Entry bubble Choosing Child Care

By: Sommer | March 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Now that I’m about 5 weeks from my son being born my husband and I are talking more and more about the type of child care we’ll use when I return to work later this summer. We know we have a few options including using the child care center that’s in the GSA buildingbabysitter holding one baby and entertaining two others where I work (I’m on the waiting list so we’ll see if I get in!). Other options include finding a home day care, a child care center closer to home or to my husband’s job, or hiring a nanny.

I’ve been searching for resources to help us make a choice and there’s quite a bit out there. Here are some of the helpers I’ve found most useful:

I’d love your advice on smoothing the transition between staying home with my baby and returning to work. I know many of you out there must have a lot of experience since most mothers these days return to work after having children.

| Comments [0] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: baby  babysitter  child  childcare  daycare  family  mother  nanny  sommer  work 

 

Entry bubble Car Seats Make Me Crazy!

By: Joanne | February 12, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

But before you think I’m a horrible mom, allow me to explain myself. For the past 7 years I have been wrestling irritable young children into car seats and strapping them in for a safe ride. Safe, yes – but you try having a rational discussion about crash safety with an immobilized and indignant toddler. Gone are the carefree days of the free floating children in the back of the station wagon. That was me, playing cards, napping, and waving to everyone on the highway.

These days it’s different – we know more about child passenger safety than our folks did. So I will wrestle and wrangle and do what I need to do to make the kids safe in the car.

The thing that really bugs me the most is actually positioning a seat in the car. Am I alone in thinking that it’s frustrating and back breaking and I feel like I have to be an iron man contortionist to get the dang thing installed properly? How my mother laughed at me when I told her that my infant car seat came with a 36 page instruction manual!

That’s why I was so excited to see that the National Highway Traffic Safety Association has done something absolutely brilliant – they’re now publishing ease of use ratings for child car seats.

I’m past the point where these ratings will help me plan my car seat purchases – what’s done is done. I do hope that they’ll spare some of you some pain in the back and a pain in the neck as well!

| Comments [6] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: car  child  crash  joanne  safety