Babies & Kids Blog

Twins always fascinate me.  I think it’s because they don’t run in my family and I will never have a cute little pair myself.  Sextuplets on the other hand, although super adorable must be one of the greatest challenges a..human BEING can face!  Yes, I’m over exaggerating as there are surely more difficult things in life, but I couldn’t imagine giving birth to two children at once let alone six!  I LOVE the TV show “Jon & Kate Plus 8″, but the show’s introduction when they show Kate’s ginourmous pregnant tummy….it’s so sci-fi! 

You may remember a story about the Masche’s & their sextuplets.  There is a cute feature slide show on MSBNC.com. They each only weighted between two and three pounds at birth & the birth was very hard on their mother who suffered heart failure due to the rush of blood on her body after the deliveries.  The sextuplets are doing fine now and the family is very happy!

Check out the slide show here.

What?  Yes, umbilical cord blood can be saved & stored after you give birth to your child.  I see it as sort of an insurance of white blood cells for later use of stem cells in case your child or their compatible siblings need them later for a bone marrow transplant.  I saw this on The Today Show this morning.  It’s exciting to here about new developments in the medical world.  Watch.

So, the processing fee is about 2K and about $125 per year to store it.  Would this be worth it to you?  I know it would give me some “peace of mind”…just in case.

So, the new Grand Theft Auto 4 video game just came out and about 140 million copies were sold with it’s release.  That’s pretty crazy considering most movies don’t even hit that number.  I know you all are great parents and will not be allowing your children to play this “mature” game, but I wanted to discuss an article that I found on MSNBC.com.  Two Harvard  researchers wrote a book called Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games & What Parents Can Do.

They actually talked to the kids to see how they felt about video games.

“The pair reached that conclusion after conducting a two-year study of more than 1,200 middle-school children about their attitudes towards video games.” ‘”What we did that had rarely been done by other researchers was actually talk to the kids. It sounds bizarre but it hadn’t been done,” Kutner said.”

Click here to read more about this study & it’s findings.  It’s pretty interesting. 

Click here to purchase Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games & What Parents Can Do.

Image Source: blog.lib.umn.edu

eBay’s gadget and toy director, Cat Schwartz, has come up with a list of the best gadgets for toddlers:

                                         Kaboost Lightweight Portable Chair Booster Seat: $34.99

Lifts toddlers up to the dinner table so they can eat with the family - Comes in Chocolate, Lime & Natural.

                                      Elmo Live: Pre-sale on August – In retail stores on Oct. 14, 2008

The is the “Most Animated Elmo Doll Ever“ that I discussed not too long ago. 

                                         Oregon Scientific Multi-Room Climate Monitor: $89.99

Gives a temperature & humidity reading for up to 3 rooms so you can make sure your child is comfortable. Also, give weather reports for your area.

                                                                             Okidog Fropper: $69.99

Easy to travel with & store.  Also, lots of fun!

                                                                Safety 1st Jack Potty: $36.56

This potty uses positive reinforcement to train your child with spinning shapes & music.

                                        Summer Infant Flat Screen Monitoring System: $299.99

Baby survaillance so you can monitor your children from another room.

                                                             Discovery Moon In My Room: $29.95

Mount this cool moon shaped lamp in your children’s room & they will have a little light while sleeping.

                                                                   CARES Kids Fly Safe: $74.79

Use this with the plan seat belt to make sure your child is safe, secure & comfortable.

                                                           Made For Me MP3 Player:  $69.99

Your toddler can use their own MP3 Player vs. your cherished iPod.

                                                                  Boon Flo:  $13.99

Protect your child’s head, easily rinse out their hair & create a bubble bath with this device.

                                                                     The Safe Sippy:  $14.95

This cool looking sippy cup is made of an environmentally friendly stainless-steel material & is nonleaching.

                                                         Step2 Fire Engine Toddler Bed: $169.99

This bed is so cute & will help your child use their imagination.

Click here to read the full article from MSNBC.com.

Last year a great deal of celebrities confirmed rumors that they have a bun in the oven (click on picture or mouse over for source):

 Nichole Richie (January)

 Christina Aguilera (January)

 Gabrielle Reece (January)

 Jamie Lynn Spears (Spring)

 Jennifer Lopez - (Spring)

 Halle Berry -(Spring)

 Jessica Alba - (Spring/Early Summer)

 Paula Patton (Robin Thicke’s wife)

 Giada De Laurentiis (Spring)

 Brooke Burke (Spring)

 Lily Allen

Rumored Adpotions:

Jennifer Aniston

Woody Allen

Tyra Banks

Hugh Jackman

Calista Flockhart

Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

Madonna

In 2023 they will either resent their parents for making them celebs fresh out of the womb or relish their easy-in on the spotlight.

If you are interested to know or if you want to chose a name that is not too common & popular check out this 2007 baby names list found on MSNBC.com by BabyCenter.com:

 Top 10 Girl Names

   1. Sophia
   2. Isabella
   3. Emma
   4. Madison
   5. Ava
   6. Addison
   7. Hailey
   8. Emily
   9. Kaitlyn
 10. Olivia

 Top 10 Boy Names

  1. Aiden  (I’m sure the popularity of this name has a lot to do with the popularity of the ever so perfect Aiden Shaw from Sex and the City )
  2. Ethan
  3. Jacob
  4. Jayden
  5. Caden
  6. Noah
  7. Jackson
  8. Jack
  9. Logan
 10. Matthew

It’s not enough having to worry about the many recalled toys this holiday season.  You need to watch your children around your old holiday decorations as well.  If you have had your environmentally friendly holiday tree for many years you may want to make sure it does not contain lead.  Also, check your tree lights & extension cords.

Read the MSNBC.com article here. 

Have you read or did you hear about this couple who lost their three children in a traffic accident and are now expecting triplets!?  I read the article on MSNBC.com this morning.   How exciting for them and what a strange coincidence!  In no way with the new little ones replace their lost children, but what a blessing!

Read the full article here.