Author: Shannon Miller

We find that all the advertising in the world does not have nearly the impact that hearing from BabyPlus parents has to make a believer in the value of BabyPlus. Hearing parents beam about their baby’s good sleep habits or attentiveness makes many parents envious of a content child or a full night of sleep.

I reached out this summer to Olympic Gymnast Shannon Miller, two years after the birth of her daughter Sterling, to tell us about why she chose to use BabyPlus during both of her pregnancies.  Here is what she had to say:

 

credit: Leme Photography

“I cannot believe it’s been two years already! Two years ago, we greeted our amazing little girl into the world and our lives have been filled with joy (and a lot of pink). I chose to use BabyPlus during my pregnancy with Sterling primarily because it worked so well with our son, who is now almost 6 years old. He is our smart, articulate, confident little man.

While we understood the benefits on paper, what I loved was that there was no downside. It could only add to my bonding experience and in the best case, it would also jump start our child’s learning.

We have witnessed many of the same benefits with our daughter that we did with our son. She nursed well from the start and continues to be on a great sleep schedule, which is so important not just for baby, but for Moms as well. We just dropped her second nap, and we’re now down to one 2-2 ½ hour naps and 12 hours at night. Woo-hoo!

Usually I try not to completely gush, but, hey, I’m a mom! That’s what we’re supposed to do. Sterling was such a blessing after I had been treated for ovarian cancer. And both our kids (in my completely biased opinion) are incredible, sweet, kind, and loving.

While I realize Baby Plus may not account for everything, I feel certain it has helped lay a solid foundation for our children. They love to learn, enjoy trying new things, and adjust to new surroundings easily. All in all, they’re pretty easy going for toddlers.

I am so happy that I stumbled upon Baby Plus during my first pregnancy in that mad rush to “learn everything” about having a baby. We all want to give our kids the very best start in life, and I feel good about making Baby Plus part of that recipe for success.

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I decided the veer off from the style of blogs I have written for the last 4 weeks and show you some fun ideas for celebrating our nation’s independence.  I am linking you to our Pinterest page to see the fun ideas I have pinned for July 4th.  It includes everything from food to fashion and arts and crafts to home décor.

https://www.pinterest.com/babyplus/july-4th-fun/

Whatever you choose to do with the holiday, have fun and be safe!

From The Baby Plus Company

 

 

 

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As I begin thinking about this topic, the first thing that comes to mind is how dangerous can baby products really be for babies?  The answer is very dangerous indeed if left within reach or not treated with care.    When I began this research I found that if I looked deep enough almost anything can be categorized as a danger.   I wanted to focus on dangers that you may not see as a risk.

 

The first hidden risk that I remember being surprised by is baby powder.  It seems to have always been a popular nursery staple.  The problem that is hidden is that it’s tiny particles are easily inhaled as it floats through the air and can irritate baby’s lungs.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against it’s use.

Pregnancy hand-me downs are probably next on this list of hidden dangers.  Outdated furniture often fails to meet current safety standards like drop side cribs for example.  And vintage may be pretty, but not always safe.

Many items marketed for the nursery are not recommended by safety watchdogs. Topping the list are bumper pads and mobiles.   What surprised me most is that it is even hard to find an image of a nursery that does not break the rules according to safety gurus.

About.com lists 5  decorating mistakes that can prove to be dangerous for your little one:  http://nursery.about.com/od/Safety/tp/5-Potentially-Dangerous-Nursery-Decorating-Mistakes.htm

The best suggestions I read came from a blog on babybedding.com.  In in effort to make your nursery user friendly they offer 5 helpful tips.  http://www.babybedding.com/blog/how-to-make-sure-your-nursery-is-functional-as-well-as-beautiful Of course once the baby arrives you made need to make functional adjustments that meet your personal needs.

Of all the rooms in your house to consider childproofing, the nursery is the room where your child will likely spend the most time and be the least supervised.  I suggest you begin there and then work your way through the rest of the house.

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It is been all through the news lately about the dangers of letting infants sleep outside of their cribs.  We all know that a sleeping baby is a priceless gem, but there are some risks that we may not all be aware of.

The Safe to Sleep Public Education Campaign has for more than 20 years educated parents and caregivers on the risks of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death.  They advise babies be put to bed on their back on a covered mattress in an area free of additional bedding, pillows or toys.  Learn more at http://www.nichd.nih.gov But many children are left sleeping in car seats, swings, bouncy seats and infant carriers.  What could be the harm in that?

In 2009, a Quebec coroner looked into the death of a 2-year old who had slept the night in his car seat.  His car seat was placed inside his crib and this was done sometimes to ease his colic.  Children sleeping in car seats and other products with restraints are at risk for death by asphyxiation.  With underdeveloped muscular control of infants holding their heads up is sometimes a challenge.  When a baby’s head falls forward or to the side it is possible to block or constrict the airway.  This can be, and has been the case with bouncers and swings as well and was the case in May, 2015 when Leia-Mae Smith’s mother woke to find her daughter in her bouncer not breathing with blue lips. She was later pronounced dead.

In addition to airway constriction by restraints,  a 2009 study found on the American Association of Pediatrics website, “A Comparison of Respiratory Patterns in Healthy Term Infants Placed in Car Safety Seats and Beds,” sites that oxygen level in newborns when studied are lower than levels when a child is placed in a crib.  https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Car-Seats-Lower-Oxygen-Levels-of-Newborns.aspx The study authors support the use for travel safety, but not as a replacement for cribs.

A point of clarification should be made that these deaths above are example of sleep-related infant death and are not caused by SIDS.  In many of these infant accessory deaths that child dies due to the circumstances in which they were sleeping, meaning that had they been in a different position or location they would likely have survived.  In the case of SIDS, there is no explanation for the sudden death of an otherwise healthy infant.

 

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An old adage states that you can drown in as little as a teaspoon of water.  Some don’t believe this is possible.  My research states that it is.  Their are more than a few types of drowning.  The most common three are wet, dry and secondary.  Wet drowning  involves being “in” water, taking as little as a teaspoon of water into your lungs without the ability to expel it would be considered dry drowning and secondary drowning according to Web MD occurs 1-24 hours after the initial incident.

I bring up this topic after hearing of two tragic events in our local news in 2 days. Water can be dangerous and not just for an unbalanced infant in the tub.  So I outline below the dangers of water in different situations and some best practices to implement if you aren’t using them already.

Bathtubs– Old and young alike need to be cautious with the standing water amounts in bathtubs.  During a fall even a small amount of standing water could be enough to drown.  Small children are at an even greater risk when they are unable to right themselves.  Not only should you be vigilant with a child in the tub, but extra cautious with multiple children bathing together as well.  Child supervision does not replace the watchful eye of an adult.

Pools–  I have lived with this “attractive nuisance” with small children and suffered many a nightmare as a result.  Your kids, the neighborhood kids and adventurous teens are all drawn to this backyard oasis.   Safeguarding against a tragedy means you need a good fence, a locked gate and clear rules for anyone at your house about pool use. It takes just a minute of distraction for a tragic accident to occur.  Summer had just begun for a local teen who drown in his apartment complex pool here last Tuesday.  He was 14, but could not swim.  Please be sure that your children are enrolled in regular swim lessons. Start them early and make sure that they master the skill.  You can drown at any age, but a swimmer always has a chance to save themselves.  I have heard from 2 moms recently that they had a close call with finding their child floating face down in a pool unattended- it is not something that I imagine you want to experience twice.

Also be sure to read the article How to Save Your Kid from Drowning from ModernMom.com http://www.modernmom.com/5fbdbdc0-48c3-11e3-87f1-bc764e04a41e.html.  I was amazed to find out that I was totally in the dark on what drowning looks like.

As I am writing this I saw a Facebook post looking to purchase a plastic kiddie pool.  Again, these are tons on fun, but do not leave small children unattended around them and if it is accessible to others dump it out between uses so no one else is at risk.

*I was always hyper vigilant with any babysitter who came to watch my children.   The sun porch could not be used in my absence as it held the door that led to the pool.  And I would only use the pool with another adult present while my children were in it.

Retention Ponds– Here is another attractive nuisance that seems to only be noticed when something horrible happens.  I understand that they serve a valid purpose, but those living and playing near retention ponds must be aware of the dangers.  I believe that working locks, additional locks or door alarms are needed if you have small children or someone mentally disabled and you live on or near a retention pond.  Your local drug store probably sells an inexpensive adhesive door system that triggers an alarm when the door is opened while activated.  You may not realize how important this is until you are searching for someone who is missing.  Save yourself and them by implementing this safety measure in advance.

Lakes– A unnecessary drowning happened last week on the lake where I live.  Lakes are fun to play on, but the laws that govern them are in place for a reason.  This recent tragedy could have been avoided if the boaters that were tubing had been wearing PFD’s (life jackets).

Children who can’t swim well should be wearing life jackets on the boat and when swimming at all times.  Please remember that lakes, unlike pools, mask what is below the surface with their deep and sometimes murky water. That can make jumping in dangerous and searching an even greater challenge.  I have battled this when my children were little and I understand the difficulty, but I am sure the struggle to implement this rule will be worth a life saved.

Summer fun has a lost of positives, but I just want us to all enjoy it safely.

 

 

 

 

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I am typically an upbeat, lighthearted person. I am a glass half full kid of gal . I am also a self-proclaimed worrywart.  And realistically, I am also a person who understands that bad things sometimes just happen regardless of how much you plan against them.  As I daily scan social media and the news to stay abreast of local, national and global developments in my field I feel a calling to write about 6, less and pretty topics, that might make you think twice this summer or sometime in the future.

 

Each Friday I will focus on one topic that I gleam important from things I have seen in the world around me.  These blogs are meant to make you think and in some case make you change the way you might be doing things.  The topics might make you unsettled.  My goal is to shed light on a few issues and maybe improve a few outcomes.

 

You might wonder later how any of these topics might relate to BabyPlus?  The underlying connection between all of them will be that I chose to use BabyPlus during pregnancy to provide the best for my babies.  The issues in the blogs are a continuation of me wanting the best for my children and all of your children.  I want our children to have every opportunity to reach their full -potential.  Sadly, the issues I will cover sometimes keep that from being possible.

 

Please watch for my first blog in the series titled- More than a Teaspoon of Water- Beware!

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It has been not quite a decade since I gave birth the last time, but the impending arrival of Princess Kate’s second baby made me think back to when I was almost read to deliver. My four tips for an easy transition, I am sure still would hold true today. These are supposed to be the realistic list of things you might want to do before the big day. Not to be confused with the unrealistic list your hormones might have you generate- I truly believed that before my first arrived it was imperative that I wash and repaint all of the screens on my 1920’s house. This seemed even more ridiculous when I returned home with my baby to find that I had used the wrong paint color in my haste.

So with survival mode in mind I suggest you refer to my list or others that wrote before me or to make your list far in advance of those final days and weeks.

 

1. Wash sleepers, bodysuits and bedding.

I would have all of the newborn items washed and ready to go and as much regular laundry caught up if you can. You will be amazed how much clothing you will go through with a newborn. Sometimes a diaper change gone bad can wipe out a bodysuit, sleeper and a changing pad all at the same time. *Avoid washing all the other larger clothing until you get a gage on your baby’s size and growth rate. You may need to exchange some items so keep those tags attached.

2. Invest in double or triple bedding.

This might have been the best advice I ever received! I made the bed in layers with a waterproof mattress pad between each layer. This way middle of the night vomiting or explosions required only whisking away the soiled layer to the washing machine and cleaning up baby. Then everyone could get some rest and the clean-up could begin with the light of day.

3. Stock up on foods you can prepare and eat with one hand.

This may not be the most health conscious plan, but a new mom has very little time to eat and simple items that I could prep and eat in 5 minutes made me feel successful on at least getting food in so I could function. Many a meal was eaten while breastfeeding and using a knife and fork was not an option.

4. Buy a few pretty things to wear. And a lot of plain, inexpensive tops.

This tip is two-fold. On one hand you are hormonal when you return from the hospital, you are no longer pregnant, but most of us are also not back to prepregnancy weight or shape. For this reason I suggest that you have a few outfits that you feel good about yourself and comfortable in. They may include maternity jeans, or yoga pants, etc. Just remember that you deserve to feel pretty as you regroup and reconfigure after delivery.

The other suggestion took me living it to understand. Babies ruin your clothing! For whatever reason every shirt I owned ended up with weird new stains that did not wash out no matter what stain treatment I used. For that reason I suggest saving your favorite tops for special occasions and most of the time resorting to a more disposable wardrobe. Simple tees that you can toss when they don’t wash clean. Add a scarf and you still look complete.

Best wishes on your journey into parenthood!

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It wasn’t until yesterday that I completely understood the impact that my daughter has on the world. She’s always been such a joyful, calm and alert baby right from the start, so I guess I’ve just grown accustom to it. Her joy radiates any room that she is in. And while we’ve always known that to be true and have always given thanks for that, yesterday was much different.

I received a phone call from the director of our care ministry at church. I lead a recovery group for teens and she wanted to let me know that one of my students had possibly overdosed and that he was in the ICU. So, I immediately gathered my co-leaders and we headed to the hospital. We got to his room and I sat my daughter, who was in her car seat, on the floor and went over by his bedside. We stayed in the room with the family for nearly two hours sharing stories and praying for this young man.

During this time, Avalyn didn’t make a single peep. Not one. Rather, she just sat contently in her car seat and smiled at everyone in the room. She literally brightened up this entire room. Each person in the room took turns making faces at her and getting her to coo at them. They just couldn’t get over what an incredibly good baby she was. And, I owe that to BabyPlus. It has had such a positive affect on her.

This young man was taken off of his ventilator a few hours later, but is still in the hospital. While we were in the midst of a tragic day, I’m so thankful that Avalyn could bring light into the darkness. It’s been so amazing to see the ways she’s impacted all those around her at such an early age.

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