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

We talked this week about how to buy a tricycle, which tricycles are worth taking a look at and now: tricycle safety. Kids between the ages of 2 and 5 are extremely curious and overly brave. It might seem silly to worry about tricycle safety, but accidents happen all the time.

Here are some tips:

• Don’t buy a tricycle until your child has the basic coordination to ride it appropriately. Usually, this is around age 3.

• Make sure the tricycle that you buy is of solid construction and the right size for your child (he or she can pedal while sitting squarely on the seat).

• Watch your child closely while he or she rides. Avoid all areas that are close to cars, swimming pools, or other hazards.

• Always make sure your child wears an approved safety helmet while riding a bicycle. Some experts advise wearing helmets when riding tricycles as well. Children who from the start associate wearing a helmet with riding a bike or trike are likely to adopt the habit permanently.

source: MSN

image: about.com

We have already discussed infant car seats and now it’s time to dig into the topic of convertible car seats and booster seats. A convertible car seat can be used rear facing for infants under the age of 1 and forward-facing when a child weighs at least 20 pounds and is 1 year old. Some convertible car seats now hold children up to 65 pounds.

A booster car seat can be used once a child weighs at least 40 pounds. An increasing number of state laws require booster/youth car seats until a child reaches a certain age and/or weight, such as 7 years of age and 80 pounds. Although the age and weight requirements vary from state-to-state, it’s a safe move to opt for a booster car seat even if it’s not mandatory in your state.

When you are looking at various car seats, check out the safety features. Many reasonably priced car seats now have energy-absorbing foam linings similar to those found in bicycle helmets. These linings are comprised of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam or Expanded PolyPropylene (EPP) foam. Be sure the foam lines the entire car seat.

Look for a convertible car seat that uses a five-point safety harness rather than a molded plastic T-bar. Most convertible car seats cost about $100, although they can be purchased for $250 and up.

If you are shopping for youth/booster seats, avoid shield boosters. These car seats have a plastic shield that swivels and is held in place by a car’s lap belt. While the price tag may be tempting (shield boosters typically cost about $25), the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend using this type of car seat. When selecting a plan to spend about $70, although pricier models can be purchased for more than $200.

Do not purchase a used car seat. Unless you know the history of a car seat, and can confirm that it has not been in a moderate or severe crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that you buy a new one. Plus, when you purchase a new car seat, it comes with a warranty. Most major manufacturers offer a limited 1-year warranty; others promise to replace a product for a lifetime. Always return the product registration card enclosed in the product packaging. This card lets the manufacturer know where to notify you in case there is a recall.

Image: memphisparent

The bathroom and kitchen are the two most dangerous rooms in your house. Here are some ideas to help you with your baby proofing in those rooms:

The Kitchen:

Put baby locks on all cabinets and drawers below your waist level.  Most baby locks are easily installed with nothing more than a screwdriver.  Baby proofing your drawers is vital as a baby or toddler can pull out an entire drawer on top of himself (not to mention what hazards may be inside them). Heavy pots, pans and cans of food can injure a baby if she drops them on her toes.  You might want to leave one cabinet unlocked and fill it with plastic dishes and wooden spoons for your baby to play with.

Remove all cleaning chemicals, dish soaps, plastic grocery bags and any other hazardous materials from lower cabinets.  Even if your cabinets have locks installed it is better to be safe than sorry.  Sometimes babies can figure out the locks faster than adults.  If a cabinet door gets left open you know who will be the first one to notice.

Put outlet covers on every kitchen outlet.  A fork found in the kitchen is just begging to be stuck into something!

Put a baby proof lock on your refrigerator door.  Refrigerators do not contain much oxygen and a curious baby may get trapped inside.  At the very least a baby could drop a heavy jar on her toes or even get a hold of alcoholic beverages.

Place a baby proof lock on your oven door.  Oven doors are easy for a baby to pull open and serious burns could occur.  When you are cooking always remember to use the rear burners whenever possible and turn pan handles in toward the back of the stove so they can’t be pulled on top of baby.

Push all items back on the counter.  A baby or toddler will try to grab anything within his reach so keep all sharp knives, heavy objects and things that could burn far back on the countertop.

The Bathroom:

Install a slide-bolt latch on the outside of the bathroom door to prevent young children from entering.

Install toilet and cabinet locks and keep all medications and cleaners and caustic chemicals up high and locked up.  Colognes and perfumes and hair products can be extremely damaging to children if swallowed.

Use a non-skid mat under slippery area rugs and in the tub, and always stay in the bathroom with a child who is bathing.  A baby can drown in only one inch of water.  Your water heater should be set at 125 degrees or lower and you should test baby’s bathwater with your arm, not your fingertips.

Keep all of your flat irons, curling irons and other appliances off the counters of the bathroom and unplugged.   Even an appliance that is turned off, but still plugged in can be dangerous.

Images: ohdeedoh.com, parentingpink.com

Safety tips: National Safety Council

If you’ve had a baby in the last few years, you’ve probably heard about concerns over Bisphenol A. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical building block that is used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins.  Most of the food and beverage cans available today are coated with BPA and most plastic baby bottles are made from BPA.  There have been suspected health risks since the 1930’s including cancer and reproductive and developmental problems.  Recently, researchers have found evidence that BPA is leaching into baby formula (or whatever liquid is in the bottle) from worn or scratched plastic baby bottles.  This obviously has caused a lot of concern among parents of babies that are fed from a bottle.

Just this past week, the Huffington Post reported on the latest meeting of major food and beverage manufacturers (Coca-Cola, Alcoa, Crown, North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc., Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), American Chemistry Council, Del Monte) to discuss BPA and how to handle the public outrage.  Instead of finding alternative packaging and manufacturing processes, these companies are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into marketing to change our minds about BPA.  With legislatures moving to ban baby bottles made with BPA, and possibly food packaging in the future, these companies are worried about losing money.  With research like this, their greed is highly offensive:

“Retha Newbold, the pioneering DES researcher who conducted the NIEHS study, said her findings suggest that bisphenol A could be associated with endometriosis and uterine fibroids, which are the leading cause of 600,000 hysterectomies performed anually on U.S. women.”

Shocking, isn’t it?

You may be wondering what you can do to keep your baby as far from BPA as you can. Here are some ideas:

1. Breastfeed:  Nurse your baby from birth and for as long as you can.  As long as you eat a reasonably healthy diet and don’t ingest harmful substances your baby will thrive on your breast milk.  There is nothing harmful about breastfeeding.

2. Use glass:  Ditch the plastic. I used glass baby bottles with my daughter.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were cheaper than plastic.  The Evenflo bottles I bought were heavy duty and survived being dropped many times.  You can even get a soft silicone cover that protects the glass and helps you keep a firm grip.  Also, glass is so much easier to clean.  Not only have I replaced my baby’s bottles with glass but also many of my food storage containers.

Evenflo Classic 4 oz Glass Nurser - 3 Pack:  $7.99

3. Invest in BPA free plastic bottles:  Several forward thinking companies have already addressed the BPA concerns by manufacturing baby bottles made from safe plastics.  They may cost more, but the benefits and peace of mind are priceless.

BornFree 5 oz. BPA-Free Wide Neck Bottles, Twin-Pack: $13.00

If you would like to read more about BPA, head over to The Bisphenol A Portal.

Image Source: thedailygreen

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a variety of baby bottles and baby feeding products.

I recently stumbled upon this great blog where famous actors contribute to the posts called The Huffington Post.  People such as Robert Redford, Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, Ron Howard and even Shrek (not sure how that is) have all given their two-cents on different issues relating to hot topics, such as the economy, global warming, finances, or health.  Most recently, Jim Carrey sounded off in a blog defending his girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy’s, work on changing the vaccine that she (and many others) believe to cause autism.

As a new parent, what you don’t know CAN hurt you so here’s what you need to know (listen up new mother’s):

There are a total of 9 vaccine’s to be aware of which are recognized by the VRBPAC and ACIP (the two main advisory boards on vaccines). It just so happened that the pediatrician we went to referred me to several studies that showed a “higher increase” in the risk of children developing autism through the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, also known as an MMR (which is taken in two stages throughout childhood).  He said to me, openly and honestly, “although it does not affect every child, it’s up to you if you want to take the chance.” For a long time there were no widely issued scientific explanations or recognized links between the vaccine and the disease, only theories and probabilities.  Thus we allowed our children to be administered the shot (especially since most preschool’s and kindergartens require it).  Personally my kids did not contract anything from the dosage given when they were babies, I recall, however I was still intrigued by the possibility.  What was the likelihood of someone’s children that I knew getting it?  Turns out the likelihood was GREAT…

Last fall our niece was diagnosed with a rare form of autism.  Having remembered hearing about Jenny McCarthy’s fight to rid the vaccine of harmful toxins and metals, which also have been linked to the cause of ADD & ADHD, I decided to buy her book and read it. It was absolutely heartbreaking, as you can imagine, to read about the studies that have shown the vaccines causing physically and mentally altering diseases, while the pharmaceutical industry continues to deny any sort of responsibility in an effort to make money and allow vulnerable mother’s to adhere to it.

Most recently CNN issued a statement by the “special vaccine court”, (which consists of the two agencies above and several BIG pharm companies, go figure), which said the vaccines do NOT cause the disease. That is when Jim Carrey sounded of on the judgment calling it irresponsible and ignorant of “mountains of scientific information and testimony” by other parents who immediately saw a reaction in their child after having been given the questionable vaccine.

Jim Carrey summed it up with a simple metaphor:  Not everyone get’s cancer from smoking, but cigarettes DO cause cancer.  After 100 years and many rulings in favor of tobacco companies we finally figured that out!

Many doctors & scientific scholars in the field of medicine will admit that it would be very difficult for kids to even catch, the measles, mumps, OR rubella.  So, before you succumb to peer pressure, do your research and keep in mind that the MMR is NOT required but is only advised.

Source: huffingtonpost.com, generationrescue.org

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If you are a pet lover, but have babies/toddlers or even older kids, you may be wondering how to choose the right dog for your family as well. Since I recently purchased a dog myself, and have toddlers, I decided to share some good options with you:

Golden Retrievers are classic family dog’s because they are so well behaved. You may want to think about getting a bit older one if you have toddlers, so that they are already trained not to jump on, bite, or poop/pee in inconvenient places!

Remember “Lassie”? Well, Shetland Sheepdog’s are mini-Lassies, basically. Any variation of this type of dog, which is very much like a Collie, is a good family dog. Very sweet and loveable.

Siberian Husky’s are reliable, fun-loving, energetic dogs, suitable for older kids that can walk them and moreso RUN with them at the park, for instance! They regulate their own food intake, so you can get by with not having to continually check to see if their dish is empty.

If you have babies or toddlers, however, you may want to stay away from Pitbulls, Rotweillers, German Shepherd’s and Dalmations. These dogs are known to be impatient and can “turn” on you or are too aggressive for small children (by barking and biting, for example, and can be defensive). Other dogs that are considered nuisance dogs are Pomeranians, Chow Chows, and Chihuahah’s…although they are undoubtedly cute, they tend to bark and shed alot. They are considered high maintenance animals.

Source: washingtontimes.com, allegrosyberians.com, dogbitelaw.com, dogbitelaw.com

                                                         Organic Baby Reference Guide: $24.95

“The Last Word On Raising Baby, Organically.” This book teaches parents how to raise their children in an eco-friendly & stylish environment.

                                               Washable Merino Wool Breast Pads: $14.95

These reusable pads are more comfortable & more environmentally friendly than disposable pads.

                                                              Cariboo Activity Gym: $159.95

This activity gym is made from New Zealand Radiata pine & has a lead free finish.

                                                 Ocean & Tea Onepiece Bundle: $54.95

This baby clothing set is made from soy bean fiber which has “superior warmth retention and moisture transmission.”

                                                                 Roller From Plan Toys: $7.99

This toy is made from eco-friendly rubber wood & contains child-friendly paints & finishes.

                                                          Fleurville Re-Run Messenger: $75.00

The fabric that was used to make this messenger bag is made from use plastic bottles.

                                     Kee-Ka Sweetpea Organic Swaddle Blankie: $25.44

This cozy blankie is made from 100% organic cotton.

                                                Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Skin Creme: $11.99

Burt’s Bees Products are made of natual ingredients.  This cream is 98.71% natural.  Good enough for me!

                                          Contemporary Dollhouse From Plan Toys: $99.99

This dollhouse is made from chemical free & natual rubber wood & finished with child-friendly & non-toxic paint.

                                 Tadpoles Fitted Flannel Sheets Organic Natural Cotton: $29.99

Made with 100% organic cotton & SO SOFT!

Click here for more organic & eco-friendly baby products.

Immediately take the recalled toy sundae sets away from children and return the toys to any Target store for a full refund.

Click here to read the full press release.

Battat recalls additional Magnetic Construction Sets Ingested magnets pose “aspiration & intestinal hazards.”

Immediately take the recalled Magnabild Magnetic Building System away from children and contact Battat to receive a pre-paid mailer to return the toy and to receive a free replacement product.

Click here to read the full press release.

Immediately remove the drawstrings to eliminate the hazard or return the sweatshirts to Nordstrom or to Urgent Gear for a full refund.

Click here to read the full press release.

Ellaroo recalls Infant Sling Carriers due to “fall hazard.”

Immediately stop using the sling carriers and contact Ellaroo for instructions on returning the carriers for a repair or replacement Ring Sling.

Click here to read the full press release.