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Keeping our children safe is a big part of being a parent. When we put our child in the car we want to know that they are safe, and that the equipment we are using is adequate and properly installed.
All states require children under the age of 4 to be restrained in a child safety seat, and three quarters require that a child over 4 be restrained in a booster seat. The exact laws and requirements very by State, Child Restraint Laws by State; be sure to check out the laws in your state to ensure you are in compliance.
Pediatricians recommend that children under 4’9” be in some sort of safety seat, such as a booster seat, as the seatbelts in vehicles are not properly designed to restrain people under that height. It is also recommended that children under 12 years old not be allowed sit in the front seat, whether in a safety seat or not, this is do to the way airbags are designed to function. Some cars and trucks do allow you to disarm the passenger side airbag, if you do have a child under 12 years of age sitting in the front seat be sure to disarm the airbag.
Child safety seats only work if they are installed correctly. According to the National Safety Belt Coalition 80% to 90% of child safety seats are either installed or used incorrectly. Many hospitals and police departments run child safety seat installation inspections. You can stop by and have your child safety seat inspected to ensure it meets current safety requirements and is installed correctly. If you have never installed a child safety seat you can have a police officer or nurse show you how to properly install the carseat and also show you how your child should be placed in the seat.
The best thing you can do for your child is to ensure you are using the proper safety equipment, that is it being used correctly, and that your child is in a safety seat for as long as necessary. If you wonder what is best consult your pediatrician to get their recommendations and do your research before purchasing any child safety seat.
Morning sickness is one of the most common ailments during pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic close to 70% of pregnant women suffer from morning sickness during the first trimester. For most women this pesky symptom will go away as the second trimester begins, however, for some women it may stick around. Morning sickness can be very aggravating, especially when everything seems to make it worse. Luckily women from generations before us have discovered a few helpful things to get you through.
Here are a few things that are reported to make the nausea more tolerable.
Ginger: recent research has confirmed that ginger can help manage morning sickness during the first months of pregnancy. When absorbed into the GI tract ginger helps to sooth nausea. Nausea is usually worse in the morning so starting your day with a bit of ginger can help to sooth the nausea throughout the day. Here are a few suggestions for adding a little ginger to your diet, sprinkle crystallized ginger on your cereal, have toast with ginger jam, or tea made from steeped fresh ginger slices.
Nausea Breaking Foods: nausea breaking foods are those foods that will break the nausea cycle. For each woman it will be different since nausea itself is triggered by different things for different women. For example, if spicy foods make your nauseous try something bland the break the cycle. This technique with require a little trial and error, the key is to identify the trigger and usually the opposite type of food will break the cycle.
Tried and Tested: women who have suffered from morning sickness in their own pregnancies can be the best source of ideas on how to manage the nausea. We have all heard that crackers are a staple for those suffering through morning sickness. There are a few other common foods that moms who have suffered through recommend. They include: potato chips, lemons, lemonade, gelatin, watermelon, raspberry tea, ginger snaps, avocados, popsicles, graham crackers, yogurt, peppermint, baked potatoes, and rice cakes.
The key to managing morning sickness is to identify those things that trigger the nausea and then those things that help to reduce it. Each woman and pregnancy is unique so be sure to talk to your doctor or midwife, and other moms who have suffered from morning sickness, to help you figure out what will work for you. You may have to try out a few things before you find what works best for you.
What worked for you in combating morning sickness while you were pregnant? Any tricks you learned that you would like to share?
(source WebMD)
Around this time of year, as the holiday season kicks into high gear I am always warmed by the memories from my own childhood. My mother has always loved the Christmas season, if you could see her place from about late November on you would find countless decorations from pictures, to candle holders, to ceramics she has painted, all depicting holiday and winter scenes. She used to bake a ton of cookies throughout the holidays as well, she doesn’t do that as much any more, but when ever I smell fresh baking I am reminded of what my childhood home always smelt like throughout the holiday season.
It seems to me that the holidays quite often bring up joyful and warm memories for people. Memories of the family getting together and celebrating, of large home cooked meals with all the trimmings, of laughter, and many others too numerous to mention. Those memories that warm our hearts also drive us to help our children create similar wonderful memories, and so traditions are shared and passed down.
I grew up in Canada, so thanksgiving was always much earlier in the year and had its own set of memories, followed a couple of months later by Christmas. Now that I live here in the US Thanksgiving and Christmas sort of combine to make one long holiday season, which has made my memories of what used to be two very separate celebrations into one. I have witnessed how families begin getting together to share the holidays at Thanksgiving and just seem to continue those family gathering right through Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, and the New Year. It is nice to see.
The importance of families in our fast paced society can at times be questioned, but during the holiday season all questions seem to disappear and the importance of family is very apparent.
- Include your children in the family celebrations, and passing down traditions are a very important part of those holiday get togethers. Here are a few things you can do to make sure the kids are included and sharing in the family’s traditions while building memories of their own to pass down.
- Include the kids in the preparation of the meal. If they are too young to help invite them to join you in the kitchen so they can see what takes place, and how everyone is contributing. If they are old enough give them a task, maybe peeling the potatoes, or helping to make cookies.
- Talk to them about the traditions, how they started, who plays what role, and why you like those traditions. They are more likely to enjoy the traditions and understand their importance if they know a little more about them.
- If playing football together in the backyard or taking a family hike in the woods near your home are part of the family get together, be sure include the kids, even if only for a little bit. It will make them feel a part of the celebrations.
The important thing to remember is to just include the kids in all aspects of the celebrations. They will remember these early family gatherings and the role they played forever. Those memories will help them carry on the family’s traditions, and build on them with their own family when they grow up. How I celebrate the holidays and my love of this season is a direct result of the wonderful holiday memories I have from my childhood.
What things did you love about the holidays when you were little? What things do you know do with your kids that you remember your parents doing with you?
A mother’s right to breast-feed in public is in the national spotlight thanks to a recent news story about a woman being thrown off a flight for breast-feeding her daughter. Nursing mothers around the country are uniting to defend their right to breastfeed in public; we should be passed this by now you would think. How is it that in 2006 women still have to struggle with a society that doesn’t accept a breast-feeding woman.
Last month Emily Gillette of Espanola, NM was kicked off a Delta Airlines flight chartered by Freedom Airlines in Vermont by a flight attendant who was offended by the sight of her breast-feeding her 22 month old daughter on the plane. Ms. Gillette was seated in the back of the aircraft in a window seat with her husband in the seat next to her. She was discreetly breast-feeding her daughter when the flight attendant asked her to cover herself up with a blanket. When Emily Gillette refused she and her husband were forced to leave the plane. All this in a state where a woman’s right to breastfeed in public is protected by law!!
The question remains why mothers have to continue to fight and struggle for the right to perform a very natural (possibly the most natural) function of motherhood. There is some good coming out of this sad event though; the matter is now in he national spotlight. Nursing mothers united yesterday for “nurse-in” protests at airports around the country both to show their support for Emily Gillette and to protest the fact that an airline would allow such a thing to occur. The national media is paying attention, with stories on every major news channel and in newspapers around the country. We can only hope that the attention gained from this event will raise awareness and acceptance for nursing mothers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast-feeding exclusively until age 6 months, until 1 years in combination with the introduction of solid foods, and then beyond 1 year as long as mutually acceptable by mother and child.
60 % of women breast-feed post partum. 30% are still breast-feeding exclusively at age 6 months, and 5% of mothers continue breast-feeding beyond 1 year. A majority of states, 37, protect a mother’s right to breastfeed in public. Federal law protects a woman’s right to breastfeed in public on all federal property.
For those of you not familiar with this story be sure to read the following news reports.
Most doctors will tell you that you have nothing to worry about if you have been trying to get pregnant for less than a year and are not pregnant yet (this changes to 6 months if you are over 35). If, however, you have had plenty of unprotected sex for more than a year and you are not pregnant yet there may be cause for concern. Research indicates that about 1 in 10 couples have trouble getting pregnant.
There are many things that are considered risk factors of fertility for both men and women.
For women the risk factors fertility problems include:
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Blocked fallopian tube, either from a prior infection or surgery
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Painful or irregular periods
- Excessive facial or body hair
- Pelvic or abdominal surgery
- Chronic disease such diabetes, cancer, or thyroid disease
- You are a smoker
- You are more than 25 percent under or overweight
For men the risk factors include:
- Infection with the mumps virus after puberty
- Chronic illness such as diabetes, cancer, or thyroid disease
- Undescended testicles
- Testicular tumor, cyst, or cancer
- You take medications that include steroids
- You smoke
- You use a hot tub or sauna on a regular basis
- You go on frequent, long bike rides
If you suspect there is a problem, no matter how long you have been trying to get pregnant the best thing to do is to talk with your doctor. Your doctor should be able to answer any questions or concerns you have, and if a problem is suspected you can be sent in for tests that will better be able to determine if there is a problem, what it is, and what can be done about it.
Most couples who have trouble conceiving will go on to have children of their own, sometimes after medical intervention. Some couples are not able to conceive, for those couples adoption is a great alternative.