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NHTSA 5-Star Child Seat Rating System Rolled Out

Fastidious moms and dads now have one-click access to a complete report card of all available child car seats on the market. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unveiled its new 5-Star Ease of Use rating system for kid car seats. It covers all types of car seats available for your kid – infant rear-facing seats, toddler forward-facing seats, convertible seats and booster seats. The rating system is based on four categories of evaluation; evaluation of instructions, vehicle installation features, evaluation of labels and securing the child.

This will help parents eliminate the guess work of choosing a good car seat for their kid. At a glance, it is surprising to see how many seats on the market only receive one star – parents beware. Perhaps this roll-out is in lieu of the recent Consumer Report Magazine testing that found that ten of twelve rear-facing infant carriers failed government safety standards. By the way, the two that passed the test are Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS performed well in the magazine’s tests.

As a side note, listed under “Quick Clicks” is a link to their Child Safety Seat Inspection Station. I have found this is a great resource. If you or anyone you know ever has a question about the installation of a child seat in an auto you can drive down to your local inspection station and have someone give you a free evaluation. I have found most inspection stations tend to be your local police station, fire station or car dealership.

Also take note of the NHTSA Child Seat Recall Section. It’s not organized very well, but most current web browsers allow for a page search so it may be wise to double-check that the car seat you latch you kid in every day hasn’t been recalled – you know, considering we are living in the Mighty Age of the Recall.

Sited Links;
NHTSA | 5-Star Ease of Use Rating System for Child Car Seats
NHTSA | Child Safety Seat Inspection Station Finder
NHTSA | Child Seat Recall Section
CNN.Com | Most Infant Car Seats Fail Crash Test

Brush Your Teeth

The first recorded use of a toothbrush was found in 16^th century BC Chinese literature. As far as 3500 BC, Babylonians used chewing sticks fashioned from the twigs of particular aromatic trees. These glorified toothpicks were supposedly used to pick out food and freshen breath. The first bristled toothbrush did not appear on the scene until 16^th century AD in China. In 1780, William Addis of Clerkensald, England is given the credit of manufacturing the first modern bristle toothbrush from cattle bone and swine fibers. In the US in the late 30′s, the bristles were eventually replaced by nylon .

Today we have a dizzying array of choices when it comes to oral hygiene – the old school toothbrush, the water-pick, the rotary or power brushes, flossing sticks, and a whole isle dedicated to toothpastes and mouthwashes at the pharmacy or grocery store. As parents, it is our job to teach and maintain our kids oral health so they can develop healthy habits to fight against plaque and gingivitis, right?

Chronic gum disease is called periodontitis, which occurs when waste material or plaque collects around the teeth and irritates the gums. A build up of plaque around the gum-line leads to gingivitis but plaque can be kept in check with good habits. The health community is starting to link poor oral hygiene to a number of major health problems in adults that we, as parents, should be aware of – More »

Future Rocket Scientist

Babies love creepin’, crawlin’ and sleepin’ in these super comfy, 100% cotton jersey knit Infant Creeper. Three snaps there in, three snaps they’re out.

(Via LittleGooGoo.Com)

Funding Your Kid’s Future

As a parent it is easy to get lost amongst the day to day minutiae of child rearing. Buying the groceries. Driving the kids here and there. Doing the laundry, again. Buying more groceries. Driving to and from soccer practice – the list is seemingly endless.

Here’s a reminder for all of us (including myself) – don’t forget to squirrel away some money for the kid’s college years. Current financial sources have placed college tuition projections for kids graduating high school between 2011-2022 between $85,706 – $153,486 (based on average college expenses, and tuition for public college or universities with adjusted cost inflation rate of 6%)! By the way that means if you start saving for your newborn’s undergraduate degree right now (he/she enters college in 18 years or 2020) you will have to sack away $710 dollars a month for the next 18 years to cover their college experience!

For parents with teenagers prepping for SAT’s now the issue is all too pertinent. As you may be aware there are a number of online options available to you. One of the biggest scholarship programs out there is the Bill Gates foundation. It was initially funded in 1999 by a one billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Check out Scholarships.Com for a fresh listing of resources and scholarships. Their expansive college scholarship database is updated constantly, offers relevant and accurate scholarship & grant information.

Phthalate Free Baby Bottles

The Adiri Natural Nurser Ultimate Bottle is 100% polycarbonate-free and bisphenol-A free, and retains the features babies and parents love in the Breastbottle Nurser, as well as offers the latest high quality materials, a graceful design, and the new Fill, Twist and Feed system, engineered so that a parent or caregiver can quickly prepare a bottle, even with a hungry infant under one arm.

(Via ZoeBOnline.Com)

DIY Dad – Build Your Own Computer With Your Kid

Here’s a great opportunity to spend some quality time with the kids, perhaps learn something and save a few buck in the process. Here are some PC Kits you can custom order online for a fraction of what they cost in the stores. They include plain English (gosh, I hope so!) instructions with lots of illustrations and full manufacturer warranties.

You can also get upgrade kits to increase your ram or replace your CPU. All you need is a screwdriver and we can help you save $100′s. The basic kit comes with a 2.2G Core 2 Duo, 2G SDRAM and a graphics card option – that’s a pretty good start and it’s definitely a kit with room to grow.