Bisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers. Bisphenol A (BPA) — which has been linked with cancer, impaired immune function, hyperactivity, and other problems — can leach into a bottle’s contents.
Besides being present in polycarbonate plastics, a material popular for its light weight, versatility and durability, BPA is found in the lining of canned food, compact discs, adhesives, paper coating and dental sealants.
A study released recently in the United States confirmed that exposure to high levels of BPA could cause erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men. Newborn and infant exposure to BPA poses an even greater threat during windows of vulnerability. These periods, as short as hours and days, are times when a baby’s developing body is exquisitely sensitive to chemical damage. Even minute exposures, during those periods, have the potential of creating lifetime problems.
Parents are more educated and Internet-savvy these days, and the awareness has thus grown since news about the chemical started. In Singapore, BPA-free plastic products are more widely available right now.
Pediatrician Harvey Karp, M.D., a board member of Healthy Child Healthy World, says “there’s no need to be frightened, but you should try to reduce your baby’s exposure to this chemical.” Here’s how:
Avoid hard polycarbonate plastic, which contains BPA. Instead, use bottles made of glass, or softer, safer plastics made of polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyamide.
Discard worn bottles (those that are cloudy or scratched): Chemicals leach into food or milk more easily when plastics break down.
Don’t heat plastic bottles in the microwave, or wash them in the dishwasher, since heat degrades plastic, releasing chemicals.
With so many news reports concerning toxic chemicals leaching from plastic baby bottles into baby’s milk, more and more parents are going back to the traditional glass baby bottles as the safest option after breast feeding.
The key benefits of using glass baby bottles include:
Glass bottles are naturally BPA and lead free.
Glass bottles eliminate potential health problems for your newborn.
Using glass is hygienic and is easy to clean in dishwasher, boiling water or sterilizer.
Easy to use as made from strong, tempered heat resistant glass.
No sticky residue or smell from previous feeds is left on glass bottles.
Glass, unlike plastic, does not turn cloudy or get scratch easily.
Glass, unlike plastic, is a renewable resource and can be recycled for additional use.
The main concern that most parents have regarding the use of glass baby bottles is that they have the potential to break very easily. Now with the introduction of glass bottles with protective sleeves, parents do not need to worry about bumps and breakage anymore, when using glass baby bottles.
Currently, the Weego glass bottles have made their way to Singapore. The Weego glass baby bottles are created by, Pam Marcus, long time pediatric feeding specialist and award winning designer Daren Joy.
The Weego glass bottles are BPA-free, making them a safe choice for your baby and taking away the concerns over chemicals leaching in plastic baby bottles. Lifefactory fuses scientific research and modern design to make bottles that are healthy, innovative, developmentally appropriate and earth friendly.
The Weego baby glass bottles are covered with a trendy, developmentally appropriate and eco-friendly sleeve that will help protect the bottle from breakage and provide a great gripping surface and tactile experience during feeding.
Key Features/Benefits:
Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalate, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonate free.
Silicone sleeve (with measurement) is 100% NON-TOXIC and free of plastics.
Silicone nipple is NON-TOXIC and latex-free.
Plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable.
Sleeve provides a good gripping surface during feeding and also a great tactile experience for your baby.
Both the bottle and sleeve can be sterilized, microwaved or put in the dishwasher.
Fits perfectly on a Medela pump.
Both the bottle and sleeve can go into the freezer, making breast milk storage simple.
Enjoy 20% discount when you purchase a minimum of 4 Babe75 baby products/items fromwww.75volts.com/C/Babe75.
Promotion code :B75TM1
Promotion ends :25 Jan 2010.
Have you heard of BPA before and have you switch to BPA free glass baby bottles? We love to hear from you. Simply leave us a comment below.
I used to have the idea that soccer is a self-learning sport. Never did it cross my mind to send my children for soccer classes. If you are having the same ideology as me, you might realized that the idea of this ball game is not necessary for play and fitness only. It was when Ashton did a trial class with Coerver Coaching Soccer Academy and I discovered the whole essence of this beautiful game.
3.5 years old Ashton joined the Mighty Mites class, which is meant for 4 to 6 years old and is one of the youngest in the class of 14. It is a session whereby the skills and the rules of the games are put across via fun and games. The 50 minutes session includes warm-up, ball mastery (which includes topics like dribbling, ball passing etc), games and last of all, a briefing for the children by giving them a summary for the kids.
Ashton, being not very exposed in football and a first timer in class, followed through all the activities with the help of Coach Micheal, a very patient coach, from the Mighty Mites class.
There were some underlying essence of the game that I discovered when I observed Ashton going through the class. Behind the game of fun and play, many life skills were taught to the kids apart from mastering football skills, building confidence with the ball, motor skills and fitness that many parents are probably looking out for in a typical sports class.
Here’s some life skills that I have realized :
The children were taught how to take instructions well
During the warm-up, the children were asked to move around with the ball and using different parts of their body to touch the ball. (eg. touch the ball with their head, tummy, right hand, left leg etc.) The children were to follow the instructions accordingly.
Learning to be a social communicator and a team player
There are many games within the class whereby the children were divided into teams and given specific tasks to complete. They learned how to work together to get the task done despite that some group members were aggressive and others were slower.
Leadership Skills
The children were asked to take breaks and sipped some water frequently during the class. After the break, a mini leader in the group was appointed as an in-charge to do a count and made sure that they were not missing out anyone from the class. Most children loves to lead and it makes them happy and proud to be able to help the coach in one way or another.
Responsibility
The children were asked to help with tidying up after the session, picking up every single balls, cones, etc
On general, I felt quite comfortable with the class and the coaches. The characteristics of the coaches are taken into consideration when they were assigned to certain class. Needless to say, for the Mightly Mites with all the pre-schoolers and the kindergarten kids, the coaches are naturally so much more patient.
What can be improved?
I believe that the class can be even better if there are introductory class for beginners like Ashton to prepare them better before joining the actual class. If not, it will be great if they have a coach who is a “floater” to guide the new joined children while the 2 main coaches can focus on the main class.
While waiting for Ashton, I spoke to some parents and found out more insight of the course and why did they sent their kids to Coerver Coaching.
Here’s what one of the parents say “My 4 year old son likes soccer and has been enjoying his lessons in Coerver Soccer Academy.”
Comments from another parent “The courses are very well structured and organised. After a few lessons, i found my child more active and confidence than before.”
Have you sent your child for any trial classes before? We would like to hear from you, simply leave us a comment :)
Interview with Claudel Kuek, MD of PowerMoves Pilates in the Park
1. Would you like to start by introducing yourself to Today’s Motherhood readers?
You know me as the Pilates Director of the PowerMoves Pilates in the Park studios; I am also a mother of two amazing young children and the wife of Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek.
2. What’s the inspirational story behind your business?
It started with wanting to bring the beauty and the miracle of the Pilates method to all whom I care for. In setting up PowerMoves, I set out to touch the lives of as many women as possible so that they may be stronger, fitter and more confident in their bodies while being more empowered in their lives.
3. What is the philosophy that you and your team adopt when it comes to teaching pilates?
In teaching Pilates, our instructors at PowerMoves create workout sessions that are comfortable yet challenging, energising yet relaxing, body-altering and mind-recharging; all this while instilling in you the Pilates fundamentals of how to breathe, concentrate, control, center and flow.
4. Tell us more about the Pilates Classes in Singapore.
We have 100 hours of Pilates classes (in Singapore) weekly that focus on individual needs and goals. These classes are both on the Pilates Mat as well as on Pilates Equipment. We have very small group classes and private classes, classes for rehabilitation and for women with special needs like osteoporosis, scoliosis, prenatal and postnatal to name a few.
5. Both of your premises are located amidst beautifully tranquil surroundings. How can pilates help people in managing stress from their hectic lifestyles?
Our Pilates in the Park studios at Bishan Park and Dempsey Hill are both set in lush greenery away from the busy-city madness. Working out in PowerMoves, all your senses are transported to a resort-like holiday destination; perfect for recharging and rediscovering yourself. Pilates as a mind-body exercise regime teaches one focus and greater awareness which in turn allows one greater capacity to take control and better manage one’s life including the stresses and strains.
6. Is Pilates beneficial for pregnant ladies?
Pilates is highly beneficial for pregnant ladies. With its focus on establishing a strong core and inner centre, its emphasis on the discipline of correct posture and the right breathing patterns; Prenatal Pilates will help keep you fit, prepare you adequately for childbirth and ensure you recover more quickly after.
7. How can Pilates help women get back into shape and the swing of an active lifestyle post-pregnancy?
Pilates with its careful blend of strength and flexibility training will help you improve your posture and tone, give you more energy and balance; enhancing both your physical and mental well-being.
8. Last of all, what is your secret to staying fit and youthful?
Staying fit requires physical exercise. Pilates exercises are perfect as it is low-impact, it strengthens and lengthens your muscles, it develops a strong core (flat abs) and it ensures overall body and mind conditioning. Staying youthful requires that one stays connected to one’s most important values like love, laughter, beauty, peace, joy.
Whatever makes you happy is exactly that which you ought to be doing more of! For me, it is being surrounded by the love of family and friends and the joy of teaching others to achieve their health n fitness goals through Pilates in the Park. :-)
ELANRA ioniser is the world’s first ioniser designed specifically for medical use
Beneficial to our health and wellbeing, scientific research highlights the positive effects of nature’s negative ions of oxygen on our immune system, our moods, on the elimination of airborne bacteria, on our concentration and learning and more.
Invisible to the eye, nature’s negative ions are small oxygen atoms most commonly experienced around large waterfalls, by the seaside where the surf crashes unto rocks and after a thunderstorm. Instinctively, it’s around these areas that we find ourselves taking a deep breath; our body looking to benefit from these ‘vitamins of the air’.
Fortunately for us living in cities today, Australian designed 21st century technology has brought the vast therapeutic benefits of nature’s negative ions from the great outdoors into our homes with the world’s most advanced range of medical-grade, domestic Ionisers. O2ions is proud to announce that the Elanra Therapeutic Ioniser is now available, distributed and supported in Singapore.
Working in the field of ion technology for over 40 years, Australian inventor Joshua Shaw discovered that exposure to the small negative ions produced by the Elanra causes an increase in the body’s production of Immunoglobulin A (IgA), ), a prime constituent of the immune system, to counteract infections. To go one step further, Elanra also destroys up to 95% of airborne bacteria before they are breathed in. A year-long study by the University of Leeds at St James’s Hospital, UK, found that ionisers placed in the Intensive Care Unit significantly reduced infections by eliminating 100% of highly resistant Acinetobacter from the air.
While our school going children are exhorted daily to be vigilant and to be on guard against air borne infection, by washing hands frequently and practising good hygiene and social responsibility, Elanra provides an additional, effective protection. It creates an environment that enables them to breathe and sleep as nature intended while their bodies heal and balance themselves.
With three models available, tabletop MKII, portable MKIII or the wearable hands-free Elanra Air personal pendant, Elanra Ionisers emit nature’s same small biologically active negative ions of oxygen, pulsed at programmable frequencies to support a wide range of conditions. Ideal for travel and for study and concentration, the Elanra is used also in the home, office, intensive care and general hospital wards to assist recovery from illness & fatigue improve sleep, alleviate symptoms of allergies and improved alertness.
Fully programmable and compliant with the most stringent safety and electrical standards, the Elanra range of therapeutic ionisers are recommended by health care professionals and natural therapists around the world. Satisfied users of the Elanra continue to enthuse over it benefits, and attribute their improved health and wellbeing to the ingenuity of Mr Shaw and his Elanra.
The Elanra is very good for my breathing. My nose is not blocked when I am sleeping at night, I was very ill with wheezing for many years and I could not breathe. I was uncomfortable when the Elanra was not there, I am very comfortable now. When I am doing my schoolwork at night, I don’t feel sleepy. Thank you mum for buying the Elanra.I want to thank the inventor of the Elanra also. Joel, 8 years.
I have been using the Elanra for three months. During this time I have found relief from colds, stomach distress and headaches. I am sleeping better, awake more rested and have not had to use asthma medications since I began using the Elanra. Thank you…… love your unit. Ruth R. Ph.D. Maine, USA
We seem to be protected. Our neighbours get colds, flu and viruses and we stay healthy, thanks to Elanra. Female, 59 years
We rarely have colds or flu. Sleep better and any operation we use the Elanra for healing. We have one and share the other with children and grandchildren for whatever they need at the time – colds, flu, pregnancy, operations and recovery etc. Male 68 years
For orders and enquiries, contact O2ions at 9313710 or visit www.o2ions.com
Updated 6 Jan 2010
The Contest has ended. Find out if you are a winner of movie tickets to Motherhood.
Read this synopsis on the movie “Motherhood” and answer a simple question at the end of the post.”
Five lucky winners will win a pair of tickets for the movie “Motherhood”. See end of post for more details on this Mini Contest.
MOTHERHOOD is a bittersweet comedy that distills the dilemmas of the maternal state (marriage, work, self, and not necessarily in that order) into the trials and tribulations of one pivotal day.
Eliza Welch (Thurman) is a former fiction writer-turned-mom-blogger with her own site, “The Bjorn Identity.” Putting her deeper creative ambitions on hold to raise her two children, Eliza lives and works in two rent-stabilized apartments in a walk-up tenement building smack in the middle of an otherwise upscale Greenwich Village. Eliza’s good-natured but absent-minded husband (Edwards) seems tuned out to his wife’s conflicts, not to mention basic domestic reality, while her best friend Sheila (Minnie Driver) understands this – and Eliza — all too well.
MOTHERHOOD takes place in a single day that pushes to the tipping point Eliza’s fundamental fear she’s lost herself. Starting at dawn, her to-do list is daunting: prepare for and throw her daughter’s 6th birthday party, mind her toddler son, battle for a parking space during an epic alternate side parking showdown, navigate playground politics with overbearing moms, and mend a rift with after posting her best friend’s confession on her blog. On top of it all, Eliza decides to enter a contest run by an upscale parenting magazine. All she has to do is write 500 words answering the deceptively simple question, “What Does Motherhood Mean to Me?”
In the process of trying by nightfall to put these thoughts into words that don’t “sound like bad ad copy,” Eliza rediscovers her own voice and realizes what is truly valuable in her life. At once hilarious and poignant, MOTHERHOOD looks at the challenges facing mothers everywhere with a keen eye to every slight to a nearly-middle-aged woman’s selfhood – from being called “M’am” by condescending twentysomethings to endlessly stooping to pick up toys and a spouse’s dropped socks.
Answer a simple question, “What is the name of the movie in this synopsis?” and stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to watch the movie “Motherhood”. There are 5 pairs of tickets to be won.
Read this article on Libella Bedwear and answer a simple question, “What does Libella Bedwear Advocates?”
Three lucky winners will win a set of matching Siblings Pajamas worth S$113.60 to 125.60 per set. This contest has ended.
I bought sleepwear for my children on the last two Chinese New Years as it is a Chinese tradition that everything from head to toe has to be new for the New Year. This coming New Year, I have got sibling sleepwear from Libella Bedwear.
After I have my daughter, Ashlyn, I have been looking out for siblings wear for the kids but it is not really easy because of the different gender. However, wearing sibling attire helps the kids bond with each other in a way. If you have read my earlier write-up, I customized siblings T-shirts for my children from Baby At Work and the children are very happy wearing them.
I found out about sibling pajamas from Libella Bedwear and I quickly get two sets of the same design - pink for Ashlyn and blue for Ashton. Here’s what I look out for when I select cotton pyjamas for the children.
Materials must be soft and comfortable.
Loosely fit as it will be more comfortable when the kids sleep.
Long sleeves – because the kids sleep in an air-conditioned room.
Design must be simple, neat and clean-cut.
With the wide variety of designs that Libella offers, I find what I want for the children effortlessly. Kids’ Cuffs & Collars Check, blue for Ashton and pink for Ashlyn, which matches all that I look out for in a set of sleepwear. The pants come with elastic band with drawstrings. 100% weave-cotton, smart looking and warm enough for the kids in the air-con. What’s most important to me is the matching attire that complements the concept of sibling bonding.
If you are a busy parent who gets to bond with your child only at night, it will be an interesting idea to snuggle in bed for story time with family theme sleepwear to enhance family bonding. The children will feel happy and excited with mummy and daddy wearing the same design. For more details, check out Libella Bedwear, an online shop that advocates Family Bonding.
Answer a simple question, “What does Libella Bedwear Advocates?” and stand a chance to win one of the following Siblings pajamas set (worth S$113.60 to 125.60 per set):
(a) Kids C&C Chambray Collection
(b) Kids Classic Lavender Lance and Green Gregg
(c) Kids Mandarin Pink Poplin
Simply email us at answer@todaysmotherhood.com email titled “Libella Bedwear Contest” with the following details
a. Your Name
b. Email Address
c. Contact No
d. Postal Address
e. Your Answer
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers. Bisphenol A (BPA) — which has been linked with cancer, impaired immune function, hyperactivity, and other problems — can leach into a bottle’s contents.
Below are the names of the winners:
1. Would you like to start by introducing yourself to Today’s Motherhood readers?
With the wide variety of designs that Libella offers, I find what I want for the children effortlessly. Kids’ Cuffs & Collars Check, blue for Ashton and pink for Ashlyn, which matches all that I look out for in a set of sleepwear. The pants come with elastic band with drawstrings. 100% weave-cotton, smart looking and warm enough for the kids in the air-con. What’s most important to me is the matching attire that complements the concept of sibling bonding.
(a) Kids C&C Chambray Collection
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