I think every parent knows that you don’t give cold and/or cough medicine to your baby if they’re under 2, and if you’re not sure - It usually says it right on the package. But with all the recent press about babies and toddlers getting sick from being over medicated by OTC medicine, the FDA has changed its guidelines and will be adding new warning labels stating that children under 4 should not get OTC cold or cough medicine. (You can read more here)

Now don’t get me wrong - added warnings and safety measures are never a bad thing! But if we’re talking about parents not reading labels, than that’s an entirely different story.

But how much of this has been proven? Has it been shown that kids under 4 are at risk due to the actual medications or is it more because of parents, too anxious to medicate their children at the first sign of a runny nose or a cough aren’t paying attention to the labels and warning and putting their own children at risk?

Like any medicine, there are always potential side effects I suppose. But if there’s a question regarding any medication, or if I gave my child some OTC medicine for a cough or cold and noticed even the slightest adverse reaction or change in his behavior, I would be on the phone with his pediatrician in a heart beat!

In all, the simple guideline are:

Parents should never:

• Give adult medicines to a child.
• Give two or more medicines with the same ingredients at the same time.
• Give antihistamines to make a child sleepy.

Parents should:

• Give the exact recommended dose, using the measuring device that comes with the medicine.
• Keep OTC medicines out of sight and out of reach.
• Consult their doctor if they have any questions.

All of the parents on our street met last night to talk about what we’re going to do for the kids this Halloween. We like to get together and plan a neighborhood party or try to coordinate all the kids to go out together.

But the topic of discussion turned into what “treats” to give the kids. OK, so it’s no secret that kids eat A LOT of sugar these days and that obesity is running rampant with kids in the U.S. I mean, come on…we’ve all heard the news of how childhood obesity is at an all time high. But this is Halloween! It’s the one time when you SHOULD be able to eat candy and get a sugar rush. And although, at first I had planned on standing strong on my philosophy - apparently my neighbor wasn’t the only mother concerned with letting her kids have too much “junk” this year.

And honestly, now that we have a new trick-or-treat game plan, I think this year is going to be a fun change of pace. We all agreed to give out toys instead of candy. Nothing major, we’re not talking X-Boxes or remote controlled cars. More like stickers, pencils, Play-Doh or glow sticks, in addition to a piece of candy here or there.

Most of the kids in our neighrborhood are too young to realize that they’re missing out on the cavity creating surplus that halloween normally brings, but if the trend catches on we’ll still end up with a bunch of cute kids in costumes and far less trips to the dentist.

With the kids going back to school, it made me realize that my little boy was due for his next round of immunizations. (Download the Immunization schedule here (PDF) | right click and save as)

The chart above (and available for download) shows the latest vaccine recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, along with the ages (or age ranges) for when each shot or series of shots is to be given. For example, according to the chart the polio vaccine is to be given four times — at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. Yellow indicates that children in certain high-risk groups may benefit from additional vaccinations.

Its important to keep your kids up to date with their immunizations, and although its difficult for me to find time during the week to take my son to the pediatrician (unless its an emergency,) they’re pretty good at playing “catch-up” with his shots so that he’s not missing anything vital. If your child has missed any shots, check with your doctor about getting them back on track. Depending on what they’ve missed, they probably have a “catch-up” schedule that they can follow.

AAP - Catch Up Schedule (download PDF | right click and save as)

Immunization Schedule: 7-18 years old (download PDF | right click and save as)

Given my work schedule and the obvious benefits of interaction with other children, I felt it was time to put my son in daycare. But I had no idea that it would be so painful…for me!

Now I’ve gone round and round in discussions with friends and family members who tell me that putting your [first] child in the care of someone else is always hard, and that the first few weeks will be hard on both me and my child, but mostly on me. And I think their right – just bringing him into the building starts the water works and I can still hear him crying as I leave. I know that he is just getting used to me not being there with him and adjusting to being around new people and other children in a new environment, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m having a hard time adjusting to leaving him there crying because I know he’s upset.

All of this gets me thinking of at-home nannies or services like Nannies for Hire. I’ve heard good things about these services, and a friend of mine recently used Nannies for Hire to find someone to come to her house and watch her two little girls three days a week and says it was a great find. But I don’t want my child to miss out the interacting with other children his own age and in turn develop the social skills needed in the future.

So I suppose right now it’s just a waiting game – will my son be the one to adjust and start making a swarm of baby friends or will mommy be the one to break first? Well since I’ve decided that I will give this whole “daycare thing” 6 weeks to work itself out, I guess we’ll all find out in the new couple of weeks…

Growing up, I remember how paranoid my parents got every 4th of July. They were very strict with rules and safety when it came to me playing with fireworks. I was always excited and anxious to light up some fireworks with my friends but they made me promise to be safe and responsible at all times. I wasn’t even allowed to light fireworks during my much younger years!

Now, with a little one of my own (even though he isn’t old enough yet), I know exactly how they felt. Parents, just a quick & friendly reminder to make sure your kids are safe and careful during this holiday weekend. I’m sure we all agree how upsetting it is to hear about fireworks accidents involving children every year around this time.

Below are fireworks safety tips from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks
• Read and follow all warnings and instructions
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks
• Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials
• Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned
• Keep a bucket of water in case of a malfunction or fire

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

All of us have thought it, “My kid is the Cutest Kid Ever!” Well now we all have the chance to prove it. The CuteKid is holding the Cute Kid of the Year contest with the grand prize being a $25,000 College Tuition Fund!

Who knows, you may already have the perfect picture laying around - all you have to do is submit it. All of our children are unique and beautiful so why not share them with the world?! I’ve submitted my pic today and I’m feeling lucky! Keep in mind that there is a 19.95 entry fee, but that’s nothing in comparison to winning some of the other monthly prizes:

• $500 US Savings Bond
• $200 US Savings Bond
• $100 Amex Gift Card
• Canvas Portrait of photo
• Professional Portrait Session
… and more

Check it out here (…you know you want to!)

Simmons Kids Crib Mattresses
June 5, 2008 - About 20,000 Simmons Kids crib mattresses are recalled because some mattresses can measure less than the 27-1/4″ minimum width standard for cribs, and could allow a child to become entrapped. Pottery Barn Kids by Simmons Kids Lullaby, Simmons Kids Slumber Time Evening Star Luxury Firm, Simmons Kids Baby Mattress Series 400 and Simmons Kids Baby Mattress 234 Coil Count are possibly affected.

View model numbers, manufacture dates and instructions for measuring the mattress.

Wendy Bellissimo Hidden Hills Cribs
June 5, 2008 - About 550 Wendy Bellissimo Hidden Hills cribs sold at Babies R Us are recalled because spindle spacing may not meet federal standards and could allow a child to become entrapped. Only cribs in Navajo pine finish with model #5446-0521 printed on the bottom headboard rail are recalled.

Call 866-618-5446 for info.

Mini Chef Toy Kitchens
June 5, 2008 - About 65 Mini Chef toy kitchens sold at BabyStyle are recalled because the pegs supporting the oven and refrigerator shelves can come out, posing a choking hazard. The kitchens also can tip over, posing a risk of injury.

Stop using the toy and call 877-378-9537 for store credit.

Toy Cell Phones
May 28, 2008 - About 1 million Little Tikes toy cell phones are recalled because the plastic hinge cover can detach, posing a choking hazard. The flip-style toy phones have buttons with numbers and animal pictures on them. Toy phones with a screw visible on the hinge cover are not included in the recall.

Call 888-620-0930 for a replacement.

Read more…

I don’t know about you, but with the recent addition of 500 reality TV shows on every network, its hard for me to find anything worth watching on television anymore. But apparently, the onslaught of mindless network shows hasn’t affected what your kids are watching.

In the U.S., the average child will watch up to 4 hours of TV a day. But this is by no fault of their own - most daycare centers (70%) have movies or childrens’ shows playing throughout the days to keep the kids entertained, and some school activities include films or movies for the children as well.

Although, studies show that most children start watching TV long before they enter school. And within a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV.

Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet and counting from shows like Sesame Street, grade schoolers can learn about animals and wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. Its obvious that TV can serve a valuable purpose in some cases.

But what are the negative effects of too much TV?

• Research has shown that children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight.
• Kids who view violent events, such as a kidnapping or murder, are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
• Research also indicates that TV consistently reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes.

Read More about the effects of TV

Most parents know that having their baby/child around other kids at an early age allows them to not only learn how to interact with other children, but also to develop immunities to viruses they might not come into contact with. But to go so far as to say that those immunities may fight off serious diseases such as leukemia - now that caught my attention.

U.S. researches have found that sending kids to daycare at an early age helps expose them to certain infections that help strengthen the immunities needed to fight leukemia. Stating that the children who started daycare at 1 or 2 had the most protection from the virus.

“…children who attended daycare or playgroups have a 30 percent lower risk of developing the most common form of childhood leukemia compared to those who do not.”

This may be old news to some parents, as the idea of kids developing immunities early in life from the interaction within playgroups and daycare has been widely discussed for some time. But to think that the idea doesn’t just stop at the common cold or chicken pocks is something relatively new and should definitely raise awareness for new and expectant parents.

Full Article Here

As a kid, getting glasses usually meant getting picked on at school and hearing names like “nerd” and “dork.” But a recent survey done by Ohio State University shows that the majority of kids (between 6-10 years old) thought that kids wearing glasses looked smarter and more honest than their non-spectacled peers. Which is great news to me, since without my glasses I would walk around like Mr. Magoo - which only leads me to believe that at some point my son will need glasses as well.

The only thing left to deal with then is to convince your child that glasses are “cool,” as most kids are usually sensitive about what they’re going to look like. Or they might simply refuse to wear glasses because they think they will look ugly.

Although I suppose when it comes time for my little boy to get glasses, I’ll just run through the standard list of benefits to calm his concerns: he’ll be able to see better, he’ll look smarter, run faster, jump higher and have x-ray vision. You know, all the important stuff.