Parenting Children

My kids love to go for walks around our neighborhood and they always come back with handfuls of “stuff”. Acorns, flowers, pinecones, various leaves, rocks and sticks. They always want to bring them inside, but I am not a fan of dirt all over my house. So, I bought a plain clay pot for each of them. I let them paint the pot and decorate it anyway they wanted. Now the pots sit on your front porch and when the children bring something home, they can put it into their pot. This way they can keep what they have collected, just not in my house! They love it and I loved how it was a whole afternoon project.

If your children like to collect flowers or petals, why not press them? Find various petals or small thin flowers or plants around your neighborhood.
Lay them out on some pretty paper or blank note cards (this would be great thank you cards for your kids to send!) and arrange them. Press the flowers with a dictionary or phone book for two weeks or so.
Then you have original beautiful artwork that could even be framed in a child’s room, bathroom or sent to a relative!

What is your favorite things to do with your children’s outdoor collectables?

crafts, kid crafts, summer fun, parenting, SAHM, outdoor fun, parenting children

We all know how tough it is in the U.S. to have children. Whiel other countries have great maternity and paternity leaves, breastfeeding is promoted and accepted and children and families are part of the work/life balance. In the U.S. some of these things are not only hard to find, but near impossible.

When I was pregnant, before I knew E was getting transferred I wondered what I would do? Daycare for both of my children would have been upwards of $1000 a month in the town I was working. Where would I pump in my office building? I would have had to use a meeting room every day because I certainly was not using the ladies room.
I searched for jobs that I could apply for that had onsite daycare. They were easier to find in the NY/NJ area but I wondered about all the people who didn’t live near some of the largest company headquarters like I did.

If you are looking for what to do when you have to go back to work after you have your child, or where to find companies with on-site daycare, check out www.babiesatwork.org. They have a list of baby friendly companies, questions and answers and why more companies should be more family friendly.

Would you change jobs just to work at a more family or child friendly workplace?

working moms, SAHM, WAHM, parenting, baby friendly companies, on site daycare, kids, babies

When my son was about three months old my mother finally said to me “his head is very misshapen on this one side, do you think you should check with the doctor?” I had not noticed it, whether it was because I was a new mom living 100 miles away from all of our family, or because I was overwhelmed with twins, I felt like a terrible mother. I still do, because how do you not notice your son’s head is misshapen and was causing facial asymmetry?

I took him to his pediatrician and he was diagnosed with torticollis and positional plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly is the flattening of one part of the head. Maybe you have noticed many more children with flat heads as of the last few years, I know I see kids with it every day. The most common is braciocephaly, the flattening of the back of the head. This rise in braciocephaly is due to the back to sleep campaign to get parents to put kids on their backs to sleep to help ease the SIDS risk. It worked but far too many babies are spending too much time on their back and their soft skulls are paying for it.

In my son’s case his flattening was due to his torticollis (a shortening of the muscles on one side of his neck) which we know was caused by his womb conditions. He wasn’t a very large baby at 7lbs 1 oz but he was sharing the womb with his 8lbs 2 oz sister. That is not a lot of room! Boys for some reason seem to have plagiocephaly more then girls and twins are a common risk group. He had all the markers.
(more…)

Are your kids ready to go back to school and you have no idea how you are going to get them out of bed? Researchers say you should implement new bedtime and wake up routines ten days to two weeks before the start of school.
Here are some tips to get your kids back to a routine:

-Gradually adjust children to earlier sleep and wake times in order to set their biological clocks for the new schedule.

-Do not have a radically different schedule on weekends

-Limit caffeine after dinner

-Make sure kids get enough exercise and eat well

Hopefully these tips will get your kids out of bed and back to school, where you want them! For more about children’s sleep needs click here.

children, back to school, children’s sleep, sleep schedules for kids, getting kids out of bed, school age children, teens, tweens, parenting

Government figures now show that U.S women are dying in childbirth at the highest rate in decades. “The U.S. maternal mortality rate rose to 13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2004, according to statistics released this week by the National Center for Health Statistics.”
In 2003 the rate was 12 per 100,000 live births, the first time that rate has risen above 10 deaths since 1977.

The deaths are a small number, but still a scary statistic to be faced with. Experts think that maternal obesity and the rise in Caesarean sections are partly to blame. Caesarean sections should not be taken lightly, it is major surgery, I know, I had major complications with my C-section and was minutes away from having a hysterectomy and could have died. Experts point to the rising C-section rate, now 29 percent of all births! Much higher than what public health experts say is appropriate and the highest C-section rate in the world.

Besides obesity and caesarean sections, other risks include:
Age, many mothers are waiting until their late 30s or 40s to give birth

Race-studies show that the maternal death rate in black women is at least three times greater than is it is for white women.

Quality of care- many deaths could be prevented with good medical care and good prenatal care.

Would you elect for a C-section even if it was not medically necessary? What do you think we can do about this rising mortality rate?

source

childbirth, Caesarean section, childbirth mortality rate, c-section, c-section mortality, pregnancy, pregnant, childbirth risks

These adorable lunch bags are too cute and hard to pass up when they are on sale!
Take your pick from a giraffe, pig, cow or horse and are $12.99 at Pottery Barn.
Do you think I can get away with carrying one?

lunch bags, kids, school supplies, back to school

Today is the last day in our back to school week series, I hope you found great things and enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I think today we should talk about lunch. Brown bagging it can be a pain sometimes to come up with new and healthy things that you know your child will eat and not just throw away. I don’t want to see you buy those pre-made sodium and fat filled lunchable things in the grocery store either!

We need some alternatives to PB&J, while it is healthy it is also high in sugar and my PB&J sandwiches would always get soggy before I got to eat them. Try whole wheat bread with apple butter and apple slices instead.
-Rolls- roll up some deli meats and cheeses, like ham and cheese. Kids love eating things with their hands and they love “different” things.
-Hummus- Use hummus instead of fattening mayo on sandwiches
-Drink your lunch-make fruit smoothies the night before and put one serving aside in the freezer. Put that along with a straw in your child’s lunch box, by the time it is lunch it will be defrosted and delicious. This is my children’s favorite.
Or put some soup in a thermos, healthy and will warm her up on a cold day.
-Dip-cut up some veggies and put some spinach dip into a container
-Yogurt- serve yogurt with some granola or with some cut up fruit.
-Wrap it up- put your favorite lunch meats and cheeses in a wrap instead of bread, kids love variety. Put a salad in a whole wheat pita and serve a little dressing on the side. This one is my favorite.
-Crunch- serve celery with peanut putter and raisins on it. Call it “ants on a log”. Try cream cheese instead of peanut butter.
-Cut it out- if your children only want plain sandwiches, try cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. This gets even the pickiest of eaters to eat. (more…)

Are you still with me on the back to school supplies? Ok good because there is a lot more things that I love for back to school. It almost makes me want to send my kids this year.

Have you been seeing Sigg water bottle everywhere like I am? They are a cool way for you to keep yourself or your kids hydrated without adding to the plastic water bottle population at the recycling plant. Sigg also makes a great backpack for kids. It has a great design, cool colors and has easy to use velcro flaps. Kids will also love the secret pocket that leads straight to the water bottle compartment!

Remember trapper keepers? That was a must have when I was in school, now they have binders that are way cooler. Check out this Meade Five Star Sound 1.5 Binder.
You can listen to your favorite tunes through the binder! it works with any MP3 player, portable DVD player or laptop. It has storage for MP3 player, cell phone, pens/pencils, and more. It comes in a bunch of different color combinations and at $29.99 it won’t break your bank.
Lets just hope they get some school work done.
(more…)

My daughter loves to draw, color or do any sort of arts & crafts, she takes after her father that way. L likes to color but there is a limit to his “creative” time.

These lap desks would be perfect for them. Great for the car, to do homework, sick days in bed or meals. It is the only one I have seen with a holder for pens or markers. Easy to clean and at $25.00 it will not break the bank. Great gift idea for kids!

lap desk, kids, toddlers, arts & crafts, parents, gift ideas for kids, gift ideas

The best part of back to school is buying new clothes. My sister and I would go shopping every labor day with my Mom for back to school clothes. Of course, the first day of school outfit was the most important, usually a fall outfit and you would be sweating by 12pm and maybe even have a blister on your foot for your new shoes.

How about some smart clothing for your smart kids. Mindcandyclothing.com has great shirts with some bling for your child.
Let everyone know how smart they are.

My little girl loves Lelli Kelly shoes. They are gorgeous and most popular with the sandbox set. My son and my nephew loves geox sneakers. They come in a huge array of colors and styles.

Check out sandboxthreads.com for cool t shirt for toddlers and beyond. Let your child’s friends know is he a peace lover or an organic fiend.

I love these microfleece 1/2 zip pullovers from Lands End. They are warm for those cold mornings waiting for the bus but easy for kids to tie around their waist when it is warm in the afternoons. It comes in a ton of colors and is so soft.

back to school, back to school clothes, sneakers for kids, kids, toddlers, children

Do you have a child that is entering the first day of preschool or kindergarten? They want a backpack like the big kids they see going to school but you do not really need a big one because all they are transporting to and from school is usually papers.

This knitted backpack is perfect for them! It is 10″ x 12″ and is made from thick cotton fiber. It comes in a frog, ladybug, bunny or lion and is $39.99. I think it is adorable and after all this garbage with recalls on products made in China, I think it is great to get something handmade from a country like Peru using the fair trade ethics.

backpacks, school, backpacks for preschoolers, knitted backpack, first day of school, school supplies

I remember my first day of preschool, I was nervous and excited all at once. I wasn’t too sure about my parents actually leaving me with a room full of strangers, but I did alright. I have one more year until my twins go off to kindergarten and I am already anticipating the first day of school with a little dread.

According to a recent Parents poll, sixty percent of kids were most scared of being separated form their parents when they started school and twenty five percent were scared they would not make any friends. Something we can all relate to, but there are many other things children fear. I will write about those fears and what we can do to ease them.

Fear of making friends. Try and get a list of your child’s classmates and make a play date with a few of the new friends in the first few weeks of school. Also tell your child’s teacher if you have a very shy child. She can ease them into the activities with other children. Remind your child that it is everyone’s first day of school and everyone has the same fears.

Going on the bus for the first time. Make friends with the bus driver and make sure he/she knows your child’s name. Ask a child in your neighborhood if they would sit with your child even if they get on at another stop.

Letting parents leave. Make sure you reassure your child that you will always came back to get them and always be on time to get them! Give them something small to carry with them and you carry the same thing, that way when they feel it in their pocket or see it in their lunchbox, they will remember you are thinking of them. See if you can take a tour of the school and meet the teacher before the first day of school so you can familiarize yourself and your child with the school and the classroom.

Most importantly ask questions of your child about their day and their fears at dinner or after school. Listen to your child’s concerns. Talk to the teacher during conferences, ask questions like what you can do at home to help with school work or social interactions. Join some groups for both yourself to meet people and your child.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you and your child ease into the new school year.

first day of school, school, kindergarten, preschool, school fears, parenting, children’s fears, parents, parenting children

Here in New Jersey school doesn’t start until after labor day. To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year for all parents (but not for kids!) it is Back to School Week here at Parenting Our Children all next week.

We will have product reviews, school news and what you and your kids need to stay sane through the next school year!
Also, don’t forget to comment! Every comment here or on any 451 Press blog in the month of August gets you a chance at winning cash prizes!
Perfect for school supplies.

school, back to school, school necessities, kid’s gear, school gear, kids, children, parenting

A 35 year old Canadian woman has just given birth to a very rare set of identical quads! Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by Caesarian section Sunday afternoon.
She carried the babies for 31 weeks and three days which is a huge feat for a mother carrying four babies! The babies were born about two months early and were conceived without fertility drugs.

They each weighed between 2.6 pounds and 2.15 pounds and listed in good condition.
The chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets is about one in 13 million!

quads, multiple births, identical quads, pregnancy, babies, kids, parenting

Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration said it plans to meet in October to go over the safety of over the counter cold and cough products for children.
They are going to review safety data for the ingredients of these products.

The FDA has not established a dose that is effective for kids 2 years old and under that is why on all those tylenol bottles for kids under two it says to call your doctor. They are recommending that you never give any child under the age of 2 cold and cough medicine without consulting your doctor for dosing.
Also make sure you always give your children, kids doses or “pediatric” medicines.
In 2004 and 2005, more than 1,500 children younger than 2 years old were treated in emergency rooms for adverse events from cough and cold medicines.

flu, colds, cold and cough medicines, FDA, children’s medicines, children, kids, parenting, parenting children, sick kids