Posted by: marvelousgirl on: January 6, 2010
Having a first child can be overwhelming – with the new bundle of joy comes the new lifestyle, new responsibilities, new sleep schedule, etc.
An alarming amount of parents can get overwhelmed, particularly in the first few weeks of bringing the baby home. This could be a lot less of a stressful experience knowing some tips from the experts beforehand. BornFree, the leading chemical and BPA-free baby product manufacturer has provided some tips below to guide first time parents in ensuring a more pleasant experience for mom, dad, and baby:
1. Get your home in order before the baby arrives: Clean, organize, and find a place to store all baby products, so they can be easily accessible.
2. Find the places that are open all night and who will deliver to your home – keep a running and accessible list of nearby pharmacies, grocery stores, etc. and have these numbers readily available.
3. Keeping your baby safe is the most important. Products that are BPA and chemical free are essential.
4. Try and lock down a sleep schedule ahead of time to adjust to both your needs and your baby needs. Taking turns between parents is a great way to ensure both parties are tending to the baby while taking care of their own health as well and getting as much rest as they possibly can.
5. Read up beforehand and don’t be afraid to ask your pediatrician questions before the baby even arrives in your home such as what to expect for feeding, sleeping and general care of your child.
About Born Free: BornFree™ has developed a range of products baby bottles, cups and accessories that is totally free of the potentially dangerous chemicals Bisphenol-A (BPA), Phthalates and PVC. According to researchers, BPA may cause developmental and neurological problems if it leaches from plastic.
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: October 9, 2009
Supermodel Heidi Klum and singer Seal have welcomed a baby girl to their family.
According to a reports, Klum gave birth to her fourth child, daughter Lou Samuel, early Friday morning.
Klum, who recently filed a petition to change her last name to her married name Samuel, has two sons, Henry, 3, and Johan, 2, with Seal.
She also has a daughter, Leni, with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore.
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: August 21, 2009
Two more infants have died by entrapment in Simplicity bassinets, so the Consumer Product Safety Commission decided to re-announce its August 2008 recall of the child beds.
The recall was first announced last year after the death of two additional children, totaling four deaths that have been reported to the commission involving Simplicity bassinets.
The recall includes more than 900,000 bassinets sold as far back as 2001 and as recently as last year.
The hazard found in the Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets is from the metal bars being spaced farther apart than federal standards allow, the commission said.
If the Velcro-attached fabric designed to cover the metal bars on the bassinet is attached improperly, a pocket can be created where children can become trapped, the commission added. And children can become stuck between the bassinet’s bars even without the fabric attached.
Owners of the recalled bassinets can return the beds to the stores where they bought them, the safety commission said.
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: August 13, 2009
With 55.8 million kids enrolled in public and private schools this fall, retailers can anticipate their usual brief stint of shoppers. But given lackluster consumer spending and a 9.4 percent unemployment rate, it is no surprise analysts at industry research firm IBISWorld expect back-to-school spending to decline by 3.4 percent – from the $20.42 billion generated in 2008.
In probing their back-to-school cost breakdown, the Los Angeles-based firm divided the following four categories into what it considered to be typical school-related expenses: electronics, traditional supplies, footwear and clothing:
“Parents will inevitably put more thought and less dollars into their back-to-school shopping strategies,” said Toon Van Beeck, senior analyst at IBISWorld. “In particular, dollar-variety stores can expect to see a greater wave of traffic since parents are doing everything they can to save an extra buck”. In fact, IBISWorld approximates 21.3 percent of sales from the $47 billion discount-retailer industry to come from school and office supplies alone.
The fastest growing category, electronic school supplies, will see a slight decline of 1.8 percent, down to $5.12 billion. Parents on average will spend $91.69 per child on electronic equipment this year, a fairly significant leap from the $43.36 average observed in 2005. Items such as calculators and personal laptops are must-haves in today’s learning environment, and IBISWorld predicts that by 2016, this sector will become the number one back-to-school spending category – overtaking the core area of clothing, as the learning environment becomes more technologically focused.
The biggest decline this year comes from the clothes category, expected to plunge 5.4 percent. For each child enrolled in school this year, sporting the latest trends in clothes and accessories will cost parents $136.60 on average.
And for the 1.23 million kids that will be home-schooled this year, IBISWorld found that while parents may be saving on certain expenses like clothes and shoes, educating a child at home escalates costs in other areas. In particular, parents incur the hefty price of purchasing the latest teaching tools, textbooks, and learning equipment – typically covered by public and private schools.
“Back-to-school spending is a necessary and justifiable expenditure,’” said Van Beeck. “Retailers have driven down overall prices in order to draw consumers, so price-conscious parents won’t need to significantly cutback because they will get a lot more for their dollar this year.”
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: June 30, 2009
This year, 4.3 million babies will be born in the United States, representing a 0.4 percent decline from 2008. While recessions typically lead to fewer birth rates, the latest research from Los Angeles-based IBISWorld shows that not only does parenting get pricier with time, but the impact of current economic conditions will further exacerbate the financial commitment.
“We can expect to see a surge in the boomerang generation [ages 18-24] returning home and continuing financial dependency on parents due to a scarce and competitive job market,” said Toon van Beeck, senior analyst at IBISWorld. “This phenomenon has become more apparent in recent years, with higher costs in tuition and rent making transitioning into adulthood increasingly difficult. Thanks to the recession, many parents will get prolonged time with their kids until their debt is paid off or market conditions improve.”
From the moment of conception to age 18, the average cost of raising a child is about $227,862—which translates to an average cost of $12,658 a year. A household yielding an annual income of less than $45,000 will spend roughly $156,469 on their child until they turn 18. Incomes between $45,000 and $75,000 spend $214,829, while households earning $75,000 and above splurge over $312,286 by the time their teen graduate’s high school. Afterwards, parents can expect to shell out for college tuition, along with additional financial burdens induced by a stagnant economy.
Also relative to the total average cost spent on a child is location. For instance, those who reside in the west pay the most per child in the nation – 8.1 percent above average – due to higher income levels and cost of living. In eastern regions, such as New England, a child is 4.9 percent more expensive, whereas raising a child in the south meets closest with average figures.
With housing encompassing the greatest portion (35 percent) of total expenses, expect to see adverse effects brought on by foreclosures and rising unemployment – especially in hard hit states like California and Arizona.
“We have already noticed an influx of middle-income families, particularly from California, relocating out of state in search of more affordable housing and employment opportunities,” said van Beeck. “The ability for parents to afford a better quality of life for their child is of utmost importance, and it entails sacrifices.”
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: June 17, 2009
Once again, Kate Gosselin has found herself in the center of media attention; this time for spanking one of her eight children.
Apparently Gosselin grabbed daughter, Leah, by the arm and swoddled her rear end before walking away from the crying child.
According to In Touch magazine, Leah had been asked to stop blowing a whistle and was not listening.
“The girl was screaming and crying. Kate just pushed her away and walked off with her coffee,” a witness told the magazine. “Her older sisters were trying to make Leah feel better.”
In response to the recent controversy, Gosselin is defended her actions by releasing this statement:
“Whether the paparazzi are there or not, I am a mother first,” Gosselin told Life & Style Weekly. “I love my children and when they misbehave, I discipline them as I deem appropriate for the situation.”
jon and kate announcement june 22, jon and kate announce divorce, jon and kate big announcement, john and kate announcement, jon kate gossip
video
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: May 31, 2009
You’ve taken steps towards Internet safety on your home computer, but what about your kid’s cell phone? Now that cell phones give users access to the web, a new danger is available at the fingertips of your child.
Luckily if your child has an iPhone or another Apple device a new application has been created that allows you to block inappropriate pages from their web surfing. The application is called Safe Eyes Mobile and is available for $19.99 at www.safeeyes.com/iphone.
For Apple iPhone, Now Available at iPhone App Store
New Browser Selectively Blocks Inappropriate Content In Multiple Categories
To Give Parents Peace-of-Mind
ATLANTA, GA —InternetSafety.com, the recognized leader in Internet safety solutions, today announced that Safe Eyes® Mobile, the first Internet browser that helps parents protect their children from exposure to objectionable content on a mobile device, is now available for purchase through the iPhone App Store. InternetSafety.com’s Safe Eyes Mobile, designed for the Apple iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, blocks inappropriate pages while giving users full access to the rest of the Web.
Safe Eyes Mobile works just like the built-in iPhone browser with pinch and tap zoom, bookmarks, built-in Google search and multiple pages, and has no noticeable effect on iPhone performance. The application carries an introductory price of just $19.99; to purchase Safe Eyes Mobile, visit www.safeeyes.com/iphone.
“With Safe Eyes Mobile, parents can allow their children to surf the Web using the iPhone or other Apple mobile device, confident that they are as protected as if they were at home using a PC equipped with Safe Eyes,” said Aaron Kenny, CTO of InternetSafety.com. “As the first browser application to control iPhone content, Safe Eyes Mobile is the first solution to address this serious problem without an all-or-nothing approach.”
Featuring the same award-winning filtering technology found in Safe Eyes software for PCs and Macs, Safe Eyes Mobile checks requested websites against a massive blacklist of potentially objectionable web addresses that is updated on a daily basis. It prevents iPhone and iPod Touch access to pages in the pornography, nudity, sex and tasteless/gross categories by default.
Parents can configure Safe Eyes Mobile software to filter sites in 31 other categories by visiting www.safeeyes.com. Using the PIN-controlled parental controls in the iPhone, they can also turn off the Apple Safari browser and prevent other browsers from being installed, ensuring that Safe Eyes Mobile is the only choice for surfing the Web.
Safe Eyes Mobile is the first all-around choice for Web content protection. The iPhone itself can control Internet browsing only by blocking Web access entirely, while AT&T’s wireless Media Net Parental Controls do not work on the iPhone at all. Safe Eyes Mobile filtering works on both the AT&T cellular network and individual Wi-Fi networks to which the iPhone automatically connects when in range.
Per-phone pricing for Safe Eyes Mobile includes automatic daily updates of the product’s Web site blacklist. To learn more, or to purchase Safe Eyes Mobile at the special introductory price of $19.99, visit www.safeeyes.com/iphone. A demo of Safe Eyes Mobile is also available at www.safeeyes.com/iphonedemo.
About InternetSafety.com
Established in 1999, InternetSafety.com™ specializes in providing Internet safety solutions. Its flagship software, Safe Eyes®, is the two-time recipient of the PC Magazine Editors’ Choice Award, earned a separate Editor’s Choice Award from LAPTOP magazine, and was rated as the #1 parental control solution by America’s leading consumer advocacy publication. The company’s Safe Eyes, Safe Eyes Mobile and EtherShield products provide online protection for consumers and businesses in more than 140 countries.
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: March 24, 2009
Moms-to-be concerned about potential risks of taking cold medication or using certain cleaning products can now find helpful information online and over the phone.
A new website (www.ctispregnancy.org) offering expectant moms a one-stop source for finding the latest information about the potential risks of exposure to drugs, chemicals and other harmful agents has been launched by the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS). The field of Teratology studies the causes and biological processes leading to abnormal development and birth defects.
CTIS is a non-profit founded and directed by faculty and staff from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and serving the entire state of California. CTIS has been providing pregnancy risk counseling via a confidential and no-cost Pregnancy Risk Information Line for the past 27 years. Experts at the toll-free number, 1-800-532-3749, field questions in both English and Spanish about exposure concerns to help pregnant and breastfeeding women and their health providers assess possible risk factors associated with harmful substances.
Most common substances that pregnant women encounter will not cause birth defects, but others might be harmful if taken in large doses and at a crucial time in pregnancy, explained Kenneth Lyons Jones, MD, medical director of CTIS, faculty member in the department of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a world-renowned research physician, noted for his pioneering work on fetal alcohol syndrome.
Is that product safe for your baby?
Posted by: marvelousgirl on: March 23, 2009
Every mom wants their baby to have the best start. That’s why Liane Weintraub and Shannan Swanson started a certified organice food line called Tastybaby.
Tastybaby is frozen, unlike jarred baby foods which is more processed. Packaged in biodegradable cardboard, the products have quirky names like “Squash ‘Em” and “Life’s A Peach.”
These products and more are available at Whole Foods, Kroger, D’agostino, Bristol Farms, The Food Emporium and more. Tastybaby is $5.99 for a 10.5 oz-ounce three pack.
