Today. on facebook a sweet mama posted this and it made my heart happy!
Reason #532 why I love my iphone: it saves texts for-ev-er. I just stumbled on the texts between my Doula Kathryn Anderson DiPalma and I were sending the night I was in labor with my Linky. It was such a sweet find and made this Momma cry.
If You Give a Mom a Muffin
By Beth Brubaker
If you give a mom a muffin,
she’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She’ll pour herself some.
Her three year-old will come and spill the coffee.
Mom will wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.
She’ll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry into the washer,
she’ll trip over shoes and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She’ll look for her cookbook
(How to Make 101 Things With a Pound of Hamburger.)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse,
which is being dumped out by her two year-old.
Then she’ll smell something funny.
She’ll change the two year-old.
While she is changing the two year-old, the phone will ring.
Her five year-old will answer and hang up.
She’ll remember she was supposed to phone a friend
to come over for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some more.
And chances are,
if she has a cup a coffee,
her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.
The Bump has good articles and information that every parents should read. This is simple information and makes sense. Here are 7 everyday items that we have in our homes that we commonly see baby playing with. Please read and reconsider changing these habits.
You know the drill: When you’re out running errands with baby, you give him your keys or your cell phone to keep him from going nuts in the grocery store (we’ve all done it!). But is it really safe to give baby certain everyday objects? We had experts give us the inside scoop.
Keys
Babies love the shininess and sounds of keys — and the real deal are way more fun than those plastic keys — but are they really okay? Jeffrey Berkowitz, MD, a pediatrician at Pediatric Specialists of Plano in Texas, says nope. “Keys are made of brass, which may contain small amounts of lead,” says Berkowitz. “Additionally, keys can cause injury to the mouth if the child falls while he’s sucking on them.” Instead, stick to the plastic ones. They might not be as shiny, but at least he can put them in his mouth without harming himself. Or if baby likes the cold feel of the metal in his mouth, we love the teething jewelry from Momma’s Jewels. Baby grabs at your necklace when you’re holding him anyway, so why not splurge for a sterling-silver one that’s specifically designed so baby can chomp away safely?
TV Remote
Baby might be intrigued by the remote, especially because he sees how much the grown-ups grab for it. But you’ll want to keep it away from him. “Remotes aren’t safe to play with,” says Berkowitz. “Remote controls contain batteries, which can be dangerous if ingested. Also, remote controls may have other small parts, which could break off and become a choking hazard.” When baby’s over 18 months, it’s okay for him to play with a remote-control toy, like the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote ($35, Amazon.com).
iPad or other Tablets
It’s pretty common to let babies play with iPads, especially since now there are plenty of kid-friendly apps. But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two years old shouldn’t be exposed to screens, like the ones on tablets, smartphones and televisions. That’s because research has found that kids under two aren’t able to understand the educational content, and they learn best from unstructured, unplugged playtime and learn more from live presentations than from video. Monica Vila, founder of TheOnlineMom.com, a website that helps parents protect their kids when it comes to exposing them to technology, says, “Even though manufacturers come out with great, colorful apps for kids, they’re not designed for a baby or a small child to play with on his own; they’re designed for parents and babies to play with together.” Plus, electronic tablets have glass screens and batteries with electrical charges. “It won’t take a lot for a baby to bite it or drop it, and batteries or liquids inside of the tablet can come out,” says Vila. “Those aren’t safe for eating.”
Cell Phones
Have you seen those 10 o’clock news reports that say cell phones have traces of poop on them? Gross! Knowing that cell phones are riddled with germs is probably enough reason not to let baby touch yours or put it in his mouth. “These phones that might be covered with germs could cause serious illness,” says Berkowitz. Also, like remotes and iPads, cell phones have small pieces and batteries, which won’t be safe for baby if he puts them in his mouth. Instead, get baby a toy cell phone — there are plenty that are much more kid-friendly and a lot more fun than a grown-up phone. Try the Sesame Street Elmo Cell Phone ($12, Amazon.com).
Coins
Your baby might come across your coin purse or jar and want to rattle it or play with the shiny things inside, but don’t let him. “Coins are a choking hazard and can cause tracheal, esophageal or intestinal obstruction,” says Berkowitz. So not worth the risk.
Pens, Markers and Crayons
Maybe you and baby are doing a crafts project or you’re showing baby how to draw. “Most markers and pens are nontoxic but can cause injury if the child pokes themselves with it,” says Berkowitz. If baby puts the pen cap or crayon in his mouth, he could choke. Also, for the sake of your home decor, keep baby away from them. Marker, crayon and pen marks all over your walls and floor won’t be a pretty sight. You should hold off on letting baby use crayons and markers until he’s a toddler, and you should supervise him even then. When it’s time for your tot to use markers and crayons, look for nontoxic and washable ones.
Baby Wipes
While baby’s on the changing table, maybe he grabs at the wipes and even stuffs them in his mouth (sound familiar?). While it’s tempting to just let him — especially if that’s the only way he’ll quit wiggling — don’t. Most baby wipes are nontoxic, but Berkowitz says, “It’s not wise to allow baby to suck on wipes, because he could ingest the chemicals in them. Also, if baby chews or tears pieces of the wipes off, it could result in a choking hazard.” To distract baby while he’s getting his diaper changed, keep a teething ring or other age-appropriate toys nearby.
Laundry Basket
Baby might love climbing in and out of the laundry basket, but is it a safe toy? “It’s not unsafe, but parental supervision is needed to prevent baby from falling or chewing on the plastic,” says Berkowitz. So feel free to let baby make a fort with the baskets, but make sure you’re keeping a close watch the whole time he’s doing it.
This is such a sad story about precious little Megan. It’s a story about an accident that could have been prevented. It’s a story about a family that is now mourning the loss of their daughter. Please read it, take action and secure all furniture to the walls. Yes, it will put holes in your walls, but you can fix those. The hole in your heart will be one that will never heal completely.
She was the second born of a twin set, her older brother arriving 4 minutes before she was born. She arrived feet first, feisty and ready to make her presence known literally kicking her older brother out of the womb! That was October 23, 2001. One of the happiest days of my life.
That bright-eyed little girl, our beautiful daughter Meghan, died December 18th, 2004 at the age of 3 from injuries sustained as a result of her dresser falling on top of her in the early morning hours while we slept. We presume she was climbing in the drawers. We did not hear the dresser fall, for it fell on top of her. She did not or could not cry. She died within minutes.
Suddenly I was living every parent’s nightmare, I held my dead baby girl in my arms one sunny Saturday morning just a week before Christmas and had to say goodbye. I left her body in the emergency room along with a part of me. My heart shattered. All because of something that could have easily been avoided had we known the dangers. It was the worst day of my life.
Tragically, her death was preventable, for if we had secured her dresser to the wall, she would be with us today. Four dollars and fifteen minutes would have saved her life. Instead of putting a few holes in our walls and furniture, we forever have one in our hearts that will never heal. Walls can be fixed, broken hearts cannot.
We never thought her dresser, a small, heavy, well made and well known top of the line piece, would tip or fall, let alone kill anyone, we were horribly wrong. She has left us, her twin brother, and her older brother all devastated at her loss.
Our home is well childproofed. We had other larger pieces of furniture that were secured to the walls, but not her dresser. We are beside ourselves with grief. I may never forgive myself for not making her room and our home safer. The guilt is overwhelming.
Sadly, Meghan is not the first child to die from falling furniture, but we hope that we can, with your help, prevent this tragedy from happening to another child. Since Meghan’s death, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has revised their information and statistics on injury and death due to furniture tip over.
The CPSC reports that from 2000-2006 there was an estimated 42,700 emergency room visits due to furniture, television, and appliance related tip-overs. 26,000 of those involved furniture, usually a dresser, table, or shelving unit and 15,900 involving a television. Approximately 1500 involved a television on a piece of furniture. There were 96 deaths from furniture tip-over and 87 deaths from television tip-over. 80% of the fatalities were in children under the age of 10 with the ages of 1-3 being the most common age for injury and death. To view the full report click here
Since publishing this Web site, we have heard far too many stories of near misses and similar tragedies and we are astounded at how often furniture or televisions tips or falls onto children causing injury or death, and how unaware of the dangers parents, health care professionals, and furniture stores and manufacturers are. We want to change that.
This is a tragedy that could happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime and death can result in mere minutes. I can assure you no parent who has ever lost a child for any reason expected it would happen to them. We certainly didn’t. Please don’t let it happen to yours or anyone else’s child. Securing your furniture is quick, easy, inexpensive, and the life you save may be your own child’s or someone you love.
Please honor Meggie’s memory and those of her playmates in Heaven and take the time to read the information here and share it with those who have or care for children of any age.
Thank you.
He inquisitively ask the lady, “Why is your stomach so big?”
She replied, “I’m having a baby.”
… With big eyes, he asked, “Is the baby in your stomach?”
She said, “He sure is.”
Then the little boy, with a puzzled look, asked, “Is it a good baby?”
She said, “Oh, yes. It’s a real good baby.”
With an even more surprised and shocked look, he asked…
“Then why did you eat him?”
Please share this with others. I a lot of crotch danglers and it makes me crazy. Think of how these little ones feel when they are being carried wrong.
By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
Associate Editor
Moms aren’t the only ones who struggle with postpartum depression. Dads struggle, too.
In this 2010 meta-analysis published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reviewed 43 studies with over 28,000 participants and found that 10 percent of men had prenatal or postpartum depression. That’s more than double the rate of men who suffer from depression in the general population — 4.8 percent.
In their book The Pregnancy & Postpartum Anxiety Workbook: Practical Skills to Help You Overcome Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions and Compulsions, authors Pamela S. Wiegartz, Ph.D, and Kevin L. Gyoerkoe, PsyD, note that depression can strike dads at any time, from their wife’s pregnancy to months after their child’s birth.
Symptoms of depression can include depressed mood; loss of interest in activities; fatigue; changes in sleep; changes in appetite or weight; difficulty concentrating or making decisions; feelings of guilt or worthlessness; and thoughts of death or suicide.
Men, however, may struggle with different symptoms. The lead author of the above meta-analysis, James Paulson, told Scientific American (in this piece by Katherine Harmon) that some researchers have called for a change in the diagnostic criteria because men tend to struggle with irritability, detachment and emotional withdrawal.
To read the rest of the article go here:
Kathryn DiPalma
(559) 287-3231
Email Me
Send a Message
