LilSugar

Maybe We Should We All Move to France?

babysugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:56 -0700

If you want to spark a debate, just gab about America's health and child care systems. While many countries offer new mothers a year of maternity leave, most American women get three months maximum. And in regard to financial benefits, there are few. The child tax credit offers parents a small relief, but for most, it is negligible. In France, however, it's a different story.

Even two of the world's most famous and wealthy movie stars, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, are eligible for relief from the French government. While I can only assume they would reject it, People reports:

They are technically eligible for a "nanny payment" of $975.84 a month, not to mention an "orphan allowance" of $508.97 for each of their three adopted children. The grand total, $2,592.81, would be payable by check each month.

The total of their child care assistance is high due to the number of children they have, but I am still impressed that people of their stature would qualify for such aid. In addition to noshing on baguettes, wine, and cheese, France sounds like such a nice place to raise a family.
Source

Do You Use Your Baby's Products?

babysugar — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:41 -0700

Babies' changing tables are filled with a boatload of products to keep them soft, dry, and smelling like, well, a baby. The products may be designed to be gentle on a lil one's delicate skin, but there are no laws preventing mama from swiping a bit for her own use.

When my tot was diagnosed with a bad case of eczema, the doctor recommended coating him in Aquaphor at every diaper change until we got the scaly patches under control. In the process of creating my lil greaseball, my hands benefited from the super moisturizing power of the miracle product. A tube of the stuff now sits next to my kitchen sink for post-dishwashing hand care. A friend told me that she uses her daughter's shampoo to clean her makeup brushes, saying that the all-natural formulation makes her feel better than what the department stores sell.

Do you borrow your child's products for your own use?

Exclusive Pumping Gains Popularity

babysugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:30:47 -0700

Breast, bottle, or both? New moms are faced with a barrage of questions immediately following their lil one's birth, but few receive as much attention as how they will feed their wee one. While doctors and lactation consultants praise the benefits of breastfeeding, some mamas just cannot fathom putting their newborns to their breast. Rather than turn to formula, a growing number of women is relying exclusively on their breast pumps to nourish their tots.

Though there are no statistics to quantify the growing number of bottled breast milk-fed babies, anecdotal evidence suggests that many women choose to rely on the pump due to early latching issues, uneasiness with the concept of nursing and discomfort with potential public feeding sessions. Though the babies receive all of the health benefits of breastmilk (and allow moms to see just how much their wee ones are ingesting), experts worry that mums will not reap the benefits that a nursing mom sees.

Did you exclusively pump for your child?

French School Children Dine on Five Course Lunches

babysugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:00:07 -0700

In France, public school students sit down to a five course lunch every day, and no meal is repeated for two months. Your child's prepacked lunch of favorites probably pales in comparison. A Time magazine article, marveled at the French public school system's lunch program since US moms try a variety of tricks to entice their tots to eat something other than the standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips and a piece of fruit. While our first lady begins an initiative to increase vegetable consumption among lil tykes, our French counterparts can sit back and peruse a monthly menu that includes an hors d’oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert as well as dinner suggestions for home.

Some may argue that the time to consume such a meal would be better placed in the classroom, but given the staggering US childhood obesity epidemic, and the known benefits of the French diet, perhaps spending more time learning about food would benefit our children. What do you think?

10 Reasons Single Women Make the Best Family Friends

LilSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:55:55 -0800

Some new moms rush out and befriend fellow mothers once baby arrives, and other women just keep the same friends they've always had. Sure, it's comforting to chat about life with someone in a similar stage, but there's a big bonus in sticking with your single friends and keeping them close to your family. Here are some of the benefits:

When you tell the kids that their "Auntie" is coming over, they squish their faces against the window and line the front door like it's a red carpet!
She loves to give piggy back rides, partake in pillow fights, and doesn't mind marker tattoos.
She welcomes your tots with open arms because she isn't toting all kinds of baby baggage!
She loves to babysit or borrow your kids to test out her maternal skills without all of the responsibility.
Children reap the reward of having another adult (who isn't a parent) to talk to about issues.
She still has her train of thought intact and can lead you through a conversation no matter how many times it gets interrupted.
The novelty of changing diapers, repeatedly reading the same story, and tucking tots into bed hasn't worn off for her yet.
No matter what the occasion, her gift and presence are unrivaled.
You don't have to schedule hanging out around nap time, mood swings, or her meals.
You get to live vicariously through her when she fills you in on her latest date, a spontaneous trip, or pulling an all-nighter (that doesn't involve someone getting sick or having a nightmare).

Photo courtesy of New Line

Ways to Be Ecologically and Economically Conscious

LilSugar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:00:03 -0800

The cardboard nursery isn't for everyone! LilSugar reader Betty Wayne explained how she makes the world a better place while pinching pennies. She said:

Like many single mothers, I have a very limited budget. I can't afford to buy a $300 crib. What I can afford is a $30 crib from a resale shop (cleaned and well inspected for defects, of course). Not only does my money benefit charities, but nothing new is produced. So many people forget that 'reuse' is part of 'reduce, reuse, recycle.'

This is also a philosophy that the Duggars not only preach, but practice. Here are a couple of ways that you can keep your family green and keep some green in your wallet.

Hand-me-downs. Don't toss old clothes in the giveaway bin until younger siblings have also worn the items.
Purchase old furniture rather than new and refurbish it.
Re-purpose goods to fit your needs. Take a note from the Sound of Music and make doll clothes or table cloths from old curtains, etc.
Turn out the lights when they aren't in use.
Teach your children to turn the water on and off while brushing their teeth.

Add your reduce, reuse and recycle ideas and practices to this list!

Will Elin Stand By Tiger Woods When He Makes His Statement?

LilSugar — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:20 -0800

It's one thing for a wife to divorce her philandering husband, but is it also savvy for her to leave him to fend for himself when his career and millions of dollars are at stake? That is something Elin Nordegren, the mother of Tiger Woods's two children, has likely considered. Tomorrow, the golf great will make his first appearance since his fall from grace, and one report speculated about the impact her presence will have on public opinion. LilSugar readers had strong opinions when the story broke:

Anonymous said: "I have never been married and do not have kids of my own, but if it were me, I don't see any way that I could stay with someone who put me through that. Not only [she] is hurt and embarrassed, but she is having to deal with this publicly. With my set of morals and values, I don't see how I could raise my kids to be strong people with a good heart if I showed them that I tolerated this behavior. Only Elin can decide what she feels she can handle and what will be best for her and the children. My deepest sympathies go out to her and I wish her nothing but the best."
ashleepaigex said: "I think she should try to work it out and talk to him. She really needs to listen her gut, and do what she thinks is best for her and her children:)"
vmruby said: "I can't imagine her ever being able to muster up any forgiveness for his numerous affairs, the unprotected sex with a couple of them and for putting her health / life at risk. I believe she's going to have to dig really deep into her soul for that one. And taking all that into consideration plus the humiliation it's caused her I think she should take her kids and run, not walk, away from him as fast as her feet will take her. "
psterling said: "I'm all about working hard to salvage whatever you can but if things are irretrievably broken, staying together for the kids benefits no one."

Three months have passed since the story broke; do you think Elin will stand by Tiger tomorrow?

Kids With Nannies Are Less Connected?

LilSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:38 -0800

Most moms are guilty of letting the boob tube babysit their kids once in a while. Screen time - be it in front of the television or computer - can give parents a much-needed break to get stuff done and keeps children entertained while they watch their favorite shows, chat with their friends, or play video games. A recent study by a caregiving provider found that a nanny or babysitter's charges spent less time wired and more time outdoors, which makes sense since the person is hired to cater to the child. It said:

Nannies4hire.com conducted a study with nannies and babysitters registered with the online database service. In a survey of 1,000 caregivers, the positive influence of a nanny in the house is clearly felt, as children ages 8-18 are only spending 1.6 hours a day on computers, watching TV, listening to music on iPods or mp3 players, and playing video games, almost 6 hours less than the average child. A surprise added benefit of having a nanny in the home involves the health of these children as well; on average children with a nanny spend 3 hours a day playing outdoors.

Do these findings surprise you?

Five Foods to Fend Off Winter Blues

LilSugar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:00:36 -0800

Skiing, skating and snowman building are fun at first, but Winter's darkest days can take their toll on even the happiest people. While afternoons baking cookies and warming up with some homemade hot chocolate can put a brief smile on your lil one's face, adding certain foods to their diet will provide them with longer lasting benefits. Check out five foods that may help keep the Winter blues at bay.

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Atlantis Adventure: Bringing Technology to Kids

LilSugar — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:00:03 -0800

The Bahamas is a place where families go to get away, but it's also cool to stay connected. When Atlantis, JetBlue and LEGO invited us to be their guest at the resort, we were surprised by all of the new gizmos in their kids club.

As we mentioned, the club is for kids only and parents aren’t allowed past the check-in counter. Each lil vacationer is given a GPS-enabled wristband that is worn throughout their stay and allows the staff to easily locate children when their parents come to pick them up, and when they leave the AKA site for group outings.

The Performance Room’s interactive projected floor games (dodge ball, fish catching, soccer goalie, etc.) and iWall games will keep even the youngest visitors on their toes, but it was the Arts and Crafts Room’s iTables and iWall that had us hooked. Much like an iPhone, the tables are loaded with apps for various age groups. The scribble-like app allows kids to color in Caribbean-themed coloring pages, the "fish tanks" are filled with virtual fish that scurry away when a lil hand touches them and the Whac-A-Mole-like Sea Scoop game teaches older kids about water conservation as they clean up the garbage-littered beach. The “create your own treasure map” game (which can be printed out) was a clear winner in my 3-year-old's book.

To read more about the technology at the resort and see photos, read more.

Older kids at the club are often taken on "field trips" around the grounds (to visit the dolphins and see the water conservation projects at work) where they are given digital cameras to document their adventures. When they return to the AKA facility, they are encouraged to email the photos to their parents and friends back home. The AKA’s use of the latest digital innovations for children was a true added benefit to the club.

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