Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in silicon valley, CA

Over The Counter Medication Safety

by bonggamom

May 11, 2009

Today's guest post was brought to you by Caroline Jorgensen, editor for Being Savvy Tampa.   She was recently offered an exciting opportunity to be part of a mom blogger interview with Chandra Wilson, the very talented actor who
plays Dr. Bailey on the hit television drama, Grey’s Anatomy.  Chandra Wilson is the spokesperson for the Treat with Care Campaign. She is working with the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) to advocate for the safe use of children’s over the counter medication (OTCs).

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association is a non-profit, consumer focused association supported by the makers of many over the counter medications. Recently, the USFDA changed its OTC recommendations and now suggests they only be used for children 4 and older (as opposed to previous labels recommending use for ages 2 and older). The Treat with Care Campaign is the CHPA’s initiative to encourage the safe use of children’s OTCs.

Below is Caroline's write-up of her interview with Chandra Wilson:

Chandra greeted us all warmly and was clearly happy to speak with us. She spoke to us not as the character she plays on “Greys”, but as just another concerned mom. Each of us took turns asking questions about her use of OTCs and how we should be more cautious. She suggested the following tips while using OTCs.

*Read labels and never give your child more than the recommended dose
*Store medications out of reach AND out of sight of your children. The flavors can be enticing, so she even turns the labels with the cute grapes inward
*Never use an OTC for children younger than the recommended age of four or under (unless prescribed otherwise by a doctor)
*Never use adult medications for children
*Never use any medication for the purpose of making your child sleepy

Chandra also explained that OTC medications are dangerous when parents misuse them or children have taken them on their own and over-dosed. In fact, the FDA found this was occurring more often with children under the age of 4, hence the changes on labels. She told us that this campaign is simply just a good reminder to everyone about how we should administer OTCs - they are safe if they are used correctly and per the USFDA’s recommendations.

Finally, I did ask Chandra how she balances such a busy work schedule with being a mother to three children.  She explained that she has a great support team in place. She has a day to day schedule and tries to stick with it. And while she has a plan in place, she always makes room for the human factor. Things can change daily and she tries to accommodate accordingly. Sometimes her kids might come to work or maybe one has to get to camp - whatever it is, she just tries to make room for it just like we all do.

It was a joy to speak with Chandra – I appreciated how real and relaxed the conversation was. Because she is not a doctor, she is a working mom just like so many of us. We laughed about our kids, we swapped stories and we talked about how important it is to protect our children. At the end of our half hour, I was truly a little sad to say good-bye.

If you want to see more from Chandra, click here to watch her Treat with Care PSA about over the counter medication safety.

Building Good Organization Habits in Children

by bonggamom

April 06, 2009

Kids and mess, kids and mess.  The two are almost synonymous.  From the time they are born, parents clean up after their children. But at some point -- usually after you've found yourself stepping on and picking up a bazillion stray Lego blocks for the fifth day in a row -- enough is enough.  They've got toys from home, art projects from preschool, and soon enough there will be tests and homework papers to join the mess.  We want to reclaim our home!  More importantly, we want to teach our children to organize their belongings themselves instead of doing it for them.  But how do we go about doing it?

Last week I participated in a very informative webcast about organizing workspaces featuring Peter Walsh and OfficeMax.  Peter is a professional organizer, resident organization expert on TLC's hit series Clean Sweep, and the creator of InPlace, a line of workspace organization products debuting this week at OfficeMax.  

Peter is well aware of the organizational challenges that come with having children; Clean Sweep has featured several amazing room makeovers for playrooms and children's bedrooms (quote: "If you know anything about me, you know I go completely nuts about the whole kid thing").  In fact, right at the beginning of the webcast he mentioned that the 3 biggest things he is constantly asked about are kids' toys, clothing and paperwork.  So when I asked about workspace organization for children, he was more than happy to share his tips on instilling good organizational habits in children. According to Peter, there are two important principles when it comes to influencing children's organization habits:  limits and routine (I experienced an A-hah parenting moment at that point: wow, just like any other aspect of children's behavior!):

SET LIMITS
*  Children need to understand they they can't own everything.
*  Give your child a file for artwork, a file for homework and other paperwork, a drawer or a box for treasures.  These are great for limiting the volume of stuff that kids have.
*  Limit your child's "stuff" to whatever can fit into these containers.  At the end of each schoolyear, help him go over what's inside and throw away things he no longer wants.
*  If you have more than one child, consider color-coding each child's folders and labels so it's easy to see what belongs to whom.
*  Children actually appreciate limits.  They like bringing order to their personal space, so help them be proud of it with nice neat organizational products.

ESTABLISH A ROUTINE
*  Again, children thrive on routine.
*  Set an end-of-day Clean Sweep routine.  Invest 10 minutes at end of each day, to straighten things up and organize key hot spots -- desk, kitchen, backpacks for kids.
*  Avoid the "I'll put it away later" trap, and show kids the importance of putting paper away immediately.
*  Show your children that there is a place where paperwork lives, both for moms and kids.
*  Foster really good organizational habits from day 1.

As you've probably guessed by now, YOU, the parent, make the difference between a messy child and an organized child.  Model the behavior you want for your kids; if you put away your things as soon as you get home, they will too.  If you show them you value organization, so will they.  And as with everything else in life, set a good example and set it early.  Because you don't want to be picking up after your kids your whole life!

Gyms with Childcare

by Bonggamom

January 29, 2009

One resolution that every parent should try is to exercise regularly. It's essential to everyone's health, but there are added incentives when you're a parent. Working out keeps you fit enough to keep up with your little ones -- and all those feel-good endorphins are the perfect antidote to the stress and mental havoc they can induce. During these cold, rainy months, having an indoor gym makes  Read more...

Potty Training Power

by Bonggamom

January 23, 2009

It has been just over two years since we packed away the pull-ups and potty, but the stress of potty training is something I remember well.  Getting my twins out of diapers was one of the more stressful responsibilities of parenthood, and I'm sure I'm not alone.  Sharing their insights with us today are guest posters Sean and Cindy Platt ( http://writerdad.com/ ), the authors of Potty  Read more...

Favorite parenting tools and books

by Bonggamom

January 08, 2009

Congratulations to Nicole Basham -- you've won a DVD from Global Wonders! Please email Beingsavvysiliconvalley@gmail.com with your mailing address within the next 5 days so we can get the DVD sent out to you. We're sure you (and any other parent) will find it to be a great tool for teaching your children about other cultures. Speaking of parenting tools, today we're looking at some of our  Read more...

Helping your kids fight the flu

by Bonggamom

December 15, 2008

It's inevitable: with the "brrrrr" months -- October, November, December -- come shivers and sniffles, colds and flu. Getting a flu shot is probably your best bet for avoiding the flu, but questions inevitably crop up in parents' minds when it comes to getting flu shots for their children. Today's guest poster, Alissa Kanowitz, board member of Families Fighting Flu , answers some of them.  Read more...

Giving thanks and sharing blessings

by Bonggamom

November 27, 2008

On this special day of giving thanks, thoughts of counting blessings and sharing blessings go hand in hand. It's never too early to begin teaching your child to think about others, and with all the community outreach opportunities around at this time of the year, it's the perfect season to start. Even though many organizations do not allow children to accompany adults to soup kitchens or  Read more...

Where to take the perfect holiday photo

by Bonggamom

November 07, 2008

The leaves haven't even finished falling off the trees, and already it's time to start thinking about those holiday photos. Time to book the photographer, press the outfits and choose the location. Like real estate, location-location-location is key. A good location can make the difference between miserable photo sessions and fun ones, between a nice holiday photo and a great one. Today's  Read more...