As many of you already know, hearing the news that you will soon become a grandparent is quite a joyous occasion.  You feel happiness, excitement and pride for your child and have great anticipation for what the future will hold for them.  You help them prepare for their soon-to-arrive bundle of joy and share the knowledge you’ve gained through your parenting experiences with them.

Upon reflecting on my own conversations with my children, I came upon a great article entitled “New Rules for Being a Grandparent” by Pediatrician Marta Markman, M.D.  The article sheds light on parenting as it pertains to the 21st century.  I’ve included some important excerpts below.

Safety is a top priority when considering even the basic needs of a grandchild. The most important way to create a safe environment for your grandchild is to educate yourself. You must familiarize yourself with the most up-to-date techniques for child caring, as well as any new or modernized equipment that may not have been available in the past. Some of the most common and essential adjustments include:

Nutrition: In the past, babies were put on solid foods as soon as possible. It is now recommended that infants be kept on formula until they are at least a year old. Due to an increase in the presence of food allergies among children, new foods should be introduced by giving the same vegetable or fruit for at least three consecutive days to determine if an allergic reaction occurs.

Immunizations: Babies need 20 immunizations during their first two years. These include older vaccines like measles, mumps and rubella; as well as newer immunizations such as hepatitis B, chickenpox and Prevnar, which prevents infections that cause pneumonia and meningitis.

Medicine: Baby aspirins have been replaced with acetaminophen to treat children with a fever. Giving baby aspirin to a child with a fever may cause a serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. The old home remedy of rubbing whiskey on the gums of a child is also dangerous, as it’s found to be poisonous.

Sleeping position: Infants must be put to sleep on their backs, not on their stomachs as many grandparents were taught to do years ago with their own children. Putting infants on their backs helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among infants that claims the lives of about 2,500 each year in the United States.

Cribs: Today’s cribs are designed with slats that are close enough together to prevent any entrapment of the baby. Make sure the crib has a firm, flat mattress and remove any loose blankets. The exclusion of blankets and soft bedding decreases the risk of suffocation and SIDS.

Car seats: Infants should be placed in rear-facing car seats in the back seat until they are one year old and 22 pounds. All children should remain in the back seat until they are 12 years old. Be sure to purchase an up-to-date seat because older car seats no longer meet the requirements of today’s safety standards.

Baby monitors: This modern item is designed as a listening device to hear the baby while you are in another room. Monitors are also available in a video format so you can not only hear but see the baby while they are sleeping.

Childproofing: While children in the past were free to roam, homes today are rigged with safety precautions. Putting up baby gates, covering electrical sockets and locking cabinets are just a few ways to make your home child friendly.

Keep your little ones safe!

In celebration of National Baby Safety Month, we thought we’d share this baby safety plan prepared by Lisa Carter and Lori Margues for FamilyResources.com.

To view the entire 30-day plan, click here.

September 16: Stroller check. If your stroller is collapsible, be sure latches are secure before putting baby in. Always check that your child’s arms are out of the way when reversing handle directions so they won’t get pinched. Be sure to use that safety strap. Don’t hang overloaded or heavy bags on the handle of the stroller, this may cause it to tip over.

September 17: Review your cooking habits. Are you using the back burners first and turning the pot handles to the back of the stove? Use the back burners for frying and boiling foods.

September 18: Talk to your children about stove and oven safety. Teach them they are hot and never to touch them.

September 19: If you have an unused freezer or refrigerator stored in your garage or yard, have it removed. Be sure to store it with the door towards the wall until it’s gone. Children can climb inside and suffocate.

September 20: How are the latches on your cupboards holding up? Have any broken off and need to be replaced?

September 21: Can you name the 12 most common choking foods for kids under five? *Answers listed at the end.

September 22: Don’t leave toddlers alone while eating, if they begin to choke you need to be nearby to assist.

September 23: Get a piggy bank: this is a great place to put coins so they don’t end up on the floor, in the couch cushions and then baby’s mouth.

September 24: Flush old/expired prescriptions and medications down the toilet. Be sure that medications are placed up high where little ones can not get access to them, keeping in mind that they can climb. Don’t call medication “candy.” They are unable to discern the difference.

September 25: Never leave your child unattended in the bathtub. If the phone rings, let the machine get it, or bring a cordless phone into the bathroom with you. Wait until baby can sit alone to give baths in the tub. It’s easier in the sink until then. Check that the hot water heater is not set any higher than 120 degrees.

September 26: Do a quick survey of your yard every time the kids are going out to play. Is there any yard equipment that they have access to? Trimmers, lawnmowers, etc. cause injury to children every year.

September 27: Check the cords on your miniblinds and draperies. These have caused many strangulations among young children. Be sure they are tied up or cut off and kept out of your child’s reach. The loop of the cord should break apart if you slide your hand between the two cords.

September 28: Bolt bookshelves to the walls. Climbing little ones can bring the entire unit toppling over on them.

September 29: Enroll in an infant/child CPR and first aid class. This will be a valuable investment of your time.

September 30: Get down on your hands and knees and crawl through your house. See what your child is seeing. Have you missed anything?

*Answers to 21: Common choking foods for children under five years: Popcorn, hot dogs, chunks of meat, raisins, ice cubes, chunky peanut butter, peanuts (nuts of any kind), hard candy, grapes, raw carrots, potato chips and corn chips.

Checklist from Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu

When you get up and go with your new baby, you’ll want to keep essential supplies close at hand for all but the shortest excursions.  Technically, all you really need in a diaper bag are diapers and a few wipes, but most parents find it helpful to include some other tricks of the parenting trade, especially if you’ll be out long enough to span a meal or naptime.  You can even make your own checklist to be sure you don’t leave home without something you’ll miss.

o        Diaper bag, backpack or other container

o        Diapers

o        Baby wipes

o        Diaper ointment

o        Diaper changing pad - You can get disposable ones, use a vinyl reusable version or just bring a small towel.

o        Food/drink - This may include a bottle or sippy cup, water, formula/breastmilk, and/or snacks for you and baby.

o        Change of clothes - Definitely for your newborn, but quite possibly for yourself as well.

o        Plastic bags to hold dirty diapers after changes

o        Sun protection (sunscreen or sunblock, hat, sunglasses)

o        Camera to capture those special moments.  Never again will you say “I wish I had brought my camera!”

Upon returning from your excursion, restock your diaper bag right away so that it’ll be ready to grab the next time you head out.

About Dr. Jennifer Shu
Jennifer Shu, MD, is a pediatrician, author and mother in Atlanta. Her passion is educating parents on all topics relating to children. Dr. Shu is editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Baby & Child Health and co-author of the award-winning books Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights, both published by the AAP.

An enthusiastic and experienced writer and public speaker, Dr. Shu is a medical expert on CNNHealth.com, a member of the Parents magazine Board of Advisors and an editorial advisor for the AAP’s Healthy Children doctor’s office publication. She has been featured as a guest expert on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Headline News, MSNBC and Discovery Health, as well as in Newsweek, US News & World Report, USA Today, US Weekly, and numerous parenting magazines, newspapers and medical publications.

Dr. Shu received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Shu completed her pediatric training and chief residency at the University of California in San Francisco. She has been a leader within the medical profession as a past national chairperson of the young physicians sections for both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the AAP.

Baby Sleeps Safe was recently reviewed by MomsLikeMe.com’s Try It Before You Buy It team.  See what they said…

I think every parent of a new baby has a little bit of anxiety in them about different things. The main topic lately seems to SIDS in the first year of life. I know when I had my son I was particularly paranoid and occupied about finding out every little piece of information on how to decrease the chances of this happening in our family. We had it all the video monitor, the heart/breathing monitor thing etc.. but one of the most beneficial came as a gift from someone. It was called Baby Sleeps Safe. I just had a conversation with two of my friends (one has a 1 month old the other has a 4 month old) about this product so I thought great now I can get two more reviews.

The Baby Sleeps Safe is very similar to the sleep sack except one key thing…..the Baby Sleeps Safe has a Velcro piece that attaches to the babies back and wraps around your mattress. The Velcro is designed to allow your baby to roll on his/her side if that’s a position of comfort. The fabric is 100% flame resistant cotton and comes in 4 colors: Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Cream. The fabric looks and feels like it’s really comfortable. The sleep safe is really long. (my son would still fit in it at 13 months) My son always looked like he felt secure in it.  (read the rest of this entry)

Simple bath-time safety measures from Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu

It’s hard to miss the fact that babies are slippery when wet, much less ignore the occasional evening news story about an infant or child being unintentionally scalded or drowning unattended in mere inches of water. The good news is that most childhood injuries in general are preventable, and those related to bathing are no exception. Here are a few simple but extremely important bath-time safety measures that will keep you and your baby from getting in over your heads.

• It’s a matter of degree. The ideal bath water temperature is thought to be somewhere between 95°F and 100°F, while water warmer than 105°F is considered to be too hot and cooler than 90°F, too cold. In contrast, many water heaters are installed at 140°F to 150°F. At 140°F, it only takes 3 seconds for a child to get a third-degree burn. Pay a quick visit to your water heater and make sure that the upper temperature limit is set no higher than 120°F—a temperature at which you should be able to hold your hand under a running stream of hot water without getting burned.

• Fill ‘er up first. Run the bath water first. Turn off the water, and then put your baby in it. Having water flowing directly into the tub when your baby is already in it is an unnecessary risk because the temperature of running water can be inconsistent and hot water controls can be bumped.

• Know what your baby’s getting into. Make it a habit to always test your baby’s bath water on your own skin (preferably on a more sensitive area such as your wrist or elbow) before putting your baby in it. That way you’ll be sure to know exactly what you’re both getting into.

• Please give your undivided attention. Regardless of how much or how little water you have in your newborn’s bath tub, you’ll need to offer him at least one hand of support at all times and ideally keep two eyes focused on the task at hand.

About Dr. Jennifer Shu
Jennifer Shu, MD, is a pediatrician, author and mother in Atlanta. Her passion is educating parents on all topics relating to children. Dr. Shu is editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Baby & Child Health and co-author of the award-winning books Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights, both published by the AAP.

An enthusiastic and experienced writer and public speaker, Dr. Shu is a medical expert on CNNHealth.com, a member of the Parents magazine Board of Advisors and an editorial advisor for the AAP’s Healthy Children doctor’s office publication. She has been featured as a guest expert on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Headline News, MSNBC and Discovery Health, as well as in Newsweek, US News & World Report, USA Today, US Weekly, and numerous parenting magazines, newspapers and medical publications.

Dr. Shu received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Shu completed her pediatric training and chief residency at the University of California in San Francisco. She has been a leader within the medical profession as a past national chairperson of the young physicians sections for both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the AAP.