Bedtime Boogie

There is a rhythm to the night, a boogie if you will. To dance the dance to sleepy town is a wonderful thing, unless your bedtime boogie partner stops their motions and opts for hysterical screams and protests instead. Think less Dancing with the Stars and more World War III. If you have a preschooler the odds are you have experienced trouble getting your little one nighty night. Many parents deal with some type of sleep problems every evening, including trouble getting to sleep, frequent waking in the middle of the night, and having irregular sleep patterns. Every child is different and remember there are no right or wrong ways to put your little guys to sleep. If you and your child are happy with your current routine then you should stick to it, but it is not good if it turns into a struggle to put your child to bed. This especially applies if the tyke gets overly frustrated in the process, strongly resists being put to bed or if your little one is waking up so much that they or other family members end up not getting adequate sleep.

Helpful Hints

Here are some tips from parents and experts proven to help prevent problems at bedtime. The number one piece of advice is to develop a bedtime routine that you follow closely each night. Children love security and a routine can give structure. The routine can include taking a bath, brushing teeth, saying prayers, talking, and reading a book. A good way to end the routine is to read a book or story after your child is tucked into bed. You can warn that bedtime is near after the story is finished and then end the routine by turning the light off and saying goodnight. Remind them not to leave their bed until morning. Ignore any further requests or questions. Consider putting a night light in your child's room or having a special lovey or blanket that helps to smooth the transition to night.

Sleep Tight

Once your child has been put to bed, you should be strict about the rule of not leaving the bedroom. If they get up and come out, quickly return them to their room and give a gentle but firm reminder to sleep in their own bed. Ignore all protests or requests and keep interactions with your sleepy town warrior to a minimum. If they continue to leave the room give a warning that you will have to close the door. You should follow up on this warning if your child keeps leaving the room. Stand outside the door and let them know that you will open the door again if they get back in bed and stay there. You should also consider closing the bedroom door if there is more crying or protesting.

The Excuse Monster

Excuses like to lurk around at bedtime like a monster under the bed. This monster causes thirst, hunger, and a number of bathroom trips. The best way to deal with the Excuse Monster is to stand your ground. Once you realize that all of your child's basic needs have been met, practice standing firm with one simple phrase, "It's time to go to bed." You may have to say this 20 times, but eventually your little one will grow weary and the Excuse Monster will hopefully be vanquished.

Sleep Town Bound

While the first few nights of this treatment may be difficult and your child will probably cry and protest, they will quickly learn how to fall asleep on their own and sleep through the night. Other steps you can take to help with this process is to cut back on daytime naps and consider a later bedtime, since your child is less likely repeatedly wake up if they are tired. And remember to praise your child when they sleep through the night, stay in their own room or go to bed without protesting.

Night Night Right

Experts say children usually have bedtime problems because they are trying to test your limits or because of poor sleep habits. Some say these protests or problems are rarely caused by real fears, but you should comfort and reassure your child if they are truly afraid. In Banishing Bedtime Blues, Chick Moorman talks about helping your child conquer their bedtime fears.

Moorman says for some kids getting out of bed is related to fear. The may have just had a nightmare or remember one from the evening before. Perhaps they are scared of the dark or of being alone. Perhaps they feel insecure when you are out of sight. If fear is the issue, Moorman suggests asking your child, "What would help you feel safer?" Tell them that one of your main roles as a parent is to help them feel safe. Create a plan together. This could be turning on a fan if they are afraid of noises or turning on a light if they are afraid of the dark. Leave the door open if they are insecure or provide a comforting teddy bear to increase feelings of security. Perhaps you could allow the family dog to sleep in your child's room. One parent agreed to check on the child every half hour, "So you'll know I'm here," he told his daughter.

Bedtime Groove

Getting your bedtime ritual into a groove may not be easy, but it is possible. Not all techniques work for all children, but the key is to hang in for the long haul. Try new and different ways to create a pleasing environment that promotes sleep. By staying consistent and sticking to the security of a routine, you will hopefully be well on your way to dancing a beautiful boogie all the way to Sleepy Town.

Curse of untidiness

A recent article points to DNA as the reason behind clutter in our modern world. The theory is that we humans have a genetic predisposition for clinging to our belongings. Every Mommy knows this especially applies to children who want to hang on to every Kids Meal toy you just happen to collect on those trips to the drive through. My oldest son recently sold several bags of those said treasures for 25 cents at our last garage sale. It was all part of our family's attempt to declutter with the news a third little boy would soon need to fit into our house. We went about going through our belongings and soon learned we were storing way too much of the American dream.

Old furniture, clothing, even a cat litter box graced our driveway when the early bird shoppers descended on our little mercantile. You know that old saying, "One man's junk", well we had some junk for all to peruse. We sold old college furniture, a roll of plastic, and anything taking up our much needed space for no reason. Even my six-year-old got into the mix with his own sales table and his carefully sorted and packaged toys priced and marked. They sold like hot cakes.

Throwing a yard sale was a good first step toward bringing our clutter under control, but isn't it hard to say goodbye. Goodbye to old memories, goodbye to the "stuff". I seem to have an emotional attachment to my belongings and I find I am not alone. Apparently many of us find it hard to get rid of our belongings and we are running out of room to store our treasures. Over the past three decades the self-storage business has been the fastest growing slice of the commercial property industry in the US. Statistics show there are almost seven feet of self-storage for every American. Talk about leaving a foot print.

Enter here the clutter calvary. Those people who are gifted in organization and know how to help you live a simple stream lined existence. Certified Professional Organizers, will work with any individual who wants to be more organized, by assessing, with them, what space and stuff they are dealing with, what they want it to be like, and what has kept them from being able to achieve their own personal utopia of order. The National Association of Professional Organizers currently boasts 3,900 members, who, for an hourly fee, help their clients begin to conquer their inner messy monster. They will come into your home identify areas for improvement such as disorganized filing systems, closets, cabinets, and that dreaded junk drawer. There are even 12-step support groups such as Clutterers Anonymous or Messies Anonymous one can join for support and advice. According to Messies Anonymous, I am a sentimental messie. One who keeps items for sentimental value. O.K. I'll buy that logic and apparently keep it, grow fond of it, and store it in my closet.

Something to watch out for

With summer fun in full swing, for many the pool is the center of family life.  Our little ones love the water and Mommies keep a watchful eye on their children to ensure safety in the water.  But now there are two little known dangers called dry and delayed drowning. Just this summer a 10-year-old South Carolina boy died from drowning. Only this boy did not die in the water, he drown at his home, in bed, only an hour after coming home from playing at the pool. Medical experts say victims can walk around, talk, even laugh and have deadly amounts of water in their lungs. The young boy's grandmother said upon returning home her grandson bathed and said he felt sleepy and went to take a nap. When they went to awake him an hour later, he was already dead.

Some news outlets labeled this drowning phenomenon a 'dry drowning' but critics say there can not be water in the lungs for a dry drowning. Some believe the South Carolina 4th grader suffered what is called a delayed drowning, because water was found in his lungs. Pediatricians warn against the signs of delayed drowning that parents and care givers should look for after a child has been in the water. Signs of children sputtering and coughing water, fatigue, (which the South Carolina boy exhibited), and also soiling themselves, ( which this young boy did twice after his visit to the pool). It seems these are difficult signs to watch for when most kids wear themselves out at the pool, but doctors caution parents to look for any out of the ordinary signs of stress and respond immediately to the nearest emergency room.

Then there is dry drowning. This can happen when too much water enters the throat. One theory is this rush of liquid into the throat can cause the airway to snap shut. No water enters into the lungs, but no air does either and it causes asphyxiation. Another theory is when someone jumps into very cold water their heart can stop. Dry drowning accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all drowning deaths a year. When you consider 4000 die from drowning every year, this phenomenon accounts for about 400 to 600 of those victims.

To combat the threat of dry drowning doctors say you can teach children to jump into the water with their mouths closed and to learn to enter cold water very slowly. With drowning listed as the second leading cause of death for children, no precaution seems overboard or absurd to protect our littlest swimmers.

Baby Bottle Blues

When the world's largest retailer decides to pull a product off the shelves most everyone stops to take notice. When Walmart takes action, it makes news. Walmart announced in April it would stop selling baby bottles made with bisphenol A, or BPA as it is commonly abbreviated. This would take place in all of Walmart's US stores early next year. The news sent shock waves throughout the baby bottle industry and provided more questions for anxious parents. The Washington Post reported that Walmart is immediately halting all sales of bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, and water containers made with BPA in Canada. This amid speculation of a total ban on the chemical in the country. If the ban proposal survives public scrutiny, Canada will be the first country to ban products made with bisphenol A. Toys R Us is also following suit with a ban on baby products made with the chemical in it's Canadian stores.

So when this health eco-conscious Mommy/Journalist started hearing the buzz about BPA or bisphenol A, I naturally wanted to know more. Reports started coming out that many popular brands of baby bottles leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a chemical most commonly used to make your favorite clear baby bottle, well, clear and nearly shatter proof. Through use and heating studies suggest the polycarbonate material breaks down and contaminates liquids and food. The chemical is also used to line the inside of soda cans and to make water bottles.

In 2007, bisphenol A became controversial when research suggested it mimics estrogen. More than 200 animal studies show BPA is toxic at low doses. A panel of 38 experts on the chemical concluded that average levels found in people are above those that cause harm to animals in lab experiments. Studies have also shown BPA to cause cancer in lab animals. One study shows when the baby bottles are heated the BPA that is part of the polycarbonate material can leach into the liquid at high levels. These studies show links with low exposure to BPA to cancers, autoimmune problems, obesity, diabetes, and the early onset of puberty.

Some of the popular brands of polycarbonate bottles tested include Avent, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex. According to the study all five of these popular brands leached BPA. The companies are disputing the health risks of the chemical maintaining that the FDA still considers BPA exposure safe. The Head of Consumer Relations for Dr. Brown's parent company Handi Craft is Scott Rhodes. He stated to Z Recommends in November 2007 that all the buzz about BPA is a "scare tactic" being perpetuated by opportunists. The company has however recently come out with a new line of glass baby bottles, but Handi Craft has no plans to abandon their current line of popular polycarbonate Dr. Brown's bottles.

So what is a parent to do?

A 2008 draft report by the U.S. National Toxicology Program agrees that their is some concern for neural and behavioral effects on fetal and infant brain development. In an ABC News report Dr. Maida Galvez, a pediatrician studying BPA, is cautioning parents to shy away from bottles containing the chemical and says, "We know that the animal studies raise concerns, but there aren't human studies showing the effects yet... so, when we don't have the evidence, what we recommend is that parents try to err on the side of caution."

With this new information many parents and care givers are turning to polycarbonate free feeding alternatives for their children.

There are currently several BPA-Free baby bottles on the market. The Adiri Natural Nurser promotes a bottle designed by doctors, moms, and lactation consultants. The Adiri Fill, Twist & Feed System is promoted as easy and hassle free. One mom I spoke who uses the Adiri bottle and says her daughter loves the soft nipple. She says the brand did not cause the same nipple confusion her older son experienced with other brands. This Mom also likes what she calls the "cute look" of the Adiri. The Adiri company is run by three moms from California who say they wanted to make it easier for parents to have safe options for bottle feeding.

BornFree bottles are another BPA free alternative. The award winning bottles are a honey color, not the shiny clear plastic in which 95 percent of baby bottles are made with the polycarbonate material. BornFree, like Dr Brown's, has a vent to sooth colic and the Mommies we spoke with who use BornFree say the results seem to suit their little ones.

There are some other BPA-free brands on the market, but these alternatives are not cheap. Most of these bottles run around $10 a bottle, but some say the price is more than worth it to protect their babies from a potentially dangerous chemical.

About the Mommy Message

Welcome to Mommy Message.

Here we hope you find a message that strikes a chord in your daily parenting journey. Whether it is news to inform, healthy recipes to enjoy, or words to inspire or entertain, we hope you find it on the Mommy Message.

Heather, or Mommy Bee, is wife to a sweet husband, and mommy to three splendid B'ee boys.

All have a B first initial, all are certainly busy as a bee, and each boy loves to eat honey.

In between peanut butter and jelly (or honey rather) sandwiches, Heather blogs at the Mommy Message with stories on the latest parenting trends, daily inspirations, and goings on in the world of little ones.

Heather has over 16 years experience in television news reporting, anchoring, producing and teaching.  She now works as a freelance television journalist covering stories on education, environment, fitness and health, technology, and enjoys doing personal profiles on the occasional alligator farmer or bee keeper.

Thanks for stopping by the Bee Hive.