors. And I thought that was the last of week. Well, about 6 years later (just last week), R locked himself in the changing room after swimming lessons and started bawling. This time I had to ask a pool staff member to come and help. But R did learn his lesson.

Doors are wonderful and handy things. But as a mom, I’m scared stiff of them.

Check out these figures:

• 300,000 door-related injuries every year in the USA.
• 45,000 injuries to the hands and fingers of children under 14.
• 15,000 amputations from finger pinch injuries

I don’t want to scare you. I just want you to take care. Doors are a threat to kids, no matter what age they are.

I’ve been reading to my daughter since a few days after she was born. I even packed a few picture books in my hospital bag, but we were too busy trying to get the breastfeeding thing working that I didn’t read to her in the hospital.

Just the other night, my 15-week old daughter realized that the stories I’ve been reading to her come from books. She noticed that there are neat, colorful pictures to go with the words. I first caught her looking at the pages when I read the classic bedtime story, Goodnight Moon.

Bibliophile that I am, this milestone was even more significant to me than when she rolled over for the first time. I was so intrigued by her reaction to the connection between the pictures and the words that I read her four bedtime stories that night!

Now, as I read her the same stories I’ve been reading to her for four months, she is seeing them for the first time. And it makes story time so much more fun for both of us.

So, I’d like to share with Babies Online readers a list of my daughter’s favorite picture books. The criteria? She likes short, snappy sentences with not too many words per page. She seems to prefer animal characters, and a story where I can really put some enthusiasm into the lines, meaning they are fun for me to read, too!

And yes, I can tell her favorites already by her reactions and how long the story will keep her attention. Maybe I’m raising a book review blogger!

1. Goodnight Moon – This classic by Margaret Wise Brown is the perfect bedtime book, and because it was the first book my daughter “noticed,” it goes first on our list. It’s got a great rhythm and simple pictures that hold a child’s attention—even an infant’s. By the time I am whispering “Goodnight noises everywhere,” my daughter knows it’s time to go to sleep.

2. The Foot Book – This interactive story by Dr. Seuss is shorter than many other Seuss books, making it perfect for infants and young readers alike. My daughter loves when I grab her foot to show her “left foot, right foot.” The cats don’t like it so much when I use their paws to demonstrate “fuzzy fur feet.” Best of all, you can get two free Dr. Seuss books, and a tote bag, right here through Babies Online’s special offer.

3. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – Author Laura Numeroff has an entire series of “If You Give…” books, and each one is a great addition to any children’s library. The adorable mouse, cat, pig and moose characters endear Mom and baby alike. With one fun sentence per page and great illustrations filled with details, these books just don’t get old, even after the hundredth or so reading. Watching the smile on my daughter’s face when I ask her, “What happens next…?” simply melts my heart. I’m sure when she’s older she’ll begin to narrate the books along with me.

4. The Hat – I’ve always been a Jan Brett fan, and The Hat is one of my favorites. It’s a lot of fun to read, and the ironic ending will make adults chuckle. Brett’s detail-rich illustrations bring every page to life, and the plot progresses with just enough repetition that children love it but parents won’t find it tedious.

5. The Monster at the End of this Book – Originally published in 1971, The Monster at the End of this Book (starring lovable furry old Grover) was one of my childhood favorites. When I found a beat-up copy at a garage sale while I was pregnant, I pounced. Then my aunt bought Ashley her own, brand-new copy, and I can’t think of a more perfect gift. This title is fun to read with enthusiasm and always makes my daughter giggle. Yes, we all know Grover IS the monster at the end of the book, but that doesn’t make it any less suspenseful for little ones.

There are so many other great books available to foster a love of reading for your child, this list is just a very small sampling. I know I’ve left out many notable authors, including Karen Katz and Eric Carle.

Really, there’s no excuse not to read at least one book a day to your child. When your baby gets to the “grabby” stage, sturdy board books are a great investment and are priced lower than their hard cover counterparts.

Readers, what are you favorite children’s books? Please share!

We see incredible articles every day about moms who have done everything they can to conceive but sadly only some are blessed with children.  Recently, I’ve noticed a trend where older–and I say this delicately–women are having children.

Doing a quick web search, I found that women as old as 70 have gone through fertility treatments for various reasons to have children.  I don’t mean to write this entry to judge any woman: having a child is a personal decision and I believe it should stay that way.

I find myself wondering about the whole thing though.  How does a 70 year old woman physically deal with a pregnancy? I am 39 years old and I’m pregnant.  I had my first child when I was 24.  I notice a HUGE difference in my body and in my stamina levels.  I simply can’t imagine what it must be like to have a child at 70!  I mean, how does a 70 year old handle the tiredness that seems to accompany the first trimester?  When I was 23 and pregnant, I was tired, but not like I am now!

I wonder how a 70 year old woman and her 77 year old partner can handle getting up during the evening hours to take care of an infant who needs to be fed.  I asked my 80 plus year old grandmother this question.  She jokingly responded that she doesn’t sleep much anyway because her arthritis hurts so much.  Getting up with a baby wouldn’t make so much of a difference because she doesn’t sleep anyway!  I hadn’t thought of that angle.

I don’t personally think I’d be able to handle having a child at 70.  Perhaps I shouldn’t say that, because I don’t know what I’ll be like at 70, but I think it’s true.  Having a child at my age is enough of a challenge.

What about you? Do you think you’d be able to have the stamina at 70 to handle the demands of a pregnancy?  What about taking care of an infant at that age?

There’s the first hand or direct cigarette smoke. Then there’s the second hand or passive smoke. Now comes a newly identified cigarette hazard – third hand cigarette smoke.

So what’s third hand smoke?

It’s the toxic substances that linger and persist for long periods of time, long after the act of smoking is finished, long after the cigarette has been extinguished and thrown away. The toxic substances are found in particles in the smoke and they stick to your clothes, your hair, the curtains, the furniture, the carpet. Opening a window or putting on a fan is not enough to get rid of these particles, according to this New York Times article.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 250 poisonous gases and other toxic chemicals — including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, butane, ammonia, toluene, arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, and and the highly radioactive carcinogen polonium-210.

So hours after finishing your cigarette, you and the toxins attached to you still present a hazard to your baby the minute you pick him/her up.

At home, where most of the smoking occurs nowadays after anti-smoking laws in public places have been implemented, babies and toddlers are exposed to third hand smoke as they crawl and play on the carpet. Home has become a dangerous place when adults smoke there.

The same thing can also be said about the family car, where exposure is even worse due to restricted space.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics reported the results of a survey about people’s opinion on third hand smoke and home smoking bans. Expectantly, non-smokers are more aware of the hazards of third hand smoke and more amenable to home smoking bans compared to smokers.

I can sympathize with parents who really try to quit and can’t. After all, nicotine addiction is one of the hardest habits to break. I just hope that protecting their children’s health will become a strong incentive to help them quit.

I absolutely love the holiday season and all of the decorations that come out in December, but come January 1st, I am always very eager to put these seasonal items away for another year and to get my house in a less cluttered state.

Last January, I became pregnant and went on a huge purge of items in our overly filled, unfinished basement.  I cleaned out enough junk that we were able to make a small play area for my daughter in the middle of the basement.

This January, I am struggling with the fact that we have a baby in the house again and with that comes a myriad of baby gear, furniture and toys that seem to overtake the whole house.  Once I get my holiday decorations organized and put away in their labeled bins, I look forward to organize all of our baby “stuff”.

The question that remains is, as my son outgrows these baby items, whether it be clothing, gear or toys, what do I do with it?  Do I keep it in case we decide to have another baby or do I purge  again and begin to get rid of our infant items.  I have box after box full of girl things that I kept, in hopes that we would have a second child.  Now that we have that child and he is a boy, what do I do?

Until I decide whether or not we are keeping or giving away items, I will continue to have a basket on my dresser where I dump the clothing that is too small and the infant toys that we no longer need and I will continue to put those items in the basement as they accumulate.

My goal is to keep that small play space in the basement for my daughter and eventually my son, as it is important.  In the mean time, I will have to purge more items so that I can create the space needed to store all of the baby items that are no longer needed right now.

As for the current baby clutter that has over run our house, is there really a solution other than to remember that they are temporary?  We got rid of the playpen with the bassinet in the kitchen and replaced it with our reclining high chair, but eventually we will need that playpen back again once my son becomes mobile.  I have also moved many of my daughter’s toys up to her room in order to create some space for my son’s toys.  Although he doesn’t need them right now, the day is rapidly approaching when he will appreciate having access to baby toys on the main floor.

I never realized that organizing would be so difficult with two children!  Wish me luck.

Before I had children, I worked as a therapist in a nursing home which was about a 45 minute drive from my house.  I drove in it all:  snow, sleet, and freezing rain!

Then I had children.

I remember the first time I ever skidded on ice with my children in the van.  I was driving on our country road and slid on “black ice“.  I had skidded and slid around before, but my children were in the car and that was terrifying to me because I realized exactly how much was at stake.

Now, we’ve moved south, and we rarely get even a snow shower.  We occasionally get ice, but most everything closes down when that happens.

If you have to drive in the wintry weather with your baby, be safe and don’t take chances.  If you can delay your drive, do so.  Perhaps you can go into work late once the roads are better cleared.  Perhaps you can work at home that day.

If you have to go out, make sure to carry extra blankets and a shovel.  Leave earlier than usual so you can take extra time to get safely to your destination.  If you are able to do so, you can alter your route to avoid the less traveled roads which may not be so well cleared from snow and ice.

If you get stuck, many times, you can dig yourself out of the snow.  The extra blankets can help to keep your children warm while you are digging.  Kitty litter can be used for extra traction and can help you if you get stuck in the snow or ice.  Studded tires, if they are legal in your area, are a big help when you have to drive in winter weather.

Hopefully, you won’t ever need to use any of these tips!  I wish everyone a safe winter driving season!

Announcing a pregnancy can be a difficult thing.  Once, my daughter stood up in the middle of church and announced to everyone that I needed prayer because I was pregnant.  That was probably the easiest pregnancy announcement I’ve had to endure, because I didn’t have to make the announcement myself.

I’ve found, as with anything in life, there are always those folks who simply can not refrain from being negative, even during joyful occasions.  Certainly, a pregnancy is a reason to be joyful and is a cause for celebration.   Some people don’t see things like that though.

I know at this moment that there are several close relatives who I will eventually need to inform of my pregnancy who will NOT be happy for my husband and I. Even though we are financially and emotionally ready and able to deal with the responsibilities that children bring, these folks will still not be happy.   They will find reasons why this pregnancy should not have happened, and they will feel obliged to tell me about these reasons. One or two of those relatives will probably be downright ugly about this pregnancy.  I  have come to these conclusions based upon their reactions to past pregnancy announcements and I ponder–how can I do this differently this time? How do I protect myself emotionally from the negativity?

I wonder–is it rude to just call them AFTER the child is born?  I’ve noticed that after the child makes his or her grand entrance into the world, the negativity dissipates anyway.

I am “lucky” in that my family lives over 800 miles from the rest of my family members.  Sometimes, it can be a difficult thing to have them so far away; sometimes, it is a good thing to have them so far away.  For now, it means I have time to gather my strength and decide whether or not I should mention my pregnancy to my family or wait until shortly before(or after) the child is born to make the announcement.

How have you handled “negative” reactions to your pregnancy announcements? Would you tell relatives who you knew were going to be negative about your pregnancy?  Is it rude to just send relatives a birth announcement without them knowing about your pregnancy?