Getting on Solid Foods

I think I got antsy and ended up giving my kids cereal around five months. At the time, the recommendation was 6 months. It seems some doctors say 4 months, others say 6 months. I didn't realize the honey danger! Have you heard of that?

FROM CNN: The transition from drinking only breast milk or formula to eating grown up food is a big milestone in the life of a baby.. So how do you know when it's the right time?

As a baby grows so does her appetite. Pediatrician Robert Wiskind says four to six months of age is the ideal time to Start introducing solid foods. Prior to four months of age there is a concern that you're increasing the risk of causing allergies, plus nutritionally, the baby isn't ready to handle solid foods.

Wiskind suggests serving rice cereal first because it is easy for an infant to digest. "After that you move on to the fruit and the vegetables, the stage one or the first stage foods are single ingredients, pureed, and you're doing one at a time because you want to be sure you can identify anything that the child is allergic to."

He says eggs, fish, citrus and nuts are some of the foods that are more likely to cause an allergic reaction such as a rash or vomiting. Wiskind recommends waiting to serve those foods until a child is at least a year old.

Wiskind also says there's one very important warning for all parents.. Honey should not be given to a baby under the age of one because of possible botulism.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Teens forced to turn down the volume?

I think we all know you can't force a teenager to do anything. So when you ask them to turn down the volume on their iPod, will they? Well, maybe-maybe not! Now the music industry may be forced to turn down the volume for them.

FROM NBC: Anyone who knows a teenager - knows they spend a lot of time with their mp-3 players -- listening to --loud-- tunes. Now a new study is calling on the music industry to turn down the volume!

Researchers say more and more teens are suffering from hearing loss and other problems like tinnitus(ringing in the ears). And because it's doubtful that adolescents will take the necessary precautions To protect their hearing -- researchers say mp-3 player and earphone
Manufacturers need to do it for them --- by lowering the volume on future Models.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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5 point safety harness

I got this message via email and I think it's a good one to share! We kept our oldest son in a booster with a five point harness up until just a few months ago. I figured he still fit in it and he wasn't too heavy or tall for it, so why not? It is certainly safer than the small booster he is in now with an adult seat belt. So I am all for the five point harness. Research shows it saves lives. I can't think of any reason not to use it! Thanks for sharing your story Jennifer!

Hi, I enjoy reading your blog you have some wonderful info. I am writing to remind parents how important it is the keep your kids in a 5 point harness car seat/booster as long as possible. I was in a serious accident on Rt 24 exactly a month ago which my boyfriend and 6 year old daughter. My daughter is small for her age we still have her in a 5 point harness booster.

That booster saved her life and so did our seat belts. I am now on a mission to get the word out about how wonderful the 5 point harness car seat actually are. The Illinois State Police Officer I talked to on the phone said that we were another success story. I have decided to keep my daughter in a 5 point harness after hear this story
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/. a few years ago. I do have pictures that are pretty bad from the accident if you want me to send them to you just let me know.

Thanks
Jennifer

And Jennifer says her daughter was on the right side of the car! Scary!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? NOW is the time to get your legs ready for summer! You don’t have to be afraid to wear shorts because of unwanted hair or unsightly varicose or spider veins.

Call 674-SKIN to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair laser consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute, and you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful legs this summer! Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service, skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

Safe Kids Week

It is national Safe Kids Week and boy do I have a story to tell! As you may know, my 2-year-old has decided to crawl out of his crib and sleep on his toy chest just about every night(we often go in and move him back into the crib.) The reason this is such a big concern for me is because when my now five-year-old started doing the same thing, he jumped out and broke his collar bone! I will never forget the crying and more crying. It was awful! Then we went to the ER, spent a ton of money on x-rays and doctor's visits and found out collar bones heal on their own. There is nothing a parent can do. Uh, that was NOT a good experience! So I am taking some extra measures like putting a mattress outside the crib and lowering the rail to make sure it doesn't happen again! Here's an email about Safe Kids Week:

Hi Jen,

First, I want to congratulate you on your pregnancy! So exciting! You may already be aware, but National Safe Kids Week is coming up April 27-May 2. I’m helping out an organization called Safe Kids get the word out and share some safety tips.

Spring is here and summer is a stone’s throw away. When kids are out of school and playing more outside, they invariably get into more trouble. So, Safe Kids’ mission is to give parents the tools to prevent accidental child injuries from occurring. I don’t want to get all somber and focus on the accidents. What I DO want to do is just point some moms to the Web site to get some safety tips. The Web site is http://www.usa.safekids.org/.

Safe Kids has already contributed to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from unintentional injury, but the work has just begun.

Thanks!
Danielle

-NewsAnchorMomJen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? NOW is the time to get your legs ready for summer! You don’t have to be afraid to wear shorts because of unwanted hair or unsightly varicose or spider veins.

Call 674-SKIN to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair laser consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute, and you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful legs this summer! Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service, skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

What Causes Autism?

I have heard a lot of theories on what causes autism. This is the first I am hearing of this one! What do you think about this?

FROM NBC: What causes autism is one of the greatest medical mysteries, but a new study
May shed light on some risk factors. Researchers studied the birth demographics of a group of eight year old Children in Utah.

They found children who developed an autism spectrum disorder were more likely To be born to mothers over the age of 35, to be the first born and to have been in the breech position at birth.

About one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism -- and it's four times more
Likely to strike in boys than girls. A new study finds children who don't get enough sleep are more likely to have behavior problems. (Big shocker, I know!)

Researchers followed a group of seven and eight year old children in Finland -- Monitoring their sleep habits and behavior. They found kids who consistently got less than seven-point-seven hours of sleep a night had more behavior problems.

This is concerning, because about a third of children in the U.S. are estimated
To get inadequate sleep.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? NOW is the time to get your legs ready for summer! You don’t have to be afraid to wear shorts because of unwanted hair or unsightly varicose or spider veins.

Call 674-SKIN to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair laser consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute, and you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful legs this summer! Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service, skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

Benjamin Sargent Update

Obviously James Sargent has not been tried yet and he is innocent until proven guilty. The details the trial is bringing out are hard to stomach! Our reporter-Ashley-started telling me about this poor baby who police say was found in his snow suit in his car seat in the crib. They say he hadn't been changed or fed for days. I can't even write this without crying. Whether it's all true or not, it is hard to hear.



The murder trial for a Peoria man accused of starving his 5–month–old son to death began today. Four witnesses testified against 24-year-old James Sargent this afternoon including his mother, his son's pediatrician and his friend.

Sargent, who faces two counts of first-degree murder, did not display any emotion in court today. One witness, a friend was living in the couple's garage at the time of Benjamin Sargent's death wept on the stand as described the home as nasty.

He also claimed that he took care of the infant more than either parent and that the home was littered with parenting pamphlets.

There is no jury for this trial, the judge will rule on his guilt or innocence. The child's mother is also being charged with murder, her trial will begin in May. The state will continue presenting its case tomorrow. The trial is expected to last until Wednesday.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? NOW is the time to get your legs ready for summer! You don’t have to be afraid to wear shorts because of unwanted hair or unsightly varicose or spider veins.

Call 674-SKIN to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair laser consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute, and you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful legs this summer! Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service, skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

Parent Cafe'

Some of you may be interested in this parent cafe'. It's a chance to spend some time with other parents you know and meet some new ones! I believe these are held around the nation, but I only have info on the one here in Central Illinois. It's on Cinco De Mayo! So go chat with parents and maybe have a margarita afterwards! Hah!

Parent Café in East Peoria

Would you like to strengthen your family? Do you have tough parenting questions? A Parent Café may be the answer for you. The main course on the Café menu is conversation with other parents. This event is planned to share experiences and learn that everyone faces difficult events, but gets stronger as a result. Parents and caregivers of any age child are welcome to attend the Parent Café on Tuesday, May 5th. Tazewell Woodford Head Start at 233 Leadley Avenue in East Peoria is hosting the Parent Café. Registration and dinner will begin at 5:15 pm with the Café from 5:30-7:30 pm. Dinner is FREE and childcare is available with a reservation.

Parent Cafés have been designed to add to parenting knowledge by sharing and listening to others experiences. Building friendships and relationships with others as support is also accomplished through conversation. Parents learn about resources and the benefits of receiving services from others. By sharing challenging personal events, parents will grow stronger and become more flexible. Parent Cafés have assisted parents to appreciate the role they play in helping their children reach their potential. For reservations, please contact Julie at (309) 925-5511, ext. 266 by April 30, 2009. Remember you MUST have a reservation to receive childcare for this event.

Parents and caregivers of any age child are welcome to attend the Parent Café on Tuesday, May 5th. The Parent Café is sponsored by the Tazewell County Health Department’s AOK Network. The Café is located at the Head Start Family Center at 233 Leadley Avenue in East Peoria. Registration and dinner will begin at 5:15pm with the Café from 5:30-7:30 pm. Registration is required to attend the both event and reserve babysitting. Dinner and childcare are FREE.

Parent Cafe
May 14, 2009
5:30pm to 8pm
Western Avenue Community Center
600 N Western Ave, Bloomington, IL

Reservations - call (309) 888-5539
or email Maureen.sollars@mcleancountyil.gov

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? NOW is the time to get your legs ready for summer! You don’t have to be afraid to wear shorts because of unwanted hair or unsightly varicose or spider veins.

Call 674-SKIN to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair laser consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute, and you’ll be ready to show off your beautiful legs this summer! Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service, skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.