Everyone knows first-time parents are a little (ok, a lot) paranoid. And quite rightly so, with the ever-present risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and the increase in premature births.
Now there is a new baby product to profit -- ahem -- put you at ease in the middle of the night. Introducing Exmobaby, the digital onesie. Believe it, people. This new sleeper makes those 'nanny cams' and high-tech monitors that measures your baby's every breath and movement look so last year.
Not only does the biosensor perform "electrocardiogram tests to measure activity in the heart, record skin temperature and movements, and alert parents to restlessness," according to the manufacturer's website, this wonder onesie can even detect 'mood changes' and a soggy diaper. And all this vital intel gets send to your iPad or smartphone, in a nano second.
“The world's only baby sleep garment that does not depend on a human being to communicate how a baby is feeling.”
But before you go grabbing your plastic, consider that the garment doesn't yet have a release date, nor has it been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (though the company hastens to add that the radiation released in the clothing is “minimal.")
It's estimated that the onesies will retail at around $99, plus about $10 a month for the wireless service. Now, if only they could patent a robot to change that soggy diaper...
Convenient technology or crazed postnatal paranoia? Would you buy it?
The numbers speak for themselves. one in five. That's the number of kids in Ontario who struggle with their mental health. The worst part? Less than 20 percent of them will get the help they need, says Gordon Floyd, President and CEO of Children's Mental Health Ontario.
It's crazy that stigma still exists when so many young people (and let's face it, 'old' people) suffer from delibilitating illness, be it eating disorders, depression, schizophrenia... Shame prevents our kids from opening up about what they're going through, the usual fears of being judged, of being different are especially potent during adolescence.
As a parent, what can we do to help our kids open up and admit they need assistance? Well, for starters, we need to be open about it ourselves. And we need to be informed, so we don't perpetuate myths and stigma surrounding mental illness.
Founder of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, Bill Wilkerson has this advice for parents:
Wilkerson also stresses the importance of peer support. Since kids are communicating so much more through social media, and sometimes there is safety in anonymity, our kids need to know how to reach out when they need help, but also how to recognize -- and to help -- to those who need it as this girl did.
Change The View 2012, an anti-stigma YouTube video contest for youth across Ontario, has been hosted by Children’s Mental Health Ontario.
Struggling for gift ideas for the number one woman in your life? (I'm of course referring to your mother or wife!)
According to Paula Pugh, author of the book Celebrating Beginnings and Endings, the best gifts for Mother’s Day (or indeed any occasion) aren't found at a store.
Instead of the usual "boring cards, corsages or dinner out," Pugh has suggestions to make the day truly special and memorable. When it comes to making the most of meaningful moments, Pugh is something of an expert. Her book describes over 100 different and innovative ways people can connect with family and friends in these increasingly detached and fast-paced times.
“The first thing you need to do,” she says, “is to ask, ‘what does she really want?’ You are searching for ideas which lead you to that very special way of telling her how much she means to you. You might even go and ask her yourself! You may be amazed at what surfaces.”
Some examples:
Create a “Honey Do” list as one man did for his retired mother. On Mother’s Day he and his wife and kids spent the day attending to all the things that needed doing around the house.
Hold a dinner at mom's house, only this time you and your siblings don the aprons, and cook up family recipes.
Create a capsule of old photos. Write up a special memory to accompany it as one woman did with a photo of herself riding a pony as a girl.
Take your dad or uncle fishing (or whatever), to thank the one who taught you the skill as a kid.
For lost loved ones, wear or carry a keepsake of that person to commemorate them like the woman who wore one of her mother’s old hats to church on Mother’s Day.
So this Sunday, instead of grabbing a Hallmark with a generic verse or buying a bouquet that will only wilt in a few days, think hard about the person you are celebrating and then really celebrate them. As Pugh demonstrates above, the gesture need not be big but it must be thoughtful to make a big impression. More suggestions here.
Have you done (or received) anything special for Mother's Day in the past? Go on, inspire us.
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