Tag Archives: children

Uncategorized

Treatments for Kids

Are you looking for ways to treat some of the common pests that wiggle their way into your child’s life?

We found some great treatments that we wanted to share with you all when it comes to bee stings, mosquito bites, and food allergies. Take a read below and find pests no more!

 1. Bee Stings

What’s a normal reaction? It often includes, pain and swelling or redness around the bite. Swelling may extend beyond the sting site.

What can you do? Make sure you clean the area and apply ice if necessary, but make sure you have a garment of some sort between the ice and the child’s skin so that the ice is not directly on the skin.Then per the family’s permission you can use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to ease the pain or discomfort of the child. If the child is struggling with the pain, tell the parent and the child may need an antihistamine.

When to call the doctor? If you see hives, swelling near the face or mouth, wheezing, restlessness or anxiety, rapid pulse, or dizziness.
— At home itch remedy: mix baking soda with water to make a paste. If you see the stinger, make sure the stinger is taken out. If you can pull out with your nails, make sure they are clean. Or if you can pull out with tweezers.

For more information on Bee Stings click here.

2. Mosquito Bites

What’s a normal reaction? When a child gets a mosquito bite they may have itching, swelling and red lumps. The size of the bite varies.

What can you do? Mosquito bites often do not require treatment, but you should encourage the child not to scratch the bite. You can apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream, but speak to the parents first.

When to call the doctor? If it is large in size, yellowish drainage, crusting, warm to the touch, or the child has a fever and muscle weakness.

For bug or mosquito bites, some parents use calamine lotion. Make sure this is okay with the parents first! This will dull the itch.

For more information on bites click here.

3. Food Allergies

Overall – Make sure you get the rundown on any food allergies from the parent upon arrival. Most families keep their profile updated with this information, but in case they don’t, make sure you ask.

What can you do? You’ll want to review each ingredient label of the food the child eats. If you are still not sure, snap a photo of it and send it to the parent to review before you give the food to the child.

If the child needs an epipen, make sure you carry that at all times. The parent can train you on how to use it, or you can read and watch a tutorial video here.

For more information on food allergies click here.

12391040_10103172050227920_5667178742727227401_n

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Get to Know Rockets of Awesome

Rockets of Awesome is the latest and greatest when it comes to shopping with the little ones. No more chasing kids down aisles, packing up the stroller, or dealing with a public tantrum. Rockets of Awesome brings stress-free and stylish shopping right to your doorstep through their website.

Now who’s excited to go back to school shopping?

Take a read through our Q&A with Rachel Blumenthal, Founder of Rockets of Awesome, to learn more about the new way to shop!

Q: What was your biggest inspiration to create a business like Rockets of Awesome?

As a mom, I’ve always been frustrated at having to choose between style and value when it came to my kids clothes. I also can’t keep up with the demand of how quickly they grow. The minute I had unpacked the boxes of e-comm orders, my son was telling me his pants were too short, and my daughter’s belly was hanging out of her tops (#momfail). Through my own experiences and hearing the same from the Cricket’s Circle community, I knew I could come up with a smart solution. I set out to create a highly personalized, thoughtful experience to replace the disjointed, time-consuming process we have been forced to endure for so long. Rockets of Awesome delivers stylish, high-quality kids clothing at an incredible value – and takes an errand off every parent’s to-do list.

For kids that are particular with their outfits, are they able to select specific items? What about those that have no idea what they want to wear – how do you select clothes for them?

As the shopping solution for parents, our truly personalized experience simplifies the process of shopping for awesome kids clothing – from end to end. When a customer takes the style quiz on our site, they can indicate their kids’ preferences from style to color to fit and more. If their child doesn’t like red, they’ll never see a red item in their box! After receiving their first box, keeping what they want and sending back what they don’t, they’ll be able to shop a la carte in their own personalized shop, curated based on their kids’ preferences. Unlike any other brand, we’re really here to simplify and personalize the shopping experience to deliver high-quality, stylish pieces that parents and their kids will love – all at an incredible value.

While kids and parents aren’t able to select pieces for their box, we’re able to quickly cater to our customers’ wants and needs using data from their preferences and purchases to inform future collections. Combining customer driven curation with insights from our team of talented in-house designers, we’re able to continuously deliver a thoughtful assortment of outfits parents and their kids will love. And of course, if you see something you love on the playground that isn’t in your box or shop, we’ll do our best to get it to you.

What’s inside a shipment from Rockets of Awesome and what will the customer be charged for?

Each box includes 12 items. There’s no commitment – keep what you want, send back what you don’t. There is no fee to join (and no styling fee or any other fee for that matter), you only pay for what you keep. There’s literally no catch, everything we do is to simplify the lives of parents and deliver our customers the type of experience we want ourselves.

If a customer decides not to keep the clothes, how does your return policy work?

Customers have 10 days to return the Rockets of Awesome items that weren’t a fit. Returns are tracked, and once received, Rockets of Awesome will charge the customer only for the pieces they decided to keep.

What makes Rockets of Awesome different from other online clothing companies?

Rockets of Awesome not only makes shopping much easier for parents end-to- end, but also designs stylish, high quality-kids clothing at an incredible value. We give parents the best of all worlds – personalization, membership cadence, and on demand e-commerce all through a vertical brand. Producing our own product enables us to quickly tweak design according to customer feedback, and selling it direct to consumer allows us to price pieces at an exceptional value. We truly want to simplify the lives of parents and do the work for them.

RocketAwesome

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Know Your Nanny Reference Is Real

We all have a go-to list of questions that we ask on reference calls. It gets really impressive (or sad, not sure) once you’ve reached a point where you don’t even have to look down at the paper for what question to ask next. Then you think, if you can go on autopilot asking these questions, can your reference go on autopilot answering them?

This begs the question, how can you determine if a nanny reference is real? It’s easy for friends to team up, give a false name, and rave about him/her to their potential employer. Today, parents are lucky that there are a variety of ways that they can make sure the references they receive are real. In a recent article published by  Nanny Interview Questions, they discuss how to recognize if the nanny is right for the family, as well as if the family is right for the nanny.

We outlined a handful of the asking questions from the article below:

1. What’s the worst discipline experience you’ve had?
2. How many nannies have you had?
3. How do you plan to support me when I discipline your children?
4. Do you offer healthcare?
5. What’s the one thing you’re really looking for in a nanny?

For the full article, “How to Verify a Nanny Reference is Real?” click here.

Court_girls

Written by our Social Media & Marketing Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Swim Lessons with Kids

There is a lot of pressure being a mom these days. There are many factors weighing on our backs: should my child be potty trained by now, am I disciplining correctly, are they eating right, and so on. My current dilemma has been swimming, I guess because it’s the summer months and kids need to cool down.

I enrolled my twins into swim class for 3-5 year olds at our community recreational center. My husband and I took them to their first lesson with everyone in their swim suits ready to go (since last year we had to go into the water with them). We get to the rec center pool and notice all of the other parents have their street clothes on, which was kind of concerning. I did not trust that my girls get into the water by themselves, especially because on the other side of the median there were 6ft deep signs. Um, no.

I soon told the instructors my concerns and led the girls into the water. I kind of hung around (because I was super paranoid) watching them get used to the water and noticed one of my daughters start walking deeper and deeper into the water. At this point, the water was up to her shoulders. I frantically got into the water because no one was paying attention to her, and I pulled her back to the group. I stood back and watched them again, and saw that my daughter was losing her footing. She started bobbing up and down in the water, flailing her arms. I panicked. I yelled at the lifeguard who pulled her from the water and handed her to me. Needless to say she took a break from the water, while I stayed in with my other child.

I called and voiced my complaints to the director who assured me she would monitor the next class to make improvements. I was thankful, but still not comfortable. With that being said, yes, getting your kids exposed and involved in various activities is important, just make sure your child is ready.

Beach

Written by our Sitter Services Coordinator, Courtney Bell Garvey

Uncategorized

Keeping Kids Hydrated

In a recent article published by Parents.com, they spoke about how to keep kids hydrated during the heat of the summer.

Hydration for the little ones is very important in order for the fluids to be replaced in their bodies that are being sweated out. Ensuring they have plenty of liquids will keep them healthy and active this summer, and help them develop good hydration habits as they grow older.

Try these methods below:

1. For a Long Day. If you have a strenuous day ahead, add some extra hydration with your child’s first meal. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking the equivalent of a standard bottle of water (16.9 oz.) about two hours before vigorous exercise.

2. Don’t Wait. Don’t wait until your child is thirsty to offer refreshment; by that time they are already dehydrated.

3. Six Glasses. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children drink six glasses of water on an average day.

4. Frozen Bottles. When you pack a cooler for a game, freeze a number of water bottles ahead of time. The frozen bottles will keep the others cool and you will be able to pack more drinks in the cooler instead of filling the cooler with ice.

5. Flavor Wins. Studies have shown that children routinely prefer flavored beverages to plain water and will drink up to 90 percent more when it is offered to them.

6. These Don’t Win. Avoid those drinks that have caffeine, such as iced tea or many sodas. As a diuretic, caffeine can contribute to the dehydration process by increasing fluid loss.

7. Fun Hydration. Offer a popsicle to get kids to jump at the chance for a rest period. These frozen treats have high water content (a two-stick Popsicle has just about the right amount for a young child’s needs).

For the full article on Parents.com, click here.

Popcicle

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Babiators – Sunglasses for Kids Review

My son is super sensitive to light. It bothers him instantly like it bothers me. I tried a few different hats, which are okay, but I wanted to use both a hat and shades.

My lil’ guy is 3 months old, so I needed something durable, small enough for his tiny face, and something to keep his eyes safe from UV damage.

One of my friends recommended Babiators, which are soft, flexible, and virtually indestructible. So kids can bend them, twist them, drop them and they stay in tact!

I bought him the most simple pair (Blue Angels) in my husbands favorite color, blue. You can get them for $20, plus get a discount if you sign up for their newsletter!

Shop Babiators.com and receive a 25% off discount with code BELL25 – live now thru August 1!

Babiators
Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell!
Uncategorized

How To Perform CPR: The Crucial Steps You Should Know

Audrey Jenkins is a freelance writer from Carrington College; a private university based out of Sacramento, California. She recently published a compelling infographic that takes readers through what steps they should take when providing CPR.

The steps are outlined below, and you can follow along with the impressive infographic titled, “How to Perform CPR on a Baby.”

1. Is the baby alert?
Flick the feet.

2. No response? Shout for help!
Tell some to call 911. Do not leave the baby to call 911 until you’ve done CPR for about two minutes.

3. Give 30 chest compressions.
Put two fingers on the breastbone just below the nipples. Press down so the chest compresses about 1.5 inches deep. Push FAST, about two compressions per second.

4. Open the airway.
Tilt the head back slightly and lift the chin.

5. Check for breathing. Gasping is not breathing.
Do this for 10 seconds max.

6. No breathing? Time for gentle breaths.
Cover the baby’s mouth and nose tightly with your mouth. Keep the chin lifted and head tilted – give two rescue breaths. Each breath should take about a second and make the chest rise.

7. No response? Continue CPR.
Do 30 chest compressions followed by two breaths. Repeat for about two minutes.

8. Go call 911.
If you’re alone, now is the time to leave the baby to call 911.

9. Repeat steps 3-6.
Until the baby recovers or help gets there.

 

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Uncategorized

Family Vacay Time!

Everyone can appreciate the joys of a family vacation. They are normally stress-free, hassle-free, and sleep-free. Okay, maybe only one of those are true (cue the no sleep for parents), but one thing that is guaranteed is an album full of new memories!

I remember the family trips I went on when I was a kid. It usually involved us piling in the mini-van at 4 a.m., but my sisters and I were so excited that time meant nothing. Given that there were five girls my parents had to herd together, road trips were pretty much our only choice of transportation. Could you imagine taking five kids under the age of 10 on an airplane? No thanks!

A few of our family vacay destinations included Atlantic City, Orlando, Niagara Falls, and New York City. We also took a handful of trips to Tampa, FL to visit our Grandpa who lived there. To this day, I think my sister’s and I miss the massive pool he had in his development!

With Summer right around the corner, we wanted to share a great article we found on parents.com, that highlights “Top 12 Family Vacation Destinations.” Rounding out the top five are:

1. Pretty much everything in Orlando, FL
(Magic Kingdom Park, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Wizarding World of Harry Potter)
2. The Strong Museum, Rochester, NY
3. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, SD
4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC, TN
5. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, NE

For the full list, check out the online article here.

13221111_10103456927057470_3365673444855358647_n

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell!

Uncategorized

Outside of the Box Fun

Are you getting tired of playing the same games or activities when watching the kids? Let’s face it, board games and “go fish” need a dose of resuscitation.

Our Bell Family sitters are helping everyone to think outside of the box with a slew of awesome ideas! Try out one of these fun activities the next time you are watching the little ones.

1. Get cooking: Pretend to own a restaurant and have the child be the chef. Practice using measuring cups and following recipes. Have them repeat the words you use and teach them how to cook and bake.

IMG_2164

2. Play Picasso: Pretend the child is a famous artist making paintings for their museum. Then be the customer in their gallery, view their original artwork, and buy them with pretend money.

Painting

3. Play lifeguard: The sitter is the lifeguard at the city pool and the child pretends to be a grown up at the pool with his little sister or brother.

Swimming

4. Get outside and play town (a Bell family favorite growing up): Get play cars, make traffic stops, have a cop, driver, and have them direct traffic. If someone passes a red light they go to jail! Have a pretend jail.

Ava_car

5. Think outside the box (literally): Get recycled boxes and make a train station or play house. Get construction paper, have the sitter use the scissors and create your own train station with a conductor.

boxes
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell!

Uncategorized

Flying with a Baby Survival Guide

Greetings, all!

We all know we have given side-eye to the crying baby sitting next to us on a plane at some point in our travel adventures. Most of us plug in our head phones or have a glass of wine to cope, but that’s when it’s not our responsibility. Suddenly, life has thrown you a curve ball, and you are now the mom, sitter, or nanny with the crying baby on your lap. How do you cope?

We found a great article through Travel + Leisure that provides a survival guide on how to handle a crying baby through all of your travel adventures. Take a read, and find side-eye no longer in your vocabulary.

Fly in the morning, not afternoon
To avoid the fussy (4-6pm) time for babies

Window seat works best
Something to lean on, no one will run into you, and your baby won’t be distracted by everyone walking past you

Keep bottles, pacifiers, and toys handy
Classic tools to help babies during take-off and landing with those popping ears

For the full article on Travel + Leisure click here.

Ava_car

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell!