 Crawligator Review
By: Rebecca Romo My daughter has developmental delays and we are always looking for ways to prop her up to make tummy time easier and encourage the use of her hands and arms. In addition, we are always looking for ways to promote the positioning of her knees underneath her...the Crawligator does both. In the past we rolled up blankets, used my leg or a couch cushion but none of these promote movement in the way the Crawligator does. We see physical therapy twice a week and I showed our PT the product and she agreed that it does the things we are trying to promote. As a bonus the product is so fun looking that my toddler is very interested in it. Having him involved always increases enthusiasm and duration of tummy time, so it's a win win that he loves the look of the Crawligator. At the moment she isn't able to make it move, we're solely using it to provide support under her chest so that she can explore with her hands and learn to put weight on her hands. It positions her knees perfectly to give her the feel of what's to come and I'm excited to see her discover the movement aspect as well.
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 The Cost of Raising A Child Birth through Infancy
By: Gary M. DellaPosta, CPA Here are the costs you can expect up to birth and during the first year: Note: For a second or third child, you will spend much less on furniture, clothing, and toys, but health care, child care, and food will remain the same. Hospital Costs According to the Transforming Maternity Care Partnership, in 2011, an uneventful hospital delivery, on average, in the United States cost between $10,657 (vaginal birth, no complications) and $23,923 (cesarean section birth with complications). The actual costs you pay, of course, vary depending on your health care coverage. Baby Supplies and Equipment Before you bring the baby home, you'll buy a crib, a changing table, and a swing or bouncy seat. The moderately priced versions of these three things will cost you about $1,200. You'll also need at least one stroller that you can expect to pay about $400 for. A full-size infant car seat will cost you about $150-$200, and a full-size high chair will cost $150. Finally, you will spend several hundred dollars on washcloths, sheets, blankets, towels, undershirts, onesies, and other baby clothes. Also, think about whether you plan to use a diaper service, cloth diapers, or use disposable ones. Feeding and Diapers The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding your baby for at least 6 months. Many women, of course, choose to breastfeed longer than that. Nursing mothers will have to invest in several good nursing bras and nursing pads (about $50) as well as a nursing pillow (about $25). If you plan to return to work after 3 months, consider investing in a hospital-grade breast pump, which will run you about $400. In comparison, a year's worth of ready mix powder formula costs about $1,350. If you buy the ready-to-serve type of formula the cost, is even more, running well over $2,000. You'll also need a year's supply of bottles, at about $90, and you'll have to add another $40 to replace the nipples at least twice in a year. When your baby is ready for solid foods, you will also need to account for the cost of rice cereal and baby food. Diapers are another expense you need to consider. Cloth diapers are the least expensive option. Disposable diaper costs for the first year run about $850, and a diaper genie costs about $40. Child Care Child care expenses vary widely. Child care in a day care center costs much less than a live-in nanny (unless you have multiples, then a nanny or au pair is the less expensive option), and prices for daycare centers vary widely. Child care in a day care center costs much less than a live-in nanny. A mid-priced day care center charges on average $975 per month for your infant's care, or close to $12,000 per year. Health Care Your infant will visit the doctor about six times during his or her first year, including well-baby check-ups as well as the inevitable colds and fevers of infancy. How much you will spend for doctor visits during the first year depends on your health insurance. Toys and Clothes You will spend about $500-$600 on toys and clothing during the first year (in addition to what you bought for the layette.) Total for the First Year Your total expenses for the first year run about $15,000-$18,000. The biggest variable is the cost of health care.  Thought I would post the upcoming schedule via the American Red Cross in Hyannis of the CPR classes! Maybe some of us can take them together! These classes are for CPR/AED Adult plus Child and Infant. Please go to http://www.capecodandislandsredcross.org/ to register!
Certification Classes July 26 6-8:30pm $90 August 9 6-8:30pm $90 August 15 9:30-12pm $90 August 25 3:30-6pm $90 Review Classes July 29 9-12pm $70 August 16 6-9pm $70 August 31 6-9pm $70 Sept 13 6-9pm $70 Sept 26 6-9pm $70 I don't know about you, but when I go out to public places, especially the grocery store with my son it seems as if people like to gravitate towards us. Lately, it seems as if it happens in slow motion like a scene out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or the Zombie Apocalypse. The only difference is that the zombies are not after me, no they are after MY baby! They want to touch him, pet him, stroke him, kiss him, play with him. It's as if they crave the innocent life force deep within my child's soul.
I have tried several tricks: wearing him in a carrier, keeping him in the carseat with a blanket over him, etc. Nothing works. I researched a few ways to discourage the touching though: "She's irresistible, isn't she? I know it's hard to not touch, but I would rather you say 'Hi' without handling her." "My baby's a little shy. Would you mind backing off a bit?" "Feel free to look, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't touch." "UH-OH! You should really go see a doctor, he's SUPER contagious right now. But only from direct contact. Since people aren't supposed to touch other people's babies, no one should be at risk." Start "petting", stroking, or touching their socks, arms, mouth, head etc and then when they look shocked: "OH! Should I have asked first?" and use sanitizer on your hands. I have heard stories from my friends of people reaching in thru a car window at the gas station to touch the baby, reaching thru a playpen gate to touch not only the baby but his toys and swing. Yes, we are very proud of our little ones and we appreciate the compliments that they are adorable, cute, beautiful, and handsome. We know! We made them and we did a darn good job! However, our babies are still new to this world and are not always ready for the bombardment of germs and other micro critters that live on people. Even if someone touches the baby's foot, that foot is later going to go right into their mouth, making the germs' job ten times easier at invading the new environment. Sometimes I can even hear the little germs yell with glee as they slide on inside to take up a new residence. Now for those of you who think well germs are no big deal, what about the fact that this is a random person walking up to your child and touching them? When was the last time you walked up to a random person and started stroking their head? I haven't done that ever and I would be probably screaming for help if someone did that to me in the grocery store. The primary culprits tend to be the elder population. I understand it probably makes them feel younger and gives them hope. After all that is what babies symbolize to many: HOPE! Hope for the future, hope for the innocence to last, hope for dreams to come true, etc. I think as we get older we learn so much more about the world and how it works and we long for the days of our youth when we were innocent. Our biggest worry then was if we didn't get a popsicle after dinner or if we didn't get a story before bedtime. We didn't know of evil in the world, that didn't exist, except in stories where the good guy always won! I try to remind myself that these people are getting a little more joy in their day because they got to see my son's radiant smile, but please don't touch or at least ask so I can politely tell you that I appreciate your interest but no. Who knows maybe when I am older, I will see an infant in the store and want to touch him or her, but I won't because it is not polite, but I will make silly faces in the hopes of getting the baby to smile back at me so I can recapture a simpler time ;) ~Amy |
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