The Mom Crowd

This weekend one of my closest friends accidentally locked her 21-month old daughter in her Jeep Liberty. Thankfully after the police and a fire truck came they were able to bust out the back window and get into the vehicle. Her daughter was red and upset, but she eventually calmed down and was fine. My friend had to the endure the embarrassment of the situation. This happens to a lot of moms. We don’t intentionally lock our kids in the car, it happens.

I accidentally locked my daughter in the car when she was 18 months old at the grocery store. I set my keys down on the back seat next to her car seat and turned to put the diaper bag on the top of my trunk. Just as I was placing the bag down a gust of wind blew my car door shut. I immediately asked myself how long is she safe in the car with no AC. Thankfully my phone was in the diaper bag and I called my husband. He didn’t answer and I texted the words “call me now!” He had an extra key and was only 3 minutes away at home. While waiting for husband to come I knocked on the window and smiled at her and tried to show her that everything was okay.

Since locking my girl in the car I have started to put the keys on top of my car or in my pocket when I am getting them out. Another way to prevent the situation is to carry an extra key hidden on the car under the license plate or taped under the car somewhere. Pop A Lock will also open your car for free. You can program the number of your local dispatch in your phone. (I just programmed mine. It took less than 60 seconds.)

In this summer heat the temperature of the inside of the car can rise significantly in just a few minutes. Here is an excellent post on Baby Tool Kit about what do when an infant or child is accidentally locked in a car with the keys. The first thing is not to panic and then call for help. If you don’t have a phone then ask someone nearby to call 911. Then note the time, because sometimes 5 minutes can seem like an eternity.

Locking your child in the car can totally shake you up. Hug your child and get something to drink to hydrate everyone. Be sure you are calm before you drive again. Know that you haven’t lost your card to The World’s Best Moms Club. You are still a great mom!

Have you ever accidentally locked you children in the car? How do you get them out? Where you shaken up?

- photo courtesy of crowdive

My son recently turned 4 and we wanted to have a special birthday party for him and all of his friends. Being on a very tight budget meant that we had to be extra thrifty, but we didn’t want to skimp on the fun. We had some ideas of places we would have liked to have the party, but once I called and got the information on the locations, I sat at the desk thinking how absurd it was to spend $200 on a birthday party for a 4 year old (just for room rental and maybe 2 hours of playtime). The days of the $50 all inclusive party at McDonald’s are no more and parents are now faced with growing pressure to have the fanciest and most extravagent parties for their children, even toddlers and preschoolers.

We opted to have Andrew’s party at our home and just tried to make the best of it.  He had more fun than we could have imagined.  He was just so excited to have his friends over to play and show off the Mickey Mouse cake that I made for him, he didn’t even know that it wasn’t a “cool” party!

Here are some money saving ideas to remember when planning your little one’s next party:

1.  Have your party at home or at a local park -  Parties at home or the park can be just as much fun as those at more expensive venues.  Parties at the inflatable rooms can cost you hundreds of dollars and don’t include cake or snacks.  Your party at home (or the park) can be as cheap or as pricey as you are comfortable with.  A home party provides comfort for your guests and a park give you free entertainment!

2. Not every decoration has to be themed – While it’s tempting to go buy out the party store of all the cups, plates, napkins, table coverings, etc of your child’s favorite character, it’s just not necessary.  Buy a few select items at the party store, then stop at the dollar store for coordinating solid colored plates, napkins and utensils.  A few accent pieces are fine, but there is a such thing as overkill!

3.  Party favors don’t have to be store bought – Consider buying clear treat bags from the craft store and baking cookies as party favors.  Simple cut-out cookies in the shape of your child’s favorite character or a cookie with the guest children’s names on them are more special than the junk trinkets that usually find their way home from parties.  Another alternative is to print out coloring pages from the internet and give a small 8-count box of crayons as a party favor.

4. Bake your own cake – A simple dollar white cake mix and your favorite homemade buttercream icing make for a delicious treat.  Go to websites like Wilton to learn simple decorating techniques that will impress your friends and make your child’s cake extra special.  Also, you can always find small figurines at the dollar store or party supply store that can make your child’s cake really special and tailor made.  Let your child help you stir the icing or place the figurines to get them more excited about their special cake.

5.  Your love, not your pocketbook are what your child will remember the most – No matter how much or how little you spend on your child’s birthday party, the most important thing you can do for them is show them how much you love them.  THAT is what they will always remember!

What are some of YOUR favorite childhood birthday party memories?  Do you have any tips you would be willing to share on having a fun and relatively inexpensive birthday party?

Photo Courtesy of martin_kelley

Last week, my son was stung by a wasp on his hand.  He didn’t cry and he didn’t have a reaction until about two days later.  His entire hand was swollen and red.  I called my pediatrician and the nurse told me to just keep an eye on it and to bring him in if it became hot to the touch.  It cleared up after about two days of redness and swelling.  The day after it cleared up, he was stung by another wasp!  (We found the nest and my husband has reclaimed our backyard from those horrible creatures!)  Again, we didn’t notice any reaction at all and he didn’t cry or act like it hurt.  Two days later, his entire arm was swollen and this time, incredibly hot to the touch.  There was a huge red spot covering his entire bicep.  While the reaction was similar to the first sting, it was a lot more intense.  So, I called the doctor and he wanted me to bring him in.  I shamefully told him that my son had been stung by wasps twice in the same week and reassured him we found the nest.  The doctor thinks it is at high risk of becoming infected, so we were given instructions to prevent infection, which could turn to a staph infection.  I didn’t know that wasp and bee stings could lead to infection.  It makes sense when I think about it, but I thought allergic reactions such as breathing difficulty were the only real risk of wasp or bee stings.

So, until my son’s boo boo heals, we are to do the following:

• Use ice to relieve pain or discomfort
• Apply hydrocortisone cream to it twice a day
• Take over-the-counter Zyrtec instead of Benedryl because our doctor thinks it works better and my son becomes hyper and wirey on Benedryl, which is opposite most children.
• Clean it twice a day with a clorox/water solution.  I have never in my life heard a medical professional direct someone to use clorox bleach, so this was interesting to me.
• Fill a prescription for a steroid cream and have it on hand in case the red spot becomes streaky or asymmetrical and call or take him to the hospital right away.

I initially felt silly even being concerned about my son’s wasp sting, especially since I had already called the pediatrician last week about the same issue.  I tend to write off what I consider small medical issues because I have three children who all carry their own set of more major medical issues as it is.  But I am glad I listened to my gut that this reaction was worse than last week’s reaction.  I have learned in parenting and medical care for my children is that medical professionals are paid by me (and my insurance) to answer my medical questions and treat my children, so I have given up on feeling guilty about using the service that I am paying for.  Besides, what a parent may think is minor, may actually end up being serious, so it’s always better safe than sorry!

Have your children had a reaction to bee or wasp stings?  Am I the only one whose never heard of cleaning an infected area with a clorox/water solution?

My son’s second birthday is coming up next week and I just realized that it’s been a year since he’s had his picture formally taken.  Not only that, but his big sister (now over 3 years old) hasn’t had hers done since her first birthday.  I realize that I am probably in the minority here; my nephews, for example, have their pictures taken 3 or 4 times a year.  Here are my reasons for not getting professional pictures done more frequently:

• we’re cheap we don’t have a budget for it
• I take a zillion pictures of my children throughout the year; their lives are well-documented
• I’m lazy
• it’s a high-stress situation for me, and I tend to avoid high-stress situations whenever possible
• our family has not made a habit of it – my husband and I have never even had professional shots done!  (A friend did our wedding pictures.)

It’s gotten to the point that I just don’t even think about it – until we receive a wallet-size from a family member or friend in the mail.  Then I’m like, “Oh shoot!  I should really do that.  Maybe this Christmas…”  And Christmas comes & goes.  Or, I keep thinking our church will do another pictorial directory and we’ll just get it done then.

How often do you get your kids’ pictures taken?  Is it a high-stress situation for you?  What has made your picture-taking experiences less stressful?

Being a mom can at times be very overwhelming, especially when you are dealing with potential health issues with your child. Typical things like runny noses and fevers are stressful enough, but when something happens that seems completely out of the ordinary, you have to learn to trust your instincts.

When our son first started showing signs of diabetes, I called the pediatrician. The on-call doctor told me to stop giving him juice and his frequent thirst and urination should subside. After trying that for a few days and not seeing any changes, I insisted he be seen and tested for diabetes. Sure enough, my poor baby had a sky high blood sugar and was gravely ill from going too long without being diagnosed. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had just gone along thinking that the changes he was going through were just due to drinking too much juice!

More recently, he had a few drops of blood in his urine. Of course this was cause for concern and we rushed him to the pediatrician. It turned out that he was ok and that all of his lab work came back okay. I was a little embarrassed to have taken him in and him have nothing wrong, but the pediatrician reassured me and told me that they would rather see a million healthy kids with parents who are alert and taking charge of their children’s health than one kid who was sick.

Here are a few things to remember when you are trying to decide if it’s worth calling the pediatrician over:

• If your child is experiencing something out of the ordinary and you feel uncomfortable with what is happening, call and at least talk to the doctor or nurse.

• You know your child better than anyone else and you know what is and isn’t normal for them. Don’t let someone tell you that what is abnormal for your child is okay if you don’t think it is.

• A high fever usually requires a doctor’s visit, especially in a baby or toddler.

• When in doubt, call!

All of this is just to remind you that God gave you certain instincts and it’s best to follow them, even if it turns out that nothing is wrong. The worst thing you have to deal with, if that is the case, is a trip to the doctor and a few minutes of embarrassment. Better to have a red face than a sick child!

For a short informational video on when to call the pediatrician, visit the following link…

WebMD – When to Call the Pediatrician

Have you had times when you felt torn about calling the pediatrician?  What advice can you give other mom’s when it comes to trusting your instincts?  Have you ever followed your instincts and been thankful that you did because you caught something that could have been very serious?

Photo Courtesy of Exployment Now