Judy Aagard of Tiny Tots contributed this article for our recent “Shopping for Baby” resource guide. Space was limited in the guide and we used a condensed version. The full article is below. If you haven’t picked up the Baby News “Shopping for Baby” resource guide stop by Tiny Tots or your local Baby News store and pick it up for free.
Diapering Choices
by Judy Aagard of Tiny Tots
There are many diapering choices available to a new parent. Knowledge will help you make an informed decision. The trained and helpful staff at your local Baby News shop can help you determine what will function well for you based upon your specific, personal needs.
In most areas, there are three diapering options available. 1) using reusable diapers and laundering them yourself, 2) using reusable diapers through a local diaper service and 3) using single-use paper diapers. Many parent’s find that using a combination of methods works well for their lifestyle.
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Choosing the correct stroller can be a daunting task. Richard Woo of Cititkids, San Francisco wrote an excellent article for our Baby News “Shopping for Baby” resource guide. These points will help you determine what type of stroller will suit your needs best. If you haven’t done so already, and are in Citikids neighborhood, stop by and pick up the newest “Shopping for Baby” resource guide or find your local Baby News store and pick up the resource guide.
The Most Important Tings to Consider When Purchasing a Stroller
by Richard Woo of Citikids
1) Where do you plan on strolling? People who live in rural areas where the stroller will be used on dirt trails have different needs than a person who uses it on concrete sidewalks. Strollers come with wheel sizes from 3” diameter plastic to 16” aluminum alloy wheels with air filled tires.
2) Are most of your trips car trips or is the stroller being used primarily in your neighborhood? People who use their cars a lot should consider the size of the stroller when folded to maximize the space left for other things that share the trunk with the stroller. Picture a couple of bags of groceries and a few cases of diapers or toilet paper fitting with your stroller. Strollers that are used from the garage to the street can be larger and heavier than ones that need to be folded and lifted into the car. Bring your car with you on your stroller shopping trip.
3) Will the stroller user be tall, short, average, have long legs, or have a bad back? Every stroller is different. Try them to see if you have enough room to walk comfortably without kicking the back of the stroller. Some strollers have adjustable height handles for both shorter and taller adults. Standing tall when strolling is always more comfortable than hunching over. Make sure your stroller fits you.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of its commitment to ensure safe sleep for young children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is once again warning parents and caregivers about deadly hazards with drop-side cribs. In the last five years, CPSC has announced 11 recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs due to suffocation and strangulation hazards created by the drop side. CPSC staff is actively investigating several other crib manufacturers for potential drop-side hazards as part of a larger effort by the agency to rid the marketplace and homes of unsafe cribs. CPSC will continue to take aggressive action to address any risks and will keep the public informed.
CPSC staff has completed a comprehensive review of crib-related infant fatalities reported to the agency between January 2000 and the present. CPSC staff is aware of 32 infant and toddler suffocation and strangulation deaths and hundreds of incidents that were caused by or related to drop-side detachments in cribs made by various manufacturers.
In addition to the 32 deaths the CPSC staff associated with the drop-side detachments, CPSC has received an additional 14 reports of infant fatalities due to entrapment in cribs that could be related to a drop side. The information obtained was insufficient for staff to conclusively determine whether or not the drop side was involved. Of the 32 deaths that were analyzed, some occurred in cribs where the drop side detached without caregivers noticing the detachment, while some other deaths occurred after a consumer tried to repair the detached drop side, but the repair ultimately failed.
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Child passenger restraint requirements vary based on age, weight and height. Often, this happens in three stages: infants use rear-facing infant seats; toddlers use forward facing child safety seats; and older children use booster seats.
Many laws require all children to ride in the rear seat whenever possible, and most states permit children over a particular age, height or weight to use an adult safety belt. First offense fines for not complying with a state’s child passenger safety laws vary from $10 to $500. Some states also use driver’s license points as an additional penalty for noncompliance.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands require child safety seats for infants and children fitting specific criteria.
47 states and the District of Columbia require booster seats or other appropriate devices for children who have outgrown their child safety seats but are still too small to use an adult seat belt safely. The only states lacking booster seat laws are Arizona, Florida and South Dakota.
5 states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York) have seat belt requirements for school buses. Texas will require them on buses purchased after September 2010.
To view the full list of state requirements here at the Governer’s Highway Safety Association.
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
Families increasingly concerned about babies’ sun safety
By Blair Koch
Times-News correspondent
With a rainstorm finally blown through Magic Valley, Tuesday’s clear sky and beautiful day brought an opportunity for
sisters Olivia Alvarez and Isabel Flores to take their children for a walk through historic downtown Twin Falls.
Both had baby girls tucked comfortably in strollers and other children skipping beside them. The older kids had been covered with sunscreen prior to the outing, and the infants were under canopies – safer from the sun’s rays in the shade.
“I’ve got the sunscreen right here,” Flores said, pulling a tube out of a diaper bag. “For later.”
Flores said she would have put sunscreen on her 5-month-old daughter, Madison, along with her other kids but recently learned the chemicals aren’t safe for her.
“I have a hat here but didn’t put it on her since the canopy is over her and that should keep her safe,” Flores said. “If she comes out of the stroller, the hat will go on.”
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Baby Product Experts
We are excited to learn that most of our Baby News Stores were recently certified as Baby Product Experts by babyproductexperts.com, with more on the way. Our congratulations go out to these Baby News stores for the recognition of exceptional product expertise and outstanding customer service that they deserve. It is the reason why these stores still thrive in a big-box retailer world.
About BabyProductExperts.com
BabyProductExperts.com is an association made up of hundreds of infant and teen furniture and accessory specialty stores throughout the United States. These stores sell and provide expert advice on thousands of products for parents, infants and children. Juvenile specialty stores on our site are normally locally owned and provide additional services often not available at nationally owned chains. Our stores provide outstanding service and quality products at a competitive price.
May 6th WPIX morning news interviewed Andrew Rabinowitz founder of R babyfoundation.org. He told the story of his daughter’s death and how it could have been avoided (full story below). His daughter had a viral infection which had it been diagnosed she would have probably survived. It is important that parents realize how necessary it is that in an emergency situation they take the child to a hospital where a pediatric doctor is present day and night. New parents should speak to their pediatrician about this.
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Munire Urban Convertible Crib
It is no doubt that the crib market is flooded with convertible cribs, 3 in 1 cribs, or grow with me cribs. What ever name you want to call it…the crib you buy today is an investment piece of furniture that will be with your child well in to their teen years or even beyond. Therefore, you want to make sure the crib you are buying is made to withstand your child’s childhood! When selecting a convertible crib make sure you really like the styling of the head and foot boards. It is these two pieces that will make the full size bed you will use later. Most retailers will have a picture of what a crib will look like made into a full size bed. Some crib manufactures will include the full size rails in the purchase price of the crib. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Choose a Stroller
With so many excellent choices of strollers, how does one choose the right one? Consider the following points that can help you narrow it down to the right stroller for your needs.
- If you use the car a lot, you might want to start with a car seat frame. This can carry your baby in the infant car seat straight out of the car. Car seat frames are lightweight, fold compactly, and are pretty inexpensive. You can use these until your baby grows out of the infant car seat.
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