Tips on Buying a Safe Crib
Brenda was recently on WUSA 9 giving important information to viewers on how to make smarter choices when buying cribs.
Click here to check it out!
Speaking Baby
Baby speak sort of baffles me. I’ve always wondered why we speak to babies in these funny high-pitched, overly happy voices. They can’t respond to us. I know you know what voice I’m referring to. I have seen it in everyone from small children to grown men. And you know what? The smaller the baby, the more oh, foofy, gaga, booboo baby-ish the speaking is. I just find that so funny. You have this 2 week old baby and you’re saying things like “What did you do today? Hi my little friend, how are you?” If only that baby could talk. Maybe it would say something like,
“Well, let’s see. I can’t talk.
I can’t crawl or roll over.
I certainly can’t walk.
I don’t read or watch T.V.
Sports are definitely out.
I’m pretty much at the mercy of my parents these days.
So, I uh…. hmmm …. well, I ate.
I pooped.
I slept.
I cried.
I did stare at those lights in the ceiling for a few minutes. That was cool.
Then I cried for my parents to carry me.
Yep, that was pretty much my day.
Now, would you PLEASE stop talking so close and give me some personal space?
I think we all want babies to like us. I know that’s why I’m guilty. But do you think that we would get the same reaction by saying the exact same thing in our regular voice? Sure, when they’re a few weeks or months old they might start smiling at you, but maybe that’s their way of saying: “Okay, smile and maybe they’ll go away. Give them the smile. That’s what they want. They’ll think I like them and they’ll go away!”
Or, maybe they just smile because they have gas? Who knows what it is; I’m definitely not judging. I am right up there with the best (or is it worst?) of them. I could talk to a baby for hours! They’re pretty much my favorite thing in the whole world, after all. What really makes me chuckle is to hear other people baby-talking babies. Some of them go in to full character, you know? They bring out “Bob the Duck” and “Quack, quack, quack. Here comes Bob the Duck to tickle you! Quack, quack, quack!”
Uh. What just happened?
Or then there are the ones who keep the high-pitched voice but totally ditch actual words. It’s so funny. “Ooooh mooshu-poopoo-gaga-booboo-choo-choo-dada? Oh, ya? Too-too-voo-voo-loo-loo-sa-so” What in the world?! Are those lyrics to a Lady Gaga song?
My husband is Danish and we have found that when he speaks to babies in Danish he always gets a positive response, much more positive than I tend to receive. It’s so funny to watch. I can be giving my all-time best baby-speak performance and the little one just looks at me stone-faced, like: “is that the best you’ve got?” Then my husband will swoop in with a “Hvordan går det, din lille bandit? Vil du have en øl?” in his regular voice, mind you, and the baby is instantly a fan! I have got to get better with my Danish because that is just not fair!
Well, whatever it is that makes us act this way — it must be good for us like exercise and eating healthy. I am certainly no doctor, but I do know that being happy is great for you! When a baby is near, you probably hear (and make!) these sounds because babies have a way of making people happy. The next time you’re near a very small baby pay attention to the sounds around you. It might even lift your spirits just watching or listening to someone else engage them!
Tess is married to a wonderful man who gets to work with rock stars for a living! They have the best son, who just happens to be a real-life rock star himself. She splits her time at Scandinavian Child between customer service and administrative duties. In her spare time she loves to take pictures, read, and hang out with her family! She’ll never complain about having an extra hour to sleep. She is a sports fanatic and lives for baseball and tennis.
Big Thanks to Lizzie B for this fabulous demo of our Anka/Svan Chairs!
Svan and Anka Chairs from LizzieBtv on Vimeo.
The Working Mommy Club
One of the happiest days of my life was January 8th last year when I discovered I was pregnant. I was so excited to become a mother! My beautiful daughter, Lea, was born September 19, 2009. The first 15 weeks of her life, I was at home with her and I got used to being a ‘stay at home mom’. I knew, though, that I would be returning to work and honestly I was a little worried.
Now that my first couple of weeks back at work are over, I am filled with mixed emotions and much more exhausted than I thought I would be. The hardest part of coming back to work was waking up and realizing that I was going to be leaving my baby girl. I very much enjoyed my time at home with her and had been uncertain how we both would transition to the new routine.
Coming back to the office, I had a new schedule and an updated list of responsibilities so while part of me was sad, the other was looking forward to the new routine. Staying busy has been easy as there is always so much to do and it helps keep my mind off of Lea. In the back of my mind, though, I often wonder what she might be doing at home. Is she napping, playing or enjoying a book with Grandma? One of the most surprising things from this new experience is how quickly my state of mind switches from business woman to mommy. At work, my mind races a mile a minute with new merchandising ideas, working on our Web site and reviewing potential blog partners. As soon as I get home, though, it’s all about baby; reading board books, tummy time and bubble baths!
Although we have encountered a few small bumps in the road, our transition has gone rather smoothly. The first week, Lea was not interested in eating from a bottle. She also slept a lot more than usual, making me think she was a little stressed from the situation. By the second week, though, she was eating more while I was away and getting back to her normal sleeping patterns. It’s amazing how resilient babies (and mommies) are!
I won’t lie, when it’s time to go home I can hardly contain myself! I have to watch my speed because I just want to drive as fast as I can to get home. Joy fills my heart and I get goose bumps when I see Lea’s beautiful smile and her excitement to see me. It’s the best feeling in the world!
So, I am now a ‘working mom’. I have joined a new group. I feel closer to the other working mommies in my office. I feel like we share some secrets that other women may never know…. some secrets that are sad and scary, but others that are joyful and exciting. I like being part of this club and am excited to learn the next phase of initiation as Lea transitions from infant to toddler.
Jessie Thomas has been employed with Scandinavian Child since July 2004. While she has had several positions within the company, she is now working as Marketing Associate. She and her husband Kevin have a daughter named Lea and a dog named Bailey. Visit her personal blog, A ‘Fritos’ Kinda Life.
Toxic metals in children’s jewelry?
This morning I was sent this article from our PR firm. It talks about how federal agencies are now cracking down on a metal commonly used in children’s jewelry.
“Regulators reacted swiftly to an Associated Press investigation reporting that some Chinese manufacturers have been using cadmium in place of lead in children’s charm bracelets and pendants, sometimes at extraordinarily high levels. Congress clamped down on lead in those products in 2008, but cadmium is even more harmful.
In taped remarks to be delivered Tuesday in Hong Kong, the chairwoman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urged other countries to ensure that manufacturers do not substitute cadmium, antimony or barium in place of lead in children’s products.”
My husband and I were talking about this just this morning … it is VERY worrisome. My daughter seems to get ‘cheap’ jewelry everywhere. They come as gifts in everything from toy machines to birthday party goodie bags. It is very hard to know where they are coming from or what they contain. I walk a fine line between my own concern for her well-being and not wanting to be ‘mean mom’ who keeps her from wearing a Santa necklace from her best friend.
Please be aware of this when shopping for jewelry at places like Walmart and Claire’s. The studies in the article indicated that these shops had a high level of cadmium in their jewelry.
Happy New Year!
A big happy new year to all our loyal friends and fans! We thank you for your patronage and for keeping up with all our happenings. This month, you’re going to see some changes on our blog. To start with, we’re going to open it up to the rest of our staff. So, not only will you see some great content and insight from our fabulous CEO, Brenda Berg, but you’ll also get stories and anecdotes from our sales, business and marketing units.
Stay tuned!
Feeling the SCI Love!
Here at SCI, we have some amazing friends -people who believe in our products, who believe in our business philosophy. Over the past few years, we’ve met some amazingly awesome organizations/bloggers/writers out there in the Social Media Universe.
As 2009 draws to a close, we wanted to take this time to publicly say thank you – to those people/groups/sites that continue to reach out to us and work with us on promoting fabulous, functional and SAFE children’s products, to those people who encourage us and keep us on our toes, to those who truly “get us”.
We are privileged to be able to work with you and wish you ALL a very merry holiday.
Consider this one big group hug! Sending love to:
Karie and Barbie at Grand Avenue PR (Quite honestly, the best PR people in the world!)
Kate at The Shopping Mama
Candace at Dealectible Mommies
Lena at Operation Shower
Ciaran at Momfluential
Molly at MyGoMom!
Angela at Welcome to the Mommyhood
And I know we’re leaving out some fantastic people, and for that we apologize! It’s been a great year for us and if you have some fun things in the works for next year, drop us a line!
First Birthday…where does the time go?
Monkey Cake
I’ve been back at work for 9 months! It feels like I never left, yet when I go home every day there is this amazing little miracle waiting for me.
His grandfather was in from out of town this past weekend so we had an early birthday party. I even MADE his birthday monkey cake (that’s impressive for me; I don’t do ANYTHING fancy.) My little man LOVED his birthday cake as you can tell from the pictures.
Bday cake is GOOD
First Birthday post-cake
It’s such an amazing time! Makes me a little teary to think about him growing up…
Amby Baby Motion Bed Recall
WASHINGTON – About 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds are being recalled after two infant deaths. The hammock-like beds are marketed to parents of fussy babies with colic or reflux.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged against the hammock’s fabric or mattress pad, posing a suffocation risk to babies.
Two infants suffocated this summer.
The beds are made by Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis.
CPSC said there is only one model of the hammock available. It has a label sewn onto the hammock that says, “Amby – Babies Love It, Naturally.” They were sold on the Internet, through Ambybaby.com and other Internet retailers dating back to 2003.
Click here for the official CPSC announcement.
CYBER MONDAY!
For the first time EVER, Scandinavian Child is having a CYBER MONDAY sale. We are pleased to pass on some amazing discounts to our friends.
Today only, we are hosting a sale at SCICHILD.com/SHOP
The schedule is as follows:
Noon to 9 p.m. – lillebaby EuroTotes – 60% off, lillebaby EveryWear 2009 l 40% off (+ free Infant Cradle- $20 value!), Earth Bassinet – 40% off, Svan Bouncer – 30% off
1 p.m to 2 p.m. – Anka High Chair 30% off
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Assortment of Cariboo Bassinets and Changing Tables – 40% off Cariboo Kiwi Cot and accessories 50% off Cariboo Activity Gym 40% off
3 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Svan Scooter 40% off
4 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Micralite Toro 35% off
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.- Anka Mini Furniture (espresso and honey) 40% off
Please pass this on to your friends and family! And if you follow us on Twitter or Facebook , you’ll have access to “Pop-Up” deals throughout the day!
