Suggestions for High Chair etc for Newborn Baby

Fisher-Price Rainforest Bouncer

This bouncer is wonderful because the baby straps in with a three point restraint and the parent can look away to do something and not worry. It is especially useful once baby starts rolling. Always strap baby in because he eventually will fall out if you don’t. The toys on it, music and light keep the baby entertained. Even now when my baby is 10 months old, he still enjoys chewing on the teething rings that come off. The one drawback was that the hanging toys are positioned a bit low, but it is still worth it for the amount of time you can use it. It can be used without the tool bar and this alleviates the problem. It has a volume control for the music, which is also capable of being mom or baby activated. It can vibrate as well to sooth the baby.

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo

This jumperoo brought our entire family hours of fun and laughs. There are three settings for different height babies. The first time our baby jumped, it was as if he finally had some freedom and he giggled like mad. One shouldn’t keep them in it for over 30 minutes per day, but those 30 minutes are worth it. There are fun little toys all the way around the seat and the seat swivels 360 degrees so the baby makes use of them all. Even now when our baby doesn’t like to be restrained in it because he walks, he still enjoys standing next to it and playing with the toys. It is only for babies who can hold their heads up unassisted and for those who can not climb out. The child must weigh less than 25 lb and be less than 3 inches in height. There are hanging down toys that the baby can reach and jump for and they can be lowered. Also the music is baby activated when he/she jumps. It is loads of fun!

Fisher-Price Rainforest Healthy Care High Chair

This chair is very useful and entertains baby while you make food, etc. It has a toy insert which fits into the tray which is baby-activated to make music and lights flash. It also has a spinning part which is fun. The chair itself has 7 different height levels, an easy to clean material the covers the seat and a 5 point restraint system. The tray is dishwasher safe and can be removed with one hand. This chair makes feeding baby much easier.

Fisher-Price Kick’n Crawl Aquarium

This piece can convert from an overhead gym for newborn, tummy time play for young baby and crawl-through aquarium for the crawling baby. It is really not all that special except for the fact that our boy still enjoys playing with the blow up ball and the fish that plays music. These are two of his favorite toys. The ball has a rattle inside and he loves shaking it to hear the noise. He truly enjoys the fish and has since he first got it. The mirror was also a plus, but someone has to hold it at the correct angle so he can see himself.

 

Suggestions for new Parents: Monitor and Thermometer for Baby

Philips Digital Baby Monitor

This monitor may cost more, but it definitely makes up for it in the reassurance one feels when you have to leave your baby alone in a room. This monitor can play 5 lullabies, has a night light on the base and lets you know the temperature in the room and alerts you with an alarm when it is too cold or too warm. One can set the sensitivity of the microphone and change the volume. There is also a battery indicator to let you know how much time you have left before it needs to be placed back on the charger. The charge supposedly allows for 8 hours of monitoring, but I think that is pushing it a bit; 6 hours is more like it. It is long enough for naps, which is what I use it for. It will also alert you when the monitor is not linked with base. Philips’ new DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) technology guarantees a crystal clear connection with zero interference between the baby’s monitor and the parent unit and finds an unused channel so you are the only one listening to your baby. It has a range of about 900 feet. I can go outside and garden around the house and be confident that I will hear my baby.

Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer

This is a great thermometer for baby because it only takes a couple of seconds to determine the body temperature in the ear. It is accurate if taken correctly since it takes the temperature of the eardrum which shares the blood supply with the temperature control center of the brain. Therefore, temperature changes are reflected sooner in the ear than on the skin, in the mouth or in the rectum. It is easy to clean with the lens filters and can not be inserted to far into the ear canal because of its shape.

 

What to do to Prepare for a House Fire and After a House Fire

A house fire that destroys everything that you own can be one of the most devastating things in one’s life. It takes at least a year to get back to a half way normal way of life. First, after seeing the horrible sight, one must sift through the remaining items, if there are any, and decide what to keep and what to throw out. And this is while you are breathing in soot and walking through caution tape and debris that is hazardous to say the least. You may think there are many remaining items that look OK and maybe it isn’t all THAT bad.

But then the vultures start arriving to let you know that your insurance is not going to treat you right and they have better options for you. They don’t care that you are in one of the lowest places you will ever be. And they don’t go away. These people are some of the worst people I can think of. They will not let you ignore them so you have to tell them politely to go away. But they will be back tomorrow…

This is in no way a complete list but a few salient points that one may not think about unless one has been through such an ordeal. Certain things depend on what insurance one has and what situation has occurred – a massive fire engulfing 100 houses or one lone house fire. Some people can be back to work in two days while others must take a leave of absence. Anyway, here are some tips to think about before you have a fire, some thoughts on what you might want to do after a fire and some ideas on what you could do for a friend or nieghbor who has been through a fire.

Some Things to Do Before You Have a Fire

Buy a decent fire safe and put things in there that you can not replace or do not want to replace. Place these items in plastic zipper bags. If you do not, water from fire hoses will penetrate the safe and get everything inside wet.

Copy computer data and make backups frequently of important photos, data and other things you may have. Keep these in the safe and/or at another location such as your parents’ or sibling’s home or in a safe deposit box.

Do not have a lot of ammunition and if you have some, keep it in an ammunition box or somewhere safe. Firefighters will not enter a house and try to fight a fire if they think they may get shot in the process by stay bullets going off.

Have appropriate fire extinguishers in different places of the house, especially in the kitchen and garage. Make sure these are checked yearly. Take a short course that allows you to use a fire extinguisher so you are familiar with how it works and are not scared of it.

 

Things to Do After you Have a Fire

One has to have a place to stay that is not temporary, at least a week. That may seem short but it establishes a sense of normalcy. The insurance company should put you up in a hotel nearby for up to a month until you can find someplace to stay or rent a place comparable to what you have. They will pay for both while you continue to pay your mortgage. They don’t usually pay anything for pets – boarding or vet bills.

Storage is another big deal. One can take things to the hotel room they put you in at first. But after a while the smell of burnt possessions gets to you and then you have to find alternate storage. It is best if you can find someone who has some free space or rent a storage space.

The other big item, albeit a luxury, would be something like an air purifier. You come home from working in the fire. You have possessions that are partially burned. They all smell like smoke. You can’t get away from it. Something to help alleviate that particular issue would be very nice in dealing with the evenings during the fire recovery.

The next most important things are what you will need for the first weeks and the initial weeks after that. This includes things like throw away clothing that you can wear when you go through the rubble. Trust me, you will never want to keep that clothing. This includes anything from cheap boots to overalls ( you really don’t care what you look like ). You will need the items when you get to “semi” permanent housing – an air mattress and sheets so that you have a place to sleep when move into your rental property. This is where all the little things come into play. Things like towels, toilet paper, toiletries, shower curtain, cooler, etc.

Kitchenware is another item to replace. Don’t get me wrong you will need the right spoon for everything, but the basics are necessary in the beginning. One thing to add here is that you should get things that you enjoy and will be worth keeping. Keep the receipts for everything because you will be sending or faxing them to insurance to be reimbursed. These things will be what you repopulate your future house with.

You may get some stuff back after the fire – like Pyrex measuring cups. But you have to wait until insurance inventories everything. Then restoration people come in, pack it all up, clean it and give it back to you after several months. Most stuff will not be returned to you since they are not allowed to give you back electronic things and regular glass has a tendency to break after being in such high heat.

Keep receipts for groceries and restaurants as well. They pay you back for groceries – up to what they estimate you had in your house. They will give you a percentage of restaurant bills back until you live in your more permanent housing. Go out to a nice restaurant even if you don’t feel like it. It will make you feel better. Make sure you have a few drinks if that helps you.

When you go through the item in your home with the insurance agent, they will ask you how old each item was and how much it costs. They will photograph it and record all their comments and these will be written down later. Eventually, they will have some company go through and estimate what each item costs and they will calculate the depreciation. Different things depreciate at different rates. Some insurance companies offer to replace things at the value they cost today. So, if you bought a radio five years ago at $50 and it depreciates 10% per year, you would get $25 back. Or you could go out and buy a similar radio again for $60 or so.

One problem is that they usually determine worth of contents of the hosue as a percentage of the cost of rebuilding your house. This means that if you have a cheaper house and more expensive contents, you must increase the amount of insurance you have. If you have a lot of computer equipment, get additional insurance. Usually, they only insure up to $5000. Things like jewelry should also be appraised and insured.

They will tell you to throw out everything. Please don’t. You will regret this for the rest of your life. If you have something that means a lot to you, give it to the restoration people and they will do their best to clean it up and return it to you. In the worst case, it falls apart and you never see it again. If it smells like smoke, you can put it in a case. If you are not happy with it, you can still call it a loss and get reimbursed up to a year (or two?) later. Just think about it before you let them throw your possessions into a trash container.

 

Things You Can Do for Others after They Had a Fire

One thing that may not seem like a big deal is home-cooked meals. Bring over meals for them to eat. It can even be people you have never met before, but the fact of the matter is that the next couple of weeks are going to be a blur for them. Not having to worry about food is a serious plus. These will be extremely appreciated. McDonalds only goes so far and it becomes the staple for too many meals during this time period. If you know someone well, some of you could come up with a weekly calendar for volunteers to do a meal for the family. That would be a huge help.

Gift certificates are one of the best things you could possibly give. If you come home from your burnt out house, the last thing you want to do is deal with basic stuff like food or supplies. Gift certificates can be used right away and people will be very grateful for them. One way to give them is in a basket with a plant like a Lily as the centerpiece and a bottle of wine. The reality is that the little things that you don’t have to deal with are some of the best things that may help during this time. For these certificates I would recommend things like Vons, Wal-Mart, and restaurants that are everywhere.

If they have a pet and you have a place for it to stay while they are in a hotel, it would be better for the pet and the owner. Unless they need to comfort one another, being locked up in a hotel room for weeks is no fun for anyone.

Depending on their situation, things like old shoes and clothing for taking inventory of the house would be thoughtful. Why buy a new pair of shoes for that? Also, if the family is not insured, the real help needs to start. They will not have ANYTHING. At this point absolutely anything will be of help.

An Ounce of Prevention…

Hopefully, no one will ever have to go through a house fire. But these tips are things to consider if you or someone you know does. Be safe and prepared!

Splenda and Sucralose: Friend or Foe

Splenda

Many people have embraced Splenda as a new miracle sugar. What some people may not realize, however, is that Splenda can cause rashes and other negative reactions in a small percentage of people. It is a very difficult thing to diagnose, but once it has been, it is easy to track .

Splenda is a no calorie sweetener that can be used much like sugar. It is actually a modified sugar that is called sucralose. The process selectively replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with chlorine atoms. This changes the sucrose to sucralose, which is supposedly inert. It passes through the body without it being recognized as a carbohydrate.

Although they label it as being safe, it is known to cause negative reactions in a small subset of the population.

My Story

In November 2006 I bought a pumpkin pie and did not realize it was made with Splenda until I got it home. Even then, I did not really mind since it would supposedly be healthier than one made with normal sugar. Each day we had a piece of pie after dinner until it was gone. I had severe intestinal discomfort and gas very soon after eating the pie. By the end of the week, I had a horrible rash on my right ear and could not sleep because of the itch. It was very swollen, red and painful. Finally, I went to the doctor and they said it was an allergic reaction to something. They asked if I had been into anything new. I thought back and decided the only thing to change was the Splenda. When I returned home, I looked it up online and found many websites to confirm my suspicion.

Some Possible Symptoms

Some symptoms include rash, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, gas, difficulty breathing, swollen eyes, red face, cramps, bladder pain, numbness in arms and legs and depression. Other symptoms probably exist.

My Purpose

I am not attempting to tell anyone not to buy Splenda. I merely want to let people know that this happened to me and it has happened to others. If you get a rash or other symptom, please consider if Splenda or sucralose has been ingested in the near past. It is easy to treat: just stop eating or drinking it and you will improve. In severe cases hydrocortisone cream worked for me, but others had to visit the emergency room to get medical care.