Picking out the right car seat is something that mandates a greater awareness of the market than an average person would have, as between the different styles and important safety rules, it’s far from a simple choice. We’ll break down, piece by piece, the essentials to make it easier.

The standard has been set by strong brands (Cosco, Graco, Disney, etc) and consists of an assortment of seats designed for children of 12 months or under — capable of holding a total capacity of approximately 20 pounds. Some chairs can face forward, but most are exclusively intended to be used facing the rear — something to keep in mind when buying. We should also notify you of another advantage, as the best infant safety seats are designed as lightweight baby carriers, which eliminates the need to wake up baby when transporting him to or from the car. While their price is higher convertible car chairs are sure to suit from the off until it’s time for your baby to leave these seats behind entirely. We should point out that convertible seats don’t make such good baby carriers.

All chairs are distinct, even inside their categories, and because of this reviews and review sites are at their best as they’ll highlight every feature of each chair, meaning you can pick out the greatest combination available. Choose your safety seat confidently, sure in the knowledge that these reviews are independent third-party.

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Booster seats are manufactured specifically for children weighing between around thirty pounds all the way up to eighty pounds. Key options are either the employment of the car’s inbuilt safety belt or the five-point harness— booster seats secure using two possible methods and either may give your little one greater comfort, so it’s clever to determine how it feels before you buy. Another thing you’ll find from the reviews is that a number of booster seats boast an integral means of entertaining your toddler during a journey.

We hope that this brief overview has shortened the process of determining the right seating for your child as the decision you face is an important one. Savvy parents don’t neglect reviews and ratings — they’re definitely the most useful information resource you will hit on.

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Safety regs must obviously be the greatest consideration in choosing a seat for your son, but the different styles aren’t simply cosmetic touches, and you should be aware of what the exact effects of your choice are before making it. The greatest infant safety seats, made by brands including Disney, Graco, to name but a few, are designed with babies of up to 12 months or 20 pounds in mind. Most of these chairs are built just to face the rear, but there is also the rare one intended to be turned forward, so you should be very careful about your decision. Not only that, you’ll discover the finest baby car seats are designed as convenient baby carriers, meaning there’s no need to wake your baby when moving him to or from the house. The convertible design will take your child far longer to grow out of. While their price is higher convertible car chairs will suit from the first trip until your child leaves these seats behind entirely. We should point out that convertible seats aren’t as useful as baby carriers.

An awareness of the features inherent to any given model comes from published reviews, helping you identify the best for your circumstances. Because of their independent nature reviews like these can be relied on to be unbiased, which means you’re better able to depend upon them. After passing the twenty pounds mark, a baby still needs a car seat until around eighty pounds — and that’s why you need a booster seat. It’ll be the five-point harness, or the integration of the car’s safety belt — the booster seat fastens in one of two ways and either may give your little one greater comfort, so the smart thing to do is to actually find out how it feels before making your purchase. Toys are often an integral part of these seats, keeping your little one quiet while you focus on the road.

The needs of your family, your budget, the life you lead — all concerns that must be addressed when you buy any chair, and this guide was designed to make it simpler. The smart parent pays careful attention to comparison reviews — they’re positively the most reliable source of information you will hit on.

Parenting looks like an even more daunting task when it comes to choosing accessories for your child, as you not only have to think about the comfort and wellbeing of your child but also your resources and your own comfort. One such accessory that needs a lot of deliberation before buying is a pushchair, which should fall in line with your lifestyle, location as well as your other specific needs.

One of the available options in the market are the three wheeler pushchairs, which blend well with the lives of people living in rugged terrains, sandy or muddy areas, or outskirts of cities, and people who have a highly mobile lifestyle. They have large, swivelling wheels that can be twisted and turned when needed. These chairs come with a number of additional features to provide the baby with greater comfort.

This does not mean that these pushchairs can suit any and every terrain, as they might not turn out to be the perfect choice for packed areas or even for entering shopping complexes. They might be problematic to operate in busy roads, and the huge wheels render them less mobile when not in use. Another problem with these is their vulnerable tyres, and you have to be prepared for any eventuality on that count.

Parents should thus go for three-wheeler pushchairs only if they have enough space in the boot of their cars and also if they usually got to spacious places.

The Spring 2004 issue of CrisisNurseryOnline’s newsletter lists Hawaiian Gardens Casino general manager Ron Sarabi as one of the donors of Friends of Crisis Nurseries, an auxiliary of the Sacramento Children’s Home. Friends of Crisis Nurseries is a program that aims to solicit community support for various crisis nurseries through different fundraising activities and educational programs. Crisis nurseries work for the safety of child abuse victims as well as for the prevention of such kind of abuse.

Ron Sarabi, who is also active in other charitable causes, contributed to the program within the period of November 1, 2003 to January 31, 2004.

This particular mention is proof that Sarabi does not only spend his time working out lucrative business deals and strategies but that he also has a heart for those who are in need.

Aside from his philanthropic affiliations and activities, Ron Sarabi also divides his time among several worthwhile professional organizations. As the person responsible for bringing Hawaiian Gardens Casino into the threshold of success, Sarabi is one of the most respected leaders in the casino and gaming industry. He is also known to be a promoter of responsible gaming practices.

Ron Sarabi has a hand in the litigation and legislation of card games in California by virtue of his membership with the Golden State Gaming Association’s board of directors. He is also a former president of the gaming association. Ron Sarabi is part of the Southern California Casino Association, where he is both co-founder and board member. Likewise, the hardworking Ron Sarabi is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Joint Powers of Authority of which he is a co-founder.

Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted if their behaviour is mostly positive. But what if your child constantly demonstrates negative behaviour? How are you going to deal with it?

It can get very frustrating for a mother who is yelled at every time she says ‘no’ to a child. In my clinic, I’ve seen parents who feel desperate when their son or daughter who used to behave like a “saint” is now rebellious, oppositional, and involved in drugs.

As a parent, what are your options?

Establish a Hierarchy of Consequences for Inappropriate Behaviour

Different behaviours require varying degrees of discipline. There is no single method effective for all individuals and all types of unacceptable behaviour.

One effective way of instilling order is by creating a graduated form of discipline from a simple and effortless method to a more serious way of dealing with the behaviour.

Ignoring the Behaviour

Certain behaviour becomes worse if you pay attention to the child. Temper tantrum is one example. An effective way to deal with some behaviour like temper tantrum is to ignore it. By doing this, you don’t reward it with too much attention.

Granny Gestures

This is the second line of offence against inappropriate behaviour. This type of discipline can deal with the first infractions regardless of whether they are major or minor. Granny gestures involve hand movements such as waving the right pointing finger back and forth after an incident. Immediately after an inappropriate behaviour such as not cleaning up or not making the bed, wave your pointing finger.

Counting One to Five

Counting one to five is the next level if your child remains defiant or unresponsive to your granny gestures. This process requires a reminder that the unacceptable behaviour still exists and if it continues after you count to five, then a more serious form of consequence will be enforced. Also, counting provides children the time to think and to realize their mistake.

Time-out

Time-out is a more serious form of discipline. If the inappropriate behaviour persists, you tell your child to go to one corner of your house. The corner should be well lit, safe, and not isolated. It should be a place where you can still see what your child is doing.

What should be the appropriate duration for time-out? In my opinion, the duration should depend upon the nature of the infraction, the frequency of such infraction, and the age of your child.

Taking Away Privileges

Taking away privileges requires that you first identify your child’s likes and interests at home and that you take one or more of them away for a certain period of time as a consequence of inappropriate behaviour.

Take away the toy or activity that interests your child. Taking away privileges should be time-limited, realistic, and feasible.

Copyright © 2005. Dr. Michael G. Rayel - author (First Aid to Mental Illness-Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002) psychiatrist, and inventor of Oikos Game: An Emotional Intelligence or EQ Game. For more information, visit http://www.oikosgame.com and http://www.soardime.com

Pregnant women would be wise to limit the amount of green tea they drink during pregnancy, and should be careful about taking any green tea supplements. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, and has a host of health benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss. But researchers have found, whilst examining the active constituent of green tea, the epigallocatechins, or EGCG for short, that it may affect the way the body uses folate. Folate is important for pregnant women as it prevents neural tube birth defects in babies.

The problem of green tea during pregnancy is that the EGCG molecules are structurally similar to a compound called methotrexate. Methotrexate is able to kill cancer cells by chemically bonding with an enzyme in the body called enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Healthy people have this enzyme also - it is part of what is called the folate pathway, which is the pathway, or steps, the body takes to transform nutrients like folate into something that can be used to support its normal functions.

But this chemical similarity means that the EGCG in green tea also binds with the enzyme DHFR, and when it does this, it inactivates this enzyme. When this enzyme is inactivated, the ability of the body to use folate is going to be affected. How much green tea is able to be consumed, or precisely how much folate absorption is affected, is unclear. Though the research article did say that drinking 2 cups of green tea a day can stop cancer cells (which is what methotrexate is targeting) from growing.

The good news on caffeine drank during pregnancy, from coffee and tea, is that a moderate amount is fine. Two studies, one by Danish scientists who interviewed more than 88,000 pregnant women, and the other by the Yale University School of Medicine, had similar findings on caffeine during pregnancy.

The concerns over caffeine were that it would lead to low birth weight or miscarriage. And this is still true of a very high daily intake of coffee. The Yale team found that drinking about 600mg of caffeine a day, which is about 6 cups of coffee, would reduce birth weight to levels that were clinically significant. The rate at which birth weight was reduced was established at being 28 grams per 100 mg, or 1 cup, of coffee per day. But they emphasized that this would not be significant for moderate caffeine consumption.

The Danish study found that drinking 8 cups or more of coffee per day (this would be about 16 cups or more of tea), would increase the chances of miscarriage, or stillbirth, by 60% compared to women who did not drink caffeine. They also found that moderate coffee or tea drinking did not pose significant risks. For those drinking half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day, the risk of fetal death was 3% higher compared to non-caffeine drinkers. And for those drinking 4 to 7 cups of coffee a day, the risk increases to 33%. One cup of coffee equals about 2 cups of tea when comparing caffeine levels. The recommended amount of coffee drunk is up to 3 cups daily, or 6 cups of tea, by the UK food agency.

References:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=58807
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=24747
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=63174

If you’re interested in learning which herbs to avoid during pregnancy, which herbs are beneficial, and which help alleviate morning sickness, read this herb pregnancy article. For more information on green tea weight loss, including reference to both human and animal studies, read this article.

Imagine a child who lacks ownership of his own life, has no
self-control, and lacks respect for others. If these were the qualities of
your son, how would you feel for his future wives?

Yes, wives is plural, this is one major reason we need to set boundaries
for our children their future. One study showed that children born
recently on average will have more spouses than kids. Here are a few
examples of children who lack boundaries:

1. Little Johnny walks right into his parent’s bedroom whenever he wants.
It does not matter if the door was open or closed.
2. Twelve year-old Steve frequently changes the channel on the television.
It does not matter if anyone was watching a show or not.
3. Susie blames others for her mistakes. It always seems to be her
teacher’s fault, brother’s fault, or a friend’s fault when something does
not go right.
4. Marie is uncomfortable with how her boyfriend treats her and pressures
her for sex. She keeps dating him because she questions who else would want
to date her.

Without boundaries children will have problems in relationships, school, and
life. Many times addictive behavior can be traced to lack of boundaries.
Here are a few results that can occur:
1. Children can have controlling behavior
2. Children can be motivated by guilt or anger.
3. Without firm boundaries children are more likely to follow their peer
group. For example, making unwise choices on sex, drinking, or driving.
4. Children do not own their own behavior or consequences, which can lead to
a life of turmoil.
5. Children may allow others to think for them.
6. They may allow someone else to define what his or her abilities will be.
This denies their maximum potential.
7. When someone has weak boundaries they pick up other’s feelings.
8. Weak boundaries may make it hard to tell where we end and another person
begins.

What is a parent to do? Many times we hinder our children from developing
boundaries. Realize we must teach our children boundaries; they are not
born with them. Here are a few suggestions to help develop boundaries.

1. Recognize and respect the child’s boundaries. For example, knock on
their closed bedroom door instead of just walking in.
2. Set our own boundaries and have consequences for crossing them.
3. Avoid controlling the child.
4. Give two choices; this helps our children learn decision-making skills.
5. When you recognize that boundaries need to be set. Do it clearly, do it
without anger, and use as few words as possible.
6. We need to say what hurts us and what feels good.
7. It may be difficult to set a boundary. You may feel afraid, ashamed, or
nervous, that’s okay, do it any ways.

Another way to work with boundaries and children is to model these for our
children.
1. Recognize your physical boundaries.
2. You have the right to request proper treatment, for example, poorly
prepared meals in a restaurant should be sent back, ask others to smoke away
from your space, and ask that loud music be turned down.
3. Share your opinions with your children. Allow your children their
opinions. Opinions are not right or wrong. This will help them think for
themselves.
4. Teach them how you decide on the choices you make.
5. Lets own what we do and what we don’t do. Take responsibility for when
things go wrong.
6. Accept your thoughts, it is who you are.
7. Discover what your limits are, emotional and physical.

Setting boundaries is all about taking care of ourselves. This is the first
guideline we teach in our workshops. Other benefits include:
1. We will learn to value, trust, and listen to ourselves.
2. Boundaries are also the key to having a loving relationship.
3. Boundaries will help us with our personal growth.
4. We will learn to listen to ourselves (trusting our intuition). We
also will learn to respect and care for others and ourselves.
5. Boundaries will aid us in the workplace.

Boundaries are all about freedom and recognizing when these freedoms have been crossed. Boundaries give us a framework in which to negotiate life events. Recognizing and acting when our boundaries have been crossed will protect our freedom. Boundaries lead to winning relationships for both
parties. By building foundations based on mutual trust, love, and respect we can expect our children to grow up more tolerant and with a mature character. Simply put, boundaries simplify life.

Derek and Gail Randel M.D. are parent coaches who have customized programs
for corporations, schools, and parent groups. They can be reached at Parent Smart from the
Heart, 1-866-89-SMART, www.parentsmartfromtheheart.com , www.stoppingschoolviolence.com or
info@randelconsulting.com

After all the baby furniture is purchased, you’ll have to start thinking of baby safety supplies. Once your baby becomes mobile (and that’s in a few short months), battening down the hatches is extremely important.

If you have stairs or open doorways leading to areas that you don’t want your baby to wander into, you’ll need to purchase some baby gates. Most are adjustable to fit a variety of openings and come in a variety of styles such as wooden, plastic and mesh.

Don’t forget those electrical outlets! For some bizarre reason children love to stick metal objects in those little slits so get your outlets covered, including any powerbars you may be using. Another favorite “play toy” with toddlers is the toilet. A good toilet lid latch should help keep the plumbing working.

Electrical appliances, TV’s, VCR’s and household items will also need to be secured. It’s amazing what children can find to pull down or get into. Plus, don’t forget to pick up safety supplies for when you’re traveling, even if it’s just a short distance. Baby harnesses are a good thing to use once your toddler is walking. And don’t forget to protect them from harmful UV rays with some sort of car window shade.

Keeping your precious child safe is very important. There are so many little things in the household that, as adults, we take for granted. But to a child, they’re new and exciting areas to explore… which can be very dangerous to them. As a new parent or even grandparent, get down on your knees and crawl around your house looking for all the temptations found at your baby’s level. You’ll be amazed at what potential hazards you will find. Secure your new baby’s safety before it’s too late.

About The Author

Rose Smith is the author and publisher of Baby-Care-4u.com an online shopping and information resource for essential baby care products. For more information on baby care, visit: http://www.baby-care-4u.com

What could be better than welcoming home a precious newborn? Buying a fabulous new wardrobe for that little one of course! Few can resist the temptation of spoiling a new baby with hip and trendy clothes all designed with the littlest fashionista or heartthrob in mind. As you start your shopping adventure, keep in mind that baby will need the three B’s in their wardrobe. That’s Bargain, Black Tie, and Boutique.

Let’s start with Bargain. Bargain clothes are the “cheap, but comfy-we’re not leaving the house today anyway” pieces. These are often layette items and come via hand me downs, baby shower re-gifting, or the clearance rack. They are the old stand-bys that you don’t mind getting stained with spit-up, strained peas, or any other baby “goo”. However, they are nothing that you would have your uber adorable baby wear as you introduce her to the world. They do come in handy though and are available in 3-packs at your local “big box” retailer. Buy as many of these pieces as you see fit, usually at least 7 items.

On the other side of the wardrobe spectrum is Black Tie. These are the “spent too much, but it’s a special occasion and doesn’t she look like royalty” outfits. There are so many buttons and bows that you fear diaper changes and the dry cleaning bill even more. Once this frou-frou outfit has been bought and worn, there’s only one thing you can do-take pictures, lots of them. Your little cherub will most likely never wear this again and you’ll need to immortalize the moment to help justify spending all the grocery money. Plan on buying one-maybe two of these pieces depending on your social calendar and appetite for picture studios. You can find these dresses and suits at specialty stores and especially around the holidays. If you can find something fantastic at your local re-sale shop consider yourself lucky and go for it. And don’t forget to take pictures!

Last, and the obvious favorite, are the Boutique pieces. These goodies mix practical with precious and round out your little ones wardrobe. They’re comfortable, one-of-a-kind, and easy care. You’ll be the envy of the playground and can expect lots of “oohs” and “aahs” at your neighborhood block party. Boutique items make great gifts and are a hit at friends’ baby showers. Boutique pieces cost a little more than Bargain, but nowhere close to Black Tie. These onesies, tees, and loungewear pieces are well worth the extra cost as they liven up the rest of baby’s otherwise drab ensembles. Shop for pieces that have personality. They need to scream “Johnny” or “Sara”-whomever you’re shopping for. When you reach into the dryer and are immediately reminded of his mischievousness or her never-ending smile, you will inevitably smile yourself. Savor these early years, revel in your child’s uniqueness, and buy as many of these pieces as you can afford.

Armed with this fabulous but functional assortment of clothes your precious little one will be ready to “WOW” the world. You can help make this wardrobe investment last by taking time to read care labels and buying clothes a little roomy. Also look for features like lap shoulders for easy on and off and snap bottoms that can accommodate extenders that will help extend the life of the clothes and make diaper changes a breeze. Have fun shopping for the three B’s and let yourself splurge a little. After all, having complete strangers exclaim, “she’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” is one the greatest joys of being a mom.

About the author…Heather Nolte is the owner and designer of http://www.glamajama.com, a mom owned and baby inspired company that features glam clothing for all ages. Glamajama has been featured on the Today Show, Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, ePregnancy, Parents Baby, and Star magazine. Celebrities who have received clothes from Glamajama include Oprah, Britney Spears, Demi Moore, and Kate Hudson. She lives in Austin, TX with her 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter. For more information, please visit http://www.glamajama.com.