Sippy Straw Cleaner

Have you ever accidently left your child’s sippy cup in the blistering hot car or wonder what that odd smell is coming from under the couch, only to find your child has hidden their thermos there over a week ago? Have you ever gone to pick up your children from daycare only to see some other runny nosed child drinking out of your child’s sippy cup? I am a stay at home mom that has tackled the never ending battle of trying to disinfect and clean out the curdled milk or molded apple juice from my children’s sippy cup and thermos straws. I tried using toothpicks, pipe cleaners, Qtips, even small paintbrushes… always with minimal success. I never felt confident that it was bacteria free and clean enough to have my children drink through it again. After throwing away TONS of expensive sippy cups because of dirty, clogged straws, I came up with the idea for a mini reusable straw brush cleaner…and voila … the idea for THE SIPPY STRAW CLEANER was born.

Surprisingly, it took only four months to go from an idea to an actual marketable product. During these months I spent many sleepless nights scouring the mommy message boards, online boutiques, and major retail chains for any similar products. Everyone had the same home remedies, yet none of them seemed to be a full proof method for cleaning those pesky straws. More importantly, I saw the reoccurring phrase “I just throw them out and buy another one” and it raised a huge red flag as to the amount of PLASTIC sippy cups that were being thrown in the garbage and what that was doing to our environment. In addition, parents were wasting money purchasing new expensive sippy cups, merely because they couldn’t get the straw clean.

My goal for the Sippy Straw Cleaner was three-fold:

• Save parents money by not having to purchase new sippy cups on a regular basis.
• Better for the environment due to less plastic toss out.
• Healthier for kids by cutting down on straw bacteria build up.

Over the last two years, the media has spent quite a bit of time talking about the dangers of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and how scientists have linked very low doses of BPA exposure to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, hyperactivity, as well as neural and behavior problems among children. Being a mother, I only wanted to develop a product that was safe for both me and my children. The Sippy Straw Cleaner underwent weeks of laboratory testing in New Jersey for verification of its compound makeup. I am happy to report that the Sippy Straw Cleaner is not only FDA approved, but BPA FREE and meets all the requirements of the US Consumer Product Safety Regulations. The brush has a nylon bristle tip, stainless steel rust free wire stem, and a polypropelene handle to allow for easier holding and scrubbing motion. The design and size of the brush allow for it to universally fit all major brands of sippy, thermos, accordion, and sports bottle straws. It also works fabulously on medicine droppers, jewelry, and keyboards.

The Sippy Straw Cleaner has been on the market for a mere 2 months now…and based on the feedback we’ve received, I’m proud to say we’re meeting our goals. Healthier kids…healthier environment…one sip at a time 🙂

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

What are the benefits for your child by drinking from a straw?

1. Drinking from a straw cup helps oral motor strengthening and speech development.
2. Straw usage helps to improve lip closure, strength, and control.
3. Using a Sippy Cup with a straw allows a child to hold their cup easier and doesn’t require tilting.
4. When purchasing bottles and/or Sippy Cups always look on the label to verify that the product is BPA free.

To help ensure your child’s sippy cups and thermos’s are BPA free, there are many websites that are full of “green” recommendations with reviews on products available on the market today.

1. The Soft Landing : Store and blog offering over 45 brands of 100% BPA, PVC, and Phthalate free baby and toddler products.
2. Safe Mama: BPA free bottle and sippy cup cheat sheet
3. Z-Recommends: Searchable database providing information about potentially harmful chemicals in a wide range of baby products based on company reporting.

Kid’s Companion for Special Needs

A common thread for many mom entrepreneurs is the stories that have made our companies. This is mine. It’s the story of the HeartString Kid Companion. One little item that gives peace of mind to caregivers and a shot of confidence to special needs youth. Let me tell you how…

One day, with two growing children, I noticed that my daughter, with Tourette’s Syndrome and sensory issues, very much appreciated a clay heart pendant I had made for her teething sister. Maybe it should be noted that my university background is in health sciences, but I also am a jeweler (my creative side I guess). As I watched, it struck me that my 3 year old could chew and fidget discreetly while my nursing infant could tug and teeth to her hearts’ content. After a few comments from parents, phone calls to child healthcare professionals and fruitless product searches, I realized that other parents were looking for such accessories, especially for their special needs children.

This began our journey. It was 2006 and the road ahead would be long with many challenges we’d need to overcome. As a mother, I wanted to see my children happy. Part of having a happy special needs youth is having one that functions well at school, at play and especially, as best she can with her peers. With time, needing to belong to her peer group would become more and more important. That meant creating something that was chewable and tuggable while still being “cool” enough to blend in. Finally, we had a solution….a durable, colorful, non-toxic pendant that was safe to chew on…something that could help any child be him/herself, anytime, anywhere. We called it the HeartString Kid Companion.

Years of research and development went into making this a product we could truly be proud of, from finding materials for the design idea to testing prototypes and final parts. Since our products are developed for infant use, we wanted FDA approved, North American sourced/made and socially responsible materials. THAT was a tall order, but we did it! We have followed ASTM standards and have passed the new (and future) CPSIA 3rd party testing. We have our 3rd Party Certificate documenting the safety standards met. We even keep a record of all MSDS certificates from our suppliers.

In the end, we learned a lot. From injection molding, to lab testing, to exporting and distribution channels… logistics, FDA and marketing. Our business skills are becoming honed and our knowledge of the maternity/paternity and infant market is increasing daily. With the many legal and marketing loopholes we encounter, we see how important it is, that companies like ours press on with their values. (…that is a whole other story…)

Ultimately we had one goal in mind for the time-strapped parent: In a world of increasing uncertainty about children product safety, The Kid’s Companion would give parents peace of mind.

• A custom breakaway clasp will release and can be re-attached with ease – a feature that guards against strangulation, even at play.
• 18” or 20″ necklaces (lanyards) are made with durable and washable rayon/cotton that is dyed with safe non-toxic dyes.
• Pendants all pass small parts test and are actually around 2” to eliminate any possibility of choking
• Pendant and clasp materials are medical grade, BPA/phthalates free, Lead free, Latex free and Cadmium free.
• Everything can be washed!! (Pendants are even dishwasher safe).

Even more important…we discovered a way to help a child whose special needs might easily set them apart… find a way to fit in. For my daughter…for other children…we are making a difference…

Healthful Hints

There are a number of different types of products to help your child overcome sensory issues. Often recommended by both parents and occupational therapists are the following:

• Chewy Tubes, developed by a speech pathologist and great for home use.
• Tri-Chew, by Debra Beckman, MS, CCC-SLP
• Nûby™ Nibbler™ for parents to place food inside.
• Check with The Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Center for other ideas as well.

Many children with sensory issues like to put things in their mouth. To keep them safe:

• Check if the product complies with safety regulations for child care articles!
• Avoid PVC and plastic items with enamel or paint. Especially those at economy stores.
• Do not rely on retailers or manufacturers to meet voluntary standards, or even to comply with mandatory standards. Request Proof. Get informed. Supply chains notoriously have holes
• As with the Kid’s Companion, make sure the items are too large to be swallowed and can easily be sanitized (i.e. dishwasher safe or machine-washable)
• Replace any damaged products before they break, tear or can become small parts.

As always, if you’re introducing something new to your child’s routine, check with your child’s pediatrician, therapist or teacher first.

Little Red Hoodie

Internet predators are a pressing concern for parents. Youths are becoming increasingly more tech-savvy, and forms of online communication are growing at an alarming rate. All too often we hear tales of horrific tragedies involving social networking sites, and know that many of these could have been prevented with parental monitoring and discussions about internet safety.

Until recently, I thought that such monitoring and discussions were something that I did not need to worry about for quite some time since my child is still very young and I teach at an elementary school. My thinking drastically changed after overhearing a conversation among second grade girls at my school about an upcoming sleepover. When I think of young girls’ slumber parties, I picture snacks, games and movies, but instead, the girls were planning to log on to their sisters’ social networking sites. From this moment, I knew that I needed to take responsibility for educating this demographic about internet safety, and wanted to encourage others to do the same.

After this incident, I began researching young children and internet use and found some disturbing information. For example, in 2008 according to the Rochester Institute of Technology:

• Approximately 48% of students from kindergarten to first grade interact with others on the internet.
• Of these 48%, nearly half of the students had already been exposed to something online that made them feel uncomfortable.
• To make matters worse, one in four of these children did not report his or her experience to an adult.

Given these findings, I was more convinced than ever that children are never too young to be introduced to the concept of being safe on the internet.

After exploring countless books, videos and the like, I found that there were many products, websites, and resources that helped educate parents and older children. However, I found no such internet safety resources and materials that were specifically geared toward introducing the subject to younger children. Then it hit me: there is a parallel between the Big Bad Wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood story and internet predators, and this would be a perfect way to introduce the concept to this age group. Pulling from this idea and what I have learned about quality children’s literature from my years of experience as a teacher, I wrote Little Red Hoodie. This children’s picture book is a modernized version of the classic tale in which the Big Bad Wolf plays the role of an internet predator posing as Granny online in an attempt to lure Little Red into his trap. I spent countless hours working to make the book child-friendly and humorous, so that the topic could be introduced in a nonthreatening way. My hope is that the book will initiate a critical conversation among families and perhaps even help prevent future tragedies.

HEALTHFUL HINTS:

• Educate yourself and your children about internet safety. Local police departments often offer various materials and programs to the community. There is also a wide variety of organizations and website that provide such resources including the following:
  • http://enough.org
  • http://ncmec.org
• Be mindful of the growing number of ways that your child can utilize the internet to interact with others. For example, many video games now allow children to go online and interact with other users.
• If you choose to use Little Red Hoodie as a tool for teaching your family about internet safety, here are some suggestions:
  • Read the book at least once for enjoyment before using it to get into a serious discussion.
  • After reading the book, help lead an open-ended discussion by asking questions such as the following: “How did the Wolf trick Little Red Hoodie?”, “Why do you think that the Wolf used the computer to try to trick Little Red Hoodie?”, “How do you think that the story would have been different if Little Red Hoodie would have asked her mother before leaving the apartment?”, “What do you think Little Red Hoodie should have done?”
  • Post “Little Red Hoodie’s Rules to SAFE Internet Use” near your computer (found on the last page of the book).

Summer’s Lifeguard

***EDITOR’S NOTE*** This product is no longer being sold – no further information is currently available. This post remains to introduce this wonderful concept designed by Summer’s parents and to inspire others to pursue similar paths.

On October 13, 2006, at just 21 months old, my daughter, Summer was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Because AML is fatal without treatment (and even with treatment the overall survivor rate is low), Summer began intensive chemotherapy within hours of the diagnosis. The treatment process lasted over six months, with the majority of the time spent in-house at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

As part of her treatment, Summer had a central venous catheter (CVC) surgically implanted in her chest, through which, she received her medicine and treatment. Less than a month into treatment, my husband Brad discovered that part of Summer’s CVC was twisting, which could cause the tube to break, and bring about serious complications including the need for additional surgery.

After several unsuccessful attempts by the caring pediatric oncology nurses at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, to find a remedy, Brad and I realized we needed to design our own solution. During this time, Summer’s CVC broke twice within two days. (After three breaks surgery is required to implant a new central line catheter!) I contacted a family friend, Karen, a retired nurse who is also a sewer, and together we developed Summer’s Lifeguard™, a Central Line/Port Wrap.

The primary concerns were minimizing the risk of infection (due to no immune system) and avoiding additional surgery, by ensuring Summer’s (CVC) was out of her reach. The unique design literally wrapped the lines of the CVC around her body, with padding and soft fabric that cushioned Summer to make her more comfortable and allowed for her mobility. Karen, as a nurse, added some unique features that provided easy access to the lumens for administration of medicine, and color coded tabs that matched the lumens for easy identification by hospital staff and caregivers. Four drafts later, we finally settled on a design that met all of Summer’s needs. And now we have designed a version that is universal enough to fit any child regardless of where their CVC is implanted on their chest.

Although Summer reached remission in May of 2007 and enjoyed a wonderful summer, she relapsed in November 2007. Summer completed a bone marrow transplant in January 2008. She is facing many challenges, specifically chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), but today I am blessed to say she is a happy, active pre-schooler.

When Summer was originally diagnosed, I would tell her that she was a soldier of God, and her “armor” included her entire family and friends, her medicine, and all the doctors, nurses, and specialists treating her. Summer’s Lifeguard is an important part of this soldier’s armor in her fight against cancer.

Due to the interest by other parent’s of critically-ill children and through the encouragement of the nurses and doctors at Children’s Medical Center, Karen and I have formed a company called SIYA, Inc, located in Texas. The mission of this company is to provide medical protection with safety garments and other devices for patients, while providing peace of mind for families. After three attempts, Summer’s Lifeguard received clearance from the FDA in May of 2009 as a class I exempt medical device which means that hospitals can carry Summer’s Lifeguard and nurses can determine if a patient needs the device.

We’re thrilled to know that through our efforts, we can now give other parents of critically-ill children a little peace of mind and comfort to their child.

HEALTHFUL HINTS

If your child has a central line or portacath, here are some things to consider:

• Have your nurse use a Biopatch on the exit site of the central line or port as another precaution. (According to Ethicon 360’s website: “Catheter-Related Blood Stream Infections (CRBSI) are the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.”
• Have the dressing changed weekly around the exit site of the catheter.
• If your child develops a rash, examine what kind of tape is being used for the dressing, many children develop sensitivities to the tape.
• When using Summer’s Lifeguard:
  • Have your child lay down on their back to put on the wrap.
  • If your child is a transplant patient, you will want to put on a clean wrap daily (…therefore, it may make sense to have at least one extra wrap available).

Signs of Leukemia:

Believe it or not, it is different for everybody, and it sometimes may seem minor, like a cold that just won’t go away. To that note- if your child is experiencing symptoms of illness or a cut/scrape, or unusual and a lot of bruising, that won’t go away- have a Complete Blood Culture (CBC) done right away.

Emmas Inspirations

When our daughter Emma was an infant, we moved into our new house. As parents of six children, we were very excited about getting to this new house and getting some much needed unloading done! Pulling into the driveway, we all became very excited and quickly left the car to see the house. There was so much to do – everyone went off in different directions.

I had assumed that my husband or one of the older kids had taken Emma from her car seat (as that was almost ALWAYS the case) and he thought that it was me who had brought her inside. Making the assumption that everything was okay, we went about unpacking and arranging our new home.

In a sudden moment of panic, I realized that our baby girl wasn’t even in the house. Nearly 45 minutes after we had arrived, I rushed to our car for Emma.

The sun was hot for a spring day. I cannot tell you the thoughts and fears, and the horror that welled up inside of me as I was sure I had harmed our baby girl! I thank God every day that my older son had opened the back window on the ride up because he felt car-sick, or Emma may not have become the vibrant six year old she is today!

From that point on we left notes in all the cars. “Where’s Emma?” was our catch phrase. We were determined to never let this happen to us again.

When my daughter and I read about the school principal who, out of routine, left her baby in the car all day, and the dad who forgot the baby was in his back seat because he didn’t ‘usually’ drop him off at child-care, we were sad and sickened by their tragedies… yet we knew how ‘routine’ oriented we all are today… and how easy it is for this tragedy to take place:

• An average of 40 children die each year in closed vehicles… and numerous others have been left alone in cars by adults who assume the car is a ‘safe place’ for their children…
• How many bus drivers do we read about who fail to “check their seats”!
• What is typically not realized is how quickly the air inside our vehicles can become saunas for our precious little ones… with temperatures escalating 20 to 30, or even 40 degrees higher INSIDE the car than the air OUTSIDE the car! According to an article in New Science Magazine (July 5, 2005) , a study done out of Stanford University re-echoes these facts: cars become ovens, even while outside temperatures are on the ‘cool’ side!
• Children’s bodies’ heat up 3 to 5 times faster than adults, and a child can be critically injured or tragically dead within minutes!
• In 2001, according to Kids N Cars, there were approx 20 child deaths due to hyperthermia. As of 6/26/2009 – approximately half-way into 2009 – we already have 15…and it is estimated that the data vastly underestimates the safety issue.

My daughter and I remembered our ‘notes’. I thought of easy ways to leave a ‘note’ affixed to car windows, in key spots, to help remind us to “check the seats before we leave”. We decided to design decals to help save lives, as well as awaken our awareness of the dangers of vehicle suffocation for small children and pets! This is how we came up with Emma’s Inspirations.

I came up with the idea of static-cling decals to adhere (but not STICK with adhesive) to the car windows. I wanted to add a couple of ‘check’ marks to the decals with a stick figure boy and girl (some with a cat and dog added as well) and add a phrase that rhymed to increase the ease of remembering the dangers of suffocation for adults… and to educate children as well. I thought the phrase would help develop a new mindset for everyone… and help educate our children about automobile safety- the same way we educate them about outlet and toaster safety.

I thought 3 decals for each car was a good idea so I put them together in packages of 6 … enough for two cars. One could be placed just above the driver’s side window door-lock, another just below the rear-view mirror, (or the left corner of the windshield), and one for the back window corner. Some moms stick one on the kitchen window as well; to remind them to keep any cars outside LOCKED from little hands or hide and seek players! Others place one on or above their house alarm to remind them to check the seats.

Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post wrote a painfully candid article on this subject on Sunday, March 8, 2009. He recounts the tragedy of three families as they endure the heartache of recognition that their children died a horrifically “modern” death; they suffocated in seats their parents never took a second glance in! These are situations no family ever would have anticipated.

Emma’s window decals are that little reminder you need when things are moving at a fast pace. By sticking these decals in the right places you will have a simple and affordable reminder to check again. A reminder so simple …yet one that could save your child’s life!

HEALTHFUL HINTS

Many parents are unaware of the dangers lurking around parked cars. According to the Kids N Cars national database, there are a number of injuries that can happen in a ‘MOMENT’ to children left unattended in or around motor vehicles. Here are just a few things to watch for:

• A child can suffocate in unattended vehicles;
• Children can get their heads and hands caught in power windows;
• They can inadvertently shift the car into gear…or fall out windows and doors;
• “Frontovers” and “Backovers” are responsible for approx 61% of non-traffic fatalities for children under the age of 15;
• We must be of a mind to NEVER LEAVE OUR CHILDREN ALONE IN OR AROUND CARS.

The decals from Emma’s Inspirations are an accident prevention tool to remind us to DOUBLE CHECK our seats, REMOVE any passengers, and LOCK our EMPTY parked cars from curious little ones. Other areas where safety stickers can keep your children safe from harm:

• ID stickers for child safety seats – if you were ever in an accident, it would provide key information about your child to caregivers that you may be unable to communicate. You can usually get these at your local pharmacy or stationery store…
• You might want to place a decal or sticker on a house or apartment window or door to alert emergency personnel to the presence of children in the home.
• Poison Control stickers should be placed on phones themselves or next to the phone and/or on an inside cabinet door.
• Medical alert bracelets or anklets or stickers or decals on a child’s seat or diaper bag or person to warn of potentially life-threatening allergies.
• Decals and stickers are good to remind ‘no metal’ in the microwave or toaster.
• Stickers and decals are small, yet significant aids in helping us keep track of the never ending flow of “things to remember to mention” or ”do” or “watch out for”… as we manage the literal “ins” and “outs” of our days… and care for the people, who at the end of our day, we do it ALL for… our children!

Exercise Rhymes

Hi I’m Marina, creator of Exercise Rhymes®, rhymes that make exercising fun. After my daughter Isabel was born I had significant ‘baby weight’ to lose. I enjoy running, but Isabel quickly became bored with her books, toys and snacks in the jogging stroller as I tried to get my exercise. I sought out ways to create playtime focused on fitness and fun that would benefit us both. We tried some exercise videos together but they didn’t hold her attention for long. I found myself using her as a weight doing squats, lunges, crunches, and arm lifts and then began making up rhymes to go with the exercises. It was wonderful to include her in my exercise routine and she would soon begin mimicking my movements and began to routinely play and exercise together in short bursts throughout the day.

Drawing on my years of dance, yoga and fitness training, I created flashcards pairing fun rhymes and exercises for adults to do with young kids….and Exercise Rhymes® was born. Family and friends with young children tested the prototype flashcard decks and provided me with invaluable feedback. My daughter and I also routinely did the exercises and even at 18 months, she quickly recognized the rhymes and started doing the exercises that went with them. She would fill in the rhyming words and loved to pretend being a frog, bunny, train, etc. while we exercised together. I was happy to shed the pregnancy pounds and we both had a lot of fun taking short breaks to exercise throughout the day at home and at the park. The exercises were even helpful in occupying her while waiting in line, and now she is starting to use the cards to practice reading.

I also did some research and found that:

• There is a strong correlation between academic achievement and fitness levels.
• Rhymes and exercises form patterns between mind and body that reinforce learning.
• Rhyming is known to provide a good foundation for phonics and reading. Rhyming also helps to support the brain’s timing mechanism, critical for interpersonal communications and social interactions.
• Short bursts of activity a few times per day are as effective as one longer exercise session. High intensity short duration exercise is shown to be a potent fat-burner and it helps the body handle and recover from stress.
• Making exercise fun for kids helps to establish healthy associations that can last a lifetime.

Exercise Rhymes® are fun playful rhymes and exercises for adults to do with young children ages 3 to 7 years old. Preschool and primary elementary teachers use them for fitness breaks in class, and there are therapeutic uses for children with special needs. They are effective in educational therapy because the combined rhyme and exercise stimulate both motor and language centers of the brain, and the rhymes help with the brain’s timing mechanism. Pediatric therapists have stated they get significant eye contact and interaction while using Exercise Rhymes® with autistic children and they are an excellent resource for parents to continue therapy at home. The exercises themselves benefit the parents, teachers, and caregivers as much as the kids, and they really are a fun way to not only exercise but also spend time together. In fact, in my children’s fitness classes, I find the kids love the rhymes and pretending and never think twice about the exercise.

Finding the time to exercise is a challenge for everyone, especially with kids in tow, but exercising with your kids does not have to include a lot of time, pain, or even the gym. Including kids in the exercise routine is a simple solution that helps build lifelong, healthy habits for everyone. Commitment and consistency provide the long term benefits of health and vitality. A commitment to fitness is important, and showing our children that exercise is fun might be even more important!

HEALTHFUL HINTS

• Find fun ways to exercise with your kids, including sports you enjoy.
  • Take walks around the block, ride bikes together, or jog beside your child while they are riding a bike (always wearing a helmet).
  • Try simple strengthening exercises together including lunges and squats. Doing these exercise while holding your young child is a fun way to increase the intensity.
• Be sure to always keep your stomach muscles drawn-in while exercising to strengthen your core, improve your posture, and support your back.
• As with any new exercise routine, get an okay from your healthcare provider first.