With the U.S. Thanksgiving just around the corner and the cold weather starting to arrive, winter vacation season is on its way. Travel in North America is back to pre 9/11 volumes.

Here are some helpful tips on travelling with your baby that will hopefully make your vacation easier.

1. Rent Your Baby Equipment - This is the BEST service offered to parents travelling with young children. In most major cities across North America there are companies that will rent you everything from your stroller, crib, swing to a wagon, books and toys. It can be pricey if you need everything, but it is worth it. The level of stress involved in lugging half of your babies equipment across North America could ruin your whole vacation. These companies will drop off the stuff you order at your hotel and pick it up when you are done. Check here for a baby rental company where you are going. www.thenewparentsguide.com
2. Bring Your Infant’s Food With You - If you are travelling within your own country, you may be okay. If you are going from U.S. to Canada, vice versa or down south don’t assume the food your child is accustomed to, will be available. Each country has different variations of the same thing. It may look the same to you, but your baby might notice the difference and decide they don’t like it. You don’t want to be stranded a long way from home with a child who won’t eat.
3. Come Prepared - Always carry a small first aid kit in your suitcase. With airline restrictions you will not be able to get it on the plane in your carry-on. This kit should include the basics, Baby Tylenol, thermometer, polysporin, band aids, ear drops and antibacterial wipes. You can just put it all in a pencil case so that you are prepared for any disaster.
4. Headed To The Beach? - Water Shoes, A big hat, sunscreen and SPF clothing. These items are a must whether you are headed to a resort or just grammas pool. If your kids are running though the sand or along the deck by the pool, their feet need to be protected from broken glass and anything else that is lying around. Try to find a hat that covers the neck area and a cover-up that has an SPF assigned to it, preferably 50. Just because your child is wearing a shirt doesn’t mean they can’t get burnt through it, especially if they are in the water. The average t-shirt only has an SPF of 10. Don’t take any chances. After your child is six months old you can start to apply sunscreen. It doesn’t matter which brand you buy just make sure it has both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, they sit on top of the skin, forming a barrier against the sun’s rays. Before your child is six months old keep them out of the direct sun all together, they may fare better in a beach tent or something that will shield them from the sun.
5. It’s All About The Concierge - Before you arrive at your hotel use the concierge to help with any questions you have about amenities in the area. If you are staying at a good hotel you will know by the level of knowledge your concierge has. He/she will know the best restaurants in the area for families plus they also may be able to arrange for in-house babysitting if you want a nice evening alone with your partner.

Quick tips:

Bring a snuggli or bjorn with you for the airport. The baby will be able to face out and see everything and you will have your hands free to help with the luggage and other kids.

Bring your car seat from home if you are renting a car. The airline will check it for you and you can pick it up with your luggage when you arrive. It will be a seat you are familiar with therefore you will install it correctly. Some rental companies charge up to $10 per day to use theirs.

If you are crossing the border make sure you have passports. New laws in both Countries state that everyone needs a passport to cross the border as of Jan/07.

To find out what is acceptable in your carry on bag now go to this website: www.about.com

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I cannot wait to see this adorable movie. March of the penguins was intense, this movie brings those incredible creatures to life and make us laugh at the same time!!

This is the extended trailer. Enjoy!

I am not sure how I feel about this study. The journal Obstetrics & Gynecology is reporting that amniocentesis performed during the fourth through sixth month of pregnancy, known as the “midtrimester,” does not increase the rate of miscarriage.

Amniocentesis involves the insertion of a needle into the mother’s abdomen and then into the uterus to obtain a sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing baby. This fluid can be analyzed to determine the presence of chromosome disorders, such as Down’s syndrome, as well as the sex of the baby.

Although the pregnancy loss rate attributed to midtrimester amniocentesis is usually quoted as just 0.5 percent, the authors point out, many doctors still consider this to be an overestimate.

To investigate further, Dr. Keith A. Eddleman from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York and colleagues used a large database to estimate the pregnancy loss rate after midtrimester amniocentesis. About 3,000 women who underwent amniocentesis were compared with more than 31,000 who did not.

Pregnancy loss was rare in women who underwent amniocentesis and the rate was comparable to that seen in women who did not have the procedure, suggesting that amniocentesis itself really didn’t raise the risk of pregnancy loss.

In fact, among women older than 35 years old, the loss rate after amniocentesis (1.06 percent) was actually lower than the loss rate for women who did not undergo amniocentesis (1.92 percent), the researchers note.

Eddleman told Reuters Health that “we need to move away from the concept of using age alone to determine who should be offered amniocentesis.”

Overall, the researchers conclude that “this study provides the best possible contemporary information about procedure-related loss rates after amniocentesis and calls into question the relevance of commonly quoted higher loss-rates from older studies.”

The only part of this is not included in this study is complications. Here is a list of complications and/or risks to having the procedure done.

• Bleeding, cramping, and leaking fluid from the vagina – these symptoms, which occur in about 1% of women having amniocentesis, do not usually result in a miscarriage. If you have these symptoms, call your doctor.
• Infection – great care is taken to prevent this. Therefore, infection after an amniocentesis is very rare.
• Harm to the fetus – since the ultrasound picture gives the doctor exact information about the location of the fetus inside the uterus, the risk that the needle will touch the fetus is extremely low.
• Repeat testing – very rarely, the doctor cannot obtain enough amniotic fluid, or the laboratory test for some reason cannot be done. Neither of these means that something is necessarily wrong with the pregnancy, but the amniocentesis will have to be repeated.

Although some of these complications are rare, an amniocentesis can have an effect on your pregnancy. Leaking fluid is something that cannot be fixed and an infection can cause the baby to arrive too early.

SOURCE:MEDLINEPLUS

SOURCE:SWEDISH MEDICAL CENTER