I was reading my local Sunday paper (the Dallas Morning News) and found this piece from Jeffrey Weiss to be a good jumping off point for parents who are concerned about BPA in baby bottles and other products. While I know plenty of parents who are concerned and have done enough research to make decisions for their families, I know an even larger number of folks who haven't even started thinking about this issue. I talked to one mom who said she's just too busy to give it the attention she wants and another said that she is still so consumed with avoiding dangerous toys that she can't even begin to think about this now.

Luckily, for the folks who haven't started to take action on this issue one way or the other, manufacturers and retailers are already taking some of the guesswork out of it. According to the New York Times, Toys R Us has jumped on the BPA-Free bandwagon, joining retailer Wal-Mart in getting these children's products off the shelves. The Times opinion piece today also held a warning for parents and others weighing the BPA issue:

"Until the F.D.A. rules, which it should do quickly, consumers would be wise to avoid BPA for babies and young children and use those alternatives, whether glass bottles, bottles with disposable liners or BPA-free plastic bottles."

More Resources on Bisphenol A

Even if you think your child is laid-back and afraid of nothing... the first haircut can be a scary situation.

As a baby, my son was always an inch away from an emergency room visit because of his fearlessness. The vaccuum? No problem. Strange dogs? Let him at 'em. New babysitter? He'd grab a book and want to cuddle right away. Bees? Mmmm, those looked like a tasty treat to him! He really was afraid of very little.

And then came the day I dreaded. Those cute little wisps of baby hair had to go, according to his Daddy. I had protested long enough and finally gave in. As you can see from the picture, it was a horrifying experience from start to finish. I was so surprised to see that something I figured he would take in stride was so harrowing to him. Hindsight (which is always 20/20, right?) has me thinking that I wish I'd prepared more and just done the job at home. It took a good long while before my son was ready to go back to the barber. So, save yourself some money and time and possibly avoid the trauma and tears by cutting your child's hair at home. This video will show you how.

^{Photo (c) Darrin Brown}