Cutting Costs (and Hair): Wahl Lithium Ion Clippers

As a household, we've been cost-conscious for a long time. That means many of those "50 Easy Ways to Save Money" articles just don't apply to our lifestyle. Our latte factor really never came into existence, though I have spent my fair share on ice cream products.

Here's one of our best tips for saving money, and it's much easier than it sounds. I'm not suggesting anyone make their own artisanal cheese for savings or raise truffle pigs for extra income. This is more along the lines of trimming a hedge (without the heat and bugs) or hanging a picture.

I give my family haircuts. Just Jim and Ranger, but even two people can add up to substantial savings in a family's annual budget.

Our Hair Cutting Backstory
Jim and I were newly married, still in college and struggling to make ends meet when my parents gave us our first set of hair clippers. Jim was looking rather shaggy at the time because we were choosing food and shelter over haircuts.

My mom has always cut my dad's hair, and my dad cut my brother's and mine while we were growing up. I didn't have a bowl cut exactly. It was a bowl with bangs; it was like I was trying to impersonate a Playmobil child. My brother's haircuts were slightly longer than military-issued, but he wears his hair that way again (and it suits him). For the record, my brother's last "professional" haircut was given to him by the Air Force in the mid-1990s. He cuts his own hair, and it looks great. So great, in fact, that his friends often get him to cut theirs as well because his talent in drawing translates into true style (think modern superhero).

Unlike my brother, my drawing is functional at best. I do okay at Pictionary, but even with hours of drawing time, I can't produce a recognizable person- much less one that wouldn't insult its model.

My only previous experience cutting hair was when my college friend asked me to trim her bangs. My nervousness and repeat attempts to "even things up" left her with a horribly short, off-kilter fringe most suitable for a youth in the 1964 film Children of the Damned. Not yet in my twenties, I swore off the life tonsorial.

Jim's a brave guy with fast growing hair and a notable aversion to styling-chair small talk. Like a surprising number of men, I think he would seriously consider getting a friar's tonsure if the barber had taken a vow of silence. Maybe this haircut has always been more tolerable than obligatory chit-chat.

When Jim tells other men that I cut his hair, almost every one responds with an envious statement wishing their significant others were willing to cut their hair.

I had to entice Ranger away from the kid's barber shop with video games and race car seats, but found that I could easily buy his haircut opportunity with a) video game time or b) considerably less cash than a professional haircut.

The Savings: Time and Money
Even at a bargain $15 cut quarterly for two people, that comes out to $120 a year. When things aren't completely off the hook at our house, I cut their hair bimonthly or monthly which comes out to $180 to $360 annually.

If someone needs a haircut for a special occasion, I only need to clear a half hour of time (which is less time than I spend in the kid salon's sticky waiting area trying to keep my toddler from her ongoing quest to create a superbug).

My "Training"
I watched the instructional VCR tape that came with the clippers and read my dad's copy of Haircutting the Professional [Playmobil] Way by Bruno (whose single name seems only to be a protective measure against the angry children of adherents). Then, with an advance apology, I cut Jim's hair. I was pretty sure he'd be as devastated by my work as my micro-fringed friend and would soon be investing in pony tail holders.

But that first haircut was not awful. Jim didn't look like a member of the cast of Children of the Corn, a military unit or a leather-clad hate group. It wasn't a great hair cut, but he had paid for worse professional cuts.

Over the years, the quality has improved (though some cuts have shown my learning curve more than others). Jim consistently gets compliments on his hair cuts.

While you can always borrow my VCR tape, Wahl now offers a how-to website with expanded information about contemporary hair cuts. I do wish they would feature more styles for women as families who buy their clippers are likely to be interested in longer styles, layering and women's bangs styles.

The convenience of home hair cuts has me eyeing the girl's curly locks and even my own wavy mop for further savings. I've been spending more time on YouTube watching people cut hair than your average bookish geek.

The Tools
Our first set of clippers, a Wahl home haircut set, are still in lovely working order after almost two decades of use. We diligently clean and oil the blades before storing, so they have years more use in them.

Recently, Wahl offered me an opportunity to try their new Lithium Ion Clipper. I jumped at the chance. It only takes one home haircut to realize that the cord is an obstacle while cutting. Yet I didn't want to venture $69.99 to find out if the battery could offer enough power to keep those blades flying along for clean cuts.

The Wahl Lithium Ion Clipper cuts beautifully and holds a charge through multiple haircuts and months of storage. Not having a cord speeds up the hair cut as I can easily walk in a circle around the person without worrying about catching them (or myself) in the cord.

These cordless clippers open up new haircut locations. I just cut Jim's hair on the porch of my parents' vacation rental along the inland shore. I've cut Ranger's hair in a hotel bathroom before a large family gathering. Admittedly, this setting made me feel a little like the parents in Running On Empty, but he looked good in the group photos.

Because of past experience with cordless shavers, I feared that the clipper battery might putter out mid-cut. As no one in my family would find a partial cut too amusing (on themselves, at least), I was thrilled to see that I could run the clippers on power using the charger input (which is designed with a long enough cord to accommodate AC-powered cutting).

The Recommendation
The Wahl Lithium Ion Clipper's cordless use makes it a lot easier to cut my family's hair. If I were buying a new set of clippers, especially as a beginner, it would be my first choice. The Lithium Ion set includes everything I need to cut Jim and Ranger's hair in a broad array of styles.

Some of the most used tools in our hair cut kit are the slim haircutting scissors and stylist's comb. With both Jim and Ranger, I hand crown of their hair and use clippers on the sides and back. The included sheers are sharp and straight, and the fine-toothed comb offers more precision and better perspective than any of our regular combs.

The ear guides (both the traditional left/right set and the newer dual side ear guard) simplify the hardest region of traditional hair cutting.

Great extras like the eyebrow trimming guard offer easy solutions for old problems. Before, an eyebrow trim required a steady hand to hold a comb at just the right distance while operating the clippers with the other hand. It was pretty awkward on someone else- and ridiculously unwieldy on oneself (so I've heard). A momentary loss of balance by either hand can reduce portions of a brow to short stubble (or so I've heard). The new guards make this pretty much goof-proof.

Our Wahl Lithium Ion set even included a small trimmer for brows, beards, and other touch-ups. It's lighter-weight than the full clipper, so it's easier to manipulate for interim touch-ups.

The Wahl set also includes a cutting cape. While this cape is functional, we don't like it as much as the rest of the set. If you're going to cut hair with regularity, it's worth taking the plunge on a nylon hair cutting cape with snap closures. We have one that fits children and adults. The clipped hair slides off the nylon more easily because it lays flatter than the vinyl cape. There aren't as many places where the hair can gather. It is preferable that the clippings end up on the floor. Otherwise, they can end up everywhere in the house. And should the clippings get down someone's collar, they itch enough that even a grown person will have a hard time sitting still.

...as for kids sitting still
Steal a play from the race car seat salon and let the kids watch something on an elevated screen (keeps their chins up) or play a video game (also on an elevated screen if possible, though I have been known to offer a DS in a plastic bag on occasion). As Ranger gets older, I don't always need these enticements, but I do find myself endlessly repeating "head up" and "chin up." Like most people who spent time with kids, I've come to accept an shocking level of repetition in discourse and activities.

Have you ever cut your family's hair? If so, what tips and techniques help you? If not, what are your concerns?

***Baby Toolkit is the tale of a Midwestern family written by some geeky parents. We received a free Wahl Lithium Ion Clipper set from their representatives, but our opinions are entirely our own and freely given. We are Amazon associates, so any purchases made through our links help pay our operating costs (thanks!). We also podcast about family and community board gaming at GreatBigTable.com.

Tempus Fugit: Hug Your Kids Tonight

The best news I've had today is that our family member cried when she heard her toddler on the phone.

This mom isn't conscious.  She hasn't been since Saturday when she had a stroke, but her eyes filled with tears when her daughter spoke to her today.

We don't really know what the future holds- for her or for any of us.

She's younger than me.  None of us expected a health crisis like this.

Too often I delay interactions with my kids. This horror serves a stark reminder that relationships (especially with children) cannot wait.

Play a board game.  Listen to a story.  Take a walk around the block.  Dance in the living room.  Hug.  Joke.

And please stop smoking.

Smoking greatly increases the risk of stroke (and embolism) in young women.  Combined with birth control or other hormones it can be deadly.  A little over a decade ago, we lost a beautiful friend in her mid-twenties to a pulmonary embolism resulting from an otherwise minor injury.

With the wrong genetics, smoking can magnify an inherited clotting risk enormously.

If you love a parent who smokes, please support them in quitting for their kids.  The catastrophic effects of a stroke can be far more sudden and traumatic than we think- especially in young women.

If you pray, please keep this young mom and her family in your prayers.  She's scheduled for surgery in the morning, and we would all be so overjoyed if she would just wake up.


***Baby Toolkit doesn't want other families to go through this sadness and anxiety.  We usually discuss geek parenting.

Declaration for Vaccination

A few years ago I read about the 1918 influenza pandemic. I stumbled into a truly gripping book on the present day search for the historical virus (this book has Eskimos, adventurers, and edge of your seat science).

Like so many historical events, it turns out my family was shaped by that epidemic. My grandfather, a young child of missionaries, was traveling back to Egypt after time in the United States. In New York, waiting to disembark on the long journey by sea, he caught influenza. A compassionate woman (a "church lady" and a mother according to the retelling- which probably means a stranger or acquaintance) took him in and nursed him back to health. This brave and generous woman caught the infectious disease and died. My grandfather's life would continue to be shaped by the fact that someone died helping him. His life needed to be more because it had costs others so dearly. In his adulthood he built churches, schools, and orphanages in some of the world's poorest regions.

Recently I was telling this story to a friend, a nurse, and she said, "Don't you think medicine is better today?" Well, of course it is; however EPIDEMIC numbers of sick people can quickly overwhelm the medical infrastructure. Current projections for Indiana suggest future problems (note: that's 57% of hospital beds, not 57% of available hospital beds- most hospitals run above 43% capacity). Some people, such as those with existing health conditions and pregnant women, don't find much relief from modern medicine.

I believe that vaccination is better for individuals and the community than the alternative. I believe it enough that I stood in line for 4 hours with a 4 year-old Ranger and the 11 month-old Raptor so they could get H1N1 shots. Contrary to rumors, not all forms of the immunization have mercury and even Dr. Sears recommends them for children. Dr. Sears even states

"We are dealing with the same thing we face with flu shots every year: same chemical ingredients, new flu vaccine strains."

Our parents and grandparents underwent much greater risk in the fight against polio mid-twentieth century. Anyone bearing vaccination scars on their arms received a live shot of polio, but they made the disease a rarity.

Now is the time for courage.

***Baby Toolkit is not affiliated with the CDC nor any health organization or company. We are not medical professionals nor oracles. We are geek parents endowed with literacy and reason.

Post Pregnancy Acne: An Answer You Can Sleep On

About a month ago, a friend with a newborn recently commented on having the worst acne of her entire life. She made me feel a little better as I've been having similar problems since the Raptor's birth. A few months after Ranger's birth I had similar problems.

Since the Raptor is still nursing, prescription medicine is problematic. That's why I had to try the potential solution Jim saw on Reddit last week. Not only was it non-chemical, it was cheap and easy. As I already do laundry all the time, I really had nothing to lose.

So every night for a week, I've slept with a different clean towel on my pillowcase (I told you it was simple).

The redness and irritation diminished visibly in two days. By day 3, areas that had been persistently irritated for weeks started to fade. After 7 days only a few active sites remain and new acne (thank you post-pregnancy hormonal shifts) are tiny and dissipate within 48 hours.

My skin feels better and has an improved appearance. I suspect that the loft of the towel's loops lets the air circulate under the face. The increased air circulation discourages the growth of bacteria by keeping skin cooler and drier (increased evaporation). Maybe it's the placebo effect or laundry voodoo, but it makes the mirror less miserable every morning.

Pillow Talk: Sleep Apnea

A few weeks ago, I was reminded of the small miracle presented by Jim's CPAP. Over a decade ago, a few years into our marriage, I thought I was going to lose my mind or have to move into a separate bedroom.

Jim snored the weird cadence of a malfunctioning buzz saw. While most spouses might respond with a gentle nudge, I would shove him until he moved into a non-snoring position. This happened dozens of times each night.

The biggest mystery was why Jim, for all his snore-generating behavior, was even less rested than me. He was disconcertingly falling asleep at stoplights and any time life paused into quiet.

I was showing the confusion and insanity of sleep deprivation and Jim seemed to have narcolepsy.

My dad noticed Jim falling asleep all the time and suggested Jim go for a sleep study. Our physician decided the same thing when Jim told him how he hadn't been sleeping well for a very long time.

The test results showed that Jim's constant morning headaches, dry mouth, snoring, and agonizingly poor sleep were all due to the fact he quit breathing regularly throughout the night. The constant struggle for air kept him from ever falling into a deep sleep while short periods of oxygen deprivation put him at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It turns out that, shoving injuries were some of the smallest threats he faced.

Jim was placed on CPAP, and after finding the right mask, we both started getting real sleep. Jim said the first day after using his CPAP felt like recovering from a long illness.

Since Jim's diagnosis many members of his family have also been diagnosed with sleep apnea. It turns out their nose and throat structure makes them more susceptible to sleep apnea.

Very recently, Jim noticed a twenty-something friend falling asleep at a stoplight. After talking to Jim our friend was also diagnosed with apnea.

I don't think many people in our generation are aware of sleep apnea which is scary considering how it can contribute to heart attacks and strokes.

If your partner's snoring or gasping seems atypical, you should probably read Mayo Clinic's guide to sleep apnea (actual medical information written by professionals). Jim is happy to reply to comments or email. He is an apnea awareness evangelist since his diagnosis and treatment dramatically improved the quality of his life.

Hiccups Gone in a Jiffy, Skippy: The Miraculous Peanut Butter Cure

Jim has always teased me about my seismic hiccups. Their size was rivaled only by their duration.

One day my office assistant mentioned that peanut butter worked as a cure, and she happened to have a jar in her purse.

Since that miraculous advice, a big spoon full of peanut butter has never failed to drive away even my loudest hiccups.

Pedicures for the Churlish: Video-Gaming the Resistance

Ranger is no fan of nail trimming.

After a few episodes of wailing and flailing, Jim and I became clipper-shy. In an epic battle of parental buck-passing, we each denied knowledge of his long, uneven nails until the situation demanded immediate action (with luck, by the other parent).

Last month, Jim wielded the nail clippers for an emergency preschooler pedicure while a sock footed Ranger screamed bloody murder in anticipation.

In the living room, I unearthed our Nintendo DS Lite: it's one of those rare secrets we've managed to keep from the curious kid. With Kirby Super Star Ultra on board, I handed the kid "the toenail game."

Instant tranquility via electronic rapture. After his toenails were finished, Ranger offered his hands to buy more time with the flashing pixels.

In order to keep the entertainment special, we allow no non-persuasive access to the DS.

When we will stop exploiting the boy's love for video games? Whenever it stops working so well.

Related posts:

• Slightly Skewed Perception: Scoring at Eye Doctor, the "video game"

Slightly Skewed Perception: Scoring at Eye Doctor, the "video game"

When we went to the eye doctor today, my heart was lodged firmly in my throat. A couple weeks ago, I saw Ranger's eyes momentarily deviate from synchronization and struggle to regain focus.

With a family history of undiagnosed lazy eye, I prepared for bad news. In my total preoccupation with diagnosis, I completely forgot to prepare Ranger for his appointment. And maybe that helped us improvise.

Ranger literally drug his feet when called back to his appointment. I stepped in front of him and started talking excitedly about the technology in the room upon entry.

"oooh, look! Letters!" I exclaimed about the computer screen displaying an eye chart. "WOW! Look at all those knobs!" I pointed at the machine with all the flipping lenses.

Ranger chose to sit on my lap in the exam chair. Being a technophile, he couldn't resist the glowing pixels of the eye chart. Before the doctor even started asking him questions, he was reading the first 4 letters to Jim.

About halfway through the exam, he asked Jim to trade me places. When the doctor pulled out the apparatus that requires the patient place their chin and forehead against the machine and hold still, I wondered mutely how it would go.

Jim took over as cheerleader. "Look buddy, it has HANDLES- just like a MOTORCYCLE."

I should note that Ranger is obsessed with video games to the point that he's pioneering his own English dialect of videogamlish. He randomly assigns many experiences of daily life random points values, and he calls everything fun from playing in the sink to rolling marbles across the floor video games. His absolute favorite actual video game at the moment is Mario Kart for Wii (which he only plays about once a month), and his transport of choice is the motorcycle.

I smiled at Jim's subtle reference and raised it a notch, "Wow, buddy, you get to play the eye video game. You can get 100 points for that eye."

He leaned right into the harness, grinning big. The doctor checked his right eye. He sat back when she was done.

"I hear the other eye is worth 150 points if you're good at this game."

Head back in brace, toothy grin exposed. Left eye close-up exam completed.

"250 points! I think that's the high score of the day."

The doctor confirmed this. High fives all around.

Then it was time to choose glasses (lazy eye detected early, in case you were wondering).

After bolstering his reluctant glasses choice with an "Uncle Punk will LOVE those!" he was hesitant to let the technician peer into his eyes with her little scope.

When she said look into the white light I thought of death and then Pong.

"Ooooh, that's a great game! I wonder if you can get points."

Ranger immediately became interested in the "game." Afterwards, I suggested to the technician that Ranger may have earned some impressive points "A score of 200, you think?"

She flipped the scope up and said, "Your score's right here... 55!" (Ranger doesn't understand numeric value, so 55 can still beat 200).

And you know what, it was the high score of the day.

P.S. Eye exams are recommended around one, three, and when starting school. Free infant eye exams are offered through the InfantSEE program for all babies 6 months to 1 year.

Related post:
The Eyes Have It: InfantSEE.org

Literally Two Seconds: Exergen Temporal Scanner Measures Up

This might show just a bit of neurosis, but ever since we received an Exergen Temporal Scanner earlier this summer, I've been on watch for someone in our household to have a fever. Fortunately, my insanity cannot conjure actual events, so we've stayed healthy all summer.

That good health hasn't quelled our curiosity or stopped us from playing with the Temporal Scanner.

Upon taking the scanner out of its plastic clamshell packaging, I noticed that the battery door did not have any super-accessible tabs for opening (like most remote controls). With toddlers in the house, that is a huge relief. Ranger has been a dedicated electronics hacker since gaining manual dexterity, and the batteries are always his first target upon disassembly.

The included 9-volt battery also underlines this tool's smart design. A 9-volt is a long lasting battery (actually a series of 6 AAAA batteries under one covering) that doesn't roll off the table, and doesn't look snack sized to most humans.

This amazingly fast thermometer produces a consistent result in seconds. We never had any luck with ear thermometers and our cheap CVS-brand temporal scanner takes FOREVER to determine a temperature (and never offers the same result twice). Unlike oral digital thermometers and ear thermometers (which estimate a real body temperature from a number of samples), the Exergen measures real body temperature from the temporal artery (forehead) and then accounts for heat loss due to room temperature.

The simple one-button design has an elegance that only comes from a passionate and talented expert. This isn't something dreamt up by non-techs and then half-heartedly executed by a team of engineers. This smart device was developed by a Havard research physicist with special interest in medical technology (Francesco Pompei).

Pompei and his wife head this Massachusetts-based company and have made impressive choices for their company: Exergen temporal scanners are made in the United States. How many digital products can make that claim these days?

We love the Exergen temporal scanner. It promises to be fast, accurate, and non-invasive when we're testing a grouchy, sickly family member.

It's recommended retail price is around $50, but will outperform and outlast its cheaper competitors. Currently the Exergen can be found at Amazon (for around $32), Walgreens, both R Us chains, Sam's Club, and Costco (among other brick and mortar and online sellers).

In the future, we'd love to see the option of a hard-sided case (for protection during travel and storage).

Extra-Thirsty and Other Warning Signs

Pop quiz (in honor of the return to school season):

Do you know the warning signs for Type 1 diabetes? How about Type 2?

Mom blogger Leeanthro recently reminded me that diabetes can strike even preschoolers, and the symptoms can elude watchful parents because we're not on the lookout for this specific condition. Two of the hardest moments in my mom's teaching career have been informing families that their child's classroom behavior merits diabetes screening.

Jim and I lost a friend to Type 1 diabetes in the 90s not long after his college graduation. Half a decade later one of our closest friends was hospitalized with life-threatening symptoms of undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

While we can (and should) seek a cure for diabetes and support those already diagnosed (as Leeantrho is currently doing in her Blog to Fight Diabetes campaign), please familiarize yourself with the common symptoms of diabetes for the health of your family and your community. Don't be afraid to speak up if you notice diabetic symptoms in someone else's child.

And, if you want to talk about gestational diabetes, feel free to send us an email. We learned about that firsthand when pregnant with Ranger.

Feel the Burn: When Hot Peppers Fight Back

Last night, Ranger's grandparents tangled with some peppers of unknown origin they received at church. The very bright green peppers turned out not to be sweet peppers but instead held within them the very seeds of fire.

My parents tend to like very hot foods. My dad's been accused of attempted assassination for serving his rather spicy spaghetti sauce, and the family chili recipe has made people ask "What keeps the pot from melting?" as they gobble down seconds and thirds to stave off the inevitable burn.

Mom called this morning because her hands were still burning from cutting the peppers barehanded last night. Popular wisdom (via Google) unwisely suggests lots of caustics and/or drying agents (ranging from undiluted bleach to ethyl alcohol to 100 proof vodka); all bad ideas. I cannot imagine that these remedies do much more than dry the skin and make it more irritable.

Our own experience and a rather colorful story about friend's hot pepper connoisseur father and poorly timed trip to the urinal (along with wikipedia) point toward oily compounds to quickly remove the pepper's burn agent (capsaicin). We've found that whole milk or yogurt (preferably a non-low-fat variety) work best internally and humble fatty mayonnaise is great topically (store brands often have the highest fat content).

Grandma just called back after trip to the store for cheap mayo, and reports "immediate relief" for her burning hands.

Think Twice About Renting Car Seats from Advantage: More Problems Reported

When travel and food writer, Debbie Dubrow, found unsafe, dirty, broken, and expired car seats at the San Diego airport Advantage Rent a Car, she worked to change the system.

And it looked like she, through media exposure and direct communications with Advantage, had made great changes.

Less than a year later, Barbara takes her 6 months old into the LAX Advantage and finds that the all the policy changes Advantage made in response to Debbie have resulted in are the plastic bagging of the same unclean and defunct seats.

Read all about it on Debbie's Delicious Baby blog and avoid Advantage unless you're toting your own seat.

Thanks, Zrecs for the update- and the great post on Advantage's corporate policy.

Ease that Itch: Zanfel Poison Ivy Creme

We're unlucky when it comes to poison ivy, oak, and sumac.

During a river clean-up, I leaned against a thick poison vine and ended up with a looping vine-shaped rash from my right shoulder to my forearm. It was such a 3-dimensional dark red rash that friends though I'd had my arm branded. The marks lasted for months, and I was relieved not to have lasting scars.

Jim reacts even worse than me. A small exposure can rapidly turn to sprawling discomfort. This is a problem in our area where even urban and suburban yards can easily become infested with poisonous weeds. One patch of English ivy in our yard is notorious for harboring poison ivy.

Then Jim found the website for Zanfel. Their claims sounded extreme to the point of improbability; especially after disappointing experiences with water-free after-exposure washes like Technu.

But pricey Zanfel ($38 for a one ounce tube) works as advertised. For well over a year neither Jim nor I has suffered a major poison weed outbreak even though corners of our yard are full of the stuff. Jim (who maintains our yard) has only had a few mild spots after exposure thanks to Zanfel.

We keep a spare tube on hand (though one ounce lasts a surprisingly long time) for the inevitable day when Ranger decides to explore the ivy patch. Zanfel is a smart addition to any first aid kit in poison ivy prone areas and also a good item to include in your camping gear.

Now if only we had a good solution for lurking mosquitoes!

Camp Baby Questions Answered: Well, Sort Of...

Before I disappeared into the wilds of Camp Baby, I asked for your questions and comments for Johnson & Johnson.

On Thursday morning I got to share your concerns (which were very much in line with my own) to Johnson's executive Susan Nettesheim (former VP of Worldwide R & D for adult skin care, now the VP for Product Stewardship at Johnson & Johnson).

Although the current Director of R & D (Anna Prilusky) and the Manager of Global R & D for Johnson's Science and Technology were listed as panelists on the program, they inexplicably were not present during the conference. Susan Nettesheim fielded the all questions on parabens, phthalates, and dioxane 1,4.

And their answers were much in line with this corporate statement on phthalates. In paraphrase, it all sounded to me like, "Trust Us, We're Experts."

They obviously assumed we would come with some health questions. Prior to our Q & A opportunity, Nettesheim's presentation and that of Dr. Ellen Kurtz, Director of Scientific Affairs, Baby Care Franchise, J & J CPPW, there were plenty of anticipatory statements on the safety of these "carefully selected" substances. For instance, dioxane 1,4 apparently occurs in naturally in peanuts (ergo peanut butter) and although they freely concede that the class of phthalates does have problems they only use the one safe phthalate that is approved for use in the European Union where all products must pass the precautionary principle (which far exceeds US standards).

Phrases like "We have 100 years experience in baby products" were bandied about as were statements about their extensive product testing methods.

I was surprised by their responses and by their absolute confidence in the vetted safety of their products. Lots of people work at corporations, but these people (particularly the scientists) seemed to be true believers in their products, methodologies, and intentions. They don't just stand behind their products, they use them on their own children and give them to their friends and families. They did not seem to understand how we could have ongoing concerns in the face of their experience and research. Their responses to our probing incredulity seemed to me to be sincerely laced with tinges of confusion and hurt. The J & J employees we met seem to have strong pride of ownership in their products, so consumer uncertainty are taken as statements on their professional and personal integrity.

After the session ended, I felt like I should try again to communicate our concerns. I approached Susan Nettesheim during the break (thanks so much Stephanie for allowing my intrusion into your conversation already in progress). I told her about your questions and handed her a print copy of them to read later. It seemed important that someone in authority at Johnson's know that these are the questions naturally arising from online parents.

I mentioned that our generation (raised watching two-person garage startups like Apple and Microsoft outpace large, established organizations like IBM) tended to accept new companies more readily than previous generations and to view their products as innovative and improved. I added that the phrase "trust us" seems to intensify our skepticism rather than relieve it.

Susan Nettesheim pointed out that natural doesn't equate safe (a point I readily concede) and that we probably wouldn't be wise to purchase pharmaceuticals made in a garage startup (which, although true, is a little funny to me in light of the startup history (circa 1876) of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lily). Nettesheim also stated that J & J would hate to replace an existing, vetted, chemical they trust with a new one that may have unknown health consequences.

In and after the session, I specifically requested future production of unscented baby products (J&J currently only offers a few under their Aveeno line) as phthalates are most often found in fragrances. Apparently, J & J feels that the psychological effects of the scents are so strong that they are deeply reluctant to forgo the fragrances. As a child who didn't use their classic pink lotion because of sensitive skin, I reiterated that they're missing a market of people who dislike and/or cannot use scented products (including families with allergies and asthma). The cynic in me thinks that their dedication to fragrance may be a subtle but powerful form of branding as scent memories have overwhelming influence on decision making, but sometimes my inner cynic is paranoid.

Stephanie from about.com emphasized a need for transparency. I agreed, and stated that J & J needs to offer accessible scientific defenses when one of their ingredient falls under suspicion. For instance, the information of how much dioxane 1,4 by ppm (parts per million) is present in peanut butter would give me a scale to evaluate their safety claims. If peanut butter is around 20 ppm, then J & J's Watermelon Explosion Kids Shampoo at 10 ppm doesn't worry me as much, but if peanut butter is more like 0.5 ppm or less, I'm still pretty bothered. It's not enough to say that it's present in common foods and substances. I'm sure I've had trace amounts of lead in my drinking water, but that doesn't mean I want add a little lead to Ranger's breakfast cereal.

J & J also emphasized that most scientific tests study ingestion of the chemical compounds which is a more direct exposure than topical application. A recent study on phthalates in infant urine published in Pediatrics (Feb. 2008), however, suggests that topical exposure to baby products is a valid and growing health concern.

Later in the day, bloggers met in a smaller focus groups of 18 or 19 led and documented by one of J & J's many public relations/marketing firms. I repeated much of what I had said earlier to Susan Nettesheim and tried to say that J & J could earn our trust by producing a few unscented J & J branded products that don't use chemicals under scrutiny. To offer such alternative products would let consumers know they understand our fears and (even if they disagree with the science behind those fears) they will meet our needs as we see fit. Other moms asked that these products be made affordable. We were told the president of the company was in the room, but as the executives present (and there were many) were not introduced, I don't know which J & J company was represented in that manner.

Oh, and anastasiav, it turns out that although while J & J owns Baby Center, they leave it (like many of their companies) under independent governance and exert no editorial or advertising influence. They bought it when it fell into bankruptcy many years ago, but they want it to be able to facilitate open discourse.

Sorry about the length of this post, but there was no simple, succinct answer at Camp Baby. On an instinctual level, I liked the Johnson's people and particularly appreciate the time Susan Nettesheim took to talk with me. I don't think our Johnson's product use will change from periodic use of Original Desitin (which smells ghastly and probably involves no phthalates) and their lightly scented Foaming Shampoo (which we don't use every bathtime).

***This is the independent opinion of the geek parents at BabyToolkit.com, (c) 2006-2008. We aren't experts at this. Adrienne accepted an all-expenses paid 3 day trip to New Jersey from Johnson & Johnson's to Camp Baby a gathering of blogging moms and women influencing mom bloggers.

Cure for the BPA Blues: Zrecs produces great new tools

Anyone worrying about bisphenol A in baby bottles and toddler sippys can get great guidance from the McNichols' family at Zrecs.com.

Not only did these great blogger parents put together a remarkable list of BPA use in bottles, sippy cups, and kids tableware, they've now blasted through some crazy fourth wall of the Internet and are willing to go shopping with you:

• You can text them AT THEIR EXPENSE for BPA information while shopping-
• or you can print off their wallet-sized BPA cheat sheet if you're feeling a little more low tech.
  

***This is the independent opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit. We're friends with the McNichols and periodically help out at their contest site Prizey.net though not for profit. They did send a totally awesome "I outsmarted Bugs Meany" t-shirt last week, but that has nothing to do with our admiration for their great research into BPA.

Stuffed animals in stitches: Taking the bite out of future people repairs

My smart friend, an RN/Mom, recently took her son (2.5 years-old) to the doctor for emergency stitches.

On top of being painful, the experience startled him (which isn't surprising because the perspective while getting forehead stitches is even harrowing for adults).

My friend (thinking ahead with enviable foresight) realized that her son's stitches would have to be removed before his memories of their insertion diminished.

She took his fine furry friend Bear-Bear and discovered that he needed stitches too. Throughout the next week Bear-Bear found himself getting into lots of situations that required stitches and, being a fast healer, had his stitches taken out soon afterwards.

By the time they returned for her son's stitch removal, the process was familiar.

She did something very similar with Bear-Bear to prepare her boy for bloodwork and followed up with a pretend blood draw from her son (using her finger as the needle and poking him gently with her fingernail).

That's one smart momma!
***This is the independent opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit, (c) 2008. Our thanks to RN-Mom, her brave son, and Bear-Bear for their great tip won through hard experience.

Toys & Toxins: New Resource

Toys have many parents worried.. and for good reason. Some companies are arguing that it's okay for their toys to contain illegal levels of lead (like this RED blood-pressure cuff) as long it's not on the surface of the product. Relatedly, Fisher-Price (a Mattel company) refuses to pull lead tainted toys exceeding federal standards in states other than Illinois (from Consumer Reports blog).

Well, here's a little good news. Ecology Group, a Michigan environmental group is independently testing toys for 9 toxins that can be viewed through x-ray fluorescence. They report their findings in a great database at HealthyToys.org. I whiled away a couple hours cruising through this great site. You can even proposed more toys for them to test and subscribe to database updates.

I was relieved to see one of Ranger's favorite chewable baby toys get a pretty clean bill of health even though he quit chewing on it some time ago. And we crossed Wedgits off his Christmas list until they're PVC free.

Don't Sink the SCHIP: Important Children's Health Care Legislation Needs Renewal

Judy at Goodyblog just pointed out that a critical children's health care funding program is set to expire on September 30th if Congress doesn't intervene.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) helps working families who don't make enough to pay for private health insurance but make too much to qualify for Medicaid. What this means is that if the legislation expires, many more families will have to abandon regular preventative health care and only seek medical care in emergency situations and settings.

Now everyone who has spent time in an e-room or has been admitted to the hospital, can tell you that even the aspirin are extraordinarily expensive. So the expiration of this legislation will end up costing everyone more in the long run. And more importantly it will unnecessarily endanger the health of infants and children nationwide.

Medical debt already ranks as a leading cause of bankruptcy in America (to understand this situation more fully please read Elizabeth Warren's findings on who goes bankrupt in Maxed Out), so making preventative health care less accessible to children and infants can only damage our national and state economies.

Please take a brief moment today to let your national representatives know this needs to be addressed before it expires on SEPT 30th.

If you blog, please post something to encourage widespread public support of this critical legislation.

Kandon't: Flushable Wipes Cause Problems for Some Kids

Flushable wipes for kids sound like a good idea, but think again.

Not only are they only marginally flushable (the manufacturer only recommends "one or two wipes" per flush.

Problems with household plumbing are not the worst possibility- technical difficulties with your kid's plumbing are.

One of our young friends just completed potty training only to experience multiple urinary tract and yeast infections. The pediatrician was surprised until hearing about the child's use of Kandoo wipes.

They're loaded with alcohol which dries the skin (making it more prone to irritation) and heavy perfumes which cause irritation. For girls especially, this can create a painful and serious medical condition (or two) EVEN WHEN THEY WIPE PROPERLY.

"Here kiddo, have these fun themed food-scented wipes and learn all about true pain."

Why do we want melon-scented wipes in the first place?

Stick to non-flushable baby wipes if you want moisture or plain, unembellished toilet paper (avoid lotions and perfumes) to keep your kid's excretory systems running smoothly.

Admitted: What to Take When Your ER Visit May Become a Hospital Stay

Ranger came home from the hospital yesterday after a bout with rotavirus-related dehydration. He's back to his ornery self, so we're relieved.

Last post, we discussed preparing for and improving an ER visit, but you might want to throw a few extra items in the car if you think your child's ER sick visit may translate into a hospital stay.

• Socks for the kiddo. Hospitals are sometimes cold, especially for little people with short circuiting bodies. If there is any chance your child will be up and walking around, bring slipper socks or socks with grippy soles (hospital floors are slick). Our local hospital requires footing offering traction before they will let an inpatient walk around at all. Your own socks are far more comfortable than the semi-disposable ones the hospital offers.
  
• Snacks for you (or money for the vending machines). You won't want to leave your child alone in their room, and you may get hungry. Throw some portable, non-perishable food into your bag. This will keep you from the guilt of wanting to eat your child's food when it arrives. Don't feed your child any food you've brought in without first clearing it with medical staff, and realize this may mean you have eat it in secret to keep your toddler from melting down.
• Clothing, bedding, and toiletries for you. Chances are, you or another caregiver are going to sleep on a chair or sofa in your child's room. Pack something that is comfortable to sleep semi-publicly. Some hospitals have blankets and pillows for families, but don't depend on it. If you don't know these items will be supplied, pack a colorful blanket and pillow for yourself. Don't forget your toothbrush!
• For infants, a blanket, pillow, or toy that smells like home (and/or mom) can be very reassuring. (Thanks for sharing this tip, Amy!)
• Kid entertainment. Hospitals can be boring. Jeremiah and Jenni of Z Recommends like bringing some of Z's favorite books along. They also remembered that more and more hospitals are making VCRs and DVD players more available to patients, so it may be a good idea to grab some favorite kids' viewing. We didn't take anything along, so Ranger (who never watches tv) got to watch the basketball playoffs and the Wiggles' Wiggle Bay. It was pretty weird for him as it's the first time he's ever watched tv at any length.
• Reading material for you. Maybe you'll read it, and maybe you won't, but you may not be so lucky as to find last November's US magazine abandoned in a lounge- and the hospital novella-length privacy policy really lacks developed characters and plot.
  
• Bedtime ritual stuff. At home for bedtime, we read books, sing a couple of songs, and then tuck Ranger in with a plush dog. We found ourselves without any books and no plush dog on night one. The dogeared US magazine Jim had found in the family lounge told tales of celebrity that should be inflicted upon no child, so Jim sang extra songs. Ranger's grandparents sent a plush bear the next day, so doggie got a ride through the washer at home. It can be hard to get your child to sleep in the hospital. Make your job easier by maintaining as many familiar bedtime routines as you can manage.
  
• Kid toiletries and going home clothes & shoes. I speak from experience when I tell you it's sad not to have your own toiletries during a hospital stay. Not only do you feel bad, you also have to see people all the time. And, yes, hospitals can supply some of these items, but they are pale substitutes to the items you regularly use. Often you carry a pajama clad sick kiddo to the ER, remember to bring some clothes & footwear for when they're feeling well enough to leave.
• As the Z Recommends folks reminded me, many pediatrics wards offer refrigeration facilities for breastmilk. So, if your baby is breastfeeding, you may want to pack some pumping supplies. Make sure and ask a pediatrics nurse about the availability of breastmilk storage facilities, too.
  

Good general hospital guidelines:

• With pre-verbal infants and kids, the nursing staff is relying on you to tell them about your child's level of discomfort. Make sure and inform staff if you perceive a change in your child's condition or comfort level.
• Have a pen and paper handy and write down EVERY MEDICAL QUESTION THAT CROSSES YOUR MIND. That way, when a nurse or doctor appears, you won't forget to ask something important. Seriously, write them all down. You can skip the really stupid ones when you get to ask, but they may not look so stupid when you have a professional to answer them.
• Input & output: Make sure nursing staff knows what your child is taking in and expelling from their body. Confess if you ate your child's chicken strips.
• If you are hungry, don't be afraid to ask the staff for options. Depending on the hospital, you may just have vending machines and a cafeteria- or there may be a family lounge with free drinks (soda & coffee, not open bar)- or you may be able to buy food for yourself from the hospital to be delivered with your child's meals. It may not be gourmet, but it is delivered.
• Learn your nurses' names. We make sure to send a note back to the hospital about the quality of care we received (thus far, it's all been glowing). This is a way to support and encourage good service and high standards of patient care.
  
• Be on your best manners. That way if a problem arises, the staff will know that you are reasonable and respectful.
• If you are an online junkie (like most parent blog readers), ask if the hospital has wireless network access available or public computers.
• If your sick kiddo is sleeping, look for Closed Captioning options on the tv.
• Most pediatrics units keep kid-friendly snacks (Popsicles, Jell-O, graham crackers, etc.) at the nurse's station. They can usually find something your kiddo can eat even on dietary restriction. Don't hesitate to ask, it's actually better than giving them unapproved food.
• It's great to have the support of friends and family, but sometimes that support is better from afar. Don't be afraid to ask visitors to leave (or have the nurses ask for you) or to end phone calls quickly. Your kid needs to recuperate and you, dear parent, need not be exhausted when you and your child return home. It's also okay to head off visitors and callers in advance by not giving out the hospital room phone number and requesting that people not visit until further notice. We made sure to request that our friends with kids at home not visit as Ranger's virus was quite contagious and we didn't want to feel responsible for anyone else getting it. You are your child's gatekeeper. Help them rest.

Now, what did we forget or not know in the first place? Please tell us!