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Keeping Baby Safe During Flu Season

Gem — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:02:07 +0000

The Associated Press recently reported that more than 75 children have succumbed to the flu this year. This figure is alarmingly high considering most flu seasons claim between 45 and 85 children. The following are a few tips to help keep your baby healthy and happy this flu season.

Vaccinate
If your baby is six months or older, be sure to get him a flu shot. Keep in mind the vaccination takes two weeks to start working. For good measure, have the entire family vaccinated to prevent unnecessarily exposing your baby to the flu.

Stay Home
Keep your child at home as much as possible between October and April. Avoid attending events involving large public crowds in an effort to prevent exposing him from dangerous viruses.

If you do attend an event, such as a holiday party, keep your baby close to you by declining others who ask to hold him or kiss and hug him. A good way to prevent unwanted contact is to keep your child in a car seat or stroller during these outings. This makes them less accessible to the public.

Sanitize
Adopt the practice of sanitizing incessantly. When away from the house, carry hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Sanitize your hands prior to holding or touching your baby.

When going to the grocery store or restaurant, wipe down any surfaces (highchair, shopping cart, table, etc.) you might touch with a wipe.

Also be sure to clean your baby’s hands and face with warm, soapy water frequently and pay special attention to items he tries to put in his mouth. Your overall objective is to maintain a sterile, clean environment for your child.

On the same note, remember to sanitize your home often. Concentrate of frequently touched items and surfaces in the home. This includes phones, remote controls, keyboards, doorknobs, counters, toilet handles, etc. Sanitizing can be done with a sanitizing wipe or an easy to use sanitizing spray.

Keep The Sick Away
If a family member becomes sick, keep them as far away from you and your baby as possible. Along with preventing the spread of germs to your baby, you want to ensure that you do not become sick as well. In the event you fall ill, consider handing over your parenting duties to a trusted family member to limit contact between you and the baby.

Utilize the “Well Room”Most doctors’ offices have a well room and sick room in their waiting areas. If your child is due for an appointment, keep him or her in the well room and away from any children or adults who appear sick. The waiting area is packed with germs, making this an especially important aspect of keeping your baby healthy.

5 Ways To Save While Providing For Your Baby

Gem — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:53:53 +0000

Times are tough and without a doubt, one of the pressing concerns at the forefront of any new parent’s mind is how to provide when money is tight.

According to the Department of Agriculture, on average, parents can expect to dish out nearly $300,000 from the time a baby is born until he or she reaches the age of 17. Compare this figure to just nine years ago in 2000 when experts calculated the 17-year expense of a child at $165,000.

The first year of a baby’s life can quickly add up to nearly $12,000 in expenses including babysitters, food, clothes, and the infant’s share of transportation, utilities, and housing.

The good news is there are ways to save while providing for your baby. The following five tips are designed to keep money in your pocket without compromising the life you envision for your child.

Secondhand Doesn’t Mean Second-rate
Think twice before you decline hand-me-down items offered by friends and family – especially when they are for your baby. Infants tend to grow so fast and have very little time actually do damage to their clothing. Sure some clothes are lost to inevitable food stains. But overall, the clothing isn’t worn out.

Even better, if someone offers you clothes in styles you aren’t fond of or clothes for a different gender, sort through the items, keep what you want and take the rest to your local second hand store that will trade you cash or store credit for the items.

Also, don’t be afraid to explore the aisles of local second hand stores (or online auction sites such as eBay). Keep in mind there are hidden treasures waiting for you to find them. Ask the store cashier when they usually put new merchandise out and make it a point to be at the store during this time so you have first pick of quality clothes for a less expensive price.

Keep It SimpleMost stores would like for you to believe that you need an assortment of products to properly care for your child. This is not the case. If you have a car seat, crib, diapers and milk for your baby, the rest can wait.

Don’t Fill The Toy Box
It’s easy to lavish our babies with fun and exciting toys, but the truth is your baby’s favorite toy is most likely you or a caregiver. Your baby doesn’t need all those other items and while it would be nice to provide such toys, it isn’t necessary.

Opt For Breast Milk
According to Consumer Report, parents spend nearly $2,000 on formula per baby each year. While some women have medical reasons that prevent them from providing their child with breast milk, most do not. Consider either breast feeding your child or pumping your breast milk to bottle-feed.

Sign Up For Coupons
There are plenty of manufactures out their who would love to send you coupons and welcome kits (that include free samples) for you and your child. Don’t be shy. Sign up to receive your free gifts.

How The Environment Affects Fertility

Gem — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:39:20 +0000

Approximately 10 percent of couples trying to conceive are faced with some facet of infertility. Many environmentalist claim pollution is a major factor in the battle against infertility. However, in a recent study by Dr. Oren Hasson, an evolutionary biologist with Tel Aviv University’s zoology department infertility among humans is considerably higher than it should be and not for the reasons we think.

According to Hasson, despite many environmental issues, the human body should be able to evolve and overcome those that effect fertility. Instead, Hasson suggests that our environment and the process of evolution has inadvertently turned the male and female bodies against one another, making them what he termed “reproductive antagonists.”

In his report, Hasson noted that during the course of thousands of years, the female body has required the male body to create what is known as a “super-sperm.” This sperm is said to be the fastest of all the sperm and its reward for winning the race is penetration of the female’s egg. However, as the body strives to create super-sperm the Law of Unintended Consequences comes into play.

“It’s a delicate balance, and over time women’s and men’s bodies fine tune to each other. Sometimes, during the fine-tuning process, high rates of infertility can be seen. That’s probably the reason for the very high rates of unexplained infertility in the last decades,” Hasson said.

But Hasson doesn’t place all the blame on the evolution of sperm. He also suggests that the female body is equally to blame for evolutionary infertility. Hasson said that the female body, in direct reaction to the development of the super-sperm process (polyspermy), developed a defense mechanism against polyspermy.

In a female’s body, when the sperm is penetrated, the body immediately starts a biochemical reaction that prevents additional sperm from entering the egg. The reaction is designed to protect the egg that, if penetrated after initial penetration, will die.

“To avoid the fatal consequences of polyspermy, female reproductive tracts have evolved to become formidable barriers to sperm,” Hasson said. “They eject, dilute, divert and kill spermatozoa so that only about a single spermatozoon gets into the vicinity of a viable egg at the right time.”

For couples struggling with infertility, Hasson recommends avoiding stressful situations and being open with the flow of communication in the relationship. If necessary, he also suggests seeking the advice of a counselor and specialist to explore other fertility options.

Parental Quote for the Day…

Gem — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:36:52 +0000

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard