3 Questions About: The 1-Year Checkup

What can I expect at my child's 1-year checkup?

Expect the doctor to weigh and measure your child, check his eyesight and hearing, give him a head-to-toe, front-to-back physical exam, and vaccinate him. She'll also ask you questions about your child's overall health and nutrition and his physical and cognitive development, and give you some feedback based on your answers and her observations. She may also check your child's hemoglobin level (to look for anemia) and lead level (if there's a risk of environmental lead exposure), if these haven't been checked already.

How can I prepare?

Decide ahead of time whether you want your toddler to get the varicella vaccine (to prevent chicken pox) and the hepatitis A vaccine, both of which are optional but recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Be ready to answer questions about your child's sleeping, eating, teething, motor skills, communication skills, social skills, vision, and hearing. It also helps to bring a list of any questions you'd like to ask the doctor — and your child's immunization record if you have one, so that it can be updated.

What questions should I ask?

Consider asking about whether you should give your child vitamins or supplements and about treating health problems that may come up (like colds or injuries). Ask about any worries you may have about your toddler's health, development, or behavior, and about how to stimulate his development.

Finally, ask about what you can expect in the coming months.

My Baby is 1 Year Old

Though at this point my youngest daughter’s vocabulary probably consists of only a couple of words, she can babble in what sounds like short sentences, complete with vocal inflections. It's almost as if she's speaking a foreign language.

She is also able to respond to simple questions and commands, like “where is your teeth?” or “How is the bird fly?” She also understands “No”. She will stop touching something when I said “No” to her, but she will complain a lot.

My only complain is that she still can not call me “Mama”. Well, I am not worried as each child is different. The most important is that she is healthy.

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Helpful Shortcuts

Here are a handful of parent-tested ideas to make life easier:

Create your own ready-to-go meals and snacks.
Fill a set of plastic bowls (with lids) or plastic snack bags with individual servings of your child's favorite finger foods so you'll have them at the ready when you need them for meals and outings.

Equip your car.
Keep a supply of nonperishable drinks and snacks, diapers, and other necessities in your car so you don't have to spend time gathering things when you want to leave the house. Some moms keep a second diaper bag in the car for this purpose.

Go high tech.
Pay bills, do your banking, and even shop for groceries online.

Soak before you wash.
Fill your sink or a bucket with soapy water and place dirty dishes, bottles, and other cooking and eating items in there. When you get around to them, they'll be much easier to clean.

Invest in housekeeping supplies.
Consider splurging on cleaning and laundry supplies that may cost more but will save you time or energy. Keep organized and clutter-free by using a good system of shelves, baskets, and other containers.

Watch Your Favorite TV Show Online

I always wanted to watch “Jon & Kate Plus 8”, but I always could not make it. Now, I can watch it online on my laptop, thanks to Spreety TV Online : Watch TV Shows Online Free. The Spreety site is all about the legal places to watch TV online, including news, sports, and movies. The site is 5,000 pages deep, and has many genre pages (i.e. home & garden, comedy, sports, westerns, etc.), classic TV pages (1950s, 1960s), pages about movies, most popular online TV, etc.

Got Entrepreneurial Spirit?

You aren't alone. In fact many people told me that they hope to start their own business one day. But it takes more than a good idea and a desire to be your own boss to launch a successful venture. You need to do your homework and do some market survey to make sure that your business is visible to do or not.

Let’s say that you decided to go ahead and do it, what is next?

Though most do not know it, the consumer is the most important aspect of a business transaction. The good news is that you can purchase your marketing data and mailing list from B2b Marketing. Their National Consumer file is one of the most comprehensive, with compiled lists and response lists. This multi-sourced file holds an average of 135 million records, which means you are sure to find your target consumers. They use both traditional and non-traditional selectors, from demographic lists to psychographic lists. And like our other resources, the list is updated on a quarterly basis and processed via the National Change of Address (NCOA), Delivery Sequence File (DSF), and Locatable Address Conversion Service (LACS). To further ensure better success, They filter this list though suppression files so as to eliminate consumers or telephone numbers as appropriate; DMA do-not-mail and do-not call lists. This way you are only given interested and eager customers.

My Watch

All my life, I only owned 3 watches. The first watch I had was given by my parents when I was only 12 years old. I wore that watch until I was 22 years old. At this moment I wear expensive branded watch that my parent gave me on my graduation day. It’s not Rolex, but someday, when I have enough money, probably I will buy one.

Rolex has been the pre-eminent symbol of performance and prestige for over a century. It’s one of the watches that is considered by many men and women as a status symbol.

I come across this site called Best of Time (www.bestoftime.com). This site sells brand new and pre-owned Rolex watches with brand new genuine Rolex boxes. Best of Time is proud members of BBB, Better Business Bureau and hold the highest form of recognition. They are an official accredited business by BBB, Better Business Bureau with an exceptional A+ rating the highest possible rating a business can get! All of their Rolex watches are 100% genuine certified & authentic with a 3 year warranty and free fedex shipping.

They claim that they offer genuine Rolex watches at substantial discounts to the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Because they are an independent dealer of new and pre-owned Rolex watches, they are able to avoid manufacturer's pricing controls and forward greater discounts to their customers.

Suitable Job for Stay-At-Home Mom

As you all probably know by now that although I stay at home and take care of my children, I also have a full job. Thanks to the internet that make it possible. If not because of the wonder of the internet, I don’t think this is possible. If you are also like me (stay at home mom) and wondering what kind of job that is suitable for us, you can take a look at Career Advice and Development. It is said that the jobs that suitable for stay-at-home mom are freelance writers or editors, or to sell items on eBay from home, run a day care out of their home or becoming an Avon or Mary Kay representative. If you have other questions related to job, click on the link and check it out yourself.

How to Handle Public Tantrums

The best thing you can do is stay calm. Unlike that kicking, screaming child in your shopping cart, you have the ability to control your emotions and restore the peace.


You can't bring your toddler to his senses by raising your voice or making threats. Getting mad will only escalate his emotions. You don't want to cave in, either. If your child is screaming because you passed up the candy aisle, don't make a U-turn just to calm him down.


Instead, tell him firmly that he has to stop throwing a fit. If he keeps it up, it's time to use your most potent weapon: the exit door. Even if you're in the middle of a big shopping trip, you can always whisk your child out of the store. Children like to shop, and there's a good chance he'll calm down once he understands the consequences. If he continues throwing a fit, take him home, if possible. The shopping can probably wait.


Keep in mind that children are more likely to lose their tempers when they're hungry or tired. If you're about to embark on a marathon shopping trip, try to make sure your child is tanked up and well-rested. It's also a good idea to establish the ground rules before you reach the store. If he's likely to lobby for a new toy, you can explain ahead of time that you're only there to buy groceries.


Frustration is also a big tantrum-producer. If you know your child is going to insist on visiting the pet store when you go to the mall, make sure you have time to do it or think twice about the trip. Thinking through his probable reactions, the consequences, and the alternatives isn't really "giving in" to him, it's being a wise parent.


Because he's out of control, a tantrum can be scary for a child. Once it subsides, give your toddler hugs and reassurance. It's fine to acknowledge his feelings. You might try to make leaving less painful by offering to read a favorite story when you get home.


Keep in mind that your child's tantrum is nobody's business but yours. Your toddler will have tantrums, and some of them are bound to happen in public. It doesn't mean you're a bad parent, only that you're the parent of a toddler.


If you handle the situation with calm and grace, expect to see a lot of knowing glances and sympathetic smiles. Regardless of any looks you get, remember that your child doesn't understand your embarrassment. Public tantrums aren't meant to humiliate parents, so you should treat your child the same way as if the tantrum happened at home.

TV-Watching Guidelines for Toddlers

The best way to handle how much television and video your toddler watches is to think of them as refined sugar: You want your child to enjoy this seductive stuff without consuming too much. So you'll need to stay on top of the time your toddler spends in front of the television. The average American child watches three to four hours a day, despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children should watch no more than an hour or two a day, and that children under 2 should watch no television at all.

Starting out tough from day one is the key to keeping viewing time under control. It's a lot easier to relax your standards later than it is to wean an 18-month-old from a three-times-a-day Dora or Blue's Clues habit.

Here are tips on how to use television as a learning tool:

Limit the amount of TV your toddler watches

Watch programs, not television

Choose calm, quiet programs

Watch with your toddler

Help your toddler watch with a critical eye

Extend the show's content with activities or books

Property

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As a full-service management firm, they offer Tenant Placement, Credit and Criminal Backround Screening, Regular Property Inspections, Accounting, Monthly Financial Reporting to Owners, Maintenance Services, Collections and also Evictions.

If you are interested to find out more about Real Property Management services, you can hop to their site or contact a representative today and learn what Real Property Management can do for you.

Online Games

My husband loves to play billiard when he was in school. Now, he is still playing it now and then with his friend after work but not as often as last time. Imagine how happy he was when he found out about this online multiplayer games in the internet. He told his friend about it as well and not he is playing with many friends there. The site looks nice, fast and easy to navigate. The most important is: It’s FREE and many people play there. You can join the worldwide players, invite your friends, and chat with them in the game. Or you can creat your group and play with your friends in your own room

Everyday Feels The Same

Lately I feel that everyday feels the same. I have a routine schedule that I do everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I do like routine. It likes an old shoes that you feels comfortable wearing it. The problem is if somebody asked me what did I do last Tuesday, then my mind will go blank. Beside the everyday routine things I don’t think I can recall anything special that had happened that day. Probably it is about time to go to meet up with my girlfriends, wearing sexy outfit and go to nightclub to spice up my life a bit. LOL!

Speaking of clubwear, if you need one, you should check this site. They offer new line of exotic wear and they are the first on the web to have them and you will get the lowest price on all of the outfits. Besides, all new customers will receive a 10% discount with the coupon code = newcustomer.

A New Communal Shopping and Social Network

For you all that like to shop online, there is a new communal shopping and social network called Zovue.com. Zovue was designed for online shoppers who want an interactive and fun shopping experience. The disadvantage of shopping online is that we can not discuss and share it with friends. Even when I was online with my friend while shopping online, they can not see at the same page. However, Zovue claimed that we can have “share desktop” experience. Zovue members can share their shopping pages with their friends for "communal shopping". The member that initiated the sharing experience can navigate Zovue and simultaneously the pages will change for all members in the group. Now that is exciting!

Furniture

Besides rustic furniture, I always like classic style wooden furniture, specially made of good wood like teak. Teak is a very high quality of wood and it has many great qualities like its rich, warm color and its superior durability. A bit more expensive, but this kind of furniture will last you a life time. I know this because all my parents’ furniture is made of teak.

The Latest on Children and Allergies

Doctors used to recommend waiting until age 1 or even much later to introduce solid foods that are common allergens, especially with kids at risk for allergies. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has changed its tune, because studies show that these delays probably don't help keep allergies from developing.

It's still a wise idea, though, to introduce new foods gradually, waiting several days after each new menu item to make sure your child doesn't react to it. And if you believe that your child is likely to have food allergies -- for example, if allergies run in your family -- check with his doctor to determine the best strategy for introducing allergenic foods like eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

The Advantage of Online Shopping

Since I work at home and became a mom, I have lesser time to go out shopping. I only go shopping for groceries at supermarkets once a week. Besides that, most of the time I do all of my shopping online for things like cosmetics, fashion, books, contact lens or things that I have used before and which I know what brands and the specifications, I find that it is more convenient to buy them online.

The great advantage of online shopping is that there is no salesman who always tries to convince you to make a purchase and to change your mind in making your choice. Another benefit is you choose the moment you want for shopping. Most of the time I do all of my online shopping during the night when all of my children are sleeping and I have done all my chores. While normal shops are closed, online shops are always open.

One of the things that I shop online is for contact lenses. All you do is sit at your computer and order the number of boxes you need. Recently, I found out that Woman's World magazine recommended the LensAlert in their "Products We Love" section. AC Lens offers all type of contact lens including disposable colored bifocal and soft, including Acuvue, Biomedics, Focus, Freshlook, Soflens, Purevision with reasonable prices. I will try them next time I need contact lenses.

Do Babies Need Discipline?

You bet. Not as in punishment, which babies don't understand, but using another definition of the word: "training that corrects, molds, or perfects," according to Merriam-Webster.

You may have noticed your baby increasingly "tests" what he can do and how things work. This is how older babies and toddlers learn about the world around them. It's your job to set some limits on that exploration to keep your baby within the bounds of what is acceptable and safe.
It helps, though, not to overdo it on the rules. One way to decrease the number of limits you'll need to set is to provide fewer opportunities for your baby to get into trouble. Babyproof (and later toddler-proof) your home so that it's a "yes" environment to play in rather than one full of no-nos. If you wind up saying "no" a lot, your baby may become desensitized to it and start to tune it out altogether.

Use simple language when you communicate a rule: "Hot." "Not safe." Let your tone of voice — firm, not frightening — help convey your message.

Whenever possible, make an effort to redirect his attention to something more acceptable. Be prepared for it to take many times for your baby to stop testing a particular limit. Babies learn through repetition and practice. Parents survive this phase through patience.

How To Look Younger This Summer

There is a new online magazine that I just found. It is Scrubs magazine. Although this online magazine is dedicated to all things nursing, I found the articles are applicable for moms like me. This summer edition they have article about “How to Look Younger”. I think every woman (or man) wants to look younger. Esspecially mom with 2 toddlers like me, who has to cleans, cooks and make sure everything is speck and clean besides taking care my two toddlers. It’s not helping that my husband works late most of the time. By the end of the day, I just want to drop my body in bed and sleep. Luckily I don’t have to go to office the next day (did I mention that I have a full time job, too?), because most of the time I have dark circles, puffy eyes and dull skin on my face.

Back to the “How to Look Younger” article I mentioned in above paragraph, I found the tips are easy to do and helpful. Tips like “never went to bed with make up on” and “moisturize your face” probably something that you have already known. However, I find tips like “use moisturizer that contains retinoids, a form of vitamin A” and “sleep on the back” very informative.

Beside “How to Look Younger” article, there are others informative articles that worth to read. So, I think you can head over there yourself and read.

Cholesterol Screening in Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a new policy on testing cholesterol levels in young children. Most surprising and interesting to parents is the recommendation that some kids ages 2 to 10 have their cholesterol tested, and that some kids as young as 1 drink low-fat (2 percent) milk instead of whole milk.


If you think these recommendations might apply to your child, read the policy statement below and ask your child's doctor.


Here's the AAP's announcement about its new recommendations. The policy was published in the July 2008 issue of Pediatrics, the AAP's peer-reviewed journal:


New AAP Policy on Lipid Screening and Heart Health in Children


The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new cholesterol screening and treatment recommendations for children. The policy statement, "Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood," recommends cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. It also recommends screening patients whose family history is unknown or those who have other factors for heart disease including obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes. Screening should take place after age 2, but no later than age 10. The best method for testing is a fasting lipid profile. If a child has values within the normal range, testing should be repeated in three to five years. For children who are more than 8 years old and who have high LDL concentrations, cholesterol-reducing medications should be considered. Younger patients with elevated cholesterol readings should focus on weight reduction and increased activity while receiving nutritional counseling. The statement also recommends the use of reduced-fat dairy products, such as two percent milk, for children as young as 1 year of age for whom overweight or obesity is a concern.

About Asbestos

We are all probably aware of the potential dangers of Asbestos to human health. However, since Asbestos is also a very useful mineral, some countries are still using it. Some developing countries, such as India and China, have kept using asbestos. The most common is corrugated asbestos-cement sheets or "A/C Sheets" for roofing and for side walls. Millions of homes, factories, schools or sheds and shelters continue to use asbestos. There has been no significant change in production and use of A/C Sheets in developing countries following the widespread restrictions in developed nations.

I am surprised to see that asbestos is still being used in the US as cement asbestos pipes. Did you know that in year 2000, tests in a certified asbestos-testing laboratory found that the tremolite form of amphibole asbestos in three out of eight major brands of children's crayons (oil pastels) are made partly from talc(contains asbestos)? Very shocking indeed!

Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time period. People who become ill from inhaling asbestos are often those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis in a job where they worked directly with the material. People who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are often entitled to compensation, and working with an aggressive and experienced Mesothelioma Lawyer makes a big difference. Many manufacturers of asbestos have gone bankrupt over the years and only an experienced lawyer can help victims receive compensations.

Foods to avoid: 12 to 24 months

Low-fat milk: Most young toddlers need the fat and calories of whole milk for growth and development. Once your child turns 2 (and if he doesn't have any growth problems), you can start giving him lower-fat milk if you like. (If your child is at risk for obesity or heart disease, however, the doctor may recommend introducing low-fat milk before age 2.)

Choking hazards to watch out for:
Large chunks: Pea-size pieces of food are safest — they won't get stuck in your child's throat. Vegetables like carrots, celery, and green beans should be diced, shredded, or cooked and cut up. Cut fruits like grapes, cherry tomatoes, and melon balls into quarters before serving, and shred or cut meats and cheeses into very small pieces.
Small, hard foods: Nuts, popcorn, cough drops, hard candies, raisins, and other small dried fruit and seeds are potential choking hazards.
Sticky and soft foods: Avoid chewing gum and soft foods like marshmallows and jelly candies that might get lodged in your child's throat.
Peanut butter: Be careful not to give your toddler large dollops of peanut butter, which can be difficult to swallow. Instead, spread peanut butter thinly on bread or crackers. You might want to try thinning it with some applesauce before spreading it.

More choking prevention:
•Avoid letting your child eat in the car since it's hard to supervise while driving.
•If you're using a rub-on teething medication, keep a close eye on your toddler as it can numb his throat and interfere with swallowing.

Car Without AC

Nowadays, every car has an AC. I still remember when my parents bought their first car. It’s a used car and without AC, so during summer we had to wind down the window in order to get the breeze in. When the car was moving, it was not that bad, however, when the car was stop we didn’t get any breeze in. It was horribly hot. We hated traffic jam, then. Luckily, we only used that car 2 years. After that my parents bought another used car that had AC. We never used car without AC since then. What a terrible experience.

Anyway, if you are looking for Air conditioning compressor, auto air conditioning, A/C compressor, or auto A/C compressor click on the link. They have a great selection of new and remanufactured products available and ready to ship.

Pink Ribbon Gumballs

My godmother passed away after suffering from breast cancer. Although she had to fight with cancer, she was always cheerful and very optimistic. I found out today that you can support breast cancer research and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund by purchasing Pink Ribbon Gumballs. Ribbon Gumball Machines are available for purchase by individuals and women's businesses.