Thursday, October 18, 2007

Stroller-cise

Stroller-cise instructor Jeremy Seymour may act like your typical boot camp instructor but these aren't you're average recruits.

"The heavier the baby the more workout you get," Seymour said.

Seymour leads Stroller-cise, a body boot camp for mom and baby.

"We do everything from crunches to sit ups, we do running, we do jogging, we do sprints, we do leg lifts, " Seymour said.

It's a workout that incorporates almost every part of the body.

"The strollers, we use them to do stretches on. We use them when we do lunges, also we use the babies. We take the babies in front of us and we do squats with the babies. We do raises with the babies," Seymour said.

Push-ups are little more rewarding when you get a kiss.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says it's okay for a new mother to exercise six weeks after giving birth, but they also say it's important to start slow.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Mother accused of drowning baby

Christi Denice King pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of murder in connection with the drowning death of her infant son one year ago.King, 33, of Greenville, was the sole subject of a special Tuesday meeting of the Hunt County grand jury, which returned a murder indictment.Prosecutors are already trying to amend the indictment.King entered the not guilty plea during a Thursday morning arraignment hearing in the 196th District Court. Judge Joe Leonard set an interim hearing in the case for March 28.King remains in custody in the Hunt County Jail and had previously filed a writ of habeas corpus seeking a reduction in her $1 million bond.King's defense attorney, Jack Paris, had also filed a motion, requesting an examining trial in an effort to have the bond lowered. That hearing was scheduled to take place Thursday, prior to Tuesday's special meeting of the grand jury and the issuance of the indictment.A motion was filed Friday, seeking an amendment in the wording of the indictment, details of which were not available at press time.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Pad Concept baby car seat

Ever tried changing a baby's nappy while they're sitting in a car seat? Well, no. It's impossible. At least, it was impossible. The Pad Concept has been made at California State University, and is a baby car seat that transforms into a changing station, then back again.

Designed by Ravi Itiravivong, it was recently named as one of the winning entries in the iF Concept Product Awards 2007. It has a swivel base that lets it be rotated to the right or left while in place, so that the backrest can be folded back to leave your baby in a lying position. One swift nappy-change later, and it turns back into a seat again.

Hopefully someone's already turning this into a commercial product: it's genius!

iF Design Awards – Household/Residential category

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Saturday, August 18, 2007

Buckling up, even in a stroller

One young Attleboro mother apparently took the time to strap her baby boy into his stroller in such a way that when a car struck the pair last week in Attleboro, he remained snug as his seat rolled over a couple of times.

Stacy Wetherell and her baby, who is a year old, were treated at hospitals and released. Jacob, officials said, suffered cuts to his cheek.

Who knows what could have happened had Ms. Wetherell not, prior to the outing, bent over her baby, tucking and buckling, just so.The outcome sets an example for other parents. Sometimes a walk on a pretty day can be shattered by the unexpected. Attention to detail is critical.Education on child seat safety usually focuses on cars. Consumer Reports last week had to admit, red-faced, that its alerts on reliability of certain models may have been in error and re-testing is slated.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Cheney's daughter makes a baby and political statement

Mr. Dobson is the founder of Focus on the Family, a conservative activist group, and ordinarily I couldn't see eye to eye with him on the day of the week. But I agree with him about Mary Cheney.

He wrote about the vice president's pregnant, lesbian daughter in a Time magazine essay in December. Here's part of what he said:

"With all due respect to Cheney and her partner, Heather Poe, the majority of more than 30 years of social-science evidence indicates that children do best on every measure of well-being when raised by their married mother and father. That is not to say Cheney and Poe will not love their child. But love alone is not enough to guarantee healthy growth and development. The two most loving women in the world cannot provide a daddy for a little boy - any more than the two most loving men can be complete role models for a little girl."

In other words, fathers matter, something we seem to have forgotten, so busy are we pretending that women and men are interchangeable.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Mom charged for leaving baby in car

Penny Nicole Hume expected to spend just a few minutes at the Baldwin County Corrections Center on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Instead, she was booked into the facility for the weekend.

The 21-year-old had parked her 1997 Oldsmobile Delta 88 LS in front of the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, next to the jail, and left her infant son strapped in a car seat, according to Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack.

Hume of Robertsdale cracked the rear driver's side window and kept the doors unlocked.

Then she stepped out and approached the docket room, a few hundred feet away, and asked the officers about bail for her boyfriend, Cody Robert Johnson.

Johnson was charged Thursday night with driving on a suspended license, driving without insurance, speeding and having switched tags.

Friday, June 15, 2007

A new French exception? Having more babies

PARIS: Thirty years ago, the government of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was urging the French to have "un troisième enfant pour la France!" But it is only now that they have taken the advice.
The national statistics agency says that in 2006 France had the highest birthrate in Europe. The average number of births by women of fertile age was slightly more than two.
Thus France becomes one of the two European Union states with a positive birthrate; Ireland is the other. The contrast with their neighbors is very marked. Germany, Italy and Spain all have birthrates under 1.4. The rates in the new EU members, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and even Roman Catholic Poland, are below 1.3.
French life expectancy in 2005 was also the highest in Europe, at 84 for women and 77 for men, and it increased last year by three and a half months for women and nearly five months for men.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Outdated Baby Food, Formula Found On Store Shelves

Outdated baby formula on local grocery store shelves -- it's not supposed to be there, but our KIRO 7 Consumer investigators found it.
Baby food and baby formula are the only foods required by the FDA to have a "use by" date printed on the cans and jars.
When that date comes and goes, that food and formula is supposed to be pulled.
But we found outdated food and formula still on the shelves -- and still for sale.
We took our hidden camera inside local grocery stores.
We found that of the 29 grocery stores, drug stores and other retailers, nine had baby formula on the shelves that was past the "use-by" date.
We found a can of powdered formula with a use-by date read August 2006. But it was still for sale in early January when we bought it.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Area Parents Breathing Easier After Car Seat Flub

New car seat safety crash test data from Consumer Reports magazine -- in which most of the car seats manufactured today failed the tests -- left many parents questioning the safety of the seats their children have been sitting in.
But as it turned out, the parents' fears may have been unfounded. The magazine issued a retraction after it discovered most of the tests were conducted at speeds higher than planned.
Debbie Fine, owner of "The Baby's Room in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., says this is the topic all her customers are talking about now:
"Because we sell a stroller that connects to a car seat, many customers are asking us which car seat to buy."
Angela Osterhuber, director of Pennsylvania's Traffic Injury Prevention Project, says the bottom line is that every car seat available for sale today meets national safety crash test standards.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

News, tips and trends for parents

Each year a new crop of expecting parents are exposed to, and often overwhelmed by, the baby products they'll need for their growing family. It is for those newborn neophytes that the annual American Baby Faire, which comes to the Broward County Convention Center on Saturday and Feb. 11, is most relevant. Dubbed "the largest baby expo in the country," it features 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and providing parenting info and product samples. Kids are welcome to partake in hourly crawling races and a fun-filled activity area. As with any expo, the Baby Faire tends to show similar items each year. (After all, strollers and baby swings don't change in function.) But while you may not find a plethora of new inventions, you'll definitely find improved models of old standbys.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Baby Bonus savings can cover medical expenses from May 1st

From 1st May, parents will be able to use their Baby Bonus savings to pay for their children's medical bills. Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said the extension is aimed at lightening the financial load on parents. And hopefully, encourage Singapore couples to have more children. Raising two-year old Joel has been an expensive affair for his father Eugene Seah. Joel was hospitalised twice, and that used up $12,000 of the couple's savings. So parents like Eugene welcome news that Baby Bonus money could soon be used to pay for their children's medical expenses. He said: "I think cost is a major concern for a lot of parents in Singapore. Our child before the age of 2 was already hospitalised two times. So on hindsight it would have helped a lot!" Jelene Lee, Expectant Mother, says: "I think it's very good because right now it's only for use in schools." From May 1st, the Baby Bonus will be expanded to cover all medical fees from hospitalisation, to children's immunisation, outpatient consultation, medicine costs, and even dental treatment.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Baby Shaken Dead, Babysitter Punished

Christy Woppert of Mukwonago was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of extended supervision for causing the death of Mason Maciosek.Mason was just nine-weeks old when he died of shaken baby syndrome. Woppert was babysitting him at the time of his death. "I do believe justice finally has been served. We waited a long time for today, and I am so glad that it's over," said Mason's grandmother Jill Maciosek.Mason would have turned two Friday. He died on April 12, 2005."We're going to celebrate his birthday and we have a cake. We're leaving here and we're going to the cemetery. That was the best birthday present we could ever give him, is to see her walk out," Jill Maciosek said.Woppert maintained her innocence. She said she loved baby Mason and did nothing to harm him."I understand that they are feeling hurt and sadness, and they will never have him back.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Area Parents Breathing Easier After Car Seat Flub

New car seat safety crash test data from Consumer Reports magazine -- in which most of the car seats manufactured today failed the tests -- left many parents questioning the safety of the seats their children have been sitting in.
But as it turned out, the parents' fears may have been unfounded. The magazine issued a retraction after it discovered most of the tests were conducted at speeds higher than planned.
Debbie Fine, owner of "The Baby's Room in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., says this is the topic all her customers are talking about now:
"Because we sell a stroller that connects to a car seat, many customers are asking us which car seat to buy."
Angela Osterhuber, director of Pennsylvania's Traffic Injury Prevention Project, says the bottom line is that every car seat available for sale today meets national safety crash test standards.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Your Baby from 10 to 12 Months: Developing Motor Skills

You've been amazed by each of your baby's big motor milestones. By now, she most likely rolls over and sits up. She might be scooting on her bottom, crawling, or pulling herself up to a stand as she launches herself into a world that beckons just out of reach. First steps are just around the corner.
Between 10 and 12 months, there are equally exciting -- though often overlooked -- motor-skill developments involving baby's hands. For example, you're out walking your baby in the stroller when she suddenly points to a dog and squeals. Or your baby's in her high chair when she deliberately picks up her sippy cup and drops it on the floor. These milestones don't get the same play as walking, but they're just as important to her development, indicating that your clever baby is now trying to master the world in a whole new way: with her tiny fingers.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Baby carriers put to the test

It can be very tiring to carry your baby in your arms all the time, which is why many parents opt for a soft carrier.
Consumer Reports recently tested eight carriers including ones from Baby Bjorn, Infantino, and Kelty Kids to see which ones are best for you and your baby.
They were tested for safety, comfort, and ease of use by using a motorized piston that applies 34 kilograms or 75 pounds of force on the carrier.
Testers also made sure the leg openings were small enough to keep tiny babies secure using a ball representing the circumference of a three-and-a-half pound baby's hip.
The Baby Bjorn Carrier Active was rated as excellent. It sells for 200 dollars. The Baby Bjorn Carrier Original is also rated as excellent and is cheaper at 130 dollars.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

FindStrollers.com Launches as Stroller Price Comparison Engine

Moms and Dads now have an easier way to find just the right stroller for their baby or infant child. FindStrollers.com allows parents to compare stroller products and prices with ease.
Madison, NJ (PRWEB) February 7, 2007 -- Today NextGen Shopping LLC launched its niche shopping comparison engine FindStrollers.com (http://www.findstrollers.com). While most comparison engines take an all-encompassing approach, FindStrollers.com focuses solely on baby stroller product and price comparison. Shoppers can easily choose to compare stroller products by keyword, brand, size, type, or even color. Once an initial selection is made, users can make further refinements, tailoring the search results to their specific needs. Users can find top brand stroller models including Peg Perego, Maclaren, Bugaboo, Graco and many others.

Read More...

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Park Slope Strollers Against The World

The hullabaloo surrounding the Park Slope Barnes & Noble's request for parents to park strollers upstairs in a designated area is exactly the kind of tempest in a neighborhood that brings out the haves (having children) and have nots (having no children). But what's fascinating is the dialog created on both the part of the parents who want to wield their strollers and those who want to be free of strollers while writing their Great American novel at the B&N. Here are some of our favorite comments on Brooklyn Record's post:Rule of thumb: If your kid is too heavy to carry on your back (which you should be doing, instead of wheeling it around in a mini-SUV), then it's time the brat started to use his lil' legs. If he doesn't WANT to use his lil' legs to go shopping/socializing etc . . . with you, maybe you should postpone those activities until he can share in them with you.

Read More...

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Baby Blues Can Affect Pregnant Women, Not Just After Giving Birth

Most of us have heard of postpartum depression, sometimes called the baby blues, affecting women who have just given birth, but pregnant women can get the blues too.
The problem is few doctors screen for it, and many pregnant women are afraid to admit to it. In fact, one social worker says at least ten percent of expecting mothers suffer from depression, but the numbers could be much higher.
Clinical Social Worker Susan Stone said, "The motherhood myth still associates a stigma to that. That this is the time you should be happy. So you can imagine how much that would further isolate a person, and make her less likely to reach out for help."
The risks of untreated depression during pregnancy can be serious: pre-term labor, increased chance of cesarean section, low birth weight, and a higher likelihood the mother will also suffer from post-partum depression.

Read More...

Friday, February 23, 2007

The DIY and BARGAIN SHOPPING BLOG

From Bellini cribs and Graco strollers to baby clothes from Gymboree, BabyGap and Carter's, this new Lindenhurst store is bursting with bargains on all things for kids and babies. During a recent visit, a gorgeous new tan and cream bassinette from Kolcraft was on sale for $35 (retails for $79). New or almost-new cribs from Pali were $150 (retail, $400 and up). There are racks and racks of clothing for babies, toddlers and juniors - prices range from 33 cents for a newborn Carter's onesie to about $15 for infant snowsuits and winter jackets. Tommy Hilfiger, Nannette, Circo and Nike are among other brands spotted. Many of the items are new, with tags. Owner Sandra Satzinger says that's because she's buying liquidation or overstock inventory right off retail shelves.

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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

FindStrollers launches as a price comparison engine

Moms and Dads now have an easier way to find just the right stroller for their baby or infant child. FindStrollers.com allows parents to compare stroller products and prices with ease.
Madison, NJ (PRWEB) February 7, 2007 -- Today NextGen Shopping LLC launched its niche shopping comparison engine FindStrollers.com (http://www.findstrollers.com). While most comparison engines take an all-encompassing approach, FindStrollers.com focuses solely on baby stroller product and price comparison. Shoppers can easily choose to compare stroller products by keyword, brand, size, type, or even color. Once an initial selection is made, users can make further refinements, tailoring the search results to their specific needs. Users can find top brand stroller models including Peg Perego, Maclaren, Bugaboo, Graco and many others.

Read More