My husband and I meant to take the kids to the little park my daughter loves on Saturday. It rained. No problem; we’ll just go Sunday, we thought. Nope. It rained. Fast-forward to today, and we still haven’t made it because of the weather. What’s the parent of a cooped-up kid to do?

We’ve gotten creative with rainy days around here. I haven’t tried all of these ideas (and some aren’t necessarily age-appropriate for my kids yet), but here’s my list of Rainy Day Blues Busters:

* Crafts — anything goes! Do like the kid in the commercial for certain markers does, and make your own mosaic of pictures of sun and fun to hang over the rainy-day windows. Fingerpaint, glitter — the sky (and your tolerance for messes) is the limit!
* Cooking — baking with the kids can be a very satisfying way to spend a few hours inside. Even small kids can help stir or dump ingredients (that you’ve already measured) into a bowl. You might have to resort to a DVD or other activity while your creation bakes, but kids will get a kick out of eating something they helped make. Decorate cupcakes together, and you get kitchen time and craft time all in one.
* Indoor scavenger hunt (mostly for older kids, though little ones can help search too) — the kid who finds the most hidden treasures wins a prize.
* Make up and illustrate your own adventure story. Making a book is fun and easy, and then you have something you can bring out on other days to look back over.
* Make a fort or a tent in the living room, and camp out with s’mores and ghost (or just plain silly) stories.
* Have a costume parade with old dress-up clothes.

If you get super-stuck, you can always do a pajama party movie afternoon complete with fuzzy slippers and popcorn!

What are some of your favorite ways to spend a rainy day with the kids?

Posted by Sunshine.

My grandmother passed away this week, and due to circumstances beyond our control, my husband and I found ourselves with a less-than-ideal choice: take a baby and a 2yo to her funeral, or miss it entirely.

We’re taking them (and boy, do I have my worries about that), but it got me thinking about what other people feel is appropriate. Do young children belong at a funeral? Does it matter whether it’s open casket (this one will not be)?

For older children, parents might want to refer to this page for advice and guidelines. And the “experts” say that children as young as three can and should attend a funeral if the deceased was someone they knew and loved. They grieve too.

Here’s my survival strategy for my Nana’s funeral — maybe it will help someone else faced with the prospect of taking small children.

* Have a quiet, non-messy snack handy (and a ready-made bottle for baby, if at all possible — eating at a funeral might not be proper, but I figure the rest of the congregation would appreciate that far more than hearing my child scream because he’s hungry)
* Have a few quiet toys/teethers on hand (I have my daughter’s favorite coloring book and a picture book in the diaper bag)
* Explain beforehand, as best I can, what my 2yo can expect to see and hear, and what I expect of her (no yelling, no running around, etc.)
* Keep in mind that kids are still just kids, even in somber attire at a grownup event. Perfect behavior is just not going to occur.
* Be prepared to take the child out if it becomes clear that she is overwhelmed.

Posted by Sunshine.

Now that one out of every three kids aged ten to twelve owns a cell phone, the benefits and risks are becoming increasingly clear for this age group.

So what? Almost every one of us adults has a cell phone glued to our ear at least a few times every day, so it was only a matter of time before kids started mimicking the trend. It’s just part of life now…but did you know that children using cell phones at the same time they attempt to cross the street are more likely to get hit by a car? A new study found strong evidence to support this claim.

Seventy-seven children aged 10 to 12 were set up in a virtual-reality environment which simulated a street with traffic coming from both directions. Children stood on a platform (the “curb”). When they stepped down from the curb, an avatar crossed the virtual street in their place.

“The children who were on the cell phone and were distracted during their crossing were significantly more likely to get hit by a car in the virtual environment,” Byington reported. “They were getting hit or almost getting hit at least [once], while the kids that weren’t on the cell phone didn’t get hit [at all].”

Who doesn’t get at least a little bit distracted when they’re talking to their significant other, best friend, or parent on the phone? I know I’m guilty of trying to do other things while I chat, and I doubt I do them as well as if I was completely focused on the task at hand, instead of the latest chapter in my drama-ridden best friend’s life.

Crossing the street, though (like driving!) is one of those things that just has to take priority. Parents, please let your children know that they should always finish their phone conversations before stepping out into the street. It just might save their lives someday.

Posted by Sunshine.

My daughter was a decent teether. She was a little cranky when new teeth were coming in, but it wasn’t too hard to handle. A bit of Baby Orajel on her gums, and she’d be a happy camper again. My son, on the other hand, is a little monster when he’s teething. He’s not nearly so easy to soothe.

So what’s a mom to do? If you don’t like the idea of topical teething gels or medicine, like Tylenol, Miss Poppy offers these natural alternatives:

For a do-it-yourself ointment for sore gums, try the old-fashioned remedy of a spot of clove oil diluted down with safflower oil. Rub it on their swollen gums for slight relief. (Slight relief? That doesn’t sound too encouraging…not to mention I don’t keep either of those oils around that I’m aware of.)

Other natural teething aids:

* Ice-cold carrot and celery sticks
* A whole, chilled peeled apple (lots of fun to hold and drop on the floor)
* A gel teething toy, frozen first in the fridge
* A clean, cold, damp face cloth straight from the fridge (This has proved to be my son’s best option during the day - I hide an ice cube in the cloth for further relief)
* Hard teething biscuits
* Crusts of bread, served chilled
* Your finger, served chilled (Okay, I know what she means, but that sounded like something you’d find in a horror flick)
* A cold drink of water or diluted fruit juice
* A cold yogurt or chilled puree of fruit

As always, you’ll want to supervise your child with any of the foods mentioned above.

Have other tips for frazzled moms like me? Squawk back and share your best stuff!

Posted by Sunshine.

Childbirth classes may seem like a silly waste of time (how can anyone truly be taught how to give birth, right?), but they may be worth more to you than you think. The American Pregnancy Association gives these reasons why you should consider attending classes before the birth of your first (or next) baby:

* You will learn about options and methods to help control pain, including medications, massage, breathing and relaxation techniques.
* The information and experiences you share can help you feel more confident about your body being able to handle childbirth.
* Talking about your fears, questions and expectations with other participants can help relieve anxiety and better prepare you.
* The shared experience can help create a stronger bond between you and your partner.
* Taking a tour of the hospital where you plan to have your baby (often where the class is offered) allows you to become familiar with the environment, observe the staff and ask questions.

I didn’t take a childbirth class with my first baby, and if I had it to do over again, I just might attend. Although no amount of coaching/teaching can ever fully prepare you for your individual birthing reality, what you learn might be worth your time anyway, so that you go into the experience with a more realistic idea of what lies ahead.

Posted by Sunshine.

That’s right. The glass baby bottles of yesteryear are becoming in vogue again as worried parents try to avoid plastics with bisphenol A (BPA) in them.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a manmade chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers. Americans are widely exposed to BPA, but opinions on its safety are mixed.

The Food and Drug Administration says current uses with food are safe. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says animal testing has shown that BPA has hormone-like effects on the reproductive system. The CDC says more study is needed to see if it could be harming people.

Switching to glass bottles (or using them instead of plastic ones in the first place) is one way to avoid exposing your baby to BPA, though you might have some trouble finding them. They represent less than a tenth of all baby bottle sales, but major manufacturers like Evenflo and Dr. Brown’s do make them. If you do use glass, be aware that these bottles do break (of course), and that you shouldn’t give your older baby a glass bottle to drink from without supervision.

Also, glass bottles usually cost more than plastic ones, and if you prefer plastic, you can find BPA-free plastic bottles, like these.

I love my son’s plastic baby bottles. I was pleased to find a wider-mouthed variety (easier to clean!) with a more natural grip than the ones I used with my daughter, which we threw out before we ever decided to try for a second baby.

Am I switching?

Nope. Not with less than three months to go ’til he switches to sippy cups. I figure he’s already been exposed, so any harm has already been done, as bad as that sounds. Besides, what about the BPA in all the other plastic products we use around our kids? Should I rush around trying to find alternately packaged containers of shampoo and detangler? What about my wipes dispensers? Until they can prove more objectively that BPA is harming kids, I’ll just keep on keepin’ on.

Posted by Sunshine.

Soft stuffed animals, warm knitted blankets from Grandma, pint-sized pillows…they all seem attractive compared to a plain, fitted sheet and little else — but as mentioned in today’s NewsSquawk, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued yet another warning against placing these items in your baby’s crib.

We’ve all probably heard these warnings a hundred times, but babies are still dying from preventable accidents. According to the CPSC, from 2002 to 2004, 241 children under age 5 died in incidents involving nursery products. About 40 percent of the deaths involved cribs, with soft bedding cited as the leading contributing factor. Many of the children suffocated when lying face down on pillows or other bedding, the agency said.

Bath accidents also received extra attention in the CPSC’s statements. The agency said there were 36 deaths over the same period relating to baby baths and bath seats. All occurred when caregivers left the baby unattended. In many instances, babies slipped out of bath seats, fell out of baby seats or tipped forward or sideways into the water. (Never leave a child unattended in the tub!)

Other advice included making certain that your baby’s crib is properly assembled, that the mattress fits securely (babies can get their heads stuck between the crib and mattress if it doesn’t fit properly - allow no more than two fingers’ width between crib and mattress at any point), that broken cribs are replaced or repaired promptly, and yes, that you place your baby on his or her back to sleep. We can’t stop every death - SIDS can occur even when parents do everything “right” - but we can take steps to reduce the hazards to our infants.

These tips aren’t new, but if the CPSC felt the need to get them out there again, then so do I.

Posted by Sunshine.

We’re in the midst of flu season, but so far my household has escaped this misery-inducing virus. I’d like to say that’s because I’ve been doing all the right things, but truth be told, I hadn’t given it much thought until the flu started making the rounds at my husband’s workplace. I don’t worry so much about him or me, but I’d hate for one of my kids to get the flu. What should I be doing to protect my family?

HealthDay is offering these tips for keeping your kids flu-free (courtesy of the Children’s Hospital of the University of California, San Francisco):

* Flu vaccine is recommended for all healthy children aged 6 months to 5 years.
* Hand washing also is an easy way to help prevent flu. Your child should wash her hands thoroughly and frequently, with soap and warm water.
* Parents and caregivers should also should wash their hands often, and get a flu vaccine.
* Teach your child to cover her mouth when she coughs or sneezes, and to wash her hands afterward.
* Try to keep your child away from others who are sick. Keep her home from school if she has symptoms of a cold or the flu.

For more information about influenza, check out flufacts.com.

Posted by Sunshine.

We know that safety gates (”baby gates” to many of us) are a good way to keep small children confined to safe areas. They prevent kids from falling down stairs, having access to fireplaces, etc. - but how do you pick the best possible gate?

HealthDay passes along these tips from the Nemours Foundation:

* Choose a gate that is securely mounted to the door frame with hardware, and that doesn’t leave any openings to pinch little fingers.
* Be careful with gates that use pressure or tension to keep them secured in a doorway. Never place this type of gate in front of stairs, as it may be more easily removed by children. (We ended up throwing away a gate of this type because my two-year-old could ram it hard enough to dislodge it, despite our best efforts to make it super-tight. And if they warp at all, forget it - they’ll never fit right again.)
* Make sure that the bar on pressure gates is on the side away from the child’s access.
* Leave no more than 2 inches at the bottom of the gate to prevent a child from trying to slide underneath. (They will try if they think they can fit, which can result in wedged limbs.)
* Choose a gate that is difficult to climb on or over. (Think of little kids as monkeys - they are always capable of more than we give them credit for!)
* Only use gates that are safety approved and certified, and have no sharp or dangerous parts that could hurt a child.

It doesn’t take much extra time to select a gate that will do the job right. I would never have forgiven myself if we’d had a stairway and had used the pressure-mounted gate my daughter ended up barreling through. Can you imagine? As it was, she only crashed into the kitchen. Whew!

Posted by Sunshine.

It only takes a moment for winter fun to turn into a trip to the ER. Cold weather dangers abound, but that doesn’t mean we should spend the season indoors. It’s important to stay active year-round, so here are some tips for a safer winter play season, from HealthDay:

• Children should wear a helmet when they’re snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling and skiing.
• Dress to keep warm and safe. Wear layers of clothing and top it off with coats that are wind- and water-resistant. When snowmobiling, make sure that scarves and any loose fabrics are tucked in.
• Parents should always supervise young children and keep them in sight. Older children should always have at least one companion.
• Don’t play on ice, which poses a serious fall risk. When skating, use ice only in areas designated for skating, and check for cracks and debris on the ice.
• When skiing, snowboarding or sledding, always make sure the path is clear of people and other obstacles.
• Only take part in winter sports in areas well-lit by sunlight or artificial light.
• No matter what the winter activity, always think about safety. For example, never pull your child in a sled behind a snowmobile or other motorized vehicle.

Posted by Sunshine.