Archive for September, 2010
Sep
30
Posted by
Shaun Bennett
My daughter Stephanie is about to turn 9 in a few months, so I — like most parents — have been worried about those childhood diseases that seem to find their way into the helpless bodies of most kids her age.
Luckily, so far, she has yet to grab any of the famed illnesses.
Chicken Pox? I’m sure it’s right around the corner. Measles? Not yet … and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Mumps? Do kids still get this disease?
But we haven’t dodged every bullet. Unfortunately, my daughter has come down with a bad case of Bieber Fever.
If you don’t recognize this paralyzing disease, consider yourself lucky (and you probably are the proud parents of a male child). Bieber Fever is the term — surely made famous by Tiger Beat...
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Sep
30
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Fisher-Price is recalling more than 10 million tricycles, toys and high chairs over safety concerns.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that two of the products being recalled involved injuries.
In the recall of about 7 million Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, the agency is aware of 10 reports of children being hurt. Six of them required medical attention.
The trikes — some of which feature popular characters like Dora the Explorer and Barbie — have a protruding plastic ignition key near the seat that children can strike, sit on or fall on, leading to injuries that the commission said can include genital bleeding.
Fisher-Price is also...
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Sep
29
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
BETH J. HARPAZ, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK — Second-graders who can’t tie shoes or zip jackets. Four-year-olds in Pull-Ups diapers. Five-year-olds in strollers. Teens and preteens befuddled by can openers and ice-cube trays. College kids who’ve never done laundry, taken a bus alone or addressed an envelope.
Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? And do we have only ourselves to blame? Or are some of these things simply the result of kids growing up with push-button technology in an era when mechanical devices are gradually being replaced by electronics?
Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter “literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for...
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Sep
29
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Those soft fabric sleep positioners that parents put in the crib to keep babies safely sleeping on their backs could be dangerous, even deadly, for little ones, the government warned Wednesday.
Citing 12 deaths, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission said the positioners are not safe and that parents, caregivers and others should not use them at all because of a suffocation risk.
The babies, ranging in age from 1 to 4 months, died when they suffocated in the positioner or became trapped between the positioner and the side of a crib and then suffocated. The deaths spanned the last 13 years.
Most of the babies suffocated after rolling from a side to stomach...
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Sep
28
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By MAE ANDERSON, Retail Writer
NEW YORK — This year’s hot holiday toys are high-tech — and low-price.
From tiny remote-control cars from Mattel to nearly paper-thin electronic guitars and drums from WowWee Toys called Paper Jamz, technology is infused in many of this year’s projected hot toys. But that doesn’t mean the return of $100 price tag, which seems to have been for the most part banished since the recession.
Many techie toys are wallet-friendly at under $30.
Jim Silver, an analyst at Time to Play Magazine, which offers an influential list of hot toys each year, says toy prices overall have come down, but technology has gotten better. The highest-priced toy on the list is $59.99.
“This year’s toys are...
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Sep
28
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
nameberry.com
It’s fall … the air is getting crisper, the days are getting shorter … the moment to think about the names of autumn.
Unlike spring, summer, and even winter, fall is not a season that immediately brings a bonanza of name possibilities to mind. But when you think about it, there are almost as many autumn blooms as there are springtime ones, there are harvest deities, and a palette-full of fall colors, among other options.
So if you’re expecting a fall baby, and are looking for a name reflecting the season of their birth, there are lots of colorful choices to consider, beginning with:
The autumnal flowers and shrubs:
- Adonis (blue)
- Anemone
- Aster
- Belle of the Night (Belle or...
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Sep
27
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Darah Zeledon, Hybrid Mom
The alarm sounds just before dawn. Sleep-deprived parents everywhere stumble into their kitchens to guzzle coffee and muster up the strength to confront their cranky lethargic lion cubs, deep in slumber. This typical scenario occurs in many households, day after day, and all parents share similar complaints. It’s time to wake up your kid for school and he doesn’t want to go.
A lucky few parents have the type of kid that arises with gusto and full of positive energy ready to embrace the day. Then there’s the kid that remains in a stupor until well after arriving at school. Finally, there’s the child that falls somewhere in between. However, many are also blessed with “the defiant one,” the child that...
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Sep
27
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Emilie LeBeau, McClatchy-Tribune
Many workplaces are improving accommodations for nursing mothers. Some corporations have designated rooms where mothers can pump in peace. Others have special refrigerators where mothers can store freshly pumped milk until quitting time.
These efforts make it easier for new moms to provide breast milk to their babies. But how exactly do moms get breast milk home from the office?
There are carriers designed to hold bottles in transit. The Cool Wrap Bottle Tote from Munchkin is an insulated carrier meant to keep bottles cool for up to five hours.
The tote has removable gel cooling packs which can be helpful for mothers who don’t have refrigerator access. The tote holds one standard bottle and zips closed. Once...
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Sep
26
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Laura A. Jana MD, FAAP, and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP, HealthyChildren.org
The following is an excerpt from “Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality” (Second Edition):
A License to care
Of the roughly 12 million children in child care, about 3 million are cared for in unlicensed and therefore unregulated settings. Be sure to check that the provider you choose for your child has a current license to provide child care services in your state.
Trust more than your gut
Your gut instincts should definitely play a role in your search for someone you trust to be nurturing and to provide your child with the best care whenever you aren’t around. Word of mouth can also...
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Sep
25
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Amy Stevens, The Orange County Register
I’m turning into that mom. The one who doesn’t let her kid have any fun.
Last weekend my son was at a friend’s house. The dad texted: “We’re going to watch a PG-13 movie, is that OK with you?”
First thought: “Ugh!”
Second thought: “At least he asked.” I’m sure it won’t be long before my 8-year old son is doing things of which I wouldn’t approve at friends’ houses without their parents asking first.
Like when he recently played hours of “Call of Duty” at his cousins’ house, with “full blood” on, without my knowing it. But I digress.
We’ve always struggled with what media is...
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