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Nursing mums are continually looking for the perfect top to wear that is equally fashionable and practical. It’s possible to discreetly breastfeedin public, without using an extra towel or blanket to mask. Great nursing tops occur in distinct varieties, some are only large shirts, some have a second layer in the front, so you can nurse and cover up with the second layer, and nevertheless others provide easy entry via openings at the top.

After making the choice to breastfeed your baby, it’s critical to ensure that you have the needed tops to make the course of action a straightforward one. The more time a person aims to nurse their child, the more critical it’s to have great nursing tops. Lately clothing designers have done an impressive job of making tops that are not only extremely practical to nursing mothers, but they are fashionable also.

Concealed Layers Provide Further Coverage.

One of the ways to stay protected is to put on a top that has a disguised extra layer in the front of the shirt. With this kind of shirt you lift the first layer up and cover your baby with it. Below you will come across a top with double openings for easy breastfeeding. With this variety of shirt, you can stay fully protected with the top layer of your shirt. The only downside is that in the beginning, it’s a little awkward to get used to finding where the openings are, so you may need to use a blanket for protection, while you are getting accustomed to making use of the shirt.

Pull Down Tops Give Easier Use.

Probably the easiest shirts to use are ones that have some kind of closure at the top that you are able to open to permit easy entry for breastfeeding. With this variety of shirt you are the most exposed, so if you are a modest person you will certainly need some kind of cover up, but the simplicity of use is second to none. These types of shirts either have a double opening in an under layer for ease of access or they have a closure that you open up for the feeding, so that you don’t loosen up the fabric of the shirt.

The Oversized Shirt.

If you are strictly looking for a practical top, go ahead and try out an oversized T-Shirt. The wonderful thing is that any shirt that gives you some extra space will work. Your baby simply goes under your shirt, so you don’t have to worry about being covered up.

It Comes Down To Convenience.

The ideal nursing top is different for every person. The most essential things to look for have to do with each person individually. If you are a modest person, you will want the types of shirts that allow full protection; the pull down variety nursing tops won’t work for you. If you are more worried about fashion, pretty much any top will work; simply keep a blanket handy for when you need to cover up.

Discover more information and a selection of stylish Nursing Tops at Frugi

Purchasing the safest car seat is something that mandates a greater awareness of the field than most people have, as with the features offered by the different brands, styles and the important safety rules, it’s no simple choice. We’ll help by breaking down, piece by piece, the essentials to make it easier.

The finest child car seats, made by brands including Safety 1st, Graco, to name but a few, are meant for babies up to 20 pounds or 12 months. Remember, when choosing between available chairs, to decide on a preference between rear facing seats and forward facing chairs to avoid selecting something that doesn’t suit your preferences. Doubling up as a baby carrier, seats like this make it simpler to convey your child from place to place — without even waking.

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Enduring throughout the age bracket during which your child needs these seats, the higher price they go for is due to their being useful as long as required. As experienced parents can reveal, generally these chairs aren’t designed to be carried out of the vehicle. Car chair reviews are the optimal method of gaining a comprehension of just what each model offers and what aspects will be most useful. Plus, you’ll discover that examining car seat reviews offers an unbiased independent judgment assuring you that you’re purchasing a high quality seat. Created with larger children in mind, the booster seat takes over for your children when their weight reaches thirty pounds and will keep them safe until they no longer need these seats. Whether it’s via the utilization of the car’s integral safety belt or the five-point harness– booster seats fasten using one of two methods and either may give your little one greater comfort, so it’s clever to find out how each feels before your purchase. Another thing you’ll find from the reviews is that many of booster seats offer an inbuilt means of entertaining your toddler during a trip. We can’t deny that you have a tough decision ahead, due to the importance of finding something that suits your family, and your budget and lifestyle are hardly minor concerns. You’ll find your perfect solution through studying independent reviews.

Click here and visit this vast page for Cosco strollers for twins reviews products.

Purchasing the fittest car seat is something that relies on a greater understanding of the market than most people have, as with the features offered by the various brands, styles and the important safety rules, the decision really does matter. We’ll break down, one by one, the essentials to make it easier. Graco, Cosco, Disney; these and other brands manufacture high quality chairs targeting babies of up to 12 months or 20 pounds. Remember, when sorting through potential models, to think out a preference between rear facing seats and forward facing chairs so as not to settle on something that doesn’t suit your requirements. Doubling up as a baby carrier, a chair like this makes it less problematic to convey your baby from place to place — even without stirring.

Although they cost more convertible safety chairs will suit from the first trip until your little one leaves safety seats in the past. If you like the sound of a convertible chair but you also need a baby carrier, you’ve often got a choice to make.

Awareness of the notable features of any given model can most simply be drawn from the assorted comparisons and reviews, helping you identify not just the best chair but the best for your circumstances. Make your choice sure in the knowledge that most available reviews are independent pieces. Child booster chairs are engineered especially for children who weigh from around thirty pounds until they reach eighty pounds. You can choose between the five-point harness and those which use the car’s safety belt. To check your child will be comfortable, test both types out. Another thing you’ll find from the reviews is that the majority of these chairs have some inbuilt means of occupying your little one on your journeys.

Your budget, the needs of your family, the life you lead — all factors that need to be taken into account before the purchase of any chair, and this guide was written to make it quicker and easier. Just start by reading convertible safety chair and child seat ratings and reviews to pinpoint the best on offer.

Pushchairs are one of the necessities for every child. However, the varieties of pushchairs available in the market today make it difficult for the parents to choose the best one for their child. Quinny is one of the most popular pushchair brands in the market. Its products are lightweight, compact and sleek, and are well suited for parents from every walk of life.

Quinny pushchairs are divided into three categories - Urban Use, Quick Use and Heavy Use.

In the urban use range, one of the most popular pushchairs is Buzz, which is not just attractive but is also easy to open and operate. The automatic folding system and of this pushchair allows parents to open and close the pushchair with one hand. It is also lightweight and easily manoeuvrable on account of the double swivel wheel in the front. Though it is more suited for babies that are a few months old, when attached with the Dreami carrycot or the Cabrio car seat, it can serve the needs of even a new born baby.

Another stylish model offered by the brand is Zapp, which is a quick use pushchair. It is quite suited for travelling, as it is highly collapsible and can be fitted into a small space. It can also be used as a pram when combined with a Maxi-Cosi car seat. With its three wheels, it has a great suspension and makes travelling a comfortable experience for the baby.

Finally, Speedi SX from Quinny pushchairs is a heavy use pushchair that is ideal for babies above the age of six months. It is light in weight and is quite manoeuvrable. It can be used on any kind of surface and is suited for use in cities as well as towns.

Got a young toddler in your family? Well then perhaps you should consider buying a scooter. Tri scooters are fantastic for the general development of youngsters assisting them to get to grips with control and get them ready for their future experiences with a cycle when they are grow up.

Teaching a child to ride the greatest toy ever is simpler than most parents think. Each parent is proud to see there youngster ride their new toy. One of the easiest tactics when showing them how to ride is to start them out on a tri scooter. This is a scooter with a pair of wheels at one end and a single wheel at the other end. The great thing about a tri scooter is that the extra wheel gives it better stability so it makes it easier for very small children to learn to ride. Tri scooters come in a variety of styles as well, mostly based on common kids TV shows.

The entire concept of being nearer to the pavement and having one foot on the ground, gives them a much greater feeling of being in control. No need to stress over instructing them how to ride a scooter. A common technique is to let youngsters do what they do well. Just let them play. They will be riding that scooter in no time, usually within a week or so.

Tri scooter makers take utmost care to make the products appealable to the kids while still ensuring safety. And what is a better attraction to children than their loved TV characters?

Though themed differently, all of the tri scooters score high on safety and comfort. The body has been kept easy to handle and the scooter is extraordinarily transportable. The user comments for the scooters have been really positive with buyers loving their ability to engross the kids attention while still helping them learn some very important lessons.

Big Foot Relay. Get the children fetch two shoeboxes with them. Magnetic Tape the hats onto the boxes, then cut a one-inch-wide and four-inch long slit in each top. Have the contestants slip their feet into the slits in the boxes and race.

Name-It Ball. Have players form a circle. Give one player a rubber ball. That player selects a class, such as “candy bars.” He or she then bounces the ball to another player in the circle, who must catch the ball, submit an item from the category, such as “Snickers,” and keep the ball mobile to the next player. If the player can’t name an item, holds the ball too long, or repeats an item, he or she is out.

Pick Pocket Tag. Put a strip of cloth in each player’s back pocket. Have the players try to grab each other’s strips without having their own strip taken. The player with the most cloth strips wins the game.

Kill the Cockroach. Divide the actors into two teams. Line them up, one in front of the other and set an odd object in front of the first players in line. They must kick the object crossways the yard and the across the end line to win a point for their team. Kick things like a pillow, empty can, a sock, and so on.

You have probably come across potty training sticker charts and other rewards systems that parents use when potty training their children. Some parents will simply use the stickers as a reward, others will reward their child’s overall progress with a bigger prize or present (like a new toy) once they get a certain amount of stickers on their chart. Some parents are reporting success with using small candies like M&Ms as a reward for using the potty.

Is using a rewards system during potty training a good idea or are we just bribing our children? It’s a good question and of course brings up some valid concerns that you may have as a parent entering into the world of potty training.

You most definitely have to be careful how you use a rewards system when potty training. You want it to be encouraging, easy to attain the rewards, yet challenging enough to make your child try.

You apparently also have to be careful how you word the “terms” of the reward to your toddler. A friend of mine promised her boy a particular toy car that he wanted if he didn’t do number two in his pants for two weeks. The boy didn’t; in fact, he didn’t poop at all during those two weeks, which ended with an enema in the doctor’s office. Of course this story is a little extreme, but nevertheless it stresses the point that we need to be very clear with our kids about what we expect in return for the potty training reward.

For me personally, a combination of lots of verbal praise and a potty training chart that showed the child’s progress with stickers has worked best. But every child is different, has his or her own personality. Your child may respond better to a few M&Ms or a larger toy. Try what you feel would motivate your child the most. If it doesn’t seem to work, you can always move on to a different rewards system.

For more information about potty training, potty training tips, a free ecourse, and a potty training chart to help you potty train your child visit http://www.mypottytraining.com

As thousands of students are looking forward to the launch of their next school year - new school supplies, readying that new outfit or new uniform shirt, or just getting together with friends to embark on yet another scholastic roller coaster. There are many others, however, who look upon the beginning of school with trepidation.

They are the new kids, the shy kids, the kids who would rather be anyplace else but in school. Why? The reasons take on a myriad of variations, many grounded in plain old “coming of age” angst or the “end of summer” depression, but within this group there are some kids who are in a class all by themselves. These are the kids who, as a result of embarrassment, shame, or fear, have either been, or fear that they will be harmed by their peers, or worse yet, by themselves because they believe they are alone and “the problem” is to big for them or anyone to handle.

At first blush, you may be thinking I’m talking about “in the hood” gang crime. It’s nothing that obvious. In fact, this crime happens under the roofs in what appears to be happy families. This crime is insidious, cowardly, and criminal. There’s a ground swell of it within schools across this country. It’s called “Cyber Bullying”.

Cyber bullying takes what used to be schoolyard insults, pushing, and shoving to a whole new, expansive, and very dangerous level. The cyber bully uses email, chat rooms, instant messaging, cell phones and text messaging to insult, demean, threaten, humiliate, harass, deceive, impersonate, and in many cases, posts lewd or embarrassing photographs online of their peer - while hiding behind a veil of anonymity that the Internet provides.

On the middle school level, typical insults include comments like “U R ugly, U R fat, U R a liar, Nobody likes you”, however when kids reach 13, the comments are often sexual in nature, include profanity and detail true or untrue reports of promiscuity. Photos, which are sometimes altered, and video from cell phones are posted in emails and on familiar file sharing sites such as Myspace.com, Xanga.com, LiveJournal.com, Blogger.com, and others.

Even poor childish choices such as when a student puts up a website devoted to posting pictures of the ugliest or fattest kids in school, or when a 7th grade girl in Manhattan posted a video that a boy sent her of him serenading a song to her to her because he liked her and she didn’t like him back. It just seemed like a joke to her, that is, until it ended up being laughed at all over the Net. Needless to say, this young boy was devastated.

Unlike the schoolyard bully, these attacks aren’t by some scary kid wanting to push his weight around. They can be by anyone or no one that the child knows. Tragically, it’s sometimes by someone that the child thought was a friend. And unlike the schoolyard bully, a cyber bully can be comprised of one or many kids and by the time the posting hits the Net, literally thousands, if not millions of people have seen it, if it’s been shared around the world. And unlike the schoolyard bully, the cyber bully hits their victim in the sanctity of their own home or bedroom - where they feel that they can’t escape.

Suzanne Stanford, CEO of My Internet Safety Coach (http://www.myinternetsafetycoach.com) , notes: “Often, kids are afraid to tell their parents for fear that their computer will be taken away or that their parents will make the situation worse”. What they don’t realize is that unless the bullying stops immediately, it can escalate and leave permanent psychological scars.

That’s one of the reasons Ms. Stanford recommends Children’s Educational Network’s FREE Internet Filter and Parental Control software and there TUKI Browser for kids, available at http://www.TUKI.com.

Kids need to know how to navigate safely within this environment, so they’ll know how to prevent and protect themselves from these situations. Additionally, we make it very clear to kids who might want to engage in this type of activity, that there are severe personal consequences to their behavior.

For example, we want them to consider “before” they make poor choices that whatever is posted on the Net is there forever, and as much as they may regret later that they did this to someone, the damage is done and irreversible.” Experts in the field state that victims of these crimes suffer psychological trauma requiring professional help, have had to move to other schools, their mental state has resulted in their grades dropping to such a degree that they cannot qualify for college upon high school graduation; many are afraid to form close relationships with new people; and in more severe cases, suicide or murder has resulted.

These are not just childhood pranks. These are serious crimes, and several states are enacting laws, such as Florida, making these emails felonies. In Pennsylvania, cyber bullying, harassment and stalking carry stiff jail sentences and fines for those convicted.

Cyber bullies need to realize that they may be able to hide from their victims behind screen names, but they cannot hide from law enforcement. Mark Franek, Dean of Students at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, explained the process very well: “Each time the Internet is accessed, an IP (Internet Protocol) address is established. The 12 numerals punctuated by the 3 periods is the electronic fingerprint that can be accessed by the authorities to trace all electronic communications between computers and/or mobile phones. No computer or mobile phone - or its user - is really anonymous in cyberspace.”

According to a survey conducted in June of 2000 by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on 1,500 children aged 10-17, 1 in 17 youths had been threatened or harassed over the Internet and about one-third of those found the incidents extremely distressing. A study in Britain in 2004 by NCH, a British children’s charity, found that 1 in 4 students had been bullied online.

According to a CBS 2 (television) Special Report, conducted in 2005, more than 50% of 4-8th grade students have been bullied online. A recent nationwide survey of children and pre-teens by i-Safe America found that 57% of kids in grades 4-8 said someone had said hurtful or angry things to them online, 13% “quite often”; 53% admitted to saying mean or hurtful things to others, 7% “quite often”; 35% had been threatened online, 5% “quite often”; 42% had been bullied online, 5% “quite often”; and 58% had not told their parents or another adult about receiving mean or hurtful comments. In the UK, 33% of 9-to-19-year-olds who use email, chat, IM, and/or text messaging phones at least once a week “have been sent nasty or hurtful messages, and only 4% of parents say their child’s been bullied online, according to very recent research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Internet and cell phones have become, in large part, the fabric of the social lives of tweens and teens. As such, they are prime targets for this kind of attack. The first thing kids need to understand about Instant Messaging, and blogs (web logs) or live journals, is that the more personal information you give someone, the more it can be used against you by not only those whom you wanted to read it, but by others whom you didn’t. Whenever you type something online and press “send”, you have just given up your privacy. Additionally, people online will pose to be people they aren’t for purposes of deception and in many cases, to commit crimes - often stealing someone’s identity in the process.

Some helpful tips for kids and teens regarding Cyber Bullying:

• Know that there are ALWAYS people available to help you that will make cyber bullies stop. These people are law enforcement; your school teacher, school counselor, principal; your parents or a nurturing, responsible adult; Cyber crime reporting sites such as: www.cybertipline.org, www.wiredsafety.net, www.KidSafe.com and safety@worldkids.net.

• Don’t give out any personal information such as your name, your school’s name or the name of any of the sports teams in which you play, your home telephone or cellular phone number, your address– including the city where your other parent lives if they are divorced, your parent’s office address, or the address of your school.

• Don’t ever use your real name as your user or screen name.

If you find that you are a victim of cyber bullying:

• Do not respond to the harassers directly because that is exactly what they want. Don’t give them the pleasure of knowing that you’re upset by it — Stay cool.

• Save and print out all messages - DO NOT ERASE THE EMAILS.

• Report this crime to the police. If possible, report it as it is happening.

• Take notes: State the name of the harassers, if you know it, and all the details about the incident(s)

• If you are afraid to call the police, email a report of the incident(s) to cyber crime reporting sites such as: www.cybertipline.org, www.wiredsafety.org, or safety@worldkids.net.

REMEMBER: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR ONLINE EXPERIENCE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR YOU TO BE VERBALLY ABUSED OR THREATENED

If you want to BLOCK USERS from contacting you via email, do the following:

• Look for the “Block” button. Sometimes it is in your Inbox.

• You block someone by highlighting or checking the box next to their email and then clicking on the Block button. When you do this, all the emails form the address you blocked will not go through to your Inbox.
In Outlook Express, you go to a “Blocked Senders List”. To do this, do the following:
Click on:
• “Tools”

• “Message Rules”

• “Blocked Senders List”
• Click on “Add”
• Type in the persons email address in the box, or right click on the name of the person in your contact list.
• Click either “Mail Messages” to block only emails; “News Messages”, if you want to block communication from a news group or someone in a newsgroup; or “Mail and News Messages”, to block the persons personal email and communication via the news group.

If you’re still getting messages from someone who is harassing you online, after you do the above, change your email address.

It’s an unsettling thought for any parent to think that their child may be a victim of a Cyber Bully, or be one. As difficult as it may be to consider, parents and teachers alike need to talk about this subject at home and in the classroom. We need to raise awareness of this issue and be pro-active. At present, lawmakers are drafting laws to prevent and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes. Education, Vigilance, and strict laws are key in disarming bullies.

Greg Writer is currently the CEO and Founder of Children’s Educational Network, a company dedicated to protecting children online and is a dynamic speaker, author, teacher and coach with over 23 years experience in executive level management. More information at http://www.tuki.com and http://www.gregwriter.com.

Yesterday was the last day of ‘Who Cares?’ for my oldest child. Today is his first day of high school. From now on, his choices will have a long-term effect on his life. Nothing will ever be the same for him.

Our culture doesn’t make a big deal of that moment when a teen is officially considered an adult. Many older more traditional cultures have ceremonies and such so the teen and everyone around him knows from that day forward he is considered an adult and is expected to behave as such. By the time they’re old enough to move out, they’ve had a few years to get comfortable with the idea that they’re adults. In America, we just say that at the age of eighteen you are old enough to vote, to get married, to serve your country, to go to jail, and to move out of your parent’s home. There’s no ceremony, no transition, no empowering.

If we’re honest, we have to admit that by the time our children enter into high school, our influence has seriously dropped off. That’s not to say that our love, presence, and role modeling isn’t still crucial. It’s just that we’ve already taught them most of the really important stuff that we were going to teach them. We’ve taught them to believe in themselves, or we haven’t. We’ve taught them about religion, or we haven’t. We’ve taught them the Golden Rule, or we haven’t. We’ve taught them to say no to drugs and premarital sex, or we haven’t. You get the idea. By the time our children are entering into high school they know what we think of life and what we think of them. They know if our approach to life and towards them is basically optimistic or not. They know if we value higher education or not.

I told my son the truth, “From the day you walk through those doors into high school, I no longer have any real control over your life. You’re in charge. If you decide to flunk out of school, there’s really nothing I can do about it. If you decide to blow off my rewards and punishment systems, there really isn’t a damn thing I can do to stop you. If you blow your grades, all I can do is deny you driving privileges. Legally, I don’t have to let you drive. Otherwise, I can’t really do much to force you to be a good student. I can’t force you to stay clean and sober. I can’t force you to surround yourself with quality people.

You stand four inches taller than me and weigh as much as I do. What am I going to do? Spank you? Put you in time out? I can ground you only if you agree with me that you should be grounded and only if you choose to honor my authority. I can’t physically force you to stay home at night. I can’t physically force you to show up for classes. Your size alone dictates that I no longer have power over you. I can only lead from a place of having earned your respect.

Up until now, nobody really cared what kind of grades you got. The grades you get now effects whether or not you get into a college. The grades you get now effects whether or not you get scholarship money. Whether or not you join in student government, compete in sports, participate in the arts, it all matters now. The grades you get and the activities you choose to participate in now effects your placement in society when that eighteenth birthday hits.

Will you be a high school dropout or going away to the school of your choice entering into a field of study that fascinates you? Will there be scholarship money to pay for your schooling or will you be forced to struggle and work your way through school? The grades you get now effects how hard will you have to work in the future. The better your grades, the more activities you excel in, and the longer you stay in school, the easier you will have it later.

From this day forward, you’re in charge of your destiny. You decide. How much paid vacation do you want as an adult? How many nice toys will you be able to purchase? How nice of a place will you live in? How important are expensive clothes to you? How many hours per week will you want to work to support your children? Will you travel? Will you love your job? You actually have the power now to start choosing for yourself and designing for yourself what your future will look like. You do not have the freedoms nor the responsibilities of an adult yet, but you do have the power to create your own dreams. That means that from this point forward you are really secretly in charge of your future

As a toddler, I taught you society’s opinions of right and wrong. As a child, I taught you the laws of cause and effect. Throughout the process, I did my best to help you find your unique and beautiful authentic self. You aren’t legally free to leave and do as you please, but you are now at that point where I have to teach you how to create a life for yourself that is meaningful and worthy of you and your incredible heart. From this day forward, you get to choose your soul’s journey.

Yesterday, you played at the beach as a carefree child. Today, you began your journey into adulthood. From this point forward people are watching, they care about your work ethic, your personal conduct, who you surround yourself with, and who you have chosen to become. You have four years to design and build your wings. They will carry you when you leave the nest. Choose wisely, my dear.

Who cares? You do.”

Copyright 2003, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas began writing books and articles with an everyday practical approach to spirituality, motivation, and inspiration in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, motivation, and parenting. More of her articles can be found at www.tomorrowsedge.net as well as free previews of her books.

skye@tomorrowsedge.net

Caps Gowns

Graduation accessories like caps, gowns, tams, cords and mortarboards are available in many classes of textiles and worth levels. College and university gowns and caps give both specialized and traditional academic ceremonial clothing a sense of recognition. The commencement and conclusion of the event will make family and the friends of the graduates really appreciate the value of the ceremony. With regalia like
caps gowns

and the standardized graduation dress code, the graduation ceremony is ranked as the most important occasions on the academic calendar. The cost of the academic regalia involved has gone down as more and more people pursue higher education. It is no longer just a small number of privileged individuals who get to wear the legendary graduation gown. Frequently observed during graduation ceremonies, the caps, gowns and mortarboards among other regalia are available in different colors ranging from black to white, gold to silver, blue to grey and so on, depending on the specific academic award that someone has managed to attain. Presently, the collection includes gowns with different hoods and caps classified as tams, bonnets or mortarboards. From the graduation outfit to the pomp and pageantry of the event, the ceremony can be quite memorable.

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