I remember being a kid and struggling with my mother every Sunday about what I was going to wear to church. Church was a reason to get dressed up, but all my nicer clothes were uncomfortable and I didn't like the thought of being trapped in them every week for even a few hours. While I liked the concept of the frilly dresses and whatnot, the shoes and tights were uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get home to get all that off of me, to the point where I am not so sure I was paying much attention!
Holidays are one thing--kids get stuffed into nice dresses, tights and miniature suits for a few hours at a time, tops. Once they hit their own homes, half that stuff usually comes off and they are free to run around in more comfortable attire. Depending on where you live, the clothes can get more or less formal. IN New York City, for example, our kids are nothing if not fashion plates. No one seems to bat an eyelash at spending $100 on an outfit her kid is going to wear exactly one time for one special occasion. The good news is the mom usually knows at least one other family to pass the garments on to, so the item does get Miltie-wear.
In other parts of the country jeans are seen as acceptable. Throw a nice sweater on top of it and some decent shoes (which for a child can be unbelievably pricey) and the kids are good to go. They're probably more comfortable, too. Not sure if jeans are considered acceptable, at say, church, but they do fly at brunches and holiday gatherings in general.' Given the current economy, I wonder if kids' clothes will continue to become less formal as folks turn towards wardrobes they've already amassed.
What do your kids wear when the go out? My kid? Well, he wears whatever I mine from the gloriously wonderful clothes my friends lend me from when their sons were that age. We have a little network of lending going so the clothes we do buy get maximum wear.
Just how dangerous are shopping carts to kids? It depends on who you ask.
Shopping carts have become the next battleground in the war on germs. Grocery stores now offer antibacterial wipes and disposable covers for shopping cart handles, while parents can also lug in cotton covers that prevent their baby from ever actually having contact with the shopping cart their riding in.
But is all this flurry and worry really necessary? One study found that infants who ride in a cart next to packages of raw poultry and meat are at an increased risk of developing salmonella. But other pediatricians say that all this fear over germs can actually backfire. Kids need to be exposed to germs and bacteria to build up a healthy immune system.
Because both of my girls are healthy and don't have any chronic health issues, I've never given shopping carts a second thought. We wash our hands on a regular basis, but we don't use any anti-bacterial products or shopping cart covers. But I see plenty of moms who do. Where do you stand on this issue?
I'm a big fan of finding new uses for things, and this is a great example. A two-year-old Australian girl, born with biliary artresia, was undergoing surgery to receive a liver transplant when Dr. Albert Shun found a problem. It seems that the adult-size liver was too big and was putting pressure on the girl's blood vessels -- a potentially deadly situation.
Dr. Shun came up with a creative way to solve the problem. "I rang my wife and asked her to go to Big W and buy me some ping-pong balls," he said. The doctor used the ping-pong ball to keep the liver off the arteries and relieve the pressure. "There shouldn't be any complications. We are in a unique situation in Australia because we have a low donor rate so we have to be adaptable," he said.
The young girl is now up and running about like a normal two-year-old. "She is so normal now. She is a happy kid," said the girl's mother. Sounds like a good use of a ping-pong ball to me.
According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, kids' rooms are one of the fastest growing luxury markets, bringing in almost $10 million a year for retailers. Fueled by shows like "Trading Spaces" Boys vs. Girls" and the well-publicized lifestyles of celebrity offspring, kids are looking for that show-stopping personal space - and their parents are indulging them.
Have you seen the Pottery Barn Kids catalog lately? There isn't one single room in my house that's as nice as the nurseries in that envy-inducing tome. I feel like I need to go work in a soup kitchen after I leaf through one, just to remember that very few people actually live that way.
Smaller businesses are capitalizing on the craze, as well. Apparently, one Michigan firm specializes in nothing but "lavish" kids' rooms, and the clients aren't limited to teens. Even toddlers are getting in on the act, with custom-painted murals and expensive cribs.
What exactly constitutes a "luxurious" touch? According to the article, they range from the minor (vivid paint colors) to the outrageous (leather floors!).
In my day, having a double bed when you were under the age of 18 was considered a luxury. What's next? Diamond-studded toothbrushes? Cashmere diaper covers? Fur-lined onesies?
And you? Are you a luxury lover or is your style more spartan than starlet?
This year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is recommending that kids as young as six months receive the influenza vaccine. There are plenty of doses of the vaccine available -- 143 million -- so the additional kids do not represent a problem. Dr. Julie Gerberding of the CDC says that more kids vaccinated means fewer kids that will die, not to mention fewer "headaches with cranky children."
"It's a fact," Gerberding noted, "that the influenza vaccine saves lives by not only helping to prevent flu but also by preventing the serious complications that sometimes result from infection with influenza." The CDC is confident that the vaccine this year will "be on target", according to Dr. Daniel Jernigan, deputy director of the influenza division. Despite a less-than-ideal vaccine last year, there have been good matches sixteen of the last twenty years.
We'll likely get our kids vaccinated, including the baby if our pediatrician recommends it. Will you do the same?
Parents with no time for tradition baby books quickly discovered that blogging baby was time-saving electronic alternative to keep friends and relatives updated on their child's growth and development.
"It's an interesting model," said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist for the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Everyone can decide how much or little they want to know about a baby, which avoids the situation of receiving a few too many e-mails about someone's wonderful child, and parents can decide how much they want to share - in minimal or maximal ways."
Parents can also use the networking platforms to create a group of cyberspace peer "friends" for their infants, but one has to wonder.........why?! Is this a way for parents to now cyberly helicopter their children before the tots can even speak for themselves or is it an attempt to create the next generation's Dooce, or simply a way to lighten the monotony of caring for a sleepless infant?
The number of people (especially children) afflicted with asthma continues to skyrocket, so it's a bit unusual to have the researchers who may have uncovered a clue in asthma/allergy puzzle less than jubilant about their findings.
The reason behind the trepidation? The possible link for developing asthma was found in acetaminophen, the popular fever and pain-reducer recommended for children in lieu of aspirin which can cause the potentially deadly Reyes Syndrome. "We are saying there may be a(n acetaminophen) link. We don't yet know whether it is causative," said Richard Beasley who led the international study on acetaminophen involving more than 200,000 children in 31 countries.
In the study, parents of children ages 6-7 were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their children's history of acetaminophen usage and whether the child had developed asthma or other allergies. The results revealed that children who received acetaminophen for the treatment of fever in the first year of life were, on average, 46 per cent more likely to develop asthma by the age of 6 or 7, compared with infants not given the medication.
However, those involved with the research were quick to point out that the study was far from definitive proof that acetaminophen is behind the recent dearth of asthma cases. "I think there is potential for harm from our findings if we don't get the correct message to the public," Dr. Beasley said.
That message is: acetaminophen remains the safest way to treat children with fevers but parents should still consider it a serious medication.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 20,000 Children's Metal Water Bottles from Pottery Barn Kids. The sip top on the bottles can detach and pose a choking hazard to young kids.
The bottles are about 9 inches tall and have a black rubber sip top that pulls up. The following color and styles are included in the recall. You can find the style number and "Pottery Barn Kids" printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the bottle.
Lavender - 5795141 Pink - 5795166 Pink - 9121591 Navy - 5795158 Navy - 9211583 Green - 5795133
The water bottles were made in Taiwan and sold exclusively at Pottery Barn Kids' stores nationwide, Pottery Barn Kids' catalog, and through Pottery Barn online from from January 2007 through August 2008 for about $10 each. If you have one of the recalled bottles, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to any Pottery Barn Kids' store for a full refund. If you bought it online or through the catalog, contact Pottery Barn Kids to receive your refund. You can reach them by calling (877) 800-9720 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or by visiting their Web site.
Who doesn't love babies? Those chubby arms and legs, those tiny hands and feet, those big round heads - they just ooze cuddly adorableness. But let's face it, as cute as they are, babies just don't have that much to offer when it comes to helping out around the house. Ask a baby to pour you a glass of juice and all you will get is a blank stare. Need to go somewhere and can't find your keys? Better get searching yourself because baby won't lift a finger to help you out. Or will she?
According to a new study out of Germany, babies aren't as clueless as you may think. Conventional wisdom holds that until about the age of two, babies aren't very good communicators. But it turns out that just because babies can't talk, doesn't mean they don't have something to tell you. Like where you left your keys.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute asked 49 one-year-olds to help their parents search for an object that had fallen out of sight when the parent wasn't looking. Most of the babies were actually able to help - communicating non-verbally to show the parent the location of the missing object. The report says: "One-year-olds, before they have language skills, can point informatively and communicate appropriately for ignorant adults."
But the babies in the study weren't about to go locating objects for adults who didn't actually need their help. When an object fell out of sight while the parent was watching, the babies were less likely to share their knowledge of where it went. "In contrast to classic views of infant communication, infants' early pointing at 12 months is already based on an understanding of others' knowledge and ignorance, along with a motive to help others," said researcher Malinda Carpenter.
A motive to help others! That just makes me love babies even more.
Two words a parent dreads hearing: head lice. Those creepy little bugs that infest the hair of humans are a hassle to treat and often cause for embarrassment. Considering the fact that head lice have been bugging humans for thousands of years, one wonders why we haven't figured out a sure-fire way to eradicate them.
One of the reasons is the parasite's ability to adapt and become immune to the medications we use to get rid of it. In fact, experts say that it takes only three to five years for head lice - or pediculosis - to develop an immunity to a new treatment. This means that sometimes the over-the-counter medications parents furiously work into their child's hair does absolutely nothing.
Health experts still recommend that medications such as Rid and Nix be used to treat head lice as they do work for many people. But for those who have tried them and still have creepy crawlers up there, help may be on the horizon. The Food and Drug Administration is close to approving several new treatments, including the "Lice Asphyxiator", which basically kills the bugs by preventing them from breathing. Also on the way is a fast-acting lotion that does the job in a fraction of the time as current treatments. And my personal favorite: a treatment that involves blow-drying the bugs to death.
In the meantime, the Internet is full of suggestions on how to get rid of lice with home remedies. I don't know if covering your kid's scalp in mayonnaise, olive oil or Vaseline really works, but I would sure be willing to give it a try.
Getting your child to eat healthfully can be harder than a 48-hour labor. Much of the time, where picky eaters come from is unknown, although it seems able to start at an early age and set in for the duration of childhood if we're not careful. For most parents, we're terrified of the growing obesity epidemic and our children possibly becoming a part of it and we're equally concerned about our children getting proper nutrition.
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So, what to do? Well, a new section of the New York Times, dedicated to health issues, has a few suggestions. The first is to keep kids in the kitchen and get them involved in food preparation. Making kids aware of all the different kinds of food out there, moreso than just getting them to eat SOMETHING, is key, and being in the kitchen gives them, at least in part, that awareness. Another suggestion is to encourage children to try a bite of everything that's served. It was noted that coercing them into eating foods or bribing them into doing it doesn't really work. Many of you have noted that as well. And hiding or restricting the goodies? Well, that just makes kids want them more. We all know how that feels--adults who deprive themselves of the things they enjoy while dieting usually end up sneaking the foods or possibly overdosing on them.
Depending on the age of your child, some of these techniques may or may not work. I can agree with offering the variety approach though, regardless of your child's age. That seems to be the kindest, smartest way to get a kid to at least try something. I also eat whatever it is I serve my child, and make a big deal out of how yummy it is. Then, he inevitably at least wants to try what I have. He may not like it, but at least he sampled--and that's better than the period during which he attempted to sustain himself entirely on Cheerios.
Driving around in customized, matching electric ride-on cars with personalized license plates, Preston (3) and Jayden (2) Spears celebrated their birthdays (September 14th and 12th, respectively) together along with their family. The boys' grandparents were there along with their aunt and newborn cousin Maddie Briann.
Other celebrity guests included Jenny McCarthy's son Evan and Gwen Stefani's son Kingston. According to a source speaking with People magazine, "The boys received tons of birthday gifts. Britney and her family really made the party special for the boys." The cake was in the shape of a yellow truck to match the cars-and-trucks theme of the party.
You know? Those boys have been through a lot, what with their mum's issues and all; it seems to me they deserve a nice time for a change.
Kids hate tags. Heck, I hate tags. They're itchy, bothersome, and they're always sticking out. Parents everywhere have been cutting tags out of clothing for years, tired of listening to kids complaining about them. Then, some smart marketer had a great idea: Let's make clothing without tags. Peace reigned over the kingdom of children's apparel. Mostly.
It seems that something sinister is going on with Carter's Fall 2007 line of tagless baby clothing. Some parents are reporting that their babies are getting rashes and sores high up on their backs from the silk-screen label. According to The Consumerist, the problem is limited to the Fall 2007 line, so unless you're child is wearing hand-me-downs, this shouldn't affect your future Carter's purchasing plans.
It's not clear whether this is a problem with manufacturing or simply an allergy issue. And then there's this forum that suggests the problem isn't limited to the Carter's brand. If your child has had a reaction to a tagless tee, contact the company that made them. It sounds like Carter's, at least, is asking parents to send the clothing in and then refunding their money in the form of a voucher. Have you ever had a problem with tagless baby clothes?
Just how dangerous are shopping carts to kids? It depends on who you ask.
I'm a big fan of 
According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, 
This year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is recommending that kids as young as 
Parents with no time for tradition baby books quickly discovered that blogging baby was time-saving electronic alternative to keep friends and relatives updated on their child's growth and development. 
The number of people (especially children) afflicted with asthma continues to skyrocket, so it's a bit unusual to have the researchers who may have uncovered a clue in asthma/allergy puzzle less than jubilant about their findings. 
Who doesn't love babies? Those chubby arms and legs, those tiny hands and feet, those big round heads - they just ooze cuddly adorableness. But let's face it, as cute as they are, babies just don't have that much to offer when it comes to helping out around the house. Ask a baby to pour you a glass of juice and all you will get is a blank stare. Need to go somewhere and can't find your keys? Better get searching yourself because baby won't lift a finger to help you out. Or will she? 
Two words a parent dreads hearing: head lice. Those creepy little bugs that infest the hair of humans are a hassle to treat and often cause for embarrassment. Considering the fact that head lice have been bugging humans for thousands of years, one wonders why we haven't figured out a sure-fire way to eradicate them. 
Driving around in customized, matching electric ride-on cars with personalized license plates, Preston (3) and Jayden (2) Spears celebrated their birthdays (September 14th and 12th, respectively) together along with their family. The boys' grandparents were there along with their aunt and newborn cousin Maddie Briann.
Kids hate tags. Heck, I hate tags. They're itchy, bothersome, and they're always sticking out. Parents everywhere have been cutting tags out of clothing for years, tired of listening to kids complaining about them. Then, some smart marketer had a great idea: Let's make clothing without tags. Peace reigned over the kingdom of children's apparel. Mostly.
