Tag Archives: Kids

Holiday Camps for Kids

Looking for some fun activities for the lil’ ones this winter break? Kidz Central Station is offering some great classes to keep them active and your hands free!

From December 19th-30th, you can check out these classes:

1. Holiday Camp Snowflakes
Age: 3-4 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-Noon or 12:30pm-3:30pm
Cost: $15-$75

2. Holiday Camp Full Day (Peppermints)
Age: 4-5 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-3pm
Cost: $15-$125

3. Holiday Camp Full Day (Gingerbreads)
Age: 5-8 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-3pm
Cost: $15-$125

4. Holiday Cookie Wars
Age: 4-8 years or 9-13 years
Time: Weekdays 9am-Noon or 1pm-4pm
Cost: $100+

For the full list of semester holiday classes and additional event details, click here!

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Choking Hazards for Kids

In a recent article published by Lucie’s List, they talk about the most common choking hazards amongst children. Now that you are up to date with the CPR procedures from our last blog (read here), we wanted to highlight some of the items to look out for in the case you need to perform CPR.

Choking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children, especially those aged three years or younger. More than 60% of childhood deaths due to choking occur in the first year of life.

Of 17,500 incidences of non-fatal choking here are the items kids most often choke on:

Food: 41%
Candy and gum: 19%
Other non-foods: 17%
Coins: 13%
Unknown: 10%

In the breakdown of these categories, here are some specific items to pay special caution to:

1. Balloons (other) – latex balloons were associated with 29% of deaths overall, making it the most dangerous hazard for kids. TIP: Use the Mylar balloons instead (the shiny foil ones).
2. Hot dogs (food) – about 17% of choking deaths are form hot dogs alone. TIP: Cut hot dogs length-wise before serving.
3. Grapes, carrots, and bananas (food) – the pediatrician of the article writer said that bananas are the number one choking hazard based on his personal experience. TIP: Never give your child a whole item; cut them into halves or quarters.
4. Water bottle tops (other) – bottle tops are everywhere and often ignored. TIP: Make sure the tops are always tightly sealed and/or out of the reach of children.
5. Coins – these aren’t high on the “deadly stuff” list, but coins are around everywhere especially on the ground (a kid’s favorite place to be). Pennies and nickels are the highest risk. TIP: Shiny coins often attract kids. To be safe, don’t let them play with them. Plus, they are dirty and germ-infested. Yuck!

For additional items to look out for, read the full article here.

Kidz Central Station’s Plaza Hotel Event

Take in the sights of the Plaza Hotel during Kidz Central Station’s event this Veteran’s Day (November 11), from 5-7:30pm.

Make it a family early evening on the town and enjoy activities including face painting, a magician show, dj glow stick dance party, photo booth, and much more!

In honor of Veteran’s Day a portion of proceeds will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Foundation to help disabled veterans.

Don’t miss out! Join Kidz Central Station and their partners for this amazing fall event! To register, click here.

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

What an Upset Kid Is Trying to Say

Tantrums and kids are two things parents wish never went together. Unfortunately, parents can only put off the inevitable for so long, and are in the position to help their child through something that upsets them.

A Bell Family mom that uses approaches from this article says, “I see this to be effective in certain situations, but in others I feel like the child has too much control, therefore running the show and their parents in circles.”

Read the full article titled, “What an Upset Kid Is Really Trying to Say” from Goop, and let us know your thoughts!

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

Wee Ones Club to the Rescue

Have an infant and already worrying about being cooped up in your apartment all winter log?

If you live near Midtown East, sign up for a trial at Wee Ones, and hop into their Turtles and Tadpoles class! 

It’s a quaint, clean space with what seems like very happy teachers. My son and I went on a trial pass and it was a great experience! My son is 5 months and was the youngest baby in the room. The class is for 4 to 14-month-olds, which is quite a large span.  The class started with introductions followed by “tumbling” time; one baby at a time participated, while the others sat and watched. After this, there were sing-alongs, a short playtime, a puppet show of sorts, and a very colorful parachute ending.

This is their youngest class offering designed to introduce and develop skills for children who are not yet walking. Curriculum is carefully designed to explore all developmental domains of our youngest members and includes music, gentle movement, basic sign language, tumbling, parachute, and bubbles. Class structure supports language, social emotional, physical and cognitive development.

The trial was $15, and you can sign up for a semester class which comes out to approimately  $50 per class at 50 minutes per session.

I found the class on Kid Central Station. It was easy to find and easy to book! 

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Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell

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.

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

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.

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Written by our Sitter Services Coordinator, Courtney Bell Garvey

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.

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Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell

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!

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Written by our Founder & CEO, Lindsay Bell!

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