Have you looked at your child lately? Well if not, just try to rekindle the thoughts when he or she was first born. Imagine your faces when that first cry was heard. Such were the ramblings of life as made by you and your mate. It is perhaps the best thing that can ever be heard and the feeling was mixed. Nothing beats the sight of a newborn baby, a sign of your love and taking you to the next level of living.

You have been blessed by the Lord with a child. Now there are additional tasks for you, that of which is being a good parent. To some it may be something new to their long list of achievements. It is not something you will do for money. It is something you are tasked to do for love and responsibility.

Let me warn you though. The road towards being categorized as a good parent is not easy. You are dealing with teaching and raising a child supposedly to be in your own mold. How you would go about it is entirely up to you. Just remember, this is a gift from God. Cherish and value it for not all are blessed as you.

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With Daylight Savings Time now in effect, changes in your kids’ schedule may also need adjustments. With the younger ones, a few hitches especially with sleeping hours may suffer. But this is something that can be easily managed and corrected, with these few suggestions:

1. Adjust the bed time. Of course, this quickly follows the time changes.

2. Adjust routines during the day to an hour later. This speaks of the whole routine, not just the sleeping schedule. This way, the baby can adjust easier, as her own body clock, which she is still developing, also learns to adjust.

3. Make sure that the baby takes her nap times and make sure that these nap times are at least an hour each.

4. Try making the room darker by putting on additional curtains or blinds, if the baby cannot sleep faster than you expected. Use just a lamp to light the room. Also, make the room a bit cooler as well, as this will help them relax and calm down.

5. Make sure that the baby has eaten well and has drank enough milk so that she doesn’t get fussy before bedtime. Being fussy will delay her sleep.

Make sure you set bedtime to be the new time HOWEVER if your bedtime was too late before, make it earlier than the new clock time (which is still later than the old)
If you don’t already have them, try room-darkening blinds/curtains
Ensure your baby is eating enough during the day

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing a change in the rules for baby car seaters and parents who drive with their babies in the car. The current ruling requires infants to be seated backwards until they are one year of age. With the proposed new rule, the council has recommended that this remains until the child reaches the age of two. It was proposed because there have been alarming data on car crashes with children involved, suggesting that seating kids backwards will make it so much safer for kids.

The new ruling also suggests adding mirrors in the car so that both parents and babies can still spot each other. The tendency for this arrangement can make the child feel so isolated, especially if there’s no one else in the backseat to seat with her.

Many parents aren’t welcoming this changes lightly. They reason that at the age of 2, babies are so much more mobile and will have to eat or play with toys while in their car seats. If the child has to be seated backwards and if the trip is longer, it would make it a lot more difficult for parents to monitor their kids, even with the installation of additional mirrors. How safe will this arrangement be for a curious two year old?

What do you think of this new ruling? Are you all for it or do you think the rules need no further changing?

CPSC recently released a slew of product recalls and warnings parents must be concerned about. These may be items you already have or are your using for your kids. To avoid any untoward incident and to fully understand what these are, read the recall orders:

Strollers Recalled to Repair by phil&teds USA Due to Amputation and Laceration Hazards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Jogging Strollers

Units: About 22,000 in the United States and 7,200 in Canada

Importer: phil&teds USA Inc., of Fort Collins, CO

Hazard: When folding and unfolding the stroller, a consumer’s finger can become caught in the hinge mechanism, posing amputation and laceration hazards.

Incidents/Injuries: phil&teds has received three reports of incidents resulting in injuries to the adult users including a finger tip amputation and two reports of lacerations.

Description: This recall involves sport v2 and classic v1 model single-seat jogging strollers. The three-wheel strollers have a metal frame, cloth seat and a canopy. The sport v2 model stroller was sold in red, orange, green, black, charcoal, navy and in graffiti print. Sport v2 serial numbers included in the recall are 0308/0001 to 0510/0840. The classic v1 model strollers were only sold in red. Serial numbers for the classic v1 are 0308/0001 to 0510/0906. The first four digits of the serial number is a month/year date code and the last four digits are for the individual stroller. Serial numbers are printed on the inside of the folding hinge. The phil&teds logo is located on the crotch piece of the harness on both models.

Sold by: Specialty juvenile stores nationwide from May 2008 through July 2010 for between $350 and $450.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact phil&teds USA to arrange for the shipping of a free hinge-cover kit and repair instructions.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact phil&teds USA at (877) 432-1642 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the company’s website at www.philandteds.com/support

Family Dollar Stores Recalls Remote Controlled Toy Tanks Due to Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Remote-controlled toy tanks

Units: About 67,000

Retailer: Family Dollar Stores Inc., of Charlotte, N.C.

Importer: Family Dollar Services Inc., of Charlotte, N.C.

Hazard: The tank’s controller can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Family Dollar has received five reports of the controllers overheating and melting. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recalled product is the Authentic Heroes Target Practice Tank play set, a remote-controlled green toy tank attached by a cable to a grey battery-powered controller. The controller requires three AAA batteries to power the tank to move forward and backward and the tank turret to rotate and shoot projectiles. The controller is marked “Target Practice Tank Play Set.”

Sold exclusively at: Family Dollar stores nationwide from September 2010 through December 2010 for about $5.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the toy away from children, remove batteries and return the toy to a Family Dollar store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Family Dollar at (800) 547-0359 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.familydollar.com

Kang Sheng Group Recalls Butterfly Push Toy Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Butterfly Push Toy

Units: About 1,440

Distributor: Kang Sheng Group, of Lexington, N.C.

Hazard: The plastic balls on the butterfly’s wings can break, causing small metal balls inside to come free. These metal balls pose choking and aspiration hazards to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: None

Description: The recalled toy is plastic. It has a 21-inch long handle hooked like a cane. At the end of the handle is a butterfly with two movable 1 1/2-inch balls in each wing. The toy comes in various colors and makes noise when it moves. The item number L185819 is on a sticker on the package.

Sold at: Flea markets in North Carolina and South Carolina from May 2010 through October 2010 for about $2.

Manufactured in: Hong Kong

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from young children and return them to the place of purchase or contact Kang Sheng Group to receive a full refund or replacement.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Kang Sheng Group toll-free at (877) 485-7285 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET or e-mail the firm at ks9761@yahoo.com

A trend piece making the rounds at the moment is involving something called ‘Baby Planners’.  To put it in as simple of terms as possible, it involved hiring someone to help mom and dad plan out all the details of birth and beyond pre-baby.

The goals of hiring a baby planner?  According to a Melissa Moog who owns a own baby planning company:

The goal is “to basically reduce the overwhelming feelings of stress and save time so you can spend quality time on what matters to you,” Moog said. “If what’s important to you is going to birthing classes instead of doing research on car seats, I can do that for you.”

(Source)

These ‘baby-concierge services’ is an idea that could be a fairly good thing- at least for those who could afford it.  Among all the other fairly outrageous ‘luxury’ items out there, this one could actually help cut through a lot of the clutter out there.

While it may help in that regard, it could also give new parents some time to relax before the new arrival.

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