'children' posts

I received this note from Evi Feltus, one of our amazing certified child life specialists:

"Swedish Pediatrics is holding a summer toy drive in July and August to replenish our treasure chest. Our amazing December toy drive sustained us for six months. We are looking for small toys valued under $10 to give out to children following difficult procedures.

Suggestions include:

• My Little Ponies
• Transformers
• Hot Wheels
• Barbies
• Lego sets
• etc.

We are also seeking interactive light-up toddler toys to distract young patients during their stay.

Donations can be dropped off at 9 East Pediatrics on the First Hill campus any time; please remember to fill out a donation form for tax purposes. You can also mail them to 747 Broadway Seattle, WA 98122. Please include your name, address and phone number for tax purposes.

Also, Swedish Medical Center Pediatrics is registered at Target (new window will open) if you are looking for additional items or suggestions.

Thank you for your continued support in providing a comforting environment for our patients!"

---

(Questions about the toy drive? Email us at blog@swedish.org)

Do you remember asking your parents to play a game with you when you were young? We would play dominoes and card games, like Gin Rummy and War. The cousins would get together a play epic, marathon games of Monopoly and Risk. The parents and grandparents played Canasta. (That was the only game I ever heard my sweet, adorable grandmother cheat at).

My kids enjoy games as well. We play cribbage, chess, and Cranium games. We also play video games together. Recently, I’ve heard a few parents tell me they don’t play video games with their kids. I think they’re missing out. We’ve had some rousing games of Super Smash Brothers Brawl or Wii Sports and Wii Play. There are more times than I can count where we’ve had to pause the game because everyone is laughing so hard that we’re crying.

When I play, it gives them the chance to teach me something:

 When it comes down to the choice of rear-facing and forward-facing, there are lots of ‘reasons’ why parents don’t want to keep their child rear-facing longer, but there’s only one reason that counts for keeping them rear-facing, and that’s nearly eliminating the risk for spinal cord injury for your child.

As car seat technicians we hear all kinds of reasons why parents don’t want to keep their child rear-facing.

When a baby is 9-months-old and waves bye-bye, they are using the sign that you’ve taught them. The baby has the motor skills to sign and communicate but not the verbal skills yet.
Using sign language with babies can greatly reduce the frustration that is felt by both the parents and the child.

There comes a time when your child wants something but they can’t verbalize what it is. They will usually point and whine. Then we play the guessing game.

Mom: “Would you like juice?”

Child: shake of the head, more point and whine.

Mom: “Would you like a snack?”

Child: stomp the foot, more point and whine.

Mom: “Ugh, I don’t know what you want. Would you like a cookie?”

Child: (Through body language) Oh? A cookie? Sure, why not!

Mom: Whew!

Child: (Learns that point and whine will get me either what I want or a cookie. I’ll need to do that more often.)

Starting at about 6 months of age, you can expose your child to signing. By about 9 months of age, they can communicate their needs.

Signing will not slow their speech; in fact, by showing them that communication goes both ways, they can learn to speak sooner. You’ll want to show them the sign and say the word with it, so they learn to associate the word with the sign.

Here are a few basic signs that are easy to teach, but very helpful:

Babies are born nearly everyday at Swedish/Edmonds – in fact we had our 60,000th baby born just a few weeks ago. It was quite a milestone in our hospital’s 47-year history. So it’s always an exciting time at our Childbirth Center. Now we have two new reasons to celebrate. Our Childbirth Center is newly redesigned with new flooring, furniture and lighting, and we have a new tour at the hospital – the Have a Happy Birth Day tour. The tour helps women who are newly pregnant or who are considering becoming pregnant learn all about birthing options available at Swedish/Edmonds.

With a new tour and a new look, we’ve invited four of our precious Swedish/Edmonds patients and their parents to celebrate with us. You’ve probably seen their adorable photos on the Have a Happy Birth Day billboards along Highway 99 in Edmonds, Highway 527 in Mill Creek and along the Mukilteo Speedway. There’s nothing like a 14-foot baby to get your attention!

All of our newborns are favorites at Swedish/Edmonds, but we’re wondering which one is your favorite? Which of the four baby billboard photos below makes you smile or maybe inspires you to Have a Happy Birth Day?

Picking out a car seat is one of the most daunting chores when having a baby. I can tell you the least important aspect of which car seat to buy is the color. The baby doesn’t care what color, and in a crash it won’t matter.

When expectant parents find out I’m a car seat technician, the most common question is “Which seat should I buy?” I will not deny that car seat technicians all have their favorites. There are some car seats that are easier to install than others, but I am always apprehensive to name a specific seat. There is not one seat that fits every situation. (The examples I have in this post are just examples, not endorsements or recommendations.)

Ease-of-use is a huge selling point. It can mean that parents are more likely to use it properly.

For newborns, there are two ways to go. You can start a baby in either an infant-only/rear-facing only car seat with a carry handle, or you can start them out in a convertible that typically stays in the car and will eventually turn forward-facing.

The features to look for in a car seat for an infant (either type) are: