Recalled toys - search by age, category, importer
Nicole McMullin
November 19, 2007 10:42 PM
There is something to be said for playing with a spool of thread these days.
But if you need to purchase actual toys, you can look up toys that have been recalled in our new database.
I was surprised to find ten items listed for infants, a couple of which I would have purchased in the store. Click on MORE INFO to see a photo of the toy and get details.
Sometimes babies fuss because we dress them funny
Nicole McMullin
November 17, 2007 9:07 AM
It’s hard to resist adorable baby clothes. Not only has Sophia received quite a few wonderful outfits from family and friends, but I succumb to the kids department at every store I enter. Now that we’re back in Richmond I’ve stopped by the used and consignment stores as well.
But sometimes adorable outfits are better left on the hanger.
I’ve learned quickly that babies want to be dressed as babies, not as miniature versions of adults. And as for the doll clothes, they’re better left on dolls.
Sophia took particular objection to one outfit that I couldn’t wait for her to grow into. It is a plush pink jumper embroidered with ladybugs, bees and butterflies. It has a white cotton collar on the neckline with a cute ladybug embroidered in the center. I thought it would be great.
I put it on her recently and realized that the cotton collar (that really made the outfit) made Sophie look like a clown, and it was so large and stiff that when she leaned her head back the collar flipped up and covered her face. It was bad news, as my mother-in-law would say.
Lesson number one: avoid attached cotton or other collars that only get in the way of baby’s natural movements and make him or her look like a circus clown.
Then there’s pants. I have to admit that Sophia has been wearing a pair of jeans on most days, but that’s only because I don’t have a lot of clothes in her current size and I am waiting for her to hit the next size sometime soon. The jeans are cute but I admit that they may not be the most practical item in Sophia’s wardrobe. Moving forward I plan to avoid buttons and zippers on baby pants and stick with less construction as opposed to more.
Lesson number two: buttons, zippers and belt loops are cute but not practical for baby. Keep it simple, keep it loose.
Finally there’s fabric. In general, I want to wear 100 percent cotton and I imagine it’s the same for babies. So while they’re cute, holiday and other dresses made from synthetic fabrics that look cute on the hanger can’t be comfortable on new skin. Adults don’t like synthetic fabrics, why subject kids to the same ordeal?
Lesson number three: stick with fabrics found in nature. Babies shouldn’t sweat.
I am also trying to avoid anything that resembles shoulder pads. It sounds crazy, but there seems to be a trend with outfits that have gathered puffy sleeves. They just look like shoulder pads once you get them on. Proof here – unhappy baby.
And while this issue may come up more frequently with little girls, parents of boys are not exempt. I’ve see a few miniature sailor outfits and business suits that could only inspire a grump.
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Screen time happens
Nicole McMullin
November 12, 2007 1:16 PM
I haven’t parked my newborn in front of the television with a children’s DVD playing on the television, but screen time happens.
The first time Sophia was mesmerized by the people in the light box was about a month ago when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a free concert on the Today show. I had strapped Sophia into her bouncy chair in the living room while I got ready in the bathroom. I left the television on in the other room.
I noticed that she was being quiet and when I went to investigate I found her watching the Springsteen concert on T.V. Her chair wasn’t facing the television, but if she turned her head she could watch the show.
I decided not to turn off the T.V. or turn her chair completely around. It was only for a few minutes and who am I to argue with The Boss.
Since then there have been a few similar instances. I’ve caught her “watching” Book T.V. Perhaps she likes the slow easy banter. Her dad also held her and explained the rules of baseball for a few nights while they watched the Boston Red Sox win the World Series.
I have also noticed her watching me and the computer screen while I check my email and read the news online.
According to Media Education in the Practice Setting, a guide for pediatricians from the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Media exposure at a young age (birth through age 2) often substitutes for important parent/caregiver/child activities that encourage early brain development, such as playing, singing and reading.”
I am aware of the recommendations from the AAP and we are making an effort to keep our daughter facing away from the television and computer while they are on, but there are times during the day when she is in close proximity to the big bad screen. It’s just the two of us at home during the day and there are instances when it happens.
And this entire conversation is lost on my father-in-law who bonded with his two sons while watching television with them throughout their childhood. His favorite stories include which show was playing on T.V.
My hope is that all of the other times when we play, read and sing will balance out the little bit of screen exposure Sophia gets.
The fact that she woke from a nap while I am typing this blog entry highlights the challenge. She’s awake and ready for some interaction, but I need to finish what I am doing before we can get down to some serious afternoon play. Do I place her away from me and the computer while I finish this blog post, or hold her and type with one hand? I’m opting for one-handed typing for just a few minutes.
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Forget 99.5, a UTI takes the cake
Nicole McMullin
November 03, 2007 6:12 AM
Sophia’s temperature soared to 101.7 on Monday night and we spent the following few days in the hospital. She is recovering now and we are following up with her doctor next week. Still no word on when my husband and I will be recovered from the ordeal.
Many people have told me to trust my mother’s intuition. That I have a unique understanding of my child and will be able to comprehend her needs. I’m afraid, though, that my intuition is flawed or possibly just taking a while to kick in.
Sophie and I left the house on Monday afternoon to run some errands. She needed socks, I needed Starbucks.
She was fussy, but not too fussy. She slept, but not too much. She ate a little less than normal, but not too much less than normal. She didn’t have a lot of energy, but it was one of those fall days and I didn’t either. My instincts told me that all was well and that babies have good days and bad days. She is developing a personality and not every day will be her best.
We returned home and fell asleep early in the evening. I woke up at midnight to feed her and she was hot and making puny sounds far different than her usual robust “feed me” cry. When I picked her up I noticed that she was hot. I took her temperature, called the pediatrician and went to the emergency room.
Once we arrived and they verified Sophia’s temperature, a series of tests and tears began that lasted for a few days. The tears continue.
Sophia had a spinal tap in the emergency room to check for infection, blood drawn for further testing and a catheter was inserted to gather a urine sample. An antibiotic and Tylenol were administered and she was admitted as a patient.
The nurses assured me that she will not remember the pain of being a 7-week-old pin cushion, but it was still hard for me to watch Sophia cry and feel the needle as they poked her arms and hands for blood and extracted spinal fluid from her little back. I was told that most parents leave the room during the tests, but if she was crying I was going to stand there and cry by her side. We were a mess.
The next few days were trying. I truly had a hard time keeping my head on straight because I was so emotional. I asked as many questions as I could think of, called our pediatrician (who does not have attending rights at the hospital we went to) for a second point of view and bugged the nursing staff up until the minute we were discharged. Sophia responded well to the antibiotics and was doing better, but I continued to flail and fear the worst.
On top of head congestion she has been battling for a couple of weeks, Sophia was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection which the pediatrician believed caused her fever. While we were thankful that the diagnosis was somewhat common, Sophia’s age was a concern. She’s just so small, so young, so fragile – I just kept looking at her little body hoping it would rebound.
Both the attending pediatrician and Sophia’s doctor said that a condition called vesicoureteral reflux can cause urinary tract infections. The condition is present in almost one-third of children with urinary tract infections and can lead to kidney damage and scarring, according to WebMD.com.
Tests can determine if this is the case and there is a treatment. We’re beginning those tests as soon as possible.
Or, Sophia’s infection could have been caused by fecal contamination. Little girls are to be wiped from “front to back,” but most bowel movements are all over the place before the wiping begins. Regardless, we’re taking even more care when changing her diaper.
And piling on to the issues for which my husband and I are unprepared to handle well, Sophia’s hospital-visit bonus prize is a wicked diaper rash caused by hospital-grade wipes, so we’re working to heal that, too.
I continue to hope for the best but am becoming increasingly compulsive. I’m taking Sophia’s temperature often and have no plans of leaving the house with her unless necessary for fear of a viral infection on top of everything else. Diaper changes have become a dramatic event involving wet cloths, alcohol-free wipes and butt paste. At this point I would elect to put Sophie in a sterile plastic bubble if I could.
I have struggled to find my footing as a new mom. It concerns me that when I thought that I was finally getting the hang of it and beginning to feel more confident in my ability to take care of Sophia, we ended up spending three nights in the hospital and she spent her first Halloween hooked up to an IV. Her little arm was wrapped so heavy with gauze and tape holding the IV in place that it looked like the beginnings of a mummy costume.
I am thankful that Sophie is getting better and I am eager to follow up with the doctor next week to make sure that all is well. It’s amazing how robust her body is. I think she is giving her infection as good of a fight as she gives me when I try to get T-shirts over her head.
As for me, I’m going to work on merging my head, heart and intuition into one parenting method that doesn’t rely too heavily on any one part. I can read as many articles about what to expect during childhood as I like, but the knowledge will not help me if I cannot identify the warning signs when something is wrong. And when I do have to deal with an illness or other issue, it will be helpful to all of us if I can leave some of my emotion at the door. I will be more effective at wiping Sophie’s tears if I am dealing with fewer of my own.
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99.5 degrees is high enough for me
Nicole McMullin
October 24, 2007 3:15 AM
Kids get colds. They’ll recover and build up their immune system in the process. That’s the wisdom that flew my way from numerous sources last week after Sophia started sneezing and had a stuffy nose and mild temperature.
I know it’s true, that kids get sick, but I didn’t expect a cold so soon. Sophia was only 5 weeks old and 8 pounds, 14 ounces, so I didn’t handle this test of motherhood very well.
I should have seen it coming because my husband has not felt well for a couple of weeks. We chalked his symptoms up to seasonal allergy and sinus problems but it appears that he was battling something else as well.
We noticed that Sophie felt warm to the touch and took her temperature. It was less than
90 99 degrees but I scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician just to be on the safe side.
Besides, I tried using the suction bulb that came with my children’s first aid kit to clear her nose and only succeeded in annoying her further. I needed a lesson in booger suctioning and figured that’s what health insurance is for anyway.
The doctor confirmed that yes, Sophia had a standard cold. Something was going around. And although she still had a low temperature, I was told to monitor her temperature closely. Because of her small size, the doctor warned me that if her temperature went up we were heading to the hospital.
Once home from the pediatrician’s office I took Sophia in my bedroom, shut the door, held her in my arms and cried. I knew things could be much worse but I was overcome with fear. I was afraid that her temperature would rise, that we would go to the hospital and that this would turn out to be more than just a cold.
Babies do not come with a list of illnesses and diseases that they will develop as they grow and I was afraid that my healthy child was more than a little ill.
Sophie’s temperature continued to rise reaching 99.5 degrees later in the night. At that point I called the doctor just to be sure we were doing the right thing. We were told to keep her full of fluids, continue to use the suction bulb in her nose and check her temperature periodically.
It was a long night as we took turns feeding, suctioning and watching her sleep in her bouncy chair. Sophia’s head was so congested that she had a hard time breathing while laying on her back in her cradle so we kept her upright in the chair. (What did parents do before the invention of the bouncy chair?)
Sophia slept a lot for the next two days just waking up to eat and get a fresh diaper. Her temperature went up and down, but never went over 99.5.
We locked ourselves in the house as best we could in order to prevent further germs from creeping in and sickening our new, little, delicate baby. Her little body was able to battle off the cold, but she is still dealing with the sniffles.
My husband is also feeling better. It seems that our self-enforced quarantine and acute attention to hand washing and sleeping was good for him as well.
Of course, I was the last family member to catch the bug and am still sniffling and sneezing. Breast feeding prevents me from taking cold medicine, so I am relying on juice and vitamins to boost my immune system and help purge the cold. I figure that if my tiny child can fight off her first cold with just a good meal and a good night’s sleep, my overgrown body should be able to do the same.
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The three bears who live in a castle awaiting rescue by the handsome prince
Nicole McMullin
October 18, 2007 3:57 PM
It turns out that I am a novice when it comes to nursery rhymes. I’m not all that knowledgeable of fairy tales either. It wasn’t until I found myself rocking my new baby and attempting to sing and tell her stories that I realized I lack this essential parenting skill.
The ability to sing the correct lyrics to “Pat a Cake” is not a resume-building skill in most professions. In fact, humming such songs in your cubicle is usually frowned upon in the workplace.
And as for fairy tales, I’ve spent my adult life shunning the idea that all women are princesses in disguise just waiting for a handsome prince to make life worth living, so I didn’t brush up on my knowledge of far-away lands prior to bringing home my baby girl.
I assumed that I possessed this knowledge - that the tunes and stories of my childhood were laying dormant in my brain just waiting to be called out of the bullpen.
I was wrong and have resorted to going with what I know.
To my surprise, the story of a boy called upon save the galaxy from the dark Lord Vader just rolls off the tongue. And somewhere along the way I picked up most of the lyrics to “Me and Bobby McGee.” The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has also become an afternoon staple, although my husband tells me that the bears do not eat Goldilocks at the end (but that just doesn’t make sense).
But I do want to broaden my repertoire and encourage imagination, so I have started reading fairy tales to Sophia while she is sitting in her bouncy chair or propped up in her Boppy pillow. She still has a hard time focusing on pictures in books, but I think she enjoys my voice and our time together. Of course, she falls asleep soon after the stories begin.
And as for singing, I looked up nursery rhymes online and am working to integrate them into Sophie’s feeding times. I think she is getting tired of my bad Janis Joplin impression and could use a few fun songs that she can eventually sing on her own.
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Weight watching
Nicole McMullin
October 08, 2007 11:52 AM
I expected my daughter’s weight to be an issue – a lifelong conversation and struggle. I was preparing to battle childhood obesity and obsess over teaching good nutrition. To my surprise, Sophia is underweight and we’re feeding her like she’s on a permanent eating binge.
At her two-week checkup Sophie had gained only one ounce since leaving the hospital. I was breast feeding her almost exclusively and she was quite sleepy. The result was that when she was awake, she nibbled on the breast because her stomach was small and my breast milk was still not plentiful. And after nibbling for a while she would just fall asleep.
Her pediatrician put us on a rigorous eating schedule in order to beef up the baby. We were instructed to wake her up and make her eat every 2 -3 hours. This was a challenge at first because Sophia was just not interested in waking and eating. But after a few days her stomach started to expand and she woke up on her own when she was hungry.
The other issue was my lack of breast milk I was producing enough milk for only a few of Sophie’s stepped-up feedings and I had to add a lot of formula to her diet. I beat myself up for days as we continued to use an increased amount of formula.
I visited a lactation consultant who, to my surprise, advised that I pump more regularly and worry less about feeding Sophia on the breast and instead focus on keeping breast milk in her diet. We’re still breast feeding and bonding when we can, but I am pumping more and she is eating most meals from the bottle.
At her follow-up visit with the pediatrician Sophia had gained and additional eight ounces and she continues to expand up and out. We have another appointment this afternoon and I have my fingers crossed that she is closer to her correct weight.
This whole experience has been stressful for us as new parents. The initial concern over Sophia’s weight led us to question everything that we are doing. Up to that point we thought we were doing on O.K. job. Everyone told us that babies sleep all of the time and that we should be thankful she wasn’t fussy. It turns out we were all wrong.
But the experience of rigorously watching Sophie’s weight has been eye-opening as well. Friends and family members (and a few random folks) shared similar stories with us about their challenges with breast feeding and maintaining their child’s weight. It turns out that while breast feeding is best, a lot of mothers have a hard time.
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Not a Hollywood birth story
Nicole McMullin
September 26, 2007 10:57 AM
My birth story has a happy ending - ten fingers, ten toes, bright eyes and a loud cry. The overall birth process, though, was not like a Hollywood story.
I never went into labor. My husband and I didn’t scurry out of the house in the middle of the night and hurry towards the hospital. We didn’t experience traffic delays, forgotten bags or other follies. Instead, we had to decide whether or not Sophia would be born by a cesarean section instead of a vaginal birth after one failed induction attempt and 24 hours in the hospital.
I was a puffball for most of my pregnancy. Overweight to begin with, normal pregnancy weight gain coupled with the amount of water I retained just made me look puffy from head to toe.
But as the weeks went by I went from puffy to at risk for preeclampsia (also called toxemia) and a general concern that I may explode. I gained less than 20 pounds during my pregnancy and it appears it was mostly water weight.
A month prior to my due date the fluid that had permanently settled in my feet and ankles (my husband correctly referred to them as cankles) migrated north and my hands, fingers and face ballooned as well.
For these reasons, each time I saw an obstetrician or midwife (I went to a collaborative practice) there was increased concern. I was told to lay flat as much as possible in the hopes that I could rid my body of some of the fluid. I was also told to keep walking as it would help as well. Essentially, I was supposed to lay flat unless I was walking. Sitting wasn’t on the list.
Meanwhile, all seemed well with the baby although she had yet to drop and my cervix was long and closed. In short, my body was not readying itself for labor.
Four days after my due date I went to my previously scheduled doctor’s appointment, met with a midwife and was told to leave the doctor’s office and go straight to the hospital. I mentioned that I was feeling less movement in the womb and my blood pressure had risen. These new developments added to the list of other concerns equaled an afternoon of fetal monitoring and another sonogram, just to have a look around and check the baby’s position and weight.
Fetal monitoring at the hospital revealed that the baby’s heartbeat was strong, but the sonogram shed light on a previously unknown situation in the womb. My amniotic fluid was dangerously low and it was possible that if I did go into labor the small amount of fluid that remained would not be enough to cushion the baby, thus opening up the door to other serious issues.
Since the heartbeat was strong we decided to induce labor and see how the baby responded to contractions. I was given pitocin and hooked up to a machine for constant fetal monitoring and watched for any changes, positive or negative.
The induction process began late in the afternoon and lasted through the night and most of the next day. Pitocin was followed with other hormones inserted vaginally in order to soften my cervix and get things moving, but labor never came. My contractions were few and mild, my cervix didn’t change much and the baby seemed to be most content sitting high in my tummy.
I was increasingly mentally and physically exhausted. I was constantly concerned about the baby. If there were any signs of distress I would have to have an emergency cesarean section.
I started to question why I was continuing the induction process. It wasn’t working, I showed no signs of progress and the word the medical staff kept using to describe my body was “unfavorable.” I was an unfavorable candidate for vaginal delivery and further medical intervention seemed imminent.
I spent my second day in the hospital stressed out over how to proceed. Not only did I want to have a more natural experience and give my body a chance to deliver the baby on its own (I’m a classic procrastinator so who’s to say my uterus and child are not as well), but I had read more than a couple of articles about the increased number of cesarean births in the past decade and how the surgery is not always medically necessary. Plus, I was afraid of the surgery. (Actually, I’m fearful of all surgery.)
So I had to assess necessary. I realized that the fact that I was constantly hooked up to a fetal monitor and was told that I wasn’t able to leave until I had the baby meant that my time in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital was limited. I was having a c-section, the decision to make was whether I wanted to schedule the operation on my own or whether I wanted to wait for fetal distress to cause an emergency situation.
The latter was not an option. So after more than 24 hours in the hospital and one failed induction attempt I signed up for a cesarean section. I felt it was the safest option for the baby and the only issue was my fear. I admit that I cried and tried to think of reasons to back out at the last minute. Thankfully my husband was there to assure me that all would be OK.
For the surgery I was given an epidural and a mild sedative (I was a nervous wreck) instead of a spinal block. All went well and I truly felt no pain. The operation was quick and Max was able to hold the baby next to me minutes after she was born. We spent four more days in the hospital and were anxious and ready to go when we were finally able to leave.
Sophia is thriving and I am recovering well. I am thankful that the baby was born safely and that we didn’t have to face an emergency situation. I have unanswered questions, though, that will most likely remain that way.
The two doctors who saw me in the hospital and the handful or midwives were not able to give me a reason as to why things happened the way they did. No one knows where the bulk of my amniotic fluid went (it was visible in my 36 week sonogram), and there is no obvious reason why the baby never made her way to my pelvis and the birth canal (she wasn’t tangled in the umbilical cord and wasn’t too large). I was just “unfavorable.”
I’ve thought about what could have happened if this was 1907 instead of 2007. Is it possible that my child or I would not have made it through childbirth? I am thankful for the miracle that is Sophia, but wonder what would have happened if I had waited for labor, and why my body was unable to follow through.
With as much as we know now about pregnancy and childbirth, there are still so many unknowns. What physical and environmental issues landed me in the growing group of women who have cesarean sections? Will this number just continue to rise?
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Baby’s first playlist
Nicole McMullin
September 19, 2007 3:51 PM
Like shoes, music can serve a specific purpose. So in the same way that black leather high-heeled boots are best worn to loud and crowded nightclubs, soothing vocals and chilled-out instrumentals play well at home while I am shoeless with my new baby girl.
Inspired by an article I read a while back about music and children, I compiled Baby’s First playlist to listen to on the drive home from the hospital and at home in the following weeks.
The article was not the typical “classical music is good for babies,” pitch, but written by a father who had given great thought to the first music his child should hear. Jazz, he decided, would fill his infant’s ears while riding home from the hospital.
I didn’t save the article (or the name of the author and cannot find the article by doing a Web search), but the message stayed with me. As a parent, I have a unique opportunity to share wonderful things with a new person. To expose her to great music, art and the best of life.
My daughter will develop her own taste as she grows, but I can lay a foundation for appreciation that she will hopefully embrace.
I did not set high goals for Baby’s First playlist - meaning that the criteria for inclusion doesn’t include music that has to be proven to aid in cognitive development or have at any time been considered great. More than anything, I looked through my music library for songs that, for one reason or another, soothed and delighted.
While somewhat aware of lyrics, I found myself selecting tempo and rhythm above all else.
Compiling the list was more challenging than I expected. What I intended to serve as an introduction to music became more of an introduction to me – meet your mom in 15 songs or less. The songs on the list are favorites through the years as well as a few new ones that, when put together, remind me of happy times and good people.
An alternative name for this playlist could be the “No Shoes” or “Comfortable Shoes” mix. It’s not intended to represent the best music and doesn’t inspire a range of moods. It’s simply a collection of songs best suited for relaxing, napping and bonding.
Sophia will have years to explore her family’s entire music collection, hopefully picking a few favorites of her own. More playlists will follow - I’ll just save The Distillers and Smashing Pumpkins for the more appropriate middle school years.
Baby’s fist playlist
1 – By Your Side (The Neptunes Remix) by Sade
2 – California Stars by Billy Bragg and Wilco
3 – Groove Armada – At the River by Ministry of Sound
4 – Wild World by Beth Orton
5 – Eleanor by Shannon Worrell
6 – Diffusing by Michael Brook
7 – Make me Whole by Amel Larrieux
8 – Pressure Drop by Jimmy Cliff
9 – Sweet and Low by Fugazi
10 – Heartbeat by Tres Chicas
11- Rock me on the Water by Jackson Browne
12 – What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
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Hormones and breast feeding rule the day
Nicole McMullin
September 18, 2007 6:15 AM
Five days after giving birth to my daughter I am still struggling to express my thoughts and feelings about new mommahood.
My uncharacteristic loss of words was initially caused by the morphine hangover that followed my epidural. Today, I am still processing new emotions and routines, and the new person who looks at me with the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen.
And yes, I am already longing for a nap.
Throughout my pregnancy I heard that parenthood would change my life, but I wasn’t truly able to process how radical the change would be until yesterday morning when I started this new week as Mom for the first time.
The obvious changes – the baby accessories that have taken over my condo – are not overwhelming. It’s the emotional changes that continue to take me for a ride. At this point, I could make use of a book on Zen parenthood or perhaps the Tao of parenting.
In the meantime, I’ll just be happy if my hormones finally level out and I can get the hang of breast feeding – both are a lot harder to manage than they are cracked up to be.
Sophia Justice Perry
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