Girlfriend's birthday party

I am sitting here watching my four-year-old son play with a bunch of 7-year-old girls at my neighbor's house. This is the girlfriend's birthday party. He said he was so nervous about going. It looks like he got over it! We went and picked out a new shirt and shoes yesterday in preparation for the big event. I can't wait to hear the details. I am sure he will say, "fine, good and fun." He is already a man of little words.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Solving Sleep Problems with Kids

As promised, I am continuing the series we started last week on getting kids to sleep through the night. I am one of the parents in this situation and I feel your pain!

Here's today's question from newsanchormom.com reader Julie:

"Our three year old drags out the bedtime routine, always asking for one more drink, to use the potty one more time, etc. She will cry when we leave the room, saying she "has problems falling asleep by herself" and comes up with more excuses, periodically calling for us. Throughout the night, she wakes up 1-2 times and needs help getting back to sleep.

Any advice on keeping the bedtime routine moving and convincing her that she can fall asleep on her own, both at bedtime and during the night? She falls asleep for naps with no problems, usually within a couple of minutes. We have tried moving her bedtime both earlier and later, with no success. I'm really concerned that she is not getting enough sleep at night and that she is establishing poor sleep habits, not to mention that we are tired :("

Pediatric sleep specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek says Julie's problem is very common. She recommends getting the book, "The Sleep Fairy" by Janie Peterson. It's a story that mimics the idea of the tooth fairy. It helps you set limits for your child and puts the burden on the fairy instead of the parent. It also encourages positive re-enforcement for good behavior instead of punishment for bad behavior.

Dr. Zallek said, "Each night you read the story "The Sleep Fairy." And if the child stays in bed, sleeps all night and gets up in the morning, without calling out for drinks or books, if they do that, the sleep fairy leaves a tiny little something under their pillow as a reward."

We are trying this at my house. We haven't bought the book because it is sold out everywhere, but we are going to order it on-line. We told my four-year-old the basic story concept and he did sleep one night. He got a plastic fishing pole with little plastic fish to catch. It cost a dollar. He has been showing it to his friends all week and telling them the sleep fairy left it for him. Too cute! Lets hope it continues to work!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace

When working moms have new babies, it is often challenging to continue nursing when they go back to the office, but some business are taking steps to make breastfeeding easier for moms.
If you know of an employer who is breastfeeding friendly in Central Illinois, you can nominate them for an award from the breastfeeding task force. Here are the guidelines:Bronze:

• gives time for milk expression
• offers a private, clean non-bathroom space

Silver:

• same requirements as above, plus
• sink in the room
• comfortable chair
• refrigerator
  

Gold:

• same requirements as above, plus
• has an electric pump and/or accessories available
• subsidizes the purchase of a pump/kit

If you live in Illinois and your employer does not meet that the "Bronze" standards they are breaking the law. The Central Illinois Breastfeeding Task force has a letter you can send your administrators that explains the law in a "nice" way.

If you want a copy of the letter or you want to nominate your place of business for a "breastfeeding is good business" award,

email Shannon at cibtf {at} yahoo {dot} com.

The task force asked several local moms to pose for a poster campaign. The pictures I posted are from the awareness campaign. I believe the poster will say something like "I breastfed my kids. You can too." The idea is to normalize breastfeeding so women are more likely to feel comfortable about doing it.

If you are a breastfeeding mom, do you have any ideas for spreading the word about the benefits of breastfeeding without offending moms who choose not to? If you bottle fed your kids, what type of breastfeeding campaigns bother you and why?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Teacher sexually abusing students

A former grade school teacher in Central Illinois will spend the next 30 plus years(he was sentenced to 60 yrs, but will be up for parole in 30) behind bars for sexually abusing students. He was convicted of putting a banana into several childrens' mouths for sexual gratification. The incidents happened during school hours.

We try to do everything we can to protect our kids. Just the thought of a grade school teacher doing something like this at school is unthinkable. My station ran a story on how to spot the signs that a child has been sexually abused.

The Center for the Prevention of Abuse in Peoria says:

1.One of the big indicators is personality change. If a happy and outgoing child is suddenly withdrawn, it could be an indicator of a problem.

2. Another sign could be if a potty trained boy or girl suddenly starts wetting the bed.

3. Or if a child starts to talk about sexual anatomy in a knowledgeable way, describing terms and functions. If they are more interested in things with a sexual theme, become more sexually aggressive or start touching others inappropriately. You should seek professional help.

4. Look for strange relationships with adults in your child's life.

5. Remind kids they can always talk to you about anything. That's something you should do even if you don't suspect something inappropriate is happening.

Experts say if you suspect sexual abuse, try talking to your child about it. Make an appointment with your doctor to look for any physical signs. If you know abuse has happened, call police.

I know you probably will never have to worry about this type of thing, but if it can happen at school, it can happen to anyone.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

He is calling her his girlfriend...

If you see my son, don't tell him I told you because he will be thoroughly embarrassed, but I just had to write this down because it is so cute. My four-year-old has the biggest crush on the cute little red head who lives behind us. He was so excited because he had a date with Amber at 2:00p.m. He probably asked me a dozen times if it was 2 o'clock yet.

We just got Amber's birthday invitation and I was shocked to learn she is going to be 7! I knew she was older, but I didn't realize there was that big of an age difference. My 4-year-old has a crush on an older woman. I am in for some trouble when he hits high school!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Fewer kids up to date on vaccinations

Alright, I think I should post this story because it contains interesting information, but I think it sounds a little one sided. It irks me that media around the country will run this story without getting the other side. While my kids are immunized, I think parents have a reason to question how many shots we are giving our kids and at what age.

The schedule of when to give kids each immunization is based on whatever the drug company decided to test. That is the schedule that doctors know works because it has been tested, not because it is the "best" schedule for your specific child. I am not saying you should or shouldn't get your kids immunized, I just don't like it when the media is used in this way.

Research shows if the immunization rate falls below a certain percentage, the disease will start to creep back into society. I don't think any of us want that, but a lot of parents want more of a guarantee that the immunizations can in no way harm our kids.

Here's the story from ABC News:

"1 in 4 American toddlers has not been vaccinated correctly, making them vulnerable to infectious diseases that are cropping up again in the United States. Measles, mumps, whooping cough - these once serious and sometimes deadly illnesses are mostly a memory for today's children. But the infectious diseases are staging a comeback, with recent measles and mumps outbreaks in the United States.

And American children may be more vulnerable than they appear to these new attacks, according to a study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They studied immunization records for more than 17,000 toddlers and found that 2 in 10 children had MISSED at least one dose of their vaccines.



When doctors added in children who had received vaccines at the INCORRECT dose or time, the number jumped to 3 in 10 children who lacked ideal protection. Studies show that even SMALL changes in vaccine dosing can have a big impact- kids who miss just ONE dose of the POLIO vaccine are often left with NO immunity.



Researchers say parents should make sure to get their kids in for their FULL vaccinations ON TIME because missing or delaying them can render the shots ineffective."



Source: published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by researchers from the CDC

What do you think about this new study from the CDC?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Kids and Allergies

My kids have been sneezing like crazy and their noses have been running for weeks. My pediatrician says they have allergic rhinitis, a.k.a allergies.

Allergic rhinitis is believed to affect 20% of all adults and up to 40% of children.
On any given day, 10,000 American children miss school because of allergic rhinitis, for an annual total of 2 million lost school days.

If you as a parent think your kids have allergies, there's a good chance you're on to something. The question is: When are kid's allergies bad enough to give them allergy medication daily? My kids are young (1 an 4-yrs old) so I can't imagine giving them Claritin or Zyrtec everyday. I try not to give them medicine unless they really need it for health reasons. But I am also worried about the expense! That would be awfully pricey!

According to keepkidsehealthy.com, these are the warning signs that you need address your child's allergies:

• The most common symptoms include a stuffy or runny nose with clear drainage, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, throat clearing and a cough that may be worse at night and in the morning.
• Other signs of having allergic rhinitis include the 'allergic salute,' a common habit of children which consists of rubbing their nose upward. This is usually because the nose is itchy and this practice can lead to a small crease in the skin of the lower part of the nose.
• Children with allergic rhinitis also commonly have 'allergic shiners,' which are dark circles under the eyes caused by nasal congestion.

What we can do to prevent allergies from taking over our kid's lives:

• Get rid of dust collectors, including heavy drapes, upholstered furniture, & stuffed animals.
• Use an airtight, allergy-proof plastic cover on all mattresses, pillows and box springs.
• Wash all bedding and stuffed animals in hot water every 7-14 days.
• If you must keep pets in the house, at least keep them out of your child's bedroom and wash your pet each week to remove surface allergens.
• Avoid exposing your child to molds by keeping him away from damp basements or water-damaged areas of your home (check under carpets).
• Remove carpeting if possible.
• Vacuum frequently (when your child is not in the room, since many of the things that cause allergies are small enough to go back out of the vacuum cleaner bag).
• Cover air vents with filters.
• Avoid the use of ceiling fans.
• For seasonal allergies, keep windows closed in the car and home to avoid exposure to pollens and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are highest (early morning for spring time tree pollens, afternoon and early evening for summer grasses, and in the middle of the day for ragweed in the fall)
• Consider using a HEPA filter to control airborne allergens (these only work if what you are allergic to is airborne, which doesn't include dust mites and mold).
• Keep indoor humidity low, since dust mites and mold increase in high humidity.
  Provide a smoke-free environment for your child (it is not enough to simply smoke outside).

I do have Zyrtec for my four-year-old, but I don't give it to him everyday. On days he seems miserable, I give it to him. I think you have to be really consistent with the medication for it to work appropriately, so what I am doing probably isn't the best. However, it works for us!

Do your kids have allergies?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Parents doing a better job

There's new information on what we're doing right as parents and what we need to work. Here's the story from ABC News:

We're taking a closer look at encouraging news about the lives of children in America. A Duke University researcher pulled together data from the Ceners for Disease Control, the census and other sources. And while not all the news is good, point after point is positive-- improvements in death rates, school scores, lead poisoning rates, and many more.

It is a promising portrait of America's children. The first decade of life is getting better. Until now, there's been so much focus on teen years, but THIS was different. When you look at children's health, education, their time at home, by nearly every measure, things are improving. Mortality rates for children between 1 and 4 have
dropped by a THIRD since 1994. Researchers point to advances medicine and
safety; car seats, safer toys and playgrounds.

Another hopeful sign came straight from the children themselves who were asked how safe they feel at school. The question: Are they fearful of an attack or harm? Even with all of the images of school violence, 36 percent fewer children said they were actually fearful in the classroom or the playground.

The study also looked at television. Parents are now paying closer attention to what their children are watching. Take children from 3 to 5. SEVENTY percent of parents now have 3 or more rules about what their children can watch. Up from just 54 percent a decade ago. And the number of parents READING to their children is up slightly, but still up.

The one area-- where researchers say -- the MOST needs to be done-- is obesity. Children from 6 to 11 years old are growing wider. Close to 13 percent were obese in 1994. Now it's 20 percent. And child advocates simply say THIS is what we tackle next.

So I guess we're doing some things right!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen