Boston Mamas: BPA & Baby Bottles Get the lowdown on Bisphenol A (BPA), and which baby bottles are or are not BPA-free

Car & Caboodle: Lost in Austin with Dadlabs’s Clay Nichols Clay shares his worst car moment and more

Coochicoos: Y Water – Drink, Design & Toy Designer Yves Behar designs bottle for new kid’s drink called Y Water

Healthy Bump: Affordable, Trendy Maternity Tees If you are looking for a comfortable yet trendy maternity tee then you need to take a look at the adorable tees at Baby & Momma.

Moms Buzz: Parenting Style 101 – What’s Your Parenting Style? Promoting self-discipline and self-esteem of one’s children often requires an emotional juggling act by parents. It is not easy to be firm and demanding one minute, then warm and affectionate the next. What’ Your Parenting Style?

Taia Hair Clips: Taia hair clips are simply adorable and designed to stay put in even the finest of hair! They are so sweet and have just a touch of bling! A girl’s’ gotta have bling! Lots of cute styles to choose from, your little girl will be a dazzling diva in her Taia clips! Also, Swanky Moms’ readers receive 15% off their first order with coupon code “swankymoms”.

Parent Blog Roundup Giveaways:

Classy Mommy: Win 4 Board Books from the Good Night Our World Series
3 Winners will be chosen! Prep for bed as you read about your very own city, favorite vacation spot, or a future destination you are planning to visit. Classy Mommy loves this series! Almost every major city in the US is featured (along with AMERICA) and new cities are being added frequently. They also have books with more generic destinations like The Beach and The Zoo.

MomFinds: Win a Haute Kiley Bag from HMR by Christine Price Didn’t get what you wanted for Valentine’s Day? Tell us how you spent V-Day for a chance to win this fabulous bag.

One Chic Mama: Be Our Valentine “Beauty Bag” Giveaway We’re giving away a Gold Heart Envelope from Dante Beatrix packed full of beauty products you’re gonna love!

Disney Dream Vacation Giveaway from Modern Mom We’re on-location at Walt Disney World all week to kick off our Dream Vacation Giveaway! Read our blog + watch our videos for your chance to win!

Maybe I watched JAWS once too many times and as a result I have a curious love/hate relationship with these animals. At the beach, I incessantly scan the horizon for fins and constantly try to get my kids closer to shore, yet every time a shark/human encounter makes headlines, I obsessively tune in!

The good news is shark attacks are rare and infrequent. Sharks are generally not bloodthirsty maniacal killers. Considering that tens of thousands of people come in close contact with sharks each year while swimming, surfing, or boating, numbers of shark attacks are negligible. Still, if you are concerned about your kids in the ocean, here are some simple tips to avoid a ‘close encounter’ with a shark:

• Avoid sandbars and sharp drop-offs where fish congregate. Most shark attacks occur on the inshore side of a sandbar or between sandbars because fish congregate there and because sharks can become trapped at low tide. Sharp drop-offs also attract lots of fish and, therefore, sharks.
• Keep close to shore.
• If you venture out into deeper waters, do not splash a lot, since it attracts sharks. Seen from below, swimmers or surfboarders are often mistaken for seals or sea lions, whose fatty bodies are a favorite treat for sharks. Human splashing creates irregular ripples in the water below, which to a shark may indicate an injured seal or fish.
• Stay out of the water at night, dusk, or dawn. Sharks are most active at night.
• Swim in a group. Sharks prefer to attack lone victims.
• Contrasts attract sharks such as bright swimsuits and uneven tanning. If you intend to swim in deeper waters, you might want to bring along a dark, nondescript swimsuit to slip over your highly visible one.
• Stay out of polluted or murky water.
• Be wary of feeding birds, or porpoises, which indicate the presence of fish.
• Do not throw food scraps into the water.
• Do not swim if you are bleeding. Sharks can detect tiny amounts of blood.
• Do not wear shiny jewelry. Shiny jewelry that gleams like fish scales, multi-color swimsuits, and irregular tanning, especially on the bottom of the feet, could also confuse a shark into thinking a person is an animal.
• Keep pets out of the water. Erratic movements attract sharks.
• Avoid areas being used by fishermen.

Now you can enjoy the ocean even more, knowing that your children most likely will not be swimming with sharks!

You’re trekking over what seems like miles of unforgiving sandy terrain, hauling pounds of gear and apparatus, your arms start to tremble from the strain, your knees begin to buckle, your voice is hoarse from yelling at the kids to slow down and then…you see it. The perfect patch of sand that is not too close to the water, not to close to other people. You call to the rest of the family with undue excitement, “This is our spot! Drop everything here!” Blankets, umbrellas, coolers, beach bags, shoes, shirts all tumble into a pile and everybody bolts to the water. But, wait. You’ve not only missed your chance to slather everybody with sunscreen, you’ve missed your best opportunity to stress to your kids that in the event that can’t find you, they should look for your stuff, head there and stay put. In the myriad of supplies that you’ve toted, you should bring items that will easily distinguish your area from the hundreds of other sunbathers on the beach. Here is a list of very visible markers to choose from to mark your spot:

· Pick a spot near a lifeguard tower. This serves as a visible landmark as well as keeps you close to help, if needed.

· Choose a bright-colored beach blanket with distinctive markings. Or, instead of a beach blanket, use a Queen sized flat sheet. They’re lighter to carry, easier to clean, and bigger than most beach blankets. Also, distinctive, bright colored designs are easy to find on a flat sheet (we bring along my daughter’s old Hello Kitty sheet – the brilliant pink kitty faces are easy to see and the only one on the beach!)

· Select a florescent orange umbrella with a happy face hand-painted on it (this is my family’s favorite – as the kids painted the umbrella themselves, they always remember to look for it)

· If you choose to lighten your load and rent an umbrella at a nearby beach store, tote along a thick ribbon and tie it to the top of the umbrella. Or throw your garish tee shirt with the dizzying logo over the top. This will distinguish your umbrella from the dozens of others just like it.

· Tote along a bright-colored beach chair with a flag affixed to the back (gives it height to ensure it can be seen from a distance over other chairs and people).

· Large, freestanding pinwheels can be found at any garden center and will distinctively mark your spot as well as entertain toddlers.

· For rented beach chairs, drape a florescent towel over the back for visibility

· When not using them, prop your boogie board or surf board up so that it can be seen from a distance

· Wagons – When my kids were toddlers, I found it convenient to stuff swim diapers, extra clothes, toys, bottles, snacks, juices, etc., etc., into our red plastic wagon that seated two kids comfortably and came equipped with cup holders, seat storage and foot rests. You know these modern-day versions of the little red wagon we had as kids – the Lexus models of today compared with the ancient models of our youth. While the wagons are nifty for transporting kids and apparatus, they also serve another useful purpose – they are visible. When you’ve emptied everything out, prop the handle upright and drape a bright-colored towel over it. You’ve made yourself a flag that can be easily spotted.

· Strollers – For smaller children, it’s sometimes easiest to tote them along for a day of beach fun in their strollers where they can readily be shielded from the sun and take naps comfortably. If you’ve gone to the immense effort of dragging a set of stroller wheels (bending and locking every few seconds) through rugged, rocky sand, use it to mark your spot. Tie a red scarf, handkerchief or towel around the handle and let it flap in the wind.

· Toboggan or plastic snow sled – These may look unusual on the beach but are so much easier to cart stuff over sand than anything with wheels. Toddlers are also eager to jump aboard, keeping them from running off as you deal with getting set up. In addition, the plastic surface can be easily rid of sand for a non-gritty place to play or snack.

Spas used to be ‘adults only’ destinations. Once a woman had children, a visit to a spa with her girlfriends might be a once a year event that had to be carefully orchestrated around the schedules of husbands, grandparents, and babysitters. Thanks to a new breed of spas that are equipped with on site childcare for babies, camps and activity centers for kids of all ages, and manis, pedis, and massages for preschoolers, tweens, and teens, a day at the spa can be yours any time you wish. The past five years has witnessed an explosion in the number of spas that welcome babies and toddlers. The spa industry has responded to the needs of Generation X women who want to spend a lot of time with their children, yet don’t want to sacrifice adult friendships, by making their facilities kid friendly, without sacrificing quality, style, or décor.

The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai California (www.ojaniresort.com) has recently undergone a $90 million renovation. “Since May 2003 when we began this project,” says Managing Director Thad Hyland, “we’ve demolished a dozen buildings, laid 15 miles of cable, buried 5 miles of pipe, and installed 200,000 square feet of Saltillo tile and 20,000 pieces of decorative tile. Now, more than 5,000 gallons of paint, a half dozen new fountains and 125 trees later, we can really see the results of our labor.” Camp Ojai for children ages 5-12 offers supervised educational activities with a focus on learning about the Chumash Indians, and a daily visit to the Ranch’s small animal farm and a pony ride. Likewise, the Hotel Del Coronado (www.hoteldel.com), located just outside of San Diego, keeps young guests busy at their Tent City Kids Camp (ages 4-12) where kids can do arts and crafts, learn to surf, and practice paddle boating, or make their own tye-die t-shirts while mom gets a Seaside enzyme wrap ($185 for 80 minutes) or deep cleansing facial treatment ($130 for 50 minutes. The camp costs $45 dollars for one child, $40 for each additional, and $65 for an extended Kid’s Night Out.

Simply because a spa is kid friendly, doesn’t mean aesthetics take a back seat, even for the little ones. The Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Arizona (www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com) features $730 Bugaboo strollers, luxurious Kashwére blankets and caps, Frette linen crib sheets, and Mustela baby skincare products so babies can feel just as pampered as you do. While the spa does not have on-site daycare, the concierge will provide you with an approved list of local nannies and childcare providers so you can feel free to indulge in their world famous bamboo lemongrass scrub ($195 for 90 minutes) or their weightless watsu aquatic massage ($135 for 60 minutes). The Greenhouse spa in Arlington Texas (www.grenhousepa.com) offers two “Baby and Me” weeks a year, open to women with babies between 3 and 12 months of age. On-site nanny care means that you can indulge in a massage or manicure without worrying about nap times, feeding, or keeping an active toddler entertained. The Phantom Horse Spa in Phoenix Arizona (www.pointesouthmtn.com) provides on-site childcare in their Kids Korral for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years to complement their full range of Native American inspired spa-treatments such as the Pumpkin facial ($125 for 50 minutes).

Children as young as four years old can skip the babysitters and on-site nannies and opt, instead, to get their own treatments. Spas offer the perfect environment for children, teens, and tween to relieve stress, relax, and learn about healthy eating habits and good grooming. Pared down services are available for kids of all ages. The Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina (www.pinehurst.com/spa) recently opened its KidSpa, which caters to tweens aged 6 to 11. The spa offers pedicures, manicures, and massages at pared down prices. The Pinhurst kids massage ($45 for 20 minutes) targets injury prone areas like legs and backs and is suitable for boys and girls. Masseuses are gender specific, children remain fully clothed, and parents can opt to stay in the room and supervise. The Pinhurst kids facial ($45 for 20 minutes) is designed to introduce the basics of good skin care and includes a thorough cleansing and toning. The the Pinehurst mani-pedi ($70 for 50 minutes) provides a luxury experience without breaking the bank. While the Teen Tune-Up offers a thirty minute one-on-one session with a personal trainer ($50). The Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis Massachusetts (www.capecodderresort.com) offers a Parent and Child massage ($170 for 50 minutes). You, your daughter and a girlfriend may opt for the Tutti-Frutti Manicure delight ($20 for 20 minutes) complete with fizzy fruit juice sparkler or the Chocolate Milkshake pedicure ($40 for 45 minutes) which can be enjoyed while sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Feet are soaked in a chocolate milkshake bath, manicured, then exfoliated with a chocolate scrub. Topping it off are an application of Swiss chocolate mousse lotion and a jeweled toe ring. The Ritz-Carleton Spa in Orlando offers everything from a Ritz Kids Massage to a “Systems Blue Facial” complete with a personal skin analysis (www.ritzcarlton.com).

With a little bit of planning and a flexible attitude you can enjoy a wonderful spa vacation that offers plenty of fun and entertainment for the kids while still leaving ample time for adult relaxation and socializing. To find a spa near you consult SpaFinder (www.spafinder.com) and look under the “Mommy and Baby” or “Teen Spa” categories.

Some Tips:
• The Perfect Destination depends heavily on the age of your children. If your children are babies and/or toddlers pick a resort with on site childcare, nanny services, or programs for young children. Be mindful that the childcare program may need a minimum number of kids (usually 3) to open. Think about going with a group of girlfriends and their children.
• If your children are between the ages of 5 and 12 pick a spa or resort with an attached day camp or activity center. Be sure to check hourly rates and ask about multiple child discounts.
• Youth spas don’t apply adult treatment like dermabrasion or waxing. Those that offer massages typically require parents to be present.

See CleverParents-tv Vidcast #6 introducing the On the Go With Kids in Tow column.