Buy A Fire Resistant Tree
Check the box/packaging for a label that clearly states it. Keep your tree away from sources of heat such as fireplaces, radiators and portable heaters. Don’t smoke near it and keep any candles or live flames away. If you buy a fresh tree, make sure it’s green and the needles are hard to pull off. Fewer fallen needles mean fewer potential accidents (especially if your baby or toddler decides to swallow them)

Use Non-Flammable Decorations
Don’t put lit candles on your evergreen as it’ll go up in smoke. Buy plastic tinsel and nonleaded trimmings (lead fumes are incredibly toxic) Put anything with small parts higher up the tree, so your baby and toddler can’t reach it. Don’t buy anything that could be mistaken for food. Throw away any packaging and broken decorations.

Buy Certified Lights
Make sure your lights are certified to international safety standards such as CSA International, UL, or ELT. These will comply with strict standards for safety and are a better investment. Inspect lights for broken bulbs, frayed wires and any loose connections (even if you’ve just bought them) and if you’re hanging them outside, make sure they’re for outdoor use. Always use circuit breakers for outdoor lights to avoid electric shocks.

Lights Out
Turn off the Christmas tree and outdoor lights when you go to sleep or are out. Don’t risk starting a fire.

Buy Suitable Toys
Toys intended for older children may have small parts toddlers and babies can swallow. Don’t give them anything that can be plugged into a mains socket and avoid toys with strings longer than 12 inches to prevent strangulation. Dispose of any loose ribbons and strings. Keep batteries and magnets away from young children. Swallowing these will make them seriously ill.

Check Your Smoke Alarms
Check your alarms regularly. You don’t want to be asleep if any accidents happen. Buy new batteries if needed.

Wash Hands Thoroughly
Ensure poultry and meats are fully cooked, fruit and vegetables are washed. Make sure raw and cooked foods are kept separate. Keep your child out of the kitchen to prevent accidents. Make sure hot liquids/food are kept away from the counter edge. Be careful when thawing food.

Clean Immediately
There may be things your child could choke on, so get rid of any loose food after a party and avoid exposure to tobacco and alcohol. Remember that your friends and relatives homes may not be childproofed, so be observant. Keep a list of emergency numbers to hand.

Dispose of Wrapping
Get rid of any wrapping paper, bows, ribbons etc after the gifts have been opened to avoid suffocation. They pose a fire hazard if near a fireplace/open flame.

Clean Fireplace
Make sure the fireplace is clean before lighting it. Ensure there are no papers or decorations inside it. Keep a gas fireplace behind glass and do not use it if the glass is cracked or broken.

Contributed by Claire who authors the blog over at AuPair.org

New Year’s parties are a staple of the holiday season, bringing the old year to a close and celebrating the fresh, New Year that is quickly coming in. If you are planning to throw a party to ring in the New Year, here are some great ways to go this time around…

Throw a Dinner Party
For those who want to celebrate the beginning of the New Year with just a few close friends or family members, a dinner party might be just the way to go. You can create the entire spread yourself, have it catered, or go potluck, if your guests don’t mind participating in assembling the feast. Just make sure that you have plenty of activities and things to do, whether its games or movies, to keep everyone entertained until the clock hits midnight.

The End of the World – Again!
With all of the fuss about 2012 in the news and in films, 2012 New Years party supplies are sure to be hot this year. An ‘end of the world’ party can be sarcastic or silly, depending on how you want to play it. Decorate with Mayan glyphs, the four horsemen, volcanoes, aliens, or bomb shelter-themed supplies, depending on which way you think the world should end. You could bake an earthquake cake, have chocolate lava cupcakes, and set out a bowl of ‘radioactive’ green punch. Having a refreshments table stocked with MREs is a cute idea, but make sure you have something more appetizing too. Tissue paper flames are an easy decoration, as well. Having films with apocalyptic plots playing in the background of your party can help to add to the atmosphere.

Have a Ball
If you want to do something particularly classy, consider throwing a ball gala as your New Year’s party. Include instructions in your invitations to dress in formal wear, if you wish it to be a black tie event. A masque ball is a great idea for a party kicking off the New Year, as well. You can instruct your guests to simply bring a mask or go all out in costume for the night.

Baby New Year and Father Time
The new year is embodied by Baby New Year, a metaphor for all of the potential that the beginning of the year holds and the ability to start fresh. The year going out is equated with Father Time, who has grown wiser as the year progressed. Consider creating a party theme with these two iconic figures. Whether you simply decorate with the theme or ask your guests to come dressed up as their choice of one or the other, you can create a party that your guests won’t soon forget.

Counting down from ten to that first kiss of the year is an opportunity to bring friends and family together for a big blowout, allowing everyone to start the New Year off right. Whether you want to have a serious, romantic New Year’s party or go silly and wild, the possibilities are virtually endless.

Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine on Flickr

Mild Detergents
Detergents with harsh additives can be irritating to newborn skin. Therefore, it is important to use only mild products specifically manufactured to soften fabric. Those products contain as few additives that could result in irritation as possible. It should be kept in mind; however, that these types of detergents also contain fewer alkaline properties than other laundry detergents. As a result, their cleaning properties are often not that strong. Consequently, you may need to endure a few stains. Of course, other products can be used for treating stains, but once again; it is important to use only the mildest products.

Unscented Products
Make an attempt to avoid any products that contain perfumes and dyes, which can be irritating to extremely sensitive skins. You should also watch for any possible signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a rash. If you do notice anything questionable, such as dry, patchy skin or tiny red bumps, contact your doctor.

Read Labels!
Remember that you should carefully read the care label of any garment prior to washing it for the first time. Baby sleepwear often requires special care due to the fact that it is manufactured to be flame-resistant. There are some detergents that can interfere with flame retardant clothing.
You might also consider laundering your baby’s laundry in your washer dryer separately from the other family’s laundry, especially if you use a mild soap.

The Pains of Stains
Anticipate stains as being a common problem with baby laundry. If fast action is taken, it is often possible to prevent stains from setting into your baby’s clothing and becoming permanent. The most important step in preventing stains is to pre-soak stained clothing in cool water. Oftentimes, water is sufficient for removing many stains; particularly formula and drool. Even difficult stains will often loosen to some degree when soaking in water.

You might also try using a nylon brush with soft bristles and some mild soap to gently work at spots. Make sure you do not scrub at the spot however, as this could possibly cause damage to the fabric. For stains with proteins, including formula, breast milk, spit-up and food stains, the best course of action is to first soak the garment in plain water and then treat using an enzyme based cleaner. Oily, greasy stains that result from baby oils and creams should be first covered with talcum powder to help in absorbing the oil.

Before placing clothing in the dryer, always check to make sure there are no remnants of the stain. If any of the stain does remain, you run the risk of making it permanent if you place it in the dryer. You may need to use a slightly stronger stain treatment product. Keep in mind however, that if you do use a stronger product, you should always thoroughly rinse the garment before allowing it near baby’s delicate skin.

So you have already decided not to use traditional child care centers for childcare because you want the caregiver to come to you and not visa-versa. And having a grandparent, relative, or close-friend watch your children is impossible. When finding the close-to-perfect nanny, it is important to find one with an early childhood education and experience working with various ages.

There are various agencies and organizations, depending on state, that supply parents with information to make informed decisions on whether to hire a babysitter, nanny, or family member or to find the right child care center. Many parents are unaware that babysitters and nannies that choose to take care of only one family’s children are almost always considered non-exempt child caregivers. Basically, non-exempt caregivers are license exempt, informal childcare givers, and regulation exempt except for a select few agencies, depending on state that work to create regulations for these nannies to follow.

Some states like California have created voluntary registries, where qualified and safe non-exempt nannies are listed for parents to view and choose. These nannies have been successfully fingerprinted, background checked, criminally investigated, and has not had child abuse show up in their histories.

While it is easy for parents to dismiss employing a nanny once they learn that almost all nannies are non-exempt caregivers, the non-exempt status of nannies, under no circumstance, means they are a dangerous, bad caregiver. The key for parents is to find a nanny with additional experience and an early childhood education that also meets these qualifications:

Qualifications of Good Non-Exempt Nannies

1.) CPR/AED/First Aid trained.
2.) Continues to take educational course and safety seminars.

3.) Has a flexible schedule, where they will work around your needs completely.
4.) Has direct experience taking care of a wide range of ages.

5.) Has direct experience with taking care of both boys and girls.

6.) Passes a background, criminal, drug, and child-abuse test.

7.) Supplies a resume with references of happy parents.

8.) Is willing to meet the children and do a test day before hired.

Depending on the state you live in, you might be able to bypass step six and consult a private, state directory to see if your nanny has passed these tests successfully. Besides consulting websites for information about nannies and state-specific agencies and directories, it is a good idea to become familiar with other child care options, even those that have already been ruled out. For instance, the advantage with taking children to a day care center is that the children experience social interactions with other children their age and child care centers must employ licensed caregivers.

One of the major drawbacks to taking children to early childhood centers is that parents often worry or experience their children getting sick more often or not getting along with the multiple caregivers or other children. Plus there is the expense of commuting, gas, and coordinating drop-offs and pick-ups between parents. Parents would rather spend the money in different ways, whether that’s on games, toys, or books for the nanny to use with the children at home or healthy snack foods the nanny gives to the children each day.

At a day care center, parents are subjected to having the caregivers give games, toys, and foods the childcare center thinks are good objects. In home nannies allow parents to expose their children to the kind of everyday stuff they wish their children to have. The main problem parents often have with family, friends, or relatives becoming a caregiver is that it often, overtime, creates friction and unnecessary rafts that hurt relationships.

When parents educate themselves about non-exempt caregivers, consult the advice of state-specific directories , andfollow some easy-to-use steps to hire the right nanny, the word non-exempt becomes a whole lot less scary and practically meaningless.

When our children grow up however and start to fly the nest, many mums and dads think about
returning to their careers. However, for some, the prospect of returning to their old careers isn’t all
that appealing and this is where franchising can be a fantastic option.

Many people dream of doing the things that they love as their jobs and setting up their own
businesses, doing just that. However, starting your own business can be a scary prospect and the
financial overheads can be too much for some to even consider.

Franchising is basically a way to run your own business, but with the backing of a successful business
model and lower set up costs to help you get started. It’s a bit like a cross between being your own
boss and working for a company. There are two different types of franchise models to choose from
and these are business franchising and product/trade franchising.

With business franchising the franchisee is given trademarks and logos to use to establish
themselves as part of a brand name, as well as a framework to work with. Business franchises
also offer additional training, support and advice. The franchisee will pay royalties in these kind of
franchises, plus an initial upfront fee to set up the business.

Product/trade franchises do not include royalty fees, instead the franchisor provides a product to
be sold as well as logos an advertising, helping the franchisee to secure their business in different
locations.

Franchising can cover a multitude of different business sectors, with everything from fast food to
art, crafts and design. Whatever you like to do, why not make it into a business by setting up your
own franchise? There are websites dedicated to parents looking to set up their own franchise such
as http://www.workingmums.co.uk where you can find more information about types of franchises
and how to get involved.

While pregnancy and childbirth bring unending joy to mothers and families, there are also some physical effects on mothers that can be a bit difficult to cope with. Many women find that, following pregnancy, their bodies are simply not the same for a variety of reasons. Of course, this is not difficult to understand, and for some people it is easy to accept. However, many women become frustrated with their post-pregnancy bodies, and wish to change them back to what they were once familiar with. This is where “mommy makeovers” come in handy. For specific information on some procedures that can be helpful for mothers looking to restore their bodies, you may want to check out aboutplasticsurgery.com. In the meantime, however, here are a few potential options in a mommy makeover.

It goes without saying that one major change following a pregnancy is extreme, quick weight loss. Not only do you lose the physical weight of the baby once you give birth, but you also stop “eating for two,” and you will in all likelihood see dramatic changes in your body type as you begin to revert back to your standard, pre-pregnancy weight. This involves work, as well, as weight loss, even following pregnancy, is not an automatic process. However, when you do lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time, there is sometimes an issue with excess skin being left over.

Fortunately, to help with these types of issues, there are procedures such as “tummy tucks,” which can help to effectively get rid of some of this excess skin. These are generally fairly simple plastic surgeries that, quite literally, cut away flab, allowing you to have the tight, flatter appearance that you want. After all, if you have lost the actual weight, there is no reason to not be satisfied with how you look or feel.

Another common problem for mothers to have with their bodies is that the breasts are sometimes changed as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Many women find that their breasts lose their firmness and shape once they have had children. For this reason, many mothers consider breast augmentation procedures – not necessarily enlargement, but different methods for reshaping and lifting.

These are just a few of the many plastic surgery procedures that can be considered as related to the concept of a “mommy makeover.” Of course, many women choose to simply accept the effects of pregnancy on their bodies, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you have experienced more dramatic physical effects and desire having a small procedure done, you may want to consider the mommy makeover. The choice is yours.

When I was a little girl, I remember sitting at the foot of my mom’s bed in the mornings watching her get ready for the day and marvelling at how glamorous she looked. There was never a hair out of place with my mom and she never left the house without taking time to put her make-up on. Even when “dressed down” (as she saw it) and staying in and doing housework, or taking care of her four kids, she still looked stunning. When I left home, I always told myself that when I was finally ready to have my own kids I would always make sure I looked as effortlessly glamorous as my mom did.

Of course, we all know that times have changed and the whirlwind of modern life doesn’t always allow us to look our best. My husband doesn’t expect me to put the amount of effort into my appearance every day that mom did and the mayhem that is life with three kids of my own means that I simply don’t have the time.

Even when I do have the time to spend on myself, I come up against the main stumbling block in my quest to be a glam mom – I don’t have money to spend on those much thirsted for pamper days. My mom used to have weekly hair appointments and a beauty regimen that would make Cleopatra blush, but in a sign of the times she had a budget set aside for her to fund the upkeep of her personal appearance. I’ve been lucky to have two red cents to rub together to get a haircut once every couple of months, never mind once a week!

Although the changing times have meant that a housewife beauty fund is no longer seen as an appropriate part of a household budget, they have also meant that we have been blessed with the creation of the internet which has made it easier than ever for me to find and take advantage of deals, giveaways and tester products online. Since I have started using sites such as Wahanda to find cheap deals on beauty treatments I’ve felt much less guilty about putting aside a small amount of ‘me’ money to spend on taking care of myself and I can say I am well on my way to becoming a yummy mummy! I might not have my curlers in every night and lipstick on from the moment I get up, but I’m no longer ashamed when I drop off my youngest at day care.

What’s even better is that Wahanda’s mobdeals meant my husband and my kids were able to afford to pick me up a much needed spa break for my birthday and their deals on massages have made great gifts for taking to the baby showers of expectant mom friends.

This weekend my soon to be 18-year-old daughter pitched to me and her mother a trip with her Spanish class to Panama after her high school graduation. She very politically included that she had been secretly saving up for it for the last six months.

She’ll be an adult in a month, so her decision to ask us was out of simply being a polite child. I respect that, because, in an interesting example of parent/child psychology mind-melding, I know she knew we respected her enough to say yes. She’s a very mature young woman and surprisingly street smart. We know we aren’t going to have another Natalee Holloway on our hands (you never know, of course, but that confidence is what I’m talking about!)

But that night my wife and I got to talking, and we both realized, albeit embarrassingly, that neither one of us ever sat our daughter down and gave her “the talk”. But then we thought about her extraordinary level of maturity, and reasoned we never had to. But then, I thought about the heightened level of sexual security that must be exercised when traveling abroad. It’s no knock on the local population, it’s simply science: germs and viruses of any sort are more likely to infect those not from that region than those that are. We decided that somehow we were going to make an effort, however more embarrassing doing so may be for us, to plug a little bit of salud sexual conocimiento into a future conversation with our daughter before her trip to Panama.

It’s a much harder subject to initiate with your adult daughter than you’d think, and I know you already think it’s hard. We pride ourselves in being both progressive and open minded in our parenting, especially since our performance, however flawed, churned out an awesome child, so we didn’t want to come off as harsh or judgmental. Sigh…we then realized that kind of “fear to be dorky” part of being a parent was equally as bad as being dogmatic. It was turning into a Family Ties episode, just without any of the intentional humor, just unintentional.

How did we end up approaching her on the topic? The way we seemed to always manage to bring up sensitive topics to our children – we didn’t dwell on any article, in fact we didn’t even plan for when the moment finally occurred. It just sort of happened during dinner one night; the conversation leaned towards sexual activity, and in the stuttered laughter of an awkward family moment we casually suggested she be careful when she travels. She responded like all teenagers do: with a scrunched up face at the very mention of the word sex by her parents. But the thought had been implanted.

I know my daughter, and know she’ll be fine. She would’ve probably been fine with or without our parenting paranoia. But as far as safe sex goes it’s always good to play it safe no matter how dorky you end up looking.

Dogs are great companions for any family. Not only are they loyal animals capable of developing a unique bond with their owners, but have proven throughout history to be great allies in home security as well. They have superior hearing, enabling them to detect sounds far outside the range of human ears. Even though dogs can serve as living and breathing alarm systems, they are no substitute for an actual professional security system – not to mention the risk that comes along with leaving them alone with expensive furniture and small children. However, they are great pets and can be a good protection to your domicile, developing kindness and communicative skills of you child at the same time. So here are some breeds that make effective allies in home security while staying child-friendly:

1. West Highland White Terrier. The Westie is a smaller dog ranging from 13 to 20 lbs. They usually have a lot of energy, and they make great watch dogs because of their high-pitched and persistent barking when they sense visitors on the premises.

2. Scottish Terrier. The Scottie is a smaller dog ranging from 18 to 22 lbs. They are typically darker in color (grey, black and brown). Though small in size, they are sturdy dogs with a feisty temperament. They are territorial and loyal to their owners, making them ideal watch dogs that bark when it senses danger.

3. Rottweiler. The Rottweiler is a large dog, originally from Rottweil, Germany. They are heavier, weighing between 100 to 130 lbs. Their black coat, muscular frame, and impressive bark make them intimidating to any intruders. They have a strong sense to protect their territory and family, and will defend them vigorously. If not properly trained and socialized, they can be dangerous pets, so its recommended they receive professional training, especially if you have young children. But as soon as trained, Rottweilers become the best guardians for the kids, loyally let children play with them and never bite family members. They have also historically been employed by law enforcement as police dogs.

4. Doberman Pinscher. Dobermans are smaller in size from Rottweilers, ranging in size from 60 to 100 lbs. They are compact and lean in appearance. Like the Rottweiler, their black coat and muscular appearance can be intimidating. Historically, they were trained as guard dogs and attack dogs. Though today, they are more docile in nature, they are loyal to their owners and can be trained as good guard dogs.

5. German Shepherd. The German Shepherd is a medium sized dog, and is commonly used today in law enforcement around the world. Their coloring ranges from tan to black. They are strong, intelligent, and very receptive to obedience training, making them ideal allies to have around the home. Despite their menacing appearance, German shepherds are relatively more emotionally stable than other breeds and actually have one of the lowest reports of incidences around kids.