Controversies: Is Swaddling Dangerous?

For the most recent Carnival of Evidence Based Parenting, Melinda Moyer discussed the recent debate over swaddling.  Swaddling has been on my list of controversies to address, but I believe Melinda covers the research very effectively. So, instead of my reinventing the wheel completely, I suggest you hightail it over to her column on Slate to read her conclusions.

Melinda brings up six arguments against swaddling and then the rebuttals. I’ll excerpt from her article here.

1.) Sleep Positioning

As Melinda points out, one concern of the National Resource Center on Child Health and Safety is the possibility of swaddled babies being put to sleep on their stomachs. However, as she says,

Yes, swaddled babies left on their stomachs are more likely to die—you, too, would have trouble catching your breath if someone wrapped you like a burrito and put you belly-down. But it turns out that swaddled babies are also more likely than unswaddled babies to be placed on their backs, which means that swaddlers are more likely to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe-sleeping recommendation

2.) Rousing from deep sleep

While it’s true that arousal problems are considered a risk factor for SIDS, research on the swaddling aspect is conflicting. One 2010 Australian study found that babies who were regularly swaddled did not have any more trouble waking than did unswaddled babies. At the same time, it was slightly harder to wake swaddled 3-month-olds who were not used to being swaddled (though the effect didn’t exist among 3-to-4-week-old infants). A 2005 study conducted by French and Belgian researchers suggested that swaddled 10-week-olds were actually more easily awakened (but, paradoxically, sleep better) than unswaddled babies. Ultimately, it’s hard to say what swaddling does to arousal, but there’s little evidence that routine swaddling poses a problem.

3.) Hip displaysia

But the type of swaddling taught in U.S. hospitals and recommended by Karp allows babies’ legs and hips to move freely. Plus, “for the past ten years, Americans have been swaddling a great deal, and we haven’t been seeing reports of more hip dysplasia,” says Bradley Thach, a pediatrician at Washington University in St. Louis. Even the International Hip Dysplasia Institute agrees that with proper technique, swaddling is perfectly safe.

In addition to Melinda’s points above, I want to bring up three more concerns regarding swaddling.

4.) Neurological organization and soothing

Arms up or arms down? That, if you believe it, is a common debate on the baby boards.  Some parents think that swaddling babies’ arms down by their side is cruel and ‘mummifying’ and that arms crossed over the chest is more comfortable. Other parents point out that children seem much more calm if their arms are all the way down. There’s also a variation on the debate: whether the child’s hands should be accessible for self-soothing.

This is especially relevant when dealing with premature infants. A common medical concern regarding swaddling preemies’ arms tight by their side is that it restricts them from bringing their arms midline.  The midline position is the more natural position for babies in the womb.  As one neonatal nurse points out, everything happens at midline – rolling over, crawling, pulling up, etc.  The concern is that by restricting that positioning, we train babies to keep their arms by their sides as opposed to midline, creating a ‘flying W’.

Another common concern is that wrapping the arms tight by the side fail to promote neurological organization. Touch is very important to neurological organization, especially for preemies. Skin-to-skin kangaroo care is now well-regarded as critical to helping premature infants’ developments, and when swaddling, allowing a preemie’s hands to touch each other allows for that sense to develop.

For infants with hypotonia, doing what is called a developmental swaddle (a swaddle that promotes the midline position as opposed to an arms-down position), may even help promote development by keeping a baby’s arms midline and hands touching.

However, as swaddling-promotor Harvey Karp points out, what is true for preemies isn’t always true for full-term infants.  Neurological development and motors skills unfold more naturally for a full-term infant, and therefore a few hours of arms-down swaddling per day shouldn’t affect development.  In addition, full-term infants experience more intense and active bouts of crying, thereby leading to flailing arms, further distressing the infant. Arms-down swaddling can help prevent that.

Dr. Karp also takes on the idea of arms-down swaddling affecting self-soothing, pointing out that very young infants often are unable to self-soothe using their fingers. Therefore, they get even more frustrated when their hands hit their mouth and they try to suck but are unable to coordinate the whole shebang.

Others, however, point out that many infants suck their fingers in utero, and also that since thumb sucking is an early sign of hunger, allowing an infant access to fingers helps promote on-demand breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, without great research, both ends of this debate may just have to agree to disagree. However, the relevant point here is that if you are against arms down swaddling, you can always wrap a child with arms completely out or with arms flexed on the stomach. Anecdotally, I’ve found wrapping a child with arms completely out works only when the child is older. Wrapping with arms flexed on the stomach seems to work, but one has to be a pretty good swaddler to do it right (I have never been able to do it right  – every time I try to wrap a child with arms up on the chest, the child escapes the swaddle.)

If you are interested in trying to wrap a child with the arms in a more ‘natural’ position, I suggest trying the Australian swaddling technique.

5.) Motor development and 6.) Overheating and respiration

These are two areas I haven’t delved into deeply, but  Pediatrics review of all studies to date regarding swaddling has shown that motor development (including the age an infant begins to walk) and overheating are not issues when swaddling is done in an optimal manner.

 

What other information do you have on swaddling? Let me know in the comments! I’m especially interested in the idea of swaddling and rolling over; common wisdom is to stop swaddling before a child begins to roll, but some parents continue to swaddling into the 9th and 10th month of life.

PostPartum: 40 Long Days and Nights

Welcome, Carnival of Evidence-Based Parenting readers! This month’s Carnival, in honor of Mother’s Day, is Transition to Motherhood. I will be linking to the full carnival and to individual posts as they come in during the day.

Marissa Meyer made headlines when she decided to take only a two week maternity leave before returning to work as the new Yahoo! CEO.   There’s a reason why.   The conventional wisdom is that the first 6 weeks after giving birth are critical to bonding, healing, and breastfeeding.

Ms. Meyer did end up increasing Yahoo’s maternity leave. I have far from any schadenfreude on this.  I believe she did so for business reasons, the same way her edict banning working from home was business-related. And so far I have seen no indications that she regretted her two week leave – especially as she had a nursery built in her office, allowing her to keep her baby close.

She’s entitled to her choice. Running a Fortune 500 company, after all, portends all manner of sacrifices. Men make similar sacrifices too, at the expense of their families.

However, I’m glad I was not newly postpartum during the time Ms. Meyer was in the news. I felt bad enough that I couldn’t get the laundry done, my makeup on, the dishwasher running. I couldn’t even contemplate working a full day. And that sort of new mother stress – expecting to bounce back immediately – is the product of how we view motherhood and maternity in the Western world.

In fact, the Western world is unusual in how fast mothers are expected to return ‘to normal’ after giving birth. Even during 6+ weeks of maternity leave, mothers in the Western world generally go on outings, do the shopping, the cooking, and the cleaning.

In contrast, in many other cultures around the world, to include Chinese, Haitian, Cambodian, Thai, Indian, Bangladeshi, Ethiopian, Mexican, Guatemalan, Arab (to include in Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt), Indonesian, Malaysian, and Korean there is a 30-40 day ‘confinement period’ for a new mother.  Even the book of Leviticus describes a 40 day postpartum confinement period.

Many of the concerns regarding the postpartum period include protecting the mother and child from evil spirits and from the cold (including cold foods and showers). .

Fascinated by all this, I set out to write an article with research discussing the postpartum confinement period. What does the ban against cold food mean? Just how important is  the first 40 days anyway?

Sadly, there was not a lot of research at my fingertips. That is not to say I did a full literature review, but a typical Google search did not reveal the answers I wanted.

As a ‘conservative’ in the sense that I often trust the wisdom of those who come before me, I’m inclined to believe there is something to this 40 days/6 weeks number. Perhaps it has only to do with the fact that lochia (postpartum bleeding) can last up to 6 weeks, and then most cultures took that fact and extrapolated that the woman is weak. But given my discharge orders even banned vacuuming for the first 6 weeks (a ban I took to heart, believe me), there is probably something to the fact that gosh darn it, the mother needs as much care as the baby.  And, the prevalence of the hot/cold belief indicates there’s likely something to it.

Alas, without convincing research, all I can do is try to break down some of these cultural beliefs to the best of my ability.

Being Unclean

Being ritually unclean is a concept in many religions that often applies to bodily discharge. It’s no mystery then why a postpartum woman would be considered ritually unclean. Bodily discharge is an unavoidable side-effect of giving birth.  Lochia is the term for the discharge of blood, mucus, and placental tissue that may continue up to 6 weeks after delivery.

Best way to deal with this? Well, pads of course, but enterprising nurses and midwives have thought up various ways to maximize absorption and pain relief in one.

One way is the ice diapers – a newborn diaper cut open with ice placed inside. Maximum absorption + relief.

Frozen padsicles is another.  Take a maxi pad, and put some witch hazel on it. Freeze.

For more, check out these helpful and entertaining posts.

Needing Rest

Western medicine agrees with traditional medicine on this one.  Women need rest after giving birth. Definitely no exercise and no sex for the first six weeks, say most hospital discharge instructions.

Now, traditional cultures take it quite a bit further. In some, women’s feet cannot even hit the floor for 30 days. And, as the name implies, during confinement public outings are definitely banned.

The jury is out on whether postpartum confinement helps prevent PPD, exacerbates the possibility of PPD, or has no effect. However, a major difference I and many others have noticed is that there is a focus on the mother in addition to the baby. In the Western world, traditionally the postnatal period focuses primarily on the baby. The sore, tired, and overwhelmed mother is largely ignored.

It is possible an increased focus on the mother — to include normal household duties being largely taken over by others — could help prevent PPD.  In addition, successful breastfeeding, due to the time and focus the mother can dedicate to the baby, can perhaps also help hinder PPD — both because breastfeeding failures can lead to an increase in PPD symptoms and because hormones associated with breastfeeding can protect against PPD.   However, in traditional cultures, the very isolation of the woman for 30-40 days may be the thing to lead to depression.  Certainly, getting out of the house with the baby (taking strolls to Starbucks, for example) is anecdotally helpful to many women during the postpartum period.

To help get the rest one needs, I’d advise the Western mother to line up help for the first few weeks with baby – but productive help.  People who will take on tasks without being asked, for example. It’s a fine line, as the presence of relatives, no matter how helpful, can also be stressful.

Regardless, I, and most other experienced mothers, would advise women to not expect to get into a routine the first few weeks. Focus on bonding and feeding (whether formula feeding, breastfeeding, or combo feeding). Have meals pre-prepared or line up a meal train for help.

Luckily there is more and more research on the postpartum depression and anxiety experienced by some mothers.  Check out Katherine Stone’s website Postpartum Progress for all the latest, and for resources.  However, there is much less research out there on the “Baby Blues”, commonly thought to be a result of the hormone changes occurring after birth.  Anecdotally, women talk about “Day 3”, or “Day 5” or some variation thereof in which extreme weepiness and hopelessness hit very forcefully – something that can be quite disconcerting if one does not expect it.

Does placenta encapsulation help avoid the baby blues and/or PPD? As expected, there is not much research out there. However, speculation exists that the placenta helps keep up levels of CRH – the corticotropin-releasing hormone — which in turn may protect against the stress of labor and delivery.

Needing Heat

A common confinement theme is the need for heat and fear of the cold – to include showers and ‘cold foods’ such as vegetables and sandwiches.

Like everything else, I can’t find much on this. However, a feeling of being constantly ‘cold’ postpartum could be related to thyroid problems, anemia, or just hormones — all things somewhat common for the postpartum mother.

Heat and a fear of showers also brings up the topic of needing heat to heal perineal wounds. Cold packs and ice are applied for the first few hours, but after that, western medicine recommends heat therapy, often in the form of a sitz bath – sitting in a few inches of very warm-but-not-hot-water.  You can also get special herbs for the bath.

One can do this by sitting in a regular bathtub, or there is a plastic device that sits on the toilet and constantly refreshes the water.  Why the plastic device? Because some health care providers are very against a real bath postpartum, for the fear that germs (such as foot germs!) may end up infecting wounds and the cervix.

How long do you need to wait before being able to take a real bath?  Oh, the difference between the traditional healthcare providers and the midwives on this one! It’s almost as bad as “Can you take a bath when in labor” question.

Some care providers say you can take a bath immediately. Others say wait two weeks. Others say wait 6 weeks. Still others say just wait until postpartum bleeding is over.

I am one of the few people in the universe that HATED that nifty little sitz bath device. The reason the first time around was that it hurt.  I had severe tearing and some other issues so the pressure it put on my stitches was not fun. So, despite my own discharge instructions (which said no bath until active red bleeding ended), I took a freakin’ bath.

Foods

When L was born, my South Asian grandmother started going on about how I needed to eat some kalo jeera. I had no idea what she was talking about, and I basically ignored her.

One failed breastfeeding attempt later, I was ready to listen. When J was born, I asked my mother what the heck kalo jeera was. It was basically black cumin seed, ground up.

Black cumin seed is a galactagogue, which means it is purported to help with lactation. Other galactagogues are fenugreek, brewer’s yeast, mulunggay, blessed thistle, goat’s rue, alfalfa, flaxseed, and steel-cut oats.

To maximize your galactagogue power, consider making lactation cookies, or drinking Mother’s Milk Tea, or buying More Milk Plus capsules. Also, since the over-drinking of water may at some point negatively affect lactation, try water with electrolytes, Gatorade, or coconut water to keep you hydrated.

Belly Wrapping

Like confinement and the eating of foods that serve as galactagogues, postpartum belly wrapping is common in many traditional cultures. My grandmother was distraught when she realized I wasn’t belly wrapping, and insisted my stomach would become flabby. (She was right). For the record, I did own a postpartum girdle-thingy, but despite trying to use it after both children, I hated it, and was just like, “screw it, I’ll be fat”.

Does it work? Anecdotally, yep.

The best-known belly binder is the Belly Bandit.  I had the Gabriella Band, which is much cheaper and still had good reviews.

To sum up: traditional cultures may have a few things right here. Rest. Eat foods that will help you heal (and increase milk, if you are breastfeeding). Take care of your body with heat therapy.

After all, it’s only 40 days.

 

Here’s a quick list of our contributors for  this second edition of the Carnival of Evidence-Based Parenting:

The Transition to New Motherhood (Momma, PhD)

Bonding in Early Motherhood:  When Angels Don’t Sing and the Earth Doesn’t Stand Still (Red Wine and Applesauce)

The Connection Between Poor Labour, Analgesia, and PTSD (The Adequate Mother)

For Love or Money:  What Makes Men Ready for New Fatherhood (Matt Shipman)

What the Science Says (and Doesn’t Say) About Breastfeeding Issues, Postpartum Adjustment, and Bonding (Fearless Formula Feeder)

No, Swaddling  Will Not Kill Your Baby (Melinda Wenner Moyer,  Slate)

Sleep Deprivation:  The Dark Side of Parenting (Science of Mom)

The Parenting Media and You (Momma Data)

Reassessing Happiness Research:  Are New Parents Really That Miserable? (Jessica Smock)

40 Long Days and Nights (Six Forty Nine)

{DIY} Laundry Detergent Overview- Every Ingredient You’d Ever Want

Oh boy, you say. Another laundry detergent post? Welcome to 2013, Jen. DIY laundry detergent has been around for quite a while.

Well, I know. BUT, this is a resource blog. This means, first, that I’m going to be repeating others’ posts a lot, because I want this to be one-stop shopping. Second, as a resource blog, I don’t just want to post my own laundry detergent recipe; I want to be able to give you ALL the laundry detergent options.

So let’s begin. First, there are two basic laundry detergent recipes: powdered and liquid.

Basic Powder and Liquid Recipe

The basic laundry dwtergent recipe has a few basic ingredients:

1.) Bar of Soap – 1 bar for small recipe, 3 bars for large – grated

2.) Borax – 1  cup for small recipe, 1 box for large

3.) Washing Soda – 1 cup for small recipe, 1 box for large

That’s it for the basic recipe. Most recipes have a few other ingredients, which we will discuss in turn. (As for me, I just add an equal part of OxiClean) To go liquid, you boil it all down.

But, seriously, if you don’t want to do it but want the cost savings and want to go additive-free, check out Grandma’s All Natural Laundry Soap. Its ingredients are — you guessed it –lye soap, washing soda, baking soda, and borax.

Bar of soap

Most recipes call for Fels-Naptha laundry soap.  However, you can really use any bar soap (although I’m not sure about soap with lotion in it.)

The bar of soap needs to be grated or put into a food processor. The idea of a food processor intimidated me (it doesn’t take much to intimidate me). However, Fels-Naptha doesn’t really grate well, so it’s best to put it into food processor. Even then, it’s hard to get it into a fine powder.

If that bugs you, another option is Ivory soap, which you can actually microwave in order to get it into a powder because it’s whipped. (Make sure you get the bar, not the body wash).

Zote is another one. Because those bars are bigger, you can use two bars instead of three.

If you want a soap that is free of perfumes and dyes, you’d be better off using castile soap (olive oil based) or goat’s milk soap. I use goat’s milk soap (believe it or not, I’ve never had trouble finding it in the grocery store, under bath soap).

Dr. Bronner’s makes a good castile soap that’s already liquid, eliminating the need to grate.

I’ve found goat’s milk soap grates into a powder very easily. Both goats milk soap and castile soap also work best for cloth diapers. If you’re super concerned, you can take the soap out of the recipe for cloth diapers and just add the borax/washing powder to every rinse cycle.

You can also get soap flakes to eliminate needing to grate.

Finally, you can use the awesome original Blue Dawn to replace the soap, eliminating the need to grate.

Do you want to go lye-free? You can either take the soap out completely, as I described for cloth diapers, or you can just use a simple recipe of soap nuts + essential oils (and no borax/washing soda).  The word on the street seems to be that boiling the soap nuts down into a liquid is the best way to go.

Borax

The most common brand is 20 Mule Team Borax.

Borax gets a bad rap. However, it’s generally considered safe. 

If you really want to go Borax-free, though, you can take it out of your recipe. Most recipes add citric acid, baking soda, and coarse sea salt to make up for the borax.

Washing Soda

Arm and Hammer is the most common brand.

You can also make your own. Ingredient: Baking Soda. Instruction: Bake in oven at 400 degrees. Seriously.

Washing soda is also known as soda ash, soda crystals, washing ash

Extra Ingredients

OxyClean or Clorox2 – for extra whitening. I use a cup of OxyClean in my small recipe.

You can make your own oxi-bleach by combining hydrogen peroxide and washing soda.  However, because hydrogen peroxide is sensitive to light, you wouldn’t want to premake it.  You could also just buy the active ingredient, sodium precarbonate, on ebay or at a hardware store, and mix with washing soda.  (Sodium precarbonate will activate and do what hydrogen peroxide does once it’s exposed to hot water). Finally, you can just get the whole thing cheap by going to a dollar store and getting the SUN brand or other similar generic brands.

Fabric Softener and/or laundry enhancer -

You’d think fabric softener and laundry enhancer are two different things – and they are! However, there seems to have been some sort of controversy over whether Purex’s and Downy’s before-wash crystals are softeners or just a product to make your laundry smell good. From what I understand, the new versions are NOT fabric softeners.

Purex Crystals, back when it was a softener, was revolutionary because it was the first before-wash softener in the market. Normally, you’d need to add fabric softener at a specific point in the wash. For that reason, I would not normally recommend adding a fabric softener to your laundry detergent.

In addition, normally, fabric softeners aren’t good for cloth diapers or baby clothes.

These crystals, however, are just fine to add in laundry detergent and are gentle on baby clothes (and do not negatively affect the absorbancy of towels/cloth diapers, and do not cancel out the flame retardant features of baby clothes). BUT, from what I understand, they are no longer considered softeners.  Downy Unstopables [no, I am not spelling that wrong], Purex Crystals, Gain Fireworks.

You can also just add Essential Oils

Calgon works well too – just add to each rinse cycle.

other natural softeners

Baking Soda – (1 cup for small recipe; 1 box for large). Baking soda is a common ingredient in many powdered laundry detergent recipes, but it’s not necessary.  It’s good to use if you have hard water. Baking soda might not really be cloth diaper safe because it screws up the absorption capability of cloth diaper inserts.

Epsom Salt or Coarse Sea Salt - I assume you can put this in the recipe or separately

White Vinegar

citric acid

Common stain removers and degreasers (for presoaking/pretreating)

Blue Dawn

Hairspray

Rubbing alcohol

Lemon Juice/Lemon Essential Oil

Vinegar

Sodium precarbonate

hydrogen peroxide

Salt

Shampoo

Want to learn more? Check out this ridiculously nerdy post on Babycenter.

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a27556305/de-myth_baking_soda_washing_soda_borax_detergent_nerd_alert

Buying a Mattress for a Toddler

Well, L is moving into a full-size bed. And therefore, I have to buy the kid a mattress.

To explain what an undertaking this is – we have one crib, one toddler bed, one king bed, and one futon in our house. None of those have mattresses my parents’ generation generally approves of. The futon is..well, a futon. The king mattress is foam from Ikea – I love it, and it was cheap, but it is too firm from most people. (I also strongly suspect it’s time to replace it). It’s one of the Sultan collection. I wager it’s just foam, not even memory foam. When it came to crib mattresses, I really didn’t care, as long as the mattress was firm. So L got a foam mattress from Ikea (the crib version of our king). When the mattress shrunk in our move, I bought a high-rated but inexpensive mattress off Amazon. That one went to baby J. And L now sleeps in a hand me down crib/toddler bed that came with a hand-me-down mattress, so I don’t even know what kind it is.

And mattress pads? Huh? I don’t think any of our beds have a mattress pad.

But, I figure I’d actually do some research for L’s bed, especially because I want her to be sleeping in it for a while. So off I went to Google.

Here are a few considerations one should have in looking for a kids’ mattress.

Size:

Do you want a toddler bed, a twin, an extra-long twin, a full, or a queen for your child?

Most parents I spoke to recommended getting the largest size you could fit in your child’s room. That way your child (especially a girl, at least from anecdotal experience) could have sleepovers and share a bed. You can also lie down with your child if needed. Finally, the bed can grow up with your child.

We ended up going with a full bed from Pottery Barn.  I liked it because it had the style I wanted for L’s room, most reviews indicated it was durable, it could be put together with- or without a boxspring (so I can adjust height) and the bed frame can be raised or lowered (also for adjusting height). That way, I could make it toddler-friendly for now but it could grow with her. It could also accommodate a trundle or storage unit if I wanted.

Trust me, I’m cheap, so it’s not like me to blow money at Pottery Barn, but yes, I did it. Actually, it was about the same price as most of the other beds  I was considering.

Anyway, bottom line -bedsize for us = full.

Comfort:

Your child’s comfort is important to a good nights’ sleep. Most people begin with that philosophy with  babies. Me? I figure babies can learn to sleep anywhere, so I skimped. But L is two now, and I want this mattress to be comfortable for years.

For older kids, it’s generally good to take them mattress shopping with you and to have them test out the mattress. Alas, a two year old really isn’t going to give me a preference, so I just lay down on every mattres on every store.

But, since I am not a mattress connoisseur, everything felt fine to me. Especially because I like firm mattresses, and in general, I’m looking for firm for my daughter.

Memory Foam or innerspring?

So, apparently, memory foam isn’t good for kids. Do I know if that’s actually true? Nope, not at all. But some arguments against are that memory foam isn’t supportive enough for growing bodies, and that memory foam releases off-gassing chemicals. Okay. Who knows if it’s true, but I used it as a guideline. So I stuck with innerspring mattresses.

Here’s more information on memory foam.
If you don’t care about memory foam vs. innerspring, at least one blogger picked a memory foam mattress for her children. But, her children were a) older and b.) she got her Serta mattress for free!

Organic or not?

Gah. Do I care? No.

But you might. And I don’t blame you. If that’s the case, Naturepedic is a highly recommended organic mattress, and one that doesn’t just slap the ‘organic’ label on willy nilly.  Land of Nod, the Crate and Barrel kids’ store, also sells Naturepedic.

Want other recommendations of organic mattresses? Check out the Berkeley Parent’s network. They seem to love the European Sleepworks mattress. (The store is in Berkeley, natch)

Firmness:

Generally, the firmer, the better (better support for growing bodies), but so firm it feels like one is sleeping on concrete. A good middle ground is a firm innerspring mattress with a comfortable topper.

The topper, however, is a bit of a controversy. Most websites will tell you outright that pillowtop mattresses are a ripoff. The pillowtop wears off faster than the mattress itself, and therefore it’s better to get a firm mattress and then use a mattress pad for comfort. Some sites go further and say to not even go for a firm mattress with a memory foam topper (ex: a plush mattress vs. pillowtop) and to instead buy the firmest mattress possible and buy a separate topper (whether memory foam or latex).

Of course, when I spoke to a mattress salesman, I got a different story. I was told the structure of the mattress changes (in terms of how it feels on your body) if you add a separate topper, and that it was better to go for the all-in-one pillowtop or at least memory foam topper. Then, if the topper or pillowtop wears out, to only then add a separate topper or mattress pad.

I’d probably go with the general view of doing it all separate, though, especially when you’re dealing with kids. If your child soils the separate topper, for example, then you can replace just that without replacing the whole mattress.

The Mattress Expert has some information on latex toppers.

Quality/Weight:

What is a quality mattress?

According to the Sleep Council, the S.L.E.E.P. test will help you pick the right mattress for you. But other than that, it doesn’t give you any real recommendations on type.

This article, (from an ex-mattress salesperson) helps a bit more. Basically, there are three types of mattresses – low quality, midrange, and high quality. Each mattress brand sells their models under different names in different stores. So the Simmons Lumberton is the name of a mattress in one store but it is called the Simmons Arbor Terrance at Macy’s.  So the first step is not to be fooled by the various model names. The second step is weight. In general, among brands, the heavier the weight, the better quality the mattress. For a child, who isn’t very heavy but needs good support, a mid-range mattress is probably appropriate.

To compare specific mattresses, there is always Consumer Reports. However, as in many categories, people obsessed with mattresses don’t think Consumer Reports is the best ranking system out there for mattresses.

Sleep geeks Sleep Like the Dead have a metric showing customer satisfaction with various mattresses. One important thing of note is that innerspring coil mattresses often have lower ratings over time because they wear out faster. But, often it’s the comfort layer (pillowtop or memory foam/latex topper) that wears out first. Two things. First, your small toddler is less likely to wear out the innerspring mattress, and second, you can get a firm mattress with a separate topper to lesson the chance of wear and tear.

Price:

The Baby Bargains forum has a good discussion of mattresses that are lower price but still good quality, a consideration when one is dealing with children. Ikea and Sams Club/Cotsco feature heavily in the discussion.

Another option is a mattress clearinghouse. I headed over to Mattress Firm’s outlet store yesterday. They steered me toward their house brand, Hampton Rhodes Bronze collection. However, I couldn’t find much on them online,and their price was similar to the mattress from Pottery Barn I’m thinking of getting, which is a Serta.

Kid-specific qualities:

Other qualities that one should look for in a kid’s mattress is waterproof (or make sure to get a waterproof cover), depth (a thinner mattress may help keep a bed low-profile so a child can climb in and out), something hypoallergenic (latex is considered good, and I’ve heard the Invigo Collection recommended as a good hypoallergenic mattress), and durable.

SavvyRest has some interesting ideas about different mattress types for boys and for girls. Your mileage may vary.

Land of Nod has a Simmons Beautyrest Beginnings mattress that fit a lot of these criteria.

Other Recommended Mattresses:

In terms of recommended mattresses for children, I hear a lot about the three “S’s – Simmons, Sealy, and Serta. Specifically, I hear about Simmons Beautyrest, Sealy Posturpedic, and Serta Perfect Sleeper. The Mattress Expert is obsessed about the Simmons Beautyrest Lumberton for kids.

Sleep City, which only sells Simmons and Tempurpedic, has recommends these.

What am I getting?

If I had an Ikea nearby, I’d check out their mattresses first. If I had a Land of Nod, I’d really be interested in their Simmons Beautyrest Beginnings.

Alas, all I have in terms of the fancy stores is Pottery Barn,which sells a Serta for a darn good price (better than the department stores and less sketchy that some of the mattress outlets). It has a memory foam topper, but other than that, the mattress seems perfect. It goes against some of the advice I read online, but for the price plus quality, plus the convenience of getting it at the same time I order the Pottery Barn bed, I will be a sheep-like consumer and will be spoonfed my mattress choice!

The Guide to Carseats: Part One

Well, baby J is probably soon going to outgrow his Graco Snugride 22.

It has served me well – two years and two babies. It was the perfect choice for us- relatively light (so picking it up wasn’t such a ridiculous chore), very cheap (although the Amazon link has it for $111, I picked up that exact seat for $65 at WalMart), and rated high for safety on Consumer Reports.

That’s not to say it didn’t have cons. The model I had, for example, made adjusting the straps a total bear. (They have fixed this with the new version of the seat, which is called the Graco Snugride Classic Connect). The LATCH connectors are not nearly as good as the much loved Chicco Keyfit. But for the cheap mama that I am – perfect.

Alas, it is time to buy him a convertible. I’m choosing between three models: a Britax, a Graco, and a Chicco.

LATCH? Convertible?? Chicco? Head spinning? Let’s start at the beginning.

Part One of our carseat guide is going to start with carseats for infants. Part Two will likely be a controversies post on the actual results of research on rear-facing.

There are two types of infant carseats – a bucket seat and a convertible seat

What is a bucket? What is a convertible? Which one should you choose?

A bucket seat (otherwise known as an infant seat) is like the classic baby carriers of the olden days. (Note: now, when people talk about baby carriers, they mean devices you use to strap the baby to you/wear your baby.)

Old school infant carrier (not for use as a carseat!)

Bucket Carseat

Features of a Bucket

- will fit a baby from newborn to late infancy/early toddlerhood (depending on brand and your child’s size)

- rearfacing only

- has a ‘base’ that stays in the car. You can then detach the carseat from the base with one hand and transport the carseat. You can connect this into another car that also has a base, or click it into a compatible stroller.

- you can also strap the carseat in the car using your seatbelt, in case you don’t happen to have a base.

car seat base

Pro:

Portable!

Con:

Your baby will outgrow it and then you will need to buy a convertible carseat anyway*

*Technically, you may be able to get away with not buying a convertible carseat after your baby outgrows the infant seat. But I don’t recommend that step. To understand this statement, let’s go over convertible seats.

Features of a convertible seat:

Fits children from newborn – early childhood (depending on features of particular seat and size of your child)

Is not portable

Some new kinds also have a base system, where the carseat locks into a base that stays in the car (but you still can’t really transport a sleeping child around in the carseat, which is a benefit of the bucket. And it won’t lock into a stroller).

Is rearfacing AND forward facing. (hence: convertible.)

Pro:

Save money – skip the bucket seat.  (with some kinds, you can technically use the same seat throughout childhood).

Con:

Not portable

So, what do I recommend?

Depends? I guess with most people, I’d recommend getting the bucket. I know people who went straight to the convertible seat. They baby-wore their child when out of the car or placed him or her straight into a stroller made for newborns. For the parents who didn’t regret that decision one bit, I still noticed the child would be awakened when taken out of the carseat and wouldn’t fall back asleep, even if placed in a sling or wrap. No biggie to those parents. Would have frustrated the heck out of me. For my friends that did regret it, their main issue was restaurants. If you wear your baby, where the heck do you put him or her in a restaurant? (assuming you are dealing with a squishy newborn). Some parents have no trouble eating while wearing their baby (and their baby stays happy and content, even if awakened, because he or she is being worn) Other parents choose to use a stroller in those cases. But for those reasons, if you are ambivalent, I recommend going ahead and getting the bucket.

A couple of cons to the bucket. The bucket gets HEAVY after a while. Now, I don’t get why that’s such a big deal, because I’ve always always used a stroller frame  (we’ll discuss this later) that the bucket sits in to move the baby. I don’t just lug the bucket around myself. But oh well.

Second con: Too much time spent in the bucket, a common criticism made by babywearers. Valid. If your child is awake, go ahead and take him or her out of the carseat and carry him around for a bit.

Recommended bucket seats:

I’m not going to do personal recommendations, and instead draw from the giants of baby registry-ness: Lucie’s List, Consumer Reports, Baby Bargains, and specialized car seat sites.

Let’s start with the behemoth: The BabyCenter Carseat board. Like the Teach Your Baby To Sleep Board, these ladies have basically put together everything you need to know and I’m just reaping the benefits from all their research. I just want to make that clear. I am no car seat expert, but they are.

Here is the BBC Google Document (constantly updated) with their recommended bucket carseats. (Please click on the document for exhaustive details on each seat)

Top Seats:

Britax B-Safe or Bob B-Safe (4-30lbs)
Britax Chaperone (4-30lbs)

Chicco Keyfit/KeyFit 30 (4-22/30lb)

Combi Shuttle/Shuttle 33 (birth-33/35lbs)

Cybex Aton (4-32lbs)
Evenflo Embrace 35 (4-35lbs)
Graco SnugRide 30 (4-30lbs)

Graco SnugRide 35 (4 or 5-35lbs) (newest versions of the start at 4lbs)

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 (4-40lbs)

Learning Curve/First Years/Lamaze/JJ Cole Via I470 (5-35lbs)

Maxi-Cosi Prezi (4-30lbs)

Safety 1st OnBoard35/OnBoard35 Air/Eddie Bauer Sure Fit (4-35lbs) (some older versions started at 5lbs

or maxed out at 22lbs)

Summer Infant Prodigy (4-32lbs)

Check out the rest of the document for recommended bucket seats for those on a budget, for preemies, for small spaces, etc.

Also note they were not able to review the Graco ClassicConnect 30 because of how new it was at the time of the document, but other sites consider it a good carseat.

A few things of note that you’ll see mentioned in this document:

Height and Weight limits:

You’ll note that different brands have different height and weight limits. Of course, the more generous the height/weight limits, the longer you can keep your child in the bucket seat. However, with a few exceptions you will likely be putting your child in a convertible seat anyway, so the overall length of time your child is in the bucket doesn’t completely matter because at some point, he or she will be too heavy to pull the bucket out of the car easily.

There are exceptions to what I said above. Some bucket carseats go up to 40 pounds. The max rearfacing limit I’ve seen on convertible carseats is about 40 pounds, so you could then conceivably  just go straight from the bucket to a forward-facing carseat, instead of finding a convertible that does both rear-and forward facing.

In addition, your carseat philosophy matters. If you just follow the letter of the law (your child, in most states, must be 1 year old AND 20 pounds to be turned forward facing), then you can go straight from the bucket seat to a convertible seat.  If, like most children, your kid hits 20-22 pounds before he or she turns 1 year, you’ll want a bucket seat that accommodates a larger child. So, your 30 pound 1 year old can stay in the bucket seat and then get moved into a forward facing seat at a year old, thus saving the need for a convertible.

In my case, my kid didn’t hit 20 pounds until she was about 20 months old, so she definitely was still in a 22-pound weight limited bucket seat on her first birthday.

Three things to note, though, if you plan on going straight from a bucket seat to a forward facing seat:

1. Height: Even if you get a high-weight-limited seat, your child may STILL outgrow by height! (We’ll talk about height limits in a bit)

2. Annoyed child: Many children begin haaaating their bucket seats at a certain point, especially if the seat reclines too much. You may end up switching to a convertible when your child is 6 months old

3. Safety: If you plan on turning your child forward-facing as soon as possible (1 year old), keep in mind that current AAP recommendations suggest your child is rearfacing until at least 2 years old. The NHSC recommends your child is rearfacing until at least 3 years old. You’re the parent – honestly, I really don’t care – but don’t make a decision on this and then realize you’d rather have your kid be rearfacing as long as possible. (As for me, L and J will be rearfacing as long as there’s no reason to change the status quo. I may change my mind if a tantrum ever happens over it, but if they know no different, then most likely they won’t care. And L is so tiny I really would prefer to keep her rearfacing until she’s at least 3 years old).

And, of course, as I mentioned above, there will be a controversies post on rearfacing sometime soon.

Lucie’s List says it more clearly:

“You don’t need a 35 or 40lb infant seat. I swear.

Case in point… Lucie is 3 years old and weighs 32.5 lbs. Most people upgrade to a convertible car seat around 12 months of age anyway, so 90% of you will be just fine with a 22lb seat… and 100% of you will be just fine with a 30lb seat. 35 and 40lb infant seats are ludicrous. There’s NO WAY a 2 or 3 year old is going to sit in an infant bucket. Also remember car seats (of all types) are outgrown height-wise BEFORE your kiddo reaches the max weight. Promise.”

Let’s talk about height next. As the proprietor of Lucie’s List mentions above, often your child may outgrow the infant seat by height first as opposed to weight. Height is something we often forget to check when looking at car seat specs.

That being said, despite the ranges listed on bucket car seats’ height limits, unlike weight, these are just suggestions. The true way to see if your child has outgrown his or her car seat is by putting your child in the seat and then making sure his head is at least 1″ from the top of the shell. In the case of my daughter, who has longer legs with a shorter torso, she technically outgrew the seat by the manufacturer ranges but she was still about 3″ from the top of the shell so she could still be in it.

Handle Position:

Another thing you may notice in the Google Document is discussion on handle position. Different carseats have different safety rules regarding the handle on the bucket seat. For example, my Graco Snugride is safe in the car with the handle completely down or completely up. But, the manual indicates it is not safe to ride with the handle in the two in-between upright positions.

LATCH: Stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This is a system installed in all newer cars allowing for an easy way to clip in a carseat.

For more acronym busters, check out the CPST Encyclopedia

Other review sites:
Here are other seats as recommended by review sites:

Consumer Reports:

22 lb capacity seats:

• Chicco KeyFit

• Maxi-Cosi Mico
• Safety 1st Comfy Carry Elite Plus

• Cosco Comfy Carry

Greater than 22 lb capacity:

• Chicco KeyFit 30

• Combi Shuttle

• Safety 1st onBoard35
• Evenflo Embrace 35

• Graco Snugride 30

Keep in mind that any review site may have bias and errors.

Baby Bargains

From the 2011 edition:

Good: None. “Let’s be honest, if you’re on a super tight budget consider not buying an infant seat at all. A good 5 point convertible car seat will work for both infants and children.”

Better: Chicco Keyfit 30

Best: Graco Snugride 35 (but they mention the snugride 30 or 32 would work as well.)

Dark Horses: Britax Chaperone, First Years Via

Carseatblog:

This site has full reviews, as well as a separate list for preemies and multiples.

Britax B-Safe

Chicco KeyFit 30

Dorel onBoard 35 Air

Graco SnugRide 35

Car-seat.org:

The reviewer on Car-Seat.org makes a great point regarding carseats and which one is best for you.

Experts know that the “best” seat is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, fits your budget, and will be used properly every single trip. This means there’s no single best seat for every situation, and it also means that *your* best seat might not be on this list. That’s OK! The list below contains seats which are generally found to be easy to use and to fit a fair variety of children and vehicles well. There are inexpensive and pricey seats on the list. While all seats have to meet the same basic safety standards, some seats may have features which make them more comfortable or easier to use. Speaking of safety, it’s not unusual to hear a parent say they purchased this seat or that one because “it was the safest.” While some seats may have features which could improve their performance in a crash, there aren’t any reliable, comprehensive crash test comparisons for US and Canadian seats. This means that there’s no way to tell if one seat is actually safer than another in the real world. Fortunately, a properly used seat provides excellent protection in most crashes. I hope the below list aids you in your search, and if you have any questions, please ask them on our forums! Infant Seats (rear facing with a carrying handle)

• Cybex Aton ($$$$): 4 lb – 32 lb. Super easy to install with LATCh, small to fit in even snug back seats.
• Chicco Keyfit 30 ($$$): 4 lb – 30 lb. Easy to install with LATCh or seatbelt, compatible with a number of Chicco strollers.
• Graco Snugride 30 ($$): 4 lb – 30 lb. There are a variety of SnugRide models with different weight limits.

Other safe bets: Britax B-Safe ($$$), Britax Chaperone ($$$$), Combi Shuttle 35 ($$$), Evenflo Embrace 35 ($), Graco SnugRide 35 ($$$), Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 ($$$$), Safety 1st Comfy Carry Elite Plus ($), Safety 1st Onboard 35 ($$), Safety 1st OnBoard Air ($$$)

Stroller/carseat combos

So, one of the benefits of a bucket carseat is the ability to click it into a stroller and go! (So no , you do not have to just cart around a heavy baby and heavy carseat).

Lucie’s List combines her carseat recommendations with stroller compatibility.

Best in Class

…..there are 3 (and one prospective) infant seats that are consistently awarded high marks from moms and experts alike. Depending on your budget, here are the four that I recommend:

$ — Graco SnugRide
$$ — Chicco KeyFit OR Britax B-Safe
$$$ — Britax Chaperone
$$$$ — UPPABaby Mesa [not until June of 2013]

**It will help you IMMENSELY to select an infant seat that’s compatible with your stroller of choice. It will save you $50+ on a special “car seat adapter” alone. See notes on each car seat…

1. Graco SnugRide ClassicConnect 30, $99, 7.5 lbs

……..
** Stroller compatibility: the Snug Ride car seat goes nicely with their basic stroller frame, the Snug Rider Elite. At 15.5lbs and $75, the Graco Literider is also a option — it can be used with or without the carseat. I don’t recommend any other Graco “travel system” strollers because they are too heavy and bulky. 

2a. Chicco KeyFit 30, $175

“……

** Stroller compatibility: For your lightweight stroller base (for car seat only), go with the KeyFit Caddy. BUT WAIT! The Chicco Liteway Plus is a better option, it offers a lightweight base for your car seat, then later becomes a regular umbrella stroller. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

2b. Britax B-Safe, $175

………** Stroller compatibility: The true beauty of the B-Safe is his compatibility with Britax and BOB strollers (Britax bought BOB last year). For a lightweight umbrella stroller that can be used with or without the car seat, check out the B-Nimble (similar to the Chicco Liteway Plus). The B-Safe + B-Agile stroller is an awesome combination. You can also use him with the ever-popular B-Ready stroller, which upgrades to a double (read more below in Strollers) when you have another kiddo. He also goes with any of the BOB jogging strollers (with an adapter). Essentially, you have better stroller options with the B-Safe than the KeyFit. Yes, it’s true.

3. Britax Chaperone, Retails for $235 (on Amazon for $184), 10lbs

…….** Stroller compatibility: Again, this Britax seat plays nicely with Britax and BOB strollers. For a lightweight umbrella stroller that can be used with or without the car seat, check out the B-Nimble (similar to the Chicco Liteway Plus). This guy + the B-Agile stroller is an awesome combination (see below). You can also use him with the ever-popular B-Ready stroller, which upgrades to a double stroller (read more below in Strollers). He also goes with any of the BOB jogging strollers with an adapter.

4. UPPABaby Mesa, $279, 10.5 lbs

UPPABaby is a luxury brand that’s actually worth the money, in my opinion; …….

** Stroller compatibility: Let’s face it, if you’re in the market for an upscale car seat [ahem], you’re probably also looking for an upscale stroller as well. Your stroller options for the Mesa do not disappoint: he fits directly into the UPPABaby Cruz or Vista (see below), both of which I recommend. Your problem is going to be finding a simple, lightweight stroller base for this guy. I know of none (so far)…

There are basically two options in terms of stroller compatibility. You can click your carseat into a stroller that is designed to accommodate a stroller on top (with or without an adaptor), or you can use a lightweight stroller frame whose only job is to give your stroller wheels.

There are three basic lightweight stroller frames – the Graco Snugrider Elite, the Chicco Keyfit Caddy, and the Babytrend Snap n Go.  As their names imply, these frames will work with their brand carseat – however, many of these brands will also accommodate other carseats. You will need to check the reviews.

We have a Graco Snugrider (not the Elite, which is a newer, better model) and it is by far my favorite baby purchase. (Especially because I got it for $10 at a yard sale).

Graco Snugrider and the Graco Snugride22 combo. Oh,and a Bebe Au Lait nursing cover

In addition, as Lucie’s List recommend above, if you get the Chicco Keyfit carseat, you should probably get the Chicco Liteway Plus to go with it.  I have the original Chicco LIteway umbrella stroller (not the kind that accommodates a carseat – that didn’t exist yet) and I love it because it is both sturdy and light and can accommodate a newborn by lying flat. The addition of compatibility with a carseat is amazing!  If all this existed when I had my first baby, I probably would have splurged for the Chicco Keyfit carseat, gotten the Liteway plus, then upgraded to the Chicco NextFit convertible carseat (which will be available on April 30 2013). Alas, not only did all this not exist, but I went extremely cheap with my first baby (preferring the cheaper, less luxury Graco brand) not realizing I’d have back to back babies.

Shopping carts

Two things here. First, most carseats are not designed to fit into the shopping cart, despite what you see at the grocery store. Check your manual – this can hurt the LATCH system on your carseat. That being said, I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that at least one carseat brand has shopping cart instructions in its manual. If that’s the case, then sure, go for it. But check your manual. Most major brands explicitly say not to.

Second, if you decide to go against the manual and put your carseat in the shopping cart anyway, then check Amazon reviews to see if your carseat clicks in easily. I know Amazon reviewers suggested  my old-style Graco Snugride 22 does not work very well in shopping carts.

Recommended Convertible Carseats

Before I get into recommended convertible seats, remember that all these seats have way different features. Some of them can be used from birth to grade school, (and will go from rear-facing, to foward-facing, to high-backed booster), ostensibly meaning that “this will be the only seat you will ever need”.

But but but, remember that there may be height restrictions, and your child may again outgrow the seat via height first. So don’t immediately assume an all-in-one seat is best!

As usual, Lucie’s List explains this very well, as well as explains why 1.) rearfacing is considered the best for as long as possible (a future controversies post for me!) and 2.) why harnessed seats for older children is considered better than just a booster seat.

These are her recommended seats:

——- Summary ———–

$ ~ Safety 1st OnSide Air Protect ($80) — read more

$$ ~ Britax Roundabout ($140) — read more

$$ ~ Evenflo Symphony 65 e3 ($175) — read more

$$$ ~ True Fit Premier by First Years ($200) — read more

$$$$ ~ Britax Boulevard ($225) – read more

*** Chicco NextFit to be added to this list — reviewing pending…($280)
—- Seats for Special Situations —-

Small car ~ Combi Cocorro ($160-$240) [more]

3-across ~ Diono Radian ($240ish)  [more]

For Newborns ~ Maxi Cosi Pria 70, True Fit Premier, Evenflo Triumph Advance, Cosco Scenera [more]

For Flying ~ Cosco Scenera, Evenflo Tribute, Safety 1st OnSide Air (all < $100)  [more]

You’re Loaded!~ Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 5-70 ($330)  [more]

Carseatblog’s list:  (again, click on the link for full reviews and specs)

Britax Boulevard 70-G3 & Advocate 70-G3 

Britax Roundabout 55

Combi Coccoro

Cosco Scenera & Scenera 40 RF

Diono Radian RXT

Evenflo Symphony 65 E3 (aka Evenflo Symphony DLX)

Evenflo Triumph Advance 65

 True Fit Premier c670 & True Fit SI (Side Impact) c680 by Learning Curve

Graco Size4Me 70 & My Size 70 (BRU exclusive – same product; different name)

Orbit Toddler G2

Safety 1st Complete Air 65 LX

Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 with TinyFit

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 5-70

Car-Seat.org’s list:

• Britax Boulevard 70-G3 ($$$$): 5 – 40 lb rear facing; up to 70 lb forward facing harnessed. Easy to install.

• Diono Radian RXT ($$$$$) or Diono Radian R120 ($$$$): 5 lb – 45 lb rear facing; up to 80 lb forward facing harnessed; Booster to 120 lb. 3-in-1 seat can be used rear or forward facing or as a booster, quite narrow, folds for storage or travel through an airport.

• Dorel (Safety 1st) Guide 65 ($): 5 lb – 40 lb rear facing; up to 65 lb forward facing harnessed. Simple seat for a tight budget.

• Graco My Ride 65 ($$): 4 lb – 40 lb rear facing; up to 65 lb forward facing harnessed. Fairly wide, but comfortable.

• The First Years True Fit ($$$): 5 – 35 lb rear facing; up to 65 lb forward facing harnessed. Removable headrest allows it to fit in smaller backseats, even when reclined for a newborn.

Other safe bets: Britax Advocate 70-G3 ($$$$$), Britax Marathon Classic ($$$), Britax Roundabout 50 Classic ($$), Britax Roundabout 55 ($$$), Dorel (Cosco) Apt 40 ($), Dorel (Cosco) Scenera ($), Dorel (Maxi-Cosi) Pria ($$$$), Dorel (Safety 1st) Complete Air 65 ($$$), Dorel (Safety 1st) OnSide Air ($), Evenflo Tribute ($), Evenflo Triumph ($$), Graco My Ride 70 ($$), Graco Size4Me ($$$), Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 5-70 Convertible ($$$$$)

Consumer Reports:

• Evenflo Momentum 65 Deluxe

• Graco My Ride 65

• Cosco Scenera 40RF

• Safety 1st OnSide Air

• Cosco Scenera

BabyCenter:  (note: the BBC ladies haven’t been able to review the Chicco NextFit yet, but they are oh so excited about it)

Britax Roundabout 50 Classic, Marathon Classic
Britax Roundabout 55, Highway 65, Marathon 70, Boulevard 70, Pavilion 70, Advocate 70
Clek Foonf
Diono Radian R100, R120, and RXT (formerly Sunshine Kids Radian 65SL/80SL/XTSL)
Eddie Bauer Comfort
Evenflo Momentum
Evenflo SureRide/Titan
Evenflo Triumph
First Years (Learning Curve) TrueFit/TrueFit Premier
Graco MyRide 65/MyRide 70
Graco MySize 70/Size4Me 70
Maxi-Cosi Pria 70
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP Convertible
Safety 1st Alpha Elite 65
Safety 1st Complete Air65
Safety 1st Guide 65/EasyFit/Eddie Bauer XRS 65

BabyBargains:

Good: The Cosco Scenera or the Evenflo Titan Elite.

Better: The Sunshine Kids Radian 65 or the First Years True Fit.

Best: The Britax Marathon 70.

If Money is No Object: The Britax Boulevard 70 CS or the Recaro ProRIDE.

Another overview of convertibles (including helpful links)

What we have:

We have the Graco MyRide 65 for L. It works fine, and we like the cupholders. I hate hate hate the belt clasps, though.

It technically works for kids 5-40 pounds rearfacing then up to 65 pounds forward facing. However, when we tried to put Baby J in the seat on the way home from the hospital, we were not comfortable with how it worked (with the infant insert). Of course, we really couldn’t figure out how to get it right, so it was probably user error. I did read reviews that the MyRide isn’t as great for smaller babies (both L and J were 6lbs 9oz at birth). However, Lactation Chic used the MyRide from birth, and her daughter was also 6lb 9oz, so there you have it.

For Baby J’s convertible carseat, I am looking at three  – another MyRide 65, the Britax Roundabout 55 (apparently a nicer carseat, although I’d have to pay $12 to get an attached cupholder- believe me, when you have toddlers, it matters), and the upcoming Chicco NextFit, which has many many carseat dorks in a tizzy. The Roundabout and the MyRide are in the same price range; the NextFit is about $100 more expensive.
What if you need an extra convertible seat for Grandma’s car?

If you are using a bucket seat, just purchase an extra base.

For convertibles, most of the websites above have great recommendations for budget convertible carseats. The Cosco Scenera is one that comes up time and time again.

As for our Grandma, I may instead suggest to her that she get the upcoming Chicco NextFit, because of how easy it is to remove it from her car. It’s much more expensive than a typical “extra” carseat (it’s the carseat I want for Baby J), but in our family, ease of removal and re-installation is more important.

Preemies:

Most of the websites I list above have information on what carseats are best for preemies (ex: some need a carbed as opposed to a carseat). Keep in mind that although most convertible seats say that they can be used from babies 5lbs and above, that those seats are still a bit difficult for use with a preemie or a small baby. However, even some bucket carseats are not great with small babies.

More information:

For a great resource on carseat safety, plus more specs on various carseats, check out car-safety.org.

 

Babywearing Part One: The Stretchy Wrap

Moby – a back view. What this beautiful scene doesn’t show is that the baby got super overheated about five minutes later

It’s been a while since I’ve done a simple, resource-y post.  So let’s start with something very simple – babywearing.

To go even simpler, let’s start with a kind of babywearing apparatus most people are familiar with: the Moby Wrap. The Moby is a kind of stretchy wrap. Stretchy wraps – which are basically long pieces of stretchy t-shirt-like fabric -  are great for your itty bitty newborn, but a bit more difficult when dealing with older and heavier babies. Other kinds of babywearing devices are soft-structured carriers, woven wraps, ring slings, mei teis, and pouches.  (For a more detailed, ridiculously comprehensive overview of types of carriers, go here).

I’m going to start with the pros and cons of stretchy wraps, but remember, not all stretchy wraps are created equal. Most of my pros/cons refer to the Moby; other wraps may have some different characteristics. Therefore, I will also go through the information on each type of stretchy wrap to help you pick the best for you.

Pros of stretchy wraps:

Twin carry!

Great for newborns. Gives them a snuggly feeling

Great for kangaroo care of preemies

Very comfortable once you get it right. Spreads the weight over both your shoulders. You could wear a young baby in the wrap all day.

Cons of stretchy wraps:

Only safe for front carries! (Despite the fact that there are instructions and photos showing back carry in stretchy wraps, do not do this. If you want to use a wrap for back carry, get a woven wrap. The exception is some woven-stretchy hybrids. But not the Moby. Never the Moby.)

Can get hot in the summer

Somewhat more difficult to nurse in

Sometimes hard to get a hang of putting it on, especially when you’re dragging a long piece of cloth around in the parking lot of the grocery store trying to get a squalling newborn settled in it.

Most of them are only comfortable up to about 18 pounds (the exception being the Wrapsody and other hybrids)

Brands of stretchy wraps:

Moby Wrap – This is the kind of wrap with which most people are familiar.  They are about $45-$50 and come in all sorts of colors. The Moby gets HOT in the summer (I know from personal experience).

My personal review? I myself wasn’t a huge fan of the Moby. My babies loved the Moby when I finally got them situated, but it was really hard for me to get it ‘right’. I got the basic hug hold down pretty easily, but the issue was that sometimes I would have it set too tight, and sometimes I would have it set too loose. So I’d have to get the baby mad by taking him or her out and readjusting. And then, inevitably, the baby would have to  nurse. Since I could never figure out how to nurse in the Moby, I would have to take the baby out. Neither child liked having the Moby against my skin while I nursed, so I’d have to unwrap the whole thing. Then nurse. Then start all over, trying to get the Moby situated right.

Boba/Sleepytime Wrap

When a good friend asked about wraps, I told her about my Moby experience and recommended the Boba Wrap instead. The Boba (which was formerly known as a Sleepytime Wrap) isn’t as stretchy as the Moby, which means it’s easier to get the tightness/looseness right.

In addition, although I can’t attest to this personally, apparently the Boba doesn’t get as hot, making it much more ideal for warmer climates.

Calin Bleu (microfleece)  – no personal experience. The Calin Blue cool gauze wrap is a woven and the microfleece is a stretchy.

Kari-Me  – A UK brand similar to the Moby

Tricot-Slen - A Belgian brand similar to the Moby

Hug-a-Bub- An Australian brand similar to the Moby

Cot2Tot – a UK brand similar to the Boba

Wrapsody Bali Stretch* – This is a cross between a stretchy wrap and a woven wrap.  As such, it can hold heavier babies. It has a more difficult learning  curve than true stretchy wraps (woven wraps are harder to learn) but is more versatile,allowing for back and hip carries.  It is also more like a woven in that it stays cool in the summer.

Je Porte Mama Bebe* – another cross between a stretchy wrap and a woven wrap.  Similar to the Wrapsody and can also do back carries/toddlers.

Baby K’Tan* – The K’Tan isn’t a stretchy wrap per se; it is more like a cross between a sling and a wrap. But when worn, it looks similar enough to a Moby that some moms look at it as an alternative option, so I’m going to put it on this list.

The babywearing experts at BabyCenter are not Baby K’Tan fans because of its price and because instructions from older versions show back carry pictures, which is a dangerous proposition in the K’Tan.

Caboo Carrier by Close Parent – this is like a cross between a ring sling, a wrap, and a soft-structured carrier. It’s really a wrap, but it’s already put together for you, and then adjustable via rings on the back.

Go here for some comparison between the types of stretchy wraps

Make your own:

http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/make-a-baby-sling.html

http://www.wearyourbaby.com/Default.aspx?tabid=121

Carries:

The Hug Hold is the recommended carry by Babywearers International. This has different names in different products. Unlike the cradle carry, the hug hold keeps the baby up near your chest where you can safely kiss the top of his or her head and see that he or she is breathing.

Moby Wrap instructions

Moby Wrap video

Boba Wrap instructions

Kari-Me instructions

Calin Bleu instructions

Tricot Slen instructions

Caboo instructions

Tips and Tweaks for stretchy wraps

Safety:

http://babywearerscircle.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/the-ultimate-guide-to-babywearing-safety-starting-out-safely/

Nursing in the stretchy wrap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbalsUY408k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE6gq978Ze0

Universal Prekindergarten: Evidence from the Field

Welcome Carnival of Evidence-Based Parenting readers!  Today’s Carnival focuses on preschool education. I will keep an ongoing list of links from other participating blogs at the end of this post.

This is Part Three of my preschool series.

In Part One, I asked: Is Preschool Necessary? The answer? No, if there is enough enrichment, play-based activities, and speaking to your child at home. Which means the majority of middle-to-upper class families likely don’t need preschool. So what about more disadvantaged kids?

Enter Part Two, in which I asked: Does Head Start Work? The answer? To a point, yes. Like any preschool, it provides modest gains in kindergarten-1st grade. The problem is the 3rd/4th grade fade-out, which affects almost any preschool-type learning for almost any socio-economic group. So, short-term – yes, it often is helpful. Long-term – the jury is out.

So here we have Part Three. We are spending exorbitant amounts of money to educate disadvantaged kids through Head Start and other programs, with spotty results. We are also now advocating universal prekindergarten, even though the evidence shows preschool in general provides spotty results. There are confounding factors throughout, including the way one measures achievement, the varying degrees of quality in Head Start programs across the nation, and the quality of the schools the children enter for elementary.

Here we ask: So what is the measure of quality? What makes one program better than the other? And do we trust these measures of quality?

The Oklahoma Experiment vs Georgia vs Florida

First, let’s clear up a misstatement in President Obama’s State of the Union speech:

Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America.  Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime.  In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. (my bolding)

Somewhat disingenuous.  The bolded parts are in reference to very specific preschool programs  such as the Perry Preschool Project and the Abcerdarian Experiment. Hardly a large scale universal prekindergarten program such as Oklahoma’s. No universal prekindergarten program has been able to prove that students are more likely to graduate high school, hold a job, or form more stable families – as a matter of fact, they are too new anyway.

Despite that misstatement, Oklahoma (Tulsa, specifically) does boast a “quality” Head Start program as well as a “quality” prekindergarten program. Due to the presence of these programs and a 74% enrollment rate for Tulsa prekindergarteners, Tulsa-area prekindergarten and its Head Start program is a subject of a multi-year Georgetown University research project.

However, first, we must define quality, as it is a contentious measure.  What most researchers call the ‘accepted’ measures of a program’s quality are measuring input factors – the amount of money spent per student, the student-teacher ratio, teacher pay and certification, and the facilities in which the children learn. Input then, rather than output.

Let’s look at input first.