It was just his first day of kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! I’d worried and stressed about the right school. I’d checked out all of the local options and lost a lot of sleep trying to make the right decision.
I landed on an alternative school that was run by the public school board in our area. With its outdoor program and left-leaning values I was sure this was a perfect match.
And it was, for quite some time.
I put in time parenting my baby, nurturing, growing, daycare, school drop-offs, concerts, plays and field trips. I was class parent, student council member, made costumes and cakes and sent in treats for parties, bake sales and movie nights.
And now it’s over.
He graduated from Grade 8. My Little Bunny has reached the next level. He can roam free on his own without supervision. He makes mature, sometimes wildly inappropriate jokes. He might just be a bit smarter than me, I’m ready to admit it.
And I need to stop calling him Little Bunny. (Out loud, anyways, in my head I will NEVER stop!)
When I was pushing the boundaries of teenagerdom my mom realized she wasn’t done with having little bunnies around, and at 35 she had my sister. My parents were definitely considered “older” but having more children in your 30s wasn’t terribly uncommon in the ’80s.
As good girls did in the ’60s, my mother got married at 21 and had me – her first – at 24, with my brother following along 2 years later. By the time my parents got around to having #3, my brother and I were old enough to help with the new kid. We diapered, and fed, and babysat and helped with it all.
But that’s the thing with starting a family at 40-ish. By the time I realized that I wasn’t done with baby bunnies, my body was like “sorry sistah, that mall has closed.”
There would be no second act, no time to add one more. In your 20s and 30s it’s more often an active decision you make about whether to have more baby bunnies, but when you start pushing 50, it’s not terribly likely that you have any say in the matter. Even looking into adoption, while there is no upper age limit, the hoops can get harder to jump through. And as any 40-ish parent knows, the ‘grandparent’ comments do start. Babies at 50? I know people who have had surprises at 50+, and the ‘grandparent’ comments just don’t stop.
So what I’ve been wondering is, do we “late maternal age”-ers hold on tighter? Because we can’t extend the baby time, do we impose our emotions on our young adults? I feel like I’ve had to work extra hard to loosen the reigns and lengthen the leash and let them fly on their own. I even romanticize those days of extra bedtime stories and snuggles, looking back longingly – when, in actuality, I just wanted them to go the f#$% to bed most nights, and was exhausted beyond all reason by the time their nighttime routine was complete.
We went to his Grade 8 graduation and I loved every minute of it. I love that he didn’t want to fall in with the troops and get formalwear, because it’s just not him. I love that he rolled with it and went for me, even though he didn’t see the big deal about grade 8 graduation. I loved all of it.
What I didn’t love was accepting it all. He’s no Little Bunny, he’s a big kid. A teen. A high schooler. He’s making his own decisions and cooking up his own plans.
At 50 with children that are really starting to flex their independence, I have this constant feeling like I’ve got handfuls of sand. The more I try to hold onto them and keep all the moments and memories of sand wrapped up safe and tight, the faster the grains of sand slip through my fingers and into the past.
So onwards and upwards to high school, but I’ve decided that he may have to put up with me calling him Little Bunny just a little longer.
I don’t remember who gave me DBB (Dr. Bunny Bear), I just remember that this particular blue plush bear with long ears was a baby shower gift and that he was discovered by my eldest son at a very young age.
DBB instantly became his suffie, his lovie, his constant companion.
The attachment to stuffies and lovies is intense – and we know it because we had our own. I had Tina. She was a Rushton Co. doll with a yellow snowsuit, plastic hands and a face to match. My grandmother bought her for me and, for about a decade, I couldn’t sleep without her. My cousin had one which I secretly (or maybe not-so-secretly) named Tanya, and when my cousin gave Tanya to me my night-time routine was complete. They were twins and I couldn’t sleep without them – one safely tucked under each arm like some mini-mama with her twins.
When my son glommed onto DBB I knew the love he felt. I identified with it and was happy he’d found his guy. My younger son discovered Russ – a red tabby stuffie that my husband had bought me many years prior when we first started dating.
The lovies were part of our family. When one went missing it inspired panic. When the boys were sick, the lovies helped them feel better. When the boys were sad, the lovies were their confidantes.
Lovies and stuffies become important members of the family for years, and then one day – just like Puff The Magic Dragon lamented “Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.”
It broke my heart when I’d come to say goodnight and DBB was on the floor. I’d go to tuck him in and my son would say thanks – as if sleeping with DBB were just an afterthought of mine.
Then DBB showed up in the stuffie bin.
Now that was cold. Heartless.
Who was this not-so-little boy and why was he relegating his bestest friend to the stuffie bin? It was morning when I discovered the banishment and thought maybe his dad did it purposely, wanting his manchild to stop sleeping with stuffies. In my mind my husband was to blame. He wanted to make a man out of my baby and he was rushing things. I was fuming.
(He’s 12, hubby isn’t rushing a thing. The kid is almost taller than me and I’m 5’9″.)
But just as quickly, I realized I was in denial. I was hurt on DBB’s behalf – indignant in fact. Why would DBB be treated this way and how could we break DBB’s little heart??!!
And then I realized whose heart was breaking. DBB is a stuffie, he will be okay, but this mom-heart – it’s much more delicate.
Trying to hold onto their littleness is like trying to hold onto a handful of dry sand – and just when you’re getting good at having a little boy, the big boy shoves him right out of the sandbox.
Poor Puff.
Poor me.
Poor DBB.
It’s not so easy to accept they’re getting big. It’s hard loosening the reigns and letting them grow up. Day by day it happens and it becomes so tricky to navigate. I know I should be happy to see the efforts I put in paying off in maturity and growth, but it’s hard not to try to hold on… and then my hubby reminds me about Norman Bates, and I dust DBB off and stand there, the internal struggle between returning DBB to the stuffie bin or back to his place of honour in my son’s bed I realize what I have to do. Yes, I put DBB right back in that bed! He will end up in the stuffie bin soon enough, but not today. Nope. One day soon, but just not yet.
Just when I got good at being mom to babies, they went and became toddlers.
Just when I got the hang of two pairs of grabby hands and irrational demands, they went and became boys.
It’s the wildest thing, but somehow I don’t see it coming, and then Whamo! it hits me like a sack of LEGO, they need me less and less; they’re closer to being the people they’re becoming.
Now, at 9 and 11, my boys are kids. Tweens. Big boys. Big enough for a lot of independence, young enough to need guidance. But they’re 5’4″ and built like battle ships. They don’t exactly look like little boys – so I don’t know why I didn’t see this coming.
They just don’t need me the way they used to.
It became apparent this weekend when we went to the Santa Claus parade. One of them kept using air quotes every time he used the word “Santa” – I’m glad he didn’t ruin it for the little kids around us, but it’s that year. After more than a decade of brunch followed by 2 hours in the cold watching the same floats go by, I think we may have watched our last parade.
The boys have made it clear that Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and all of the other childhood magic is a sham. And they’re okay with it – just so long as Mom and Dad keep on buying the Easter chocolate, the Christmas presents and pay up for the last few teeth the younger one still has to lose.
Actually, I knew it this past summer while on a road trip. I found myself asking why they no longer shouted MOOOOO! when we passed by a farm field full of cows and didn’t shriek CHOOOO CHOOOO when the train went by. Of course those are long gone – but dammit – I’m not ready to move on yet.
So that’s the rub. As soon as you feel comfortable and confident in your ability to parent, your children go and grow older.
How is that even fair?
Nah, if you haven’t committed a crime by now, then you’re definitely at an age where that mug shot ain’t gonna be pretty, so don’t bother to start. I want to get booked in a more literal, sit-down-and-read-a-book-without-interruption kind of way..
I used to read voraciously. I ripped through a book or two a week. If it was any good, I’d already read it.
And then I had kids.
It was like my brains melted and my free time was vacuumed out at source. If it was longer than a blog post – more truthfully an Instagram post – I didn’t have the time or brain cells to read it.
But now that the kids don’t need me *every* second of the day, I have some time to read. Only thing is, I don’t know what to read. Nobody I know reads at the moment. We’re all looking at each other, like “I know I used to like this, but where do I start?”
Solution time!
UrbanSuburbanMommy.com hooked up with Indigo to feature their book club selects! I’ve always been a fan of Heather’s Picks (Indigo CEO and Chief Booklover Heather Reisman knows her stuff!), and over the years I’ve learned which employee picks to follow. I’ve decided to forego trying to catch up on the last decade of literature and just jump in!
Here are Indigo’s July book club picks (Oh the irony of pick #3! Mom-approved)
Heather’s Book Club
Heather’s pick is Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan.
It’s a historical novel based on the improbable love story of writers Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis.
For more information on Heather’s Book Club, click here.
Cookbook Club
The July Cookbook Club pick is Vegetables First by Ricardo Larrivee, a vibrant celebration of the tastes, textures, colours and possibilities that vegetables have to offer.
Visit indigo.ca/cookbook-club each month for some free recipes.
Cookbook Club is a cool concept and fits perfectly in the social media-sphere. Indigo wants to encourage people to try out dishes from the Cookbook Club pick, and then share them at a potluck – or share them on social media – now that I CAN do!
Post pics with the hashtags #contest and #CookWithIndigo, page number for a chance to win the next month’s cookbook!
BFF Book Club
The July BFF Book Club pick is More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth. In this part-manifesto, part-memoir, the revolutionary editor who infused social consciousness into the pages of Teen Vogue explores what it means to come into your own—on your own terms.
The coolest part? The BFF Bookclub is partnered with Bumble – a women directed social platform. Indigo offers discounts on the bookclub book if you’re registered. Bumble BFF members can access discussion starters for bookclub meetings. And in true bookclub style, there are bookclub special events which members may find themselves invited to – how’s that for a bookclub experience and the perfect Mom’s Night Out!
For more information on the Indigo x Bumble BFF Book Club, click here.
Would love to hear your picks, let us know!
I admit it. The ending to Toy Story 3 tears me up.
Every. Single. Time.
It starts with the scene where Woody watches through a hole in the box as Andy says goodbye to his Mom, who has just walked into his room and is struck by how different it looks with all his favourite things packed away for college.
I know I’m not alone. This family favourite movie tugs at the heartstrings of every Mom out there. [Urban Mommy Elisa says “This. Every time.”]
We know it’s going to happen. In fact, we WANT it to happen. We want to see the children we’ve raised to adulthood go off to college or university and start the next exciting chapter of their lives. It’s so exciting and bittersweet all at the same time.
If your kids growing up feels like it will be here before you know it and you wish you could slow down time, then there is no better time to create those memories. No better time to make these last few years before they fly the nest truly count.
Research shows that families who travel together develop life long bonds that don’t easily happen any other way.
We only get 18 summers with our kids before they are wrapped up in college, jobs, friends and boyfriends/girlfriends.
Wouldn’t you love to make those few summers unforgettable? Planning a fantastic vacation for your family is a great way to do just that. It’s an investment in your family.
It’s memories they will carry with them long after you are gone. It’s the things they will tell their children stories about for years to come.
Beyond that, giving your children the gift of travel, exposing them to different cultures and experiences is priceless. They’ll learn far more from those experiences than they will in any classroom.
Whether it is something as simple as meeting a favourite childhood character onboard a Disney Cruise or traveling halfway across the world to visit the Grand Palace in Thailand, those memories will be priceless for them, and for you.
[Urban Mommy Elisa says “Too true, those 18 years go by too fast. My boys were just babies and now we’re more than half way done. My family took a 5 month break from urban life to travel Europe in 2018. It’s something we treasure. It’s time and money that couldn’t be spent better. A year later we still talk about what we saw and did with wonder. It’s inspiring, rejuvenating, and the experiences and memories are truly priceless. If you want some advice on extended travel, I’m always happy to discuss our adventure, just comment or get in touch. And Clara is the perfect person to help plan!]
Clara Power is a mother to 2 well traveled kids, Andrew and Lauren. She is a Personal Travel Advisor at her own travel agency, Clara Power TPI, which is in association with Travel Professionals International. As an active traveler having visited over 35 countries and almost every continent, (still working on Antarctica), Clara is no stranger in understanding the unique wants and needs of families travelling together making her your expert choice for creating those special family vacation experiences. Her agency is also recognized as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner due to her extensive knowledge and superior service.
Do not hesitate to call her today to learn about what she can do to help you plan a seamless and enjoyable vacation!
cpower@tpi.ca
clarapower.ca
ClaraPowerTPITravel
Originally published on Clara Power Restless Traveller
Disclaimer – UrbanSuburbanMommy.com does not receive any financial or product/travel compensation from Clara Power TPI. We believe she is an exceptional and extremely knowledgeable travel agent we and love her insight and advice. She’s just too good not to share!
I don’t know when it happened. They were just so small. I was buying strollers and navigating solid foods and trying to decide which schools and which daycares – and now they’re 8 and 10 9 and 11. Wow, it’s been a year since I’ve tried to put these thoughts into words.
What a difference a year makes. Every year is an entire lifetime. And now they’re not just little kids. Both boys are around 5’4″ and they’d weigh in as welterweights – they’re big little big boys!
But they’re still 11 and 9. They have nightmares and want to climb in bed for a snuggle. One is more brave while the other is still apprehensive about doing things alone and I still have a hard time letting them run free and untethering the leash and having them out of my eyesight. I’ve been eagle-eye for a decade and I just can’t stop myself!
They’re so big and tough – until they get a boo-boo, and then they want mommy.
So when is too old? Is 9 and 11 too old? I don’t want it to be too old!
My husband and I were on the same page up until now. I still love the middle-of-the-night snuggles – he thinks it’s high time we get to have a decent night’s sleep. I can’t fathom sending them back to bed alone – yet he doesn’t see it.
Dad thinks they can be left alone at home, I stress and have a “no eating” rule when I leave for any length of time because I’m sure they’ll choke and the house will melt and the kids will be beamed up by aliens. And the dog… oh the dog…
Double digits is a weird time of life. The 11 year old definitely shows signs of puberty. That squeaky voice is dropping, his sillies are getting silly on a more mature level, he’s starting to talk about the future in terms of his own interestst that go beyond “I want to dwive a po-lice car and a choo choo twain when I grow up” to what he likes about math and where he wants to go to university. When did this start??
The little one isn’t far behind. They’ve got chores and responsibilities, but how many chores and what kind of responsibilities are appropriate?
And now I wonder – there are 50 million baby books out there. Babies are easy. The doctor and every mom group on the planet can tell you when to starts solids and what the safest car seat is, but where is the help when you need to let your kid take the bus alone or when they start asking questions like “Why do people do sex when they don’t want to make a baby.”
I’m not sure I’m ready for this age – but I’ll let you know how it works out!
When someone I love dearly came to me recently and told me she had the big C, I lost it.
She was actually quite calm and poised and matter of fact. She understood what was wrong and understood what the next steps would be. I, however, was a full-on mess and she apologized for upsetting me.
Of all the things that were troubling her, the one she was really aggravated about was the fact that she’d probably lose her eyebrows while undergoing chemo.
Now, you’d think she’d have bigger fish to fry than worrying about her eyebrows. But when you think about it, that’s a pretty significant issue. We all hear about hair loss, but hats are in style and the wigs out there are nicer than natural hair, so that’s easy. But a face really does look odd without eyebrows, and she was really bothered by it.
So I asked her why she didn’t just go ahead and get microblading.
“Micro-whaaaaaat?” was her answer.
Apparently, not everyone is aware of micro-blading. And while it’s actually quite a cool cosmetic procedure for those that want the perfect arch and tail, for someone undergoing chemo, it’s a minor procedure that brings a modicum of normalcy back to a situation which is anything but normal. Both men and women can do microblading.
Part of cosmetic tattooing, microblading is essentially much like tattooing, giving long lasting – but not permanent – results. The shape is outlined, the colour is chosen, and fine, hair-like lines are inked in, creating the shape, fullness and brow style you desire. This is done with a pin-like instrument and not an ordinary tattoo gun, though there is a specialized machine that is used for micropigmentation, which is more of a permanent procedure.
The first thing to note is that, like a tattoo, microblading needs 7 to 14 days to heal. When you’re about to start chemotherapy, this is an important detail. It has to be done at least a week ahead of the start of chemo so that the healing can be complete by about day 7, before the body’s white blood cell count starts to drop. Otherwise it will interfere with the healing, and that is not a complication that anyone undergoing chemo needs.
Some microbladers won’t perform the work without clearance from the oncologist.
But my friend had the all-clear. She had 12 days until the start of chemo and was ready for brows.
We checked with several shops. There is a wide range when it comes to microblading. But what it comes down to is, it’s very important to go to an experienced microblader with the credentials to prove it. Plus, a referral from someone with nice brows goes a long way!
We looked through a number of them, even got some recommendations on Facebook (which was nice, because then we got to look through people’s profile pics, heavily judging their brows).
I’d interviewed the owners of The Good Geisha, a shop in Toronto, a few years ago, and I liked them. It’s not a salon, it’s got the aesthetic and swagger of a tattoo shop – it’s where the cool girls go.
I knew The Good Geisha was the only place for my friend’s brows to happen.
And so it did.
Owners of The Good Geisha: Amber Gotzmeister (l), and Anna Chow (r)
Owners Amber Gotzmeister, who holds the designation of CIDESCO in medical esthetics, and Anna Chow, a trained and expert cosmetic tattoo artist, took care of her. She left quite satisfied with the results.
As time passed and treatment got underway, my friend lost her hair – brows included. But her eyebrows still look great.
One thing to note about microblading – it’s often done in 2 sittings: The first is pretty comprehensive, and then the second sitting is to fill in anything that may be missed. But with chemo patients, often treatment has to start quickly, and though there may be enough time for the first sitting, often the second sitting can’t be done. Going to a professional who understands this specific situation will help the outcome.
It’s also extra important to seek out someone with a great personal referral, lots of experience and a great portfolio because, as you lose brow hair, the technique and quality of microblading will be more prominent. Good technique is key to natural looking brows.
Microblading lasts anywhere from 18 to 24 months, long after treatment is complete. My friend will be going through the ringer, with many more months of chemo, treatment, poking, prodding – and major surgery. But at least we were able to fix one single, small issue on the long list.
And it’s made a difference.
Apparently something happens to our eyes when we have children. It’s like our super power. It’s not a fun super power like flying or super speed. Now those would be useful. No, it’s more of a bummer super power, actually the top of the pile of rejected super powers in my personal opinion.
Mom vision is that uncanny ability we have to see things that are right in front of us. Not only the ability to see things that are there, but the ability to see the things your kids are doing behind you.
I’d first realized I was experiencing vision issues when I’d look at my kids’ messy rooms and tell them to clean up, only to hear “Mom, they’re clean!” How can they see a clean room when I can see dirty clothes on the floor, toys on every surface and a hoarder’s supply of gum wrappers behind one of the beds. (Seriously, I don’t recall even buying that gum.)
How, when we are looking at the same room, do they not see the mess – but I do?
Mom vision.
How can we go to the same bathroom and they don’t see the empty toilet paper roll that needs changing – but I do?
How come they have to ask where the orange juice is, and can’t see it on the middle shelf of the fridge where it always is?
Mom vision.
Mom vision enables us to see the dirt on their favourite shirt even when they put it on and think it’s fine to wear. It enables us to see their beds are not made. Mom vision is why we’re telling them to wash their hands all the time – how do they not see when their hands are covered in mud or paint or spaghetti sauce???
The pamphlet on Mom vision was very helpful. If you have any of the above-mentioned challenges, you’ve got mom vision. The pamphlet described varying degrees of mom vision.
I have a severe case.
For example, I’m able to tell one of my boys not to touch the other, just mere seconds before he does – even without watching him! I’m able to say “Put that down right now!” without turning around and actually getting a visual of my little darling trying to abscond with my iPhone. When my mom used to do that to me I’d wonder if she really did have eyes in the back of her head. And then, with the arrival of my first child, my mom vision came in.
The bad news is that there is no cure for Mom vision. The good news is, it may become less prominent over time. It seems to linger for the first 15 to 20 years of your child’s life, though it does tend to improve significantly when your child moves out on their own.
The pamphlet does warn, in the fine print, that the time period is per child, and restarts with every new member of the family. It also warns that some spouses and neighbourhood kids may cause symptoms to worsen significantly.
Temporary relief may be found by ingesting wine, utilizing the services of a babysitter or treatments at the spa. It is not recommended to use Mom vision in other people’s homes or on other people’s children, though it may be necessary to explain the findings of your Mom vision to your children several times for best results.
But is the start of school bliss? Or is it bittersweet?
Ah yes, the fond/painful memories of drop-offs and pick-ups, the struggle of coming up with lunch ideas the kids will eat – and the expensive lunchware to send it in. The school supplies, the long pants, the battle-cry of homework challengs and the indoor/outdoor shoes – is it all rushing back in one shot?
This is the first time in 16 years that I’ve spent a summer not working (aside from mat leave, which really doesn’t count – it’s a haze of new motherhood that I can barely remember). Most years I didn’t feel the summer/back-to-school shift as significantly as I do this year. My boys were always in daycare through the summer, so the routine didn’t change much and the hours didn’t change at all.
But this year is different. There are two types of moms in this world: The ones who are grateful for the return to school and the ones who are sad to see September come. I can’t decide which team I’m on.
It’s a serious “You know I love my children, but…” moment. So many moms feeling they survived another summer, glad to have made it to the first-day-of-school finish line. Truth is, it’s not easy to look after your own kids 24/7, having to decide the programming, the meals, the outings, the playdates, the structure and unstructure of two hot months of summer.
It really isn’t easy.
Kids like routine, and the freedom that summer brings is a bit overwhelming. Some weekends are more than I can handle, so doing it for weeks and months at a time?
Exhausting is a word that comes to mind.
And then there are the other mothers – those sad to see it end. Maybe their kids are easy, or maybe it’s that the dynamic works for those moms. They genuinely look forward to the two intense months of summer fundom. Maybe they’re better planners? Maybe they just groove more smoothly, roll with the punches more elegantly or are able to tune out the whine of a kid who has too many toys yet still can’t find anything to do.
Maybe it’s magic. Who knows.
I don’t mention this as yet another form of mom-shaming. Quite the opposite, actually. I mention it because the mom I aspire to be and the mom I am are not quite the same thing, and I’m okay with it. There’s nothing wrong with having survived a summer and happily sending your child off to school, and there’s nothing wrong with lamenting the end of family fundays either.
In this, my one summer of stay-at-home-momness, I enrolled my boys into 6 weeks of summer camp, however, I let them stay home two or three days a week. I let them sleep in and go late. I picked them up early. Some days we had fun and some days they had fun without me. It took the pressure off of having to plan and program, and added balance to my time with them – and their time with me!
Apparently it’s not easy on the kids to be with their parents 24/7 either.
So I lament a little. I have put off buying that second pair of “indoor” shoes, and won’t pull the backpacks and lunch boxes out of summer storage until Labour Day weekend. I’m hearing the rumblings of back-to-school, and as it approaches, I’m trying to figure out which team I’m on.
Car seats.
Ok, I admit, I have an unfair advantage because I have four kids and a grandkid. I’ve seen them survive falls, fires, bullying, getting lost, getting left behind at the store and all the stuff that kids face.
Of course that doesn’t mean my heart hasn’t leapt more than a few times.
Another confession though is this. It makes me angry how much the world preys on the fear instinct of moms, especially new moms. Don’t we have enough to worry about without having to stress over being a mom who trusts their child to a death-trap car seat?
Here’s a little encouragement.
Car Seats are Safe
All car seats sold legally in the United States (and Canada – and many other countries) are subject to meeting federal safety standards. The standards are updated and tend to get more restrictive over time.
And the standards are effective. The CDC says the number of deaths in children under 12 decreased by 42% between 2002 and 2011.
They also say that 9,000 children died during that period.
But if you dig into accident data (not just the CDC estimate), a couple of things are apparent:
– A large percentage of children who die in accidents weren’t buckled at all – Duh!
– Incorrect installation of car seats is a far bigger risk than inferior car seats
That’s why the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) dedicates their reviews of car seats to “usability” factors. They know that injuries are primarily caused by misuse and installation problems, so equipment that is easier to lock, clip, buckle, connect, carry, etc. is much safer.
Don’t Stress Out
Even the lower-end infant and convertible car seats are safe. They may not be the most comfortable, have the best features, be the easiest to use or fit right in your car – but if you install them correctly and buckle the kids up correctly, they are safe. That being said, there will always be a “safer” product. Not always, but often, the more expensive seats have more safety features.
These include:
– Extra side-impact protection
– 5-point harnesses
– Steel frames
– Anti-rebound bars
– Extra layers of padding
– Different technology for energy absorption
– Easier and more reliable latching, straps and buckles
And the list goes on and on…
Maxi-Cosi just introduced the world to the first car seat with built-in airbags, the AxissFix. And there is also a car seat that is completely inflatable.
Don’t Stress, But Do Do These Things
Stressing is actually unsafe. But while you are busy not stressing there are a few things you should do to keep the kiddos safe.
(Don’t roll your eyes)
– Don’t text when you are driving
– Don’t drink and drive
– Don’t drive recklessly – (do drive “wrecklessly”, get it? I just made that one up)
Seriously, this kind of thing is statistically a much bigger risk than buying the wrong car seat.
So, For Car Seats:
– Do look for easy-to-latch and buckle seats
– Do find a nice travel system that makes it easy to transfer car seats from home to car to stroller
– Do keep your child in a rear-facing seat until they are age two
– Do make sure the kid can breathe in the car seat (careful with thick winter coats, it’s highly advisable to remove outerwear and get the straps snug to your little one’s body)
– Do consider a convertible seat so that you don’t have to buy an infant seat and forward-facing seat separately
Another “do” is to take pictures of messes instead of crying over them. It’s really fun to collect “kid
disaster photos” and share them on Facebook! (Ok so that’s not strictly a car seat tip, but sometimes memorable messes happen in car seats too.) If I had actually caught every episode on camera I would seriously be the most famous social media mom of all time.
Other Fancy Car Seat Things
I went to the JPMA show and talked to the Baby Trend people. They have this new
technology they call Connected Gear. The cool thing about it is that it has a sensor in the belt harness that can sense whether your baby is buckled into the seat.
So it can signal your phone if you’ve left the kid in the car. It detects when you’ve walked far enough
away from the car (with your phone) and lets you know if the kid is still in there.
This feature can also be used for a secondary party like a care giver. Your phone can be notified if the care giver makes the same mistake.
It can also tell if the harness isn’t tight enough. If you are interested, search for the Secure Snap Fit Infant Car Seat.
Another interesting car seat development is the Doona Infant Car Seat/ Stroller that basically is a stroller and car seat all in one piece of gear. The wheels and handle fold up into the car seat.
With new developments in safety, technology and style, car seats are getting better and safer all the time. Keeping up with all of the info is a whole other story. But getting one with government approval, not expired and never in an accident is important. It will be the best car seat that works for your baby and your budget and will keep your child safe and secure.
Blessed mother of two boys and two girls, changing diapers and homeschooling for 20 years and counting. I love to research (I’m a CPA). And I really love to help other moms make wise and thoughtful decisions for their families.
