Tag Archives: babies

Car Seat Safety

I’m slightly obsessed with car seat safety. It comes from the scars of my work as an EMT through college. I volunteered in two rural towns, and though one of those towns was big enough to have almost 1500 Ambulance calls a year, that’s not even close to what paid EMS personnel in big cities witness daily. However, I did see some pretty horrible stuff and some of these images are hard to shake. Naturally, those memories have new meaning as a parent.

This morning I read an article about Britax (my personal favorite car seat manufacturer) releasing a new line that will redefine their brand. The line is due out at the end of August and you can pre-order their new seats through most online retailers as early as today. I research car seats constantly — and not just via online reviews on the manufacturer or retailers websites – I take my friend’s experiences into consideration. I want to know two things: the safety ratings and ease of use. Price point, while important, isn’t the first thing I look into.

I know how to install a car seat. I watch the videos. I read the manual. I’m well aware of the how-to’s, but that little voice in my head always pipes up, “What if I did it wrong? What if something I did could make a difference in a crash?”

I’ve had car seats in my car since long before I had my own kids. The youngest of four siblings, I always had nieces and nephews to cart around. I always made sure the car seats were installed by a certified technician and were seats with good ratings. When I found out that to become a certified child safety seat technician it took logging roughly 40-hours of classroom time, I was completely shocked. However, hearing that only validated my will to have the car seats professionally installed.

If you’re in the market for a new car seat, this site (which corresponds with this book has some pretty amazing reviews and ratings when it comes to car seats and other baby gear. The book was a bible for me when researching the gear I wanted to purchase for our first child. I highly recommend it for anyone expecting their first or their second. We’re expecting our second this fall and on my list of Baby Prep To Do’s lies a bullet dedicated to this book and checking to see if any of our only two-years-young baby gear has been recalled.

Every state (and country) has unique laws when it comes to children and car seats. Here in Connecticut, children are required to be in some kind of restraint until they are 6-years old and at least 60 lbs. Check on your states website for the latest information where you live.

If you already have and love your current car seat, here are some quick tips that can help to make sure your child is secured safely.

The seat should not move more than a half-inch in either direction when shaken at the base; in fact, the entire car should move when you shake the seat
The straps should be free of all twists
The chest buckle should be at nipple or armpit height
Straps should be tight enough that only one finger can slip between the strap and the child’s shoulder
Shoulder straps should be at or just below the shoulder for rear-facing infants and at or just above the shoulder for forward facing kids (remember, rear-facing for as long as possible is best!)
Avoid strapping your child into their seat while they’re wearing a winter coat or snowsuit.

The last bullet is tough. I live in New England where it gets quite cold during the winter months and I hate that last bullet. However, strapping a kid into a car seat in a big coat will change the points of restraint. In a head-on crash the child can be forced forward further than they would without a jacket causing a whipping motion of the head and potentially causing a neck injury. I keep a heavy blanket in the car and cover my daughter after she’s strapped in wearing only what she’d be wearing if we were inside. Some people recommend putting the child’s arms back through the jacket arm holes after the child is secured so the jacket acts like a blanket. The jacket-on, jacket-off, jacket-on routine is painful. But you just never know how much those extra minutes could be worth.

I recommend to all parents I meet that they look up a certified child seat safety technician in their town or city and make an appointment to have their seats installed or, if it’s already installed, have it checked. The best place to start is the local police department and/or fire department. Sometimes pre-schools or local businesses (like Walmart or Babies R Us) will have a bulletin board with community events that will list Safety Seat Checkpoints. It takes just a few minutes to have your seat checked by a professional. It might be the most valuable few minutes you ever spend.

by Pocklock

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Photo graciously provided by Geek2Nurse, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Why Do I Want Children?

After being around friends and family this last weekend, and playing with their kids, I began to ponder why people decide to have children. Some people choose to not have children and some people are good either way. I definitely do not fit in the latter of these two types. I want children. So all of these thoughts led me to ask myself, “what is it in me that drives me to want children so badly?”

I think many people choose to have children because it is the “next step”. They are married or have life partners and feel that children are the next thing that comes in life. This way of thinking is taught to young children with this familiar rhyme:

“First comes Love, then comes Marriage,
Then comes a baby in a baby carriage.”

I think my friend was this way. I know that she loves her children dearly and she is a wonderful mother, but I believe that when they decided to throw away the birth control and try to become parents, they did so because they liked the idea of being “parents.” it was the next chronological life event.

After over five years of struggling with infertility, countless amounts of money spent on fertility treatment, two miscarriages, two surgeries, and adoption certification, I find myself asking “What is it in ME that drives me to want children so badly? Why do I keep putting myself through this month after month, year after year?”

Is it the fact that it doesn’t come easily? It is a struggle, and in a way I want to prove that I can do it. I can beat this and I will not give up until I have succeeded.

Is it because I see all of my friends having children and I am feeling left out? Sometimes it is difficult for me to relate to my friends with children. We have very little in common anymore and I just can’t talk “babies” with them.

Is it because I believe that this is the next chronological event in my life? My husband and I dated, we got married, we bought our first house and now what? The next event in our life SHOULD be having children.

Is it because I feel an obligation to give my parents grandchildren? My parents are wonderful grandparents. They love their grandchildren immensely and it has always been a running thing in our family to see who will have the new baby THIS Christmas? I am the youngest of six and all of my siblings have had children and have completed their families. It was blatantly pointed out recently by one of my sisters that I am the only hope for future grandchildren for my parents.

Is it because I am curious to see what our children will look like? My husband is a strikingly handsome man with a sparkle in his eye that still to this day makes me melt. I find myself fantasizing about what features our children will get from him and what features they will get from me. Facebook recently had an application where you could upload a picture of yourself and a picture of your significant other and they will put together a picture of what your future children would look like. I never did this. It is too painful to see what may never be.

Is it because I was born with some mysterious “mother instinct” and this unseen desire to mother and to care for others? As a child I ALWAYS had a baby doll in my arms, “house” was my favorite game to play, and I even went as far as to stuff clothes in my shirt to make me look pregnant. Was I just born with this desire and have no control over it whatsoever?

The truth is, I think it is a bit of all of these things. There is a certain amount of competitiveness in me that says “infertility will NOT keep me from having children” and the fact that it is difficult for me to get (and stay) pregnant drives me to the next step, the next cycle.

I do feel isolated from my friends that have children and I dread hearing that new friends are trying to start a family because I am terrified that they will achieve parenthood before me.

I feel having children is the next chronological event in our lives. We have achieved many milestones in our relationship, but can anyone tell me what happens after marriage, a career and buying a house?

Being the only sibling in my family without children, and the fact that all of them have completed their families, there really is an immense amount of pressure for me to now have children. How can I be the only person in my family without children?

I look into my husband’s eyes and wonder, will our children have his gorgeous blue eyes, or my brown eyes? Will they have his freckles or my tan skin? Will they get my almost invisible lips or my husband’s luscious, thick lips?

I have this overwhelming desire to be a mother. I have had it since I can remember. I used to carry my nieces and nephews around all day on my hip. I would feed them, rock them to sleep, change their diapers, and I never felt more peace than when they fell asleep on my chest. This was my heaven, my oasis.

I guess in a way being infertile has allowed me the time to really sit back and analyze why I want children. After all, if I were able to have children easily, I would have two live children now and probably trying for a third. There would be no time to think about it, it would just “be.”

by Nichole Clinger

Photo graciously provided by apc33, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Safety In The Sun Means Much More Fun!

Last weekend, a five month-old baby in the seaside town where I live was rushed to hospital in an ambulance with burns over 40% of his body. He was dehydrated, and according to doctors, may be at a higher risk of kidney failure. He will be in pain for some time. Like me, you will probably think that it was a barbecue accident, but no: the baby was on the beach with his family, and he was napping in the sun. He was sunburned. You can just imagine the gasps of horror in the neighbourhood!

Most of us know that we should cover up when we’re in the sun. But are we really careful enough with our kids, whose sensitive skin is much more at risk? Most toddlers HATE having sunblock applied, and squirm and wriggle so that it is nearly impossible to get it on them properly. The whole operation can be so tedious that it’s easy to do a halfway job, and then regret it later. Sometimes, like last weekend, it’s pretty sunny but the breeze blows cool and we just don’t feel hot enough to remember to reapply sunblock.

Or we might think that after months of being covered up like slugs for the winter, we NEED some colour and a little pink in our family’s cheeks. Sunshine and Fresh Air, we think. Experts recommend applying sunblock 30 minutes before sun exposure, because it takes at least ten minutes to soak in and become effective. Before you leave home is the best time! It’s easy to get out into the great outdoors, and spend a few minutes unpacking and a few minutes getting comfy, and then start to look for the sunblock… by which time the kids have been in the sun, unprotected, for fifteen minutes. And THEN you have to catch them! And yes, a child – even an adult – can burn in fifteen minutes on a hot day.

One bad sunburn in childhood or adolescence can more than double the risk of skin cancer in later life. And in the short term, unprotected exposure to the sun can cause pain, blistering, dehydration and heat stroke. Sunburn can take all the fun out of your day out.

So we must be vigilant in our crusade against those harmful rays.

It is good to get into the habit of applying sunblock at a certain time of day: When my family is on a beachy holiday, sunblock-time is built into our morning routine: Breakfast, Sunblock. The kids take it for granted, and line up with minor moaning about the sun not even being UP yet. (Why oh why do they have to get up so early, so hungrily, and so loudly, on holiday mornings?)

Another routine that really works, especially for younger kids, is an early lunch and an after-lunch indoor or shade activity. This is great for so many reasons: Kids are generally hungry earlier when playing on the beach (and getting up too early), and they are generally exhausted by midday. Serving lunch in the shade or indoors at eleven prevents overtired-and-hungry meltdowns (you know the ones), and then you can keep the kids in playing after lunch, during the hottest hours of the day (eleven to three). They may even nap! You can use this opportunity to fill them with fluids, like water or juice. Then, reapply sunblock before heading back into the sunshine, rejuvenated!

You may have noticed that I’m using a tactic here which little kids love anyway: Routine. Develop sun habits that are healthy, and later on you may notice that your older kids keep them, reading in the shade after lunch or watching a DVD.

If you’re just heading to the beach for the day, you could try another sunblock tactic: Sunscreen-and-a-Treat! Ice lollies while sunblock is re-applied? A favourite drink? Chips and dip? A good tactic for older kids, because you’re not yelling “Come and let me reapply your sunblock!” you’re yelling “Ice lollies!” … see, you can’t lose. Get everyone to drink some juice or water, too. They are bound to feel thirsty, and it is important to stay hydrated.

Ideally, sunblock should be reapplied every two hours when you’re in the sun, so if everyone’s on the beach for the whole day, regular sunblock-and-hydration breaks are a must.

I know that hats are good for blocking the sun, but don’t think that you can skimp on the sunblock if your child is wearing a hat. The sun’s rays reflect off of sand and water, and sneak in under the brim of any hat… and a hat can (and probably will) be removed. So can a T-Shirt. My kids think I’m weird, but I tend to apply sunblock and then a T-Shirt, and that means that if they take their T-Shirt off, I don’t have to panic.

Some types of sunblock can get into kids’ eyes and they sting. Ow! I can see why anyone would squirm and complain about this. For faces, it’s best to use a clear stick designed especially for the face. It doesn’t rub off easily, and never runs into eyes. I like to use a factor 50 if I can get it (although there are claims that factor 50 isn’t THAT much more effective than factor 30 block). For the rest of the body, any sunblock with an SPF of 30 or higher is fine. If kids are swimming or sweating, waterproof block is essential.

Use liberally! Skimping will make sunblock less effective. Experts estimate that most parents use half the recommended amount of sunscreen. Creams are much better than sprays for this reason, the gunkier the better. If you prefer to use a spray-on sunscreen, at least use a good thick cream for the first application, and rub it in well.

Remember to apply sunscreen to all of those easily-forgotten bits: The ears, which can stick out and catch the sun terribly! The feet, calves, knees. The arms, all the way down to the fingers. The parting in their hair. The back of the neck. The tummy. And remember that sunblock is non-negotiable. I have seen parents get into lengthy whining matches with their kids, and agree to put the sunblock on ‘In a while’. Are they mad? If your child would rather not wear a seatbelt, would you give them their way?

And do remember to set a good example. Apply sunblock to yourself! Get a truly gorgeous hat! Expound upon the virtues of sunblock, its anti-ageing effects, its ability to keep you comfortable after a day out. An extreme tan is no longer cool, anyway. Especially not on your children.

by Nan Sheppard

Photo graciously provided by .: sandman, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Shutting Down Now, Goodbye!

Approximately half of the things given to or purchased for baby Mina make noise. After several months of observing the ever growing pile of battery-operated noise-making infant distractors I began entertaining the theory that the devices were interbreeding and thereby adding to their own numbers. This certainly would explain why eighty-percent of these devices played the same songs or some slight variation thereof.

The brightly colored clamshell Baby’s Learning Laptop by Vtech joined the cacophonous fray in the guise of a Christmas gift for the prodigal child. It wasn’t an immediate hit with the baby as she seemed more to hit the over-sized graphic-laden buttons or toggle the large rodent-shaped computer mouse by sheer virtue of flailing in their general direction. However, as time goes by she does seem to be picking up more on the relationship of pushing a button and having the youthful, digitized voice shout various over-enthusiastic declarations and flash light patterns on the “display”.

That said, her two favorite activities remain attempting to masticate the laptop lid and, failing that, closing it at which point the laptop declares “Shutting down now, goodbye!”

An additional control present on the laptop is the power/volume selector which has three settings – off, loud, and louder. Why children’s toys feel the need to compete with every other imaginable sound in the environment remains a mystery to me. I expect the official explanation would be that children require loud noises and flashiness to retain their attention but I suspect it may be a ploy to damage our hearing and make us purchase Vtech My First Hearing-Aids. I can only hope that as the battery drains the volume will get lower. Unfortunately, the toy seems to be incredibly battery-efficient.

All kidding aside though, the Vtech Baby’s Learning Laptop has proven itself to have greater staying power with the baby over many of its fellow battery-operated contemporaries. Though Mina may suffer from the fickle attention characteristic of youths and have various favorite toys of the moment, she does still manage to bang away at the “keyboard” on an almost daily basis. Additionally, as mentioned previously, as her understanding of action-reaction relationships grows and her manual dexterity improves her use of the laptop seems to become more deliberate and satisfying.

Whether the learning features of the toy will really lead to learning remains to be seen and will need to be revisited someday.

by James Cooper

Photo of Baby’s Learning Laptop used through Fair Use doctrine, some rights reserved

Poll Results: What More Can We Do For You?

It’s now been about twenty four hours since we launched our poll – here it is again, so if you haven’t expressed your opinion, here’s your chance – And if you like, click on the “View Results” link below and see where the community’s head is at. – Lastly, thanks a bunch for telling us what’s on your mind. ‘Cause without you, dearest readers, we’re just a bunch of lunatics who talk to ourselves, out loud, in public. And they have a name for that, don’t they?

[polldaddy poll="3191499"]