Archive for August, 2009

A pop quiz in honor of back-to-school season. What do Louis Vuitton, a life-size diamond skull that fetched $100 million at auction, and the image to the left have in common?

They’re all connected to artists/designers who have images featured in a new board book called Art for Baby. The whimsical pop artist Takashi Murakami, sometimes referred to as the Andy Warhol of Japan, designed Louis Vuitton’s wildly popular colored logo (”Monogram Multicolore”) and Cherry Blossom lines. Damien Hirst did the diamond skull (”For the Love of God”), and the late Keith Haring created the “Radiant Baby” to the left. In all, Art for Baby features black-and-white images from 11 of the world’s leading modern artists. The high-contrast patterns and designs are especially suitable for young babies because their sight isn’t yet fully developed.

Looks like the art market is rebounding.

Available next week at amazon.com.

In 1983, Gandhi won an Academy award, a stamp cost 20 cents and the Styx song Mr. Roboto hit the airwaves. Twenty-six years later, the under-five crowd has its own version of Mr. Roboto in the form of Mr. Leebot.

Mr. Leebot (a.k.a. Austin-based artist Lee Davila) is out with his follow-up album to Activate! Robot Dance is “80s kids music” complete with techno, synthesized sounds and shades of Talking Heads and Devo. “Twirl! Twirl! Twirl!” has some nice, dancey, pop elements. “Green Family” highlights ways to recycle and conserve energy, and “Paper Airplane” gives instructions on how to make one (manual dexterity required). And for this post-camp, pre-start-of-school abyss of time we’re in, there’s “Bouncing off the Walls.”

Domo arigato …

Available at cdbaby.com.

We all think we’ve cornered the market on guilt. Puritan, Catholic and Jewish are a few versions that come to mind, and let’s not forget a mother’s guilt. There’s no doubt that for many of us guilt - that feeling of remorse or responsibility for some perceived or actual wrongdoing - is a powerful motivator, especially as parents. But as a recent New York Times article by John Tierney points out, researchers are discovering more and more evidence of its usefulness, even for kids as young as two.

Tierney’s piece, “Guilt and Atonement on the Path to Adulthood,” highlights the latest findings to come out of a long-term University of Iowa study looking at how kids “become considerate, conscientious adults.” Grazyna Kochanska and fellow researchers put young kids through an experiment where they would hand a child a toy that had been rigged to immediately break. They would preface the toy handover with comments about it being a special object they’d had since childhood and warn the subject to be careful. Once the toy broke, the researcher would respond with an “Oh my.” Researchers would then record the kid’s reactions. In her two decades of research, Kochanska has found that kids who felt more guilt during that experiment went on to have fewer behavioral problems. Additionally, kids who experienced low guilt but had a high measure of self-control also fared okay later on the behavioral front.

So what does this mean for parents? Well, the Times article goes on to quote psychologist June Tangney of George Mason University as saying that researchers haven’t been able to link any “particular pattern of parenting to children’s levels of guilt.” So that’s not your fault! The problem occurs when parents confuse shame and guilt; shame, Dr, Tangney, notes can be harmful because you make the child feel she’s a bad person due to her bad behavior, and that’s not healthy. Whereas guilt can aid in controlling future bad behavior. Bottom line: separate the behavior from the person. Then - and this is key - help the child make amends for her bad behavior. In other words, assist them in setting things right.

In a follow-up blog, Tierney noted that some of his readers were concerned about putting children through such an experiment. He explained that it was done in the child’s room with a parent present. At the end of the experiment, the researcher would return an intact replica of the toy, explain that the toy had been fixed and that the child wasn’t at fault for the accident.

Take the word “air,” engage in a little free association, and phrases such as Air Jordans, Air Supply, air pollution (and, possibly even, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) may come to mind. Car seat’s not likely to make the list. Until now.

Safety 1st has just introduced the Complete Air Convertible car seat. It uses air to protect a baby’s head from a side impact crash. Not to be confused in any way with an airbag, the Air Protect system inside the seat’s side head flaps not only shields the head but also reduces crash forces. Side impact crashes have increased by 20% over the past two decades and are among the deadliest. One quarter of all crashes involving children are side impact crashes. Air Protect technology was developed in conjunction with Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center. The Complete Air Convertible car seat is for kids 5-50 pounds and has a five-position adjustable headrest.

Air you go.

Available at toysrus.com.

Back in the day (our day), no back-to-school preparation was complete without the purchase of a new Trapper Keeper (plus stickers to decorate it). This was decades before worries about high-fructose corn syrup, plastic, and PVC’s permeated our every thought. The Trapper Keeper lives on. But the following might be a little more relevant for young students, some first-timers, about to venture into the world of circle time and show ‘n’ tell.

Baked, puffed, gluten-free, kosher. Pick your category. HealthySnacksDirect.com’s got it covered. The new site offers wholesale prices for individual-sized snack foods in bulk quantities. The company already distributes to hundreds of stores, schools and universities and now they’re passing the savings on to you. healthysnacksdirect.com.

Perfect for carting around lunch, snacks or milk for baby, Milkdot’s Stoh lunch tote is lead- and PVC-free. (Plastics 101: Toxins are released during
the production, use and disposal of PVC, commonly known as vinyl. PVC
plastic often contains phthalates, which some research has linked to
harmful effects on the developing reproductive system.) No cartoon
characters on this streamlined lunch bag means you’ll feel like an adult
carrying it. Available at milkdot.com.

A modern and adorable take on animal backpacks without being too cutesy, the Zoo Packs from Skip Hop have a lot of “frees” associated with them; they’re BPA-, phthalate- and PVC-free. The newest addition is the monkey with a banana zipper pull. Each Zoo Pack is mini-sized, perfect for a toddler, and includes an insulated front pocket for those emergency snacks. A percentage of the profits from every Skip Hop purchase is donated to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. skiphop.com.

A great introduction to preschool life for little ones heading to school for the first time. Another gem from British author and illustrator Lucy Cousins, Maisy Goes to Preschool offers a child-friendly look into a typical nursery school day with nap time, snack time, reading, etc. So basically, Maisy’s kickin’ it old school. We can relate to that. Available at amazon.com.

Baby Einstein videos, Laurie Berkner and The Wiggles are all cult phenomena for the sandbox and sippy cup set. Yet, they don’t necessarily hold the same allure for parents of the abovementioned s&s crowd. That’s okay - it’s not about us.

Today Nickelodeon premieres a live-action, comedy series entitled The Fresh Beat Band (formerly The JumpArounds). The show features four friends who attend music school together and break into song-and-dance-numbers a la High School Musical, albeit with age-appropriate material and language. Characters Marina, Kiki, Twist and Shout (Remind you of a particular song?) teach kids about music terminology and the value of teamwork and friendship.

Many a toddlers will be drawn to the upbeat, happy, pop music. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Fresh Beat co-creators, a husband-and-wife team, have written music videos/treatments for the likes of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Faith Hill. Teri Weiss, Senior Vice President of Production and Development for Nickelodeon Preschool Television, and the exec responsible for launching many of Nick Jr.’s mega-hits - Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, The Wonder Pets! - says,”The music is fresh, and I think it feels like things you hear on the radio. Yet, the lyrics, I feel, are very accessible for our audience.”

The music may not make your iPod, but it’s catchy enough to get plenty of replay action in your head.

When: Premieres Mon., 8/24 at noon (ET/PT), nickjr.com.

Once a child gets into the later preschool years (4, 5) great big picture books may not be enough for her. She wants something more than a babyish book, but can’t yet handle chapter books where there aren’t pictures on each page. Daisy Meadows’ Rainbow Magic books are a great transition. The text is simple and clear but has more of a narrative through-line than a picture book of few words, and there are still pictures at least every other page.

The books contain a fictional place called Rainspell Island, where a set of seven magical Rainbow Fairies have been scattered by the evil Jack Frost. Two friends, Rachel and Kirsty, must put their heads together to find the Ruby, Amber, Saffron, Fern, and the rest of the color fairies, to bring color back to Fairyland. There’s magic, double-crossing, puzzles, and the Land of Sweets, with giant treats.

Sounds like your child’s thing? Start with the first book, Ruby: The Red Fairy, when Rachel and Kirsty meet, and move on through the rest of the seven-book series. If that proves popular, you can move on to the Rainbow Magic spinoffs: The Jewel Fairies, The Weather Fairies, etc. They’re all sweet, magical, and most importantly, only take about a half-hour for a tired parent to read through.

Depending on how you feel about the ice cream man, you will either nod your head in recognition or shake your head in disgust at Tuesday’s New York Times article, When Parents Scream Against Ice Cream. It seems that a couple of irate parents are hounding NYC officials to ban unlicensed ice cream vendors from city parks, because they find their habit of lingering by the playground “predatory.”

Those parents’ mouthpiece, Vicki Sell, who has a three-year-old daughter, says she feels bad trying to oust the cream peddlers. But she’s been calling the city’s 311 complaint line ever “since Katherine had an inconsolable meltdown about not being able to have a treat,” the Times wrote dryly.

Before you mark Sell down as a mom launched on a crusade because her daughter had a tantrum, consider these words from one mom, bemoaning the modern trend of ice cream trucks and carts that hang out at parks and playgrounds instead of just driving through the neighborhood: “When we were kids you would either get the ice cream or not and then he would just go away,” [Crispin Heidel-Habluetzel, Portland mother of two] said. “But they just sit there now, and it’s like an hour of ‘Can I have ice cream? Can I have ice cream?’ It’s really the vulturelike behavior that bothers me.”

The Times did get off one really good one, however, remarking that “complaints are not just coming from effete organic-food zealots with too much time on their hands.” Heh.

You’ve been able to achieve a modern aesthetic in the rest of your home. But when it comes to the nursery, you fear a culture clash may be on the horizon. That’s because you somehow feel obligated to go with a look that screams “ideal childhood” - nursery rhyme characters, fairytales imagery, dancing ponies.

Better to side with the mod squad and go for decor that not only blends with the rest of your home but also has a shelf life of more than a year. Trendy Peas may be your answer. Subscribing to the less-is-more philosophy, the family-run company offers wall art with bold geometrics, streamlined and sophisticated floral patterns plus safari and alphabet designs. Choose from vibrant colors or more muted hues. Trendy Peas’ must-see collections are the Olivia, Shapes and birth stat lines. Whether you’re going for the canvas versions or the less expensive print reproductions, the prices are recession friendly.

That makes for a healthy wallet.

Visit trendypeas.com.

The world of infertility is all too often one where questions far outnumber answers, and, to be more specific, answers that actually make sense. In a revolutionary new book entitled, Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility, authors Dr. Sami David and Jill Blakeway champion an approach that combines the best of Eastern and Western medicine. David and Blakeway represent a sort of dream team in the field of fertility treatments. He is a reproductive endocrinologist who was the first doctor in New York state to perform a successful IVF and who now focuses on more conservative practices. Blakeway, whom The New York Times once dubbed “a fertility goddess,” is a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist.

Blakeway says, “Our book is a plea for people to invest some effort in their reproductive health in order to have a healthy baby. The things that appear to be shortcuts aren’t necessarily shortcuts.” She and David explain why their complementary approach can lead to a successful pregnancy and healthy baby, even as so many doctors are overeager to go the IVF and drug route:

Diagnosis & due diligence: There is a rush to use assisted reproductive techniques, and so the underlying medical problem causing the infertility often goes undetected. Dr. David says, “In no other field of medicine does a doctor start treating a person and not know what he’s treating.” He can recount story after story of patients plagued by infertility, who, it turns out, have an easily diagnosable and treatable medical condition - bacteria in the semen, a woman with anti-bodies to sperm, an infection impeding implantation, endometriosis.

Remembering men: Forty percent of infertility is male-related infertility. Doctors need to investigate that avenue so the “appropriate person” can see the doctor and be treated. Blakeway notes that male infertility also responds very well to Chinese medicine.

Fertility types: One size does not fit all. By identifying which of the five fertility types - tired, dry, stuck, pale or waterlogged - you are, and in what way you “fall out of balance,” you can select appropriate conception strategies. Find out your type by taking a simple quiz at makingbabiesprogram.com.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture can correct hormone imbalances, increase blood flow to the uterus (making it optimal for implantation), increase blood flow to the ovaries and relieve stress. Blakeway and David point to research which shows acupuncture can significantly increase success rates of IVF.

Chinese herbs: These can also increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus and encourage the building of a healthy endometrium plus follicle growth and development.

Lifestyle changes: Certain adjustments in diet, exercise and sleep can also affect fertility. And then there are the things you might not readily think of, including how the heat from a computer laptop battery, cell phones and Propecia, to name a few, can affect sperm production.

Making Babies is available at amazon.com.