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Brrrr! Getting Baby Ready for Cold Weather

Winter Toddler Maya

It's getting chilly around here! Even if your neck of the woods stays warm, runny nose season is coming, so a little winter prep is in order to keep everyone warm, safe and healthy this season.

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Baby Products Spotlight10

Heather's Baby Products Blog

November is National Adoption Month

Tuesday November 9, 2010

My family is currently waiting to be matched for adoption, so this year's National Adoption Month is more significant for us than in years past. To me, waiting to be matched feels a little like being pregnant with absolutely no idea when the due date might be.

Since it could be a while, I don't necessarily want to set up the whole nursery and stare at it for months and months. But being entirely unprepared seems wrong, too. So far, I've been indulging my need to prepare for a baby by purchasing things that can easily be hidden away in drawers and closets, such as cloth diapers, blankets and pacifiers. I've grabbed a couple of neutral rompers, too, although shopping for baby clothes is difficult when you don't know what season it might be when baby comes home! Soon I'll start shopping my way through the list of newborn essentials, too.

If adoption has touched your family in some way, and you'd like to celebrate National Adoption Month, Carrie Craft, About.com Adoption/Foster Care Guide, has 30 days-worth of adoption celebration ideas, as well as a history of Adoption Month. This year's Adoption Month focuses on finding forever families for the children waiting in foster care, so if you have room in your heart and home for a child, please head over and check out Carrie's foster care adoption information.

Crib Bedding of the Week: Girly Animals

Monday November 8, 2010
Photo courtesy of Pricegrabber.com.

Baby animals are a classic nursery theme, and one that you often see in gender-neutral colors. If you're expecting a girl, though, neutral may not be what you're looking for! Cocalo's Tropical Punch crib bedding set takes the baby animal theme into the girly realm with pretty pink and rich yellow patches accented with cream, lavender and pale green. Throw in some polka dots and ruffles, along with the adorable bears, zebras and elephants, and you have a perfectly pink and feminine nursery for your little one.


Photo courtesy of Pricegrabber.com.

Not into pink? The gorgeous lavender shade on the Jacana crib set, also from Cocalo, is a great choice for a little girl's nursery. Jacana features baby animals, too, but this time in a jungle theme. Monkeys ride atop spotted giraffes, and elephants frolic in tall grass. I love the vines and flowers on this crib bedding. Accent colors include pale yellow, chocolate brown and leaf green, and there are some cocoa and cream stripes for contrast.

Cocalo makes it easy to carry your chosen nursery theme as far as you want to go. Beyond the basic crib bedding sets, you can also purchase coordinating lamps, diaper stackers, mobiles, wall art, and plush toys.

Reader Question: Drop-Gate Cribs

Saturday November 6, 2010

Q: I've seen a lot of information lately about drop-side cribs and recalls. I have a drop-gate crib where the side has a hinge that folds down. Is this kind of crib included in the recalls? Is it dangerous?

A: Most of the recalled drop-side cribs had a problem with the hardware that held the drop-side to the crib. Because the hardware is different for a drop-gate crib, you likely won't find the same breakage problems. It's a good idea to check any crib to see if it's recalled, though, just to be on the safe side. You can easily check for your crib on CPSC's crib recall list.

No matter what type of crib you have, you should check out CPSC's crib safety guidelines when deciding whether or not to continue using the crib. If your crib is more than 10 years old, you should consider buying a new crib that meets the newest safety standards. If your crib has any missing or broken pieces, regardless of the crib style, you should find an alternate, safe sleeping location for your baby until the crib can be fixed or replaced.

Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat Recall

Monday November 1, 2010
© 2010, Britax .

If your baby is riding in a Britax Chaperone infant car seat, take a little extra care in buckling up for now, because the chest clip on these car seats is made of brittle plastic that can break when you're buckling it. If the chest clip breaks, the plastic pieces can cut you or your baby. Small pieces of the chest clip also could pose a choking hazard.

Not all Britax Chaperone car seats are included in the recall, so you'll need to check the labels on your car seat for a model number and production date. This information is usually found underneath the infant car seat.

Britax Chaperone car seats with the following model numbers and that were manufactured between April 2009 and May 2010 are included in the recall. Recalled models sold in the U.S. include E9L95P2, E9L95P3, E9L95P5 and E9L69N9. In Canada, the recalled models are E9L69P2, E9L69P3 and E9L69P5.

A chest clip is a pre-crash positioning device, and its purpose is to keep the harness straps up on baby's shoulders. If your Britax Chaperone chest clip breaks, you should remove the clip and any plastic fragments from the car seat. You can continue to use the car seat without the chest clip until a replacement clip arrives.

Britax will send a replacement chest clip to registered owners of the recalled car seats. If you didn't register, call 888-427-4829 or visit ChaperoneSeatRecall.com.

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