BabyBitsAndBytes.com

Many families are concerned about the amount of chemicals in our everyday lives.  While we might not be able to remove all the chemicals our family is exposed to, we can reduce the amount in the home.  When a new baby comes into the family, it is just as important to surround the baby with all-natural products.  Since babies sleep nearly half of the day, it only makes sense to make sure they are sleeping in a safe environment.

There are many styles of all-natural bedding.  You can find blankets, sheets, swaddling blankets - pretty much the same selection you would have with other baby bedding options.  They even come in a wide variety of colors, not just neutral tones.

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Becoming a big brother or sister is an exciting event in a child’s life. But for a toddler who has never had this experience, it can also be pretty intimidating. Your toddler will have lots of concerns, but may have trouble voicing them. But there are some things you can do to make the transition easier for her.

When to Tell Your Toddler About the Baby

To a toddler, sitting in time out for a couple of minutes seems like an eternity. So as you might imagine, 9 months is more than she can fathom. That’s why it’s important not to tell your toddler too early in the pregnancy.

In most cases, you can wait until 2 or 3 months before the baby is due to tell your toddler about it. And if she starts asking questions about your bulging belly, that’s a sign that it may be time to spill the beans.

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Product: What’s Inside? Soft Toy Boxes

Units: About 4,000

Manufacturer: Lakeshore Learning Materials, of Carson, Calif.

Hazard: The head of the stuffed butterfly toy can detach from the body, posing a choking hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: Lakeshore has received three reports of the head of the butterfly detaching from the body. No injuries were reported.
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Name of Product: SunKids Convertible Cribs

Units: About 1,900

Importer: Suntech Enterprises Inc., of City of Commerce, Calif.

Hazard: The sides of the crib are made of mesh that expands, creating a gap between the side and the crib’s mattress if it’s not zipped into place, or a gap between the side and an added mattress. A young child can slip into this gap and become entrapped or suffocate. Also, the crib’s drop side can fail to fully latch posing a fall hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported with this crib. However, CPSC is aware of the death of a 5-month-old child in August 2008 involving another company’s nearly identical crib that was recalled. The child became entrapped between the mattress and the mesh side and suffocated.

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Name of product: Evenflo Majestic™ High Chairs

Units: About 95,000

Manufacturer: Evenflo Company Inc., of Miamisburg, Ohio

Hazard: Plastic caps and metal screws on both sides of the high chair can loosen and fall out, allowing the seatback to suddenly fall back or detach from the high chair. Children can fall backwards or fall out of the high chair and suffer bumps and bruises to the head, broken bones, abrasions, cuts and bruises. Detached hardware also poses a choking hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: For the models added by this expanded recall, Evenflo has received 16 reports of seatbacks reclining, falling back and/or detaching unexpectedly, resulting in five reports of bumps and bruises to the head and five reports of other injuries including bruises and abrasions. For the models added by this expanded recall, Evenflo has received 145 reports of plastic caps and screws falling out of the high chairs, including one incident in which a cap and/or screws were found in a child’s hand or mouth but were removed before choking occurred.

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Name of product: Evenflo Envision™ High Chairs

Units: About 643,000

Manufacturer: Evenflo Company Inc., of Miamisburg, Ohio

Hazard: Recline fasteners and metal screws on both sides of the high chair can loosen and fall out, allowing the seatback to detach or recline unexpectedly. Children can fall backwards or fall out of the high chair and suffer bumps and bruises to the head, abrasions, cuts and bruises. Detached hardware also poses a choking hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: Evenflo has received 320 reports of seatbacks detaching or reclining unexpectedly, resulting in 19 reports of bumps and bruises to the head and 35 reports of other injuries including abrasions, pinches and bruises. Evenflo has also received 13 reports of recline fasteners and screws falling out of the high chair, resulting in one incident in which a fastener and/or screws were found in a child’s hand or mouth but were removed before choking occurred.

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For years, breastfeeding women have been warned that so called “gassy” foods like beans, cabbage, onions, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables would cause their babies to have painful gas. Not only does this statement needlessly restrict a new mom’s diet, it also decries a lack of understanding about the simple mechanics of lactation.

While some of these foods may cause gas in the mother, it is because of undigested carbohydrates (otherwise known as fiber!) in her digestive tract. These carbohydrates cannot pass through the mother’s milk ducts and get into her milk, so it’s actually impossible for these foods to cause gas in a baby, unless he is allergic to that food, which is extremely rare for these types of foods (the common allergens are by far eggs, dairy, soy and wheat). Gassiness and fussiness may be related to strong milk ejection reflex (also called the “letdown”) in the mother. Baby struggles to handle the flow of milk and so swallows a lot of air. Thorough burping may help, as well as wearing a baby upright in a sling during and after feedings.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Infant Toys

Units: About 172,000 in the United States, and 12,000 in Canada

Distributor: Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif.

Hazard: The infant toys have blue metallic fabric that can detach from the toy, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 45 reports of the metallic fabric detaching from the toys. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recalled infant toys and their model numbers are listed below.

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Does it seem like 5 minutes ago that your child was a baby? Of course they cried - sometimes a lot - but there was no doubt as to who was the boss: you. If you feel like you are living with a toddler with all the ambition of Bill Gates and the social skills of the average tornado, this article will help you. Issues of this type are not insurmountable - read on for some real life tips.

Why Do Problems Arise?

Don’t assume that, just because toddlers can walk - and later on talk - that their understanding of other children and people is advancing at the same pace. Not so.

Children of this age are naturally egocentric. There is no point pushing them to understand how you or anyone else feels. They are inacapable of empathy!

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Various Toys Recalled by CBB Group Due to Choking Hazard and Violation of Lead Paint Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Fishing Games, Rattles, Pull-A-Long Cars, Mini Pull Back Cars, and Cartoon Bubble Guns

Units: About 39,000

Importer/Distributor: CBB Group Inc., City of Commerce, Calif.

Hazard: The fishing games, baby rattles and pull-a-long cars contain small parts, which can detach and pose a choking hazard to children. The mini pull back cars and bubble guns have surface paints which contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Sold at: Dollar stores and toy stores nationwide from July 2007 through December 2008 for between $1 and $5.

Manufactured in: China

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