Heartburn, Newborns, and Bad Hair Days

I just read in the August 2007 Parenting magazine that researchers at Johns Hopkins University set out to disprove the myth that mothers who have heartburn during their pregnancy had babies with more hair at birth.

And what did they find, you ask? Well, they discovered that 82% of the women with "moderate to severe heartburn delivered hairy babies; most women with little or no heartburn ended up with baldies."

Supposedly the hormones causing the heartburn also trigger hair growth in the fetus. That is just weird--I always thought that was an old wive's tale. So the old wives have been proven right yet again!


Funny Pictures

OK, now let's talk about bad hair days. I shampooed last night and went to bed with wet hair. I kind of scrunched it around a bit with some styling gel this morning, thinking that I could get away with a tousled, casual look. No such luck.

We almost made it to school this morning before my daughter, seated behind me and to my right in the middle row of the mini-van, asks loudly, "MOM--DID YOU EVEN COMB YOUR HAIR TODAY?"

So Meg Ryan got away with it in the 80's but I guess the days of tousled, bed-head looking hair are over. At least for Brainy Mom. (And yes, I did remind her of those wonderful, thought-provoking words from our stinky little friend Flower in Bambi, "If you can't say something nice. . .don't say anything at all." Or at least I tried to sputter something to that effect.)

And that brings me to Brainy Mom's Style Tip of the Day: Go ahead and take the extra 5 or even 10 minutes necessary to make your hair look decent before you go out in public. Not only will you feel better about about yourself, but you are less likely to be humbled by a comment from a loved one in front of all the kids in your carpool.

Kids NEED Their Sleep!

My darling daughter went to her first slumber party this weekend. Was that ever a tough one on the parents! Of course, we worried about her and how she would do--would she be able to fall asleep? would she be grumpy the next day from lack of sleep? would she hear ghost stories that would cause her to have nightmares or difficulty falling asleep during the next month?

Well, to make a long story short, she did fine and had a great time. I picked her up the morning after the party and she was very pleasant and had no residual insomniac-induced grumpiness. She went to bed at her regular time last night, but had some trouble waking up for school today.

Coincidentally, I just ran across a recent study by Northwestern University that being well-rested lowers a child's chances of being overweight. The article stated "Kids who slept 10 to 11 hours had the lowest body mass index (BMI); those who slept less had the highest. Experts suspect that lack of sleep disrupts metabolism and appetite." (from Woman's Day Magazine, Sept. 2007)

While that's one good reason to make sure your little ones get to bed on time, there are dozens of other reasons for ensuring a good night's sleep, such as the possibility of a link between lack of sleep and ADHD.

Researchers have verified that "chronic poor sleep results in daytime tiredness, difficulties with focused attention, low threshold to express negative emotion (irritability and easy frustration), and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions. "(Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, March 1996) Basically, these are the same symptoms as children frequently diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. That's definitely something parents should take into consideration before dosing their child with ADHD medicine. (Something to talk to the doctor about--and be sure to address the possibilities of apnea and snoring, while you're there.)

Brainy Mom recommends making sure those little ones get the zzz's they need every night. What have you got to lose?

Get a Watchdog! (LONG post, but so important!)

"A Florida judge this afternoon sentenced sex offender John Evander Couey to die for the brutal 2005 rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford." from abcnews.go.com

OK, right off the bat, I would like to preface this with the following: This is not a paid endorsement or advertisement of any sort! This is something I feel strongly about and as a parent, I would like to share with my readers in an effort to better protect our children.

Now that we have that out of the way, I will tell you a story. This is a true story, from not long ago and not far away. Brainy Mom younger then, she was brainy and she was a mom, but she was not yet a "Brainy Mom." It was about 7 1/2 years ago and I was just starting to utilize the internet for informational searches.

In an effort to flee the loose Pit Bulls roaming the streets and broken-down-in-the-driveway pickup trucks, my husband and I moved to a nicer neighborhood with our baby daughter. At least on the surface, it certainly appeared nicer than our previous neighborhood. The yards were well maintained and the dogs were actually on leashes, yes, even the Rottweilers. It seemed the kind of place a young, new mom could take her little daughter out for a walk in her stroller in the evenings.

Feeling particularly friendly and completely forgetting the cautionary tales of "Little Red Riding Hood" and Mom's "Don't Talk to Strangers" speech, I called out a cheery "hello" to a neighbor down the block as we strolled by. (Just me and the baby on the walk as Mr. Brainy was still at work.) I noticed his lawn was particularly green and beautiful and commented, "Your yard looks really nice."

The man just sort of stares at me like I said his yard looks like a stinking, piece of doggy doo. I keep walking, almost past the guy now and then he says, "You're new around here, aren't you?" And pleased to have finally gotten a response from Mr. Nice Lawn, I stop walking and smile, pointing foolishly at my house and say, "Yes, we just moved in THERE!"

The guy sort of nods at me and I continue with my walk and my life, happy and content in my nice new neighborhood and the lovely green lawns.

Happy, yes, until the evening I decided to check the Department of Law Enforcement's Sex Offender database. I still don't know what prompted me to do it, but I was glad that I did. I typed in my zip code, not expecting anything in particular, certainly not the first picture on the HUGE LIST of Offenders is my new neighbor! Oh, yeah--this is a true story, and it gets better! Not only is Mr. Nice Lawn Sex Offender on the list. . .there is another sex offender living with him in the same house. The same address. The same house with the nice lawn. In my nice neighborhood. Two sex offenders.

Needless to say, I was completely horrified. I just couldn't believe it. Why hadn't I thought to check the offender database before we bought the house? And why in the world did I talk to him AND tell him where I live?

While I will never know the answer to these questions and other mysteries of the universe, I am hopeful that my experience makes you realize that these people are everywhere, even in nice neighborhoods. I don't live in that neighborhood anymore, thank goodness, but I assure you that I thoroughly checked the database and mapped all the offenders before we put an offer in on our next house.

More recently, I discovered the Family Watchdog website. This site is awesome because
1) IT'S FREE!
2) you can map all the offenders AND predators in your area
3) you can also set it up so that you receive alerts when a new offender or predator moves into your area.

And it tells you how far away they are, too. I have gotten several emails showing where these offenders have moved nearby and it always makes my skin crawl. So far, none of them are in my immediate neighborhood but I will be the first one to know if they move close by.

But, as helpful as websites like Family Watchdog can be, you can never be too cautious when it comes to the safety of your children. And I also think of it this way--the offenders and predators you see on Watchdog or Law Enforcement websites are ONLY THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT, TRIED AND CONVICTED OF THEIR CRIMES. There is no way to know about all the ones who have gotten away with the same or similar (or even worse) crimes against children AND NOT GOTTEN CAUGHT!

Perhaps even more frightening, according to the Office of the Attorney General of California, 90% of child victims know their offender, with almost half of the offenders being a family member. Of sexual assaults against people age 12 and up, approximately 80% of the victims know the offender. Scary, right? So it's not just those creepy people on the database, it's your daughter's friend's uncle or dad or the neighbor. Hard to believe.

So, just be careful when it comes to your kids. (Especially if you live in Alaska. After looking at the statistics on Familywatchdog.com, it looks like Alaska should be renamed the Sex Offender State.)

The Brainy Mom Tip of the Day is to check out Familywatchdog.com or whatever database you like and set it up to send you an alert when one of these known offenders moves in nearby. At least we can keep track of the ones we know about. And be cautious about people you don't know--find out who will be at the friend's house when your kids go to visit and talk to your kids, really talk to them, about this. Even little kids can be taught what kinds of touching is okay and what is inappropriate. It's important and it can make a difference.

And lastly, don't talk to strangers.

Maybe I Shouldn't Wear Brown?

Let's talk about bad clothes days, shall we?

Yesterday morning I changed out of my ducky pajamas and jumped into a pair of tan Levi's and a new chocolate brown polo shirt from Target. After checking myself in the mirror for price tags and size stickers, I put on some mascara and strutted into the kitchen to make breakfast for the kids.

So, upon my entry to the kitchen, Mr. Brainy Mom takes one look at me and says "You look nice."

And there I was, feeling good about my neutral ensemble, confident I looked at least as good as most of the other carpooling moms dropping kids at school. (Probably better than some of them--at least I had on a bra and I still have teeth.) Anyhow, no one would see me since we were just dropping the kids off and not even getting out of the car.

"Thanks!" I reply cheerfully, pleased that he has noticed my new shirt. Since it's only 6:05 in the morning, it does not yet occur to me that when Mr. BM says I look "nice", it may actually mean "you remind me of something, but I am not sure what. . ."

And I go about my day cheerfully, stopping in at the post office and the grocery store, with no further thought about my attire.

That evening, Mr. BM greets me with, "Have you been wearing that all day?"

"Yessss. . . Why???" I reply cautiously, visions of my price tag hanging out the back of my collar all day, advertising to all who have seen me that I got my shirt ON SALE! Or worse yet, one of those size stickers is still stuck somewhere on me, shouting to the world that I had to buy a LARGE! (hey, not my fault, some of those shirts run really small!)

"Because I just figured out what you remind me of. . . A UPS worker!"


Uh, yeah, thanks a lot. No wonder the man at the post office kept staring at my chest. HE WAS LOOKING FOR MY LOGO!

Brainy Mom Dancing on YouTube?

No, funny people, that is not me in the YouTube video below. Brainy Mom is a much better dancer than that. . .remember how Elaine danced on Seinfeld? Yeah, now you've got the mental picture!

Brainy Mom Confesses

OK, it's time for Brainy Mom to make a confession. I am a worrier. I worry about my kids, I worry about your kids, I JUST WORRY FOR NO REASON AT ALL! So I am hoping that maybe my worry can help prevent or reduce someone else's worry. (Or more simply stated, I worry so you won't have to!) That's why I'm talking again about product recalls.

In my post yesterday I included the CPSC link for recalled toys and today I wanted to post the link for non-toy Infant/Children Product Recalls. You can find this information here.

The CPSC also provides online notification of recalls if you sign up on their website. It only takes a second--you simply provide your email address and zip code and choose the category of notification. (About halfway down the list is the infant/child selection.) Go ahead and check it out--I'll wait. . .

. . . OK, you're back already? (See, I told you it was quick!)

Since it's back to school time, Brainy Mom also worries about school safety. Here's a Back-To-School Safety Checklist from CPSC:

"When you drop off your child at school, use this checklist to make sure these hidden hazards aren't waiting to cause injury or death.

1. Drawstrings on Jackets and Sweatshirts -- There should be no drawstrings on hoods or around the neck. Drawstrings at the waist or bottom of jackets should extend no more than 3 inches to prevent catching in car and school bus doors or getting caught on playground equipment.
   
   
2. Loops on Window Blind Cords -- Cut the loop and attach separate tassels to prevent entanglement and strangulation in window blind cords. One child a month strangles and dies in the loop of a window blind pull cord or inner cord. Keep cords out of childrens' reach. Install cord stops to prevent formation of loop in inner cord.
   
   
3. Bike Helmets -- Buy a helmet that meets one of the safety standards (U.S. CPSC, Snell, ANSI, ASTM, or Canadian), and insist that your children wear the helmet each time they ride their bike. About 900 people, including more than 200 children, are killed annually in bicycle-related incidents, and about 60 percent of these deaths involve a head injury. More than 500,000 people are treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Research indicates that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent.
   
   
4. Soccer Goals -- Make sure that the athletic director or the custodian anchors the soccer goals into the ground so that the soccer goal will not tip over and crush a child.
   
   
5. Playgrounds -- Check the surfaces around playground equipment at schools and parks to make sure there is a 12-inch depth of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or fiber material to prevent head injury when a child falls. Each year, more than 200,000 children go to U.S. hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with playground equipment. Most injuries occur when a child falls from the equipment onto the ground.
   
   
6. Recalled Products -- Make sure your child's school has up-to-date information on recalled toys and children's products. Schools, daycare providers, and parents can receive recall information by e-mail, or in the regular mail free of charge by calling the CPSC hotline, or writing to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207."

OK, no more worrying right now.

Lead Paint and Magnets - Product Recalls and Your Child

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the news regarding a large, well-regarded toy manufacturer that is recalling MILLIONS of toys for safety issues, including hazardous lead paint and dangerous magnets. You probably have at least one of the recalled items somewhere in your toybox, closet, or that pile of junk under the kid's beds. The toy manufacturer VOLUNTARILY recalled these items, receiving enormous media attention and accolades from the public for "doing the right thing."

The scary part of all this to me, and probably other brainy moms out there, is that it leaves me in fear of all those other toys. The ones from other big manufacturers that have been tasted, chewed on, licked, bitten, and snuggled. How thoroughly were those tested? Or were they even tested at all? AND, what about those other "little things"?

You know what I'm talking about, those things that are all over the place, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and multiplying quicker than roaches in a peanut butter factory (ugh, peanut butter recalls--another story entirely!) Yes, the ubiquitous toys that come with the kiddie meals at fast food restaurants, out of vending machines in our favorite stores and of course the lovely items from your local dollar store. I don't know about you, but our house is full of these little lovelies. What goes back to China in all the empty shipping containers? Maybe we could send some of the junk back to them?

Here's your brainy mom task for today--go to the Consumer Product Safety Commision's Toy Hazard Recalls and just look how many items you have. Last time I checked, I had 3 items on the list. One item, a toy telephone, had an urgent recall that said simply to discard the toy and contact the company for a replacement. No questions asked or proof of ownership required. The new toy telephone arrived in about 2 weeks. No explanation for the recall or description of the potential injuries involved. Leaving me wondering WHAT is going on? What if I had not seen the recall? It really makes you stop and think now, doesn't it?

Welcome to Brainy Mom Blog

Hello and welcome to Brainy Mom Blog! This blog is here to make you think. . .no, really think, about kids, parenting issues, and some of the tough decisions we make every day as a mom.

Some of the topics we will cover include potty training, discipline, ADD / ADHD, behavioral problems, breastfeeding, sleep issues, colic and gas, organic foods, daycare, nannies, toy recalls and children's product recalls, and much, much more!

Stay tuned--it's going to be great!

Brainy Mom