Baby products = Helping children
Hilary Duff - AP PHOTO
You can help support the Johnson’s Baby Cares charity program just by using a 50-cent coupon when you buy Johnson’s Baby products between April 15 and June 1. 
Johnson’s Baby is partnering with Save the Children to help address the needs of families and their babies.
Actress Hilary Duff is also partnering with Johnson’s Baby to support one of the group’s first initiatives, which will be to assemble, donate and distribute “Johnson’s Baby” care kits immediately during and after disasters.
“As a new mom, I am inspired by this worthy cause, which aims to give all moms a chance to not only experience the joy of a healthy baby, but also an opportunity to be together and have moments of normalcy during crisis situations,” said Duff in a news release today.
For every 50-cent coupon used, Johnson’s Baby will contribute 25 cents to Save the Children.
–Linda Lynn
Follow me on Twitter: @OKNewsResearch
The Great Cloth Diaper Change: Changing the way we think, but not one baby at a time
My sister Betty used cloth diapers with all her children. I admire that she did this.
Each of her little babies was neatly wrapped with a soft, cloth diaper that was pinned on each side.
I didn’t know it at the time, but she was being earth-friendly. She was “green.”
On April 21, the day before Earth Day, you can experience “The Great Cloth Diaper Change” beginning at 10 a.m. at Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52 St.
There are hopes this event will be part of an even larger effort to break last year’s Guinness World Record for simultaneous diaper changing.
And, at the same time, Cloth Diaper Oklahoma and the Real Diaper Association will be bringing attention to the benefits of using cloth diapers, instead of disposable diapers that can take hundreds of years to decompose.
At the moment, more than 232 locations in 13 countries will be the sites of thousands of parents and caregivers changing their babies all at the same time, all using cloth diapers.
"The Great Cloth Diaper Change" event in 2011 -- Photo by Trevor Aagard
The April 21 event begins at 10 a.m. with the actual Great Cloth Diaper Change occurring between 11 a.m. and noon. Cloth diapers will be provided to those who need one.
The first 100 participating families will receive a goody bag. Activities during the event will include a baby-crawling contest, a toddler trot, cloth diaper mini classes, prizes and more.
If you’ve never changed a cloth diaper, click here for step-by-step instructions from babycenter.com.
–Linda Lynn
GIVEAWAY — Help toddlers form healthy teeth habits with free gift
It’s one of those ongoing battles that I intend to win.
My young son resists every time I try to get him to brush his teeth.
Depending on who has the greatest will, one of us eventually gives in.
I’ve tried to instill this as a habit, but we’re just not there yet.
If you’re waging a similar battle or you have little ones you can assist with the care of their teeth, then I have a great opportunity for you!
Spiffies Cleaning and Teething Wipes are individually wrapped towelettes you can wipe on your child’s teeth, lowering the bacteria and helping to prevent cavities.
If you would like an opportunity to win a free gift of Spiffies products, send me an email at LLynn@opubco.com by March 28. Be sure to place SPIFFIES in the subject line of your email and I will randomly select a winner.
Good luck!
To read more about Spiffies products, go to http://www.spiffies.com/category-s/81.htm or http://www.spiffies.com/Toddlers-s/4.htm
–Linda Lynn
RECALL: Infant Tylenol recalled due to bottle problems
Instead, some parents have complained that a protective cover on the top of the bottles meant to limit how much liquid pain reliever could be drawn into a plastic syringe didn’t work correctly. When those consumers inserted the plastic syringe, it pushed the protective cover, or flow restrictor, into the bottle.
J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare, plagued by about 25 product recalls since September 2009, said Friday that it is recalling all 574,000 bottles of a grape-flavored version of the liquid medicine on the market. The product, which was distributed nationally, was introduced in November.
It’s one of the first nonprescription medicines reintroduced after all the recalls and an ongoing factory shutdown have kept most of McNeil’s medicines off the market for well over a year, costing the company well over $1 billion in lost revenue, plus many millions for ongoing factory improvements.
The new infant Tylenol bottle comes with a plastic syringe that’s to be inserted into the flow restrictor at the top to help measure the right dose. The syringe has an opening in the tip but no needle. Consumers are to insert the tip of the syringe into the flow restrictor, turn the bottle upside down and then draw out the right dose. That’s then squirted into the baby’s mouth.
McNeil changed the design to make it easier to get the dose right and to limit spillage if the bottle is knocked over, McNeil spokeswoman Barbara Montresor said. The prior version had an open-topped bottle and a dropper with a flexible bulb at the top, similar to a turkey baster.
McNeil is part of the consumer health business segment at J&J, which is based in New Brunswick, N.J. The company’s prescription drug and medical device divisions each have issued at least two recalls in the last couple years.
Baby names — 2011 top names announced
I just saw on Facebook that babycenter.com has released its list of top 100 baby names.
What was on the list? Maybe Bella? Or Jacob? Or Tanner? Or Zoey?
Here’s a sneak peak at the top 10 from the list:
Girls
1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Isabella
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Lily
7. Chloe
8. Madison
9. Emily
10. Abigail
Boys
1. Aiden
2. Jackson
3. Mason
4. Liam
5. Jacob
6. Jayden
7. Ethan
8. Noah
9. Lucas
10. Logan
It made me start thinking about the names I considered when naming my three children.
Here’s a list of some of the names I considered, and I know some are not mainstream, so I’ll explain my reasons for some. (I’m a little heavy on girls’ names, since my first two children were girls.):
1. Annie (My grandmother’s name, my mother’s middle name … and I liked it)
2. Andi (I think we just like names ending with an i)
3. Mamie (One of my favorite great aunts)
4. Emma (Another one of my favorite great aunts
5. Maggie (My other grandmother’s name)
6. Luna (This one my husband had to talk me out of. It’s Spanish for moon. I still like it, but friends warned me my child would gain the nickname Looney Luna.)
7. Maya (I loved this name until I was dining in Mazzio’s and the mother in the booth next to us whined out the name slowly “Myyy-uhhh.” I wouldn’t even consider the name after that.)
8. Joiner (Not sure if I’m spelling it correctly, but it was a nickname my husband’s dad was called because he would tell other players what hands other cardplayers had. We also considered Jonah.)
9. Quint (Burt Reynolds played the character “Quint Asper” in the TV western “Gunsmoke.” My youngest daughter had become a huge fan of the show while I was pregnant with my son.)
10. Katelyn (This was a popular name at the time, but, because it was so popular, I just shortened the name to Katie for our oldest daughter. When she started school I was surprised by all the Katelyns and Katherines who were answering to the name “Katie.” I had chosen a much-used name after all.
–Linda Lynn
Car seat recommendations change
The American Academy of Pediatrics has changed its stance and guidelines on infant car seats.
The AAP now advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
The previous standard was 12 months/20 pounds as a minimum for facing backward.
To read the full report, go to www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/carseat2011.htm.
A reference guide for all age groups can be found at www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Milestone leaves mom unprepared
A huge permanent tooth … nestled right behind two baby on my 4-year-old’s bottom row. I started calling him “shark tooth” because it reminded me of the multiple rows of teeth sharks have, and because he thought the name was cool.
Then the wiggles started. Those two precious baby teeth … the first ones to sprout when he was just a baby … started to wiggle. I called his dentist and in he went to get it checked.
“Ms. Smith, the dentist will need to extract the two bottom front baby teeth.” Extract?? At 4 years old? Even the dental assistant remarked at how early this was for baby teeth to come out. And I suddenly found myself unprepared. I had no tooth pillow, no little treasure box, no cash! And my son didn’t even know who the Tooth Fairy was. Not to mention the emotional unpreparedness. I wasn’t ready for anything “baby” to go … and it does go … way too fast.
In the end, it all worked out. My boy was a trooper – not one tear shed and he was all smiles, even with the huge gauze pad stuck in his mouth. The dentist put his teeth inside a little glittery tooth-shaped box for the Tooth Fairy to snap up. And I made that trip to the ATM.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Drop-side cribs are outlawed
A drop-side crib.
According to a story by The Associated Press, the government Wednesday officially outlawed drop-side cribs. This move comes after millions of recalls and 30 infant deaths in the past 1o years.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reached a unanimous decision to ban the manufacturing, sale and resale of drop-side cribs, which have a side rail that moves up and down. Hotels and day care centers also would be prohibited from using these types of cribs.
To read the full story, click here.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
CPSC gives tips for toy shopping, safe play
With the holidays quickly approaching, and the biggest shopping day of the year this Friday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission releases its “top tips for a safer holiday toy shopping and playing experience.”
1. Always choose age-appropriate toys for children. Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.
2. Include safety gear whenever shopping for sports-related gifts or ride-on toys including bicycles, skates and scooters. Helmets and other safety gear should be worn properly and be sized to fit.
3. Be aware of your child’s surroundings during play. Young children should avoid playing with ride-on toys near streets and traffic, pools or ponds. They should avoid playing in indoor areas near hazards such as kitchens, bathrooms or rooms with corded window blinds.
4. Once gifts are opened, immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging from toys.
5. Battery-charging should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose a thermal burn hazard to young children.
6. For children younger than 3, avoid toys with small parts and small balls. For Children younger than 6, avoid toys with small magnets. Keep all young children away from broken balloons. Keep deflated balloons away from children 8 and younger. Balloons are a choking hazard.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Similac issues voluntary recall of formula
Similac has announced a voluntary recall of certain powder formulas for infants. According to the company, a review has detected that the formula may contain beetles and their larvae.
To get more information or to find out if you have the forumla on the recall list, click here. You can also call (800) 986-8850 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for information.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
