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.