I recently learned that car seats have an expiration date. I was very surprised to learn this and don’t think I’m the only one who was unaware about car seats expiring.
Car seats deteriorate over time due to heat and general use. Just as a piece of plastic will become significantly weaker, the more it is handled, exposed to heat, and bent, the plastic on car seats is no different. Manufactures of car seats now supply consumers with an expiration date to protect children from being in a car seat which is not safe. Another reason for car seat expiration is the evolution of technology. Car seats become safer and safer with each new product that is made. So while your car seat may be the safest there is, in five years it may be weaker than most other car seats.
The car seat expiration date was very hard to find on my car seats. You can check them online if you cannot find it on the carseat. If you have a car seat that has expired, it is advised to destroy the car seat so that no one will use it. This includes cutting the straps and even the plastic so someone won’t try to repair it.
Here is a video which demonstrates what can happen if your child is riding in a car seat which has expired:
Car seat expiration dates fall in a broader category of car seat safety. Safe car seat practice means you have had your car seat inspected by a certified car seat inspector. They will check the safety of your seat, whether it is appropriate for your child’s height and weight, teach you how to properly buckle them in, and make sure it is installed in your car correctly. If you would like to learn more about car seat safety or find a car seat inspector near you, go to this website.
Did you know that car seats expired? Have you had your car seat installation checked by a car seat inspector?
Until recently, I assumed that the divorce rate among parents of children with special needs, including Down syndrome have a higher divorce rate than parents of children who do not have special needs due to the additional obstacles these parents face. I was surprised to learn that, in fact, parents of children with Down syndrome have a lower divorce rate than parents of children without special needs. In my own marriage, I can see how having Darah has strengthened my relationship with my husband. She is an absolute joy to parent and watch grow up. Neither of us could have ever dreamed that we would have this much love for someone. Our perspective on life is drastically different than what is likely would have been had we not had a child with special needs. We appreciate the small things and have overcome very big things since Darah has joined our lives, which has definitely strengthened our relationship. Truth be told, having a child with Down syndrome has most certainly added stress to my relationship with my husband, but we both hands-down agree that the most stressful season of our relationship were the colicky days of our typical developing son.
This article discusses research performed at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. One theory in the article as to why the divorce rate may be lower among parents of children with Down syndrome may be due to the “Down syndrome advantage.” Meaning, children with Down syndrome have easier behavior than typical children and that parents of children with Down syndrome are often older, more educated, and married before having children.
I disagree with their theory. This article isn’t accurate when they say that most children with Down syndrome are born to older parents. Actually, most children with Down syndrome are born to parents UNDER the age of 35. This is a very common misconception, even misunderstood by some physicians. While it is true that women over the age of 35 have a higher chance of having a child with Down syndrome, the pregnancy rate every year after age 35 decreases exponentially compared to the pregnancy rate before age 35. So, if you consider that most children in general are born to women UNDER 35 years old, there is going to be a larger pool of children born with Down syndrome in that population, due to sheer numbers. In other words, if a 49 year old woman has a 1 in 10 chance of having a child with Down syndrome, but it’s difficult to find ten 49 year old women having babies. If a 26 year old woman has a 1 in 800 chance of having a child with Down syndrome, it is pretty easy to find 800 24 year old women having babies. {I hope that makes sense!}
I have my own theory on why the divorce rate is lower in parents of children with Down syndrome. If you consider the fact that in the U.S., more than 90% of babies who are prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted, most babies born with Down syndrome are born into families who either refused prenatal testing because it did not make a difference to them or learned of their child’s diagnosis prenatally and chose to give that child life regardless of their number of chromosomes. I believe that their approach and attitude about raising their children is what positively influences their marriages. My theory is consistent with this research findings that parents of children with special needs other than Down syndrome actually have a higher divorce rate than parents of children without special needs. Most other serious congenital issues are not detected prenatally as often as Down syndrome. I believe that once autism and other congenital issues are able to be determined prenatally, our population is going to sadly become a lot smaller. Most people are unaware of the waiting lists in the United States of people who WANT to specifically adopt a child with Down syndrome and other special needs. Of course, that is my own personal theory. I’d love to hear yours!
Are you surprised to learn that the divorce rate is lower among parents of children with Down syndrome? Why do you think the divorce rate is lower among parents of children with Down syndrome?
My 2 year old and 4 year old recently graduated to animated movies with dialogue! This is a welcomed transition because I can only take so much of the same 30 minute song filled shows played over and over. I have been so excited to expose them to movies that I grew up watching as a child, like The Little Mermaid and Toy Story. Ok, so I was in high school when Toy Story came out, but I had a much younger brother who was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and enjoyed the movie very much!
A couple of weeks ago, my kids were watching Toy Story and I heard the words “stupid,” “moron,” “idiot,” and “shut-up” over and over and over again. I was shocked! My children have watched that movie countless times and I had never registered that language before. I began to pay attention to the dialogue in all of their movies. In Monsters Inc. (another fabulous movie), I again heard the word “stupid” several times. These are rated G movies marketing very young children who should not be using these words. My husband and I have had discussions about this and don’t know where we stand on this subject. My 2 year old is picking up language at a very rapid pace right now and these are words I do not want coming out of his mouth. However, I hate to go back to only allowing music filled 30 minute movies. I’m thinking we need to expand our Veggie Tale, Sesame Street, and Hermie collections and put some of our other movies away for a couple of years.
How do you feel about words like “shut-up,” “stupid,” and “idiot” in your child’s DVD collection? Do you think I’m overreacting in not wanting my kids to watch movies with this kind of language? Have you been surprised by language or scenes in “kid” movies or shows?
My philosophy on most developmental milestones is, “wait until they’re ready and it’ll be a whole lot easier.” I have not always had this philosophy, but I’ve learned that racing to the next stage too early is very frustrating for me and for my child. One of my friends wisely told me that there are two things you can’t force a child to do. You can’t make them eat and you can’t make them use the potty. Children will learn very fast that they have complete control over those two things and the power struggle is inevitable if you push too hard.
We have been doing a lot of potty exposure in my house. My first child has special needs and went through a period where we thought she was ready to be potty trained, but she isn’t, so we are still exposing her hopeful that she’ll start being ready soon. However, through all of this exposure, my two year old son has become very interested in the potty. It got to the point where he would go pee whenever I put him on the potty. I decided that it was time to say goodbye to diapers.
We woke up one morning, I showed him his brand new Thomas the Train underwear and told him that he was a big boy and he was going to keep his undies dry by using the toilet whenever he needed to go potty. Every 30 minutes I took him to the potty and he did his thing proudly. He was motivated to use the potty with the promise of washing his hands when he was done.
We are now about a week and a half of being accident free at home. Sometimes he does not want to go when I tell him it’s time to use the potty, but I gently explain to him he can continue his activity once he goes potty. He has been very compliant. He still needs to learn how to poop in the toilet and I am hoping he will begin to tell me when he needs to go instead of needing reminders. I am also going to get over my fear of accidents in public and start keeping him in his underwear when we leave the house.
Potty training my son so far has been a very easy feat. I really believe that it is because he was emotionally, physically, and behaviorally ready for this milestone and it was never something that was forced on him. It sure feels good to only have 2 of my 3 children in diapers! I am hoping that he will rub off on his big sister and she will start showing an interest in becoming potty trained.
Do you have a more laid back approach like I do or do you have a different approach? How have you encouraged pooping in the potty and spontaneous potty usage instead of needing reminders? Are you afraid of public accidents like I am?
Many times, I experience a phenomonon endearingly termed “mommy brain.” I am forgetful, sometimes absentminded, and simple things are at times more complex than necessary. It’s no wonder moms sometimes experience forgetfulness or absentmindedness. The responsibilities of a mother are never-ending and every mother must perform a daily juggling act. Sometimes, some of those balls are dropped, consciously and subconsciously.
This morning, on a local morning talkshow, the hosts were discussing cognitive decline that often occurs among senior citizens. They discussed ways the elderly can stave off mental decline and improve their cognitive function. Now, I’m no senior citizen {yet}, but I do know that the tips they suggested would likely help me with my “mommy brain” as well!
This article suggests that exercising your brain during midlife cuts memory loss in the 70′s and 80′s by 1/3. The brain is like a muscle and the more it is used, the stronger it is. Mentally challenging activities actually have the ability to rewire your brain and improve and increase its function due to our brain’s plasticity. The nerd in me finds brain plasticity very interesting! An important part to improving your cognitive function is to mix it up. Rigid, overly routine, unspontaneous lifestyles are not conducive to brain plasticity. Even repeating the same mental exercises everyday lose some of their benefit if you are not mixing those brain exercises up as well. Here’s another site with some information on improving your brain’s function.
After realizing some similiarities in senior citizen mental decline and my own “mommy brain,” I decided to compile some ways to help improve my less than optimal cognitive functioning. Here are some ways to improve your own brain power:
Memorize your shopping list instead of writing it down (and other recall practice activities)
Sudoku and crossword puzzles (and similar mental exercises)
Visit this site for some brain teasers and exercises
Read! Read! Read! (Read to your kids, read to yourself…just do it!)
Play games
Computer activities
Limit television
Knit or quilt
Try to reduce stress and anxiety
Live a little spontaneously
Be physically active
Eat your salmon! (Get lots of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet)
Rest and stay hydrated
Do you feel like you ever have “mommy brain?” Do you sometimes feel like your forgetfulness or absentmindedness is due to the many directions you’re being pulled in as a mom?
I recently learned that car seats have an expiration date. I was very surprised to learn this and don’t think I’m the only one who was unaware about car seats expiring.
Until recently, I assumed that the divorce rate among parents of children with special needs, including Down syndrome have a higher divorce rate than parents of children who do not have special needs due to the additional obstacles these parents face. I was surprised to learn that, in fact, parents of children with Down syndrome have a lower divorce rate than parents of children without special needs. In my own marriage, I can see how having Darah has strengthened my relationship with my husband. She is an absolute joy to parent and watch grow up. Neither of us could have ever dreamed that we would have this much love for someone. Our perspective on life is drastically different than what is likely would have been had we not had a child with special needs. We appreciate the small things and have overcome very big things since Darah has joined our lives, which has definitely strengthened our relationship. Truth be told, having a child with Down syndrome has most certainly added stress to my relationship with my husband, but we both hands-down agree that the most stressful season of our relationship were the colicky days of our typical developing son. 
My 2 year old and 4 year old recently graduated to animated movies with dialogue! This is a welcomed transition because I can only take so much of the same 30 minute song filled shows played over and over. I have been so excited to expose them to movies that I grew up watching as a child, like The Little Mermaid and Toy Story. Ok, so I was in high school when Toy Story came out, but I had a much younger brother who was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and enjoyed the movie very much!
My philosophy on most developmental milestones is, “wait until they’re ready and it’ll be a whole lot easier.” I have not always had this philosophy, but I’ve learned that racing to the next stage too early is very frustrating for me and for my child. One of my friends wisely told me that there are two things you can’t force a child to do. You can’t make them eat and you can’t make them use the potty. Children will learn very fast that they have complete control over those two things and the power struggle is inevitable if you push too hard.
Many times, I experience a phenomonon endearingly termed “mommy brain.” I am forgetful, sometimes absentminded, and simple things are at times more complex than necessary. It’s no wonder moms sometimes experience forgetfulness or absentmindedness. The responsibilities of a mother are never-ending and every mother must perform a daily juggling act. Sometimes, some of those balls are dropped, consciously and subconsciously.
