Babies & Kids Blog » 2009 » October

Alarm clocks are great gifts for children who are learning to tell time or just need help waking up for school or daycare. If your child is getting up way too early, an alarm clock can help them tell when it’s okay to finally get out of bed. However, you don’t want something that is too loud or will startle them.

Talking Animal Alarm Clocks $16.95

These alarm clocks really speak to kids. Literally. Alarm goes off and you hear animal sounds.

• Green Frog says “Ribbit-ribbit-ribbit”
• Blue Dog says “Ruff-ruff, ruff-ruff”
• Orange Cat says “Meow, meow”
• On/off alarm switch
• 3 AA Batteries included

Soccer Squishy Alarm Clock $24.95

This is awesome! Kids can beat it up and it won’t get hurt!

Here is your chance to get back at your alarm clock. When the alarm sounds, you can toss or bounce your clock to turn it off. Have a ball with your new sports clock! The Squishy Alarm Clock is an innovative technology that allows you to turn off the alarm by throwing it against the wall. You can squish it, squeeze it and toss it to relieve stress of just have a ball! When the alarm sounds, throw it and the alarm turns off.

Shop for more kids’ alarm clocks at Smarter.com.

Everybody is freaking out about the H1N1 virus. A lot of people are running out and waiting for 6 plus hours to get the vaccine and just as many people are refusing to get it altogether. I don’t want to debate the vaccine, but I do want to share with you some tips on how to prevent exposure over Halloween. I’m sure your kids will be attending parties, and going trick-or-treating will expose them to all kinds of new people with who knows what illnesses. You should be cautious, but don’t lock your family up in fear.

Here are the tips: There aren’t many studies investigating Halloween candy and flu virus transmission. So the following 12 tips are based on practical advice from practicing pediatricians. They tell parents how to handle Halloween trick-or-treating for candy, with the goal of minimizing the risk of contracting H1N1 swine flu and other “bugs.

Forget Grab Bags. Consider Non-Food Treats

1. Give Non-Candy Halloween Treats. There’s national concern over childhood obesity. Instead of candy, Dr. Shu* recommends “trading cards, baseball cards, tattoos, bookmarks, balls, glow sticks, or plastic spiders,” noting that these treats “don’t promote obesity and tooth decay.“ Check Oriental Trading Company and Target stores.

2. Scoop Halloween Candy, to Avoid H1N1. When giving out candy, hand it or scoop it – but avoid the grab bag. “If kids are fingering through a bag of candy it could add germs to the mix,” says Dr. Shu. Instead, hand the candy to each trick-or-treater. Or, use a cup to scoop it from a bowl. That way, many hands aren’t touching the same chocolate candy kiss.

Halloween Candy: Put Aside for Two Days

1. Let Those Germs Die. Let Halloween candy “sit” for a few days before touching or eating it. Dr. Shu says, “two days is plenty of time for any contagions” like a H1N1 virus that happens to be on the candy wrapper to die.

2. Avoid Obesity. No need to be a killjoy, but make Halloween candy last. (read more!)

image: stewystuff

BMX bikes come in three main styles - racing, freestyle and dirt jumping. However, the differences between the bikes needed for each discipline are actually very slim. If your child has been asking for a BMX bike, chances are they’re going to ride it and practice tricks at the skate park instead of riding around town.

Here are three for the beginner BMX kid!

Mongoose BMX bikes are very popular and have great reviews across the board.

20″ Boys’ Mongoose “Outer Limit” BMX Racing Bike $97.00 $87.00 On Sale!

• Brakes: Alloy rear linear and front caliper hand brakes
• Tires: Alloy two-tone, 36-spoke wheels with radial spoked front
• Mongoose BMX pierced top tube racing frame design
• Oversized unicrown fork
• Alloy bolt stem and kneesaver handlebars
• Alloy rims
• Alloy platform pedals
• Alloy seat clamp
• Best for ages 8 and up!

20″ Boys’ Wipe Out BMX Bike $69.76 $59.78 On Sale!

• Brakes: Front caliper hand brake and coaster foot brake
• Tires: 20″ Black
• Adjustable, quick-release seat post
• Spoke alloy rims
• Handlebar pads included
• Oversized 36-pound tubular frame
• Approved by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• For ages 6 and up

Kawasaki® KX20 20″ BMX $145.99

• Custom Kawasaki® Bicycles BMX frame
• Aluminum wheels
• Kawasaki® graphics pack
• Alloy linear pull rear brake / Alloy caliper front
• Peg set
• Kickstand included
• Ages 8 and up!

You may have noticed that I didn’t choose any BMX bikes being specifically marketed to girls. All of the girls bikes that I found said things like “She will show off her girly style on this purple bike!” and I thought that was so wrong, I didn’t choose any of them! Buy your girl a red bike and watch her compete with the boys! Not every girl wants to be “girly!”

For several years, my husband and I lived on the other side of the country away from our families. We weren’t able to fly home with tons of gifts, and shipping Christmas gifts was just way too expensive. At that time, we started doing all of our Christmas shopping online and we still continue to do much of our shopping online, even now that we’re back in our home state.

We prefer online shopping for several reasons:  First, we hate crowds. Mall shopping is just about the last thing in the world that sounds appealing to me. Second, it’s easy to find good deals online. With literally thousands or retailers online all competing with each other for your money, you have a lot of leverage.

Here are my tips for shopping online for the holidays:

Make a list. Write down everybody that you need to buy gifts for and jot down some ideas for what to get them. What do they like? Do they have any specific interests that could help you in choosing a gift. If you keep an open mind about what to get them, you’ll be able to get the best deal. For example, I am looking for a small keyboard for my daughter this year. I’m keeping my search general and I am open to all reputable brands so I am more likely to find the best deal. If I narrow my search one brand and model, I’m going to have a harder time finding a good deal.

Check out your vendor. Before you plug your credit card number into a website, make sure that you can trust them. Have you ever heard of this retailer? You shouldn’t have to dig for a customer service phone number on a website you’re shopping on. My personal rule is that if I don’t find a customer service phone number within 10 minutes of browsing, I move on. I learned this lesson the hard way and my bank account suffered. Somebody ripped my card number off online and went on a shopping spree in California with my money! This probably sounds cheesy, but I really do use Smarter when I shop online because they weed out the bad guys and show you the best deals first.

Check the shipping and handling times. Order early enough to account for the busy season for the shipping carriers. There are often great last minute Christmas deals, but many times the items arrive after the holidays. This is great if your family has a late holiday get together (my in-laws get together in January), but not so great if you show up to a Christmas Eve get together empty handed.

Pick your card carefully. Use a credit card that offers protection if you don’t get the item you paid for or if your card is used in a way that you didn’t authorize.

Look for free or cheap shipping. If a retailer really wants your business, they won’t charge you an arm and a leg for shipping.  You can find free shipping coupons at CouponMountain.com.

Make it personal. If you’re going to be giving the gift in person, wrap it yourself. Paying a vendor to gift wrap is usually pretty expensive and you want to make sure that the recipient knows that you put more thought into their gift that just pointing and clicking online. If you’re shipping the gift directly to the recipient, include a personal card. Tell them why you chose the gift that you did. Your sentiment is just as important as the gift you chose.

My daughter is two and literally has no impulse control. That’s totally normal for her age. Around age four or five you can start to expect a little more from your children as far and understanding cause and effect. I read an article that gives good pointers for helping your children develop self control and I wanted to share some of it with you:

DON’T: Tell your children they have done something wrong and arbitrarily punish them (lose a privilege like watching TV because of hitting a sibling). In this instance children only come to rely on others telling them what to do instead of learning about alternative acceptable behaviors that they can choose for themselves the next time (“I will ask mom for help with getting my toy back instead of hitting my sister”).

DO: Be flexible. Effective parents are constantly changing and adapting to who their child is. They tailor their parenting to meet the child’s needs. For example: If a 13-year-old is not very responsible, a responsive parent would not let that child babysit younger siblings, regardless of his age. They would help their child to learn more responsible behaviors so he can be left alone to babysit when he is ready.

DON’T: Tell your child you’re not interested in her excuses or explanations for why she has done something wrong. This gives children the message that their feelings are not important. You don’t have to agree with how your child is feeling, but you do need to respect that her feelings are real.

DO: Give your children a “feelings vocabulary.” Start as early as possible labeling their feelings for them. “I can see how upset you are.” “I bet that made you feel very angry?” “I can appreciate how frustrated you must be.” This way, as children expand their capacity for language they will have words to express themselves instead of acting out. They will also be able to tell how someone else is feeling as a result of their behavior: “I can tell by the look on my aunt’s face, she’s angry that I ate the whole bag of chips.” Perceiving how others are feeling about how they behaved will go a long way in helping children to problem solve.

DON’T: Constantly tell your children what to do. But don’t let them do whatever they want either. Children cannot learn about rules if their environment is so restrictive that they are not allowed to make mistakes they can learn from. Nor can they learn about rules if they have never been taught to follow them.

DO: Set limits, but allow your children input (as they get older) into what those limits might be and the consequences for not adhering to them. Children need lots of practice in making decisions about their behavior and opportunities to see the impact of those decisions from both their successes and their failures.

Read the whole article here.

image: homeschoolingaddkids.com

Due Maternity is has some really cute clothes on sale for rock bottom prices right now. Check it out!

Olian Floral California Maternity Top: $98.00 $23.00

Look California boho-chic in this floral maternity top from Olian Maternity. V-neck with contrasting floral pattern at edges. Looks great with denim and white.

Lauren Kiyomi Printed Voile Maternity Top: $96.00 $52.80

One of our new favorites! We love this cream and orange printed voile maternity top. Dainty buttons and pleats over the bust with a tie above the belly.

Due Essential Short Sleeve Wrap Dress: $72.00 $25.00

Perfect for any season, this maternity dress will be your go-to piece day after day. V-neck with wrap that ties under the bust to flatter your shape.

This short sleeve, knee length dress is perfect for so many occasions. Go from work to a night out in a snap. Wear over our leggings for a layered look.

Pair with boots or pumps, flats or flip flops…the possibilities are endless. The fabric is exceptionally soft and will hug your belly in comfort and style.

This is also a great transition piece, as it will provide you with easy, discreet nursing access and will accommodate your post-baby figure.

Shop through a variety of affordable maternity clothing at Smarter.com.

I read this article today on MSNBC and all I can say is: thank goodness we are too cheap to eat out very often. The amount of fat and calories most restaurants are serving to children is appalling! This is one of the worst offenders:

All kids like a good ice cream sundae right? How about a sundae with 860 calories and 38 grams of fat? Keep in mind, this is a dessert, this doesn’t even count as their meal!

Uno Chicago Grill Kid’s Sundae
860 calories
38 g fat (20 g saturated)
94 g sugars

Consider the repercussions of slapping three Baby Ruth bars’ worth of fat and sugar onto the end of your child’s meal. Weighing in at an astounding 3/4 pound, this abominable sundae is twice as big as the Kid’s Pasta, and twice as caloric as a child’s entire meal should be.

Reading this article made me angry. Childhood obesity is a major problem. Today we have more children than ever with diabetes, strained/injured joints and asthma. Recently it was reported that 18% of all children are obese. Obese children have a 70% chance of becoming obese adults.

So, if the restaurants and convenience food manufactures won’t do much to offer healthier foods, what should we do as parents? The most important: Cook at home. Stay home. Slow down your life and stop relying on the drive through. Your child’s life literally depends on it.

image: stolenchildhood

On Monday, Elisabeth Hasselbeck returned to The View after 10 weeks off with her newborn son Isaiah. She told a most hilariously embarrassing story:

“You know when your baby smiles for the first time … I reach for the iPhone — I had just been feeding him — and I took the photo,” she said. “He had this huge smile. Immediately I forward it to everyone on my family distribution list — my mom, my dad, my brother, Tim [Hasselbeck]’s dad, his brother, his mom, his other brother and I send it to myself. So I get home and open up the photo … Yeah, no wonder why he is smiling — because my nipple is in the photo!”

Eek! That would make me blush for sure. Every mom has an embarrassing story to tell from when they were adjusting to life with a newborn. My embarrassing story happened when my daughter was a few weeks old and our washer broke down. A very chatty repairman came over to fix it and I had not yet mastered the whole maternity bra-nursing pad thing yet. I was too polite to interrupt him when I felt myself get engorged, but the puddle I left at my feet pretty much said everything. I had to change clothes and clean the spillage up all with a bright red embarrassed face. He didn’t talk much after that!

What’s your embarrassing story?

Winter is coming (sadly). If this is your child’s first winter on foot, you’re probably looking forward to playing in the snow, building snowmen and making snow angels and all things cold and fun. Dressing your little one for the cold is at times difficult, but is extremely important. As a mother in the (very cold) northern region of the Midwest, I’m going to help you out the best that I can. I’ve wasted a lot of money on winter gear that looked good, but was more suited for warmer climates.

To start off, I want to share with you two great winter boots for kids. They’re not cheap, but they’re worth the money. These boots have to do a lot: they have to keep snow out of the top and stay dry and warm. They have to be lightweight to that young children can comfortably walk in them, and easy to get on and off. There’s nothing worse than struggling to yank a sopping wet boot off of a shivering toddler.

Columbia Girls’ Powder Bug Snowflake: $39.95 at Altrec or get it at ShoeMall.com for $44.95 and receive Free Shipping!

-Water-/wind-resistant nylon upper
-Removable, washable, recycled felt liner
-Removable cushioned insole
-One-piece injection molded thermal rubber shell/sole
-Adjustable elastic instep strap for secure fit
-Drawstring with barrel lock closure
-Reflective heel logo for safety
-Rated -25F/-32C

Stride Rite Boys’ Snowdrift: $44.95 (Free Standard Shipping everyday at ShoeMall.com)

-Water-resistant nylon upper
-Thermolite® lining
-Cushioned insole
-Rugged rubber sole for traction
-Hook and loop closure for added adjustability
-Half sizes order next size up

Shop for more affordable boys’ winter boots and discount girls’ boots at Smarter.com.

On Thursday, the entire country turned their attention to the harrowing story of a 6-year-old boy who had crawled into a huge experimental helium balloon and floated miles and miles away in the air. When the balloon finally landed, the situation became even scarier because the little boy wasn’t inside.

“The situation grabbed the nation’s attention early Thursday afternoon, after authorities reported that the experimental helium balloon was set adrift with the 6-year-old (named Falcon) apparently riding in it.

Heene said the family was in the early stages of working on the balloon — a “3D low-altitude vehicle” — when the contraption and the boy went missing.

His brother had said he watched Falcon get into the balloon before he untied the tethers, setting it free. Heene later said Falcon was videotaped getting into the vessel by his brother, but “obviously he got out.”

Once it was untethered, the saucer-like craft flew eastward from the Heenes’ neighborhood, though officials couldn’t immediately confirm how fast it was going.

Authorities said the silver balloon, 20-feet long and 5-feet high, at times reached 7,000 feet above the ground while adrift. It was found more than 90 minutes later in a field near Colorado Springs.” (read more)

It was discovered that the little boy had been hiding in the attic and the whole country breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the story began to unravel. Falcon’s parents, science enthusiasts Richard and Mayumi Heene, were featured on the 100th episode of ABC’s prime-time program “Wife Swap” in March 2009. In a later interview with CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Falcon said he heard his parents call for him from the garage. When asked by his father on-air why he didn’t respond, the boy replied, “You guys said we did this for the show.”

Today, the Sheriff in Fort Collins, Colorado announced that the entire balloon incident was a hoax perpetrated by Falcon’s lime-light seeking parents. Charges are to follow.

What do you think should happen to Falcon’s parents? Should they be charged for the police time spent tracking the balloon and all the costs the state incurred? What do you think about parents who deliberately teach their children to lie for their own personal gain?

image: nydailynews