The Best Times in Your Child's Life Are -- Now
Remember, the 1985 movie, "Back to the Future"? Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, it was a fun, campy, semi-sci-fi flick about a young teenager (Fox) who travels back in time to save his own existence. He has to make sure his future parents actually meet and fall in love. A nutty scientist, Doc Brown (Lloyd), invents a time machine that Fox uses to travel back into the past. Once the teen, Marty McFly, accomplishes his goal, Doc Brown delivers the line that is the title of the film, saying, "I have to get back to the future!" Sometime I think it would be so great to visit the future; to see how things turn out.
That tantalizing thought is more pronounced, now that I am a mother, than ever before.
Continue »Secrets to Successful Swaddlling
Swaddling an infant has been around seemingly forever, but learning how can be tough for new parents.
On the web show "Eye on Parenting," Raegan Moya-Jones, author of "Swaddle Love," showed CNET Senior Editor, "Early Show" contributor and new mommy Natali Morris how to swaddle a baby.
Morris admitted she had trouble with it when she tried it for her three-month-old son.
Continue »Cloth Diaper Challenge Hits The Road
I nearly blew up my mother-in-law's laundry room washing diapers but, other than that minor mishap, traveling during the first weekend of the cloth diaper challenge was mostly a success!
My husband's mother hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner, so we packed up our Rumparooz, SoftBums, and FuzziBunz and headed to Grandma's house in Pennsylvania. The downside of traveling with cloth diapers is that they take up a lot more space than "sposies" (or disposable diapers for those of you unfamiliar with diapering lingo). Since I am currently using all-in-ones, I had to bring the padded inserts, the diapers, the detergent, and the wet bag. That is significantly more stuff than just a squished-together stash of sposies.
Holiday Toys: This Year's Hottest
AP
NEW YORK (CBS) "Hot holiday toys drive parents crazy and can be as tough to find as Santa's workshop."
So says CNET-TV's Natalie Del Conte in the web show "Eye on Parenting."
But fear not: parenting expert Shannon Eis offered advice on determining what the hot toys will be this shopping season, how to learn about them, and where to find and get good buys on them.
She also showed the toys she predicts will be the hottest.
Continue »Cloth Diaper Challenge Do-Over
I am restarting my 30-day cloth diaper (CD) challenge. I had to go back to what the diapering community calls "sposies" (disposable diapers), but I take full responsibility for the failure. It is only a reflection on the fact that cloth diapering takes a little more organization at first.
I wasn't really ready to start the challenge on Monday, but I got a little overzealous and jumped the gun. My stash wasn't complete and I needed time to get organized. I had washed the SoftBums samples once, but then a blog commentator said I needed to wash them three times. I didn't know that.
Question: Is that wash and dry three times? Or just wash three times and then dry once and for all? And where is that written? It wasn't on the labeling for the diapers or inserts.
Also, I ordered a wet bag because I wasn't sure that the Diaper Genie II would work with the two-in-ones. The wet bag just came in yesterday with a whole new stash of Rumparooz, which now I have to wash three times.
And finally, I am a little concerned about travel. We are taking a trip to Grandma's house this weekend. Any cloth diapering travel tips I should be aware of? The first time I took a road trip with my son I failed to bring a plastic bag to hold the soiled diaper. It isn't fun to sit in the front seat with a poppy diaper at your feet, driving around looking for a dumpster. Learned that one the hard way. How can I avoid a similar mistake while cloth diapering on the go?
My stash should be dried and ready to go by tomorrow, so we'll officially start the challenge then. I hope the CD community gives me a pass on this one. They have been tremendously supportive and encouraging this week, so I certainly don't want to disappoint them all.
Do-over!
I wasn't really ready to start the challenge on Monday, but I got a little overzealous and jumped the gun. My stash wasn't complete and I needed time to get organized. I had washed the SoftBums samples once, but then a blog commentator said I needed to wash them three times. I didn't know that.
Question: Is that wash and dry three times? Or just wash three times and then dry once and for all? And where is that written? It wasn't on the labeling for the diapers or inserts.
Also, I ordered a wet bag because I wasn't sure that the Diaper Genie II would work with the two-in-ones. The wet bag just came in yesterday with a whole new stash of Rumparooz, which now I have to wash three times.
And finally, I am a little concerned about travel. We are taking a trip to Grandma's house this weekend. Any cloth diapering travel tips I should be aware of? The first time I took a road trip with my son I failed to bring a plastic bag to hold the soiled diaper. It isn't fun to sit in the front seat with a poppy diaper at your feet, driving around looking for a dumpster. Learned that one the hard way. How can I avoid a similar mistake while cloth diapering on the go?
My stash should be dried and ready to go by tomorrow, so we'll officially start the challenge then. I hope the CD community gives me a pass on this one. They have been tremendously supportive and encouraging this week, so I certainly don't want to disappoint them all.
Do-over!
Good News For Parents: Holiday Toy Wars Kick Off
Tanya Johnson shops in the toy department of the Wal-Mart store on Oct. 8, 2009, in Pompano Beach, Fla.
/ Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe battle has gotten off to a particularly fierce start this year, with Wal-Mart slashing prices in an effort to keep Target from leading with the best bargains.
In recent years, the Wall Street Journal reports, shoppers have tended to reach for the biggest toy bargains and ignore retailers' other offerings. But now, with economic conditions somewhat improving, stores are hoping that if they entice parents with a good price on a hot toy, they will continue to make other purchases.
When the biggest retailers came out with their initial holiday toy prices around Halloween, Toys "R" Us and Amazon both touted big price cuts. Wal-Mart's initial offering showcased a broader selection of discounted toys than it did last year, according to the Journal, but in many cases the prices were higher than Target.
Wal-Mart's newly announced list now beats Target on many toy prices by just a few pennies. However, Target also reportedly offers five percent off all purchases (including holiday toys) if customers pay with a Target debit or credit card.
Where will you do the bulk of your holiday shopping? And how early do you start looking for holiday toy deals? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Celeb Parents Face Scrutiny Over Kids' Dress
The much-photographed Suri Cruise has been seen in everything from little girl heels to pink tutus. Here, she is dressed in Christmas red for a visit with her mother, actress Katie Holmes, to "The Nutcracker" at the New York City Ballet on Dec. 14, 2008.
/ Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesIn recent years, celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Katie Holmes have faced criticism for the way their young children dress.
Jolie's daughter Shiloh's haircut and clothing are said to be too boyish. Holmes' daughter Suri, who often sports high heel shoes, has been called a personal Barbie doll for the star.
Continue »Cloth Diaper Challenge: Day 1
I don't have the wet bag, diaper pail, or diaper spray yet, but I still started my 30-day cloth diaper challenge last night. I received a few samples from SoftBums, which I concede are super cute. I may have gotten a little overzealous, so I put them on my little boy even though I don't have all the proper gear yet.
I'm only two diapers in, so I have a cursory impression to share. First, it was not as easy as I had hoped. I had to watch the instructional videos two or three times. I was confused with the extra insert that the babies in the videos have between their legs. I finally concluded that those pieces of fabric are there to protect the private parts of the baby models from the prying eyes of perverts, right?
Another question: what do you do with the poopoo diapers? Do you throw those in the wetbag too? My son did soil past the shell. Are you supposed to dump the inserts, the shells, and the wetbag into the washing machine at once?
These may seem like simple questions, but I figured that if I have them, other moms must have them too, so I might as well learn in public.
Also, cloth diapers are a lot more bulky than disposables. My husband walked in on me diapering and said, "That's the biggest diaper I've ever seen." Do you buy baby clothes one size up to compensate for this?
I did notice that my son's skin inside of the diaper was not shriveled and red like it normally is when I remove a disposable diaper. I attribute that to a lack of synthetic material that is meant to dry out everything around it. That is certainly comforting.
And of course, these things are adorable! I didn't understand what the blog commenters meant when they said that cloth is cuter until now. These things are way cute! And I have to think they feel better on my baby's bottom than spongy paper.
My son fell fast asleep in the SoftBums Echo System. This all has me thinking: I'm a high tech reporter who reviews gadgets for a living. How did I come to be reviewing diapers? A crap job but someone's gotta do it! :)
Note: This post was originally posted to my personal blog, Mommy Beta.
Can You Potty Train an Infant?
CBS
At the risk of offending yet another subset of parents, how in the world can this possibly work!?
In theory, infant potty training involves watching for your baby's signs of impending stool or urine and holding them over a receptacle of choice. They are eventually supposed to learn the cues and what? Ask for the toilet themselves? Wait for you to take them to the toilet? Hold it? At 6 months old?
The article suggests that "the ideal time to start is anytime from birth to 4-5 months old. During this time, the first window for toilet learning is open."
I don't mean to be cynical, but all of the books I have read about babies say that they are too immature to learn, manipulate, or retain information in the first 3 months. How can they be expected to draw a parallel between urinating and being in a particular place in the home?
And parents are supposed to watch them for signs that they have to use the bathroom? I can tell when my son is "working on a poop," as we say in my house, but there are no visible signs for pee. I would basically have to count on him urinating in every single outfit.
Further, what about undergarments in general? Would I leave my baby bare-bottomed? Baby commando?
As you can see, I'm terribly perplexed by this whole concept. No judgment, of course, but I'd love to hear from any parent who has successfully potty trained an infant. Or any parent who feels as perplexed about this as I am.
Note: This blog was originally published on Natali's personal blog, Mommy (beta).
Diaper Debate: Should You Use Disposable or Cloth?
CBS
Did you know newborn babies can go through up to 10 diapers a day?
With all those changes, does it make sense for your family to use cloth or disposable diapers?
In this week's "Eye on Parenting" webshow, Dr. Alanna Levine talked to CNET's Natali del Conte about what to consider when deciding on cloth or disposable, from ease of use to diaper rash considerations.
Special Section: Eye on Parenting
Click on the video below for all of her tips and find out what diapers the doctor actually decided on herself while raising her own children.
Celebrities Affecting Children's Vaccination Rates?
iStockphoto
According to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a non-profit health care organization, childhood vaccination rates in the U.S. in 2009 declined by almost four percentage points in commercial health plans.
The rates were determined on data collected from more than 1,000 health plans that cover 118 million Americans.
However, vaccination rates in Medicaid - the program serving the poor - continued to steadily improve, according to the NCQA.
The NCQA says commercial plan parents may refuse vaccines for their children based on an unproven, but increasingly popular, notion that vaccines cause autism. Celebrity activists, such as Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, are outspoken advocates of this view, the organization says..
"The drop in childhood vaccinations is disturbing because parents are rejecting valuable treatment based on misinformation," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "All of us in health care need to work together to get better information to the public."
Dollar Tree Recalls 682K Halloween Toy Lanterns
Child lanterns recalled by Dollar Tree and the CPSC.
/ CPSCHow to Keep Kids Safe This Halloween
AP
This Halloween millions of kids will be dressing up to trick-or-treat. So, how do you keep your child safe?
"Early Show" contributor and parenting expert Shannon Eis gives her advice to CNET's Natali del Conte in this week's "Eye on Parenting" webshow.
Halloween Movies for Kids of All Ages
Click on the video below for her helpful tips for children of all ages.
