Babies
Personalized pacifiers - product recall
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Health & safety, Baby essentials, Shopping & recalls
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 115,000 It's My Binky Personalized Pacifiers. The pacifier can come apart and pose a choking hazard to infants. No injuries have been reported, but the company has received two reports of this happening.Made in Malaysia for It's My Binky of Henderson, Nevada, the pacifiers were sold at Nordstrom and baby boutique retail stores nationwide and online from February 2006 through June 2008 for between $5 and $6.
The recalled pacifiers have the word "Japlo" imprinted on the front of the pacifier shield at the bottom center. They were sold in blue, white and pink with various words or designs printed on the button of the pacifier. Photos showing examples of some of the text and symbols on the recalled pacifiers can be found here.
If you have one of these pacifiers, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to the store where purchased or contact It's My Binky to receive a free replacement pacifier. You can reach It's My Binky by calling (888) 689-9444 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday PT or by visiting their Website. You can also email Danielle Riiber at Danielle@itsmybinky.com.
Weekend as single dad
My husband was flying solo on parenting duty over the weekend while I was out of town for a few days, and I could tell he was experiencing the extreme up-and-down nature of staying home with two small children. During one phone call he'd exult about their morning trip to the blueberry farm and the cute things our toddler had done, an hour later I'd receive a text message from him reading "SOLD 1 CHILD. OTHER HAS NOT MET $5 RESERVE PRICE YET. RUNNING AWAY AND NEVER COMING BACK, GOODBYE."
In my absence JB decided to stop swaddling the baby at night and upon my return he smugly informed me that Dylan had not only gone to sleep just fine without his Miracle Blanket, but he slept all the way until 5 AM. I thought, well doesn't that just figure that the baby starts sleeping through the night while I'm gone, but after my first night home when Dylan sounded off at 1:30 AM -- having turned his unswaddled body sideways in the crib and smashed the top of his head against the bars -- I couldn't help but notice that my husband snored peacefully while I came stumbling out of bed, only half-awake, my brain tuned to the sound of crying. In other words, I suspect there may have been the normal amount of night fussing, it's just that it fell upon DEAF, SLUMBERING EARS.
All in all he did just fine, of course, because my husband is a fantastic and capable dad, despite his ability to snore through wails of HALP MY FONTANEL IS PAINFULLY WEDGED AGAINST MY SLEEP-JAIL. I did however enjoy his confession that you know what, it really is better if you put a dish in the dishwasher right away instead of allowing its remnants to harden into cement over a 48 hour period. Will wonders ever cease? Next thing you know he'll realize that just because it's "only" a pee diaper, it doesn't mean it should be left on the floor; or wow, putting laundry in the basket is really pretty easy once you try it once or twice.
Best parenting advice from grandmothers
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens
I have always sought the advice of mothers I admire, especially grandmothers. For parents like me who are in the thick of it, the wisdom of women who can see and reflect on the big picture is an invaluable asset. With five children under the age of nine, I am very busy and thus guilty of "short-term" parenting. You know, sweating the small things, not savoring fleeting moments, and other things that happen when we fail to look at the long picture. There's nothing like a conversation with a smart grandmother to put my parenting in perspective.
Just as important as the advice on what to do have been the cautionary tales on what not to do. One grandmother I know wished that she taught her sons to clean up. Their messy habits made them lousy roommates in college and in marriage. Another grandmother friend of mine regrets getting lax about hiding presents at Christmas time. She advised me to go to extraordinary lengths to keep Santa going, because "Christmas was never the same until I had grandkids."
For this column, I talked to my favorite grandmothers, including my own mother, and asked them to give their best advice for mothers. Here's what they had to say:
Gas containers must now be child resistant
Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Health & safety, In the news
President George Bush has signed into law the Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, which is designed to prevent kids from being burned or otherwise injured from gasoline. The Act requires portable gasoline containers to conform to child resistance safety requirements already in place for other flammable liquids. This new requirement applies to containers manufactured for sale in the United States on or after January 17, 2009."Families who purchase gasoline cans with child resistant gas caps and who keep all flammable liquids out of the sight and reach of children are improving the safety of their homes," said Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.
Keep your kids safe around gasoline by following this tips, courtesy of CPSC:
- Buy a gasoline container that is child resistant.
- Place a gasoline container in a well ventilated, cool area.
- Never store gasoline or other fuel inside the house, in the basement, or near a fuel-burning appliance, open flames, pilot lights, stoves, heaters, electric mowers, or any other sources of ignition.
- Never smoke near gasoline.
- Never carry gasoline in the trunk of the car. Escaping vapors can easily ignite.
- Keep gasoline, kerosene and other fuels out of the reach of children. Never permit children to play with matches or fuel.
Reborn babies fool cops
Newborns, Babies, Weird but true
If you have ever seen a Reborn baby doll, then you know that they look for all the world like real babies. Reborns are popular with doll collectors as well as those who can't or don't want to have actual children. Some of these dolls come complete with beating hearts and an apparatus that makes them appear to breathe. Some of them, however, just lie there looking like real babies who aren't breathing. Like the one police in Australia saw when they peered into the window of an otherwise empty and locked automobile. Believing a child's life was in danger, the police smashed the window and rescued the doll. 
This isn't the only case of police being fooled by a Reborn. A similar incident in the United States cost a man a window out of his brand new Hummer after his wife left her Reborn in his car.
I think if you are going to have a fake baby that looks so lifelike that people will break out your windows to rescue it, you might want to add a blanket to your fake diaper bag. That way, you will have something to throw over it when you leave it alone in the car.
Costner feared fatherhood
Babies, Just for dads, Love & sex, Pregnancy & birth, Life & style, Celeb parenting, That's entertainment
Actor Kevin Costner recently revealed his fear of fatherhood almost cost him his marriage. The Tin Cup star, already father to three children, was unsure of his ability to be an effective father to the children new girlfriend (now wife) Christine Baumgartner.
Christine made no bones about her desire to be a mother, and Costner admits it kept him from marrying her for years. Then the actor made a stark realization: lose a gorgeous young woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you, or have another kid.
The pair wed in 2004 and Christine gave birth to the couple's first child, son Cayden, in 2007. I can appreciate Christine's candor--so many couples fail to discuss the crucial element of children before they get married. Either you want them, or you don't--and it's best to make that clear before you take a trip down the aisle. Looks like Christine got to have her cake and eat it too.
Background TV is distracting at playtime
Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Development, In the news, Media
A new small study has found that television, even when only on as background noise, has a "small but real" affect on the way young children play. Researchers found that when playing in a room with a TV on -- they used Jeopardy, a program they thought the children would have little interest in -- children tended to stop playing and watch the TV now and then, shortening the intensity and length of their play. This finding is in conflict with former studies that found that young children don't pay attention to TV that they don't understand.When my older daughter was only a toddler, she used to ask us to turn off the TV while she played. She said once, "It makes me watch it," meaning that she couldn't take her eyes off of the TV when it was on. It surprised me, because, like those old studies, I figured if she didn't understand it she wouldn't watch. Now we have a no-TV rule during the day, unless we're sitting down to specifically watch a program. A lot of parents really like to have television on as background noise during the day, however, to listen to as they go about their activities.
So will TV's influence on your child's play affect them long term? This study isn't broad enough to prove that, but plenty of research has gone into how TV affects children. KidsHealth does a good job of rounding up some of that research, and offers tips to parents who want to limit TV time in their home.
Children, the ultimate accessory
Newborns, Just for moms, Babies, Money & work, Life & style, Celeb parenting, In the news, Weird but true, Media, Baby essentials, That's entertainment, Resources, Shopping & recalls
A recent letter from the Vice President of Communications at Nike, which was perhaps inappropriately shared, has controversy brewing. Apparently, one Amanda Miller contacted one New York Times writer Joe Nocera in an attempt to pitch him some sort of stroller. Nike Communications is a public relations firm that sells expensive stuff. Joe, and everyone else who responded in the comments section of his blog about the letter, was offended, or at least annoyed. You see, Ms. Miller referred to children as accessories. This is nothing new--people have worn their babies since, well, since they've been having them. What we carry them in, as opposed to on us, has changed, but little else.
Oh, perhaps there was a time not so long ago when women didn't really leave the house and therefore, when with child (in or out of the womb) they didn't leave either, which meant no one really saw much of children until they were working age. But now, all that has changed. Now celebrities can be seen with their spawn doing whatever it is they do when they're not busy making the millions required to purchase the kind of stroller Ms. Miller is suggesting to the tune of $1,000.
Celebrities procreate--many of them doing so two at a time--and then they show them off to the world. The question is no longer what those celebrity moms are wearing, but what their babies are IN. That's right--out with Halston, and in with the Phil & Ted's chic stroller, and their new Traveller, which is actually just a playpen. Clearly Ms. Miller should be fired. Not for attempting to sell people stuff they don't need at a ridiculous price--after all, it's a PR firm, that's what they get paid to do!--but because Joe Nocera is clearly not her target audience. I can think about at least ten people, all of them women, who would eat up the letter from Ms. Miller and barely wash it down with an iced decaf skim latte before immediately setting out to purchase one. Did I mention I live in New York City? Joe Nocera? Clearly not interested.
Stroller pic by Ed Yourdon.
Morning mania
On the days when we both work, my husband takes on the duty of taking both kids to daycare and picking them up at the end of the day. In return, I help him out as much as possible in the mornings, waiting until everyone's gone before I eat breakfast and take a shower. Usually I feel like this is a good compromise, because having shouldered the burden of dropoff/pickup myself on several occasions I know just how hectic it can be (navigating a parking lot a with a toddler and a baby and getting the kids installed in their respective classrooms while hefting a 38572-lb carseat and an armload of bottles feels a bit like competing in a triathlon. While hobbled. And under enemy fire), but I can't help noticing that there's a fairly huge discrepancy in our mornings.
My husband, 7:30-8:30 AM: Get out of bed, shower. Get toddler, throw on any old outfit that's lying nearby, regardless of cleanliness or fit. Cook toddler a waffle, settle into kitchen table with the paper. Linger over cereal and coffee while reading every single section of paper.
Me, 7:30-8:30 AM: Get out of bed. Get the baby. Change baby, feed baby, dress baby. Bring baby out to kitchen. Empty dishwasher from night before, retrieve clean bottles. Fill bottles, insert bottles into carrying case. Entertain baby, who has become disenchanted with bouncy seat. Entertain toddler, who is requesting that someone read a book, pwease. Notice time and beg husband to hurry up. Notice too-small outfit on toddler and change his clothes.
My husband, 8:30-9 AM: Disappear into office to check email, wander around the house collecting laptop and workout gear, leisurely brush teeth.
Me, 8:30-9 AM: Toss toys at increasingly grumpy baby. Bark at toddler who is constantly underfoot or grabbing things off the counter that aren't his. Ride out at least two full-scale toddler tantrums over such injustices as using the potty or having his shoes put on. Put baby in carseat. Put bottle bag out. Beg husband to hurry, get enormous irritated sigh in response. Rush around picking up scattered mounds of toys and laundry, throw cat outside, put husband's cereal bowl in dishwasher (although seriously give some consideration to placing it under his pillow), hover over carseat making goofy faces to keep baby from wailing.
My husband, 9 AM (or thereabouts): Departs, children in tow.
Me, 9 AM: Collapse to the floor and sob with relief. Now only need to eat breakfast, shower, blow dry hair, put on makeup, get dressed, endure long-ass commute, and arrive to work on time. Note, however, that it's already NINE A.M.
Well, I still greatly appreciate that he does the daycare duty, but I'm thinking I might need to make some small changes for the sake of my sanity. Either we've all got to start getting up earlier, or we need to trade off on who gets to scurry around all morning like a decapitated chicken and who gets time to drink their coffee before it turns into a solid mass.
It's a little less chaotic on the days I stay home with the kids, but honestly, not by much. Are your mornings crazy, too?
Melanie Brown is a demanding mom
Babies, Kids 8-11, Money & work, Celeb kids, Life & style, Celeb parenting
Spice Girl Melanie Brown has a working wish list that a lot of parents would envy. She says that before she will agree to take a job, her prospective employer must agree to some basic ground rules: her children must be allowed to accompany her to work and she must be allowed to finish up for the day in time to put the kids to bed.My first thought was that she is pretty lucky to be in a position to make such demands. She gets to have a career and not miss a minute with her kids. But then I thought more about it and realized that if Mel gets her way, 9-year-old Phoenix Chi and 1-year-old Angel Iris are likely spending all day, every day, on a set or wherever it is that Melanie makes her money (what does she do these days?).
While on some level, I guess I do envy her ability to have her working parent demands met, I wonder how the kids feel about it. Is she really doing what is best for her children by dragging them to work with her? Or is she being selfish in trying to have it all?
David Beckham appears on Sesame Street
Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Celeb parenting, That's entertainment
He's an elite soccer star, one half of a popular celebrity couple, and one heck of an underwear model. But David Beckham is also a dad and a soccer coach. This summer, Becks is showing his softer side by taking on a new challenge -- Oscar the Grouch. The new Sesame Street season starts on August 11th and Posh's hubby will guest star. He's rumored to go head-to-head with the green, grouchy puppet in what promises to be a hilarious scene.Says a source, "He loves dealing with kids and thought it would be a great way to get through to them." I think this is a great way for David to make himself more approachable to kids, especially those who idolize his work on the soccer field.
Baby smiles affect the brain like drugs
Newborns, Babies, Development, In the news
When it comes to describing a baby's smile, words like "addictive" and "intoxicating" are frequently used to explain the feeling those gummy rays of happiness have on exhausted parents when they finally appear on Baby's face at around 6 weeks of age.
A recent study has people marveling just how accurate those descriptors were. When new mothers were shown photographs of smiling infants, the picture of their own smiling baby triggered a surge of dopamine in their brain, the same chemical the body produces when a person uses drugs, alcohol, or nicotine.
These findings of the study may assist scientists in understanding why some mothers fail to bond with their children and lead to early treatment. Unattached parents can lead to children suffering from abuse or neglect.
So when Huey Lewis sang about wanting a new drug, it turns out all he really needed was a baby!
Amanda Peet calls non-vaccinating parents "parasites"
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Health & safety, Celeb parenting, Behaving badly
Vaccinations are a hot-button topic that never fails to get parents on either side of the issued riled up. Amanda Peet, who will soon be appearing in a a pro-vaccination video, likely stirred the pot a little more with her recent comment to Cookie magazine."I was shocked by the amount of misinformation floating around," she said, "Particularly in Hollywood. Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites." Somewhere in Hollywood, Jenny McCarthy's ears just started burning.
Newsflash: Diaper Genie not so magical
Newborns, Babies, Baby essentials, Mommy musts, Chores
As anyone with children knows, dirty diapers smell worse than anything in the entire world. No kidding, once my dog ate cat poo and then threw it up, and even that did not compare to what it smelled like when my son starting consuming solids on a regular basis.
To combat this, and to make life easier in general, the Diaper Genie was born. For those of you unfamiliar with this contraption, it's made out of plastic and has a bucket at the top in which you put the used diaper. You then pull a lever (depending on the model) and it removes the diaper from sight, locking it away in a waste bag for disposal later. Diaper Genies require actual Diaper Genie bags, however, that may be in short supply when you really need a new one.
I have something similar that one can use with any plastic bags. Right now we're using regular old garbage bags in there and it seems to be working out all right. Except for one thing: The unbelievable, undeniable smell that counts as some sort of bio-terrorism in my book (or at least should). Regardless of carrying the odor away in the immediate, once you pull the bag out of the Genie to change it the smell is upon you--it's like that line from Michael Jackson's Thriller where Vincent Price discusses "the funk of 40,000 years." The new Diaper Genies are supposed to be even better at whisking away the smell, but I haven't used one to know whether or not when you pull out the full bag the smell might kill you.
Do you use a disposal system, and, if so, does it really work?
Diaper pic by Photocapy.
Are your kids noisy?
Newborns, Just for moms, Babies, Toddlers, Just for dads, Fun & activities, Health & safety, Life & style, In the news, Childcare, Environment
And, if so, does it bug your neighbors? Do your neighbors go so far as to complain to you about it? And, if they do, do you care? I live in New York City, in Brooklyn, in an apartment. I am surrounded, in my condo complex, by people to the right of me, on top of me and below me. I also have a fifteen month old. To say that he is rambunctious would be putting it mildly. No one has complained that my son is loud. After all, there are also a set of two-year-old twins across the hall. Many parents, however, aren't so lucky. In an article in the Real Estate section of the New York Times, the author uncovers just how a lot of neighbors feel about their neighbors' kids and how those parents feel about the neighbors. Most try to get along and make it work. Most are sympathetic--we've all had a new baby cry throughout the night and we've all greeted the following day with colic.
Some parents, however, feel like they are caught between a very rough rock and a very hard place: to be the perfect parent while being the perfect neighbor. In Brooklyn, perhaps, it is accepted that maybe you cannot be both. In places like Park Slope, which we mock all the time for being full of the mommy mafia, where we joke they won't let you in without kids, at least you know you can go to a restaurant and they'll treat you like a human being when you bring your kids with you. Your neighbors generally have kids too or at least understand what you're going through and they refrain from giving you a hard time. After all, your kids will grow up--eventually.
Elsewhere it's not so easy to be a parent and a neighbor. And, I would say the trouble isn't limited to apartment dwellers, either. Anyone with a backyard that sits next to someone else's backyard might complain your kids are making too much noise in the pool, or are coming over into their property, etc. You might respond the guests at their non-stop parties get too drunk and throw lawn darts too close to your kids' heads!!!
