When I was small I used to scoot around the house and even the driveway in my baby walker. So naturally after I had my son I looked into getting one for him and hit a wall. They’re BANNED in Canada (where I live).

Banned? Why? At first it appeared that too many kids were rolling down stairs in them so the Canadian Government pulled them off the shelves. They have been deemed a hazardous product. I’m confused - a hazardous product?

The Health Canada website says that if you have one you must destroy it. Are they that bad? On my last trip over the border shopping Babies R Us had 3 different models. I was tempted to just buy one then our Occupational Therapist said that they are in fact bad for development. They reduce the opportunity to learn to crawl, gain a sense of balance, stand up on their own and lifts the baby up to a level that they are not prepared to be at. This makes them now able to grab a scalding cup of coffee or hazardous chemicals. 30-40% of infants who use walkers will have an accident. Infants are able to move at speeds of 1 meter/second and not even the most attentive parent can react fast enough to prevent an injury.

Could the Canadian Government be onto something? They are the first country to ban the safe importation and advertisement of baby walkers. This also extends to second hand and modified walkers. With this all being old news why am I posting this now?

Most new parents grew up scooting all over the place in their walkers. Their parents probably have pictures of them standing in their walkers so naturally you would want that to be a part of your babies’ memories as well. There have been many ideas as to why Canadians were not able to buy them.

I personally had no idea the little monkeys could go so fast in them. That alone could take off a toe. Everything else makes sense and I am glad that we went with the exersaucer because I take comfort in knowing that my son will be where I left him when I come back.

Related:

• Ivillage article
• American Academy of Pediatrics article

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You are now 6 months pregnant and knee deep in baby decisions. When surfing the net you come across alternative forms of birthing. There are more than one? Waterbirths are increasingly becoming popular due to the comfort factor for mom. They are also believed to be a gentler, slower introduction to life for the baby. I have seen the waterbirths done on T.V. but didn’t give it a second thought until I saw that only 10% of women who do a water birth need painkillers during labour. Could that be right?

Yup! Water is said to be a natural pain killer.

80% of women who have done a water birth say they would give birth that way again and rate their overall experience as positive. There were no differences in APGAR scores, NICU admissions, and neonatal infections when comparing water immersion births to regular deliveries.

Potential Advantages of Water Immersion

The buoyancy of water enables a mother to move more easily;

Blood pressure is lowered;

Comfort & relaxation may be enhanced;

Maternal sense of control may increase, which in turn enhances emotional well-being;

Pain may be diminished;

The need for pharmacological pain relief may be reduced;

Length of labour may be reduced;

Improved perineal stretching may reduce trauma;

Operative births may be reduced.

Potential Disadvantages

Decrease in uterine contraction strength and frequency, especially if used before active labour is established;

Neonatal water aspiration; at least two cases have been recorded

Maternal hyperthermia may contribute to fetal hypoxemia (water should be kept at 36-37.5 and monitored by a floating thermometer)

Neonatal hypothermia is possible if water temperature is too cool;

Cord immersion in warm water may delay vasoconstriction, increasing red cell transfusion to the newborn and promoting jaundice;

Blood loss estimation and assessment is difficult in the water;

Maternal and Neonatal infection may be increased; not supported by the evidence

Theoretical risk of maternal water embolus;

Risk of acquiring blood born infection or sustaining back injury for caregivers.

Rules:

1. Fetal heat should be monitored by waterproof doppler.
2. Shouldn’t enter tub until active labour has begun.
3. Must drink lots of fluid and leave tub to urine.
4. Alternative birth place must be set up outside the tub.
5. Placenta must be delivered outside the tub.
6. The baby should be born completely underwater with no air contact until the head is brought to the surface, as air and temperature change may stimulate breathing and lead to water aspiration.
7. At birth the baby’s head must be brought to the surface immediately.
8. Watch baby’s temperature carefully to prevent hypothermia.
   

Where is this done? While most hospitals have tub in some of the rooms for comfort the actual delivery is done outside the tub. Most are performed at home with midwives.

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Now that you have a baby it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your personal style in order to lug around all of their gear. Diaper bags are now being designed to look like trendy purses with baby perks inside. These great diaper bags are stylish and all have bottle holders, a place to hold diapers and a change mat too!!

Fleurville “Mothership” - PVC free - Great for mommies with one than one baby, spacious - comes in 11 different patterns. Retail 139.99 U.S.

Fleurville - Sling Tote - PVC Free - Great for mommies on the go can be worn over your shouder or it clips onto your stroller - comes in 16 patterns. Retail 139.95 U.S.

Kate Spade - Dot Noel Large Baby Messenger - Sling over the shoulder bag appropriate for special events - colors pink(shown) and Chocolate. Retail 193.00(sale)

OiOi - Floral Back and Charcoal Carry-All - an Australian company - Has a Manhattan Girl Feel - Comes in 4 colours/patterns. Retail 159.00 Aus

JPLizzy - Chocolate classic Tote - Big , Spacious and classy - colors Baby Blue(shown) and Brown. Retail 94.00

Petunia Pickle Bottom - Blossom Roll - Very Chic and easy to tote - Comes in 6 designs. Retail 175.00 U.S.

Bugaboo - Diaper Bag - A trendy bag to match your stroller - Base of the bag is grey but the flap comes in red, green, sand, blue(shown)and grey. Retail 150.00 cdn

Daddy Diaper Bags for the dad that like to take the baby out and about without looking cute and frilly.

Diaper Dude - Black Bag - very popular comes with various symbols on the bag in many prints most of which are sold out. Retail 55.00 U.S.

Fleurville - “DJ” (diaper jam) Bag - PVC free over the shoulder model - comes in black and camouflage (shown). Retail 119.95 U.S.

Eddie Bauer - Medina Backpack Diaper Bag - Keeps hands free for handling of more than than one child - Comes in the color shown. Retail 34.99 U.S.

Baby Bjorn Diaper Bag - Very spacious and inconspicuous looks almost like a camera bag - comes in Grey, Navy, Black (all shown). Retail 79.99 U.S.