Booster Seats Are Safer

The journal “Pediatrics” published the results of a study, conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, confirming previous reports that it’s safer to keep children aged 4 through 8 in a booster seat during car travel.

The new study gives us solid figures: Children in belt-positioning booster seats are 45% less likely to sustain injuries in a crash than children using standard safety belts.

Booster seats protected children even better during side-impact crashes, reducing the risk of injury 68% for near-side impacts and 82 % for far-side impacts. The most common type of injury children sustain in vehicle crashes is a head injury, accounting for 65 % of all injuries regardless of the type of restraint used. The data did not show a difference in the level of protection using a high-back booster or a backless booster seat.

The good news?

The study considered injuries sustained in 21,943 crashes in which at least one child received medical attention, as well as crashes where no children were injured, and the vast majority of injuries were not fatal, whether children wore a regular seat belt or used a booster seat.

Car Seats for the Car Only

It bears repeating that parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics car seat guidelines to keep their children safe during road trips. But it’s equally important to note the danger that exists when parents keep infants in car seats for extended periods when they are not traveling.

In a related article, CBS News reported the results of a study presented to the AAP that shows 8,700 emergency room visits resulting from inappropriate use of a car seat/carrier.

Most of the injuries occurred when parents placed car seat/carriers on soft surfaces, like beds and sofas, or high surfaces like counters and tabletops. This causes a risk of suffocation in infants, but babies can also suffer injuries to the head or extremities if the car seat tips or falls.

If you do place your baby in a carrier:

• Place the carrier on flat ground only.

• Be aware in public places; do not place the carrier and baby in high-foot-traffic areas.

• Avoid keeping baby in the carrier for long periods of time every day; this can lead to weak muscles and flat spots on the head.

The Bottom Line on Car Seat Safety

Car seats are intended for use in motor vehicles to protect infants, toddlers and children from injury in a crash. Use a car seat or booster seat, for as long as possible with your child, for its intended purpose. But don’t leave your infant in a carrier/car seat for extended lengths of time when you’re not traveling.

More Information

Let’s face it: Babies and toddlers have temper tantrums at the most inopportune times.  Whether you’re in line at the grocery store or sitting in a church service, young kids seem to have a sixth sense about when it is the worst time to start crying and get upset.  Some might make the claim that it’s harder to deal with babies when they have these fits since they can’t really tell you why they are upset, but remind me to tell you about the tantrum my three year old son had the other day where he slapped me across the face and told me “Shut up!”

But I digress.

It can be really tough to keep your cool when your baby is freaking out.  It’s one thing when you can pinpoint the issue, such as when a diaper needs changing or you know your baby is way overdue for a nap.  It’s another thing when your baby just starts flipping out for no apparent reason.  Does something hurt? Does she want a specific toy? Is she scared by something that you don’t see?

It’s only made worse when there are people around you giving you that tsk-tsk look that some people give.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about printing up a shirt to wear that says Unless you’re going to offer me help with my kids, keep your critical glances to yourself.  I never did get that shirt printed up but I have perfected conveying the same message through an equally critically counter-glance.

So how do you keep your cool when your baby is having a full-blown tantrum? It’s important to remember that the younger your child is, the less likely it is that what you’re experiencing is an actual “tantrum.”  Young babies start crying and fussing as a result of being unable to say, “Mom, I’m hungry,” or “Mom, that guy with the beard is scaring the heck out of me because I’ve never seen a beard before.”  When a baby is young, this certainly isn’t the time to discipline.  You can’t hope to get a newborn to stop crying by delivering a stern speech about how to act in public.

It’s better to try to soothe your baby while also getting through whatever it is you’re doing.  If you’re in line at a grocery store, it may be worth it to simply finish your transaction and let your baby have a cry in the stroller.  If your baby is in your arms it makes it a little harder, but keep in mind that the world doesn’t stop because your baby is upset.  In other words, you can’t expect everyone around you to be nice for long if you hold up a line of shoppers so you can soothe your baby with a lullaby.

Above all else, just do what you can to stay calm.  Your baby can probably sense your mood, so if you freak out then your baby will be even more scared because she’s looking for you to fix the problem instead of making it worse.  Believe me when I say that it’s not always possible to not get a little frazzled.  There have been plenty of times when I was ready to hang up my Mommy hat because I was so taken aback by my kid’s temper tantrum.  Just remember: stay calm, stay focused, and remember that this too shall pass.

We’ve been reading a lot about the importance of DHA as “brain food” for children and adults, alike, but what exactly is DHA?

DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid found naturally in foods like salmon, tuna and other coldwater fish, as well as flax and pumpkin seeds. Most children and toddlers’ diets (not to mention many adults’ diets) lack sufficient quantities of these foods, which is why trusted pediatrician Dr. Sears recommends adding a DHA supplement to your child’s diet.

When the body lacks essential Omega-3 fatty acids, the cells try to build “replacement fatty acids,” which are similar in function but may cause depression and Attention Deficit Disorder. A diet rich in DHA lowers the blood level of these replacement fatty acids and also of harmful fats such as cholesterol.

So how did DHA earn its reputation as “brain food?” According to Dr. Sears, DHA is the primary structural component of brain tissue, as well as an important part of the enzymes within cell membranes that allow the membranes to transport valuable nutrients in and out of the cells. DHA also affects the brain’s neurotransmitters, and helps brain cells communicate with each other more effectively. Simply put, a healthy brain is a smart brain!

A diet rich in DHA has been shown to improve focus, behavior and cognitive function, and even increase learning capacity in young children. Children who are more focused and can concentrate better also tend to remain in better moods longer — less tantrums and more time to play, study and learn!

DHA also helps vision development because the retina contains a high concentration of the fatty acid. Improved vision development also leads to greater learning capabilities, since the eyes are such important tools in education.

When the body has enough DHA, the brain can function at its highest capacity. This is especially important in infants and toddlers, because brains grow more rapidly in the first few years than at any other time of life. Evidence shows that the increased academic performance of breast-fed children is due, at least in part, to the DHA-rich diet breast milk provides. Breast milk contains DHA for growing infants, and most infant formula today is fortified with DHA. But toddlers don’t receive DHA from these sources, which is why a supplement is important. Dr. Sears offers a variety of vitamin products to insure that your child is getting enough of the crucial fatty acid.

Dr. Sears’ specially-developed Go Fish Brainy Kidz Omega-3 DHA natural fruit-based soft chews contain optimal levels of DHA for improved brain function. Each soft chew contains 100 mg of DHA and is certified by Safe Source ™ to be free of detectable levels of over 250 environmental contaminants, including mercury, heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs and pesticides. The pediatrician-developed, kid-approved, tasty vitamin supplements are all-natural and do not contain any high-fructose corn syrup.

All parents know that it is just no fun when your child is sick. It is particularly difficult when your infant is sick as they cannot communicate with you what is bothering them.  Sometimes you just wish that they could talk so that you could help solve their problems.

My four month old little guy has been suffering a cold that his 3 1/2 year old sister kindly passed along to him with love, of course! I also have contacted this lovely bug. It’s just no fun. The worst part is that my little guy cannot breath properly while he is feeding which makes him frustrated and it breaks my heart.

Here are some suggestions of things that I have done when my children have a cold:

• run a humidifier in or near their bedroom
• boil water in a kettle and pour it into a bowl with a large surface area, place on the floor in their room with a few drops of eucalyptus oil (this obviously isn’t safe if other children are roaming around)
• spray their nose with saline spray (ensure you buy the kind made for infants with an ultra gentle spray)
• wipe their nose with saline spray on a kleenex or with a product like Boogie Wipes so that their skin doesn’t dry out from the mucous or the wiping
• put them to sleep in a semi-upright position in order to allow them to breathe easier, e.g. in a bouncy chair, swing, car seat etc.
• put them in the bathroom with you while you shower, with the door closed, to allow the steam from your shower to loosen up their mucous

I have also found sleeping a major issue with my 4 month old since he has had this cold and he is also teething, which adds another challenge. He basically wants to sleep in our arms 24/7, which is completely understandable. I don’t want to deny him of this, but at the same time I don’t want him to get too used to it as this cannot go on forever. It’s amazing how routines can simply go out the window when a baby is sick or not feeling well.

At the end of the day, being sick sucks. It truly does. We are really looking forward to the spring when there are typically fewer colds floating around. Enough of someone always being sick in our house!

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!

Experts recommend about 30 minutes of tummy time for infants in order to help nurture and encourage fine and gross motor skills, especially those skills that eventually lead to crawling.

Switching a baby’s position frequently also prevents a flat spot on the head, which has become a common problem since the AAP began recommending placing infants on their backs to sleep.

I got a late start on tummy time with my three month old daughter. I didn’t realize we were supposed to start it immediately, so I only started placing her on her tummy about a month ago.

However, she did spend a lot of time belly-down on my tummy while nursing in her first month of life, and her neck muscles were very well-developed right out of the womb. She was holding her head up right from the start! I imagine our inadvertent tummy time during nursing sessions also helped with her core muscle development.

Now that we’ve started a tummy time routine, my daughter hates it! I can see that she gets frustrated because she wants to do things (like crawl) that her body just isn’t ready to do. The most she will tolerate is a few minutes at a time.

Browsing various parenting forums, I discovered that this is a common problem. If your infant can only tolerate tummy time for a few minutes at a time, break it up into short sessions. Try placing her on her tummy for a few minutes at the beginning of every play session. I recommend doing it at the beginning, when she’s fresh and relaxed, rather than tired or frustrated.

There are other things you can do to make tummy time enjoyable:

• Get down on the floor with your baby. This will help her feel like she hasn’t just been left alone on the floor to struggle.

• Hold a toy in front of her, giving her incentive to lift her head and try to move forward.

• Use a Boppy pillow to prop up your baby, that way she doesn’t feel like she’s smashed flat against the floor. Also, don’t be afraid to position her arms so that she is most comfortable, until she learns how to do this herself.

• Make tummy time more fun by singing a song or saying rhymes, so your baby will look forward to this one-on-one time.

• For smaller babies, conduct tummy time on your chest, the way I did in the first month. Lie flat on your back and place baby on her tummy on top of you.

• The requisite reminder: Do not leave baby alone during tummy time, and do not leave the baby on her tummy if she falls asleep. Always place a baby to sleep on her back.

Six 5-minute sessions of tummy time a day will bring you up to the recommended 30 minutes.

But don’t worry if all your baby will do is two minutes at a time.

For instance, with just a handful of 2-minute sessions every day, my daughter is barely up to a full 10 minutes of tummy time a day. But yesterday, she reached an important mobility milestone. I placed her on her tummy for a few minutes while we were playing and I lied down on my tummy next to her. She happened to be in a very good mood.

I brought her favorite toy “Ducky” down with us, as well. Ducky cheered her on with quacks as she made swimming motions with her hands and legs. She tried to grasp the blanket she was lying on in order to pull herself forward.

After a few minutes, she leaned up on her left elbow and decided to change her situation. With a significant amount of grunting, pushing and flailing, she rolled herself over onto her back! Then she gazed up at me with a look of surprise on her face, as if to say, “How did I get into this position?”

Since then, we’ve had four more tummy time sessions, and she’s getting more frustrated than ever. She’s trying to roll over again and it’s not quite working. It’s as if she’s thinking, “I did it once, why can’t I do it now?”

I’m honestly surprised she rolled over so quickly, given how little time she’s spent on her tummy. It just goes to show, babies develop at their own pace and every baby, regardless of how much tummy time she has, will eventually learn all the skills she needs to become a fully mobile toddler.

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.

Taking your child to get their photo taken can be quite the challenge at times.? Babies can be very unpredictable, toddlers have a hard time sitting still and preschoolers can be hit or miss with their moods and cooperation.

I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a newborn baby boy.? I’ve experienced it all during photo shoots with our children from distractions to inconsolable meltdowns.

Here are some tricks that I have learned along the way for taking picture of baby:

Infants

Toddlers

Preschoolers

If you have more than one child and you are getting a group shot done along with individual portraits, make sure you speak up with regards to the order in which the photos will be taken.? Aim for the group shot to be taken first and then individuals in order of priority according to moods, cooperativeness and age.? Remember to remind the children to not worry about themselves and to focus on the camera, not each other.? Too often, children worry about their siblings and then get caught not looking at the camera while they are trying to help out.

Every year since 1973, WATCH (World Against Toys Causing Harm) has created a list of the top 10 worst toys for that year.? Although I don’t agree with all of their selections, I thought I’d pass along some of the toys on the list for 2008.

• Walk’N Sounds Digger the Dog – The toy is intended for young children, but the long walking string is a choking hazard.? The group points out that according to federal law, all strings on pull toys are supposed to be no longer than 12 inches.? This string is 26.? I truly had no clue that the government even regulated this.
• Meadow Mystery Sounds Book with Cuddly Pooh – According to the packaging, the toy was tested for children from 18 months up.? The group says that the mask included in the book could pose a choking hazard.
• Inflatable Giga Ball – This toy is a blow up ball that is so huge that a child can crawl into the ball.? The toy is not recommended for children under 4.? The group feels that the ball poses a huge safety threat even though parental supervision is suggested.? This toy looks like fun, but I don’t know if I’d let my kid play inside a big plastic ball in our unfenced yard.
• Spiderman Adjustable Skates – This one made me laugh because it’s a set up Spiderman skates with “safety gear”.? However, there is only 1 knee pad and 1 elbow pad.? The packaging does say that you should make sure to wear knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet when skating.? If you decide to purchase this toy for your child, you will need to purchase safety gear separately.

What do you think?? Were you planning on purchasing some of these toys for your children?? Does the fact that these toys made the “worst toys” list cause you to reconsider? Stay up-to-date with current baby related recalls and unsafe toys right here at the Babies Online blog

Most young babies dislike baths. I?ve always found this to be slightly ironic because babies spend 9 plus months in a water bubble before they are born!

When my children were a few days old, I found it was best to give them their sponge baths in sections. I?d start first with their head and face, move down to the upper body, and then their lower body. When bathing their upper body, I?d keep their lower body covered with a towel and vice versa. It seemed to make the bath more bearable for them.

When their umbilical cord fell off, and I could put them in water, I had to come up with a slightly different game plan. I found that the two most important things to keep in mind when bathing a young infant were water temperature and routine. Getting the water so that it is neither too hot nor too cold really is important! I also found that while my children didn?t like the bath at first, the key was to not give up and continue on using the same routine every day. Eventually, they began to tolerate bath time pretty well.

After the children could sit by themselves, bath time became a fun time. The colored foaming soap was always a hugely popular thing at our house. When my older children were toddlers and were learning their colors, I?d dye the water using food color! If you decide to try this, be sure to mix the color very well into the water or it can stain! Also be sure to rinse the tub well after bath time.

One thing that my older children disliked was getting their hair washed. I was never able to figure out a trick to make that part of the bath to be more tolerable, however I see now that different stores sell hair washing hats for children. The hat is shaped so that water and soap run down the back of the head instead of getting into the child?s eyes. I have never had a reason to try the product because my son doesn?t really mind having his hair washed too much?plus his hair is cut short as per his Daddy?s wishes. Perhaps this is why it isn?t such a big deal for him? My girls always had long hair which made hair washing that much more difficult.

I?ve also found that my stress levels really have an affect on my children. If I was tense or upset during their bath time, it seemed to make the whole experience much more traumatic for them. On days when I was really stressed, I would ask my husband to take over bath time duty.

After months of slogging through the nightly bath time routine, my son now loves his nightly bath time. In fact, he loves it so much so that our big issue right now is stopping the bath time fun so he can get ready for bed and go to sleep. Isn?t that ironic?

Election Day is Tuesday here in the United States. Remember to go and vote!

I have always taken my children to the polling place with me – mostly out of necessity. This year, my husband is traveling with work and I will again be taking my children to the polls to vote. Voting with children is an experience in itself! Standing in a long line with a screaming child can be very, very stressful. If you‘ll be taking your children to the polls, try to keep the experience as short and sweet as possible.

For example, you can go online before hand and see a sample ballot. Decide BEFORE you get there how you are going to vote. It‘s hard to stand there trying to keep your infant or toddler happy while you are making a decision.

When you get there, be aware that some polling places may not let your children into the booth with you. I‘ve lived in various places around the United States and I‘ve found that some polling workers were adamant that my children could NOT go into the voting booth along with me; others didn‘t care but did caution me about letting my infant touch the buttons! If your infant or toddler accidentally touches the VOTE button on the electronic machine for example, you‘ve cast your vote and there‘s nothing you can do about that! You don‘t get a second chance to fix it!

It‘s best to try to choose a time when you believe that most people will not be voting. This time should also not conflict with your young child‘s nap time! I like to go as early as possible in the day because I find that the lines are usually shorter. As the day progresses, the lines tend to be longer and children tend to get crankier. Usually, I go to the polls after I get my children up for the day. If you have the option to do so, you may also wish to wait until you can find someone to watch your baby so you can vote.

Perhaps you don‘t have child care options and you can‘t choose the time of day when you go to the polls. In that case, remember to be prepared for a long wait. It‘s important to bring along extra bottles, or make sure to nurse the baby before you go to vote. Remember to pack toys and other items to amuse your younger ones in case you have to stand in line.

I‘ve found that many places have treats for young children who are out with their parents and this is nice! Many times, the poll workers have stickers and they make a special effort to amuse the younger ones in the crowd. I appreciate that so much! In our area, children have off from school on Election Day, so there are many children standing in line along with their parents.

This Election Day will be a first for me as my son will be getting his immunizations! I‘m hoping to be able to vote BEFORE we make the trip to the doctor. I can’t imagine standing in line with my son and his 4 sisters AFTER he’s gotten his shots, although I will do it if I must.

I wish you and your family a safe and stress free Election Day!

I read an interesting article today about multi-tasking when driving. The bottom line: it’s a bad idea. I’m sure you know that already though!

The study centered on how the brain is able to perform when a person is doing tasks such as driving and talking on the cell phone. Driving, it turns out, requires an incredible amount of brain power. I remember when I was first learning to drive and I couldn’t stand to have the radio on because it distracted me so. Now I drive past very young looking, possibly new drivers, texting and talking on their cell phones. I find it amazing, if not scary.

According to data, in over 80% of crashes, driver inattention was the root cause of the event. That’s pretty amazing. I rarely talk on my cell phone when driving. If it’s a difficult or intense conversation, I do pull over to the side of the road or I stop in a parking lot. However, I am not so good about reducing my other distractions.

Ask any parent and it is common to be multi-tasking dealing with kid issues. Things like stopping an argument between siblings or dealing with a crying infant are stressful and can affect the quality of your driving. The reality of the situation is that as a parent, you will need to multi-task at times. Just remember to be safe.

If the older children are arguing about the radio station, turn it off. If your infant is crying inconsolably and the tension is affecting your driving, pull over to a safe place and do what needs to be done to soothe him. This may mean changing that diaper or nursing him so you can make the rest of the journey safely. Never try to drive and say, pick up the dropped security blanket or pacifier!

I keep an activity bag in the back of the car for my older children to keep them busy during drives. I find that if they are busy, they are less likely to argue amongst themselves. I also keep some toys for our son in the car so that if he gets fussy, the older children can pacify him until either I can get to a safe spot to figure out what is wrong or we make it to our destination.

To my knowledge, no studies have ever been done on the amount of accidents caused when dad or mom takes their eyes off the road to give their toddler a cookie because he is hungry and screaming. It would be interesting though!

Do you have any tips for dealing with family distractions when you are driving? Do you feel that it’s important to limit your distractions or do you think you do a pretty good job of handling things as they happen?

Cold season is upon us! Perhaps this is why the FDA has just released new guidelines for cold medicine usage. New guidelines suggest that parents should not give cold medicine to their children who are under 4 years of age.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and drug companies have been discussing the safety of over the counter cough and cold medicines for a while now. In January, the FDA said that parents should not dose their children who were under a year with cough and cold medicine. Pediatricians also voiced concerns about the medicines and the possible side effects from those medicines. Interestingly enough, a poll I saw showed that most parents have no issues with the medications!

Experts claim that the issues that are now being raised are very valid and that the over the counter medicines were actually never tested for use in children and that their safety for young children was never established. They also site the fact that it is easy for parents to over dose their children on medications.

Things have certainly changed since I had my first child 15 years ago! I did use infant cold medicine for her, as I did with 3 of her 4 younger siblings. In all those years, I never had an issue. I didn’t know of anyone who did have an issue. Yes, I did hear of parents who knowingly gave their children the medicines when they weren’t sick in order to get them to sleep, but that happened rarely.

My son is now 1 1/2 years old. I remember when the infant medicines were pulled off the shelves due to safety concerns. My son happened to have a cold at the time, and I was confused and slightly worried. I researched and found other ways to control his cold symptoms besides the medicine that was no longer available.

What is the best way to deal with colds and coughs? Push the fluids and use a warm mist vaporizer to increase the humidity in your home. Plenty of rest will also help!

As I write this, my son is sick with a dreaded cold and cough combination. We’ll make it though this episode–just a little bit differently than we managed with his older siblings.

My son is sick again.

I can’t believe that my chubby little baby just seems to pick up one little virus after the other like he does. Perhaps it’s because he’s the youngest of 5 children?

I suppose, even though I clean and disinfect, our house is full of germs. Poor little guy. His immunity will be awesome once he develops some resisitence to all this, but until then. Whew.

My son just recovered from an upper respiratory infection a few days ago and now, he has some sort of tummy bug. All of the kids in the neighborhood have the tummy bug, and I’ve sighted many parents purchasing Pedialyte at the pharmacy when I went in the other day. I took note and bought some myself just in case. I bought some Tylenol too for him because my supplies were getting low.

Today, I was at the doctor with my other child, and I asked her about it all. Was there any sort of cleaning product I had somehow overlooked? The kids use hand sanitizer and I have disinfectant wipes. What was I doing wrong? Why is my young son always sick?

The answer she said is because he’s the youngest of a bunch of kids and is building up immunity to big kid germs. She told me that children who first go to daycare often get sick frequently until they build up immunity. I noticed this when my oldest went to kindergarten too–she was sick quite frequently until she built up immunity to “kindergarten kid germs”. The doctor assures me that, given time, my son will be healthy and immune to these different viruses.

I’ll keep on using the hand sanitizer and I’ll continue to clean and disinfect. I’ll try to not be so hard on myself when my son gets sick though. After all, germs are everywhere.

I remember when I was a new mom and I thought I knew it all. I’d read every bit of expert information regarding the raising of my baby as I could get my hands on, and by all accounts my daughter was thriving and brilliant and wonderful. I must have been doing something right, so whenever I saw another mom do something contrary to my parenting style I stifled my tsk-tsk reflex and silently thought about how lucky my daughter was to have a mom who did what the experts said to do.

It was around the time my daughter hit three years old that I noticed something that was quite intriguing: All the kids she socialized with were all starting to pretty much even out with their abilities. While it’s true that some kids could speak a little better than others and some kids had more physical abilities than others, the differences were getting harder and harder to see unless you really looked for them.

This is also around the time that it dawned on me that the different parenting styles are just that: different. I don’t know if my attachment parenting was any better than the disciplinarian tactics that my friend used because both our daughters are smart, happy preschoolers. Imagine that…my daughter slept next to me for her first few months while my friend’s daughter slept in a crib from her first night home from the hospital, yet they’re both thriving. Go figure.

I’m not saying that you can treat your baby any way you please and she’ll wind up happy and healthy, but I think that there is a lot to be said for loving your babies and giving them consistency regardless of which “expert” you choose to follow.

Now if only I could have found an expert who said that new moms need a housekeeping service and a husband who gives foot massages every night,

I like to consider myself relatively creative – I’m a writer and I teach acting to kids part-time so I would like to think that there’s some creativity in there somewhere – so when my first baby came along I was determined to give her as much opportunity as I could to allow her creativity to blossom. Now that she is approaching age 5 and she’s fantastically creative, I feel somewhat qualified to share what I did when she was a little baby to start her out on the right foot.

Here are some things I did to get her creative juices flowing:

1. She didn’t watch TV. It wasn’t until she was nearly two years old and her younger brother came along that I started allowing her to watch anything on TV. All my other mom friends thought I was crazy (”How do you get time to yourself?” was something I heard a lot), but I wanted her to examine the world around her…not the world within the television.
2. I asked her a lot of questions. My daughter and I spent a lot of time wandering through art museums, the zoo, parks, and even the mall, and I would narrate everything we were doing. I would ask her questions too, trying to get her to use her creativity. My questions were usually attempts to prompt her to create a story. Why do you think that man is in such a hurry? I wonder why they painted that wall blue? What shape does that cloud look like? I asked her these questions long before she was able to respond.
3. I showed her a lot of new things. One day my husband came home from work and looked quizzically at the bed, which was full of clothes that I certainly wouldn’t wear during my day to day Mommy routine: silk pajamas, sequined dress, etc. “What’s this all about?” he asked. I replied with, “I was showing her new textures today.” He looked at me like I was crazy, but I was pretty sure she got a kick out of the experience.
4. I didn’t limit her. Our mall has a colorful play area, but oftentimes it was too full of rambunctious big kids to allow barely-crawling babies to explore. Instead of admitting defeat and not allowing my daughter to check out something new and exciting, my friend and I used our strollers as barricades and created a space for our babies to get out of the strollers and explore. Our babies were thrilled to try something like this, and my friend and I laughed later about how we took a section of the play area hostage for twenty minutes.

Even though your baby may not even acknowledge your presence much yet, there is no reason why you shouldn’t start fostering her creativity. I think that creativity comes from a great deal of freedom to explore and experience new things, so try to give your baby the opportunity to check things out for herself. If she wants to linger at a flower, let her linger. If she wants to stare at a flashing sign, let her stare. Who knows…she may be forming a story in her head.

Last night, several tornadoes touched down in our state and caused great amounts of damage. Tornadoes are somewhat rare where we live now, but we do get our share of hurricanes.

All of this made me wonder about my disaster plan–something the locals take quite seriously here. I confess I really don’t have one, which is probably not the best thing as I have an infant and 4 other children.

While researching disaster relief last night, I discovered that in the aftermath of a disaster when chaos is rampant, there is little emphasis on extra care for those who have infants or who might be pregnant. It’s best to have a plan already created just in case.

If you have a high risk pregnancy, discuss these plans with your doctor. The military hospital where I went for care during my high risk pregnancy actually had a plan for dealing with difficulties like mine during hurricanes. They would allow women to come and stay at the hospital during the disaster so that if something happened, the baby and the mother would have access to medical care. If you live in a hurricane prone area, chances are your area has something similar to this. Make sure to ask if you are expected to bring your own food and/or other supplies.

If you are pregnant and your pregnancy is not a risky one, be sure to pack your vitamins or other medications you may need. Also realize that you may need more food or water than the average person because of your pregnancy. Plan on adding extra food and water to your emergency kit. Also write down important phone numbers such as the doctor and hospital phone number just in case. The phones may or may not work, but you are prepared at least.

If you have an infant with health problems, check with your child’s doctor for advice. Would you and your child be able to stay at a local hospital to ride out the storm? What would he suggest? Would it be better to evacuate early and stay somewhere else near a hospital? If so, could the doctor give you a referral?

My husband and I decided that we’d evacuate even in the case of a moderate hurricane due to the fact that we have handicapped children who have health issues and also because we have a large family. Just the amount of water and food we’d need to survive is staggering! We plan to stay with relatives and return to our home after the situation has stabilized when the storm has passed. Hopefully, we’ll never need to put our plans into action.

If you decide not to evacuate, plan on having at least 3 days of supplies on hand to provide for your family until the disaster relief organizations can get to the area to assist. It’s a good idea to plan for more than 3 days. When the last major hurricane hit our area, it took about a week for the disaster relief organizations to get set up and begin assisting according to our neighbors.

In your disaster kit, make sure to have baby supplies such as extra diapers, formula, bottled water and baby food. My mother in law bought us a baby food warmer with an attachment so that you could use it in a car–just in case.

When planning for a disaster, it’s best to prepare your car too. Make sure you have a full tank of gas before the storm hits, and make sure your vehicle is in good repair.

I really hadn’t put too much effort into planning before last night, mostly because thinking of disasters really stresses me out! Who needs more stress? The thought occurred to me last night that a disaster can happen in a moment and will happen, whether I am prepared or not. My lack of planning and preparation will just make it that much more difficult for my family to get through the emergency. Now that’s a stressful thought. I may not be able to control Mother Nature, but I can at least prepare my family to deal with what she might toss our way.

A recent article in our local paper told of the difficulties that families have finding daycare for infants. I?ve found this to be particularly difficult in my case as I have had several special needs children. It?s hard enough to find child care, much less care for a child that has health concerns or other issues.

It is best to begin looking for child care options before your child arrives and keeping an open mind about the options. Flexibility is key here! I found it best to take as much time as possible off from work after the birth of the baby. At times, I was able to take 12 weeks off for maternity leave, but once, I got called in for a special project two weeks after my third child was born! I was able to negotiate with my boss, and he allowed me to bring my daughter with me, which was great.

When considering child care options, you might want to think about the following:

• Check into telecommuting options.
  Make no mistake about it, working at home is still?work. Nevertheless, if you are very organized and motivated, this may be an option for you. A flexible supervisor is a must if you are looking into this option.

• Check into sick day care options.
  Consider what you will do when your child becomes ill when you need to work. A backup plan is a definite when you have an infant. If sick care is not available in your area, make sure to check on the availability of relatives just in case. If you have handicapped children, there are, again in certain areas of the country, providers who just take handicapped children.

• Ask relatives and friends for help.
  Although I was able to telecommute for most of my working career, there were times when I simply could not accomplish a project with the children in the house or after they went to bed. I had contracted out with friends and relatives who were at home to be ?on call? for me during these times. You may or may not be able to ask family and friends for assistance depending upon a number of variables. Be sensitive to the needs and feelings of your relatives and friends when using this option. Note that some relatives may expect you to pay for their services! It?s best to discuss expectations openly when you are using this option(for example, your relative might only be willing to watch you child so many days a week for so many hours. They may or may not expect to be paid).

• Avoid the issue all together.
  Many working mothers avoid the issue all together by finding jobs with flexible schedules, job sharing, or finding a telecommuting job. Other mothers choose to work a shift opposite than the hours their husband or significant other works. This way, there is always one parent home with a child.

Realize that your child care needs will change as your child grows and develops. As with all things pertaining to parenting, flexibility is a must!

Every parent knows that babies and children, and even some teenagers must have certain vaccinations to protect against some childhood diseases. The following article will look at the various vaccinations and when they should be administered.

Birth:

• Hepatitis B vaccine: This vaccine is given as a series of three shots. The first shot is generally given at birth, but is one of those that may be given at any time if it was not given at birth. This offers protection from the dangerous Hepatitis B virus. This virus causes liver damage and can eventually result in the death of the affected person.

1 to 4 months old:

• Hepatitis B vaccine (second dose) The second dose of the Hep B vaccine is normally given between 1 to 4 months after the first dose.

2 months:

• Pneumococcal5 or PCV At two-months old the infant is generally given the first of four injections which protects them against the dangerous pneumococcal infections. These infections tend to affect children younger than two.

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 – Also known as DTaP, this is a series of five injections that is given starting at 2 months old. The last shot is normally given when the child is between 4 to 6 years old. A booster shot, called Tdap is also given when a child is between 11 and 12 years old. These vaccines protect against serious throat infections (diphtheria), lockjaw (tetanus) which can cause severe nerve damage due to a wound becoming infected, and whooping cough (pertussis).

• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 (Hib) – Also known as Hib, this vaccine is first given at 2 months old with follow-up injections given at ages 4 and 6 months old. Some children do not need the 4 to 6 months shot if they received PedvaxHIB or ComVax vaccines.

• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP – This is another important vaccine that is generally first administered at 2 months old.

• Rotavirus – The RV vaccine is given in three dosages to offer protection against gastroenteritis which can result in severe diarrhea and vomiting.

3 to 4 months:

• Rotavirus or RV (Second dose) Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (second dose)
• Pneumococcal5 or PCV (second dose)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 or Hib (Second dose)
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Second dose)

6 months:

• Influenza – The flu shot is normally given anywhere starting at 6 months old and should be given yearly thereafter.
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 or DTaP (Third shot)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 Hib (Third shot)
• Pneumococcal5 or PCV (third dosage)
• Rotavirus or RV (Third and final injection)
• Influenza (First of annual shots)

6-18 months:

• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (third injection)
• Hepatitis B vaccine (final of three dosages)
• 12 ? 15 months:
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella7 (MMR) (First dose) – Children are given this injection to protect them against measles, mumps and rubella or German measles between 12 and 15 months old.
• Varicella8 The chickenpox shot like the MMR is given between ages 12 and 15 months. Pneumococcal5 or PCV (fourth and final dose)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 or Hib (Final dosage)

12-23 months:

• Hep A (2 doses)

15-18 months:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Fourth dose)

4-6 years old:

• Meningococcal or MCV ? only recommended for children who are at high-risk for the disease.
• Varicella (Second and final dosage)
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella7 (MMR) (Final dose ? although given at this time, it can be given earlier once 28 days has passed since getting the first dose.)
• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (Final shot)
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Fifth and final shot ? a booster shot is given at 11 or 12 years old).

These vaccines are important to help protect babies and children from many preventable diseases and infections. In addition to the vaccines for young children listed above, it is important to remember that children older than 6 and college students (especially those boarding in dorms) have additional vaccines that they should get as well.

You can download the Official Immunization Chart on the CDC Website

The FDA issued a warning today advising parents to not give over the counter cough and cold medicines to infants and toddlers because of the risk of “serious and life threatening side effects that can occur”.

In October of last year, drug companies stopped selling certain versions of baby medicines. Later that same month, FDA advisors voted that the drugs didn’t work in infants and suggested that such drugs not even be used for pre-schoolers–meaning children up to age 6. Expect a formal ruling on the use of such medications in preschoolers and elementary school children to be publicized some time in spring.

Why issue a warning now? The FDA is concerned that parents have not gotten the message and that they may currently have such medicines at home, or that they may use other medicines designed for older children to medicate their infants. Also, decades ago, when these medications were first developed, scientists thought that what worked in an adult automatically would work in an infant.

Right now, specialists are advising parents who have infants with colds and coughs to rely on old fashioned remedies which include–plenty of love, rest, and liquids.