Safety

I remember trying to find places to shop when we went dairy free, and I have seen many more moms go through the same transition when allergies took over their pantries. Now that we have grown out of our dairy issues I have found the perfect resource. Check out the Loudoun Allergy Network for lists of places to shop, restaurants, and lots of other support!

Check out this article in today’s Washington Post! After reading it you’ll probably be interested in advice regarding what to do when you encounter a bear.

There are so many ticks out there this year! It can be a tricky line to walk wanting to get the kids outdoors but also wanting to keep them safe from nasty chronic stuff like lyme disease. I talked to our ped’s office extensively about this after finding our first deer tick — which looked like a freckle — this spring and what they emphasized most was finding the ticks and getting them off within 6-8 hours to minimize chance of transmission.

These are some things that we have embraced in our family’s tick prevention campaign:

• making bath time an after-hike ritual or at least changing clothes shortly after the hike
• wearing hats (we love Sunday Afternoons hats)
• offer the kids something tasty (like a chocolate chip) if they find a tick on themselves or their siblings or you
• google lyme disease — it totally motivated me to step up our tick checks
• if you find a tick, a pair of clean tweezers is all you need for removal — forget all the crazy ways to remove ticks that we grew up with, like flames, alcohol or oil (yes, I had exciting childhood tick removal experiences)
• talk to your pediatrician if you find a tick or if you have questions

In case you need further motivation, I have an fascinating story involving a tick, a belly button — not mine or my kids’, thank goodness! — and a trip to the emergency room. I will spare you the details and just let your imagination alone motivate you to do tick checks after every hike. (Getting off soap box now….)

If you do find a tick that has embedded itself, make sure you remove it as soon as possible. If you remove a deer tick, you may wish to keep it intact and bring it to your doctor for testing to determine whether it is a lyme disease carrier. If it is not a deer tick, what you do with the pest is entirely up to your own discretion.

Happy hiking, and don’t forget to channel your inner apes by participating in a post-hike communal tick-check grooming session!

I have tried not to worry too much about the frenzy regarding the dangers of plastic. I have a keep it simple, never microwave in plastic, store stuff in something else when able, use non-plastic for some of the kids’ drinks and rotate brands so you mix up the evil chemicals but don’t get sucked into worrying about it policy. Doesn’t sound so simple when I type in out!

I have enjoyed using the $1 Nuby Sippy cups. I like the solid colors and the fact that I don’t get cranky when we lose one — after all, they are much cheaper than a latte — however, I lifted my head out of the sand when I got an email today linking to a blog that appears to be pretty well-researched and decided it’s time to retire them.

While we are talking recalls… there’s yet another list you can join to receive info on infant & child products. This one is put out by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Here’s a cool tool to clutter your inbox and help keep your little ones safe! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers an e-mail notification system for car seat recalls.