Crib Bumpers Banner in Chicago

Many experts say bumpers can suffocate babies if their heads get near the padded crib guards and they can’t move away, or if baby gets wedged between a bumper and the mattress. But as long as retailers offer bumpers - often sold in cute, coordinating nursery sets - some parents will keep on buying them, despite the risks.

The Chicago move comes as the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission conducts a bumper safety review and notes that some infant deaths have been linked to bumpers.

Not in Chicago, which became the first municipality in the nation to ban the sale of bumpers with a unanimous vote Thursday night. 

Source:msnbc.com

Mom of the Week: Brekken Holtrop

Meet Brekken Holtrop, a full-time homemaker and a fabulous mother of one energetic and challenging boy.  Check out how she keeps him busy and healthy!

I use my spare time for homemade treats, like jams, breads and new recipes, as well as engaging my son with new adventures! My son will be two in October this year. My husband and I are raising our son in lovely central Texas.

My best tool for getting my son to eat healthier is simply, giving him healthier options, although he sometimes has "junk food" too. I try very hard to make the most of healthy foods he WILL eat, and I still introduce, and re-introduce healthy foods that he's less inclined to try. And casseroles, no other food will get my son to eat carrot, onion, chicken, mushroom, and broccoli quite like a casserole.  I do tend to make lunches easier on myself and focus most of my feeding energy into breakfast and dinner.  His "lunch box" commonly includes peanut-butter or tahini and jelly on whole wheat (homemade tomatillo lime jam is his favorite), unsweetened apple sauce, and either oyster crackers, or Steamed broccoli for texture. And water. He loves his water.

Kid gear I couldn't live without would have to be his stroller(s). What other tool could help me "lock him down" in waiting rooms, take him on a six mile hike in Palo Duro Canyon, keep him safe in airports (or carry our luggage), and doubles as a "high chair" wherever it's needed.
Now, one thing I'd rather not live without now, is his ipod touch (an old iphone that was upgraded).  It has become a valuable teaching tool in areas of patience as well as dexterity, and he's even learned several sight words and gained a larger vocabulary with various applications. Not to mention, it keeps him calm when he starts to get restless on outings or when I need to cook dinner and he needs to be engaged.

My mantra for staying calm and patient is usually, "He's the child. He needs to see 'adult' behavior." and occasionally, it's also, "Bed time isn't far away."

Tricks for staying in shape include spontaneous family dance parties in the livingroom, Tickle chase, airplane (which admittedly is getting tougher as he gets heavier), and most importantly in my fitness routine, I have a close mommy friend (and neighbor) who works out with me 2-3 times a week after our boys go to sleep. Nothing beats having that accountability to live better.

My best "busy mom" beauty trick is tidy hair (as simple as a straightened ponytail) and a touch of mascara and lipbalm. I'm a mom, and simplicity is my way of expressing confidence in all that I am.

oh, dear, my -one- green guilt? I'm an imperfect being doing my best, most of the time. I'm guilty of using papertowels where I can use cup-towels and cleaning rags.  It's a conscious decision when I use a paper towel instead of a better option for the sake of convenience. Each time. 

Fructose 101 ... Did you know?

All forms of sugar (including table sugar, HFCS and honey) contains some mixture of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is equal parts glucose and fructose; HFCS is 55 percent fructose and 45 glucose; and agave nectar is anywhere from 75 to 90 percent fructose. In other words, agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener (with the exception of pure liquid fructose).

"Fructose (the sugar found naturally in fruit) is perfectly fine when you get it from whole foods like apples where it comes with a host of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber," says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. "But when it's commercially extracted from fruit, concentrated and made into a sweetener, it exacts a considerable metabolic price."

Instead of being used for energy (like glucose), fructose goes straight to the liver, where it's promptly converted to fat. And that triggers a cascade of detrimental effects. In fact, after a fructose-laden meal or snack, your body may not even register that it was fed.



Source: shine

Vegetable Rich Diet Linked to Lower Breast Cancer

Another recent study has been released suggesting that a vegetable rich diet is linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the breast cancer risks for women based on how similarly their diets fell in line with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which includes lots of vegetables and fruit, beans and nuts, low-fat dairy and grains with fiber.

The researchers found that women with the highest DASH scores had a 20 percent decreased risk of developing estrogen receptor negative breast cancer, which accounts for about a quarter of all breast cancers, Reuters reported.

Source: american journal of epidemiology, reuter and the huffington post