(and no we’re not referring to that political “Tea Party”- it’s all about safety & babies)

Grab your cup of tea or favorite beverage and log into IBPA’s first Safety Soiree ~ where we’ll discuss
“Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One” with special guests and industry experts JPMA and Britax.
One lucky tweeting participant will win a Britax Advocate Car Seat valued at $369.99.

See below for more details on how to register for the event along with a quick Twitter party overview.

IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Highlights:

Host:  International Baby Planner Association
Date:  Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time:  7-8 PM PST
Location: TweetGrid.com hashtag, #IBPABabyPlanner
Topic:  “Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One”
Prize:  Britax Advocate CS Car Seat
RSVP: Please RSVP by May 16th to Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com with email and Twitter ID to attend and be eligible for the prize.

Special Guest Industry Experts:

Britax has been a leader in mobile safety for more than 70 years, with a legacy of leadership in developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use.

JPMA is a national trade organization representing 95% of the prenatal to preschool industry. JPMA represents 250 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who manufacture, import and/or distribute infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items.

Twitter Party Information:

What is a Twitter Party?
A Twitter party is an online discussion that focuses on a few related topics.   It is simple and fun to join in the conversation by posting comments or asking questions via Twitter.

How Do I Participate?

You must register by emailing Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com by May 16th with your Twitter ID.  If you do not have a Twitter account you can easily create one in advance by visiting www.Twitter.com.

How Do I Join In and Keep up with the Conversation?
Join the party by using TweetGrid.com and enter the hashtag  #IBPABabyPlanner to join the event.  A hashtag is simply the sign “#” with a name attached to it. Tweet Grid will automatically include the hashtag on your tweets after you have entered the party.  You will be able to follow the tweeting discussions in real-time.

When is the IBPA “Twitter Tea Party?”
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 from 7-8PM PST.

Why Should I Join in on the Fun?
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will give you the opportunity to network with other parents, expecting couples and industry experts on child car seat safety. It will be a great chance to ask all of the questions you have about car seats and how to choose one.   One lucky participant will also win a Britax Car Seat!!!!!!

IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Rules and Regulations:
1. Be nice to other tweeters in the party! We all have opinions so let’s respect our differences and share advice.
2. This a stress free environment to tweet about important issues – relax and have fun!
3. This Twitter party giveaway is for United States and Canadian residents only.
4. You must register by May 16, 2010 via email to Melissa@Internationalbabyplanners.com with your Twitter ID and actually attend the party to be eligible to win.
5. You must be 18 years or older to participate.
6. There will be one winner randomly drawn after the party is over from the list of registered participants.
7. Winner will be notified via email via the registered email address by May 21, 2010 by a member of the International Baby Planner Association.

If you live in NYC or likely in the tri-state area, you know all about Big City Moms.  For those outside this area, an introduction:  Big City Moms is the destination for moms, moms to be and families and the premiere social event group in NYC.  Big City Moms was founded by sisters Risa Goldberg and Leslie Venokur six years ago.

Big City Moms and the Bump Founders

Now with over 30,000 members, an online community and events like seminars, family fun days, mommy and me classes, expectant events held every day, BCM is the place to be all over the city.  Their “flagship” event is the twice- annual Biggest Baby Shower where moms-to-be can meet and greet roughly one hundred national vendors and local service providers in a couple of hours and which boasts of new mommy seminars and most talked about, highly coveted gift bags.  It’s become so popular that it outgrew its original location at the American Girl Place and this was the first time it was held at the Park East Ballroom.

The event draws lots of moms, press and, this year, baby planners!  Several International Baby Planner Association members were there:   Premier Baby Concierge, Sweet Pea Baby Planners, Jamie the Baby Guy, and Bottles to Britches.   While we speak often on conference calls and via emails, it was great to meet face-to-face, an opportunity that is usually reserved for IBPA’s annual meeting at the ABC Kids Show in Vegas!

The seminars were well-attended, the food was great, the gift bags were bursting!  All in all, Big City Moms “delivered!”   It was a pleasure for me to sit in on the “New York City Mom Survival Guide” seminar by the Knot and the Bump founder, Carley Roney, and to meet her afterwards.   There was an excitement in the air; and it was a success for both moms and vendors.  I would definitely suggest this event to all moms-to-be, as well as baby planners and vendors, who are in NYC or can make the trip.

Want to see more? Click here to check out the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower April 2010 Video!

Ah, the gift bags!

Sweet Pea NYC and Premier Baby Concierge at BCM

Bump Founder Carely Roney and Shannon Choe (PBC)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (HC), in cooperation with Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif. are announcing a free replacement program for the Infantino “SlingRider” and “Wendy Bellissimo” infant slings. One million of these infant slings are being recalled in the United States and 15,000 are being recalled in Canada. CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using these slings for infants younger than four months of age due to a risk of suffocation and contact Infantino for a free replacement product.

CPSC is aware of three reports of deaths that occurred in these slings in 2009; a 7-week-old infant in Philadelphia, Pa.; a 6-day-old infant in Salem, Ore.; and a 3-month-old infant in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Infantino “SlingRider,” is a soft fabric baby carrier with a padded shoulder strap that is worn by parents and caregivers to carry an infant weighing up to 20 lbs. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. “Infantino,” “SlingRider” and the item number are printed on the instruction/warning label inside the baby sling carrier. “Wendy Bellissimo” branded sling carriers were sold exclusively at Babies “R” Us and have a sewn-in label on the inside of the sling strap that says in part “Wendy Bellissimo Media, Inc.” and lists Item numbers 3937500H7 and 3937501H7.

Infantino LLC sold the slings in the United States and Canada from January 2003 through March 2010 at Walmart, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, Babies “R” Us, BJ’s Wholesale, various baby and children’s stores and other retailers nationwide, and on the Web at Amazon.com, for between $25 and $30.

The product was manufactured in China and Thailand.

Consumers should stop using the recalled slings immediately and contact Infantino to receive a free replacement product, with a choice of a Wrap & Tie infant carrier, or a 2 in 1 Shopping Cart Cover, or a 3 in 1 Grow & Play Activity Gym. A Jittery Pals Rattle will also be provided. Contact Infantino toll-free at (866) 860-1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.infantino.com

Do not attempt to fix these carriers.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=1001

Follow up:
This announcement follows the March 12, 2010, CPSC warning about sling carriers for babies. Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

CPSC has determined that a mandatory standard is needed for infant sling carriers. While a mandatory standard is being developed, CPSC staff is working with ASTM International and concerned companies such as Infantino to quickly develop an effective voluntary standard for slings. There currently are no safety standards for infant sling carriers.

No need to wake a sleeping baby for a temporal, or forehead, temperature measurement.

Written By IBPA Member – Desiree Miller of Bottles to Britches

With flu fears flying around and cold season upon us, everyone is watching for symptoms like fever, especially in children. These days, there are dozens of different kinds of thermometers on store shelves, so how do you know which one is the best fit for your family? For Canton mom Therese Delashmutt, it was more a process of elimination. Her toddler Gabe doesn’t care much for the traditional thermometers. Delashmutt explains, “There was no way he’d keep a thermometer under his tongue, or his arm for that matter.” So each time Gabe got sick, Therese tried a different kind of thermometer. And she had many, many options to try, with so many on the market.

The National Institutes of Health is currently conducting a study comparing the accuracy of oral, ear and forehead, or temporal, thermometers. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends the old-fashioned mercury models for environmental reasons. But, according to Atlanta pediatrician and AAP Spokesperson Dr. Jennifer Shu, “When it comes to digital devices, choosing one has more to do with the age of the child than the type of thermometers.”

So what works? Dr. Shu explains, “For babies under six months, the most accurate way to do it is through a rectal thermometer. A lot of parents don’t want to do that on a regular basis if the baby might not be that sick, so it’s perfectly fine to do an underarm thermometer.” However, Dr. Shu suggests you double-check an underarm reading over 99 with a rectal reading before heading off to the doctor.

If the child is older than six months you can try an ear thermometer or the temporal type. How does that work? Dr. Shu says it’s simple. “Swipe it across the child’s forehead and behind the ear and that tends to be very reliable. It’s very easy because the child doesn’t have to sit still for very long and it’s incredibly fast and painless.” That’s what worked for Therese. When he got sick recently with a stomach bug, Gabe not only sat still for the temporal reading, but according to Therese, “he even helped hold his hair up for us”.

There are other options, too. Some are strips that sit on the forehead or pacifier type models. There are even some that light up red, yellow or green for easy readings in the dark. The AAP says don’t worry if one type is a degree or two off from another method. The important part is to tell the pediatrician how the measurement was taken, with what device. Dr. Shu suggests, “Try not to do any adding or subtracting at home and we’ll just take the whole picture into account.”
But do be careful of things that will impact the information you get. For example, if your child just ate something cold or hot, the number will reflect that. Also allow for outdoor interference, especially if you use an ear thermometer right away. “Wait for about 15 minutes and let the child’s temperature warm up to the regular body temperature and the room temperature, as well,” Dr. Shu recommends.

Also keep in mind that fever doesn’t say everything when your child is sick. Take into account their changes in mood, alertness and sleeping and eating habits when you decide if your child needs a doctor.
Therese is thrilled to have an easier time of taking her son’s temperature after being sick of the added frustration of the fight to find out if he had a fever in the past. “When your kid is sick, you’re running around cleaning up after them. One less thing to worry about is awesome.”