Black Friday!!!!!

As promised here are a list of the great Black Friday deals we have to offer. Please check back regularly as we will be adding more and more as the day goes by. Click on the deal for more details. Happy Shopping!!!

Huge selection of sale items today only at Baby Earth.

Save up to 60% at Posh Tots. Click here to see how ...

Give a gift of color this year at the huge Black Friday sale on Crayola.com. 

Get up to $75 off your black friday order at One Step Ahead. All their Holiday items have arrived!! 

Little Tikes has a huge amount of deals today!! Best toys for your kids!! 

Check out the hourly woot deals. They can't be beat!!

New deal posted every 6 hours on Paradise Galleries. Plus get $20 off and free shipping!!

Huge deals constantly added at Newegg.com check the site regularly!  Free Gift with purchase!!

Burts Bees Holiday Grab Bag $50 value for $25 

Hartstrings Black Friday Sale - Extra 50% OFF + Save an additional 25% off (excluding new arrivals) with code BF2012, expires 11/25 at 11:59 pm 

Save up to 85% on select items for Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Plus, get free shipping on DVDs & Blu-rays!

Purchase an Orbit Baby Stroller Travel System G2 ($900) or Travel Collection ($1,170), and receive a FREE Orbit Baby Bassinet Cradle G2 ($295). Use CODE: orbit2012

Kick-start the holidays and Save up to 20% off select items at giggle. Hurry offer ends 11/30

SAVE 20% on your first purchase when you sign up for Club VTech at VtechKids.com!

Take 10% Off Toys On Orders Over $25 For Select Manufacturers w/ coupon code MK65823 at MyStrollers.com

Black Friday - 20% Off at PBS KIDS Shop!

Infant formula maker sued after baby's death

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The families of a three babies sickened by a rare bacterial infection, including a 10-day-old Missouri infant who died, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Illinois-based manufacturer of a powdered baby formula that they believe is responsible.

The lawsuit contends the babies were sickened by Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria, which has sometimes been associated with tainted powdered infant formula. The suit alleges that the infants fell ill after consuming different kinds of Enfamil-brand powdered baby formula late last year.

However, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control announced in late December they'd found no evidence that four cases of the infection in babies, including the infant from Missouri who died, were related. The federal agencies also determined there was no need to recall the formula.

The lawsuit contends that 10-day-old Avery Cornett died last December in Missouri after being fed Enfamil Premium Newborn powdered formula, and that two infants from Illinois were sickened by other Enfamil formula.

The lawsuit accuses manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. of negligence, arguing that since 2000, environmental sampling from the Glenview-based company's facilities revealed harmful bacteria in raw ingredients, premix product and finished products. The lawsuit didn't specify who conducted the sampling.

The lawsuit also alleges that a Mead Johnson executive warned health care workers but not consumers that powered infant formulas should "not be used in neonates or immunocompromised patients in hospital settings."

Mead Johnson spokesman Christopher Perille said the company was aware of the lawsuit.

"We don't routinely comment on active litigation," Perille said. "The lawsuit refers to a batch that was extensively tested by Mead Johnson, as well as the Centers for Disease Control as well as the Food and Drug Administration. All those tests detected no bacteria."

The plaintiffs' St. Louis-based attorney, Andy Crouppen, said in an email that he's aware of those tests, but that based on further investigation, "including Freedom of Information Act requests from the CDC and FDA," he believes the bacteria originated from Mead's newborn food.

The CDC gets roughly four to six reports of Cronobacter sakazakii each year, though there are no legal requirements that cases be reported.

The bacteria is found naturally in the environment and in plants such as wheat and rice, but in the past also has been traced to dried milk and powdered formula. Experts have said there are not adequate methods to completely remove or kill all bacteria that might creep into powdered formula before or during production.

Halloween is just around the corner. Here is a list of some great costume and decoration deals. I will update this list frequently so please visit us often.

Buycostumes has a 20% site wide sale and free shipping http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4766890-11011170
Spirit Halloween has a huge amount of costumes already on sale http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4766890-10758993Totally Costumes also has a huge sale selection for up to 75% off select items http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4766890-10930072


Happy Shopping

A Mexican woman is pregnant with nine babies - six girls and three boys - the country's main broadcaster Televisa reported on Thursday night

The woman was identified as Karla Vanessa Perez of the northeastern state of Coahuila, which borders Texas. She is currently being treated at a hospital in the state capital Saltillo, the broadcaster said in the report.

Perez, whose age was not given, had fertility treatment leading to the multiple pregnancy, it said.

State-owned news agency Notimex also reported the pregnancy, saying Perez was due to give birth on May 20.

"It's very early to think of names for the babies," Perez told Notimex. "First I hope that everything goes well."

The successful delivery of nonuplets would be one of the highest multiple births ever recorded.

In 2009, a woman in California gave birth to octuplets, sparking worldwide media attention.

Hospitals pressured to end free baby formula

New parents leaving U.S. hospitals often take home a corporate gift along with their babies: a tote bag filled with infant formula. Consumer advocates want to end the giveaways, which they say undermine breastfeeding.

In a letter to more than 2,600 hospitals, dozens of consumer and health organizations called on the facilities to stop distributing free samples of formula that they say entangles healthcare providers in pharmaceutical and food manufacturers' marketing and could be seen as an endorsement.

Giving formula to new parents discourages some new mothers from breastfeeding, the groups said on Monday in the letter sent by the advocacy group Public Citizen. They are also petitioning the $4 billion infant formula industry's leaders - Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co and Nestle SA - to halt the practice.

Hospitals aim "to promote the health of infants and mothers, but the ongoing promotion of infant formula conflicts with this mission," Public Citizen President Robert Weissman wrote in the letter to hospital chief executives.

The move is part of a renewed effort to boost U.S. rates of breastfeeding, which is known to confer a wide range of health benefits from reducing obesity to boosting immunity and is recommended for at least a baby's first six months of life.

Formula makers and hospitals defend the free samples, saying they are meeting women's needs.

Just 14 percent of 6-month-old infants are exclusively breastfed, something U.S. health officials want to increase to about 26 percent by 2020. Breastfeeding also lags among lower-income women, according to the government data.

Still, breastfeeding in the United States is increasing, according to the World Health Organization, partly because more hospitals offer breastfeeding support and allow babies to stay in their mothers' hospital rooms.

About 66 percent of hospitals still give away formula, a 2009 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last year found, down from nearly 73 percent in 2007.

Often the practice involves a corporate-sponsored tote bag from a formula company filled with samples of their product along with diapers, pamphlets and other items. Samples are often also mailed to people's homes along with coupons for more.

'More information, not less'

The industry's trade group said such samples had been given away for more than 40 years and that most women wanted the bags.

"We can't forget that some moms even though they plan to breastfeed, they either can't or they decide not to," said International Formula Council Executive Vice President Mardi Mountford. "We believe they want more information, not less."

The consumer and health groups said in their letter that a hospital's involvement could sway women and that giving away formula samples worked against their other efforts. Rather than promoting breastfeeding, the packages of formula could encourage women to give up nursing their infants instead of seeking help and support, the groups said.

Once the free samples are gone, families also end up spending between $800 and $2,800 a year on formula, they added.

Some hospitals have already stopped formula giveaways, and a few states and cities have banned the practice.

The American Hospital Association, in a statement, said its members drafted policies based on mothers' preferences and that while breastfeeding was best, "having information and resources available for mothers who choose not to breastfeed is a responsible and supportive approach for the hospital."

Representatives for Abbott, Mead Johnson and Nestle did not immediately return requests for comment.


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Dad Delivers Baby in Car

Iowa City, IA — An Iowa family has a special story to tell when the talk about their most recent child’s birth! Ashley and Jeremiah Holyman never thought they’d deliver their own baby. That’s what happened as they were driving to the hospital. Ashely says she knew they wouldn’t make it. The couple pulled over on a gravel road in Iowa County near Interstate 80. They then called for help. “The dispatcher started going through some steps on what to do,” said Jeremiah Holyman. “The he started coming.” Two pushes later, they had a healthy baby boy. “It was overwhelming, I still don’t believe it!” said Ashely Holyman. Her husband’s parental instincts kicked in as they waited for an ambulance to arrive. “He took his shirt off and wrapped the baby with his shirt, cause we didn’t have anything else in there,” she said. “Then he took the drawstring from my pants and wrapped that around the umbilical cord.” The couple’s son Breckin weighed seven pounds and 11 ounces. Now, this volunteer firefighter can add delivering his own son to his resume. He had no choice but to respond to one of the strangest and most personal calls of his life.

Babies on Planes: It's War!

Time to examine another burning travel question of our age. Not "Will fees ever disappear?" (They won't.) No, today's question is, "Is there a place for babies on planes?"

The answer is yes. But the question really is, precisely where on an aircraft? Some advocate child-free zones or "cry-room" areas like you see at churches, while at least one airline has declared a class war on babies.

Parents today get it from all sides. Whether it's dirty looks from fellow fliers or the Transportation Security Administration forcing a woman to go to a public lavatory to pump breast milk because she couldn't bring empty bottles with her. The public outcry was so loud on that one that the TSA later apologized.

While I'm sympathetic to parents (I'm one myself), let's look at some recent children-behaving-badly incidents, as well as a few nominees for "worst parents on planes" and see the tricks that can turn despised parents into heroes.

For more travel news and insights view Rick's blog at farecompare.com

As most parents know, babies are not the biggest problem when it comes to children in flight. All babies do is sleep, eat and, well, they do need the occasional diaper change. Unless they're colicky or so sensitive to cabin pressure changes that a pacifier is rendered meaningless, they're no big deal. I know from experience; I've traveled with our daughter since she was just a couple of months old.

What does set a passenger's blood boiling are toddlers. Take the recent case of a 2-year-old versus a JetBlue pilot. According to news accounts, the child threw a tantrum (as toddlers do). But it apparently took her parents some time to wrestle her into the seat. Money quote, from the child's mother: "We were holding [her] down with all of our might, seatbelt on and I said, 'We have them seated, can we go now?'" Answer from pilot: No.

I have to chuckle over the "all of our might" bit, but JetBlue wasn't laughing. As the airline saw it, the family was not in compliance with the fasten-your-seatbelt order for a "prolonged time period," so back to the gate they went and goodbye went the toddler and her family. Yep, they were kicked off the plane.

At least they got on the plane, albeit briefly. Malaysia Airlines bans babies in first class. There's nothing about this on the carrier's website, but I hear it's been an unwritten policy for years, and their CEO gleefully tweeted about the ban last year.

No baby ban on Ryanair, though, despite what you may have heard. Sure, there were all those news stories last year about how the European discount carrier was starting up child-free flights, but what many in the media failed to notice was that the Ryanair news release touting this exciting development bears the date April 1. If that wasn't enough of a clue, how about the line in the news release that referred to children as "little monsters?"

Too bad, say some fliers, who would be just as happy to see children seated far, far away from them. This includes a Delta Diamond Medallion traveler of my acquaintance who flies in and out of West Palm Beach, Fla. What this anonymous flier really hates is being seated in first class and having an unruly kid in coach directly behind her, "kicking the back of my seat or screaming, and there's no amount of first-class leg room that can mollify me in those instances," she said. I completely understand. But what can you do?

Actually, it's what the parents can do, or more to the point, what they often fail to do, that is the issue. First, the two biggest errors parents make when traveling with children are:

Error #1
Exercising zero control over kids. This is a major complaint of passengers: Parents who are unwilling or unable to get the little darlings to behave. We get it. Kids act up, they throw tantrums, but nothing is more maddening than parents who just sit there and stare at the meltdown.

Sure, sometimes there isn't much you can to thwart crazed kids, but at least fake it. That's right, if parents merely look as if they're trying to stop the insanity, they'll have the sympathy of fellow passengers. Do nothing, and you'd better have a thick hide because all those flying fingers around you will be barraging the rest of us with tweets about what a disgrace you are.


Or you could be kicked off the plane, which is what Southwest did to a mom and toddler team when the little one refused to stop screaming.

Error #2
Mistaking any part of the plane (beyond the lavatory) as a changing station. Harried parents have been known to change infants on empty airline seats and - brace yourself - on tray tables. Need I say this is totally unacceptable?

Now for a couple of things parents should do.

Take their kids' shoes off.
A simple trick for the seat-kickers among us: Take their shoes off. They will kick. It will hurt. They will stop.

Free drinks.
I've heard this one from several veteran travelers now and it's real simple: When the kids go berserk, turn to the rows around you and say the four magic words: 'Drinks are on me'. Amazing how this'll turn the haters around.

I'll bet you've got some stories. I'd love to hear them. Just don't try to tell me about them over the screams of your child as he's kicking my seatback.

New Guidelines Advise Less Frequent Pap Smears

The annual Pap smear, a cornerstone of women’s health for at least 60 years, is now officially a thing of the past, as new national guidelines recommend cervical cancer screening no more often than every three years.

In recent years, some doctors and medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2009, began urging less frequent screening for cervical cancer. Even so, annual Pap smear testing is still common because many women are reluctant to give up frequent screening for cervical cancer.

The new guidelines, issued on Wednesday by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, replace recommendations last issued in 2003 and use more decisive language to advise women to undergo screening less often. Other groups, including the American Cancer Society, released similar recommendations on Wednesday. The new guidelines were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

“We achieve essentially the same effectiveness in the reduction of cancer deaths, but we reduce potential harm of false positive tests,” said Dr. Wanda Nicholson, a task force member and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It’s a win-win for women.”

Cost is not a factor in the task force recommendations. Instead, its members focus on the effectiveness of a screening test to reduce cancer deaths, balanced against the potential harms that accompany the screening. The worry about frequent Pap smear screening is that tests can result in a large number of false positives that lead to sometimes painful biopsies and put women at risk for pregnancy complications in the future, like preterm labor and low-birth-weight infants.

The new guidelines focus on four key areas, including frequency of screening, age at which women should begin screening, age at which women should stop screening, and testing for human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer.

Under the new recommendations, the task force says women should be screened with a Pap smear no more than every three years. In 2003, the language was weaker, recommending screening “at least every three years,” which left the door open for annual tests.

In addition, women now are advised to begin screening at age 21 regardless of sexual history, and the task force specifically recommends against screening women younger than 21. In 2003, the advice to women was to start screening within three years of sexual activity, but no later than 21.

The task force also recommends against screening women over the age of 65, as long as they have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer. That advice has not changed since 2003.

Finally, the group also recommends against regular HPV screening for anyone under 30. In 2003, the task force said it did not have enough evidence to make a recommendation about HPV testing. It now says the test is unnecessary because many women exposed to the virus will eventually eliminate the virus without any intervention.

“HPV in women under 30 is highly prevalent but also highly transient,” Dr. Nicholson said. “Women under 30 may get infected with HPV, but they have a high likelihood of clearing that infection on their own, and it not causing any long-term change to their cervical tissue.”

HPV testing should be used in certain cases where women receive atypical test results from a Pap smear. In addition, the task force said that women over 30 who do not want to undergo a Pap test every three years could instead opt for a Pap test every five years along with an HPV test.

The task force recommendations apply only to healthy women. They do not change the advice for women who have unusual symptoms, an unusual Pap test result or a history of dysplasia, cervical cancer, H.I.V. or other illnesses.

Charlize Theron Adopts Baby Boy

Charlize Theron is a new mom. No, you didn't miss the baby bump. The Oscar-winner just adopted a boy, her rep confirmed to People.

"She is the proud mom of a healthy baby boy named Jackson," the rep told the magazine in a statement. No additional details about Jackson were available at press time.

While baby Jackson is Theron's first child, it seems that the star has been thinking about motherhood for some time. In a 2010 interview, she opened up about wanting to tackle an important role: mom.

"I feel very blessed to have had a certain amount of success and now I'm reaching the point where I would love to be a mom," Theron said at the time. "I know I want to raise a big family and it's just a question of time — I know I'm ready for that phase of my life."

Theron and her longtime boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, split in early 2010 after nearly a decade together. In 2011, she talked to Vogue about the new chapter in her life. "I've never been single. This is the first time in my life," the actress said.

"From the time I was 19, I've been in relationships, literally gone from one to the other within a month," she added.

Theron will be busy at home and at work this year. First up, she's set to play the evil queen Ravenna in "Snow White and the Huntsman" opposite Kristen Stewart. Then she's set to star in the long-awaited Ridley Scott thriller "Prometheus."

MAROON 5'S ADAM LEVINE GETS NAKED FOR PROSTATE CANCER PREVENTION

Well most of the naked promo ads are usually from PETA, but this one featuring Maroon 5's frontman Adam Levine and his Victoria's Secret model girlfriend (her hands at least) are to help raise awareness about prostate cancer prevention. This photoshoot was from a PSA done last month a for British Cosmo.


Here is what Levine had to say about being naked in the photoshoot:


"I spend most of my life naked, in fact, I often have to be told by the people around me that it's inappropriate to be as naked as I am. But I live in California, where it's always warm, so why not?"


Levine is a big Yoga fan and is known for doing Yoga on his tours for his daily exercise.


I am sure the ladies love the photo, but the message behind the photos is even more important. According to the American Cancer Society, over 32K men lose their lives annually to testicular/prostate cancer so it is important for men to take the proper precautions.

Count down to spring sales

LittleTikes.com Countdown to Spring! All deals! (valid 3-11-12 thru 3-21-12)

Free shipping on all Swingsets with code SWINGSETS : valid thru March 31, 2012!

Little Tikes Adjust n Jam Basketball: Save $13! (valid 3-11-12 thru 3-21-12)

Save $20 on Little Tikes Butterfly Beach Sandbox and Wading Pool! (Valid 3-11-12 thru 3-20-12)

Save $50 on Little Tikes Seek & Explore Expedition Climber! (valid 3-11-12 thru 3-21-12)

Please register to ensure your family is safe!

Gerber Baby Foods Recalled Because Of Strange Smell

The FDA and the Gerber Products Company yesterday announced the recall and replacement of Gerber Good Start Gentle powdered infant formula, in 23.2 ounce plastic packaging. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) wrote on its website that the recall is limited to batch GPX1684, expiring on March 5th, 2013. According to authorities, there have been reports of bad odors.

Gerber and the FDA emphasized that for those who have consumed the product, is not dangerous for health and poses no safety risk. There have also been some reports of babies spitting the food up, as well as some minor gastrointestinal signs and symptoms.

If you have purchased the above-mentioned product with the same batch code and expiration date, you can call 1-800-487-7763 (Gerber Parents Resource Center), and a replacement will be offered.

Gerber says it is liaising closely with retail outlets to get any remaining products off the shelves.

Gerber stresses that this recall is limited only to Gerber Good Start Gentle powder, with the above-mentioned batch number and expiration date - all other baby products are fine.

California mom has 14-pound baby, asks: ‘How’d he fit?’

SAN DIEGO — A Southern California woman says doctors predicted she would give birth to a big baby boy, but nobody was prepared for just how big.

Jayden Sigler weighed in at 13 pounds, 14 ounces, when he was delivered Thursday by cesarean section, the North County Times reported Saturday.

His mother, Cynthia Sigler of Vista, said that her immediate reaction was: “How’d he fit?”

Doctors initially estimated that Jayden would weigh about 9 pounds, but that number jumped to 11 by early March, the mother told the newspaper.

Dr. Jerald White, who delivered the baby at Tri-City Medical Center, said Jayden was the biggest of the 20,000 newborns he has helped usher into the world since he started in 1961.

The doctor said delivering a very large baby by cesarean section is more challenging, but “it wasn’t so difficult that it created a problem for anybody.”

Sigler said her own family didn’t believe her at first — she convinced her cousin it wasn’t a joke only after showing a photo of the scale readout.

Jayden’s birth weight is almost twice that of his sister, Jailyn, now 2½. She was 7 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.

Sigler said she’ll have to exchange all the baby clothes she bought for larger sizes.

A hospital official was unable to immediately determine Friday whether Jayden was the largest baby delivered there. It was also not clear where the newborn ranks among the largest babies also born in San Diego County.

25 Rules for Mothers of Sons

Inspired by a Pin I've recently seen about "rules for dads with daughters," I went searching for a similar list for moms with sons. This search was mostly fruitless, so I was inspired to write my own Rules for Moms with Sons. Granted, my list will not be conclusive and may not be entirely uncontroversial. So agree, or disagree, or take with a grain of salt - but I hope to inspire other moms who are loving, and struggling, and tired, and proud, and eager to support the boys in their lives. You are the most important woman in his life, his first teacher, and the one he will look to for permission for the rest of his life. From "Can I go play with them?" to "Should I ask her to marry me?" Its a big job, but as the mumma, we're up for it

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life
There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry
..and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.


4. Read to him and read with him.
Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.
Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.




6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

9. Teach him to have manners
because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

10. Give him something to believe in
Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.




11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle
like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

12. Let him ruin his clothes
Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a football
or how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case alpacas), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

14. Go outside with him
turn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose
Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.




16. Give him opportunities to help others
There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.
This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"
Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you.
especially the wipes.

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things
...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, some day down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.




21. Give him something to release his energy
drums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

22. Build him forts
Forts have the ability to make everyday normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

23. Take him to new places
Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

24. Kiss him
Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

25. Be home base
You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

Many baby products not required to meet standards

Millions of baby products, including pint-size hammocks, recliners and some bassinets, aren't subject to federal or even industry standards.


The Bumbo baby seat, which consumer advocates want recalled and redesigned, isn't covered by existing standards. Neither are travel beds for infants or the Nap Nanny recliner.
"Parents assume that products they use with their babies have been tested for safety, but products such as these fall outside the scope of recognized standards and might pose unknown risks — even if the company makes up their own testing," says Nancy Cowles of the advocacy group Kids in Danger.
STORY: Should Bumbo baby seat be recalled again?
MORE: Report an unsafe product to the CPSC
All children's products have to meet standards that prohibit sharp points or edges and restrict hazardous substances such as lead, and product-specific rules help guard against injuries from certain designs.
A 2008 product safety law requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to turn industry standards for children's products into federal mandates. Industry standards for infant slings were finalized last month.
But it can be difficult for regulators to keep up with all the new baby products, including designs that defy traditional classification, experts say.
The CPSC can recall a product even if it isn't covered by a safety standard if it "presents a substantial product hazard," says commission spokesman Scott Wolfson. He points to the July 2010 recall of 30,000 Nap Nanny recliners after a death and 23 other incidents. The fabric-covered foam bases can be used for sleeping, but CPSC said there were entrapment, suffocation and fall risks.

The Bumbo seat isn't an infant carrier or walker, which will both have federal rules soon. The seat is linked to 33 skull fractures, including two while used on the floor, as recommended. Four million of the seats have been sold in the U.S. It was recalled in 2007 to add a warning.
Trade group Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association says it works closely with the industry standard-setting body ASTM International. JPMA's Lauren Pfeiffer notes ASTM has developed 22 voluntary standards for kids' products.

ASTM is developing an industry standard for "inclined sleep products" to address deaths in hammocks and recliners. The standard, which will also cover inclining bassinets, will take effect in about a year and be mandatory in about two.

What's regulated:

Children's products covered by federal safety standards:
Cribs
Baby bath seats
Infant walkers
Toddler beds
Bed rails

Federal rules in the works this year for:
Play yards
Bassinets
Cradles
Strollers
Infant carriers
Source: CPSC

Mom With Breast Pump 'Humiliated' by TSA

A mother in Hawaii was "humiliated" when she felt she needed to pump breast milk in the open area of an airport bathroom in order for a TSA agent to permit her to get through security with her breast pumping equipment.

"I'm in a dress, in heels and I find myself in front of a sink and mirrors with travelers coming in and out of the bathroom," Amy Strand told ABCNews.com. "I'm standing at the sink with my breast hanging out, pumping. I wanted to cry. I was humiliated."

Strand, 38, is a mother of four and principal at a public school in Maui. She frequently travels between islands for business and had never had a problem with the equipment before.

On Wednesday, as she was making her way through airport security at Lihue Airport in Kauai, she was stopped in security and an agent asked if he could look at the equipment. She obliged, and the agent opened her kit to find her pump, a cooler pack and empty milk bottles.

Strand said she had done "what no nursing mother wants to do" 20 minutes earlier and dumped out the milk in the bottles in order to avoid any hassle going through security. She never imagined that empty bottles would be the problem.

The agent told her the ice pack would not be allowed through security without milk in the bottles. Strand said the ice pack is specially made for the milk's cooler and would not be easy to replace.

"It really confuses me as to how an empty breast pump and cooler pack are a threat to national security and 20 minutes later, with milk, they no longer pose a threat to national security," Strand said incredulously.

She asked if there was a private place she could pump and was told there was not. The agent suggested she go to the public bathroom. Her electric pump required an outlet and there were no outlets in the stalls, so she had to use one in the bathroom's public area.

"There was no misunderstanding," Strand said. "I really only had two options: leave part of it behind or pump. And I'm not going to leave part of it behind because [the agent] doesn't know the police and procedures."

On the verge of tears, Strand said she returned to the line and was allowed to go through.

In a statement, the TSA acknowledged that the agent was mistaken in telling Strand that she could only bring the ice pack with her on the plane if it was medically necessary. A TSA official also said that the agent did not mandate that Strand go pump milk in the bathroom.

"The passenger has contacted us with her concerns and we accept responsibility for the apparent misunderstanding and any inconvenience or embarrassment this incident may have caused her," the statement said. "The officer in question is receiving remedial training."

"I think this agent exercised poor judgment and because of his poor judgment, I ended up humiliated," Strand said.

"I did speak personally with the head of the state of Hawaii TSA branch. He formally apologized to me and seemed very sincere and was very upset about what took place," she said. "If this can save another mom that same humiliation, it's worth talking about."

Increasing Safety Concerns Over the Bumbo

Warnings and news stories continue to come out against the Bumbo seat, and Parents News Now blogger Holly Lebowitz Rossi recently wrote about a lawsuit against the company involving a 9-month-old who fractured his skull after falling out of the chair. In October 2007, Bumbo issued a voluntary recall of the chairs and though they remain on the market today, they carry a warning label advising parents not to use the product on elevated surfaces. More recently, in November 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a release urging parents to use caution when using the Bumbo because serious head injuries continue to be documented despite the recall and warning label. These accidents have occurred when the seats were placed on chairs, countertops, tabletops, or other high surfaces, but also when used on the floor (cases have been reported of babies falling and hitting their heads on a hardwood floor or plastic toy). Children can fall out of the seats by arching their backs, leaning forward or sideways, or rocking.

Since the Bumbo is still sold in stores, we encourage you to take the following precautions if you have one in your house:
Don’t use the Bumbo or similar seats on a tabletop, chair, countertop, or other elevated surface or on a hardwood floor.
Keep your eyes on your baby at all times while he’s in the seat.
Take your baby out of the seat as soon as he starts arching his back, leaning, or rocking in it.

What do you think? Should Bumbo be obligated to tweak its product so it’s safe, even when there’s no parental supervision? Or is it enough to put a warning label on the product and say it must be used with parental supervision? Do you own a Bumbo? Why or why not? Were you previously aware of these warnings, and have you ever left the room while your baby was in the seat?

Report says Beyonce breastfeeds in public; advocates cheer

Pop star Beyonce isn't just breastfeeding -- she's breastfeeding in public, if a report in US Weekly, quoting at least one eye-witness, is correct.

Why does that matter to anyone but Beyonce and her baby girl, Blue Ivy? There are two reasons:
Nursing mothers are engaged in what seems like an endless campaign to make public breastfeeding as common and accepted as public bottle-feeding -- or public sandwich-eating, for that matter. They've gathered at recent "nurse-ins" at Target stores and at Facebook headquarters to protest perceived mistreatment of nursing moms.

Black women in the United States breastfeed their babies at lower rates than other women do -- missing out on potential health benefits for themselves and their babies. Doctors recommend all babies get breast milk exclusively for six months and continue nursing for at least another six months. The American Academy of Pediatrics just updated and strengthened its guidelines urging all mothers to try breastfeeding.

Beyonce could help both causes. "By bringing breastfeeding into the mainstream, Beyonce can help break down barriers," one doctor tells ABC News.

When the singer fed her baby in a restaurant, she became "a breastfeeding role model without even saying a word," says Elita Kalma, a certified lactation consultant and librarian who promotes breastfeeding among black women at her blog Blacktating. A few weeks ago, Kalma wrote that if Beyonce became a nursing mom, it would be a "black lactivist's" dream.

Kalma, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is nursing her second child, said in an email: "So many young black women look up to Beyonce and emulate her and want to be her that this will for sure promote breastfeeding in the black community."

Beyonce is getting a lot of praise for her behavior on Twitter. But some people are calling her "gross," Kalma says: "That just shows we've still got a long way to go."

3 leap year babies, 1 family

A family in Windsor, Ont., includes three leap year babies.

Gil Burford was born Feb. 29, 1924. His great niece, Trish Burford, was born on the same day in 1972. And finally, on Feb. 29, 2012, Gil Burford's great, great niece Moira Cool was born to Lacey and Jeff Cool at Windsor Regional Hospital.

So, that makes three leap year babies in the same family, all born in Windsor.

"I keep wondering if this is a Guinness World Record of some sort," Trish Burford said.

Gil Burford bet Lacey Cool $5 the baby wouldn't be born on Feb. 29, because, what are the odds, he thought.

"I was praying all along that Lacey would have the baby on our birthday to keep the tradition alive," said Trish Burford.

Cool went nine days past her due date. Moira is her first child.

"There was certain pressure from Uncle Gil, but I didn't think I'd go nine days overdue," Cool said.

The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are approximately 1 in 1,500.

Gil Burford said he's beyond trying to figure out the odds of three leap year babies being born into one family.

"It's got to be in the thousands, maybe in the millions," he said.

365 Tips For Parents

#001: Cut off the crusts.
#002: Make real cocoa.
#003: Hang their drawings on the fridge.
#004: Say the clay ashtray is what you always wanted.
#005: Sing silly songs.
#006: Make goofy faces.
#007: Let them take off the training wheels.
#008: Remind the Tooth Fairy about inflation.
#009: Buy a good stain remover.
#010: Let them keep the kitten.
#011: Remember when YOU misbehaved.
#012: If you don't know, say so.
#013: Let grandma spoil them.
#014: Let them stay up just a little bit longer.
#015: Lock up the good china.
#016: Tickle.
#017: Be a good sport.
#018: Be a good friend.
#019: Smile when your mother-in-law gives you advice.
#020: ALL mothers are working mothers.
#021: Ultimatums don't work.
#022: Bribes work.
#023: Hysteria will get you nowhere.
#024: Their first summer at camp is murder.
#025: Let them lick the spoon.
#026: Learn lots of lullabies.
#027: Breastfeeding in public goes over better in Europe.
#028: Learn to handle sleep deprivation.
#029: Have an answer ready for "Where do babies come from?"
#030: Don't flinch when they grow taller than you.
#031: Going to college don't mean they won't come back.
#032: Don't teach them to parallel park.
#033: Be consistent.
#034: Think quick.
#035: Improvise.
#036: Sympathize.
#037: Remember: It's just a phase.
#038: "Wait till your father gets home" is a cop-out.
#039: "Because I said so" is a good reason.
#040: Never tell them how much they'll inherit.
#041: Teach them four precious words: "We can't afford it.".
#042: Carry Wash'n Dri.
#043: Smile when you change that diaper.
#044: It's absolutely okay to say "No".
#045: Buy chunky peanut butter in jumbo jars.
#046: Run a credit line at the toy store.
#047: Forget suede.
#048: Teachers ARE underpaid.
#049: Learn the rules of football.
#050: Teach them to write thank you notes.
#051: Your teenage daughter WILL find you embarrassing.
#052: Cheese food is not cheese.
#053: Thirteen is too late to put them up for adoption.
#054: Potty training builds character (yours).
#055: Sibling rivalry builds character (theirs).
#056: Worry, worry, worry.
#057: Childbirth is not for wimps.
#058: Stretch marks are a badge of honor.
#059: Half your brain leaves with the placenta.
#060: Donate pre-pregnancy jeans to charity.
#061: Don't read the label on baby formula.
#062: With luck, they'll call you once a week when they leave.
#063: With luck, they won't call collect.
#064: With luck, they'll pay for their own therapy when grown.
#065: No matter what, they'll always be your babies.
#066: The older they get, the wiser you'll seem.
#067: Just when you've got them figured out, they change.
#068: Kiss it an make it better.
#069: Make ice cube popsicles.
#070: If you promised, do it.
#071: Watch what you promise.
#072: When in doubt, say "We'll see."
#073: Bunk beds are cool.
#074: You'll sometimes act just like YOUR mother.
#075: Buy Permapress.
#076: Use the honor system.
#077: You can only shoot so much videotape.
#078: Pose good questions.
#079: Colic happens.
#080: Cowlicks happen.
#081: Look what being a martyr got Joan of Arc.
#082: A dishwasher is not a luxury.
#083: The new math is harder than the old math.
#084: Let's hear it for leftovers.
#085: Don't leave their teddy bear behind.
#086: Learn to make daisy chains.
#087: Not everyone can be a valedictorian.
#088: They're never too old to scold.
#089: They're never too big to hug.
#090: They're never too smart to receive some good advice.
#091: They're never too rich to take home your leftovers.
#092: Don't remind your grown son you changed his diapers.
#093: If they grow up to be doctors, take the credit.
#094: If they grow up to be lawyers, don't take the blame.
#095: If they become pro-athletes, take the house & car.
#096: If they become politicians they were switched at birth.
#097: Don't teach the kids your fear of bugs.
#098: Take them to a petting zoo.
#099: Don't use a pediatrician who isn't a parent.
#100: You can never have too many Kleenex.
#101: Reserve the New Year's Eve babysitter on January 2.
#102: You can blame just about anything on teething.
#103: Some of the great minds of our time were bed wetters.
#104: Let someone else break the news about Santa Claus.
#105: Not everyone can win the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
#106: Iodine really DOES sting.
#107: Mother's Day comes but once a year--milk it.
#108: Adjust allowances for cost of living.
#109: Cookie dough is better than cookies.
#110: Don't let the kids forget Father's Day.
#111: Tie their mittens together.
#112: When they say they've got to go, stop!
#113: An unmade bed is easier to get into.
#114: Prove there's no monster under the bed.
#115: Hugs are the antidotes to nightmares.
#116: Don't put their favorite blankie in the wash.
#117: Disney World is not optional.
#118: A little fast food never killed anyone.
#119: They already know more about computers than you do.
#120: Even George Bush didn't eat his broccoli.
#121: Teach the kids to recycle.
#122: Someday your son will love another woman.
#123: When they leave home, you'll actually miss them.
#124: Whatever your age, you're too young to be a grandma.
#125: The more they tease you, the more you're loved.
#126: Always make their favorite dish when they visit.
#127: Believe it or not, SATs aren't everything.
#128: Yes, it's important they wear what their friends wear.
#129: Teenagers are SUPPOSED to dress goofy.
#130: Yes, we're all tired of dinosaurs.
#131: Anyone can make a secret special sauce.
#132: Buy them a globe.
#133: Socks and underwear are not gifts.
#134: Ear thermometers beat rectal any day.
#135: Hide old toys and reintroduce them next week.
#136: Bribe the babysitter with Hagen-Dazs.
#137: No matter what, your son will wind up with a toy gun.
#138: No matter what, your daughter will want Barbie.
#139: No matter what, you will memorize GOOD NIGHT MOON.
#140: Puberty was hell for you too.
#141: They'll always bring home their laundry.
#142: Courage.
#143: Grace doesn't count unless it's under pressure.
#144: Many geniuses were late bloomers.
#145: When you retire, feel free to spend their inheritance.
#146: Hold their hands during vaccinations.
#147: Look encouraging at the dentist.
#148: Don't give your son a crew cut.
#149: "Bambi" is too scary for five-year olds.
#150: Froot Loops are NOT a balanced meal.
#151: Yes, they need all sixty-four Crayolas.
#152: No, they can't have a pony.
#153: Chicken soup couldn't hurt.
#154: Keep the cookie jar full.
#155: Tuck them in.
#156: Add sound effects to the bedtime story.
#157: No, they REALLY can't have a pony.
#158: Gingerbread houses aren't worth the work.
#159: Tollhouse cookies ARE worth the work.
#160: Put plenty of icing on birthday cakes.
#161: Don't tell you helped blow out the candles.
#162: Kids give more gifts than they'll receive.
#163: Kids WILL drink straight from the carton.
#164: Look sad when the snowman melts.
#165: Kids prefer hot dogs to duck a l'orange.
#166: A sense of humor is a necessity.
#167: They don't call it women's intuition for nothing.
#168: Insist on short-haired dogs.
#169: Coax the cat out of the tree.
#170: For the last time, a pony is out!
#171: Sew name tags in their underwear.
#172: Be a den mother.
#173: Let your daughter have a training bra.
#174: Buy your share of EXPENSIVE Girl Scout cookies
#175: Cultivate the art of napping.
#176: Washable markers aren't.
#177: Help build a sandcastle.
#178: Let them make a fort out of boxes.
#179: Piano lessons aren't for everyone.
#180: Tell Dad to share the toy trains.
#181: Tell your daughter she CAN be a fire fighter.
#182: Host a slumber party.
#183: Don't hover.
#184: Childhood doesn't go as fast as they say.
#185: Don't make your twelve-year-old shop for underwear.
#186: Take snapshots on the first day of school.
#187: Help carve a pumpkin.
#188: Sail paper airplanes.
#189: Teach them to whistle.
#190: Volunteer for class trips.
#191: Join the PTA.
#192: Don't panic.
#193: Hunt for four-leaf clovers.
#194: Befriend other mothers.
#195: Don't let kids record answering machine messages.
#196: Scotchguard everything.
#197: There's a little Martha Stewart in all of us.
#198: Never use the check-out with the candy display.
#199: All car trip diversions last three minutes.
#200: Snowsuits induce the desire to go to the bathroom.
#201: Let them eat Oreos inside-out.
#202: Be ready when kids ask "What were the Beatles?".
#203: You did SO do that at their ages.
#204: The more solemn the moment, the louder they cry.
#205: Kids get dirty quicker on more important occasions.
#206: Don't take kids grocery shopping on empty stomachs.
#207: Forget your moral objections to pacifiers.
#208: Forbidden junk food will be eaten at neighbor's house.
#209: Prohibited TV shows will be watched at neighbor's home.
#210: Tell know-it-alls: Mind your own business.
#211: Put a lock on your bedroom door.
#212: Trust your instincts.
#213: Occasionally you WILL use the TV as a babysitter.
#214: If they won't clean their plates, use smaller plates.
#215: Pack school lunches with good trading items.
#216: There's a lot of wisdom in MAD magazine.
#217: Don't flush the fish.
#218: Let them eat cake.
#219: Let them eat animal crackers.
#220: Keep smiling.
#221: There's no escaping car pools.
#222: Yes, they'll need braces.
#223: Yes, they'll need stitches.
#224: Guilt is an art form.
#225: Curfews are made to be broken.
#226: Dry their tears.
#227: Play Name the State Capitals.
#228: Teach them to read maps.
#229: Do a jigsaw puzzle together.
#230: Ask only that they try their best.
#231: Your son's wife will not be pretty enough.
#232: Your daughter's husband will not earn enough.
#233: When they have kids, they'll REALLY appreciate you.
#234: Grandchildren are for spoiling.
#235: Transfer old home movies to video.
#236: Make lemonade from real lemons.
#237: It's your duty to brag.
#238: Point out that your granddaughter has your eyes.
#239: Be sure to mention that your grandson has your smile.
#240: Let your daughter think she's a better mother than you.
#241: When daughter's in labor don't say "Now you know.".
#242: Teenage daughters are hazardous to your health.
#243: Teenage sons are hazardous to their own health.
#244: How long CAN you put off the birds & bees lecture?
#245: How many times can you rewrite your will?
#246: Never buy retail.
#247: Cheer when they get their driver's licenses.
#248: Smile when they squash your Chevy.
#249: Send a care package to college.
#250: Resist the impulse to clean their dorm rooms.
#251: If they become Ivy Leaguers it's because of YOUR genes.
#252: If they're going to State, it's because of Dad's genes.
#253: Teach them to swim early.
#254: Insist on bike helmets.
#255: Learn CPR.
#256: Take them to the circus.
#257: Send an apple for the teacher.
#258: No blue hair.
#259: Remind them when it's your silver anniversary.
#260: Forbid them to put you in a nursing home.
#261: Threaten to haunt them from beyond the grave.
#262: Ask them for advice once in a while.
#263: Look humble when they say "How'd you do it, Mom?"
#264: Pass along your wedding dress to your daughter.
#265: Give Snickers at Halloween.
#266: Remember the names of their stuffed animals.
#267: Watch all the Peanuts TV specials.
#268: Buy industrial-size detergent boxes.
#269: Learn to say "Watch out!" with feeling.
#270: Buy them cool lunch boxes.
#271: Remain calm when you find your son's "Playboy".
#272: Remain calm when you find daughter's birth control.
#273: Your daughter's house will never be as clean as yours.
#274: Dance a tango at your child's wedding.
#275: Reminisce.
#276: Make their Halloween costumes.
#277: Play Scrabble with them.
#278: Play cards with them.
#279: Good news and bad: Anything can be a toy.
#280: Good news and bad: Before you know it, they're walking.
#281: Good news and bad: Before you know it, they're talking.
#282: Good news & bad: Before you know it they're in college.
#283: Keep a first-aid kit handy.
#284: You and Dad need a "Date Night".
#285: Let them make their own sundaes.
#286: Don't show their dates naked baby pictures.
#287: Traditions are important.
#288: Don't forget, each new kid is a tax deduction.
#289: Teach them to love libraries.
#290: Help start a stamp collection.
#291: Give pennies for piggy banks.
#292: Learn to love Trolls.
#293: Pray for a chicken pox vaccine.
#294: Don't insist on combing your daughter's hair in public.
#295: Try to get some breakfast in them.
#296: Ice cream still solves most problems.
#297: You can't praise a kid too much.
#298: Buy them a good dictionary.
#299: Let them have an aquarium.
#300: Shiny thing in driveway is your kid's new retainer.
#301: Always look before sitting.
#302: Have a snowball fight.
#303: Hold hands while crossing.
#304: Let them visit where you work.
#305: No matter what, they'll bring home colds from school.
#306: Remember what happened to Joan Crawford.
#307: Don't weep when the school bus takes them away.
#308: Attend school plays.
#309: Don't yell at Little League umpires.
#310: Junior High is traumatic.
#311: Everyone tries to get out of gym class.
#312: Before disciplining -- decompress.
#313: They'll outgrow their shoes before the laces get dirty.
#314: Let them play dress up.
#315: Learn to throw a baseball.
#316: Learn to catch a boomerang.
#317: If they created it at camp, put it on display.
#318: Food fights happen.
#319: Get washable wallpaper.
#320: Don't let them call you by your first name.
#321: They DO look cutest when they're sleeping.
#322: Tell ghost stories.
#323: Kids love antiheroes.
#324: Remember how your mother felt about Mick Jagger.
#325: Celebrate Velcro!
#326: Record their singing.
#327: She's all grown up when she stretches your sweater.
#328: You know your son's grown up when he blushes.
#329: Hang a tire swing.
#330: They'll eat paper and dirt and survive.
#331: If all else fails, take them to the video arcade.
#332: Let them get their ears pierced.
#333: Monster truck rallies can be educational.
#334: Let them play cowboy.
#335: Discourage them from tying up the babysitter.
#336: Don't hold up other people's children as role models.
#337: When they fall asleep in the stroller, don't move them.
#338: Show them photos of yourself as a child.
#339: Let's hear it for stereo headphones.
#340: Cartoons are a good way to learn classical music.
#341: Don't kiss teens in front of their friends.
#342: No credit cards until they graduate.
#343: Check before believing Dad said it was okay.
#344: Murphy's Law is true.
#345: Feel free to remind them of your labor pains.
#346: Sometimes you'll have to tell little white lies.
#347: Remember that you used Cliff Notes too.
#348: At least comic books mean they're reading.
#349: Disposable diapers are worth the guilt.
#350: Don't buy infant clothes without snaps.
#351: Clothes that fit just right are too small.
#352: Everybody's a critic.
#353: Get call waiting.
#354: If you have teenagers, get your own phone.
#355: You know more about chaos theory than most physicists.
#356: Grass stains are Mother Nature's way of saying "Hi".
#357: Nervous breakdowns-Nature saying "Take it easy.".
#358: Arrange to sleep in at least once a month.
#359: Know when enough is enough.
#360: Don't mention their zits.
#361: When technology is ready, clone yourself.
#362: Let your daughter wear your high heels.
#363: Admire your son's mustache even if you can't see it.
#364: Discourage grown kid's from writing a tell-all book.
#365: You'll never stop wondering if you did a good job.

Thongies

Snooki’s pregnant

Does the Jersey Shore star have a baby on board?

The New York Post reports that Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, 24, is carrying her first child by boyfriend Jionni LaValle, and is roughly three months along.

Rumors that Snooki was expecting popped up earlier this month and she made the rounds denying it, saying specifically on Good Morning America that “no, I’m not pregnant.” That was Feb. 2.

Now, the Post says, she is doing what all good reality show stars do — cashing in on the big event. A source says Snooki plans to bankroll her mommy-to-be status into becoming “the next Kourtney Kardashian.”

Snooki will soon be starring in a Jersey Shore spinoff with her MTV co-star Jenni “J-Woww” Farley and this would certainly help bring in viewers.

Snooki’s rep tells Lifeline Live this morning, “I can only say at this time: No comment.”

Jennifer Garner’s baby name revealed

The latest addition to the family of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck has a name! If you thought the parents of Violet and Seraphina might go with something off the wall like many of their celebrity counterparts you, my friend, were dead wrong.

Jennifer Garner’s newborn baby has been given the tried and true name Samuel!

Ben Affleck broke the news of his first son’s name by posting the following message on his Facebook account:

“We are happy to announce on February 27, Jennifer gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Samuel Garner Affleck.”

Word the couple had welcomed their first son broke Tuesday, the day after his birth. “Our girls are working on names,” Jennifer Garner shared during her pregnancy. “At first they were definitely Disney. It was like, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse Affleck. And then they’ve moved on. Then it was Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Smee.”

The BabyCenter Names Finder lists Samuel as a Hebrew name meaning “asked of God.”

Personally, taking into consideration Violet and Seraphina’s names, I’d expected something a little more unique from the Garner-Affleck name generator. Can’t give them any flack for going with something that has stood the test of time though!

What is your reaction to Jennifer Garner’s baby name choice?

Mother given wrong baby to breastfeed

Midwife Jill Ashmore tried to persuade a student to keep quiet about the mistake after an inquiry was mounted at the Bassetlaw Hospital, Worksop, Notts, it was claimed.
The babies had been switched only hours after they were born on November 13, 2007, when they were taken away to be cared for while the mothers rested, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.
But ward staff later returned the wrong babies were returned to the mothers, known as Mother A and Mother B.
When the mix up was eventually noticed, Ashmore failed to record it happening, before trying to convince a student midwife not to "drop anybody in the s***".
She also told Mother A that her baby, Baby A, had not been fed, when in fact it had been breast fed by the other mother.
"These events occurred when the registrant was working as a midwife at the Bassetlaw Hospital,' said David Clarke, for the NMC.
"Two babies were born during the afternoon of the 13 November 2007.
"Over night both of the babies were having some trouble settling and were taken from their mothers, with the agreement of the mothers, to a different area where they were looked after by midwives and health care assistants.
"There was a mistake on their return - in fact there was two mistakes - as Baby B was returned to the Mother A, and Baby A was given to Mother B.
"When the mistake had been realised, they were recovered and given back to the correct mothers.'
"When the registrant was returning Baby A to Mother A, she told the mother that the baby had not been fed during the period they had been separated.
"It is alleged that the registrant told the mother this without determining if that was correct.
"As it turns out, the baby had been fed; breast fed by Mother B who at the time had thought she was feeding her own baby."
The panel heard that the blunder was reported and investigated by the hospital, at which point Ashmore told student midwife Claire Newton-Jones to cover up the blunder.
"During the course of the internal investigation of what had happened the registrant attempted to influence what a student midwife, who was present, was going to say to that internal investigation," Mr Clarke added.
Mr Clarke said that Ashmore told Ms Newton-Jone that she should not say anything about Mother B Breastfeeding the baby of Mother A, should say the bare minimum and should not "drop anybody in the s***".
Ashmore admits she failed to record the error in the mothers notes and failed to inform anyone at the time of the change over of one shift to another.
She had denied the rest of the charges, but is not attending the central London hearing.
If found guilty of misconduct she could faces being struck off.
The hearing continues

Leap-year babies mostly appreciate their Feb. 29 birthdate

Gearing up to celebrate your birthday on Feb. 29? Chances are you've been asked more than a few times, and will be asked again, why it shows up on the calendar only once every four years.

But even the most basic explanation — that an extra day is added every four years to help keep calendars in line with the seasons — is often met with "a look of confusion," says Amy Perez, a medical records specialist in Augusta, Ga. To some, "it seems like this foreign concept."
Perez, who will be 28 on Wednesday (that's 7 in leap years) and other "leapers," "leapsters," and "29ers" can thank Julius Caesar for their situation. He adopted the leap-day concept from the Egyptians after figuring out that the quadrennial addition of an extra day could make a precise calendar, says Yury Grabovsky, math professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. "Precision was very important, because if you planted seeds at the wrong time of year, you might have famine on your hands."
The chance of being born on leap day is about 1 in 1,461, says Raenell Dawn, co-founder with Peter Brouwer of The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies (leapday.com), an online club that counts 9,000 members worldwide. The group says about 5 million people worldwide celebrate leap-day birthdays.
Views on leap birthdays run the gamut from awful to awesome, Dawn says: "There are families that will celebrate big time and those that won't even acknowledge (a birthday) until the leap day."
Katie Busch, 31 (her eighth leap-day birthday is Wednesday), says her paternal grandparents "were sticklers" about celebrating only every fourth year. "No leap year, no call, no cards, nothing," says Busch, of Pottstown, Pa. "They simply said, 'It's not your real birthday.' "
Having a leap-day birthday helped Perez learn to take a joke, she says. She recalls that more than once, when being "carded," she had to explain, "No, I don't have to wait until I turn 84 to drink."
It's not so funny, though, when computers aren't programmed to recognize her birthday. Perez can't use the automated test-results line at her doctor's office because it won't accept Feb. 29.
Marisa Wiktor, an anesthesiologist in Milwaukee, says that as a child, her parents let her choose her celebration date in "off years." She usually chose the 28th because "it was in the same month as when I was born," says Wiktor, 31.
She recently encouraged a friend, scheduled to deliver her baby by cesarean March 1, to consider delivering Feb. 29. Having a leap-day birthday is "always a conversation piece," Wiktor says. "If you have nothing else to talk about, you can always say, 'I just turned 8.' "

So True!!

Dog Kills Baby In Airdrie, Alberta

AIRDRIE, Alta. - Police say a newborn baby boy died after a family dog with no previous history of attacks turned on the child inside the family's home.

RCMP said the infant was attacked Wednesday morning at the house in Airdrie, a bedroom community just north of Calgary, and died that night in hospital.

Insp. Tony Hamori called the attack an "unimaginable event." He said the family also has a 2 1/2-year-old son and has never had any problems with the husky.

"There is no history whatsoever of any issues with this particular dog," Hamori said at a news conference Thursday. "It's just a very tragic accident."

Hamori wouldn't release any details of the attack out of concern for the family. He did say one of the parents was at home with the child at the time.

"We do not feel there's anything criminal in nature. No charges are being considered at this point in time," he said. "I'd like to express my deepest condolences to the family for the loss of their child."

Neighbours identified the two-storey grey house where the attack happened. It sits on a quiet street in the Kingsland area of the community. There's a park a few doors down. Someone inside the home angrily turned away media.

Erica Wollen, down the street, has two sons of her own. She said the attack made her think about the danger her kids might have been in playing at the park. A lot of people in the neighbourhood leave their dogs off-leash, she said.

"Its horrible," Wollen said. "I can't even imagine the devastation and for it to be their own animal. It would be just devastating because I am sure they trusted their own dog."

Neighbours said the family ran a dog mushing business. The business website says the company sells dog sledding supplies. The website said the family had adopted four huskies. Police said there was only one dog in the home at the time.

Wollen said the family would sometimes hook dog sleds up in front of their house and it was really fun for people in the neighbourhood.

The dog that attacked is being quarantined until the family and bylaw officers decide whether it should be destroyed.

"We want to do the right thing for the family," said Darryl Poburan, manager of municipal enforcement in Airdrie. "We want to do the right thing for the dog.

"I know it freaks me out. It's not something you like to see."

Counselling was being offered to the RCMP officers who attended the scene.

Barbara Walmer is an animal behaviour expert with the Calgary Humane Society. She says the humane society, along with the Calgary Health region, offers a course for parents with a new baby and a dog.

"It's about being able to train and set the animals up for success prior to the baby coming home and then managing the situation when the baby comes home," she said Thursday.

"One of the big things is supervision — always supervise, if you're not supervising or the baby is napping, close the door, use a video camera or video cam to be able monitor the baby instead of allowing the animal to have access to the child when no one is there."

She says there isn't much research into this type of attack because it is so rare, but says it could be a predatory or an arousal/excitement situation. Walmer says in her 10 years in her position, this is the first time she's been aware of such an attack.

Her advice is to never leave a baby or young child alone with a dog.

"You just don't want to leave it to chance that the dog basically doesn't have the person to be able to help make behaviour decisions."

In 2010, a husky killed a three-week-old baby girl as she sat strapped in her car seat on the floor of a home in Quebec.

Her 17-year-old mother was allegedly outside having a cigarette when the dog attacked. She was charged with manslaughter but has yet to go to trial.

Jaimie Rosteski owns a dog-sitting business in Airdrie and was walking an animal in the neighbourhood where the attack happened. She has a two-year-old son, Noah, and a husky-cross at home.

She said any dog can become jealous of newborns.

"Any dog can be aggressive," she said. "I hate breed profiling. We have about 600-plus clients and the only dog that I've ever had a problem with is a Chihuahua.

"Sometimes things happen. A dog is essentially a wild animal at heart and you just never know."

She offered her sympathies to the family.

"It's awful that they lost their little boy and it's also awful for their dog. It's hard on everybody. It's a really terrible thing for them to have to go through."

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