We recently heard about a wonderful support group for bereaved parents, and wanted to pass it along to our readers.  It's called The Compassionate Friends, and their website is www.compassionatefriends.org.  There is probably no greater pain a parent could endure than losing a child, and it's important to know that an organization such as The Compassionate Friends exists.  Please pass along this outstanding resource to anyone you know who may be in need.

The tragic death of Mike Tyson's 4 year old daughter this past week was due to an accident.  Exodus was accidentally strangled by a cord that was attached to a treadmill.  To tell you the truth, in the past when I thought of injuries that my children could suffer when "playing" on a treadmill (obviously not something a child should be near in the first place), a cord strangulation would not be at the forefront of my thoughts.  But it is now.  And in fact, this tragedy raises the concern of really how many accidents may be waiting to happen in our homes just due to cords.

What about the cords on our blinds?  Cords attached to window treatments are a known hazard.  I remember when I had blinds installed in my living room and the cords seemed ridiculously long.  The installer had to put in little plastic knobs around which I could wrap those lengthy cords.  There are cordless window treatment options available, and they would be a safer bet. 

And then there are electrical cords.  Between the computer, the printer, the phone, and the fax, my office has no shortage of cords running through it.  And isn't that just a hotbed of cord accident nightmares--from tripping over the cords, to getting electrical burns, to pulling down heavy equipment, to suffering accidental strangulation, please make sure your electrical cords are secured, unplugged, and unattached. 

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14 in the U.S.  In this short blog I touched on just one potential cause, accidents due to cords.  Our homes should be places of comfort, love, safety, and security.  Please make sure your homes are as safe as you can make them. 

For more information on child proofing your home, click here: 

http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=326&folder_id=174.

Did you know that May is "Better Sleep Month?"  I was so excited to find this out, because it correlated with my own family's visit to the behavioral sleep clinic at the National Children's Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  I visited this clinic at the constant request of Dr. Jamie, after she could no longer stand listening to me complain about how tired I am.  My little Sammy, the joy that he is, lacks a certain proficiency in the sleep department.  And as you can imagine, this affects me and my husband on a nightly basis.  Sammy loves for me to lay down next to him while he falls asleep, and then five or six hours after he falls asleep, he wakes up and comes into our room for some company.  And believe me, in the middle of the night, I'm not such good company. 

We get lots and lots of questions about sleep through our "Ask the MommyDocs" feature.  The truth is, intellectually I know what I need to do, but putting that into practice is another issue entirely.  It is for this reason--that it's tough to implement change--that I suggest speaking with your doctor about a behavioral sleep clinic near you, if you need help.  I very much enjoyed our visit to Children's, as the specialists not only listened to our story, but also worked with my husband and myself as to what realistically we could or would do.  They suggested I go with a more gradual approach to helping Sammy, dealing with "first things first."  In our case, that means getting Sammy to go to sleep without his human teddy bear (me).  They suggested we have him pick out a "lovey" substitute, which we did, and the night of our visit, he began to go to sleep with his soft, furry bear, and not me.  The goal is that I should not be in the room when he goes to sleep.  And so far, I am pleased to say, we are close to achieving that goal!  As soon as this becomes more routine for Sammy (I figure we'll give it a couple of weeks), we will start working on the middle of the night awakenings.

So for all of you sleep deprived moms and dads out there, just remember, there can be a better way!  I know firsthand.  Talk with your doctor.  Get a plan in place.  And catch those glorious zzzzzzz's. 

Well, an exciting week lies ahead in the lives of The MommyDocs!  This week is our debut as guest co-hosts on the nationally syndicated talk show "The Doctors."  We flew to Hollywood to tape the show, and we documented our trip along the way.  You can check out our trip--everything from saying goodbye to our families, to flying across the country (it's a long flight), to arriving in Hollywood, to going behind the scenes of "The Doctors."  And then of course, there's our trip home.  We look a little tired.  But you can judge for yourself...

Check out http://www.wusa9.com/moms/mommydocs/mommydocs.aspx to see our behind-the-scenes travelogue.

This coming Tuesday (May 19) we will be on CBS/WUSA9's 9 am news talking about "The Doctors" and also about water safety.  You can also check out our podcast (to be posted very soon) on the subject of water safety for your kids.

On Friday (May 22) "The Doctors" will be airing.  In the Washington, D.C. market, the show airs on CBS at 4 pm.  But you can check your local listings as to what station and time the show airs in your area (http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/local_listings).

We hope you'll enjoy the ride with us this week!

This week is National Stuttering Awareness Week!  As the mother of two sons who stutter (or as we sometimes call it "bumpy speech") and as someone who stuttered quite significantly as a child (and still occasionally to this day), it's something that I hold near and dear to my heart.  I think it's very important for everyone to learn about what stuttering really is and how to act and respond to someone who may stutter.  Personally, our family has done a lot to educate our family, friends, and schools about this speech disorder.  The more people know about it, the more comfortable  they will feel should they find themselves in a conversation with a person who stutters (also sometimes referred to as disfluent speech).  I know from personal experience that it is oftentimes someone's first instinct to laugh or make fun of someone who stutters, and this is usually because they are so uncomfortable with it that they don't know what else to do.  And then, of course, the person who stutters feels terrible and very hurt by this.

As a family, we have always been very open about the fact that our boys sometimes have bumpy speech.  It's who they are and everyone who knows us is aware of this and accepts it.  We've always been advocates for our children and met with everyone and anyone who they come in contact with so that they know about this and learn how to deal with a person who stutters.  Since my oldest son entered school, we have spent countless hours teaching educators, parents, and other children about stuttering and what it means if a person stutters.  It's actually been a wonderful thing because being so open about it has really led to acceptance by all, and it's only the new people in our lives who we encounter who don't understand it and then we try to teach them about it as well.

So, I'd like to just go over a couple quick tidbits that I'd like everyone to know about stuttering:

-People who stutter are just as smart as those who do not, even though they may have trouble getting their words or ideas out.
-Although it's tempting, never talk for or fill in the words for someone who is having trouble getting their words out. You may think that you are helping them but it is very frustrating for someone if another person talks for them...especially if it's not what they were planning on saying.
-Be patient, and let a person who stutters have time to speak.  It's important to take turns speaking and if someone cuts in or interrupts someone who is stuttering, ask them to please wait until it is their turn.
-Avoid telling someone who stutters to slow down or relax.  This is not the reason they are stuttering and can be frustrating when the person who stutters knows this is not the reason.
-If you ever witness someone making fun of someone who is stuttering, take the time to explain to him/her about stuttering, and that bumpy speech is when someone has a hard time getting their words out and that it's not that person's fault and they may need some extra time to speak.  Laughing or imitating someone is not helpful, but very hurtful.
-Stuttering can sound many different ways.  It may be the repetition of a sound, letter, or word, it may be the prolongation of a sound or word, or may be blocking which means the words may get "stuck" in the throat and actually no sounds or words are able to come out.  No matter how it may sound, please give the person time to get their words out.

Lastly, if you have a child who stutters or you are concerned may be stuttering please contact your pediatrician, Early Intervention program, or local school system right away.  Be sure that your child gets an appropriate evaluation and the ongoing therapy they need and deserve.  My children have been receiving speech therapy for stuttering for years from the most wonderful speech therapist (we think so!) and the strategies they have learned and continue to learn help them each and every day!!

For more information on stuttering go to:
www.stutteringhelp.org