Monday, April 30, 2012

Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizers

This past week you may have seen news coverage about teens using alcohol based hand sanitizers to get drunk and ending up with alcohol poisoning! So scary...

Six teenagers have shown up in two San Fernando Valley emergency rooms in the last few months with alcohol poisoning after drinking hand sanitizer

...

The liquid hand sanitizer is 62% ethyl alcohol and makes a 120-proof liquid.

From LA Times (link below)

Over the years there have been a variety of stories about alcohol hand sanitizer ingestion issues. We are proud to carry and offer to our Pump Station family the alcohol free CleanWell line of sanitizers and soaps. They are formulated by a physician for families to address our need for safe products for our children. CleanWell All-natural hand sanitizer is non-toxic, in fact it is less toxic than common household vinegar.

The CleanWell alcohol free products are made with thyme oil that kills germs naturally. There's no benzalkonium chloride (quaternary ammonia), which is linked to asthma and found in all other alcohol-free hand sanitizers as an alcohol substitute.



Travel Sanitizer

Foaming Sanitizer

Orange Scent Santizier

Sanitizing Wipes

See all CleanWell Sanitizers and Soaps at PumpStation.com

Read More...
"A Troubling Trend in Teens Drinking Hand Sanitizer" By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
April 24, 2012

See More... Emergency Rooom Doc talks with KTLA 5's Chris Wolfe

Thursday, April 26, 2012

What I Know NOW About Twins!

by Molly Schaffer, MA, MFTI, Mother of Twins

Here’s what I didn’t KNOW until my calm and delighted OB told me he saw two tiny little heart beats! I remember thinking, “Oh God, my baby has two hearts??” When I caught up, I remember looking at my husband and seeing a red, giddy panic in his face. I giggled, in a hysterical, crazy-woman sort of way and felt a new and strange exhilaration. I didn’t know ANYTHING about twins!

What I know now, is that this was just the start of a very different kind of parenting experience. From the raging pregnancy appetite and extra special heartburn to the mind-numbing and scary bedrest, the research and hiring of nighttime help to the nursing for two, bonding and attaching to two, bathing two, soothing two, and feeding two. NOW I KNOW and I’d love to share this with you!

I’m so excited to tell you that The Pump Station & Nurtury™ and The Pump Station Mommy & Me will be offering a new Mommy and Me class specifically for TWINS! This class will also offer specific emotional support and practical guidance for the rewarding but challenging task of caring for more than one baby. Differing a bit from other popular twin mommy and me groups, our group will approach each topic and developmental stage from a mindful parenting perspective, which is essentially a slowed-down, less reactive, more intentional and reflective process. Some of the topics addressed will be:

   getting and keeping your babies on a similar schedule
   feeding two hungry babies
   the blessings and complications of bonding with two babies
   temperament and nurturing individuality
   partner issues
   double the blessing/more than double the work: finding and accepting help and support

In addition to the camaraderie and understanding you will find among other twin moms, you will have special time singing and attuning to your babes at the beginning of each class.  Additionally, because our class is 90 minutes, which is 30 minutes longer than some other classes for twins, we will always have time for new mommy questions!

As a mom of 3 year old twin boys as well as a 9 year old boy, I know firsthand about the unique experience of parenting twins. Not only are you a new parent, but you’ve got two little people to contend with. Some days and moments are pure joy and exhilaration, others...not so much. It’s HARD work! As parents of twins we are incredibly lucky to have two little human beings to nurture and love, but the parenting experience is complicated by many factors that singleton parents can’t understand. So, come be with your people and build friendships, learn, and nurture you attachment to each of your little babies.

Molly Schaffer (top in photo) is a psychotherapist in private practice, working with children and families. Molly trained in the esteemed Mindful Parenting program at the Maple Center in Beverly Hills and with the Center for Reflective Parenting in West LA. Molly is also the mom to twin almost 3 year old boys and a 9 year old boy.

Jill Leevan Rosenberg is a licensed clinical social worker as well as the mom of 8-year-old fraternal twin boys. She has led parenting groups with a special interest in twins and multiples. Jill's experience includes providing therapy to families and children at Cedars-Sinai, Stuart House and Santa Monica-UCLA. Jill is the past president of West Los Angeles Parents of Multiples (WLAPOM), and runs their philanthropy, Multiple Helpings.

Classes forming now in Santa Monica! Email Dinora@PumpStation.com for more info.
If you are interested in a Twins group in Hollywood or Westlake Village please let us know by emailing the email above as well.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Calling all dads! Daddy and Me class is finally here!

by Julie Wright, MFT, 

So, you’ve all heard the familiar lament from moms in our Mommy and Me classes, “I wish my husband/partner could hear this!”

Hey, dads need a class too! They need to get together with other dads and find out that they’re not alone in this new parenthood thing.  It’s the greatest feeling to share the part of this new adventure you find most challenging or life changing and see the heads nodding in your group.  What a relief; it’s perfectly normal!

Along with the support factor, we strive to bring high level, mindfulness oriented, research based information to our classes but only half of our parents are benefiting, at least until now.  Our dads are just as hungry to learn and discuss these topics! 

It’s also true that when we have had a “Dads Day” in a Mommy and Me class, it’s been an enormous success. Our dads love to see all the babies, sing silly songs and share stories and tips with other parents, just like moms do. There’s every reason to invite Dads in, to tell them what really goes on in Mommy and Me!

Well, finally, the time has come. We are offering a DADDY and Me Class at The Pump Station and Nurtury™ for the first time! The 8-week class will meet on Sundays from 10:00am – 11:30am.

Jane Rosen, PhD, who has extensive experience with moms, dads, babies and couples is very happy to be leading the class. 

Daddy and Me classes include but are not limited to:
•guidance for sleeping and eating
•developmental play
•attachment and separation
•optimizing your baby’s capacities through your relationship
•mindful parenting in challenging moments
•the science of praise
•supportive friendships with other moms and dads
•songs, movement, fun!
•adjustment to parenthood
•back to work/finding balance
•partner issues/reconnecting after baby
•preschool tips
•potty training

Please email Dinora@pumpstation.com with your baby’s name, birth date, your phone number. Feel free to contact her if you have any questions.

Join our Daddy & Me Friends with Benefits!
When you sign up for an 8-week session you get to enjoy the following benefits:
10% off all merchandise purchases*
Guidance and support from clinical therapists of health professionals with extensive background in early childhood development and parenting.
The support and friendship of other dads who will be part of your world for years to come! You can't put a price on that!
*Offer valid from registration through last day of session. Proof of I.D. will be required. Not valid to towards Medela Pump In Style and Free Style Breastpumps, rentals, consults, classes, sale merchandise or online orders.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

TIPS FOR APPLYING TO PRESCHOOL

by Dr. Michelle Nitka – Child psychologist and author of Coping With Preschool Panic the Los Angeles Guide to Private Preschools
Never mind college. How do you get your kids into preschool? Choosing a preschool, and being chosen, has come to feel like a competitive sport. Several recent articles and news shows have fanned the flames of parental panic. In the last year or two Nightline aired a segment entitled “Inside the Cutthroat Preschool Wars”, the San Francisco Chronicle headlined with “Preschool Wait Puts Parents In Panic” and The New York Times ran an article entitled “In Baby Boomlet, Preschool Derby Is the Fiercest Yet.”    Even without articles and news shows like these, the process of applying to preschool  is enough to push parents of hearty constitutions to the edge.

But it does not have to be this way. Despite what some overachieving parents think, admission to the “right” preschool will not set your child on the road to Harvard.  What is vastly more important is to finding the preschool that fits your child and your family.  Given that the preschool search often begins when a child is not even a year old many parents may well ask, “How do I know who he is yet?   He can scarcely eat without drooling!”  It is important therefore to pay attention not only to your child’s needs but also to your own.  The following tips will hopefully start you in the right direction.

TIPS FOR APPLYING TO PRESCHOOL

1)  Do you want your child in a half-day program or a full-day program? How much flexibility do you need in terms of number of days your child is in school and hours your child is in school?
2)  How far do you want to drive? There are many outstanding preschool programs, and unless you have a pathological desire to listen to Barney or Elmo during long car rides, the closer the better. 
3)  How much do you want to spend on preschool? Don’t forget hidden costs like the annual fund drive, capital campaigns, endowment funds, galas, etc. They all have different names but add up to the same thing – you are writing checks which can add thousands of dollars to your tuition.
4)  What is the educational philosophy you are most comfortable with (remembering of course that you are looking for the best fit for your child)? There are lots of choices out there, including but not limited to traditional academic, developmental, cooperative, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf. 
5)  Would you consider sending your child to a preschool affiliated with a church or a temple? Remember that just because a preschool is affiliated with a religious institution does not necessary mean it is a religious preschool.   If you are interested in a preschool affiliated with a church or temple, joining the congregation can give you an advantage in the admissions process.
6)  Is diversity important to you, and if so, what kind of diversity is important to you?  Some schools are founded on the idea of having a diverse student body, while others are extremely homogeneous.
7)  Does your child have any special needs that might affect whether a preschool is a good fit? Some preschool directors are exceptional at working with and including children with special needs, while others seem to regard it as a burden.
8)  How much parent participation do you want to see in the preschool? What are the opportunities for parent involvement, and what are the expectations? There are some preschools, for example cooperative nursery schools, that by definition require a good deal of parent participation. If you have a very inflexible work schedule this may not be a good choice. On the other hand for a parent who has quit their job to be involved in their child’s early education, a school with little to no parent involvement might be quite frustrating.
9)  What is the school’s policy on toilet training?  Some preschools have a very strict requirement that a child must be toilet trained to start preschool while others are far more lenient and realize that peer modeling will probably accomplish the task rather rapidly. 
10)After preschool do you plan to send your child to public or private school? There are some preschools where everyone will graduate and attend private elementary schools. Those directors typically help their families with this application process and are very well versed in it. On the other hand, there are many excellent preschools where no one continues on to private school. 
11) Apply to the toddler program of the preschool you are interested in. Many preschools have toddler programs that start when the child is about 18 months old. Toddler programs generally meet once a week and the parent stays with the child. These programs are an excellent way of getting to know a preschool program. Although it is not a guarantee, many preschools acknowledge that attending their toddler program does afford the child an advantage in terms of admission to the  preschool.

Finally, try to remember that although these first decisions regarding your child’s education are important, no preschool can ever replace you. There are no golden tickets – no preschool will guarantee success.  It is far more important to be a loving, involved, present parent.

Get Dr. Michelle Nitka's Book
Dr. Michelle Nitka teaches our Hot Topics lecture "Coping With Pre-School Panic" at all our store locations. For the next lecture near you contact:
  • Santa Monica: 310-998-1981
  • Hollywood: 323-469-5300
  • Westlake Village: 805-777-7179
  • See our Hot Topics Schedule Online here....