• The Safe Little Walnut Archive

    TGIF! With the first week of school under our belts, the weekend can’t come soon enough. After figuring out how to make umpteen binders fit in one backpack without busting the seams, working out the kinks in an illogical bus route and filling out all that bloody paperwork, I’m ready to head back to the beach and pretend that it’s still summer vacation! No one ever said navigating the long and winding road of parenthood would be easy, but wouldn’t it be nice if you had some sort of road map to get you over some of those bumps all the way? Since that won’t be happening anytime soon, we think we’ve found a handy ‘cheat sheet’ of sorts that can cover some of that [&hellip

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    When it comes to sunscreen, you can never have too much. Believe me: I’m living proof. After going through my second skin cancer treatment in two weeks, I am regretting all those hours in the sun as a kid that may have been fun at the time, but for which I am now paying the price. Sure we wore “suntan lotion” (as it was called back then), but re-applying after time spent in the water wasn’t stressed nearly as much as it is today. As a mom of two young girls who spend their fair share of time outdoors, I am constantly running after them with sprays, lotions, face sticks…anything I can get my hands on so they can avoid having to go through surgery [&hellip

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    Getting a cold is nothing to sneeze at it. And if you happen to live in a home with kids, chances are someone will come down with a case of the sniffles at some point this season. While we’ve been teaching our kids to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arm to prevent the spread of germs, it doesn’t exactly contain–shall we say–the contents of a running nose so well. Enter the Sneeve, a slip-on arm band that fits over a child’s shirt and gives kids ages 3-8 a designated spot for all those sneezes and coughs. Made from an anti-microbial material, it’s designed to kill most bacteria and viruses on contact. And because the Sneeve is disposable, it’s meant for one-time usage [&hellip

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    Earlier this week, I was invited to attend a press luncheon with an important agenda on the menu. The focus was on helping to promote safe sleep practice for babies, both in the home and at daycare. Many of us grew up with our parents having placed us in our cribs on our tummies, blissfully unaware of the dangers of SIDS. Today, our generation is striving to better educate our own parents (now grandparents) and caregivers by insisting that babies be placed on their backs, without any loose blankets, plush toys or pillows. (Yes, as snuggly as that soft teddy bear might be, he is best reserved for playtime and not when a child is sleeping.) To help promote safe sleep awareness, representatives from First [&hellip

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    When my daughters were teething, a fresh-out-of-the-fridge snail-shaped teeth was a true lifesaver. Of course, tossing that poor snail onto the floor every few minutes quickly became a game, one they never seemed to tire of (maybe that took their minds off the pain, huh?). Surely there must be a better way to soothe your baby’s irritable gums without killing your back in the process?…Enter the Munch Mitt, a soft glove with a nubby, textured top designed for babies 3-12 months to gnaw on. The mitt fits securely around a child’s wrist via a Velcro enclosure–no more dropped teether for you to retrieve–and the BPA-free, silicone teether features a patterned surface that’s bound to attract your little one’s attention. Available in a handy travel bag, [&hellip

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    Has it truly been 30 years since Safety 1st debuted its Baby on Board sign? I remember, back in my B.C. (before child) days, when I noticed these signs proudly posted in mini vans as they jetted around town. OK, I wondered, why the need to announce your precious cargo? When I later became a mom myself, I realized why so many like-minded parents wanted to alert their fellow drivers to the importance of safe motoring. While today, car designs may have become more sleek and parents, even savvier, one thing remain the same: our children’s safety is always top of mind. That’s why we’re helping celebrate the 30th anniversary of Safety 1st’s Baby on Board with the unveiling of its Digital Baby on Board [&hellip

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    Tomorrow marks my most favorite day of the year…after Christmas and my birthday, of course. The summer solstice promises to be a sunny and beautiful one. Naturally, that means plenty of time spent outdoors…and plenty of sunscreen. I’m not taking any chances with my kids, having gone through enough skin cancer treatments to keep me forever under a wide-brimmed hat and in long sleeves. They’ll be slathered in sunscreen from head to toe, whether they like it or not! Because we go through so much sunscreen over the course of the summer, I like to stock up on well-made products that go the distance, rather than settle for an inexpensive drugstore brand. Elemental Herbs All Good Kids Sunscreen is a high-quality product that deserves a [&hellip

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    It’s hard to believe it, but Memorial Day weekend is already here. (After a seemingly endless winter, I wasn’t sure we were going to make it!). As the unofficial start to summer kicks off, that means plenty of sun, sand…and boo-boos. No matter where or how your family spends its days over the next few months, there’s bound to be a few bumps, cuts or scrapes and that means stocking up on bandages (Lord knows how many boxes we have stashed away on our medicine cabinet). How fitting then that Band-Aid would come out with Our Veteran Heroes bandages in time for the start of the summer season. Available in a stars & stripes motif, as well as an urban camouflage style, these specially designed [&hellip

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    A show of hands: How many of you swaddle your baby? If you’re a new mom looking for a way to comfort your little one, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of swaddling (how it can help babies fall asleep and stay asleep). But what you may not know is that the more natural way for your baby to sleep isn’t with her arms at her side, but with her arms UP. Studies have shown that giving babies access to their arms and hands enables them to self-soothe, and may help prevent them from rolling onto their tummies. While we’ve seen quite a few swaddling blankets on the market, there wasn’t any particular product that supported this type of design…until now. Enter Love To…Swaddle UP [&hellip

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    When my niece was a baby, my sister kept tabs on herĀ  with what today can only be described as an antiquated baby monitor. The reception was scratchy; the sound quality, mostly static; and on occasion, we could pick up snippets of her next-door neighbor’s conversation. Sure, it gave us a few laughs, but this product was hardly a useful parenting tool. That was nearly two decades ago, and my niece is now a college sophomore. Like so much of the baby products world, it’s amazing how advanced certain categories may become, especially baby monitors. No longer only audio-based, these products offer video capabilities of the highest quality, many of which can be managed remotely: a huge plus for the parent anxious to keep a [&hellip

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