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What You Need to Know About the Zika Virus

If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, you are probably paying close attention to all of the news out there about Zika. And if you are like most of us, you probably have questions. While it is not a new virus, Zika has been getting a lot of attention in the press lately and new information is being reported in the news almost every day, so it is easy to get confused or feel overwhelmed.

For the most up-to-date information look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC is on the ground in Brazil working to get the most accurate information and share it with the public on their site.

Bringing Up Baby...in the ‘Burbs

Contributed by Suburban Jungle Realty Group. Suburban Jungle Realty Group has offices in NYC, L.A., Miami, Chicago and San Francisco.

The city has some obvious pluses when it comes to child-rearing and, chances are, it’s the same aspects that attracted you to NYC in those pre-kid years. The arts, the culture, the food, the 24/7 access and the overall hum of an urban existence. It’s intoxicating whether you’re 22, 42 or 2.

But in the infant and young childhood years countless families pack it up and head to the suburbs to seek some unique advantages. What are the most common we hear? A backyard, great public schools and, above all, space, space, space. Many parents we work with want their kids to have a childhood that’s more similar to the ones they had -- and, chances are, that was a suburban upbringing.

So how does suburbia stack up to city life? Here are some side-by-sides we’ve discovered in moving our broods outside of city limits…

Choking Prevention – What You Need to Know

Contributed by Pamela Brawer, R.N., CCE, certified American Heart Instructor and Certified Childbirth Instructor, and founder of Save-A-Tot.

Last week’s post from Pamela focusing on Infant/Child CPR was so well received that we asked her to do a follow up specifically about choking.

The threat of choking is something that worries almost all parents. Understandably - choking is a very common cause of unintentional injury or death in children under age one, and the danger remains significant until the age of five. You must be particularly watchful when children around the age of one are sampling new foods that must be chewed with a grinding motion. Children don't master that kind of chewing until age four. And remember, all children learn at different rates. Take your time. Make it a fun experience.

The danger signs of choking are: