When temperatures plunge this low, we do all we can to make sure our children stay warm.

But when it comes to bundling a baby in the car, the best of intentions can sometimes lead to danger. 

Car seat safety experts say don’t use snowsuits in conjunction with car seats.

But there are ways to keep your baby warm and safe. Click here to watch the story online with some alternatives.

“What’s going to happen is if you reach behind, baby’s going to come right out. And not going to be safe in the car,” car seat safety expert and Covenant Medical Center Registered Nurse Wendy Potter said.

“So you don’t want to use a heavy snowsuit in the car,” Potter said. “Snowsuits keep the baby nice and warm, but unfortunately they take up a lot of strap.”

“I am going to put baby back in but we’re not going to tighten straps, and I can actually put my arm underneath.  You don’t want to do that,” she said.

So how do you keep baby warm and safe?

Potter suggests a thinner velour sleeper over the baby’s warm clothes.

“It won’t affect the straps.”

Also, you can surround baby with blankets over the straps. Or buy a cover for the seat.

Your effort can truly save your child’s life.

“I’ve seen car crashes where parents were killed and children were scrapes,” Potter said.

Other steps you should take: make sure the harness strap is tight, so you can’t fit a finger underneath. The harness clip should be high at armpit level.

And check the straps in the back to make sure they are very tight.

Many parents leave the car seat bar up during car rides, but that’s not right. It could affect the car seat’s reaction during a crash. The bar should always be locked back behind the baby’s head.

All crucial steps to keep your baby warm and safe this winter.

Wendy Potter says you don’t have to toss your baby’s snowsuit, just put it on in the car after you’ve reached your destination.

How do you keep your baby warm during the winter in the car?  Do you think these suggestions are practical or not?

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As a parent, and a human being, I am always on the lookout for inspiration – something to teach me, motivate and help me to be better.

Here is a short list of websites that I love and that really help me by teaching parenting skills, or organizational ideas, food prep, etc:

• Family Minute with Mark Merrill has a daily update that can be sent to your email. He has excellent ideas and practical solutions to creating family happiness and peace.
• BabyCenter.com has invaluable information about a child’s development, from conception forward. I look forward to the weekly personalized emails that are packed with how my child is developing, as well as safety tips and best of all, age-appropriate activities that often get a belly laugh!
• For anyone who has ever struggled with organization, FLY Lady to the rescue!  She has been such an inspiration and help to me. She understands people who want organization, but haven’t found a way to make it happen.  She gives very practical step-by-step suggestions, ideas and reminders.  Try it!
• This one I just discovered through FLY Lady – after struggling to stay on the “same page” as it were with my husband when it comes to schedules, FLY Lady and Cozi have partnered to create The FLY Lady Online Organizer that we can both access and edit, and the service also sends text message reminders – awesome!  I believe Google and other companies have similar services.
• A while back I wrote about E-mealz which does all the meal planning for you – including basing its menus on sale-priceditems.  You can select family plans, meals for two, low-fat, vegetarian, gluten free, low carb, even the points system menus.  When I do follow my list, my life is easier!

This is just a short list, but I’ve drawn a lot of insight and good ideas from these sites, especially since becoming a parent.

Please fill me in on your favorite helpful sites!

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Visiting my dad over the Thanksgiving holiday, I enjoyed having some down time with my daughter Felicity and family.

I also took the opportunity to catch a movie – the first time in a looooong time – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I with one of my best friends – with whom I saw the very first Harry Potter.

My dad and his new wife (my mom passed away in 2009) were kind enough to babysit.

Apparently during this time, Felicity was in a good mood, but then things turned south.

She started to cry and fuss, and nothing seemed to help.

To attempt to change her mood, my stepmother suggested my father play his clarinet.

He is a music professor and has played in a symphony most of his life.

He started playing “Silent Night,” and according to him, Felicity immediately stopped fussing.

Silent, wide-eyed, she stared at the clarinet and my dad, captivated.

My dad said that she was quiet not just during the song, but for a long time after.

Apparently the power of music affects everyone, even the fussy child!

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Okay, you know that previous post I wrote about my daughter liking Indian food at 10-months-old?

We ran a story this morning about a scientific study out of  University of Colorado that suggests what a woman eats while pregnant may indeed affect her child’s future food choices!

Here it is:

“What a woman eats while she’s pregnant could affect her child’s diet in the future.

Researchers at the University of Colorado studying pregnant mice found their pups’ sense of smell was changed by what their mothers ate.

In fact, exposure to smells and flavors in the womb actually shaped a pup’s brain development, impacting what it eventually chooses to eat and drink.

Researchers say these findings stress the importance of eating a healthy diet during pregnancy and nursing.”

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