Airlines go ga ga over baby baggage

Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways introduce luggage allowance for infants after a campaign by agents

Ginny McGrath

Two airlines are bringing in a luggage allowance for infants, which will bring down the cost of travelling for young families.

Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways have announced that from May 1, 2009, infants (classified as children under the age of two) will be given a baggage allowance of 10kg in addition to the airlines’ policy of carrying a folding pushchair free-of-charge.

The announcements come in the week that Co-operative Travel has launched a campaign for a change in airline baggage policy for infants. The agency says that infant luggage can weigh up to 15kg for a week’s holiday because of necessary items such as nappies, baby wipes, food, milk and medicine.

That’s in addition to bulky equipment such as booster seats and travel cots.

more @ timeonline.com

Top 4 Myths About Baby Acne from Greatdad.com

Baby acne, also known as neonatal acne or acne neonatorum, is a common condition seen in newborn babies. Almost 20 percent of newborns suffer from it.

Baby acne is characterized by the appearance of pimples or red bumps on the baby’s scalp, forehead, and especially the cheeks. A rough skin, along with pustules, whiteheads, and blackheads is also a common indication of baby acne.

Myth 1: Baby acne is the same as infantile acne or teenage acne.

This is not true. Baby acne is not the same as infantile acne, which affects older infants over three months old. It also has no connection with the acne that teenagers and adults suffer from.

Myth 2: Baby acne can occur at anytime during childhood.

Actually, baby acne usually affects babies three to four weeks after birth. Sometimes however, babies even exhibit signs of baby acne right from the time they are born. The symptoms may appear and recede intermittently as the baby reaches around four to six months of age.

Myth 3: Baby acne is the result of poor hygiene and nursing.

On the contrary, baby acne is believed to be caused by hormones released by the mother during pregnancy. Absorbed through the placenta, these hormones play an important role in the development of the fetus during the later stages of the pregnancy. These hormones stimulate the oil glands present in the baby’s skin and are thought to cause baby acne.

The symptoms may, however, get aggravated when the baby’s skin reacts to irritants, such as detergent left behind in clothing or bedding, for instance. Increase in the flow of blood to the skin, brought about when the baby is hot or active, can also intensify symptoms of baby acne.

Myth 4: Baby acne is a serious condition that needs treatment.

This is just not true. Baby acne is harmless and does not really require treatment. The symptoms generally disappear on their own in a few weeks. Also, the application of creams or lotions—a common practice amongst parents—may actually worsen the symptoms, and should therefore be avoided. Gently washing the face daily, using water and baby soap, may help alleviate the symptoms of baby acne.

Original from:GreatDad.com

Gin rummy and blackberrying, it’s just what the iPod generation need

It is unusual to come across a family of seven children. Only the very poor, or the very rich, want big broods nowadays. More often than not the children are accumulated through a series of relationships or by adoption, as in the case of Angelina Jolie, who has just announced that, barely three months after the birth of her twins, she plans to adopt baby number seven.

The 33-year-old actress said that her children had adapted well to their new brother and sister, adding that eldest son Maddox, six, was already ‘the professional big brother’ to Pax, four, Zahara, three, and Shiloh, two. ‘We have so many children that they’re independent. They don’t need Mommy and Daddy all the time,’ she said in an interview.

I’m the youngest of seven. Before me there was Clare – born while my dad served overseas during the Second World War – Philip, Nick, Carolyn, Tony and Sue. Often my mum would forget our names and call us by something vaguely gender-related, or by the dog’s name.

Family fun: Angelina Jolie takes children Pax and Maddox out on a visit

More at:Dailymail.co.uk

Surrogate baby readies for Japan

Rohit Parihar

Ten week old Majhi, a surrogate baby born in Gujarat and living with her grandmother with a family friend in Jaipur, is expected to get her travel documents to fly to her native country Japan very soon.

On Monday, her caretakers in Jaipur submitted request for travel documents and regional passport officer Sharavan Kumar indicated willingness to release these soon.

Majhi was made victim of media hype as questions were raised on how she could travel to Japan when her surrogate mother was an Indian. Passport agents as also doctors, who helped in surrogacy, had however told India Today two months ago that even in the past such babies had travelled abroad on travel documents.

However, speculations and suggestions made were as weird as that the baby be made to stay in India forever to her being first adopted in India and then being allowed to go.

Those knowing the facts well and in trade were shocked by such suggestions as her father, a surgeon is Japan, was known and alive and her surrogate mother had given consent for her release signing documents surrendering her rights altogether.

Given that it was an anonymous Indian donor donating the egg, even the role of the girl’s father’s wife, who lived separately, was of no consequence. Media hype was further fuelled by refusal of the local passport office to consider her application for travel documents.

Making things worse, an NGO moved Rajasthan High Court and sought stay on the baby’s travel abroad besides demanding its custody, a move which later did not find favour with Supreme Court, which made it clear that there was no law stopping the baby from going abroad. The Supreme Court did not go into details over the issue.

While everyone hopes little Majhi travels to her father as early as possible, the entire episode brings into light how a wrong media hype based on ignorance does not even spare a baby.

from:indiatoday

Travelling with a Baby

Being away from home is a big change in routine for both your baby and you, so you will have to plan ahead, even anticipate problems so that the entire family has a good holiday. Getting advice from parents who have taken their children on holidays is a good idea. Here are a few tips about things that worked for other parents:

• Once you decide on the holiday location, consult your doctor about the vaccination your baby requires before you decide the holiday dates. If there are vaccines to be taken then it is best to take them a little before the holiday date. Some vaccines cannot be taken together and may need a few weeks in between. So you will need time to vaccinate your baby.

• The most difficult part of your holiday will be the journey and with a small baby it will not be easy. You should book an air cot well in advance. Get seats that are together so that you have ample space on the flight. Book meals for your children in advance, it would help if they could be served before you are served.

• If you are hiring a car ask the company to provide you with a baby seat so that you don’t have to carry one.

• Take toys for the journey old and new ones, so that the baby will be occupied and will not get tired of the journey.

• There could be delays on the way, so you should carry enough snacks for the baby especially drinks. It is better if the snacks don’t consist of sticky food, as they are messy.

• It is easier to travel if you are breast-feeding, you don’t have to worry about sterilized bottles or clean water to make bottle-feeds.

• Take your baby sling or back carrier it will occupy less space and it will be easy to carry the baby around.

• If you are holidaying in a place where the weather is hot, make sure that you carry sun block for your baby and his skin is delicate and more likely to get sunburns.

• While booking your holiday you can book a hotel that provides childcare facilities such as nannies, crèches etc. You should check them before using them, if you are satisfied with the facilities provided, the ability of the child minder and you think it is appropriate for your age make use of it.

Original From:kerala online

Name That Baby with an iPhone, Not a Baby-Names Book

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Oct 09, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Expecting? Forget lugging around a stack of baby-names books: Finding a name for the new arrival is as easy as shaking an iPhone, thanks to Name That Baby! ( http://www.doubletapapps.com)

Created by Shona Killoughery-McKenney, a stay-at-home mom of two kids under five years old, Name That Baby! is a new iPhone application that lists thousands of baby names. Parents-to-be simply choose a gender and a starting letter, then give the iPhone a shake. Name That Baby! — which makes a gentle baby rattle sound when the iPhone is shaken — delivers a scrollable list of baby names, complete with origins and descriptions, in whatever quantity the user chooses. Another shake produces additional names, until the perfect name is found.

“I was looking through the Apple store and noticed how few iPhone applications there were for parents,” Killoughery-McKenney explained. “It occurred to me that Name That Baby! would be a fun application for expecting parents and their families and friends. With Name That Baby!, pregnant women don’t even need to buy books of baby names. Now the baby names are right on their iPhone, and they have the convenience of looking for names at the park, at the coffee shop or wherever they happen to have a free moment.”

While designed to be fun, Name That Baby! is packed with features. Users can search for names by gender, first letter and origin; top picks can be saved to a favorites list. Those who need a little help deciding — or who just want to share the excitement — can e-mail their favorites to friends and family. And Name That Baby! is a perfect activity for the modern baby shower.

Killoughery-McKenney, from London, England but who currently resides in California, said her own iPhone inspired her to develop Name That Baby! As a busy mom, she turns to her iPhone for everything from to-do lists and a calendar to kids’ games — and she knew the device was indispensable to other parents as well. Released just this week, Name That Baby! is already getting rave reviews at the iPhone App Store.

“(Name That Baby!) is a lot of fun,” wrote one user. “My wife and I made a list of favorites to think about. She bought it for her iPhone too and we can’t wait to share it with her co-workers and friends. Great idea!”

Parents hoping for additional iPhone applications are in luck: Killoughery-McKenney plans to release her second parenting-related application in November. Name That Baby! is available now in the iPhone App Store for just $3.99 — a bargain compared to the price of most baby-names books. To learn more, visit http://www.doubletapapps.com.

Original From:Marketwatch