Book Review – Dan Gets a Minivan
Posted by Proud Dad in Book Review on May 18, 2012
A shout out to another dad whose book comes out soon. Click here.
Enter the Mermaid Contest Now
Posted by Proud Dad in Toddler on Board on May 17, 2012
Don’t forget to enter Beyond the Car Seat’s fourth competition, The Mermaid Contest. The winner will receive a copy of the book, Last Night I Swam With A Mermaid. For a chance to win this great gift, simply send me an email with your name and put ‘contest’ in the subject line.
Last Night I Swam With A Mermaid is a magical tale spun by author Kimberly Muller and brought to life by her husband, world- renowned photographer, Michael Muller. Together they create a world in which a young girl meets a beautiful mermaid who takes her on an unforgettable ocean journey. As the adventure unfolds, we learn the valuable lesson to Respect and Protect our planet. The mermaid reminds us that it is up to me and it’s up to you to make a difference and to never stop dreaming.
The Fine Print
How to Enter:
Send Beyond the Car Seat an email with your name using the contact form. Please fill out all the information and don’t forget your email address. Please put ‘contest’ in the subject line. Winner will be chosen at random.
Eligibility:
Contestants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry and legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia. Void in Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law or regulation. All entries become the property of beyondthecarseat.com.
The Contest begins on May 7, 2012 and ends on May 31st, 2012. Contest winner will be announced on June 1st, 2012.
Copyrights:
By entering into the Contest, each contestant agrees to grant beyondthecarseat.com and its owners/operators permission to copy and publish to beyondthecarseat.com any and all writings submitted by the contestant. Winner agrees to allow their name to be published. NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
Product Review – Diaper Pods
Posted by Proud Dad in Product Review on May 15, 2012
When a toddler gets up to full speed it is hard to stop them, which is my way of saying that the boy is always on the go. When we are out in the world and need to keep going the little guy has been using DiaperPods. The pods are disposable diapers and bag in one. The perfect thing for picnics and parties away from home and you don’t want to interrupt the host with talk of poo. I have always said that either something makes your life easier or harder and when it comes to number two you really want things to be easier.
Kids Say The Darndest Things BTCS Edition
Posted by Proud Dad in Toddler on Board on May 14, 2012
Yes, LTD was wearing his cape and supershirt, but why he said this randomly in the parking lot this morning, I have no idea. “Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and Superman saved him.”
Goodbye Mr. Sendak
Posted by Proud Dad in Book Review on May 11, 2012
What can anyone say about Maurice Sendak that his books can’t? At the end of the day all that matters is for me, In The Night Kitchen is just as good as Where the Wild Things Are.
“Maurice Sendak, widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century, who wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche, died on Tuesday in Danbury, Conn. He was 83.”
Kids Say The Darndest Things BTCS Edition
Posted by Proud Dad in Toddler on Board on May 10, 2012
True story. Yesterday morning, I’m walking the dog and the little guy is getting dressed by himself in his room. Unbeknownst to us, he ripped his stocking. The Mommy hears the following: “We have a sock situation here.”
Product Review – The Instant Trainer Dog Leash
Posted by Proud Dad in Product Review on May 9, 2012
The other day, LTD woke up from his nap and announced that he wanted to go for a walk. Now that the little guy is three I figured we could also take the dog along so she could do her business. On days when I stay home with LTD I usually walk the dog alone in the evening after The Mommy comes home. However, it was nice out and I had the wonderpup in the Instant Trainer Leash. Normally, the wonderpup is pretty good puller on walks and she crosses over tripping me up. For these reasons and more I don’t take LTD with me on dog walks. The Instant Trainer uses moderate but solid resistance to discourage the dog from pulling. The leash just clips on to the collar and then goes around her back side. The Instant Trainer takes a little practice as the leash comes up the dog’s mid section as oppose to traditional leashes that pull from the collar. The wonderpup started walking backwards when the leash wasn’t high enough up her back, but with a little work we got it “straightened” out. Of course since I would never use a leash on the boy our walk wasn’t as easy as I hoped.
The Mermaid Contest
Posted by Proud Dad in Toddler on Board on May 8, 2012
Enter Beyond the Car Seat’s fourth competition, The Mermaid Contest. The winner will receive a copy of the book, Last Night I Swam With A Mermaid. For a chance to win this great gift, simply send me an email with your name and put ‘contest’ in the subject line.
Last Night I Swam With A Mermaid is a magical tale spun by author Kimberly Muller and brought to life by her husband, world- renowned photographer, Michael Muller. Together they create a world in which a young girl meets a beautiful mermaid who takes her on an unforgettable ocean journey. As the adventure unfolds, we learn the valuable lesson to Respect and Protect our planet. The mermaid reminds us that it is up to me and it’s up to you to make a difference and to never stop dreaming.
The Fine Print
How to Enter:
Send Beyond the Car Seat an email with your name using the contact form. Please fill out all the information and don’t forget your email address. Please put ‘contest’ in the subject line. Winner will be chosen at random.
Eligibility:
Contestants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry and legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia. Void in Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law or regulation. All entries become the property of beyondthecarseat.com.
The Contest begins on May 7, 2012 and ends on May 31st, 2012. Contest winner will be announced on June 1st, 2012.
Copyrights:
By entering into the Contest, each contestant agrees to grant beyondthecarseat.com and its owners/operators permission to copy and publish to beyondthecarseat.com any and all writings submitted by the contestant. Winner agrees to allow their name to be published. NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
Probiotics Info
Posted by Proud Dad in Toddler on Board on May 7, 2012
Probiotics – Making Sure the Bugs Inside Your Body Are Good For You
With more than 25 years’ experience as a Board Certified Gastroenterologist, Dr. Shekhar Challa has written a new book Probiotics for Dummies which takes the mystery out of the way bacteria behaves in the body and describes exactly what you need to do to exert a positive control over your digestive system and everything else that depends on it.
Probiotics are beneficial, live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to those found naturally in the human intestine. Also known as “friendly” or “good” bacteria, probiotics are the cornerstone of any successful health program because they restore a healthy balance between friendly and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract, a balance that is critical for the health of the entire body. Probiotics are associated with treating everything from IBS to certain forms of cancer, allergies, eczema, and even the effects of aging. Here are some of the areas he covers in the book:
Protection For Childrens Health in Day Care Centers. Even in the best of facilities, keeping children healthy at day care can prove tricky. With groups of children playing and eating together, a child is bound to come into contact with at least some bit of bad bacteria that can make him or her sick. Dr. Challa explains about the positive preventative impact that adding probiotics to your child’s diet can have on staying healthy in day care and can discuss various studies that highlight which strains of good bacteria are the best for children’s immunity.
Health of Children Born by C-section – While the number of births in the U.S. fell by 3 percent from 2009 to 2010, the number of women giving birth by C-section has remained around the 32 percent range over the past couple of years. Children are born without intestinal flora, but through the process of natural birth, the child swallows bacteria from the mother’s vaginal and fecal flora. From that point on, the gut flora in the child grows over the next few weeks and starts building the immune system. This is how a healthy gut environment forms from birth. Children born by C-section, however, are not exposed to the maternal flora and have abnormal gut flora for the first few months of life. One study of C-section-delivered children found that six-month-old infants had half the amount of normal gut flora as naturally born babies. Dr. Challa discusses how probiotics may be the key to promoting the growth of good bacteria within a child’s gut.
Women’s Health: Probiotics have an important preventative effect on the occurrence of yeast, urinary tract Infections (UTIs) and bacterial vaginosis. More than 75 percent of women at some point in their lives suffer from a yeast infection, UTI or bacterial vaginosis due to an imbalance of bacteria. Luckily, the use of probiotics may help treat and prevent such infections. Dr. Challa explains how the specific good bacteria help protect against and mitigate these issues. In addition, discusses the use of probiotic vaginal suppositories and probiotic tampons, which, although not available in the United States, are used in Asia and Europe to strengthen women’s defenses against infection.
Children’s Book Week
Posted by Proud Dad in Book Review on May 3, 2012
The national celebration of reading for youth, Children’s Book Week is May 7th through the 13th. The celebration (run by Every Child A Reader and sponsored by the Children’s Book Council) honors the life-changing potential of a book, especially during a young person’s formative years.
Pick out one of your (or one of your parents’) favorite books from childhood and introduce it to your kid at bedtime.
Spend some time at your local library. Even a few minutes here and there in our busy schedule will help instill a lifelong love of books.
Pen your own children’s book to read to your kids. Have them also write their own to read to you, too!
Pick out 5 books, either from your own collection or from a book store, to donate to literacy campaigns throughout the world (Better World Books is a great example of one such outlet.)
Better World Books collects and sells books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than 8 million new and used titles in stock, it’s a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value. To date, the company has raised over $11 million for libraries and literacy, and diverted millions of books from landfills.