Filed under: Weird but true

(Click the photo for more strange and amazing human anomalies)
For women who use it regularly and never miss a day, the pill is an effective form of birth control 98-99% of the time. So while it's possible to get pregnant while using this particular form of birth control, the odds are definitely in a woman's favor.

Imagine Kristy Hale's surprise, then, when she found out that she was pregnant. Kristy told her fiance Toby on a Friday, and the couple found themselves shocked but happy at the thought of a baby. The following Monday brought a much news -- Kristy was expecting identical triplets. Doctors say the odds of conceiving triplets while taking the pill are a shocking one in 200 million. I think Kristy better go buy herself a lottery ticket.

The babies were delivered recently, 13 weeks early but doing well. "We weren't even trying for a family," said dad Toby Wilson. "When Kristy got pregnant, she was on the pill. But we are so excited -- it's an instant family." The young couple are definitely taking this turn of events in stride, but I bet they don't depend too heavily on that particular form of birth control in the future!

Gallery: Bizarre and amazing human anomalies

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Filed under: Health & safety, Shopping & recalls

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 330,000 Nerf N-Strike Recon Blasters due to faulty design. When firing the toy, the plunger on the blaster can pull the user's skin resulting in injury to the face, neck and/or chest. There have been 46 reports of children aged 4 to 12 who received bruises, abrasion, pinch marks, blood blisters and welts.

The recall involves the Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 Blasters for kids aged 6 and over. The toy is yellow with a black handle and orange plunger, trigger and reload clip. The word "NERF" can be found on both sides of the blaster in black lettering and the word "ARMED" is indented on the orange plunger. RECON CS-6 can be found on the gray cocking mechanism. The toy comes with five interchangeable parts including a shoulder stock, flip-up sight, barrel extension, quick re-load clip and dual-mode light beam. Model number 63552 and UPC codes 653569272021 and 653569311218 can be found on the packaging. Only blasters with an exposed orange plunger are included in this recall.

These were made in China for Hasbro Inc. and sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us, discount stores and toy stores nationwide from November 2007 through August 2008 for about $20 each.

If you have one of the recalled toys, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Hasbro for a free cylindrical cover to prevent injuries. For more information, contact Hasbro by calling (800) 245-0910 anytime or by visiting their Web site.

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Filed under: Weird but true

The latest nominee for the Bad Dads Hall of Shame comes from across the pond. A British dad downed 15 beers and a few mixed drinks before it suddenly occurred to him that he should have a designated driver. Since his gal pal was high on her own mixture of four different kinds of pills, he turned to the next obvious (to him) choice ... his 10-year-old son.

Unfortunately, the boy was no driving prodigy. He drove the van at speeds up to 90 mph before flipping it over. The police found the van upside down, the passengers -- which included two other children -- sitting in the middle of the road. The woman suffered a broken bone in her neck, one child had a broken hand, and the rest had cuts and bruises.

As if this story could be any more over the top, the man was arrested wearing a t-shirt that said, "Buy This Dad a Beer." What you won't see him wearing anytime soon is a t-shirt that says, "World's Greatest Dad."

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Filed under: Newborns, Babies, Health & safety

When my older daughter was five months old, she started rolling over in her crib at night. Only, instead of rolling over and snuggling in with that cute butt-in-the-air pose that all parents know and love, she'd roll over, then fall back to sleep ... face down in the mattress. I'd lie in my own bed, watching anxiously on the video monitor. My mind would tell me that she was fine, while my heart would fantasize about worst case scenarios until I had enough. I'd go in to gently turn her head to the side. She'd thank me by either waking up, furious, or by being back in the face down position by the time I hit my pillow. At her six month checkup, her doctor told me to leave her alone and let her sleep.

I've never met a new parent who didn't worry about SIDS, who didn't fret about sleep positions. But the same study that found that running a fan in baby's room may reduce the risk of SIDS also found that up to 26% of parents don't heed the advice that babies should sleep on their backs. Babies seem to sleep better on their bellies, so I'm guessing a large chunk of that percentage are parents off poor sleepers. Still, over one quarter of parents don't follow the single most important piece of advice when it comes to preventing SIDS? That's amazing to me

I had one child would only nap during the day if I put her on her side, so I can relate. But I was never brave enough to let them sleep on their bellies until they were old enough to get there themselves. What about you? Did you let your babies sleep on their bellies?

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Filed under: Image of the Day

We are such suckers for baby's dimpled knuckles. Thanks to taku for this precious shot.

If you'd like your own picture featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr Pool - We'll highlight an image every day. Remember: we're on the lookout for shots with interesting backgrounds, cool angles, or original composition. Be sure to read the intro on our main Flickr page for more information and limit your uploading to 5 photos per day.

Have a particularly great Halloween photo to share? We're assembling a reader gallery of Cute Costumed Kids -- share your photos in our Flickr pool and check AOL Living's new Holiday Hub starting October 17 to see the full package!

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Filed under: Babies, Love & sex, In the news, Weird but true

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl find out they are related.

Lifetime Movie Network or just your average Australian romance?

Australian laws are forcing gays and lesbians to seek "unregulated" sperm donors in order to have children, worrying state officials who say a generation of half-siblings could commit "accident incest" if the trend continues.

One man is thought to have impregnated at least 30 lesbians, while another man's sperm may have been used to father 29 babies.

According to FOXNews, sperm donation in South Australia is limited to heterosexual couples experiencing infertility and other reproductive hurdles, forcing same-sex couples to seek "donations" from willing parties online, or from casual sex. The same laws also require sperm donors to reveal their identities, putting off many men from donating at legitimate clinics.

Authorities fear that the children could grow up, meet and form sexual relationships with one another -- they are particularly worried because 29 half-siblings may all reside in Adelaide, one "big county town." Doctors fault the laws, which they say push gays and lesbians outside the system to have children of their own, and called for the South Australian laws to be repealed.

Ambitious entrepreneurs take note -- the DNA analysis business is going to be HUGE down under.

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Filed under: In the news, Weird but true, Toys & games

Elmo Live may be the hot toy of the season this year, but it's a cute little baby doll who is getting all the attention right now. Fisher Price's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo doll is supposed to utter only one actual word: Mama. The rest of the sounds emanating from the speakers inside the doll are just cooing and giggling sounds. Or are they? Some say they hear the words "Islam is the Light" among the baby babble are demanding the toy be removed from the shelves.

Gary Rofkahr of Owasso, Oklahoma says he bought the doll and was shocked by what he heard. "I have a 1-year-old granddaughter," he said. "It makes me mad that someone is trying to indoctrinate our children with an innocent toy."

Gallery: Toys from "Lucifer's Toy Chest"

But wait, there's more. Others say in addition to promoting Islam, the doll also utters the phrase "Satan is King". Now, that makes absolutely no sense to me as Islam is most definitely not a pro-Satan religion. Is someone trying to indoctrinate our children or just confuse them?

This may sound like a few parents getting up in arms over what is in all likelihood just a misunderstanding, but the Wal-Mart in Owasso is taking it seriously. They've pulled the doll from the shelves. And in response to emails from a local television station, Fisher Price's parent company, Mattell, has issued a statement on the matter. They admit that one of the baby noises may indeed sound like the word "light", but insist that the rest is just gibberish. "We have found that if told to listen for a particular phrase, you may hear something similar due to the power of suggestion," the statement says.

Have a listen for yourself and tell us what you hear.

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Welcome to ParentWish, a monthly feature featuring stuff we want ... and wish we had!

Halloween is right around the corner - time for ghosts, goblins and crazed children high on sugar. If you're still looking for a fun and unique costume for your little one, you're in luck! We've rounded up this year's favorites to assist with your search. (Unfortunately, we can't help you with the impending sugar overdose. Sorry about that.)

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Filed under: Babies, Toddlers, Kids 5-7, Sleep

I receive many emails and letters every week asking for my advice on parenting issues. Well, this week, I'm asking readers to give me advice on my current parenting dilemma -- kids sleeping in our bed!

Here's the lowdown: as many of you know, I have five kids. The youngest, Paloma, is five months old and sleeps in a co-sleeper next to my side of the bed. She still gets up five times a night to nurse and/or use my breast as a pacifier. Upon hearing this, a good friend recommended I buy a pacifier. Though I never used one with my other kids, I bought one and Paloma likes it and uses it. Unfortunately, she often loses it during the night which results in her waking up and my having to wake up to find it or nurse her back to sleep. My two year-old, John-Paul, sleeps most of the night in a crib in his room. However, he wakes up every morning at 4:30 am screaming at the top of his lungs to be taken out of his crib. He's stubborn and loud so we end up getting up and bringing him to our bed because we don't want his screams to wake up the baby. Our four year-old, Lucia, and six year-old, Jack, will also come into our bed, though the days and times vary. There are mornings when we wake up to all three kids in the bed. Recently, we purchased bunk beds and instead of storing the old toddler bed in the basement, we put it in our room in hopes that at least one of them would sleep in it. Occasionally, Lucia will, but inevitably, she ends up in our bed before the night is over.

Having kids in the bed disrupts our sleep and God knows that parents with five kids need their sleep. On the other hand, we know that this stage is limited (our nine year-old no longer comes to our bed at night ) and that we will one day pine for the days when our kids loved to crawl in our bed and cuddle. What should we do?

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Filed under: Celeb parenting

For a minute there, it seemed like another Spears sister would be singing, "Oops, I did it again." Yesterday, the National Enquirer was reporting that Jamie Lynn Spears was pregnant again, just four months after the 17-year-old gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann.

Considering the source, it's no surprise that Jamie Lynn's camp quickly came out with a denial. "She is not pregnant," said her publicist. Jamie and fiance Casey Aldridge have also been fighting rumors of a split.

What's interesting about this story, though, is that the original story quoted the "source" as saying that Jamie thought breastfeeding would protect her from pregnancy. Breastfeeding can provide protection if done exclusively, but as my midwife told me after my firstborn was delivered, "Breastfeeding is effective birth control if you live in a country without access to birth control. You don't, so don't get any ideas." But I know a lot of women who have depended on nursing to space out their children, with varying degrees of success.

As a teen mom, hopefully Jamie is being more careful than that. What about you? Did breastfeeding play a role in your birth control plan?

Gallery: 8 Celebs Who Should Never Have Kids

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Filed under: Health & safety, Kid decor & style, Shopping & recalls

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 11,000 pairs of girls' sandals sold by Rack Room Shoes of Charlotte, North Carolina. The ornamental flowers on the sandals can detach and pose a choking hazard to young children.

The sandals are leather with attached leather flowers and were sold under the Kids Feet brand name. They are either all white or white with pink soles. They were sold in girls' sizes 5 through 12 at Rack Room Shoes stores nationwide from February 2008 through June 2008 for about $25 each.

If you have the recalled shoes, you are advised to immediately take them away from your child and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund or store credit. For more information, you can contact Rack Room Shoes by calling (866) 344-1213 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by visiting their Web site.

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Filed under: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Eating & nutrition, In the news, Education

Chef-prepared vegan meals? Organic salad bar? Free-range meats?

This ain't your mama's lunch lady, folks -- kids at one Kansas City private school say their lunch fare rivals that of their favorite restaurants, thanks to a for-profit business promoting organic school lunches.

The Kansas City Academy offers kids in grades 6-12 foods like pizza with whole wheat crust, hormone-free cheese and organic toppings. What salad with that? Help yourself to greens and veggies grown in a nearby organic, pesticide-free garden.

The school is one of three in the Kansas City area participating in Bistro Kids' Farm 2 School program, which replaces your basic, high-fat cafeteria fare like cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets with natural, locally grown food, such as free-range meats.

Whats that? You're vegetarian, you say? Vegan, even? No worries, just ask the chef to prepare you a special, fresh meal that meets your dietary requirements.

Bistro Kids' owner, Kiersten Firquain, believes kids' dietary habits contribute to poor physical and mental health, and she isn't alone in that belief. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overweight kids has increased drastically in the past 20 years, which in turn has increased the number of kids with diabetes.

Schools have responded by trying to offer fresh-food alternatives, but are often stymied by cost. Those with high poverty rates suffer the most -- the federal government reimburses schools about $2.57 per free meal served, but most districts say an average meal costs $2.88.

Students who participate in free-lunch programs are often the ones most in need of a nutritional boost. I, for one, would be more than willing to put a few more bucks in my school-tax bill to help children in my neighborhood eat a healthier diet. How about you?

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Filed under: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Health & safety, Pets

Thinking of adding to your family zoo? If your kids are under 5, you might want to read this. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently sent out a warning to parents that certain pets and young children don't mix, especially exotic pets like hedgehogs, baby chicks, hamsters, lizards, and turtles.

The doctor's group is concerned because young children have undeveloped immune systems and many animals carry germs. In fact, they say, 11% of all salmonella cases involving young children are thought to stem from exposure to certain types of pets and other animals. And even when germs aren't a concern, biting is.

The best thing you can do as a parent and a pet owner is to do your research. Rather than caving in to a child's pleas or an animal's cuteness, make pet ownership a family decision that involves learning all about an animal before acquiring it. That way, you'll be sure to choose an animal that's appropriate for every member of the family, even the smallest.

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Filed under: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Health & safety, In the news

A six-year-old girl in Bristow, Virginia is being hailed as 'amazing' for fighting off an intruder who jumped into the backseat of her mother's car while it was parked in the family's garage. The girl was strapped into the car alone while her mother dropped a note in a mailbox a few doors down. In the blink of an eye, a man ran into the garage, lowered the door and got into the back seat of the car with the little girl.

According to Sgt. Kim Chinn, the girl gets an A+ for remembering her stranger danger lesson. "The 6-year-old fought him," Sgt. Chinn said. "She screamed, she kicked, and she pinched him. And I just think that was amazing for a 6-year-old to think to do that. Screaming was fantastic; the other stuff, even better."

The girl's screams alerted her mother, who ran back into the garage in time to see the intruder flee the scene. News reports are referring to this guy as a would-be burglar, but I question why he got in the backseat with the girl if all he intended to do was steal. What was he after? Her lunch box?

Talking to your kids about what to do should a stranger approach can be a scary thing. Scary for you because the idea that someone would want to harm your child is at the top of the list of Very Bad Things that could happen in life. Scary for your child because it makes the world seem like a big, unfriendly place where horrible strangers are out to get them. Unfortunately, sometimes the world is a big, unfriendly place. But this story proves that those stranger danger lessons are important and that being small doesn't have to mean being powerless.

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Filed under: Just for dads, Divorce & custody, Single parenting

After more than twenty-five years in the business, the shine is definitely off the industry in which I've toiled for so long. And yet, I go to work every morning and trudge through the day, not taking off for Botswana to bum around in an old Land Rover. Why? Because of the kids. I couldn't imagine not being around them, hugging them, hearing Jared say he loves me and watching Sara climb things. I didn't set out to be a parent but, like someone who expects lengua to taste terrible but tries it anyway and loves it, I am now, first and foremost, a father.

But what if I weren't able to see the kids every day? What if I weren't around all the time to take them to school and cook them dinner and hug them in the middle of the night when the monsters come calling? That must be what it's like to be a single parent. Such is the tale of William Leith who shares custody of his three-year-old son with his ex-wife; Leith sees his son for half a week at a time.

Leith has written a very touching and sadly informative piece about what being a part-time dad means for him. "...even after three and a half years. My son! I don't usually go more than three days without seeing him. But sometimes it feels like a long time not to see your son." I could imagine going three days without seeing the kids -- perhaps on a business trip or something -- but it would certainly be a rarity. I don't think I've gone more than a day without seeing them since they were born. That would be like walking around without an arm -- or a heart.

Check out Leith's article; I know it made me think about life without the kids and strengthened my resolve not to miss out on their lives. I joke that I would never get a divorce because my wife would stick me with the kids but, in reality, the exact opposite is true. I don't want to have to visit my kids.

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Filed under: Image of the Day

Thanks to anuragyagnik for such a colorful perspective on his world.

If you'd like your own picture featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr Pool - We'll highlight an image every day. Remember: we're on the lookout for shots with interesting backgrounds, cool angles, or original composition. Be sure to read the intro on our main Flickr page for more information and limit your uploading to 5 photos per day.

Have a particularly great Halloween photo to share? We're assembling a reader gallery of Cute Costumed Kids -- share your photos in our Flickr pool and check AOL Living's new Holiday Hub starting October 17 to see the full package!

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Filed under: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Fun & activities, Holidays

Is it time to carve the pumpkin yet? Depends on where you live. Having spent most of my life in a warm climate, I've learned that no matter how anxious the kids are to slice into that pumpkin, sometimes it is best to wait. If you cut too early, there is a good chance that the pumpkin you carve today will be a moldy pile of mush next week.

But even if you've already got some frost on your pumpkin, a knife-free jack-o-lantern might be the way to go. There are lots of kid-safe ways to dress up that orange gourd of October that are guaranteed not to involve a trip to the emergency room for stitches.

The easiest and fastest way to turn a pumpkin into an objet d'art is to paint it. For the best results, lightly sand the pumpkin first so the paint will adhere without flaking. Then set your kids loose with a brush and some acrylic paints to create a scary face, black bats or even pretty flowers. When complete, a top coat of clear sealer will ensure that the masterpiece lasts until Halloween and beyond.

Get out the glue for another knife-free alternative to prettying up a pumpkin. Buttons, leaves, felt cut-outs and even glitter can turn an ordinary pumpkin into an extraordinary pumpkin.

For kids who are a little bit older, try sequins and straight pins. Sketch out a design first and then bring it to life with sparkly sequins held in place with the pins. This takes patience, but in the end you will have the most glamorous pumpkin on the block.

Those are just a few ideas for safely turning a pumpkin into a unique work of art. How do you dress up a pumpkin without a knife?

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Filed under: Baby essentials

Remember the first time you left the house with the baby? You probably had a diaper bag the size of a Volkwagon Beetle, stocked with enough diapers and wipes and clothes for a three-week road trip. And that was just to run to the market to pick up some milk. Remember those days?

It's a rookie mistake that we all make.

Even after you figure out that really, you only need to take a couple of diapers and a small pack of wipes and you can totally skip that full change of clothes and just stuff an extra onesie in there -- even then, there's always something you feel like you Absolutely Must Have in the diaper bag. When my sons were babies, it was a blanket -- must have the blanket! In case the baby wants to, uh, lie on the floor at the grocery, I guess. I don't know why I felt like I needed that blanket, but it was always in the bag.

When they got older, my must-have was antibacterial hand wipes, at least two packages at a time, because kids touch everything! and then touch you! and themselves! eew! My kids, of course, also used the hand wipes to clean everything, including the windows of my car, which was kind of gross.

These days, my kids are in school full time and I'm not toting a baby bag any more. But I still never leave the house without a good supply of Kleenex (it's in the Mom Rules: Mom must always have Kleenex for you) and a camera. Because you never know when the kids will do something cute -- or when they will sneeze.

What's on your must-have list when you leave the house?

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Filed under: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Playground bureau

As a college student, I learned about the various stages of grief outlined by Dr. Elisbeth Kübler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

I've done a bit of air travel over the summer and one thing I noticed is how parents' reactions to their child wailing during a flight mirrors Kübler-Ross' list. I saw saw parents who:

tried to be oblivious and didn't acknowledge the noise or crying (Denial)

told their kids (through gritted teeth) everything was FINE and to STOP. SCREAMING. NOW. (Anger)

offered cookies, crayons, new toys, an extra week at Disney and the sport car of their choice to babies in exchange for silence (Bargaining)

bought mini booze bottles from the flight attendant and rested their foreheads in their hands (Depression)

made eye contact and ruefully smiled in a "Kids!" sort of way (Acceptance)

In a way, it makes a lot of sense. Being forced to play the role of Person with Annoying Crying Kid that every flight is apparently required by law to have, is a death of sorts. You might drive a minivan and know all the rules to Pee Wee soccer, but you never thought you'd have the kid who deafens an entire cabin and causes people do birth control shots and book vasectomies upon landing.

In spite of being sandwiched in a row between not one but two infants quite vocal regarding their displeasure at being delayed on the tarmac while the plane's "computer system" was being worked on (I always suspect that is code for "engine fell out and we need more duct tape"), I was understanding and stink-eye free to the parents of the wailing wee ones.

You see, it wasn't all that long ago that my husband and I were horrified when our normally good-natured firstborn screamed his tiny throat raw on a flight to visit my in-laws. In spite of bouncing, feeding, burping, changing, cajoling, and walking (judging from the looks we were given by fellow passengers, you'd have thought we were also pinching, stabbing, and torturing) the child was inconsolable. Nearly fifteen years later, I still wish I could send everyone on that flight a doctors note explaining the baby had a double ear infection and the screaming was the result of pain from take-off and landings.

No, there will never be an evil glance from me due to a crying baby on a plane. However, the preschooler who kicks the back of my seat the entire trip is another story........

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Filed under: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Health & safety, Playground bureau, Education

This week there was frost on the ground and the sky was strewn with wind-tattered clouds, V's of honking geese, and the last wayward monarchs heading toward . At recess the kids would pause for a second, mid soccer game, to look up at the sky and yell LOOK! LOOK! Their faces full of wonder and glee.

It was the kind of weather that called us outdoors every day for an extra mid-morning recess.

Even though I'm theoretically sacrificing academic time by heading outdoors for a handful of minutes with my class, I find I mostly gain time because the children are less restless and more willing to settle down with a good chapter book or a math activity when their bodies have had some time to run outdoors. But I also like going outdoors with them because it gives me a chance to watch them interacting together in an unstructured way.

I keep noticing how uncertain they are in their play together without an adult intervening for them whenever something doesn't go their way.

I know. I've probably exhausted you with my posts about play and children, but it's my obsession. I can't let it go.

Continue reading Playground etiquette - Letting kids be kids?

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