Child Passenger Safety

"Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (under 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (age 1 to 4 years old)."  

(NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2007 data.)

This is a subject often overlooked by most parents, yet it is one of the easiest ways to help ensure your child's safety.  You buy a car seat for your child, install it, and never think twice about it.  Most parents probably don't even read the manual that comes with the car seat.  Did you know that 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly?  It seems so easy right?  Just strap it in with the seat belt and you're good to go.  WRONG. 


I have been a Nationally Certified Child Safety Seat Inspector for the past four years.  During this time I have checked and installed over a thousand car seats.  I can honestly tell you that in the four years I have only come across a dozen or so seats out of the thousand, that have been correctly installed by parents themselves.  I've come to find this volunteer work extremely rewarding, and I plan on continuing it for years to come.  


So how do you tell if your seat is installed correctly?  Without looking at your seat personally I can't guarantee anything.  However, I can give you a few pointers.  The biggest mistake I've seen throughout my four years so far is that seats are never installed tight enough.  I've climbed into cars before and put my hands on the seat only to find that i can move it clear across the whole back seat of the car!  If the vehicle was involved in a crash, what do you think would happen?  If I can move the seat with my bare hands, surely the child would NOT be safe.  The way to check if your child's seat is tight enough is to grab the seat at the point where the child safety seat meets the seat of your vehicle.  Try to move it back and forth, it should move no more than 1 inch from side to side.  If you have any doubts or questions about this, get your child's seat professionally checked!  Another common mistake for an infant seat is to have the seat installed at the incorrect angle.  Infant and Convertible seats have angle indicators on them for a reason.  A newborns neck muscles are not yet developed enough to hold up their head, therefore if the seat is not installed at the proper angle the child can suffocate to death if their head falls forward.  This is not uncommon and has happened too many times.  These are just a few of the millions of mistakes that can be made while installing a seat.  Don't take any chances, get your child's seat professionally checked.  If you don't it could cost you your child's life! 




So how do you get your child's seat checked?  You can find your local child safety seat inspection stations here:
Find a location



Want to become a Nationally Certified Child Safety Seat Inspector?  
Get certified

 


Find the most recent Child Passenger Safety recalls here:
Child Passenger Safety Recalls 
Please make sure that you have the latest recall list, as it is updated periodically.  

Sleeping through the night

This subject may be one of the most difficult aspects of parenthood.  We adults could sleep forever if we didn't have schedules to keep, why can't our kids do it too?  I know that every child is different, and something that works for one parent may not work for another.  Hopefully by sharing my story I may be able to help someone else by giving them some new ideas to try.  I'm going to tell you how my husband and I got our daughter to sleep through the night (9-13 hours straight) at 2 months old.

I am a nursing mother, and I had been told that breastfed babies were not able to sleep though the night.  Breast milk is digested much easier and faster than formula, therefore breastfed babies needed to eat more often.  The first two months of Makayla's life were very hard at night.  She would sleep anywhere from 3-4 hours at a time.  My husband worked a 7:30-4:30 job, so when she woke at night I had to get up with her.  He was more than willing to get up, but I knew he needed his rest.  It definitely took a toll on me.  I was miserable, irritable, and the bags under my eyes never seemed to go away.  

Our first mistake was not having a bedtime routine.  Consistency is the key.  I cannot say this enough!  We decided that our routine would begin with a bubble bath using Johnson's  bedtime bath.  It has a wonderful calming scent that Kayla remembers each night we run her bath.  I'm not too sure how much this actually calms her, because she adores bath time.  She screams and splashes us and laughs at her accomplishment.  We try to keep her calm, but often give in to her sweet laughs and smiles.  After this we dry her off and play her lullaby's while we dress her.  We start with the same song every time so she knows it's her bedtime.  Also, the ONLY time she ever gets a pacifier is at nap or bed time.  We give this to her while we're dressing her to calm her down.  Finally, lights go out and I nurse her.  Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she doesn't.  I then rock her for about 5 minutes.  She goes into her crib regardless if she is asleep or awake.  We always place her on her back, but she is a tummy sleeper at heart.  Her lullaby's play until the end of the playlist on the Ipod. 

Sounds easy right?  It took about 2 full weeks to get her used to this routine.  We use this routine wherever we go.  It must look ridiculous that my husband and I lug around her Ipod docking station and favorite blankets, and bubble bath, but it really does make a difference!  We have not had any bedtime problems in the past 8 months  *knock on wood* at home or on vacation. 

Now I know that you're all hating me thinking that my baby slept through the night right away with this routine.  We had to teach her that this was bed time and that meant sleep time.  At first she would wake after her normal 3-4 hours.  When this happened one of us would sneak in the room and pop the pacifier that had fallen out back into her mouth (after doing the sniff test to see if she needed a diaper change).  She would immediately roll over and go back to sleep.  We had to do this for about a week once a night, and then she finally got it.  Did she fuss at all?  A few times she would moan a little here and there, but no crying.  My husband and I do not believe in the cry it out method, especially at only 2 months old.  I am in no way judging anyone that has used this method.  I believe that you do what works for you, and everyone is different.  

The first time she slept 9 hours straight I woke up every hour looking at the clock.  I couldn't believe that she was still sleeping!  I even crept in and checked on to her make sure that she was still breathing.  The rest, as we say, is history!  Each night she started sleeping longer and longer, on her own.  We no longer needed to run in to give her a pacifier.  She had taught herself how to go back to sleep on her own if she woke at night.  I bet some of you are thinking that she needed to eat and that's why she woke up.  If she had continued to wake up after putting the pacifier in her mouth a few times I would have fed her.  My goal was not to starve our daughter, but to teach her to sleep.  I made sure that she was fed every 2-3 hours during the day to make up for the lost nighttime feeding.  I also checked with our pediatrician first to make sure that this would be ok.  She gave us the green light, and we got to work! 

I believe that part of our success came from giving her the pacifier only at sleep time.  When she woke at night, we would put it back in her mouth and leave the room.  I would say that being consistent with her bedtime routine is what really helped her understand what bedtime meant. 

I wanted to share this story with everyone because I know how hard it is when your child does not sleep though the night.  It's exhausting, and when you are that tired it's hard to focus on any part of your life.   I remember being so tired that I couldn't imagine making dinner.  For the first 2 months I barely did any house work because I spent all my free time (Makayla's nap time) sleeping.  Getting a good nights rest is best for everyone.  I know that what worked for us may not work for everyone, but hopefully it can give you some new ideas to try if your child is not sleeping through the night.   

Good luck and if you have any questions about our bedtime routine please feel free to ask me! 

Introduction

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Melissa and I am 27 years old. Originally from West Chester PA, I am now living in Newark Delaware with my husband Russell, our daughter Makayla, and our fat black cat Lexi.

On December 24th 2008 I began my journey as a first time mother. That's right, our daughter was born on the morning of Christmas Eve. She turned out to be the best Christmas present I could ever imagine! We weren't expecting Makayla to arrive until December 30th or later, since most babies take their time coming out. Weighing in at 6lbs 9oz and 20 inches long, she was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. From that day on my husband and I have endured hardships and struggles, but most important of all we have enjoyed raising our daughter and all of the beauty and love that came with her.

My husband and I had discussed daycare options while I was still pregnant. Luckily we were both on the same page when it came to that subject- we agreed that I should be a stay at home mom instead of returning to the corporate world. I knew this would be an adjustment, but I was ready for the challenge. My job would be to take care of the home, cook dinners, clean, shop, and take care of our daughters' every need.

The first couple of months were a little tough. I was not used to being alone in the house all day with a newborn who didn't do much other than sleep, cry, eat, and poop. Now don't get me wrong, there was no where else I would have rather been than home with my daughter, but it was definitely an adjustment. I missed adult interaction with a passion. My husband would come home from work and be dying to see Makayla, and I would be dying to see him and have some adult conversation that didn't involve "baby talk." As Makayla grew older her wonderful personality began to develop. We would have so much fun together. I got to witness her first smile, the first time she sat up, the first time she crawled. We explored new foods together, read stories, and played like there was no tomorrow. We struggled with nap time routines, constipation, and teething troubles. The entire experience has been life changing, and I don't know what I would do without my little best friend. I look forward to each and every day with her, and I never want this time to end!

I decided to start this blog to share my experiences with motherhood. I have many stories, recipes, and advice for anyone who is interested in reading.  I hope you enjoy reading and if you have any feedback please feel free to contact me at Friday524@gmail.com.