Probably one of the first considerations when planning your little one’s nursery is color. One of my favorite "go to" sites for color advice is Design Seeds, created by designer Jessica Colaluca.
Jessica has over 16 years of experience and has worked at companies like Ford, Reebok and Timberland. Her extensive experience with trends, brands, color and materials add to her unique approach to color and design for any room in your home.
We feature many of her color pallets on our Color Pallets board on Pinterest, where we have also collected lots of other great ideas, images of products and room designs to inspire you. A couple of my personal favorites are included here, but there are lots more!
According to Jessica, the current trend is bright colors. Go to Design Seeds to search for ideas by theme or color value and sign up for her blog. Whatever colors you choose, the objective is to have fun with them and enjoy the experience of decorating your new nursery or “Big Boy/Girl” room.
Once you've chosen your color palette, it's time to start planning out your room. We can help with that. Just go to BabyProductExperts.com and look for the Nursery Planner tab at the top of any page. It's free and a great way to "try before you buy" your nursery furniture.
Save time by taking your room measurements first - including placement of doors, windows and closets. After you're finished, save your floor plan and print it out, and we'll send you a $10 coupon to use toward the purchase of your nursery furniture or accessories.
Don't forget to take your printout and coupon to the Baby Product Experts certified store near you. These stores have experts on staff who will be happy to help you make your dream nursery a reality!
If you liked this article, you may also enjoy Exploring Color & Its Impact on Infants. (BPE article archives: May 2010)
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
How exciting it is to be celebrating your first Mother's Day as a MOM!
But let’s face it. Nothing really prepares you for parenthood. No matter how much babysitting you’ve done, how much time you’ve spent caring for siblings, nieces or nephews, how many parenting books you’ve read, or how many pets you may have raised, being a new mom is different - and it's bound to be stressful and overwhelming at times.
The good news is that, by being flexible and willing to seek out and accept help from others, you'll have a much happier and more successful experience.
Some quick tips:
- Protect your health.
- Set boundaries.
- Learn how to fight fatigue.
- Nourish yourself properly.
- Enjoy some "me" time.
- Don't be too hard on yourself.
- Take time to exercise.
- Accept assistance from others.
- Seek help for depression that hangs on.
- Nurture your relationship with your partner.
- Connect with other moms and adults.
- Work at keeping things in perspective.
Get more information on each of these points by reading our article, "You're a New Mom! Now What?" and other articles on our blog and in our article archives.
We know you want the best for your baby, and we're here to help. Now, go and enjoy your Mother's Day!
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
Preeclampsia is a serious and life-threatening disorder of pregnancy that affects both the mother and the unborn child. In fact, about 76,000 mothers and half a million babies died in the past year because of preeclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation.
Preeclampsia can be especially dangerous because many of the signs are silent while some symptoms resemble seemingly normal effects of pregnancy on your body. Many women suffering from preeclampsia don’t even feel sick and are surprised when they are admitted to the hospital or prescribed bed rest.
"Preeclampsia affects one in 12 pregnant women, and the incidence of this puzzling disorder is on the rise,” according to to Eleni Tsigas, Executive Director of the Preeclampsia Foundation.
Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy occur in 5-8% of all pregnancies of women who have no known risk factors. Any woman can be affected, regardless of her race, ethnic background, skin color, size, hometown or socioeconomic status. Even good health and healthy habits aren’t a guarantee of protection against this disorder.
Use this link to learn about the most significant risk factors and get answers to frequently asked questions about this life-threatening condition.
To build awareness of preeclampsia, thousands of families in 36 cities throughout North America are participating in the third annual Promise Walk for Preeclampsia™ to help provide patient support and education, raise public awareness, catalyze research and improve health care practices for the millions of mothers and their babies every year who are impacted by preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia Awareness Month events begin on Saturday, May 5 with the first Promise Walk of the month. Walks will be held throughout the month, with four more in July. Use this link to find a walk near you.
Other events will also be held throughout the month, including a Twitter chat with March of Dimes on Thursday, May 17 at 1PM Eastern (#pregnancychat) and another on Thursday, May 24 at 12PM EST with HealthyWoman.org titled "Heart Health 4 Moms" (#hh4m), among other events.
The Promise Walk website also lists ten easy things that you can do in the month of May to raise awareness of this condition.
Have you or anyone you know had preeclampsia? Will you be participating in any of this month's events? Your comments are welcome.
Sources:
Preeclampsia Foundation
The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the dangers of children swallowing button batteries. This week, we're back to talk about another child safety issue - a hazard that made news recently when a 3-year-old girl swallowed 37 small magnets and required invasive surgery.
The X-ray made it look like she had swallowed a bracelet, but it turned out to be grouping of small bead-shaped Buckyballs© magnets that had shifted around in her abdomen and were creating a life-threatening situation, ripping holes in her lower intestine and stomach.
Flu-like symptoms (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea) are common among children who have swallowed magnets, and difficult to diagnose without an X-ray. Fortunately, the doctors did the X-ray on this little girl, and she will fully recover.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the number of cases of children swallowing magnets has been on the increase each year since 2009. Eleven of the 22 cases reported required surgical removal of the magnets. They noted that when a magnet has to be removed surgically, it often requires the repair of the child's damaged stomach and intestines as well.
Swallowing one tiny magnet may not cause a problem, but swallowing two or more can prove deadly, because of the magnets' natural attraction to each other once they start moving through the child's system.
Children who swallow more than one magnet need immediate medical care, according to Alan E. Oestreich, M.D., a radiologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).
Dr. Oestreich states that if magnets are allowed to pass beyond the stomach, they can attract each other through opposing intestinal walls, which can lead to obstruction, necrosis (cell or tissue death) and perforation of the intestines. The CPSC also cites that it can lead to blood poisoning and death.
Swallowing small "foreign objects" like coins, jewelry and toy parts is a fairly common occurrence with children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. The good news is that around 80% of these objects that reach the stomach will pass through the child's system on their own without a problem.
That leaves about 20% that need to be removed surgically. Multiple magnets fall into this latter category, because they will lodge themselves in the child's intestines.
"Parents and physicians should be on the alert," Dr. Oestreich said. "Moreover, if the possibility of magnets in the abdomen exists, magnetic resonance imaging is to be strictly avoided."
Sources:
Image credit:
KPTV
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
Our guest blogger this week is Sarah Tilton, child passenger safety advocate at BRITAX Child Safety Inc. Here are some car seat safety tips Sarah has to offer:
When traveling with kids, most parents plan for everything — games, snacks, and extra clothes and diapers. With so much planning, however, it’s easy for seemingly basic car seat safety precautions to get lost in the shuffle. Before you hit the road, use these tips to make sure your trip — whether to the grocery store or a long drive to visit far-away relatives — is as safe and fuss-free as possible for the entire family.
Make safe seating a priority. The importance of a good car seat cannot be overstated. Some vehicle manufacturers offer a list of suggested car seat models and many car seat companies have detailed online safety resources. tips to make sure your trip — whether to the grocery store or a long drive to visit far-away relatives — is as safe and fuss-free as possible for the entire family.
Shop wisely. Choose a car seat that properly fits both your child and your vehicle and is easiest for you to use. Look for car seats that offer advanced safety technologies to reduce the risk of head injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Make sure the car seat has side impact protection with features like deep side and head wings made from energy-absorbent material and an adjustable head restraint. Remember never to use a car seat if it’s been involved in a crash or if you don’t know its history. Also, steer clear of after-market items, such as hanging toys. Additional products like these that don’t come from the manufacturer can injure your child in a vehicle crash.
Install your car seat properly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seven out of 10 children are either not securely fastened in their car seat or are in a car seat that is not properly secured to the vehicle.
Once you have the seat, follow the provided user guide for installation instructions. While securing the seat, be sure to use only one method to lock it into the car — either the car’s seat belt or the seat’s LATCH system. When finished, your seat should not move more than one inch side-to-side or front-to-back.
Keep your child secure rear and forward facing. This year both NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics updated their guidelines for parents to keep children rear-facing longer. When rear facing, position the shoulder straps through the slots at or below your baby’s shoulders. Be sure rear-facing seats are semi-reclined no more than 45 degrees. When your child meets the weight and height requirements to move forward facing, position the shoulder straps through the slots at or above your baby’s shoulders. Always make sure to adjust the chest clip to armpit level.
Check your state’s car seat laws. Some states require that children remain restrained in a child safety seat until age 9. I recommend looking for a high-weight capacity, harness-to-booster seat to accommodate older, larger children for longer periods of time.
Once you’ve added these precautions to your safety checklist, you can be sure baby is secure and comfortable on the go.
Sarah Tilton is a child passenger safety advocate with Britax Child Safety Inc., a leading car seat and stroller manufacturer. An active Certified Passenger Safety (CPS) technician and instructor, Tilton frequently participates in child passenger safety activities at a local, state and national level. She is currently active with the Safe Kids Charlotte Mecklenburg coalition and is a member of the North Carolina Child Passenger Safety Training Committee.
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
We recently came across an excellent blog post written by Teresa Stewart, MS, MPH, of Isis Maternity, titled "Beware of Batteries: The Common Household Poison You May Not Know About."
It reminded us of an article we ran in our Baby Safety Month newsletter last September on this very subject, and on the importance of making moms aware of these tiny yet potentially lethal objects, so we thought we'd repeat the information again here.
Every year, more than 3,500 Americans are placed in potentially life-threatening situations by swallowing disc or “button" batteries.
It doesn't matter whether the battery is in perfect working order, damaged or dead. They are equally dangerous. Batteries can get stuck in a small child's throat or esophagus, creating an electrical current and a chemical burn within 2 hours after swallowing which can cause death or serious long-term disability.
The little angel pictured here is Brenna Duffy George. She was no match for the tiny button battery she swallowed.
Her mother, Cara George, asked us to share a downloadable brochure that you can access at the bottom of this blog post to educate yourself and help keep your child safe.
You can also get information about battery safety at the National Capital Poison Center's web site.
In Ms. Stewart's article, she mentions other forms of poisoning that children are exposed to every day and points to safety tips offered by the CDC to help prevent your little ones from falling victim to any of the common ones, like medicine and household cleaning supplies, and she links to other articles about CO2 poisoning and exposure to lead.
She also offers several pointers to help prevent this tragedy from occurring in your family, as well as what to do should your child swallow a battery. It's a quick and valuable read, and we highly recommend it!
Other safety related articles in our archives:
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
The second annual Great Cloth Diaper Change is just a couple weeks away!
On Saturday, April 21, 2012 (the day before Earth Day and during International Cloth Diaper Awareness Week), The Great Cloth Diaper Change will attempt to break last year’s Guinness World Record™ of 5,026 cloth diapers changed simultaneously at 127 locations in five countries.*
To date, there are 262 registered sites in 15 countries, including USA, Japan, Spain, Chile, Ireland and Australia, so record breaking is in sight.
The event was the brainchild of Judy Aagard of Tiny Tots Baby Boutique, a 5-star BPE certified store in Campbell, CA, as an effort to host a family event to celebrate Earth Day.
Little did she know that last year's event would be such a resounding success and that this year's event would receive such incredible support throughout the nation and the world.
The Great Cloth Diaper Change was designed to show people worldwide that cloth diapers are a real option for today’s modern families and, in particular, expecting and new parents who may be seeking more planet-friendly and affordable alternatives to disposable diapers.
In recent years, sales of modern cloth diapers have grown by over 30 percent, according to Real Diaper Association, as more and more Americans are choosing to use cloth diapers. (Check out this article from Consumer Reports.)
The Great Cloth Diaper Change celebrates the success and growth of the industry and hopes to create some added buzz and excitement as well.
Each event has it’s own team of hosts and event details. For more information or to participate, visit www.GreatClothDiaperChange.com and click on the map to find information about a local event near you.
View a video for the event here. You can also follow The Great Cloth Diaper Change on Facebook and Twitter.
*Note: The total number of participants in the 2011 event was 6,363 from 203 sites in 10 countries, but not all qualified for the record due to Guinness’s policy requiring a minimum of 25 babies changed per site in order to qualify.
This event is part of a larger (and growing) movement to change the way parents think about diapering their babies. Participants may contribute $1 (or more) at any of the North American local event. The money will assist the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Real Diaper Association in their efforts to help families across the U.S. and Canada find and use reusable cloth diapers.
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
Earlier this month, we talked about March being National Women's History Month. Did you know it's also National Nutrition Month?
There's a lot of great information regarding nutrition and pregnancy on the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics' A Healthy Start page on their website.
A quick read that caught our eye there was "Pregnancy: Fact or Fiction," so we thought we'd share what they had to say about these four common myths with you.
Myth #1: Pregnant women should eat 300 additional calories a day.
Fact: No one amount of calories is right for all women. Because every pregnant woman is unique, your doctor will advise you about the weight-gain range that’s right for you.
Myth #2: Pregnant women should not eat fish.
Fact: Pregnant and nursing women can eat fish, but should avoid those with high methyl mercury levels, such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. Pregnant women should also pass on raw seafood. But expectant mothers can still enjoy shellfish like shrimp, canned fish such as tuna, smaller ocean fish and farm-raised fish such as salmon. Eat up to 12 ounces of these types of fish every week with a maximum of six ounces of albacore (white) tuna a week.
Myth #3: One drink of alcohol per day is safe during pregnancy.
Fact: Even at moderate levels (one drink per day), women who regularly consume alcohol during pregnancy may increase their risk for miscarriage or delivering low-birthweight babies.
Myth #4: Pregnant women shouldn’t exercise.
Fact: The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise pregnant women to incorporate 30 minutes or more of moderate- intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week. Avoid activities with a high risk of falling or abdominal trauma.
ARTICLE ARCHIVES:
Here are a couple articles from the BabyProductExperts.com archives regarding nutrition for both you and your baby:
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
If the prospect of buying and installing a car seat has you feeling more than a bit overwhelmed, you're in good company. Choosing a car seat is much more about safety than aesthetics like colors and cup holders.
We have developed a quick reference guide about car seat safety with the help of Mari Hodges, a Certified Child Safety Specialist at Baby's & Kid's 1st Furniture, a Baby Product Experts certified store in Houston, Texas, to help get you started.
Topics include:
- Types and stages of child restraints
- Which car seat is best or safest
- When a child should move to the next stage
- Best practices
- Selecting a car seat
- Getting professional assistance
- Why this is so important
- Links to other references
For a purchase this important, seek out the in-person assistance of a certified expert. The best place to find one is at your local independent retailer.
If you don't know of a store near you, use the searchable Find-a-Store database at
BabyProductExperts.com to locate one.
If your local store doesn't have a certified expert, check to see if your community has a Safe Kids Coalition. If not, go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, click on "Child Passenger Safety,” then “Seat Inspection Stations” to find a technician or an inspection station near you.
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.
"You've come a long way, baby" was a phrase first coined in a 1968 cigarette commercial targeted at women. Today, it's a universal catch phrase that embodies the strides women have made over the past few generations.
Women play many important roles, both within our families and in our society. As parents and role models, we can have a huge impact on the development of self-respect and new opportunities for girls and young women for generations to come.
One of the most rewarding things we can do for ourselves as daughters (or sons, for that matter) is to take the time to sit down and talk with our moms, grandmothers and great grandmothers about their lives, their dreams and the challenges they faced - and overcame - throughout their lifetimes.
Showing respect for their dignity while sharing the acccomplishments of the women in our own families, as well as those from other backgrounds, with your children will help instill a higher sense of self-esteem in your daughters and a greater respect for them among the boys and men in their lives.
According to the NWHP, the results could be truly remarkable - from greater achievement by girls in school, to less violence against women, and more stable and cooperative communities.
National Women's History Month traces its roots back to the first "Women's History Week" beginning March 7, 1982. In 1987, the National Women's History Project (NWHP) petitioned Congress to extend this commemmoration through the entire month, and presidents have been issuing annual proclamations designating the month of March as "Women's History Month" ever since. The 2012 theme, "Women's Education-Women's Empowerment," honors pioneering teachers and advocates who helped women and other groups gain access to advanced learning.
Sources & links to more information:
©2012 BabyProductExperts.com. All rights reserved.