Here is what we covered this week
Monday
Drinking Alcohol While Pregnant? - Some doctors say it’s alright to have the occasional drink while your pregnant, but is it?
Safe Toys - Understanding some of the toxic stuff that goes into making your children’s toys

Tuesday
Cute Mommy Wear - Clothes that let the world know what we are thinking
Taggies - Cute toys with tags sewn all over for baby to chew
Teething - My son just will not cut any teeth
Women In Labour Crashes Car - Rushing to the hospital a huge contraction causes young girl to crash her car and deliver in the front seat

Wednesday
Garage Sale Finds - Help with safety info when your picking up garage sale finds for your baby
ALEX Children’s Cooking Sets Recalled

Thursday
Look But Don’t Touch - My quest to stop strangers from touching my baby
Beauty Without Bites - A great moisturizer/bug repellent that is great for all ages
Cuddly Organic Lamb - Environmentally friendly and great to hug

Friday
Photo of the Week
A Great E-mail - “A baby to god”
Maternity Leave - We are lucky in Canada to get our 52 weeks, see how the rest of the world fares
Friday Fun Read - Emily Giffin Baby Proof
White Lies Good for Child Development - Could the tooth fairey stories be good for your kids development?

I thought that in this day in age, 52 weeks was standard for most countries until a friend of mine who lives in the U.S. told me different. She had just delivered 10 weeks prior to our visit and was only going to be off for 2 more weeks. I was shocked. How can a country the size of the U.S. expect to have children that are raised properly by only giving their new moms 12 weeks off? Not only do they only get 12 weeks but, they do not receive any compensation for that time off as well, unless their company chooses to pay them. Out of 168 nations in a Harvard University study last year, 163 had some form of paid maternity leave, leaving the United States in the company of Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. A country that size, that is responsible for a good portion of the wealth in the world should have some infrastructure to allow new mothers at least 6 months off with their baby.

It made me realize that as Canadians we were very lucky to have a government that valued the relationship between parent and child. The first 15 weeks is maternity leave(just for mom) and the second 35 weeks is parental leave(can be shared by mom and dad). Having a full year off allows you to be there during the most important developmental stages. This may also be why Canadians have a higher breastfeeding percentage than Americans.

There are also many other countries who give their moms a good maternity leave. Denmark 50 weeks, Italy 47, Finland 44, Norway 42, United Kingdom 40 and Czech Republic 28. Norway leads the world in financial compensation for new moms at $18,750 per 6 months. Italy and Sweden follow with $15,000.

It has been rumoured that the goverment is considering a 2 year leave for Canadian moms. We all know that would be wishfull thinking. I can’t imagine your company would be able to save your exact job for that long. You would need to be retrained when you come back and after being off for 2 years your company may not be in business.

Source
Source

PHOTO CREDIT: www.greetingcards.com

Parents are encouraged not to feel guilty for telling their children white lies- apparently they are good for their development by protecting their innocence and stimulating their imagination says Dr Aric Sigman, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Member of the Institute of Biology.

Dr. Sigman Believes that children need to be protected from harsh realities.

Telling white lies to children does not encourage dishonesty because they instinctively know the difference a white lie and a proper lie. As they develop the distinction becomes greater and greater. There is never a need to sit them down a explain the difference, they just pick it up.

Photocredit:free clipart

SOURCE: Female First