Safety from A to Z

With the increased accessibility of the internet, there is now quick and easy access to vas amount of medical information. When seeking advice it is always good to use reliable websites and your best judgment. One reputable site is from the CDC where I discovered great information on the ABC's of Safety not only for parents, but also for the expectant mom. One important topic is Growth and Development. Not only is weight and height important to monitor growth, but being sure that he/she is developing on track is equally important. Be sure that you are aware of those developmental milestones. Another great topic on the website, is the importance of complementing your child to increase their self confidence and to keep your relationship with your child strong. Kids are more willing to talk to their parents when they are not so critical and negative all the time. The topic of Safety is from A to Z so there is a lot of useful information. Check it out.....
http://www.cdc.gov/family/parentabc/index.htm

Discover and Wonder....

It always amazes me the multitude of products out there for babies, not to mention for children in general. With so many products out there it is so hard to keep track of what products are safe yesterday and come to find that it has been recalled today. A great resource for parents that I like to use not only for the best products out there, but also to track recalls of products from peanut butter to cribs is the Consumer Reports website. They have a great option where users can sign up to receive product safety and recall alerts via text messages.  To access the feature, consumers can text the word SAFE to 76666 to receive alerts as safety news breaks.

Retrieved from: http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2010/05/smarter-shopping-onthego-consumer-reports-launches-mobile-services.html

One other great texting service I have learned about is a free service from http://www.text4baby.org/. Text4baby is a free text reminder for expectant moms throughout her pregnancy and will send info via text up until your baby is a 1 year old. To sign up you just need to text the word BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to the number 511411. You will need to enter either your baby’s due date or your baby’s birthday and your zip code.  Once registered, you will start receiving free messages with tips for your pregnancy. Once your baby is born you would text UPDATE to receive free texts on care for your baby up to one year old.

In the Chicagoland area a new store opened up on November 1st of this year. The store is called WONDER! which replaced the135,000 sq ft store, the Great Indoors in Deerfield, IL. This store is the country's single largest store to carry a large selection of children products from baby to 7 years old. The Chicago Tribune calls it a cross between Ikea and Whole Foods. It is a "one stop shop" for sure. Not only are there a large number of car seats, strollers etc., but they also have clothes and classes such as Yoga, music and chess. The month of December has a large selection of free demonstration classes. I love that this store is the first of its kind with 19 more to come. The creator of the store is by an Entrepreneur from Lake Forest Shane Christensen. There is a half-acre play area and a 1,600 sq ft baby registry area. Go check it out and support "National Buy Local Week."