Parenting Children

I think compared to most kids our children do not watch a lot of television. They do watch TV in the morning after they wake up and they may watch one show in the afternoon after a nap. I have shows that I like them to watch and others that I do not. They also rarely watch live television. I TiVo the shows I like on Noggin, which doesn’t have commercials during the show. They also love shows on PBS, no commercials for the golden arches or silly Barbie dolls there either.

A study done on commercials in 2005 found that “Food is the number one product advertised to kids, followed by media such as music, video games and movies”.
You know what kind of food they are talking about, it is not fruits and vegetables.

The study found that 8-to-12-year-old children see the most food commercials, an average of 21 a day which is 7,600 ads per year, 13 to 17 years old viewed 17 food ads a day, an annual total of more than 6,000 and kids ages 2 to 7, saw 12 food ads per day, or 4,400 a year.
That is a lot of candy, snacks and fast food ads.

After food, the most common products in televisions ads aimed at children and teens were music, video games and movies.

We know advertisers love teens and kids. They want the cereal box with the toy inside, they love the toys from their favorite movies and have you seen the gummy snacks lately? Every box is another character from Cinderella, to Spiderman to Animal Planet.
Don’t even get me started on the cereal aisle.

It is bad enough that they come home from school and ask me for all of the things they never knew existed that their friends had like yogos, or gummy snacks.
This study made me realize that I will be taping our kids shows and skipping the commercials for a long time to come!

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered retailers to stop selling bedside sleeper bassinets that have been linked to two infant deaths, according to the Washington Post. The “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets were made by Simplicity Inc. of Reading, Penn. The agency’s safety alert was prompted by the death of a 6-month-old Kansas girl, who died from strangulation Aug. 21 after getting caught in the product’s metal bars, the newspaper said.

Some 900,000 of the 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets may be in use today. Their metal bars are spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum allowed by federal law, and this poses a great hazard. CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products! SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.

Most stores have stopped selling them, but please pass this warning to every parent, day care center or consignment shop you know. It is a huge shame that we are only hearing about this a year after the first baby died. Perhaps another baby wouldn’t have died if this information became public.

For more information check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site here.

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Are you on the fence about supplementing? Maybe you feel like many moms and that you don’t want to commit to breastfeeding because you feel like you cannot commit to a specified amount of time to breastfeed your baby. Everyone knows breastfeeding is best, but you can supplement. Let’s talk about adding formula to your baby’s diet.

Supplementing your baby’s diet with formula can happen at about four weeks. They will still be willing to try a bottle and by then you will have a good feeding pattern down.
Supplementing will let you have some freedoms, like leaving the house without the baby, going back to work without having to pump as often, sometimes babies do not thrive on breast milk alone. My baby lost one pound in two and a half days in the hospital and the doctors told me I should supplement one of the middle of the night feedings to get more into him.

There are many formulas on the market these days so how do you chose the right one? In my opinion you will to buy one that is closest to breast milk, ones that have whole proteins and DHA and ARA. If you still don’t know which one to chose ask your pediatrician.
There are many types of formula too, powdered, ready to feed or concentrate. Ready to feed is the easiest, you just pour into a bottle and you are ready, but it is the most expensive.
Formula is made to be as close as breastmilk as you can get.
Don’t feel bad if you need to supplement, a happy, healthy mom is a better mom to her baby!

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Having boy/girl twins is not only such a treat, but fascinating to say the least. We get to see our children age at the same pace, but not develop at the same pace. They each have their weaknesses and strengths physically as well as cognitively. They each have their own challenges to parent as well. My son was a harder baby to parent, but now that they are five my daughter has been harder. But just who is harder to raise boys or girls?

There are differences, boys’ hearing is not as good as girls’ right from birth, and their verbal centers in their brains develop more quickly than boys. If you know any toddler or preschool boys than you know they’re also less verbal and more impulsive. They seem to be much more active, getting into things, jumping, crawling putting their physical safe in danger from the minute they are mobile. Boys are more lableled with disorders like ADD, ADHD, sensory integration disorder etc. I worry about his self esteem, because he seems to depend on his sister in social situations. He is much more shy and laid back.

My daughter was an easier baby, but now? She is challenging. Although she is only five she is worried about how she looks, cries if her hair is “too puffy” and will break down if her brother does something before she does. She is also a natural mother, she loves and tends to her baby brother like I never expected. She worries about his safety, plays with him and protects him.
I do think in my case L was harder for the first few years but R will be harder as a teenager.

Girls tend to grow up less confident and more insecure than boys, researchers say and I think that instilling confidence in my daughter will be something that will be hard. She is a very confident five year old but she is also a “people pleaser” and that can backfire. I worry about her and her body image because like all girls it is hard to remain confident in your body especially during puberty.

So I am torn, I think both sexes have their own challenges at every stage. Who do you think is harder to parent, boys or girls?

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We have exactly ten days before my children start their school careers. I am holding up well, so far. We have prepared them for kindergarten as best we can but they are so thirsty for knowledge, it even surprises me. The latest task we are undertaking is teaching them to read. They want to read in the worst way and I am trying to help them accomplish that goal by the end of this school year. Here are some tips for making a reading friendly environment in your home for your children (and you!):

-Visit book stores and your local library often and browse the book sections

-For reluctant readers get audio books from your library

-Use books without words to spark their imagination

-Ask your school or library for a suggested reading list for your child’s age

-Make flashcards for vocabulary and practice spelling words. We read and spell a lot in the car, pretty much everything we pass with letters on it, my kids ask what it says.

- Get magnetic letters for your refrigerator, then kids can practice spelling even short words with or without your help.

- Keep books in the house that they have an interest it. Make sure you have a well lit, comfy area in your house that kids can read or look at their books in.

- Let your children (ages 4 to watch reading rainbow or Between the Lion on PBS.

- Play word games like Scrabble Jr., Boggle Jr, or hangman

-Look for story time in your local book store, library or Pottery Barn Kids

- Make sure you read to your child every day, even if it is for a couple of minutes. Read yourself, parents who read the paper, books or anything will more likely to have readers for children! Monkey see monkey do!

What are your tips for teaching your children to read?

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I do a ton of review fo rbaby gear and kid “stuff” but I don’t very often get to review great mom products. Being a mom of twins, anything that is for moms of twins or especially for twins holds a place near to my heart. Multiple Moms Rock has exactly what a mom, dad or granparent of multiples want!

I love mom owned businesses with great products and this store fits the bill! Shirts that proclaim “multiple moms rock” or “raising twins + 1 is an extreme sport” is perfect for me or all the other moms of mulitples I know. Only another parent of multiples can know how hard but rewarding raising more than one child at a time is. Share your bond with these unique shirts!
You don’t have to be a mom of more than one child to need a break. Don’t think this shop is only for mulitple parents, check out their “Why can’t I have a time out?” shirt. Now, every mom I know needs this shirt, because it is so true.

These shirts run true to size and are made with super soft cotton and are so comfortable. Multiple Moms Rock also has something for everyone, moms, dads and grandparents of singletons, twins, and triplets - and you can special order sayings for Quads or higher!

Multiple Moms Rock has offered Parenting Our Childrenreaders 10% off all merchandise on the website! Use the coupon code: MOMSROCK off your next purchase.

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I am a typical woman- I love jewelry. My husband has been nice enough to donate generously to my obsession, but I wanted something to celebrate my children. Something sweet and simple. Becoming jewelry has exactly that.

Becoming Jewelry has the sweetest jewelry I have seen in a long while. Unique handmade gemstone and glass jewelry carefully crafted with semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystal, glass and
mixed metals. Delicate chains with your choice of initials, names and/or charms can be all yours and it won’t break the budget. Looking for a unique bracelet? Check out these amazing designs some which are new for fall. Looking for a thank you or “just because” gif? Check out Becoming’s inspired necklaces which have great messages.

These beautiful pieces of jewelry are perfect for a new mom, an expecting mom, a Grandma, a push present, a sister, Aunt or a little girl. Basically for any woman in your life. Plus a portion of the proceeds are sent to charities. What can be better? All of their jewelry items are handmade and there is a quick turnaround time, expect only two to three day order processing time. Larger orders may take longer.

Go and check the out now, I know you will want once of each, like I do! Bookmark this site and then do yourself a favor and send this review to your husband or boyfriend and he will get the hint. Beautiful, handmade jewelry at a reasonable price, he will be getting off easy!

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When the great people at BlogHer decided to a meetup at Lenscrafters I knew I had to go. Not only was I waaay overdue for an eye exam, my children had never had one. When I was in third grade I was told that I needed glasses and I have been wearing them ever since, but did that mean my kids might need glasses someday too? I set off to the flagship Lenscrafters in NYC to find out.

I thought that learning about glasses, eye exams and eye health was going to be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. The doctors that lenscrafters had on hand to talk to us were informative and made me excited about eye care. Did you know that the eyes hold the only view of nerves in your body without being cut open? Did you also know that children’s eye exams in school were not only just eye screens and not a total eye exam but also regularly fails to pick up problems with children’s eyes? Did you know a child should have his or her first eye exam around age 3 or 4?
Yeah, I didn’t either.

The consultants were amazing to work with, they took one look at you and were off finding the perfect frames. With the thousands of frames that Lenscrafters has, that is no easy task. I had a blast trying on everything from funky to preppy and finally found a classic pair that I loved.
The eye exam itself was thorough and quick, I learned that most people visit that store on their lunch hour! You shouldn’t just get an eye exam for a new prescription, you also need to be checked for vision loss or diseases.

I really have to thank BlogHer and Lenscrafters for the complete eye exam, glasses and knowledge that I left with. I am scheduling my twin’s eye exams before school starts and making sure my entire family gets a complete eye exam at Lenscrafters every year!

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For me, sending my twins to preschool was more about giving them social skills than a education. My kids already knew most of what they were teaching anyway, but being twins they always had each other, socially I wanted them to be able to interact with other children their age. I think social development is just as important as any other developmental milestone.

A recent Mom Central survey of 950 Moms nationally found that 98% of us Moms consider social skills very important to our children’s development while 85% of us experience frustration and tension when teaching these vital skills. Hasbro has answered the question of “how can I teach my child social skills in a fun way?”. Just released, the three Noodleboro board games each come with an accompanying CD for car rides or playtime and books for story time to enhance the valuable lessons:
-We struggle to get our kids to listen and pay attention, and in the Pizza Palace Game, they must do both while taking our pizza orders. Although they might normally tune us out (when we only want mushrooms on one slice), listening becomes a fun challenge.
-The Fun Park Game mirrors every family outing you have ever taken - your child must cooperate and work with you to make decisions about what to do next. Sharing and teamwork becomes creative and exciting as well as applicable to your family’s every day life.
-The Picnic Basket Game reinforces manners, which prove effective to chase away ants and make the picnic run smoothly. From passing the lemonade to sharing the sandwiches, there’s no room for acting crabby and grabby.

We have the Fun park Game and my kids loved it. It has three ways to reinforce social skills. I loved that the book and CD is that they can be enjoyed anytime and are not used in playing the game! This is a Preschool game for 2-4 players ages 4+. You can buy these games at Target this fall.
Would you like a chance to win a Noodleboro game? Mom Central is giving away 200 games, and all you need to do is enter this contest for a chance to win. The contest ends on September 15.

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My family is gearing up for the first day of kindergarten for our twins. They are SO excited to go to school and although i was excited, it is bittersweet for me now. I will miss them and if I didn’t have this adorable five month old at home with me, I don’t know what I would do! We are trying to get our routines together so we can get the kids as ready for school as they can be. Here are some tips to help you prepare your kids for going back to school:

Talk to your kids about school, what to expect if they have any fears or questions. Give your child tips on how to introduce themselves or become friends with classmates.

Short goodbyes. Maybe even saying “see you after school” is better than saying goodbye to your child. Don’t ever sneak out of the classroom, though. If a child cries it is usually only for a few minutes.

Review bus safety, make sure they know the same rules that goes in your car goes for the school bus too.

Sleep. Make sure you get kids get moved back into a proper bedtime and night time routines before school starts. Be consistent with bedtime.

Food. Get into a good mealtime routine. Get any after school activities schedules so you can plan meals around them. Prepare snacks and healthy lunch ideas for the school year.

I am sure the first day of school will be harder on my husband and I than our kids, but I know they will have a blast. That will make all my tears worth it!

Go here to check out my awesome giveaway!

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Two of my nephews are not interested in traditional sports, but you have to keep kids active. What do you do if your child has no interest in football, soccer or softball? Maybe you can try unusual sports or classes for your young ones and even if they don’t make a lifelong career at it, it will open them up to try new things.

Rock climbing is a great physical and mental challenge. My children love to climb rock walls at indoor play parks and our children’s museum. Rock climbing teaches children problem solving and is an amazing workout. It is usually safer then other sports because it has various safety features in place. It is recommended for ages 3 and up. Classes usually run $18-$23.00 per class.
This would be especially great for kids who love hiking.

Skateboarding is another sport that has become very popular in the last couple of years. Kids learn balance, patience and how to overcome fears. You need a skateboard, helmet and knee and elbow pads to get started. Kids can take classes and practice at skate parks which are everywhere these days and in their own driveways or street. The great part about skateboarding is that older children teach younger ones or less experienced kids.
Skateboarding is best for kids 6 and up.
This can be a dangerous sport, kids will get bumps and bruises and broken bones, that is why helmets and pads are so necessary. This would be a great sport for a child who loves snowboarding, soccer, or roller blading.

What sports do your kids participate in?

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Since I had kids, most of my shopping is for them. Between the clothes, pajamas and sneakers they seem to grow out of in a week, my shopping budget leaves little for me and my husband. I have lusted after some of the great clothing I have seen online and I deserve something cute for myself, right? Peace Love Mom is a great shop that can keep me in shirts for a year!

Peace love mom was started by three moms to create a “celebration of motherhood” for all moms. Whether you are a wondermom (who isn’t?), camp mom or just a plain old happy mom this shop has something for you! These shirts are made with super soft cotton and lightweight. they have a sexy fit, but if you have curves or are nursing like I am, buy a size up, these run slightly small.
Not just for moms anymore they also offer children’s clothing, baby’s clothing, hats and bags.

The shirts have great designs that will both inspire and empower mothers everywhere. I want one of each! Perfect for a new mom, a birthday or just to update your wardrobe you will love peace love mom.
Plus, purchase any PeaceLoveKids tee between now and September 1, and receive a PeaceLoveKids tote as a FREE gift! Use Back To School in the coupon code at check out.

Peace love mom has offered parentingourchildren.com readers FREE SHIPPING on orders over $20.00! Use code: PARENTING when checking out. Hurry this offer expires 8/31/08.

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My body changing on a daily basis was a hard thing to get used to when I was pregnant. My first pregnancy I was having twins so the change in my body happened fast and furious. This time around the change came a little more slowly but it was still hard for me to feel comfortable in my skin. Finding something that I could wear that made me feel sexy or great was a hard thing to come by.

Passion Spice is a fabulous company offering maternity and nursing wear for sexy mamas! I have the Carla bra in orchid and it is so soft it is perfect for everyday wear, It has a contrasting ribbon detailing that is great and is stretchy for the every changing pregnancy breasts. I have the matching thong and my husband loves this set as much as I do! It also features easy top clasp for breastfeeding access, a feature I especially loved in the night! It has adjustable straps, back closure, very comfortable underwire, which is what my nursing breasts needed- a little lift. It washed well and came out as good as new.

The maternity lingerie that Passsion Spice offers is really something to check out. Perfect for the expecting mom, this lingerie would make a great baby shower gift, why should the baby get all the gifts?

You can’t beat the $4.95 flat shipping either! Your maternity bras do not have to be matronly, they can be sexy and comfortable. Check out Passion Spice for all of your pregnancy and nursing lingerie needs!

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It was so simple to shield my kids away from television and the media when they were small. They got to watch a hour of TV a day and they were only allowed to watch approved TV shows. Now they are in camp and soon, kindergarten, it is much harder to keep them away from TV and movies. They see things at camp, watch movies at their cousin’s house and are just so much more exposed to things now. I have to be very careful of what to let them watch and what I think is appropriate for their age.

A new study, which comes as no surprise to me, suggests that almost 13 percent of the nation’s estimated 22 million children between the ages of 10 and 14 are viewing extremely graphic depictions of violence in film, in theaters, on DVDs, or on television. We all know that there is a ton of evidence to support the idea that when kids watch violent media, they become more aggressive. Is this why there is more crime and more violent crime in the U.S. especially amongst teenagers? Maybe.
Violent shows and movies are so much more accessible now with DVDs and the internet.

In this 2003 study amongst 6,500 youngsters between the ages of 10 and 14, researchers focused on 40 of the most violent movies, like Gangs of New York, Blade, Training Day. “The survey found that boys, older teens, minorities (particularly black children), kids from lower economic backgrounds, those with relatively bad grades in school, and those whose parents had lower educational achievement were more likely to be exposed to extreme violence in movies.”

What do you think about violence on TV and in movies? Do you limit and censor what your young children watch?

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