Pregnancy and Diabetes

Parenting.com has some good information about having diabetes and getting pregnant. Check out the details at the CNN website.

Millions of women with diabetes have gone through healthy pregnancies and delivered healthy babies. There's no reason why you shouldn't also -- providing you take some precautions.

1. Get your diabetes under good control
2. Eat the right carbs
3. Stay away from the wrong carbs
4. Have smaller, more frequent meals
5. Eat more protein
6. Fill up with fiber
7. Change your oils
8. Control your weight

Classic Baby Names

Some of the best names I've heard! There are lots of baby name sites out there - just remember that baby will live with it for his/her entire life...... please, don't name your precious new baby Norbert - ...although Bert's pretty cute! (He'll not be happy)



Aidan

Lilly

Oscar

Jack

Ruby

Chloe

Millie

Oliver

Grace

Alex

Archie

Noah

Charlie

Emily

Matilda

Ava

Erin

Olivia

Kate (my favorite!)

Adorable Diaper Cakes

More great submissions to Martha Stewart's Baby Shower Idea page.

I love the block letter and the green rubber ducky on top here. Very chic and gender neutral without being too pastel.


Classic, simple diaper cake with great choice of ribbon.


Again, the block letter here is a great touch.


The ribbon could be done better, but I love that they included a book and other great items in this cake.

Baby Shower Food Ideas

Martha Stewart is running some sort of competition for baby shower ideas. Deadline for photo submissions is Jan 1, 2009. The pool of photos has some great ideas already. Here are some great food ones.

Cake Baby Blocks


Adorable jungle themed cookies:



Watermelon Fruit Basket- made to look like baby carriage!

Make your own favor- paper cones to be filled with mom-to-be's favorite candies. Very clever!

Rickets Makes a Comeback

A NYTimes article out yesterday reports cases of rickets showing up in infants and toddlers recently. While rickets is a common childhood disease in many developing countries [1], in the US it is not often heard of.

Rickets is defined as a softening of the bones in adolescence. This can lead to fractures and deformities such as bow-legs and wrist widening. However it is easily preventable with proper nutrition- specifically vitamin D.

And here enters the recent problem- doctors are suggesting that infants aren't getting enough vitamin D, even with proper diet. Dr. Catherine M. Gordon, director of the bone health program at Children’s Hospital Boston, says

"I completely support breast-feeding, and I think breast milk is the perfect food, and the healthiest way to nourish an infant... However, we’re finding so many mothers are vitamin D deficient themselves that the milk is therefore deficient, so many babies can’t keep their levels up. They may start their lives vitamin D deficient, and then all they’re getting is vitamin D deficient breast milk."

Dr. Frank Greer, chairman of the committee on nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adds that, “Historically speaking, we probably got it from the sun, but now we’re afraid of the sun and we don’t go out as much.”

While rickets is still rare in the US, the number of cases has been cropping up in recent years. Talk to your pediatrician about possibly adding supplements over the wintertime when sun exposure is down and make sure when breast feeding that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamin D yourself.

Ikea Finds!

IKEA- that wonderous place with reasonably priced cute furnishings for every room of the house. Here are some of their new stuff for kids rooms.

Hanging wall organizer for $9.99


Adorable black and white sheets to match any room $19.99



Cute rugs for $34.99



New Fabler series features all kinds of plush toys from 2.99-9.99

National S'more Day!

Yes, according to some (Holiday Insights, About.com, wikipedia) August 11th is National S'more Day. The only real trivia associated with s'mores is that they were first mentioned in the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927, claimed to be inspired by Loretta Scott Crew's campfire treats. I suppose the rest is history, since these tasty treats are so unanimously popular.

Grab some graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey's bars and teach your kids some S'more trivia tonight.

(Tip for city folk- the microwave works just as well as a campfire. Place the chocolate on and nuke for 15 seconds, then add the marshmallow and go for a few seconds longer. Watch carefully! The once marshmallow swells to great size its done.)

Summer Mocktails

It's summer. It's hot. It's Friday and you would like drink. What's a pregnant girl to do? While you may have friends and family who tell you "It's perfectly ok to have just one", the verdict is still out. The Center for Disease Control still insists on the following:

* There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. All drinks with alcohol can hurt an unborn baby. A 12-ounce can of beer has as much alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of liquor.

* There is no safe time to drink during pregnancy. Alcohol can harm a baby at any time during pregnancy. It can cause problems in the early weeks of pregnancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

* About 1 in 12 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use. And about 1 in 30 pregnant women in the United States reports binge drinking (having five or more drinks at one time).

*FASDs are 100% preventable. FASDs are 100% preventable. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100% preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant.

Meanwhile, there are a slew of those who argue that drinking during pregnancy is perfectly safe. Check out this article for several sources.

If you can't decide or choose to abstain there are several good recipes for some tasty mock-cocktails you can have instead.

Temperance Tantrum - 3 oz. cranberry juice, 2 oz. orange juice, squeeze of lemon, ginger ale. Blend the juices with ice until smooth, then top up with the ginger ale.

Acapulco Gold- 2 shots freshly pressed pineapple juice, 1 shot freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, 1 shot coconut milk, 1 shot fresh cream. Shake all of the ingredients together with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass to serve.

Tornado Twist- 12 fluid ounces cranberry-raspberry juice, 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage. In a pitcher, mix cranberry-raspberry juice with lemon-lime soda. Pour over ice and serve.

Raining Men- Put 1/2 glass of ice, 4 oz. orange juice, 4 strawberries, 1 banana into a blender.
Blend until smooth. Garnish with fresh fruit as appropriate.

Coconut Cooler- 4 parts coconut milk, 4 parts fresh lime juice, Sparkling water, Sprig of mint. Combine the coconut milk and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour over ice cubes into a Collins glass. Top up with sparkling water and stir gently, garnish wth the mint sprig.

More recipes here and here and finally here.

Great Kids Style Blogs

I love finding new blogs that show how parenting can be the opposite of what many 20-somethings fear. It's not the end of style, fun, or social lives. It doesn't make you boring. It can be fantastic and pretty darn cute at the same time. Here are some blogs that I have recently discovered that help me prove my point.

Apartment Therapy's ohdeedoh
Tagline: Home. Design. Children.
What to check out: Their nursery tours. Tons of real nurseries in a variety of spaces and styles.

KidsHaus
Tagline: Blending kids + Design
What to check out: They've got tons of great kid friendly art work and crafts. Pictures are worth a million words here.

tutus and turtles
Tagline: A frilly-to-functional collection of all things baby and child
What to check out: This site is always giving great stuff away. I don't know how they do it!

Cookie Magazine's Nesting
Tagline: Exchange home design ideas with our editors and one another
What to check out: Everything. These guys are great.

Sew Your Own Sling

So many sling companies now have fantastic patterns and fabrics out as oppose to the standard black or solids, but they aren't always cheap ($260 for a silk sling?) and often with patterns it is hard to find one that you know will fit your wardrobe and personality. Making a sling yourself seems easy enough, but how do you know your sling will be safe?

Enter Sling Rings! These nylon and aluminum rings have been put through a battery of tests to insure their stability (Impact Testing, Pull Testing, Soaked in bleach and then a full washer/dryer cycle, along with Heating and Freezing). They are sure to hold the load of your baby or toddler and last through years of wear.

Instructions on Basic Sling, Reversible Slings, Fleece Slings, and the fabulous No-Sew method.

example of a ring sling:

Post Baby Workout Extremes?

It's almost impossible to ignore the obsession with pregnant celebrities and celeb moms with young children- but has it pushed them too far? Not only are baby's first pictures being sold for millions but it certain that the paparazzi wants a picture of these ladies post-baby bods. It seems that the pressure to loose the baby weight instantly is sky-rocketing.

Jennifer Lopez, who just had twins, is apparently training for a triathlon.

Katie Holmes reportedly lost two dress sizes in less than two months by working with Sue Fleming, creator of the Buff Brides Fitness program. She then ran a marathon when baby Suri was just 18 months old.

Kate Hudson gained 60 pounds when she was pregnant with son Ryder, she was back to her normal size in under three months. With trainer Joe Horrigan she worked out two to three hours a day, six to seven days a week- while eating a mere 1,500 calorie daily diet.

Heidi Klum was under contract to lose her post-pregnancy weight in just one month! Victoria Secret wanted her back on the runway or she would loose her $25 million deal. Talk about pressure! Klum turned to trainer David Kirsch, and 90 minutes of exercise every day while eating only "Lean, clean, and green. No dairy, lots of greens, grains, egg whites, and protein shakes,".

Congress Agree to Regulate Phthalates in Toys

House and Senate lawmakers agreed yesterday to permanently ban three types of phthalates from children's toys. They will also outlaw three other phthalates from products after studying their effects in children and pregnant women.

If passed, the ban would take effect in six months- that is unless President Bush vetos it. Many have said that the President opposes the ban, but it is still to early to know what he will decide. Many companies are opposing the ban, arguing that the research against phthalate exposure is not strong enough. The biggest opposition to the ban is Exxon Mobil. They manufacturers diisononyl phthalate which is the most commonly used phthalate in children's toys.

It certainly would not be the first ban of its kind however. The EU and more than a dozen other countries have banned phthalates from children's products as early as 1999. Even major US retailers Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and Babies R Us that said will no longer carry products containing the phthalates as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Healthy Cool Treats

Sure Basket Robbins, Dairy Queen and Coldstone all sound fantastic, but realistically going out for ice cream as often as we'd like is practical- for the waistline or the wallet. Here are some great at home frozen treats that are almost guilt-free.

Diana's Bananas- Chocolate covered frozen bananas you can pick up at the grocery store! So tasty, mostly fruit and only 6 grams of fat.



Island Way Sorbet- Cute and healthy! The natural half shells of Pineapples, Lemons, Coconuts, Apples and Oranges have been cored out and filled with great natural fruit flavored frozen Sorbet. Great for when you are having guests over too.



Napoli Boys Italian Ice- Perfect solution for people with food allergies. They don't contain artificial ingredients, glutens and other additives. They even have a chocolate flavor for you chocaholics, and you can indulge knowing that it is fat free, cholesterol free and dairy free.

Bad News About Nuts During Pregnancy

A new study just published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that pregnant women who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy.

Don't worry just yet. Research in the area of allergenic foods during pregnancy has been contradictory and inconclusive. The main thought behind it being that the allergens present in foods like nuts cross the placenta and cause fetuses that are exposed to become sensitized to certain allergens.

John E. Heffner, M.D., past president of the American Thoracic Society made a statement in response to the research, "These findings emphasize the critical important of additional investigations into the environmental exposures for both mother and child that underlie the pathogenesis of asthma... It is important, however, to emphasize that such associations do not confirm a causative linkage."

For more information:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114901.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7505682.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25687224/

More Green Diaper Options

For those of you that are looking for better options in the diapering department, you will be happy to hear that more and more progress is being made.

In the disposable-but-still-less-impact department we have:

New 7th Generation Chlorine Free Newborn Diapers:
Our redesigned diapers are now thinner (and just as absorbent), with stretchier leg gathers and closure tabs " and they're made in the U.S. That means less waste and less resource use " with the same great performance and chlorine free commitment. Check below for new sizes and package counts. The chlorine-free materials and absorbent polymers used in our diapers help keep your baby dry in between changes and through the night. In addition to being effective at keeping baby dry and reducing the risk of diaper rash, studies show that our absorbent polymer is non-toxic and non-irritating to baby's sensitive skin.

Classy Kid Keep Me Tidy Biodegradable Diaper Sacks
For disposing of your 7th generation diapers, try Classy Kid Diaper Sacks. Made of biodegradable plastic, they break down much faster than those grocery store bags or regular trash bags. They have fresh scent which helps control orders and cuts down on air-borne disease transmission.

For those of you that are interested in cloth diapers or already CD-ing, new options in removal of the tough stuff without resorting to a sprayer:

Kushies Flushable-Biodegradable Diaper Liners

Simply tear off one of these absorbent perforated sheets and place it flat in your baby's clean diaper. When the diaper is soiled, just toss the liner into the toilet. No dunking, no swishing - you may even be able to re-use the same diaper with a new liner. Cloth diapers will stay nice and white, and cleanups couldn't be easier.

Nursery or Kid's Room Decals

Decals are huge lately. You can get them in almost any design. While previously the ones I saw most often were real modern, you can now get some great kid's designs.

Go to town with these trucks:


Got a jungle theme going on? These might help!


Pick a simple silhouette in a variety of colors from dVider:


Cute and simple colorful caterpillar:



Love Super Mario as a kid? Yours can too enjoy the original Mario Brothers:

Eating On the Go

Summer is a fantastic time for picnics and eating outdoors. With summer camps you may also have more lunches and snacks to be packing too. Here are some recent fun finds for food on the go:

Cereal-on-the-Go- How clever is this thing?! Freeze the bottom half of our Cereal-on-the-Go container before you leave home to keep milk cool. Cereal stays dry and fresh in the top compartment until it's time to eat.

Snack & Dip- These brightly colored containers are just too cute. It's an all-in-one container for storing carrots, celery, apples and other treats, along with your favorite dip. Microwave re-heatable and top rack dishwasher safe.

Beetle Spoon & Spork- whimsical and reusable spoons and sporks. The wings unfold to form a handle. Each comes in its own compact travel case

Great Finds

The Container Store is a fabulous place if you happen to have one nearby (otherwise it is all online). They have organizational stuff for every corner of the house- including cute stuff for kids. Here are some cute/clever things I've seen recently:

A cuter way to hang up coats and backpacks:

Deep Game Savers™ Box-

A sturdy way to keep Monopoly and other games together- will fit the playing board and pieces without getting ripped, squished or damaged.

ELFA system well utilized in kids room's:

Restoration Hardware Baby is Here...

Restoration Hardware announced earlier this year that they'd be adding a baby line this summer, and it is now here. The verdict? I'm not as impressed as I could have been. Their cribs and furniture are basically the same as the Pottery Barn Kids selection but instead of ranging from $499- $999 they range from $799- $999.

Their color palette is rather narrow- if you look at their selection it appears that everything is pastel pink or pastel blue with brown or white accents. Bedding, window treatments, lamps- all the same few colors! Occasionally you see pastel green and khaki thrown into the mix, but overall not very creative. Dwell's baby bedding is much more colorful and interesting- even IKEA has interesting colorful bedding- and it's nowhere near as pricey.

Hospitals Drop the Ball on Breastfeeding

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released it's findings yesterday in the first national report to include breastfeeding practices in hospitals. The results had some surprising statistics. The CDC found that one in four medical centers gave healthy newborns formula or supplements even when their mothers were willing and able to breast-feed.

They looked at 2,700 birth facilities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and rated them based on labor and delivery, breastfeeding assistance, mother-newborn contact, postpartum feeding, breastfeeding support after hospital discharge, nurse/birth attendant breastfeeding training and education, and structural and organizational quality.

Western and New England states performed the best. Vermont and New Hampshire tied for the highest scores, followed by Maine and Oregon. The lowest scores were seen in 7 southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

What to do if you are looking to breastfeed your infant:
- Ask beforehand if lactation consultants are available at the hospital you plan on delivering at
- Let your doctor and the nurses on call know that you want to breastfeed and ask that they not give your child any formula or supplements
- If lactation consultants aren't available at the hospital, try La Leche League staff or a doula
- Look for breastfeeding classes in the area to take before birth
- Remember that breastfeeding isn't easy off the bat and may take some time and practice. Be patient, stay motivated and get the help you need.