What is SIDS?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of a sleeping infant under one year of age. In most situations, infants show no physical signs of distress and are perfectly healthy. Ninety percent of all SIDS fatalities occur before an infant reaches six months of age.

Baby Sleeps Safe is a Sleep Panel and Sleep Pouch which work together to position babies on their backs and prevent them from rolling onto their stomachs while sleeping.

What can you do for your baby?

· Place infants on their backs to sleep. As sleeping preference is a learned behavior, parents should consider using products such as Baby Sleeps Safe, a two-piece infant safety product that keeps babies sleeping safely and securely on their backs, to ensure their baby is comfortable with the position.

· Do not place your infant to sleep in your bed. Instead, bring the crib into your room until your baby is at least six months old.

· Make sure the crib has a firm mattress and avoid soft surfaces. Remove blankets, bumpers, toys or pillows.

· Overheating an infant is a risk for SIDS. Clothe your infant to keep him warm, but avoid too many layers or warm room temperatures. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests placing an oscillating fan in the room to help circulation and cooling of air.

· Offer your infant a pacifier. Studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS with infants who use pacifiers.

· Breast-feed your infant whenever possible. Natural milk decreases the likelihood of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, known to contribute to SIDS risk.

xoxo

-Carla

This is one of my new favorite sites. I am always wondering if the things in the back of my fridge are still good. Ya it’s easy to tell with things like milk but what about lemon juice or jam?? Now you don’t need to worry. Just hop on over to stilltasty.com and find out.

This website allows you to enter a food in the search bar and then tells you how long it lasts before opening, after opening and in the fridge. It also tells you the best way to store a product. There is also a question area and a great advice section called Shelf Talk. So, if you have something in your kitchen and what to know if it’s still tasty then check this out!

Enjoy,

xoxo

-Carla

CRAYONS and COLORING BOOKS are a great gift for kids of any age. It’s one of my go to gifts for kids turning two. I have found that my children are happy coloring for hours. There have been many days where I cover a wall with paper and let them go nuts. By the end of the day I have a fantastic piece of art work and a whole day of artful fun. So set your kid up at the table with a coloring book of his or her favorite characters, or get some large packing paper and let them create something all by themselves.

(click the above pictures to order)

There are many types of crayons available. I have found that the triangular shaped or big ones are easiest to hold. The smaller ones tend to break easier because kids usually press pretty hard. So try to stick to thicker ones in the beginning.

Another great idea is to get the book Harold and the Purple Crayon.You can read this classic with your kids and then have them create an adventure of their own.

Happy coloring,

xoxo

-Carla

Here is a great product for us new moms who need a little extra support. The Belly Bandit is a postpartum support band that comes in an array of colors and patterns. it is doctor recommended and can help posture, relieve back pain, reduce stretch marks and help you lose inches faster. I am looking into getting one so that I will feel better about the way I look (even though my husband says I look beautiful) and hopefully relieve some of the stomach and back pain that I have had lately.

Like I mentioned they come in some really cool fabrics and patterns. So there is a Belly Bandit for everyone. If you just had a baby I highly recommend checking them out. Hopefully I will get one soon.

xoxo

-Carla

When I entered the store I went to get a cart. Beside the regular carts I found these fabulous TV karts. You know how sometimes you go grocery shopping and they have special kids carts…small ones for them to push, double seated ones, or ones shaped like cars…well TV cart is like that but better.

The bottom part is a truck for the kids to sit in and the back of the truck is a cart. Two things make this so special though. The first is that each cart has a tv in it that plays shows like The Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, and Bob the Builder to keep the kids entertained. This is really exciting because without that my daughter would have screamed everytime I stopped to look at something.The tv allowed me to peruse items and not have to be constantly moving for her to be happy. The other really nice thing is that the carts are not overly long or extremely huge so you can maneuver without too much difficulty around the store.

I loved this product so much that I came home and researched who makes it etc. I discovered some other really great features about it. The parental control screen (located in the basket so you can put the shows on without leaning into the cart) could also be set up as a price scanner, shopping list, it can tell you store specials, and in grocery stores it could give you recipe ideas. There is just so many possibilities for this to make life more enjoyable and simpler.

So I wanted to share this with you. Anyone near Paramus, NJ should go check out Kmart while the carts are still free to use. Everyone else you can check them out here and if you know of any store that might benefit from this product suggest it. Anything to make mommies lives more Fabulous needs to be spread around.

*Stay tuned for actual pictures I took…I am having technical difficulty getting them online right now and will try again later tonight*

xoxo

-Carla

The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It

This book, which I discovered in People magazine, discusses how the media distorts and undermines girl’s sexual progress by spreading myths about the way girls should dress, act and feel. We all know what they are talking about…from little girls in skimpy clothes to padded bras for children that are just hitting puberty.

There is a scene in the movie “Mean Girls” that showcases this perfectly. It’s the one when all the girls go over to Regina’s house and her little sister is standing in front of the tv flashing her chest and watching “Girl’s Gone Wild” and another time trying to dance like the video for “Milkshake (my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard…)”. She is so young and yet that is what she is aspiring to do.

(I mean I guess the whole “Mean Girls” movie falls into this category because everyone wants to be like these mean girls who are just overtly sexy when they should be finding themselves in high school.)

Even children’s toys today put an emphasis on sexy. One of the top selling dolls for kids is Bratz dolls. The book explains this by saying “The doll projects a sexuality that has more to do with working on the Sunset Strip than enjoying a healthy girlhood.”

We as parents need to be aware of this problem so we can take an active roll. It is very important that we speak to our daughters so that they understand that what makes them unique is multifaceted and that sexuality is only one part of the equation.

I highly recommend checking out this book. Click on the link above to find it on amazon.com.

xoxo

-Carla

This week I am showcasing Julie Andrews. I mentioned her previously in “Movie of the Week: The Sound Of Music” and I have to reiterate what a fantastic actress she is. I find her so elegant and mesmerizing. So today I recommend both an oldie that is a classic and a more recent movie that I have added to my children’s favorite vault.

Mary Poppins is a story about a nanny that changes an entire family’s life. Julie Andrews plays Mary Poppins and she comes off as both annoyingly all knowing and “practically perfect in every way”. This movie is filled with catchy tune, great dancing, and animation and magic that will captivate even the youngest viewers. If you have not yet shared this with your children I highly recommend doing so soon.

The second recommendation is a newer movie and, although suitable for all ages, will be greatly appreciated by somewhat older girls. The Princess Diaries follows Mia Thermopolis (Ann Hathaway) as she finds out she is the future queen of Genovia. We watch her as her princess lessons transform her from an awkward teenager to a beautiful, composed princess. This movie has it all, romance, humor and Mandy Moore singing. It also has a great lesson, that a person’s greatness comes from within and that by judging on the outside you may miss something great. It also teaches girls to be confident and strong and stand up for something they believe in. I am a sucker for romantic princess movies and so I highly suggest you check this out.

xoxo
-Carla

I am on my third pregnancy now and this is the first time that I am at the end of it during the summer. I have a great respect for people who have done this before because I think that the heat alone makes everything worse. I am finding it so hard to sit or bend. I never had this with the last two. I was playing games on the floor, painting my toes…you name it and I could (pretty much) do it.

Now however, chasing after my two kids wipes me out and by the end of the day I can barely make it into bed.

I am trying to find ways to keep cool. So far the best thing I have found is to take the kids to a park with a sprinkler. I wade around with them and the cold water makes a BIG difference. For those of you with your own backyards you can do this too. Fill up a kiddy pool with cool water and let your kids have a blast splashing around. You can also attach a sprinkler and don’t be afraid to run through to cool off.

I did this when I last visited my parents house. We made “water day” and set up a slip and slide, water table, pool and sprinkler. Then myself and one other pregnant mother lounged while the kids had a blast occupying themselves.

For a simple cute pool check out the Frog Spray Pool With Slide – Manley

To really go over the top you can also check out the Ships Ahoy Pirate Ship Pool – Banzai

And if you want to go all out and have the space and money check out this number…theVortex Spin Slide and Pool – Banzai. My neighbors had this and it is out of this world!

Please if anyone else has tips to make these last two months a little more bearable feel free to leave me a comment on what has worked for you.

stay cool,

xoxo

-Carla

If you are looking for an alternative to “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” or you just want another handy book to check out I highly recommend “From The Hips“. This book speaks about everything to do with pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent.

I liked this book a lot because I found it much more candid then “What to Expect”. I especially liked all the comment bubbles with candid quotes from actual parents.

This book is extremely comprehensive and very uncensored. The pages are all packed with information (and by packed I mean writing everywhere) which can be a little overwhelming. However, I found that this being my third pregnancy I just need a book a little different from the rest.

Like I said before, I highly recommend checking this book out if only to see all it has to offer.

Hope all my pregnant readers are feeling well,

xoxo

-Carla

http://www.deliciousbaby.com/

This is a blog by a mother of two who loves to travel. This blog gives advice for breezing through airport security, what to pack and other life and sanity saving tips. There are also city guides for places that she has visited that will tell you about activities and hotels that are kid friendly.

I highly recommend you check this out if you plan to travel…nothing is better than someone speaking from experience.

Happy traveling,

xoxo

-Carla