Author Archives: llpitlwp

“The Sounds of Silence” …shhh…..

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Noteworthy Wednesday!

Hello chatter, my old friend.The sounds of silence are a dim recollection now, like mystery, privacy and paying attention to one thing — or one person — at a time.

via Silence Is Golden – NYTimes.com.

I don’t know about all of you out there but silence is something that makes me uncomfortable most of the time…and I am not even sure why.

There is just so much “chatter” in my head at any given moment of the day especially at this time of year…the lists…the schedules, the “smart phone” etc.

This morning my house is empty except for me and three dogs, who are at the moment behaving themselves and enjoying the sun streaming in the windows. They have all found their spots and are napping…

I, on the other hand, am writing this post instead of just sitting back and enjoying the quiet.

As hard as I try, “kicking back” is not something I do except when I am at the ocean…and let’s face it I am not at the beach very often especially at this time of year and I do live in Chicagoland so that should tell you that the ocean is not exactly close by .

Oh yes, I do have a conch shell that I put up to my ear when I come across it… I used to religiously listen to ocean sounds on my sound machine… where is my sound machine anyway?

Silence is Golden…

So I am going to sit here and enjoy it for awhile…before pre-school line-up begins.

Thanks for reading and I hope you grab some silence when you can it is well worth savoring.

 

 

Instant Soup and children’s burns.

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If you do one thing today read this and pass it on to anyone who has children…no child should have to suffer burns or scalds!

If this prevents one accident I will be very happy.

Noodle soup is strangely perfect for delivering a serious burn. The sticky noodles cling to the skin, which leads to deeper, more severe burns, according to a study published in 2007. The study showed that hospital stays for upper body noodle-soup burns are more than twice as long as scalds from hot liquids alone. Garner says that about one in five children he sees with the burns end up needing surgery, and these patients can face permanent scarring and limited mobility in their joints.

via Why Burn Doctors Hate Instant Soup : Planet Money : NPR.

Temper Tantrums…new info…

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Simply put, I could not wait to share this post from NPR ….temper tantrums are so exhausting for the child, parents, grandparents and anyone else around.

This is great information with some scientific background.

Another recommendation of mine for dealing with “meltdowns” is found in “The Happiest Toddler on the Block” by Dr. Harvey Karp.

Good Luck…hope it helps.

Temper Tantrums (video)

The trick in getting a tantrum to end as soon as possible, Potegal said, was to get the child past the peaks of anger. Once the child was past being angry, what was left was sadness, and sad children reach out for comfort. The quickest way past the anger, the scientists said, was to do nothing. Of course, that isnt easy for parents or caregivers to do.

via Whats Behind A Temper Tantrum? Scientists Deconstruct The Screams : Shots – Health Blog : NPR.

DANGEROUS TOYS….SUGGESTIONS

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NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!  FRIDAY!

This has been a short week for me…due to a migraine headache that just will not go away.

I have however found a wonderful post about toddler toys that pose a danger to a younger child. There are some GREAT responses from moms that have dealt with this issue very efficiently.

A happy holiday is also a safe holiday.

Now that my younger child is mobile, Im looking for ways to keep his 4-year-old brothers small toys such as Legos out of his reach. I want my older son to be able to play with his things around the rest of the family and not be banished to another room, but Im also worried about the baby choking on these toys. What can I do?

via My 4-year-olds toys are dangerous for babies. How can I keep our baby safe without banishing his brother? | BabyCenter.

Thanksgiving…

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I miss New York at the holidays.

Thanksgiving brings with it many memories of growing up in New York.

I love  watching the Macy’s Parade…it is a visit to the canyons of New York without the hassle.

I remember my first Thanksgiving Parade…we watched it from my uncle’s office windows…it was amazing to see all those balloons come to life…and float down the NYC streets to Herald Square. It was followed by my grandmother’s wonderful turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

I love this holiday and have much to be thankful for this year as always.

It is now memory making for the little ones…their enthusiasm for family and friends getting together is like none other and so much fun to watch and share in with them.

Turkey and all the trimmings… friends, family, story telling and laughter…I can’t wait.

Have a great day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Penn State And Our Kids …

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The news about the sex scandal at Penn State is truly disgusting.

No one went “the whole nine yards” to protect the children …this is not forgivable  …it is a lack of what is morally right.

We tell our children that “if a touch feels wrong it  is wrong”…I told this to my own kids. Even tickling can be wrong if it feels bad to a child.

Kids trust us as parents to protect them…when we fail they feel abandoned and confused as to why mom or dad did not rescue them.

In the case at Penn State…these kids trusted the coaches and teachers to be their parents when their own parents were not present and what did they do …well I don’t even want to repeat it here.

I think to really appreciate the significance of such an “injury” to a child you have to put yourself in that child’s place…it’s called empathy. You have to dig up your own childhood innocence. You have to remember your mom, your nana, your dad, your siblings, your teachers, anyone who you trusted.

Then you have to picture them violating you and taking away your innocence forever.

Teach your children to tell you if anyone makes them feel uncomfortable.

Teach them about their own bodies and answer their questions with age appropriate responses.

As a social worker, I have seen my share of child abuse…they are most times victims of people they trust.

So sadly, we have to be aware and sensitive to our children’s environment and we must take time to talk to our children and listen to them. Get off the phone, get away from media, and actually observe and listen to your kids.

Do not focus too much on “Stranger Danger” give kids the warnings associated with this.

Parents, keep your eyes wide-open around those you trust, teachers, babysitters, friends, boyfriends,  and even relatives.

Related articles;

Penn State Sex Scandal And Our Kids – Parenting.com.

Co-sleeping good or bad… safe or dangerous….

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Co-sleeping...

Common sense certainly does enter into the equation…but some of us are gifted with more common sense than others.

It would be nice to think that there is a clear answer to what is safest and best for baby when it comes to eating, peeing and popping and sleeping.

Formula feeding…breastfeeding ….Cloth diapers…”pampers”….diaper free (elimination communication)….cribs…co-sleeping?

So many decisions so many discussions without any clearly right or wrong answers.

What ever you choose for your child…make sure you make the choice based on “common sense” for your lifestyle and what will work best for you, your family and child.

Do your homework…it is important for your child.

Cosleeping is not the devil.  Is it dangerous?  Yes.  But so is sleeping in a crib.  Pack and plays are death traps. Do we still use them?  Of course.  The key is common sense.  Something we sorely lack in this world.

There are safety measures you have to take no matter where your baby sleeps.  To put your baby in a crib you have rules. Common sense rules like no heavy blankets, pillows, toys, bumpers, gaps in the mattress, bars of a certain width, etc.

Cosleeping has safety rules too: do not drink or smoke before bed, sleep on a firm mattress or futon, no heavy blankets or pillows, don’t sleep with the baby if you have sleep apnea or if your bed is too small, put your mattress on the floor, etc.

So is cosleeping dangerous? Yes, if done without care or thought.  So think.  Use the mind that the creator (whoever she/he is) gave you and think about what you are doing with your babies.  Don’t blindly follow trends or advice from ads plastered on bus shelters.  Do research and make informed decisions with a big dollop of common sense tailored to your own little family’s needs.

via Common Sense and Cosleeping | Tales of a Kitchen Witch.

Safe Sleep for Your Baby

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NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY1

This week I have seen this PSA (Public Service Announcement) and three media discussions associated with it. The consensus of what I have read  and heard is that this PSA is inappropriate and uses “shock” value to relate an important message to parents concerning “co-sleeping“.

Do we really need this type of photo to make a statement against co-sleeping?

What do you think?

Well, I visited Milwaukee‘s website and found some helpful “safe sleep” resources and information related to infant deaths in Milwaukee.

It is my opinion that Milwaukee is trying desperately to reduce infant mortality but are they trying too hard? Will they lose the attention of the very group that they are aiming to help educate with this poster.

The City has had a Safe Sleep Sabbath this past October 11th, where churches participated in a safe sleep for baby program to educate parents about the danger of not putting baby to sleep in an appropriate environment but more importantly it provided information about what was appropriate and safe for infants.

Safe Sleep Sabbath – Sunday, October 9, 2011 Act now to overcome one major problem that is killing our babies: infant sleep death. Infant mortality: The number of infants who die before their first birthday.

Okay …great…now what what else could be done to decrease infant mortality due to poor and unsafe sleeping conditions?

Since we know that in Milwaukee, SES  (socio-economic status) is also related to infant mortality it might be helpful to have culturally sensitive educational materials and discussions about safe sleep for infants.

It would also be advantageous if this discussion did not confuse co-sleeping with unsafe sleep environments for babies.

Let’s keep the discussion going but in a more positive format.

Social workers are doing what they can in Milwaukee as evidenced in this piece from the Sentinel.

Lets here it for  education…education…education…rather than scare tactics and scapegoating “co-sleeping”.

This is a very multifaceted problem that needs to be combatted with a multifaceted action plan.

 

In Milwaukee around 20% of infant mortality is attributable to a combination of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS),  and Sudden Unexplained Death in infancy (SUDI).  Of these deaths the majority die in an unsafe sleep environment.

The City of Milwaukee Health Department strongly advises parents NOT to share a bed with their infant. This is based on an American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 Policy Statement which states that the risk of SIDS has been shown to be reduced when the infant sleeps in the same room as the mother, but the AAP recommends that infants not share a bed with parents or anyone else, due to increased risk.

Co-Sleeping Defined

The term “co-sleeping” can be confusing, as it is used both to refer to sharing a bed and sharing a room. To clarify the distinction, many pediatric experts now refer to “bed-sharing” (referring to a infant who is sleeping in the same bed, couch, or other surface where parents or others are sleeping), and “room-sharing” (referring to a infant who is sleeping in the parents’ room, but in their own crib or bassinet).

Safe Sleep Guidelines

Parents should:

  • Put baby to sleep on their back. Babies who sleep on their backs are safer.
  • Provide a separate but nearby sleeping environment, meaning: babies should share a room with their parents, but not a bed. The risk of SIDS is reduced when the infant sleeps in the same room as the mother.
  • Never put a baby to sleep on a couch or a chair. A crib, bassinette or cradle that conforms to the safety standards is recommended.
  • Make sure that the only item in the crib is a mattress, covered by a tight-fitting sheet. No bumper pads, blankets or toys.
  • Never lay a baby down on or next to a pillow.  Pillows are extremely dangerous for infants as they can cause suffocation.
  • Do not ever use infant sleep positioners.  The FDA says there have been 12 known deaths associated with these products. 
  • Dress the baby in a one-piece sleeper to keep them warm in winter.
  • Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for the whole family. But the house should not be too warm.
  • Never smoke in a house where an infant or child lives.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force has found that rates of bed-sharing are increasing, especially as we encourage breastfeeding. But the conclusion of the task force is that bed-sharing, as practiced in the US and other Western countries is more hazardous than the infant sleeping on a separate sleep surface. It is recommended that infants not share a bed with adults.  Infants may be brought into bed for nursing or comforting, but should be returned to their own safe space to sleep when the parent is ready to return to sleep.

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Home Remedies to Treat a Kid’s Cough and Cold – iVillage

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Coughs, Colds, Croup….

This is the season for colds, croup and coughs.

I have come across a great list of things to do in addition to checking with your child’s pediatrician.

I may even use some of these remedies on myself especially the one to loosen congestion with saline drops, and use Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of the feet.

Love…love…Vicks.

Ah…back to childhood and my own Nana’s remedies.

Home Remedies to Treat a Kid’s Cough and Cold – iVillage.

Are coloring books good for kids?

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This may be the best thing I have read in awhile.

I am always looking for ways to enjoy my granddaughter and sometimes I buy her a coloring book of her favorite characters…

Well… not that much any more thanks to reading this little tidbit.

I always hated coloring in the lines myself so why did I think that this was not the case with my little one here.

It does squash creativity … the fact that all the free hand work makes it to the fridge door should have spoken volumes to me.

So think about how to inspire your child or grandchild with doodles and enjoy the splashes of color and lines.

Get out those crayolas…

I don’t buy my toddler coloring books and here’s why:

Coloring books teach children to be passive about their art. Rather than drawing something themselves, they are coloring in adult-drawn images.

Coloring books teach toddlers to compare their art to an adult’s.

Coloring books set toddlers up for failure. Coloring inside the lines? How many toddlers can, or better question, should, do that?

Scribbling is linked to future literacy. The more toddlers scribble and draw, the easier it is for them to learn to write later. As toddlers scribble, they learn to make all the shapes necessary to write the alphabet. Coloring inside predetermined lines doesn’t allow this to happen.

via Why Coloring Books Aren’t Good for Toddlers | Toddler Times.