Search Results for: blog a mothers view from the pool breastfeeding by the water

Avoid Swimming Pool Sickness

And I thought chasing after a wet, naked child in public was a problem… Imagine taking your kids to the city pool to cool off on the first day of summer vacation, then being forced to spend the next week nursing them back to health. A growing number of kids are getting sick from swimming in public pools.  The problem has become so widespread the Center for Disease Control recently issued a warning to parents about protecting their children from recreational water illnesses. Heath experts say even regularly maintained pools can contain contaminants like cryptosporidium.  If a person doesn’t shower … Continue reading →

Breastfeeding in Public

Ladies and gentlemen, allow my to introduce you to a concept that has been providing for the human race since the beginning of time: Breastfeeding. Without it… none of us would be here. “But I was formula fed” I hear you saying from the back. Sure… but what about your mother? Your mother’s mother? Your great great grandfather bill? If you’re really honest then you’ll realize that you don’t have to go back too many generations to find a relative above you on that big family tree who was sustained through infancy by a breast. The secondary part, of course, … Continue reading →

Why You Should Keep Your Kids Out of the Pool

Our neighborhood pool closes for the season on Sunday. Typically, it closes on the day after Labor Day, but thanks to global warming we’ve had a run on sunny 80-degree days, and the powers that be delayed the pool’s closure for a few weeks. Being able to swim in an outdoor pool in Wisconsin at the end of September is nothing short of a miracle. (My first year living here it snowed on October 5th.) Needless to say, this extension has been an answer to collective prayers offered up by the neighborhood kids (and a few random adult tanorexics). I … Continue reading →

A Mother’s View from the Pool: Breastfeeding by the Water

It’s that time of the year again… time for a new season of “A Mother’s View from the Pool.” Last year I kvetched about kids wearing Crocs in the pool, babies wearing teeny-weeny bikinis, and parents, who use lifeguards as their personal babysitters, while they chat on their cellphones, read their rag mags, and work on their tans. This year we are fortunate not to have to make the daily drive to our local city pool. By a rare stroke of luck the fees we pay to live around here were actually used to fund something worthwhile (besides snow removal): … Continue reading →

Summer Swimming Safety

Drowning is one of the leading causes of deaths among children under 12 years old. However, that’s not the only danger you have to worry about when you take your son or daughter to the pool this summer. My 7-year-old daughter is a fish. She swims with ease and is very mindful of water safety measures whether she is at the pool, ocean or lake. As a mom, my level of anxiety is quite low when we take a water-themed family trip because of my daughter’s ability to swim. So, imagine my surprise when my child suffered a pool-related problem … Continue reading →

Prepping for Summer Dangers

The heat is on. Apparently, we don’t have to wait until Memorial Day for summer weather to commence. Much of the nation is expected to experience record-breaking heat this weekend. In my neck of the woods, daytime highs are supposed to hit 90 degrees tomorrow and Sunday. That’s a huge deal, especially since there have been years when it has snowed in late May. While the fabulous weather is reason to celebrate, it should also serve as a reminder to parents to be more vigilant as kids look to cool off around water. According to a new government report, drowning … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Cool

Yell at your kids lately? If you’ve been forced indoors by the extreme heat that has suffocated much of the nation over the past 10 days, then you might appreciate the following sanity-saving activities. After spending six days straight at the pool trying to beat triple digit temps, last week I issued a moratorium on ultra-violet rays and chlorine water. Instead of contributing to what I thought was another episode of my daughter’s continuing saga with swimmer’s ear, I decided that we would spend the day enjoying the air conditioned comfort of home while whipping up these simple and cool … Continue reading →

Surviving the Heat Wave

The sunset more than four hours ago and it is still 90 degrees outside with a heat index of 103. Like most of the country, my neck of the woods is baking under blistering heat. According to news reports, by mid-week more than 40 states will experience highs in the 90s with heat indexes topping 110 degrees. What’s more, the heat wave of 2011 is expected to last well into next week. The National Weather Service defines a heat wave as a period time exceeding three days with high temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather experts are also quick to … Continue reading →

Killing a Kid’s Dream

Talk about sour grapes… make that sour lemons. Did you hear the one about police shutting down a kids’ lemonade stand because they didn’t have the proper permits? Sadly, it’s not the opening line to a seasonal joke; rather, it’s the real deal in Midway, Georgia. According to reports, cops in the southern city forced three little girls to close their tiny lemonade stand because the youngsters didn’t have a business license or work permits. The enterprising girls say they were simply trying to raise money to fund a trip to a local water park, and decided selling lemonade on … Continue reading →

Wet and Wild Summer Fun

The heat is on in our neck of the woods. The oppressive heat and humidity that has been baking the center of the country for the last few days is now bearing down on the Midwest. Tomorrow’s high is expected to top 92 degrees and with heat indexes pushing 110. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings, and tonight our local TV meteorologist suggested that we remain in air conditioned buildings for the next five days. Clearly, the guy is not a parent. No kid, especially my little fish, is going to want to be … Continue reading →