DS Nursing Barney

In case anyone was wondering - no, I've not figured Facebook out yet. Any internet time the past 3 days has been spent trying to figure out the logistics of moving to Taiwan. Only 3 more months before the move. I know I'll miss Denver!

So I thought I'll post some funny pictures of DS "nursing" Barney, while I was nursing DD. DS has a few soft toys, but interestingly enough, Barney is the only one that he'll "nurse"! We recently got DS a toy milk bottle for him to feed Barney milk, but he prefers Barney to get milk "straight from the tap". Probably because he has never seen me feeding DD from a bottle.

Facebook!!!

Arrgghhh! I've joined the masses yet again! Yes, today, I did the unthinkable. I joined Facebook. This is something that I've been resisting since a year ago. So, why did I join Facebook? Well, I wanted to see some pictures of my friend's (she-who-shall-not-be-named) baby boy and realised that if I didn't register to join Facebook, I wouldn't be able to view her pictures there. Boohoo. And immediately I was intrigued by how little I know about Facebook and how to navigate it. Looks like it's going to be lots of late nights for me while I figure that all out in Facebook. If you don't see me blogging in the next few days, you know where to find me. :)

By the way, if anybody has any tips on how to get around Facebook real fast, email me!!!

DD at 5 Months and 1 Week Old

Here's a short movie clip of DD. She's a happy baby, and nothing makes her giggle more than her brother. DD loves watching DS do his stuff. She giggles and laughs when DS talks to her. She also cries when he cries!

DD Has Turned!

Finally, DD has learned how to turn over completely. She did so last week at a ripe old age of 5 months! That, compared to DS, who could do so at 3 1/2 months. It's amazing how DS and DD are so different, with their differences apparent even at such a young age. DS was always more interested in improving his motor skills. He loved to move about and get to places, and could walk when he turned 11 months old. DD, on the other hand, is quite happy sitting back and watching the world go by, or examining closely the toy in her hand, before putting it into her mouth. DS never enjoyed playing with teethers and rattles, whereas DD could play with them all day long.

Anyhow, here are some very recent pictures. I must say that it is terribly difficult capturing the two of them together. One would move while the other poses for a shot, and then vice-versa. Not to mention their short attention spans! :)

Re: Toys and Lead

With all the recalls of toys in recent months, I hesitate to buy toys for DD and DS. Lead is a toxic substance that is very worrisome, but frequently found in recalled toys. In toys, lead can either be found in the paint on the toys or in the plastic. This is something that I wasn't aware of previously, but lead is added to plastics to soften the plastic and to make it more flexible. The use of lead in plastics is not banned yet.

So what's the problem with lead? The neurotoxicity of lead poisoning is not reversible. That is, any brain damage or learning disability caused by lead poisoning is not reversible. According to the National Center for Environmental Health, children who are at risk of lead poisoning are those below the age of 6, because they tend to put toys, other objects or their hands into their mouths.

While most of the recalled toys involve China-made toys, this is simply because 75% of the world's toys are made in China. Buying a toy that is made in America, for instance, doesn't make the toy any safer than those made in China. Considering the small market share of toys that are made in America and looking at the number of made-in-America toys that are eventually recalled, America may have as high a percentage of recalled toys as China! This is according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC).

So what to do? We can't possibly avoid toys altogether and have the children run amok at home from boredom. Well, we've just been trying to look at this whole issue rationally and taking a common sense approach to it. If the toy is really cheap, brand unknown, of poor quality (e.g. wood has splinters or plastic has sharp edges) and looks flimsy, then most likely it IS cheaply made. We natually tend to or want to believe that a branded toy (e.g Fisher-Price, Hasbro, Haba, Plan Toys) has better quality control than an unbranded one. Although, having said that, branded toys haven't been spared of recalls either.

Some of you might be aware that there are lead testing kits available for us to test for the presence of lead in toys at home. But according to consumerreports.org, these kits, though "useful", have limitations. For instance, some kits were able to test "surface lead" or "accessible lead", but not lead that was embedded below the surface.

I found a website (http://www.healthytoys.org/home.php) which tests toys for lead and some other toxic substances. This is a project of the Ecology Center, which is a non-profit organisation, so it's good to know this project has no vested interest in any particular toy company. For now, since this has the most information about "safe" toys available on the market, I will try to buy DD toys that are listed as "safe" on this website. At this point in time, I'm more concerned about DD because she puts everything in her mouth!

References:

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/default.htm

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200602/17/eng20060217_243653.html

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2007-10-04-toy-fear_N.htm#open-share-help

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2007/10/testing-the-lea.html


http://www.healthytoys.org/home.php

BPA-Free Drinkware for Babies and Toddlers

Yes, I admit that I'm a bit obsessed about Bisphenol A (BPA). I recently found more information about BPA in drinkware for babies and toddlers.

In case anyone is interested, this page contains a review of BPA-free sippy cups:
http://tinyurl.com/2anx4r

And this page has recommendations for BPA-free baby bottles:
http://tinyurl.com/2f9wrh

And finally, this page has a directory of BPA-free bottles and sippy cups. This is such a fantastic resource!
http://tinyurl.com/22wxra

Happy New Year!!!

Since this is my first post for 2008, let me start by wishing all my blog readers a Happy New Year! My mum was here over Christmas and the New Year, and we've been busy trying to prepare for Taiwan. Yes, I can't believe how quickly time flies. We've been here in Denver for 3 months, with another 3 more months to go before we have to make the move to Taiwan. So it's back to the drawing board with our search for accommodation and familiarising ourselves with the suburbs in Taiwan. This time, we'll be getting movers because we don't want to have to sell our current furniture and buy them all again when we're in Taiwan. Not that we have much furniture to begin with, but we do have a crib for DD, mattresses, a cheapo dining table set, a tiny TV, pots, pans and crockery. For those of you looking for a travel destination for 2008, come visit us in Taiwan! :)