New moms who are working will need information about breast milk storage. Here is a good article about breast milk storage.

STORING AND TRANSPORTING BREAST MILK

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Mother’s milk is precious to both you and your baby. It represents commitment on your part and ideal nourishment for your baby. Handle your milk with care. The same immune properties in your milk that protect your baby also help protect the milk from bacteria growth while it sits on the refrigerator shelf.

What kind of container should I use to store my milk?

The options include hard or soft containers, with several choices under each category. Each has advantages and drawbacks.

• Soft containers are plastic bags.
• Hard containers are made of plastic or glass.What kind to use comes down to two issues:
• protecting the milk and all its valuable components
• your convenience and that of the baby’s caregivers.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of research about how storage containers affect human milk. One study showed that the leukocytes in milk (the live cells that transfer immunity from you to your baby) sticks to the side of glass containers, but subsequent research showed greater numbers of leukocytes in glass containers than in plastic, as the cells were released from the sides of the containers over time. Research has also shown a loss of antibodies and fat in milk that is stored in plastic bags, but this information applies only to disposable plastic nurser bags, the thin ones you can buy at most stores to use with baby bottles. If you do choose to store your milk in these, use two bags to protect against breakage and “freezer burn.” Use twist ties to close the bags.

Plastic bags specially designed for freezing expressed human milk are available from many companies that specialize in products for breastfeeding mothers and babies. These bags are sturdier than those used in baby bottles and have self-closures that are easier to seal and label. They do a better job of protecting milk components than nurser bags. Some types can be attached directly to your pump.

The information currently available suggests that glass or hard-sided plastic containers (the kind of plastic that is clear, not cloudy) provide the best protection for nutrients and immunities. Hard containers should have secure, one-piece tops. If your baby is getting a lot of his nourishment directly at the breast, you don’t need to be as concerned about nutrient loss through freezing and contact with storage containers as you do if your baby is getting only expressed milk and not nursing directly at the breast.

Convenience is another issue, and opinions will vary. Plastic bags take up less room in the freezer and are one-use items, so there’s no dishwashing involved. However, filling them and pouring milk out of them can be awkward.

How should I wash containers that will hold milk? Do I need to sterilize them?

When you are pumping milk for a full-term, healthy baby, you do not need to worry about sterilizing storage containers or pump parts. Wash your storage containers in hot soapy water, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you pump. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for information on washing parts of the pump. Storage containers and parts of some pumps can be washed in a dishwasher.

Mothers who are pumping milk for a sick or hospitalized baby will need to be more careful about milk handling and sterilization procedures.

Freezer or refrigerator? How quickly does human milk spoil?

Freezing destroys some of the immune properties in human milk, so it’s best if your baby is given fresh milk–milk that has been expressed and then refrigerated. The chart in Storage Times for Human Milk tells you how long you can keep expressed milk at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer. (Print this file and keep it on your refrigerator door!)

Label each container with the date, so that you can use the oldest milk first and avoid needless waste.

How much should I store in each container?

Store your milk in small amounts, about two ounces in each container, at least at first. (If you’re pumping milk for a premature baby, you may want to store it in even smaller amounts.) Breastfed babies take smaller amounts of milk at each feeding than do formula-fed infants, and smaller amounts are also quicker to thaw. Milk left in a bottle after a feeding can be saved until the next feeding, but after that it should be discarded, and you don’t want to waste expressed milk. Eventually, you may decide to put more milk in each bottle, based on your caregiver’s report on how much your baby takes at each feeding.

You can add more milk to already-frozen milk, but cool the added milk in the refrigerator first. There should be less added milk than already-frozen milk.

Always leave about an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion. Just like water for ice cubes, human milk expands when you freeze it. Hard containers will pop open as the milk expands. Bags will break. Squeeze out the air at the top of the bag and fasten it an inch above the milk.

How do I safely store my milk?

• Bags containing human milk should be placed inside another container in the refrigerator or freezer. This makes for better protection and easier handling.
• If you lay the bags down in a container in the freezer, you’ll get flatter packages that will thaw more quickly. (But be sure they’re sealed well, or you’ll have a leaky mess.)
• You might want to keep all your hard containers of milk together in the freezer or refrigerator inside a larger plastic box.

How long can I keep the stored milk?

Amazingly, research has found that human milk stored in the refrigerator for eight days actually has lower bacterial levels than freshly expressed milk. For more details on recommended storage times, see Storage Times for Human Milk.

Since human milk can be kept in the refrigerator for up to eight days, it may be possible to provide your baby with fresh, not frozen, milk most of the time. This insures that your baby gets the maximum amount of nutrients and immunities. Instruct your caregiver to use the oldest milk first and keep the supply rotating.

Previously frozen milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing. This means that you or the baby’s caregiver can thaw milk for all of your baby’s feedings at one time, or you can thaw the milk in the refrigerator overnight. This can make it faster to prepare a bottle when your baby is hungry. Milk that has thawed should not be refrozen.

How do I safely transport my milk?

Research shows that bacteria do not grow readily in human milk, and that it can be kept safely at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours or more (see Storage times for human milk). So you don’t need to worry if you can’t rush your milk to the refrigerator right after you express. But it still makes sense to refrigerate the milk as soon as possible and to keep it cool when taking it home or to the sitter’s. If you have refrigerator space available at work, you can store your milk there until the workday is over, or use an insulated container with reusable carry-ice to keep it cool.

What are the best ways to thaw and heat my stored milk

Heat can destroy human milk’s enzymes, immune properties, and other valuable components, so the milk requires gentle care before it is served to baby. Follow these guidelines:

• Defrost milk by holding it under warm running water.
• Or, place the container of milk in a bowl of warm water on the kitchen counter. As the water cools, replace it with more warm water until the milk is thawed and warmed to body temperature.
• Do not heat expressed human milk on top of the stove. It’s too easy to overheat it this way. Do not boil!
• Do not heat expressed human milk in a microwave oven. Even if the overall temperature of the milk stays below body temperature, there may be “hot spots” where the milk is overheated and some of its beneficial properties are destroyed. The uneven heating can also be dangerous when the bottle is given to baby.
• Human milk, like any milk that is not processed or homogenized, tends to separate when stored. The cream rises to the top. Swirl the bottle gently to mix the layers.
• Human milk has a thin, bluish look to it, quite different from either homogenized cow’s milk or the grayish color of infant formula. Your baby’s caregiver may need reassurance that this is normal.

STORAGE GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN MILK These guidelines are for mothers who are expressing milk for a full-term healthy baby. Use clean containers, and wash your hands with soap and water before expressing. or pumping. When providing milk for a baby who is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, check with healthcare providers for instructions. Where stored Storage temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) Storage temperature (degrees Centigrade) How long At room temperature 60 degrees F 15 degrees C 24 hours At room temperature 66-72 degrees F 19-22 degrees C 10 hours At room temperature 79 degrees F 25 degrees C 4-6 hours In a refrigerator 32-39 degrees F 0-4 degrees C 8 days In a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator     2 weeks In a self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator     3-4 months In a separate deep freeze with a constant temperature 0 degrees F -19 degrees C 6 months or longer SAVE? OR DUMP? Type of Milk Save or Dump? Why Milk remaining in the bottle that has been offered to baby Use for next feeding, otherwise discard. Bacteria from the baby’s mouth may have entered the milk during the feeding. This may lead to bacterial contamination if it sets too long (though as yet there is no research available). Milk that has been thawed Save in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing, then discard. Do not refreeze. Milk that has been frozen has lost some of the immune properties that inhibit bacterial growth in fresh refrigerated milk. Milk that has been kept in the refrigerator for eight days Transfer to storage in the freezer, or discard. Bacterial growth is not a problem, but milk sometimes picks up odors or flavors from the refrigerator or the container.

Hypertension in Children – Related to Poor Diet?
By Kristi Patrice Carter

Hypertension is chronic high blood pressure. In the past, this was a condition usually only seen in older adults. However, an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with hypertension. What is the cause of this alarming trend? According to the majority of leading researchers, the cause for this trend is diet.

Because more parents work outside of the home, more families consume prepared food on a daily basis. While these foods are easier, they are not better for you in terms of health. These foods can be filled with hidden calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. All of these contribute negatively to the health of a human heart. While it may take more time and effort, it may be in your child’s best interest to limits the amount of these foods your child consumes on a regular basis.

Children are also eating higher amounts of fast food than they have in the past. Decades ago, a trip to a fast food restaurant was an occasional treat for children. This is no longer the case. Many children eat at least five fast food meals a week, which has a significant impact on their health. These children are often obese, and recent studies indicate that these children develop chronic health conditions later on in life, such as diabetes and hypertension.

These foods are replacing healthy food choices like fresh fruits and vegetables in many homes. Instead of making processed snacks available to children, parents should encourage their children to snack on fruits and vegetables instead. Put healthy snacks on the shelves in the pantry and refrigerator that your children can reach. Place “sometimes” foods in places where your children cannot reach them. This may take some parental monitoring, but this change can be accomplished with a little bit of work and perseverance.

This problem is compounded by the fact that children spend more time in front of a television or computer screen than they have in the past. Instead of going outside to play and get exercise, children are becoming more sedentary. As a result, their health is suffering. Parents can help by sending their children outside to play every day and by limiting the amount of time children spend watching television or playing on the computer.

In conclusion, there are many steps you can take in order to maintain the health of your child. Your child may protest these changes at first, but you must stand firm. Your child will thank you later on in life for your efforts now.

Hypertension is a serious medical condition that affets children and adults. To earn more about hypertension and how to cure it with diet and exercise, please visit http://www.dashdiethypertension.com

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Telling Stories to Children
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Parents promise themselves to give the best to their children. The bar is high for parents to teach the kids values on tradition, discipline, language skills so as the kids grow up to be able citizens. The effort surely is rewarding when children imbibe the right things. Exploration is natural by committing mistakes. Parents should recognize and correct the wrong behaviour.

All children demand stories, be it eating time, a boring travel journey and surely it is a bed ritual. If you have paucity of time juggling with chores, then invest in some interesting fairy tale bed time story books. Children’s literature abounds with millions of elves, fairy, goblin, monster and sea devil stories. Interesting colour pictures, expressions and touch-feel books are available in the market. Rewarding the child through books is a valuable idea.

If you are reading a story, be enthusiastic. Use one hand free to articulate exclamations, pauses, commas and happiness. Use up and down animated versions and help the child participate. Children do not respond to routine and mundane reading. They are bored easily by repetitive ordeals and let story sessions be bonding times.

Both parents have to involve themselves either simultaneously or choose alternate days to suit schedules. The mind of the parent should be free and pending works should not interfere the narration. It is necessary, that one does the homework fool proof to answer surprising questions and explanations.

Introduce new words each time. Teach them words like good, nice, wonderful, best all mean positive happenings. Let them understand that bad, ugly, wrong is negative. Teach them opposites like day-night, up-down, sweet-bitter expressing them with your hands and face.

In case you are tired and it is natural that fatigue refrains you from being natural, then read a short story with nice colour patterns. Laze on a hammock with your child on a holiday and narrate true stories about your childhood. All of us live vicariously through our children during their growing years. So the best patterns are narrating a few lines about honesty, hard work and value about money.

If the child has a habit of seeing pictures from a very keen age, the child gets easily adapted to a pattern of self study. Their orientation is structured and they will focus on reading independently. Telling stories is an art and all parents naturally master it. Bed times are special and make sure not to introduce scary surprises and kids might visualize them in their dreams causing nightmares.

Actually the goblins, witches, wizards are to be introduced necessarily to deem it as non emulative values. Hence like all other theories on raising kids, tell them stories rich in tradition, worldly pursuits and also about the ‘Almighty’. Teach them the sacrifice of Christ and read them lucidly about Hindu mythology.

If you are really keen in imparting in rich values to your kid, check our sites on short stories, pumpkin carving and infant activities.

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The 10 Most Dangerous Recalled Toys
By Lindsey O’neil

More and more frequently, dangerous, defective toys-and their subsequent recall-continue to make headlines. Although dangerous toys have been produced for decades, some to have hit the market within the last 20 years have been clearly more dangerous, and deadly, than their predecessors-leading to recalls and class actions lawsuits against top toy manufacturers and sellers of these unsafe toys.

The following is LawInfo’s list of the top ten most dangerous recalled toys of the last two decades.

Aqua Dots
Produced by the Spin Master Corporation, Aqua Dots were small, colorful beads that were part of a multidimensional design craft kit. However, the chemical compound of these beads included the then unknown “date rape” drug gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Children who licked and ingested Aqua Dots were subject to respiratory depression, seizures and often became comatose. One child was reportedly hospitalized for five days after swallowing an Aqua Dot. Spin Master Corporation recalled 4.2 million units and suspended the toy from the market in November 2007.

Mini hammocks from EZ Sales
After 12 confirmed fatalities by asphyxiation (of children aged 5-17) and numerous reports of near-death entrapments, these nylon mini hammocks came to be known as “death cocoons.” The culprit behind the flawed design was the lack of spreader bars at either end, which would keep the hammock open when children were swinging and/or resting in them. EZ Sales recalled nearly 3 million of these products and suspended sales indefinitely in August 1996.

Fisher-Price Power Wheels Motorcycle
These very real motorbikes looked like a shiny motorized toy, but in fact were quite dangerous machines. On certain models, the accelerator jammed and became stuck, leading to crashes and accident-inflicted injuries such as lacerations, sprains and broken bones. Fisher-Price recalled 218,000 Power Wheels motorcycles and took the “toy” off the market in August 2000.

Sky Dancers Flying Dolls
These Barbie-inspired 9-inch hard plastic dolls were designed to fly but lacked reliable controls, thus launching with incredible speed in unpredictable directions. After 150 reported injuries, including temporary blindness, broken ribs and teeth, mild concussions and lacerations, almost 9 million units were recalled by manufacturer Galoob Toys and all sales suspended in June 2000.

Easy-Bake Oven by Hasbro
Easy-Bake toy ovens have been around since the 1950’s, but this Hasbro model had a clear defect: the front-loading oven would trap tiny hands that were reaching inside of it-inflicting some 77 second- and third-degree burns to children’s hands and fingers, including one 5-year-old girl who required a partial finger amputation. Hasbro recalled the oven and stopped distribution in July 2007.

Jarts Lawn Darts
Jarts (a variable of lawn darts) were heavy, metal projectiles that sharply pierced whatever they struck -including many children. Lawn darts were responsible for 6,700 injuries and four deaths in the 1980’s and were permanently banned (in all varieties) in 1988.

Snacktime Cabbage Patch Dolls by Mattel
These models from the widely sought-after Cabbage Patch line of the 1980’s and 90’s had automated jaws that would “chew” whatever was placed in its mouth. The problem: the doll didn’t stop chewing. After 35 tiny fingers were reportedly injured by the chomping doll, Mattel removed the dolls from retail shelves in 1997 (although never formally “recalling” the product), and offered 500,000 customers a full refund.

Battlestar Galactica Missile Launcher
In 1978, Mattel launched a series of Battlestar Galactica toy missile launchers known individually as the Viper, the Cylon Raider, the Scarab and the Stellar Probe. In 1979, a child reportedly died after choking on one of the missile launchers-prompting Mattel to recall all BSG models and suspend production.

The Chicken Limbo Party Game
Manufactured by Milton Bradley, The Chicken Limbo Party game lacked sturdy support poles, therefore with the slightest touch, the entire apparatus could shake and collapse on participating children (and any bystanders). After 46 reports of the game collapsing and causing subsequent injuries such as bumps, bruises, welts, chipped teeth, and one fractured foot, Milton Bradley recalled 461,000 CLP units and suspended all sales in 2006.

Clackers
Clackers, which were marketed under a multitude of other names, consisted of two glass-like acrylic balls, each about the size of plum, which swung on either end of a string. The idea was to tug on the middle of the string until the balls swung faster and faster, smacking each other above and below your hand until the motion formed a stunning arc. However, being made of glass, the balls were heavy-leading to numerous reports of injury when they hit children’s faces, and when the balls themselves occasionally shattered, causing lacerations. Clackers were pulled from the shelves in 1981 and, later that year, a mandate was issued that any future product(s) be made with foam balls and nylon cords.

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Coloring for Kids
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Sound and sight delight newborns. Their sense of smell is acute and hence they identify so well with their care giver. This is when stimulation is high to touch, seeing and hearing and this is our best chance to slowly expose the child to life’s pleasures. It is a very surprising fact, that children have sound logics. Many times they identify items by way of color, shape and size. The smile and the twinkle in the eye on seeing a colourful object is their way of recognizing things and a sure reason to mark a milestone.

When we buy a rattle for a child, they are intrigued by the color and sound of it. Flying objects like a silly cloth hanging on the clothesline attracts their attention and they are often found squealing at the curtain or moving colourful items. Once the motor skills are achieved, probably by the age of two, it is the best time to introduce them to the colourful world.

Invest in a good clay set for starters and let them play with the same. Make a snail and snake and they will love/imitate the same. Appreciate surely. Teach them the basic color like red, blue, green, yellow, white and black. Buy a thick crayon stick and let them hold the same for an entire day. Anything novel is a fancy item. Slowly introduce the paper and let them do what they want with it.

The next week is exciting for both of you. Give them a crayon and demonstrate how to hold the same. Take a paper and scribble, doodle or draw a huge circle. They sure are amazed at the wonder. Encourage them to mimic the activity. Many kids may not be particularly fond of your coloring themes and for starters they may shred the paper or want to break the crayon. Use safe colors and please supervise to avoid accidental swallowing.

One need not be a painter or blessed with a artistic bone to teach the child to color. Invest your time and be with the child. Toddlers have keen interest in colors. Water colors are best for holiday recreation. Get to a family ‘painting Sunday’ in the garden and have your breakfast along with coloring. Each person needs to color a picture. Ready pictures are available in animal prints, vehicles, body parts and cute daily life activities.

Make a garden, a mountain, river with boats, fishes and a wide mouthed crocodile. Draw a star, sing a rhyme on astronomy and let your child color all the pictures. Clap hard and praise well ignoring the mess. Draw an edge for them near the outline and tell them to color the hair in black, brown or golden. They will slowly become independent and present you a colored picture for approval.

Outline alphabets, balls, houses, blocks and get them to know about magenta, turquoise and ash blue. Mix colors for them. Teach them to count and recognize words but end the revisions with coloring.

The best time to make wise use of colors is during festivals. Halloween coloring pages
and pumpkin carving using pumpkin stencils is the best way to enter the world of colors. Children can also learn cake decorating ideas, painting ideas and other coloring ways by exploring their creativity and thoughts.

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The decision to wean your baby from the breast and onto solid foods is a big one. It stands as a hallmark for your child as well for you. Your “baby” is still a little one, but she is no longer that utterly dependent soul that looks to you for every need, and that, as a mother, can be disconcerting.

Knowing when to wean your child off of breast milk and onto solid foods is really an issue that is decided based on the child’s development and their own rate of physical, emotional and mental growth. Some kids are ready early and others seem to take forever to get to the point where solid foods are their preferred method of eating. The following tips will help you decide what to do about this very big milestone in your child’s life.

1. Do not rush it – The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies not begin eating solids until they are at least four to six months old. At this time, most infants will start to show signs that they are ready for solids. They will be able to sit up unsupported, will be able to pick up small items and will show an interest in what is on your dinner plate. Watching for the arbitrary signs of readiness will help you decide when the move is right for

2. Take your time – The tendency is to rush the baby to this point, but your baby needs time to adjust and to explore this new world. Gradually increase the amount of solid foods until your baby is eating the equivalent of one quarter cup of food at a sitting.

3. Food progression depends on the baby – There is no “guide” to offering your child solid foods. In fact, health history and their own likes and dislikes will determine what they are ready to eat and when.

4. Expect a mess – They are still learning how to coordinate their actions and what is supposed to go where. Plus, throwing food and getting attention is fun. If everyone learns to duck fast or wear protective gear, this phase will go much smoother. Most of their food is not going to end up in their mouth, so do not get upset. They will learn, eventually.

5. Do not overload your baby with options – The best time to introduce new foods to your baby is in the morning. This allows you to watch for signs of an allergic reaction, such as a rash, runny nose or congestion, and will allow you to modify their eating habits accordingly. Offer them one new food each week. Taking your time in offering food will allow you to pinpoint the exact food that caused the reaction and will also allow you to avoid those foods in the future.

6. Make meals social – Babies typically enjoy the time spent at the table with family. Make this an event that they will always look forward to. It teaches them social interaction and allows everyone to dote on the infant, which will make them feel wanted and loved.

Pretty soon, your child will develop into a bottomless pit that will scarf just about anything down. Enjoy this period when they are learning this new skill. If you plan it right and allow them to develop it slowly, you can also teach them eating habits that will last them a lifetime.