Baby Monitor Safety

A danger that many do not consider is something that most parents use to help keep our mind at ease- Baby monitors. Baby monitors pose entanglement and strangulation risks when placed too close to your child’s crib. So what can you do to keep your kids safe? The JMPA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) launched a website this week to help educate parents and caregivers on how to protect your children from this risk. The information is availavle in English and Spanish.

You can find it here: www.BabyMonitorSaftey.org . These are the tips they offer:

Parents are urged to request a free warning label to attach to your baby monitor cords so that everyone who cares for your baby will know be aware of the safety rules to follow  regarding baby monitors. There is a new standard for all baby monitors to have warning labels attached  before being sold to the consumer. Is this going far enough? Should something that is made for your peace of mind introduce another hazard to your babies environment? There are options for cordless baby monitors on the market as low as around $30. If you are shopping for a baby monitor at this time you may want to consider this option.

Your crib or mine?

One of the most asked questions I get about twinnies from expectant parents is:

“Do twins sleep in one crib or two?”

The answer is simple, one crib at first, then the rest is up to them.

Starting off with one crib for your multiples will make it easier for you and nicer for them. Think about it. When your multi’s are in utero they are about as close as humans can get, no? Sometimes parents think, “Well I’m having two/three babies, they need their own room?” Nope, quite the opposite, your kiddos will really enjoy the closeness to their siblings more than you can understand. It’s part of the multiple bond.

We launched our Radio Show! Listen to our first episode now

This is a year of firsts for us. We announced the launch of our magazine and now we launched our new radio show!

Today’s topic was all about “Breastfeeding Your Multiples” Listen in now!

Child Passenger Safety Week (Part 3) sponsored by Britax -Need a Boost?

Parents stress over the correct installation of their car seats, and rightfully so. Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers, ages 1 to 4 years. (Info provided by the CDC.)

However, as your twinnies get older, some parents may get a bit lax, (yes, we know it’s not you; we are talking about OTHER parents.) By the time your kiddos are in booster seats, you may just find them to be more of a pain in the butt, then a necessary piece of equipment. Well, for those of you who are ready to toss them out the window or for those JUST moving into booster seats, here’s a quick refresher course for you.

Information provided by Britax USA

Booster seats are a type of child restraint that do not have a five-point harness system, but rather rely on the vehicle seat belt system to keep your child restrained. The booster seat elevates your child so that the vehicle seat belt is positioned properly over your child. Booster seats should be used in the rear vehicle seat with a lap and shoulder seat belt system, never a lap belt-only.

 

A combination seat starts out as a forward-facing seat with a 5-point harness, and then transforms into a
belt-positioning booster seat.

Child Passenger Safety Week (Part 2) sponsored by Britax

Information provided by Britax USA

Today it’s all about the LATCH!

LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (what’s the H for? I vote “happy.”) All passenger vehicles and child seats manufactured after September 1, 2002, are required to have special anchors for attaching the child seat directly to the vehicle rather than securing the child seat with the vehicle’s seat belt. Keep in mind that even if your vehicle is equipped with LATCH you are still able to secure the child seat using the vehicle seat belt system. Whether you choose to secure the seat using either your vehicle seat belt system or LATCH is up to you; you are not required to use LATCH.

To use LATCH, both the child seat and the vehicle must have LATCH parts that work together.