Back To School – Potty Training

Do you have a child enrolled in preschool this fall but not yet potty trained? Are you feeling stressed knowing the school rules say they must be fully potty trained? Well we have the answers. There is a way to potty train your child in just a couple weeks or less. Some moms have used my system to potty train their child in 3 days! So where do you start?

1. Set a date to begin. Clear your schedule and plan to spend 3 full days with your child with no activities outside the home

2. Purchase 12 pairs of the thick cotton training pants (yes 12).

3. Get 12 small prizes for your child ( dollar tree is great option).

4. I usually get a larger gift as reward for 5 days dry.

5. Have a timer, food treats and a good attitude.

6. The day before you begin remove all diapers and paper pull-ups out of your house..

7. You will need 2 nylon covers (for night/nap)

8. I also let them watch a Potty video every day the week before.

9. A potty doll that wets helps the process along.

THE SYSTEM KEYS: Cloth underwear and timer

HOW IT WORKS: Train the DOLL to go Potty. CLOTH UNDERWEAR! Take the child to potty often. Set a timer. Give immediate positive reinforcement when they go in toilet. Practice walking to the potty, clean up and change clothes for every accident.

MY CHILD: With this system Haley did not go in potty at all first couple days. We quickly changed after every accident. She would grab herself and say uh-oh when she went since the cloth makes the feelings wet and uncomfortable. Third day she said uh-oh and had not gone in panties so I took her to potty and she went. We clapped, shouted, got a treat, called daddy! Over the next 3 days every day was less accidents and more successes. After a week she had it mostly down so I could take her out. I used nylon pants over cloth to protect when out and about.

DAY ONE: I taught Haley how to have the doll go potty in the big toilet rewarding the child when the dolly goes potty. We played this game off and on all day. Watch the video, and read potty books. This is the teaching day.

DAY TWO: POTTY PARTY: I tell her she is a big girl like dolly. Put her in CLOTH training pants give her lots to drink. Every half hour check panties. If dry praise then take her to potty. If goes in potty reward with candy or sticker and lots of praise. Expect lots of accidents the first couple days until they get the uh-oh and are still dry. REWARD EVERY SUCCESS! For every accident help her run to the potty and say Uh-oh we must potty in the toilet then help her change into dry pants. Practice walking back and forth from the place of accident to potty.

TIMER: Use your timer. At first I set it for 30 minutes. I take her in every 30 minutes until we have a dry day. Then I go to 45 minutes until we have a dry day. Then I move to 1 hour. I continue sending them to the potty every hour for several weeks. Then as they start asking to go potty you can move the timer to 1.5-2 hours.

BED TIME: For nap and bed put a sheet protector under the sheet. Put on two pairs of cloth training pants and vinyl pants over. Change them to dry panties immediately upon waking. Use vinyl pants over cloth training pants only when out in public or in bed.

CONTINUE for the next 2 weeks. Praise every success. Help change every accident quickly. At the end of 2 weeks you will be having more successes than accidents. I find most kids really get it in this 2 week period.

PULL-UPS VS CLOTH: I get asked often why they cannot use paper pull-ups. Every mom I have known training with pull-up takes 6-9 months. The child simply does not get the uncomfortable, out of control, wet feeling with paper. CLOTH is the only way (in my experience) to potty train in 2 weeks or less. It really is the key.

ACCIDENTS: You may experience accidents again a couple weeks after training is complete. The solution is simply to go back to using the timer (set for 60 minutes) again. Usually the accident occurs when the parent stops sending the child to the potty regularly. The timer is a reminder to the parent and the child that it is potty time.

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Warning Labels Urged on Foods that Can Choke Children

Posted On: June 1, 2010 by Patrick A. Malone Popcorn and hot dogs can pose a deadly choking hazard for children under four, and the risk isn't lowered by parents monitoring their kids' eating of these foods, says the official group representing American pediatricians. So experts are saying the best thing is to avoid risky foods before age four. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy statement on the prevention of choking among children, choking is a leading cause of death in children and is most frequently caused by food, coins and toys. However, unlike with toys, there are not yet requirements for warning labels on foods that present choking hazards. The Academy’s new policy statement urges the Food and Drug Administration to impose safety requirements on foods that are known to be choking hazards, Laurie Tarkan reports in a New York Times article. In addition to putting warning labels on food packaging, the Academy also suggests that manufacturers redesign the foods to reduce dangers of children choking on them. Toddlers, especially those under 4 whose throat at its narrowest has the diameter of a straw, easily choke on small pieces of foods, among which popcorn and hot dogs are considered high-risk foods. The risk is not reduced by parents being present and watching when children ingest these foods. “The only way” to prevent kids choking on small objects and food is to keep the items out of their mouth, according to Chrissy Cianflone, director of programs for Safe Kids USA, an advocacy group. Currently, only two-thirds of hot dogs have warning labels on the packages, says the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. And even on the packages that do carry warning messages, the labels are not always obvious to consumers. The FDA in a statement indicates that “it was reviewing the pediatrics academy’s new policy and was considering steps to prevent further deaths,” according to the NY Times story. Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, suggests that parents wait till children turn 4 or 5 years of age to allow them to eat high-risk foods such as popcorn, hot dogs, and grapes.

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Sugar and Spice – Dressing Up Little Girls

I admit it – I’m a total sucker for sugar and spice baby girl clothing.
Give me lace and roses, hand-crocheted pinafores, add hand-smocked
bodices and I’m in heaven. I’ve raised two little girls and had a hand in
half a dozen nieces, and I’m here to warn you, ladies. If you love
dressing up your little girl in ribbons and lace, indulge yourself as much
as you can when she’s a baby – because it won’t be long before she’s
choosing her own clothes. And honestly, the frilly styles I love just
don’t suit the average active toddler. So — get it out of your system when
she’s a baby – and take lots and lots of pictures.

Just for mothers like me, here are five classic looks for smartly
dressed baby girls that will ensure that your little angel will never be
mistaken for a boy – till she starts dressing herself, at least.

Hand-Smocked Polly Flinders Dresses

There is nothing in this world that says ‘little girl’ quite like a
hand-smocked Polly Flinders dress. I was lucky enough when my youngest was
an infant to find an entire box full of vintage 1950s Polly Flinders
dresses, and buy them for a dollar apiece. If you’re not familiar with
hand-smocked clothing or Polly Flinders, let me give you an idea of what
a bargain this is: a search for Polly Flinders dresses this morning
turned up a few dozen dresses, including several vintage dresses from the
50s and 60s. The prices ranged from $45 to $175.

The Sailor Suit

What do you get when you cross red satin ribbons, navy blue pin-dots
and a white embroidered collar? Add a pint-size sailor’s cap embellished
with a satin ribbon and you have one of the most popular little girl
baby dresses ever made – a very feminine twist on a little boy’s sailor
suit. It was one of the classic styles of the 1940s, and never goes out
of style.

Ruffled Pinafores

It’s a classic Alice in Wonderland little girl pretty – a gingham
checked dress with puffed shoulders and a ruffled hem peeking out from
beneath a starched pinafore. Pinafores started out as ‘aprons’ to help save
the fancy dress beneath, but soon took on a style of their own. They
slip on from the front, and button or tie at the back, and are meant to
be worn over an under dress. Ruffled hems and shoulders and dainty
embroidery are just a few of the things that make this classic baby clothing
style special.

Ruffled Panties

Very little in this life is more adorable than rows of ruffled lace
peeking out from beneath the hem of a smocked baby dress. Ruffle-bottomed
diaper covers and fancy little embroidered bottoms that are meant to
peek out beneath a dress are another of those classic baby girl looks
that never age.

Velvet and Taffeta Roses

What’s the well-dressed baby girl wear on Christmas? Taffeta and
velvet, with lace and roses at the waist of course. Be traditional with a red
velvet bodice and ruffled plaid taffeta skirt, complete with a tiny
satin rose at the lace-trimmed collar – or let your bolder side out and
dress your little darling in black velvet and pink satin. My own favorite
of all time was a pearl gray velvet dress with a white taffeta skirt
accented with a full-blown satin bow in baby-soft pink.

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Staying Alone With The Baby For The First Time

Two things to remember: this story is true and yes I am embarrassed to tell it.

I am a man brought up with four older brothers, no sisters and no babies. I never really ever even held a baby until my wife delivered our first child back in October 1998. So you can understand my nervousness when the baby was born. Suddenly I had to hold, feed, clothe, and carry him without doing irreparable harm to his physical well being.

Truth be told, I did very little of the actual work. My wife was so excited at having her first child that she rarely let me near him. This did little to reinforce my faith in myself that I can handle the baby duties.

Then one day she dropped a bomb on me; she had to go to a meeting and I would be staying alone with the baby for the first time! Several thoughts flashed through my mind. Did my mom have time to get here? Should I call a baby sitter? Should I fake a case of appendicitis?

Unfortunately, I had no option but to stay and face the music. My wife pulled out of the driveway while I exhibited my manliness by holding our baby and smiling. Luckily she didn't see me shaking.

After she pulled off, I put my plan into action. I would get him to sleep and keep him that way until she returned in three hours. If he began to cry, all bets were off.

I loaded him in his stroller and proceeded to walk him around the back yard in a circle. I used the back yard because it was bigger and because I really didn't want anyone to see me.

He loved riding in his stroller and would usually go right to sleep. However, this time he stayed awake but luckily didn't seem unhappy. I was on pins and needles the entire time praying he wouldn't start crying. After an hour of walking circles, my legs were hurting and he still wasn't asleep. I looked at my watch and realized that two hours remained until the cavalry arrived.

Suddenly it happened. He began to wail loudly. I immediately went to plan B and ran for the bottle. He took that and immediately the crying stopped. I returned to my aerobic workout while he drank and miracle of miracle, he went to sleep.

Although he was asleep, I was still too scared to stop walking. Hey, if it works, why stop right? So I kept walking and pushing that stroller until I heard a car pulling up out front. And yes! My wife had arrived and my ordeal was over.

I never told my wife that I spent the entire three hours pushing a stroller around the backyard or that I was terrified to be alone with our son. But I have a strange feeling that she knew, because it was a long time before she left me home alone again.

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Indoor Tanning Beds: Addictive and Dangerous for Teens and Young Adults

Posted On: September 7, 2010 by Patrick A. Malone

Having seen one client die a hideous death from skin cancer that spread to his brain, I'm not a fan of anything that increases the odds of people getting skin cancer. Now a report in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out the compelling case that using indoor tanning beds causes skin cancer and death, and most vulnerable are the teenagers and young adults who get addicted to regular use of tanning beds.

The key facts from this prestigious medical journal's report:

* Tanning bed use nearly doubles the risk of deadly melanoma -- cancer of the pigment-producing cells in the skin -- in frequent users.

* The risk of other types of skin cancer, like squamous cell, more than doubles with ANY history of tanning bed use. And although squamous skin cancer is more curable than melanoma, a small fraction of cases spread beyond the skin and cause death.

* Tanning beds are very likely addictive. They make people feel good -- physically and mentally -- because they stimulate production of beta-endorphin, an opium-like substance in the brain.

* The ultraviolet rays from tanning beds cause DNA damage in the skin cells, which triggers production of melanin, the pigment that turns the skin a nice toasty brown. The problem of course is that when those melanin-producing cells go haywire, you have melanoma, and that can easily become incurable before you notice it.

People use tanning beds an estimated one million times every day in the U.S; many of them start in their teens and continue into young adulthood.

The tanning bed industry says one in ten Americans use its products -- 30 million people. That means that many skin cancers every year can be laid at the feet of this industry, with just as strong a scientific case as the one against the tobacco industry.

The defenders of tanning beds say it's a good way to get your skin to make Vitamin D. But that depends on a lot of variables, and a better option, without the risk of cancer, might be to just swallow a Vitamin D supplement pill.

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The First Pair Of Baby Shoes

NEVER JUDGE A BABY UNTIL YOU`VE WOBBLED A MILE IN HER WEEBOK`S

Any parent will tell you that there is nothing quite like watching as your child takes her first steps. When little Tom or Katie start to teeter around upright for the first time there are a few messages that should flash through your mind in order of importance. Somewhere after “please don`t fall, oh please don`t fall

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Liquid Vitamin D: Too Much of a Good Thing for Babies

Posted On: June 22, 2010 by Patrick A. Malone

In a recent news release, FDA warns parents and caregivers of the risk of overdosing infants with liquid vitamin D. The liquid supplement is administered with droppers that are sold with the supplement itself. However, some of the droppers hold more vitamin D than is appropriate for babies.

Vitamin D supplements are recommended for some children to promote growth of healthy and strong bones. However, if fed with excessive amount of vitamin D, infants experience a myriad of symptoms ranging from nausea to muscle weakness, and sometimes even kidney damage.

Here are the FDA’s recommendations for parents whose children receive vitamin D supplements:

* Ensure that your infant does not receive more than 400 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day, which is the daily dose of vitamin D supplement that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for breast-fed and partially breast-fed infants.
* Keep the vitamin D supplement product with its original package so that you and other caregivers can follow the instructions. Follow these instructions carefully so that you use the dropper correctly and give the right dose.
* Use only the dropper that comes with the product; it is manufactured specifically for that product. Do not use a dropper from another product.
* Ensure the dropper is marked so that the units of measure are clear and easy to understand. Also make sure that the units of measure correspond to those mentioned in the instructions.
* If you cannot clearly determine the dose of vitamin D delivered by the dropper, talk to a health care professional before giving the supplement to the infant.
* If your infant is being fully or partially fed with infant formula, check with your pediatrician or other health care professional before giving the child vitamin D supplements.

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Study supports mandatory booster seats in cars for children age 4-6

Many parents who want to ensure their young child’s safety in a car put them in booster seats. A recent study conducted by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics now confirms what these parents already suspected – namely, that using child safety seats can reduce injuries and deaths in an automobile crash. It also supports the introduction of upgraded child restraint laws for children older than 3.

The study is the first to look at injury rates before and after a state law on booster seats went into effect. In March 2005, the state of New York upgraded its child restraint law to apply to children age 4 to 6. Since the state already had a law mandating child restraints in cars for children age 3 and under, the study compared the percentage of new restraint users in the 4 to 6 group with those in the 3 and under group.

The study found that after the child restraint law was upgraded, the use of boosters increased from 29% to 50%, resulting in an 18% decrease in injuries to children age 4 to 6. Meanwhile, the rates of booster use and injuries in the group age 3 and under remained unchanged.

Child seat laws vary from state to state, though all states mandate restraints for children until they are 3. Child safety experts recommend that, regardless of state law, children under 57 inches (4’9”) should ride in an appropriate restraint until the car’s own seat belts fit safely and comfortably. They also recommend that children under 13 should always ride in the rear of the vehicle.

Source: Consumer Reports Safety Blog
You can view the original study here.

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Protecting Babies from Hospital Malpractice in Labor and Delivery Units

Who's at fault for the high rate of Cesarean sections in the United States? If you listen to the obstetricians, it's all about lawsuits -- they are at risk of being sued for "anything short of a perfect outcome," as two doctors wrote last week in a letter to the editor in the New York Times.

But maybe the real issue is basic patient safety, and the failure of hospitals and doctors to have the right staffing necessary to make vaginal childbirth safe after a previous C-section.

If you listen to the euphemisms from the medical industry, "less than perfect outcome" sounds like parents suing over a small blemish or other trivial injury. What is really at stake, however, is permanent devastating brain injury caused by a hospital not having the resources to deliver a baby quickly enough when the vaginal birth attempt has gone south.

Three in ten American women now deliver their babies by Cesarean section, which seems like a lot. And many of those are repeat Cesareans which only happen because of the prior Cesarean, even if it might be safe to at least try normal labor and see if the baby can be delivered safely. Recent headlines suggested that hospitals were refusing to even let women try a course of normal labor after a prior Cesarean. They couldn't afford the lawsuits, it was suggested.

But here's the problem with VBAC -- vaginal birth after Cesarean. In one in 100 to one in 200 VBAC attempts, the uterus ruptures. This cuts off the baby's lifeline. The best studies show that brain damage begins in around 17 to 18 minutes, and worsens dramatically every minute after that the baby remains undelivered. After 30 minutes, most babies in ruptured uteruses are dead if not delivered.

New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for VBAC have stuck to the group's 1999 recommendation that a surgical team has to be "immediately available" to deliver the baby by C-section in the event of a rupture. Immediate means right there in the hospital, ready to operate.

Hospitals don't like the "immediately available" standard, and prefer the old, looser guideline of "readily available," whatever that means. After the 1999 guidance of "immediately available" was issued, a number of hospitals, rather than having the right staffing level to ensure baby safety, simply banned VBAC procedures and said any pregnant woman with a prior C-section had to have another C-section in their hospital. This conjures up an image of tying women to hospital beds and hovering over them with scalpels, so that doesn't sound right either.

In March 2010, the National Institutes of Health convened a panel of experts who took a step backward by asking the obstetricians to consider softening the guidance back to the old "readily available" or some other mushy language.

Thankfully, ACOG didn't do that. But -- and this is a big but -- the obstetricians are now talking about pushing the risk of brain damage back onto the parents -- without giving them the full picture to make an intelligent decision.

As quoted in the New York Times, the new ACOG guideline adds the recommendation that if an immediate Caesarean is not available, it should be explained to the patient, and she should be "allowed to accept increased levels of risk." And Dr. Richard Waldman, president of the obstetricians' group, said: "What I'm hoping is that everybody will get together and do the right thing. That includes patients. If they take the risk, they have a certain responsibility not to sue the physician if there's a bad outcome, knowing that they took the risk."

You can search ACOG's statement about its new guidelines high and low, and you will never find the key facts spelled out about what this risk really means -- a child who can never walk, talk or have normal development.

ACOG and the hospitals seem more focused on the risk of lawsuits than the risk of catastrophically injured babies. It would be like talking about the danger of oil spills from deepwater drilling based on how many lawsuits would happen, not on how much damage to the environment would result.

Let's make sure our communications are very clear. We're talking about delivering babies safely. The lawsuit buzz is just a convenient whipping boy for those who want to avoid tough questions about why they're not investing in safe childbirth facilities for mothers and families.

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Baby Sign Language

Welcome guest blogger Becka Marsch

******************************************************************

Within the United States, and beyond, there has been an increasing amount of mommy and me type enrichment classes for children as young as newborn up to kindergarten age. Among these are Kindermusik, Music Together, Sign Language, gymnastics, Gymboree, and more. In fact, it seems that the number of these classes have grown an average of 200% or more just in the last 10 years since my first born took his first Kindermusik class at 1 year of age!

Among these classes, there has been a great demand for sign language classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. These come in a few forms: integrated, such as Kindermusik (Signing Smart) and Gymboree (Signing Babies), and on their own, such as Wee Hands and now Signing Time. These classes will run like your average Kindermusik class…about 45 min to an hour of fun, signing, singing, and learning. (But no instruments ?)

Many parents are resistant to using sign with their children. This stigma is usually the product of years of association of American Sign Language and the Deaf culture. Luckily, with the rise in these classes, many parents are no longer using this association, and learning that, by using sign language with their pre-verbal children, they are not only NOT hindering verbal communication, but providing children with rudimentary learning skills. signing enhances self esteem (since they can ask for what they want and not be discouraged), there will be less tantrums, increase in IQ and intellect, enhancing a life long love of learning, encouraging early reading (Reading with your child is something you should do every day! But when you read AND sign with them, it promotes early reading skills and a LOVE of books), activating multiple learning centers in the brain, associated with language, reading, and learning skills.

Most programs will not let you start until your baby is at least 6 months, but research shows that, when started earlier, and even from birth, that your baby will start communicating with you that much earlier. (My 3 year old started signing 2-4 word sentences at 6 months, after signing from birth, and my 14 month old started with 2-3 word sentences at just 3 months!)

Many parents are thrilled when their 6 month old starts ASKING for MILK, a BOOK, or that BALL in the corner, or their 1 year old can stop mid tantrum and start signing and even speaking what they want and why they are upset. When you know what your child wants, and you can get a “window” into their mind, things can run much more smoothly.

And remember, it is very important, especially in this electronic age that parents and young children interact face to face, instead of letting their children spend hours in front of a television set, computer or video game system.

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Becka Marsch is the mother of 4, ages 10, 7, 3, and 1, and holds a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education, as well as an Associates in Business Management. She has 20 years experience working with children and families, and has enjoyed every minute of it! She also owns Learn & Grow Together

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BABY SLEEP SAFE TIPS

1. BACK ONLY – Put the baby down on his/her back every time. When baby rolls over by themselves it is fine. However
still start them on their back eac.h time until they are 12 months old

2. BINKY – Put baby to sleep with a binky. This has been shown to reduce the SIDS rate. Start with one style of binky and use after every feed in the beginning weeks. Some get it quickly, others learn it with time.

3. SWADDLE – Use a swaddle blanket that has closures (Velcro) so hands pushed up cannot put blanket over their face.
At age 5-6 months or when they roll over start swaddling 1 arm out. A few weeks later swaddle body but leave both
arms out.

4. SLEEP SACK – When finished with swaddling use a sleep sack, not blankets. Layer as needed for warmth with sleep
sack the last item.

5. NO BLANKETS – No blankets or bumper pads in the crib. After their 1st birthday you may use one crib
quilt with the bottom tucked under the edge of mattress so it cannot be pulled over the face.

6. NO STUFFED ANIMALS – At age 6 months you may add 1 small Taggie or lovie or small stuffed animal.

7. FAN – Use a fan in their room when sleeping (box fan toward the wall or a ceiling fan). This has found to reduce SIDS.

8. SWITCH POSITION – Each night switch which end their head is at. It helps develop their neck muscles as they look out the crib rails from both sides.

9. MOTION MONITOR – Motion SIDS Monitors provide great peace of mind. Monitors do NOT make it ok to put the
baby on their stomach. Use monitor only with baby is on its back. It will not prevent SIDS, but alerts to issues. It can
startle a baby with apnea to breathe at times according to reviews.

10. CRIB ONLY – In a safe approved crib or playpen only with tight fitting mattress. Do not put your child on a regular bed unsupervised. No regular fabric bumper pads. They are a suffocation hazard.  Or use “breathable” bumper
pads.

NOTE: If co-sleeping with your baby, be certain the baby is not near or under any blankets or pillows. Pull the mattress away from the wall, headboard and night stand for safety. And do not leave the baby sleeping in the bed when you get up. Never leave a baby unsupervized on your bed.

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