Sunday Surf: 09/04

I've finally gotten in to reading blogs again after quite a long hiatus. Just getting back in to it, but I've read a few really good things over the last week (or so). Here are a few of them:

• Since we've been having some issues with four year old defiance (I keep reminding myself that her persistence and intensity will serve her well later in life), I really liked 10 Secrets Every Parent Needs to Know about Saying No at Aha! Parenting.
• This video where the Car Seat Lady explains the new AAP car seat recommendations is a must see.
• Just for fun -- 12 Great Parenting Products for Traumatizing Your Baby.
• Oh yes, Twitter. I suck at it. And this guest post over at 5 Minutes for Mom let me know there's good reason for it & I'm not the only one! I am in love with the Crappy Pictures by Amber Dusick, probably because my artistic ability is about at the level of stick figures.
• Education has been on my mind a lot lately, probably because next year Beanie will be in kindergarten and I'm having some second thoughts about not doing preschool this year, but Teacher Tom reminds us that Hey, It's not a Race!
• Not a blog post, but this thread at CarSeat.Org is great for learning how to do the harness pinch test on your child's carseat.
• This post by Amber at Beyond Postpartum really hit home for me as I've been working hard at breaking the cycle of anxiety and worry.

Head on over to Authentic Parenting for more Sunday Surfing.

Sunday Surf: Late Edition

I haven't really been reading a lot lately. Well, except for links I see on Facebook. I'm trying to get back in to reading the blogs I enjoy, but here are some of the best things I read last week:

• I was sad to read  in Bringing Nature Play Back that the average child spends only a 1/2hour per week engaged in unstructured outdoor play. I really like the idea of a dedicated digging pit. One of my favorite memories is playing for hours with my sister digging and playing in the dirt. I'm sort of sad we don't have a dirt area for the kids to dig in; they can help with the garden (once we finally get it going), but I think we'll save some garden boxes or get containers that are their own little spaces, too.
• There's a Summer Reading Challenge over at No Time for Flash Cards.
• Enter to win an Ergo baby carrier over at Job Description: Mommy. Or don't, giving me a better chance to win (just kidding!)
• A good reminder to take a break from technology and Be in the Moment. 
• A good overview of carseat types and information over at The Stir.
• Amanda at Let's Take the Metro reminds us that by believing that we are enough we teach our children that they are too in I am Enough.

I haven't linked up (maybe I will when I get regular with posting these), but you can check out more Sunday Surfing over at Authentic Parenting.

Sunday Surf: March 27

 

Here, here to my 2nd edition of the Sunday Surf. Here are some of the best posts I've read in the last week.

• A reminder from the Hippy Housewife to Beware of the Baby Trainers.
•  In case you missed it, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendation on car seats.
• If you have questions or think the new AAP recommendations on rear-facing carseats until age 2 are too much (they aren't!), read Rear-Facing Until 2 Years Old: Why Not? And, for what it's worth, Beanie rode rear-facing until she was over 2 1/2 and she's so tall she was the height of an average four year old then. Your child is not too tall to ride rear-facing.
• Sheila at A Gift Universe wrote this well thought out and informative post on Food Sensitivities.
• Interesting article that doesn't weigh in on whether or not people should be religious, it just looks at mathematical models that point to the idea that Organized Religion 'will be driven toward extinction' in 9 countries.
• Catherine Deveny writes that all children need is to know they are loved.
• Lauren at Hobo Mama wrote a guest post about preparing an older sibling for a new birth at PhD in Parenting. 
• Mamapoekie talks about spring cleaning in cyberspace, something I think is a great idea.
• Read Ina May Gaskin's Vision for the future of maternal health care in America.

Sunday Surf: First Edition

I keep thinking I should join in the Sunday Surf with Mamapoekie. Mostly because I link a lot of posts on my Facebook, posts that perhaps would be more interesting to my blog readers than to many of my Facebook friends. I still link them on Facebook. I figure it's my personal page (I keep thinking maybe I need a Facebook page for my blog, but then I remember I'm trying to cut back on my online time, not increase it) and I can do with it what I want. I also figure that you never know who might gather a tidbit of useful information from a post I link. They also might hide me on Facebook, but I suppose that's another problem all together.

So, without further ado, here's my very first Sunday Surf -- the best of what I've read in the last week (plus a few extra goodies from earlier this month):

• You are not a perfect parent by Annie at PhD in Parenting. Granted this is not a new post, but she linked it on her Facebook fan page today and it is definitely worth the read. A good reminder that no one is perfect.
• What to hate about 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'. When I was pregnant with Beanie I remember hearing about how awful this book was. Luckily my OB gave me a copy of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn by Penny Simkin and I never touched WTEWYE.
• The hottest gluten-free launches of 2011 (so far) by the Scottsdale gluten-free Examiner. I can't wait to try some Rudi's hotdog buns, especially since the ones I tried last night were inedible. And new flavors of Luna & Larry's coconut milk ice-cream. I'd also like to try the new Amande yogurt, since Cascade Fresh was my favorite yogurt in my dairy eating days.
• Why preschool shouldn't be like school explains how the research shows that children need "a rich, stable, and safe world, with affectionate and supportive grown-ups, and lots of opportunities for exploration and play. Not school for babies."
• A good reminder that rear facing carseats aren't just for babies anymore.
• And, just for fun (and because Jenny Lawson's aka The Bloggess' posts on The Stir make me bust a gut every time) -- Lesson 12: Working Moms vs. Stay-at-Home Moms: Worst Cage Match Ever
• If you've been following our random acts of kindness for the March of Kindness, check out this wrap-up post from Code Name: Mama
• I'm also still trying to get through reading all of the Top Ten lists from the March Carnival of Natural Parenting.

So, there you go! A little bit of reading for you to enjoy. If you've read something really great this week post a link in the comments so I can check it out.

Winter coats not safe in car seats.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research study seven out of ten children are improperly restrained in their child safety seats. Proper installation is of the utmost importance as child safety seats can reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers according to the NHTSA. Have your car seat inspected to make sure it is properly installed.

In the cold Winter months, there is another risk to children in car seats that many parents are not aware of. It is not safe for your child to wear their winter coat in the car seat. When you think about your toddler waddling around in their puffy snow clothes you can easily see why. The coat adds a lot of bulk and, if worn in the car seat, your child cannot be properly & safely restrained.

I shared the following link on Facebook a while back and a mom posted it on my mom's group discussion board last week. Please check it out.

How to safely wear a Winter coat in a car seat

New Booster Seat Ratings Out

One of the things I have become pretty passionate about over the last three years is car seat safety. And, in fact, we are about to purchase a new car seat. We have considered moving Beanie into a convertible-to-booster such as the Britax Frontier or the Graco Nautilus & moving Bubby into her Britax Marathon. I'm not really sure she's ready for a new seat and the Marathon fit hers very well. In all likelihood, we will probably be buying a Graco MyRide for Bubby and leaving her in the Marathon. Yes, it's more money now. But, their safety is of the utmost importance.

All that mumbo jumbo to say Do your research before you buy a car seat. Don't buy the one you see at Costco because it's a good deal. Don't buy the one your friend uses because it works well for her kid. The infant bucket seat you buy (should you choose to use that instead of a convertible seat initially) will not last as long as you think it will. The convertible seat that says will last to 65lbs may not last because of your child's height. It is safest to keep your child rear-facing until they exceed the height & weight limits for their seat. It is best to keep them in a 5pt harness as long as possible.

Yesterday I saw a news report about new ratings on booster seats. Check it out.


Car booster seats make gains in insurance testing

Have your child test out the seat before you buy it. Test it out in your car. Have it checked by a certified technician after you install it. 

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now ;)

2 is the new 1

Since I recently posted about how to share info I think is really important without overstepping the bounds of respecting others parenting choices I thought I would share this link that a friend posted on facebook. Because, you know, this is my blog so I can share all the unsolicited advice I want ;)

2 is the new 1: Rear-facing Car Seats Until At Least Age 2

Beanie rode rear facing until she was 2 1/2. Sometimes I wish we would've waited a bit longer, but I think the timing worked well.  When we went to Georgia last summer (Beanie had just turned 2) there was a huge to-do about the fact that she was still rear-facing in her seat while her cousin (who is five months younger) had been forward-facing for awhile. Whatever, I tried not to "share" too much about all the research pointing to the fact that kids are much safer RF until at least two because my sister-in-law in insanely competitive about everything (yes, even car seat positions if that's even possible).

So...read up.