With so many things to be thankful for, I would like to wish everyone a Happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

BEDTIME STORIES

NO, YOU ARE NOT DREAMING! SLEEP COACH KATHY SINCLAIR SAYS THAT YOUR KID
CAN SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. HERE, SHE GIVES PARENTS THE ABC’S OF ZZZ’S.

FAREWELL TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME:
FALL BACK INTO A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP WITH THESE EASY-TO-FOLLOW STEPS

  Oh no! It’s that time of year again! Yes, it is daylight saving time.

I can hear you all groaning now. Turning the clock back (this year
on Nov. 1) can wreak havoc in your child’s otherwise normal sleep
patterns. For most children, additional sleep deprivation is not something they can afford. The good news is that there are steps you can take to minimize these disruptions. In fact, by making a few simple lifestyle changes, most children can achieve the sleep they need to feel alert, refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Here are two of the best ways to tackle the fallback—tried and true, of course.

TIME WILL TELL

So, let’s say that on Mondays, your child generally gets up at 7 a.m.—then on Monday, Nov. 2, you should wake him at 7 a.m. It doesn’t matter if it is not “really” 7 a.m. Also, put your baby down at the regular time for his naps—don’t put him down earlier because he is tired. I know this will be difficult to do, but it is in his best interest.

Remember to maintain your child’s regular sleep, wake and nap times. Try not to compensate for the lost hour by delaying bedtime or allowing your child to sleep in. This will increase the time it takes to transition. There may be some crankiness from being tired, but this should last only a day or two.

TAKE 15

Another option is to adjust your child’s schedule by 15 minutes every night for a few nights prior. Let’s say, for example, that your child goes to bed at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, put him to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual at 7:15 p.m., on Thursday at 7 p.m., then Friday at 6:45 p.m., and then on Saturday night, Oct. 31, another 15 minutes, so he will be in bed at 6:30. By this time, you have already adjusted your child’s schedule by the full 60 minutes just in time for the clock switch. Be sure to wake your child at his regular time on Monday morning. This should alleviate any crankiness or tiredness.

One of these ways will definitely work for you and your baby—as I said, I have been using these two strategies for years and they have never failed me yet.

WASHINGTON – More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft Manufacturing are being recalled, the biggest crib recall in U.S history, following reports of four infant suffocations.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said late Monday the recall involves 1.2 million cribs in the United States and almost 1 million in Canada, where Stork Craft is based. Sales of the cribs being recalled go back to 1993.

Nearly 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo.

The CPSC said it is aware of four infants who suffocated in the drop-side cribs, which have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily. The agency also said there have been 110 incidents of drop-sides detaching from the cribs.

The Stork Craft cribs have had problems with their hardware, which can break, deform or become missing after years. CPSC said there can also be problems with assembly mistakes by the crib owner. These problems can cause the drop-side to detach, creating a dangerous space between the drop-side and the crib mattress, where a child can become trapped.

The commission is urging parents to stop using the cribs until receiving a free repair kit from Stork Craft. The kit will convert the drop-side into a fixed side.

The cribs, which were manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009, were sold at major retailers including BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sears and Wal-Mart stores and online through Target and Costco. They sold for between $100 and $400, and were made in Canada, China and Indonesia.

Calls to Stork Craft were not immediately returned.

This is the second big recall this year for the company. It recalled about 500,000 cribs in January because of problems with the metal brackets that support the mattress. Some of the same models in the earlier recall were also part of Monday’s announcement, CPSC said.

Consumer advocates have complained for years about drop-side cribs. More than 5 million of them have been recalled over the past two years alone — recalls that were associated with the deaths of a dozen young children.

ASTM International, an organization that sets voluntary industry safety standards for everything from toys to the steel used in commercial buildings, approved a new standard last week that requires four immovable, or fixed, sides for full-size cribs — essentially eliminating the manufacture of drop-side cribs.

CPSC is also considering new rules for making cribs safer and could adopt the ASTM voluntary standard as a mandatory one, outright banning the cribs.

Nancy Cowles, executive director of Chicago-based Kids In Danger, said the agency must include more rigorous testing for crib durability. “Parents should be able to trust that their child is safe in their crib,” said Cowles.

Toys”R”Us started phasing out drop-side cribs earlier this year and will no longer carry them next month.

In the Stork Craft recall, the manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin, and the firm’s name, address and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia “storkcraft baby” or “storkling” is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs.

Consumers can contact the company, 877-274-0277, to order the free repair kit, or log on to http://www.storkcraft.com.

___

On the Net:

Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov

A stylish mom who recently had a c-section became frustrated at the discomfort her underwear gave her as her c-section scar was trying to heal and not really feeling the whole big-white-granny-underwear-that-comes-up-to-your-bellybutton vibe, she designed some really cute underpants with a padded waistband that is designed to be comfortable on a post c-section mama.  The underwear is called “Czela Bellies Cesareanwear”.

Check it out at www.CzelaBlue.com  

It’s Prematurity Awareness Month®, when everyone’s focused on premature birth and the families touched by it.

In our country alone, more than half a million babies are born too soon each year, some very sick. Maybe you had a premature baby yourself. Or you may know someone who did.

This November, do something special for a baby you love. Click over to marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies and create a virtual band in honor or memory of a baby in your life. Your gift funds research and programs that give premature babies a fighting chance.

If you have a blog, help us spread the word. Unite with thousands of bloggers around the world and post about premature birth on November 17.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stroller maker Maclaren announced a recall on Monday that affects about 1 million umbrella strollers that can reportedly amputate or lacerate children’s fingertips.

To Read More Click Here

http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/09/news/companies/Maclaren_stroller_recall/