Stay at Home Mom.com

In an article posted on the AP this morning pediatricians have recommended doubling the amount fo vitamin D for kids. This goes for infants through teens. As stay at home moms we are often very conciencious about making sure our newborns, toddlers and preschoolers get all the nutrients they need and we even typically follow through with cute critter vitamins through grade school but we often get a little more slack when they become teenagers. It is harder to tell a teenager how to eat right - it is hard enough to tell them anything at all. But todays news story makes it even more important to remember developing a life long habit of good nutrition.

At Stay at Home Mom we are also concerned with making sure the vitamins we are giving our kids ( particularly our infants and toddlers ) are of the highest quality and from a company that we trust to provide us with the safest product possible. This is why we have always recommended Shaklee vitamins. Do the research for yourself and decide. We have included the link to the full AP story as well.

Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations

By LINDSEY TANNER – 9 hours ago

CHICAGO (AP) — The nation’s leading pediatricians group says children from newborns to teens should get double the usually recommended amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it may help prevent serious diseases.

To meet the new recommendation of 400 units daily, millions of children will need to take daily vitamin D supplements, the American Academy of Pediatrics said. That includes breast-fed infants — even those who get some formula, too, and many teens who drink little or no milk.

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We would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about this latest AP story.

The recent announcement by the FDA to remove all over the counter cold medicines for children under 4 yeasr of age can be seen as a total victory for us Stay at Home Moms. This is a very reasonable position by the FDA - if your child is sick enough for medicine you really do need to take them to your pediatrician.
One of the great things of being a stay at home mom is having the luxury of being able to sit with our kids when they are not feeling great. We can watch them closely and we know when they are looking better or if their temperature even goes up slightly. I did actually use a thermometer a couple of times but for the most part it was the hand on the forehead test.

I spoke with a woman from the FDA this last week about the policy statement and she said ( in her own opinion and off the record ) that no cold medicine should be given to any child under the age of 18. These medicines have never been tested on children only adults - so we are basically guessing and then we put these medications in the hands of untrained parents who are basically guessing as well. It’s a double whammy. If your kid is sick then take them to the doctor.

In our hurry up world we want the quick fix - get back to school - get back to work. There have even been parents who I have heard about that give their children a little cold medicine to make them sleep on an airplane or long car trip…. I have also seen some children overmedicated that at the age of 5 they were able to tell me all about their cold medicine regimen - it was pretty wild.

I am glad the FDA has made this new recommendation and that the pharmaceutical companies are following through.

Right now alot of people are wondering how to make their dollars go farther and make sure they take care of their families. For us Stay at Home Mom’s that can often mean trying to find some way to do two things: Spend less ( stay within our budget ) and bring in more ( work from home ).

There are many companies that offer great programs for Stay at Home Moms but often times there are big start up costs and inventory that you end up with. This is antiproductive. If it ends up costing you more money and takes you away from your family this is not what you started out looking for.

More than ever you need to find something that will strengthen your family not diminish it.

Here is our recommendation for best work from home opportunity: WORK FROM HOME

Here’s why: WORK FROM HOME

As any Stay at Home Mom knows we actually spend alot of time on the road and away from the house. My friends used to tease me about being a stay at home mom because I was never at home. We are running from PTA meetings to soccer games to the grocery store to an assorted number of other events.

Every time we get in and out of the car it is so important that we take the time to make sure the kids are secured safely. Don’t let yourself get distracted and be in such a hurry that you can’t take the time to make sure the kids are all in the car and secured.

Car seats can be expensive - but the more expensive does not always mean “better”. It might even be tempting to pickup a used car seat to save some money. Hand-me-down car seats can be fine as long as they are still safe. But how do you know if a car seat is safe.

There are so many factors to consider when you are getting a car seat or a booster seat. You want to put all the factors into consideration including what car this seat will be going in.

The American Academy of Pediactrics wants you to have the best information available. We have included a link here to their most recent findings.

CAR SEATS

Once you have decided on a car seat or once someone wants to give you a car seat as a baby gift you will want to make sure it isn’t on a recall list. You can find the most current lists at www.recalls.gov

Finally, one thing that I discovered while making sure that my kids were safely belted in was that I could be doing better myself. It seems like most seat belts are designed to accomodate drivers who are 5 feet 7 inches or taller. Some of you may have fancy cars that adjust the seat up and down and forward and remember that position but if you don’t and you are a shorter driver the seat belt can really rub up against your neck and make it very uncomfortable. One very easy solution for you and for your kids when they are big enough to be out of booster seats but still short enough to make the seat belt irritating is to get a seat belt clip. When kids are uncomfortable in their seat belts they will often take the belt that runs across their chest and just put that behind them. This is not a good solution. Check out this inexpensive fix.

So, Buckle Up! and Happy Trails!