Focus on the Family : Toddler Years Are a Brief, Delightful Time for Parents

QUESTION: My baby is only a year old, and she is a joy to my husband and me. But your description of toddlerhood is kind of scary. It's just around the corner. Are the "terrible twos "really so terrible ?

DR. DOBSON: I think the toddler years are delightful. It is a period of dynamic blossoming and unfolding. New words are being learned daily, and the cute verbal expressions of that age will be remembered for half a century. It is a time of excitement over fairy stories and Santa Claus and furry puppy dogs. And most important, it is a precious time of loving and warmth that will scurry by all too quickly and will never return.

Admittedly, the toddler years can also be quite challenging to a busy mother. Not the least of her frustrations is the negativism of that period of development. It has been said that all human beings can be classified into two broad categories: those who would vote "yes"to the various propositions of life, and those who would be inclined to vote "no. "I can tell you with confidence that each toddler around the world would definitely cast a negative vote.

If there is one word that characterizes the period between 15 and 24 months of age, it is "no. "No, he doesn't want to eat his cereal. No, he doesn't want to play with his dump truck. No, he doesn't want to take his bath. And you can be sure, no, he doesn't want to get to bed anytime at all. It is easy to see why this period of life has been called "the first adolescence," because of the negatives, conflict and independence of the age.

Perhaps the most irritating aspect of the "terrible twos"is the tendency of kids to spill things, destroy things, eat horrible things, fall off things, flush things, kill things and get into things. They also have a knack for doing embarrassing things, like sneezing on a nearby man at a lunch counter.

During these toddler years, any unexplained silence of more than 30 seconds can throw an adult into a sudden state of panic. What mother has not had the shock of opening the bedroom to find Tony Tornado covered with lipstick from the top of his pink head to the carpet on which he stands ? On the wall is his own artistic creation with a red handprint in the center, and throughout the room is the aroma of Chanel No. 5 with which he has anointed his baby brother. Wouldn't it be interesting to hold a national convention sometime, bringing together all the mothers who have experienced that exact trauma ?

Yes, toddlerhood is challenging, but it is also a wonderful time of life. It will last but a brief moment in time. There are millions of older parents today with grown children who would give all they possess to relive those bubbly days with their toddlers. Enjoy these years to the fullest.

QUESTION: Our 24-month-old son is not yet toilet trained, although my mother-in-law feels he should be under control now. Should we spank him for using his pants instead of the potty ?

DR. DOBSON: No. Suggest that your mother-in-law cool down a bit. It is entirely possible that your child can't control himself at this age. The last thing you want to do is punish a child of any age for an offense which he can't comprehend. If I had to err on this matter, it would be in the direction of being too late, rather than too early. Furthermore, the best approach to potty training is with rewards and encouragement rather than with punishment. Give him a sucker (or sugarless candy ) for performing his duty. When you've proved that he can comply, then you can hold him responsible in the future.

• • • Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995 (www. family. org ). Questions and answers are excerpted from "Solid Answers "and "Bringing Up Boys," both published by Tyndale House.

Deborah and Derek have 13 children - and they want more. Decca Aitkenhead meets them

Deborah and Derek Simpson live in a modest terraced house in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire. On the front step are neatly tended flower pots - the sort of house-proud gardening detail you often see outside homes after children leave home, when parents find themselves with a bit of time on their hands. But the door is answered by a woman holding a toddler.

Deborah is 43, but looks at least 10 years younger. Once inside, you would think you were in the typical home of a modern family with one or two young kids. She and Derek, 44, coo over their little boy with the wide-eyed delight of new parents, and their living room gives the impression of having never known a moment's domestic rough and tumble, let alone the muddle of infant clutter and grubby fingers. There are no industrial-sized appliances or fittings, and apart from the tumble dryer in the hall turning almost permanently, there is little clue to how many people live here.

Halfway through the afternoon, however, the front door swings open. The first ones home are from primary school - two boys and two girls, gap-toothed and soft-limbed, from six to 11 years old. Then Derek fetches the little ones from the nursery, a boy and a girl of three and four, who tear out to the back garden to play in the afternoon sunshine. A 17-year-old daughter saunters in and out next, before more get home from secondary school - three boys of 12, 13 and 15. Their two big sisters, 20 and 21, have moved out to live with their fiances - but only round the corner, and they still like to pop home for tea.

Were you to put all the kids from six average families in one house, you still wouldn't have as many as Derek and Deborah Simpson. With 13, aged from two to 21, Deborah has now been pregnant for 117 months - almost 10 years of her life. They spend between £600 and £700 at the supermarket every week, and pocket money alone works out at £240 a month. When the whole family goes on holiday together, they have to hire a bus, and if Deborah and Derek ever get a whole uninterrupted hour together in the evening, they laugh that it's the equivalent of most people's two-week summer holiday.

"A lot of women have come up to me and said, 'I've got two and I can't wait for them to be grown up and out my hair,'" Deborah marvels, wide-eyed. "I just think that's sad. I can't even imagine feeling that because I enjoy every single minute of them. We just love babies."

Deborah and Derek love them so much, in fact, that they are now trying for their 14th.

The couple never planned on having a big family when they got together in their late teens. Deborah nearly died giving birth to their first child, and they thought they would never have another.

"But," she says, "it has always just come to a point, when they get a little bit bigger, when we say, 'Oh, we'd love to have another one.' We never really discussed it - we just hoped it would happen. And it did."

After their fourth arrived, relatives began to ask if they didn't think that was enough. Neither comes from a particularly big family - Deborah was one of two, Derek one of four - and there was no religious motivation for keeping going. Softly spoken and self-effacing, they seem entirely conventional and their children's names have faithfully followed the prevailing fashions, starting with Chloe and Kimberly and ending with Jade and Orlando. They are, however, formidably determined to prove it is possible to have a big family without letting standards slip.

Every morning at 6am, Derek wakes the children, makes their breakfast and packed lunches, and then supervises them while they do their homework at two tables in the kitchen and living room. Deborah gets the three little ones up, dresses and washes them, then fixes all the girls' hair with plaits and ribbons, before the older ones head off to school. Derek walks the younger ones to the nearby primary, then walks to the Department for International Development, where he has been a civil servant since 1981, and now works flexitime.

He spends a couple of hours in the office, before coming home to walk the two little ones to nursery. By then, Deborah has spent the morning doing housework, and they have a couple of hours with just the baby at home, when Derek can work from home on his laptop and she can get out to go shopping, before he leaves to collect the children from nursery and primary school.

They cook together between 4pm and 5pm, and three times a week one of them heads off to Sainsbury's - usually Derek, because Deborah can't carry all the groceries they need. At 8pm they bath and put the youngest children to bed. The next lot go at 9pm, and after the eldest are in bed at 10pm, Derek finishes off his day's work on his laptop, while Deborah irons nine freshly laundered school uniforms, and lays them out ready for the following morning.

Nine clean, ironed outfits - every single day? "Oh, I just wouldn't let them go in without a clean uniform on. I think a lot of people think that because you are a big family, you're not going to put that effort in, and I just from the very start thought no, they've got to be neat and tidy and everything. They can come in looking however they like, but they have to go out looking right. That's what my mum always used to say. If they go out clean you know you're doing your job, basically."

That is the typical day in the Simpson household - before anyone gets ill or needs to go to the dentist, or gets into trouble at school, or floods the bath, or loses their satchel. The parents run through the routine as though it were perfectly ordinary, and their commitment to the ideal of normality is unshakeable. "Our children," they stress repeatedly, "do not go without." They don't even think of themselves as a big family. Deborah says, "Because to us they are all just individual kids. People see them and they think, there's a clump of kids - but we've been through bringing them up from when they were tiny; we've been through all their good times and bad times, so I can never see them like that."

When I mention hand-me-downs, assuming the kids must pass down their clothes, she looks horrified. "Oh no, I don't like hand-me-downs. Like I said, they're all individuals and I don't want them thinking that because Mum and Dad had loads and loads of kids we got a lesser childhood. I don't think there's anything wrong with hand-me-downs, but if I can afford not to, I won't. If you go somewhere like Primark, clothes are so cheap now, I just go and buy them."

Even so, how can they run a family of 15 on Derek's salary? They say they just budget carefully and save up for Christmas and birthdays. They don't drive, but every year they rent a big house in Blackpool or Ayr, and a local bus company takes the whole family for a week's holiday. When people see them on the beach, Deborah laughs, they usually think it's some sort of creche day trip. Other than that, the couple go out together once or twice a year, if that. For one thing, the only babysitters who could cope are Deborah's mother or their eldest girls. More to the point, they say they just don't like to be away from the kids. Since the eldest was born, Deborah has spent one night alone away from them in 21 years, and was back within 24 hours. "Oh no," she shudders, "I just couldn't have coped with another night."

Watching them with their kids, the quality of intimacy and fulfilment is unmistakable - and very striking. If I'm honest, though, I find the level of sublimation slightly unnerving - and the tireless domestic perfectionism unimaginable. But to them, they say, it seems the most natural thing in the world. "I think this is just what I was meant to do," Deborah offers serenely.

Derek's colleagues were a bit surprised when he downshifted his promising career after their sixth child to work partly at home. "But I had got to the point," he explains, "where you ask yourself, what's your life all about? It forced me to address, why do you have kids? To be in their lives. So I took a step back to reassess my life and I realised, why am I working? I'm working for Deborah and the children. And if I'm not with them, then there's no point."

"There's no point in us arguing with each other, we're always solid," Deborah agrees. As far as I can see, neither of them ever stops smiling. "But if we're ever getting really stressed out we just give each other a cuddle and say, 'Look, it's OK, we're in this together.' Plus the spark is still there between us, it's always been there. I love Derek as much as I did the first time I saw him."

Occasionally, I get the feeling that the modern media stereotype of a big family as chaotic or dysfunctional makes them reluctant to acknowledge any dilemmas or difficulties, however trivial. They claim a queue never even forms outside their one bathroom door - which is a bit hard to believe - and the only thing Deborah admits can drive her mad is the background noise of the tumble dryer. "Today's probably the longest I've sat down for a long time, just talking to you. But that's all right, because I could never sit still now - it's not in my nature. I just want to keep the place looking normal." The children are given small household chores such as tidying their rooms. "But it's a sort of kiddy tidy," Deborah smiles, "So once they're all away to school I go up and tidy and vacuum."

I suspect they might, understandably, prefer to appear glassy-eyed or even Stepford Wives-like than like something out of Shameless.

"People judge you because of what they've seen on the telly," Deborah says. "They show a lot of families that are on the dole and demanding big giant houses and all that. And I'm not going to criticise those families, if that's what they want to do. I don't want to sit here on my high horse saying they shouldn't be doing that. But it's not the way I choose to live my life and, as far as I'm concerned, we've worked hard for everything we've got. Fair enough, if we were just letting them run riot and they weren't being brought up right, and we weren't looking after them and giving them the love, people would have every right to criticise us. But I feel like I put 110% in, and Derek the same."

The Simpsons feature in a Channel 4 documentary next week about big families. "We wanted to give people an insight into big families because they get a lot of bad press. We thought, we'll try to make that seem better." The film focuses on Deborah's dogged efforts to conceive a 14th child, involving everything from homeopathic supplements to reflexology, and she is still trying. Why does she want another one?

"My analogy would be that you see these people, these doctors maybe in their 60s, and they say, 'I don't want to retire because I'm a really good surgeon and I like doing it,' and nobody ever says anything about that. People have loads of cars and they buy really big houses and they can't even fill the rooms, and people think, good on them. Well, we just really enjoy having kids, and while we're healthy and can give them a good life I don't see anything wrong with it.

"We've had people say, 'Don't you think it's selfish to have that many kids?' But, to be honest, for 21 years we've been running around after kids, so I don't feel we've been selfish. I feel like we've put the work in. We're just ordinary people - we just like kids."

Why Toddler Travel Bed is Must For Single Mother?

Toddler travel beds are becoming an increasingly popular child sleep aid for parents on the go or for kids who need a little extra comfort in an unfamiliar environment. Travel beds for toddlers serve as a safe alternative to a large, unknown sleeping area that a child may come across when staying in a hotel room during a vacation or spending the night at grandma's house. The versatility of toddler travel bed not only extends outside of the home, but also allows children to sleep safely while in a transitional bedding phase.

Toddler travel bed is also a great way to accommodate a child who has outgrown the space of their crib, but is not yet big enough to spend their nights in a regular-sized bed. This convenient option also allows a parent to save money by bringing a travel bed into their home for a lower price rather than buying an "in-between" bed.

When it comes to choosing a proper portable bed for a toddler, there are plenty of options to consider. To provide ample airy comfort that will send your little one soaring into dreamland, there are inflatable air mattress beds that allow children to drift quietly off to sleep. I suggest that new parents should have child's portable travel bed because it helps in many ways.

Sometimes a simple cot selection will also do for your toddler, while lightweight play yards have been known to serve as a safe and fun opportunity for sleep. Below are a few suggestions regarding different types of travel beds available for toddlers:

Portable Air Bed

Many parents have experienced the ease and uniqueness of having portable travel bedding in their possession. When one is filled with air, a helpful sleep aid is created for children who are traveling on vacation, visiting a friend's house, or would like to sleep in different parts of their own home. With raised edges (similar to a lifeboat), this bedding choice makes sure a safe night of slumber awaits your little one.

Many air mattress models come with an air pump (sometimes wireless, rechargeable, and/or hands free). Most air beds inflate in less than a minute. This option is so handy that it can even accompany toddlers on a camping trip and make taking a nap at their daycare center much more comfortable.

Peapod Travel Bed

To keep infants safe and secure, the Peapod Travel Bed is an inflatable mattress that offers a little extra in its design. Surrounded by a zipper pocket, the mattress is covered by a fold-down design that pops up and twists into a comforting shelter for your toddler. When placed into its compact position, the Peapod is easy to transport, as well as clean. The sleeping pad is washable and the entire unit can be used for both indoor and outdoor adventures. You know where to find it - toysrus.

Additional Information On Travel Bed Items

There are also different items on the market that allow parents to transform various bed sizes into a safe environment for a toddler to sleep in. For example, inflatable bed rails are easy to pack and are often fashioned to fit any twin bed. For a sturdier product, there are also toddler travel bedside rails that are small enough to pack in suitcases, yet large enough to alter beds that are incompatible with the size of a toddler.

Every parent should have a toddler travel bed as this is useful irrespective of you are traveling or not.



By Arindam Chattopadhyaya

Parents Face Neglect Charges After Toddler Found Wandering

Two Eau Claire parents face child neglect charges after police officers found their toddler wandering the West Riverside Neighborhood on two recent occasions.

LaVonne Tillery, 24, and Phillip A. Geissler, 29, both of 2220 Second St., were charged with one count each of child abuse.

The maximum penalty for that charge is nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. But because Tillery and Geissler had previous convictions, they could get an extra two years jail, if convicted.

Tillery's next court appearance is July 9 and Geissler has a June 17 appearance scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, Eau Claire police officers found the 3-year-old girl wandering around Second Street at about 9:39 a.m. on May 24, wearing socks but no shoes.

Officers questioned nearby neighbors to find her parents and eventually were given an address about two blocks from where they found the girl.

When officers arrived at the home, there were car batteries and furniture on the lawn, missing windows and the home's interior had dog feces on the floor, dirty laundry scattered about and no electricity. The girl's bedroom had dog feces on the floor and on the bed.

Officers found the two parents upstairs and had to yell multiple times to wake them. Tillery claimed that medication made her drowsy and a preliminary alcohol test of Geissler showed that he had recently been drinking.

Another officer had been to the house several days earlier because the young girl had left the couple's yard through a hole in the fence.

The Eau Claire County Human Services Department began caring for the toddler and the couple surrendered a young puppy to the police.


By Leader-Telegram staff

Couple Dies After Using Generator For Power

Corpus Christi (AP) - A couple using a gas-powered generator because their electricity was shut off died while sleeping in their bed, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Christopher Felix Guajardo, 22, and Ashley Flores, 21, were found dead Friday morning. Corpus Christi Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Willis suspects they died from the gas.

Family members said the couple were supposed to spend a night in a motel with other family members, but were found by Guajardo's nephew.

"I went inside and I smelled the gas and tried waking up my uncle and my tia, his girlfriend, but they wouldn't wake up," Juan Ramirez said.

The couple's toddler son was staying with a grandparent.

A couple using a gas-powered generator because their electricity was shut off died while sleeping in their bed, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Christopher Felix Guajardo, 22, and Ashley Flores, 21, were found dead Friday morning. Corpus Christi Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Willis suspects they died from the gas.

Family members said the couple were supposed to spend a night in a motel with other family members, but were found by Guajardo's nephew.

"I went inside and I smelled the gas and tried waking up my uncle and my tia, his girlfriend, but they wouldn't wake up," Juan Ramirez said.

The couple's toddler son was staying with a grandparent.

by: Dan Garcia

Getaways without the kids

Have you had a trip ruined because a baby cried all night in the hotel room next to yours? Has your romantic dinner been eclipsed by a whining toddler at the next table?

If vacationing surrounded by children doesn't appeal to you, you are not alone. More people travel without children than with them, according to the Travel Industry Association. In 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, TIA reported that only about 30 percent of leisure trips in the United States included children.

It is relatively easy to locate the more free-spirited adults-only resorts, mostly in the Caribbean; hedonistic and clothing-optional places abound. It's harder to find non-X-rated places that ban children.

To help navigate the child-free travel maze, you might need the help of a professional. Elena Mathis owns Child Free Travel, an agency that focuses exclusively on travel without kids.

"I am child-free myself," Mathis says, "and I completely relate to my clients. There are no judgments or questions, just the desire to plan the best 'child-free' vacation possible."

Not all of her clients are child-free. "There is no typical client," says Mathis. "I have planned trips for honeymooners, empty-nesters, child-free married couples, couples who are dating or living together. It runs the gamut." One client was a mother who was celebrating her 60th birthday and "just didn't want to deal with kids."

One thing her clients have in common is the desire for a quiet, relaxing vacation. Most are seeking luxury accommodations, often with a romantic setting. Phillip Gharabegian, who has been using Mathis's agency for almost three years, craves a respite from his busy life as a lawyer in Los Angeles.

"My girlfriend and I were looking for an escape to a tropical location," he says. "While we're at a resort, we want something that is free of young children." Most recently they stayed at Maroma, an adults-only resort near Cancún that does not allow children under age 12 from May 28 to Dec. 21. No one under 16 is allowed during the rest of the year.

"Nothing breaks your relaxation quicker than noise," says Gharabegian. "We tend not to stay at resorts that cater to the spring break crowd either."

Peggy Gavan, a writer from Warwick, N.Y., wants to avoid chaos when she travels. "There is nothing more annoying than getting splashed in the hotel pool by screaming kids, having to dodge little kids running around the lobby . . . especially when you pay thousands of dollars for a vacation," she says.

Many seeking child-free vacations work with children. Katie Andrews, an English teacher from Los Angeles, simply wants to get away from it all.

"I am around kids all day as a teacher," she says, "and while I love my job, I am happy to leave the kids and the job in favor of mature company, and most of all, time alone doing my own thing."

Connie Warner, a riding instructor from Richmond, agrees. "I like working with kids, but I need an adult-only escape for fun." She wants to look into a meditation retreat or yoga vacation next time she travels.

For many vacationers, adults-only also means all-inclusive. Ginette King, a technical writer from Marin County, Calif., recently stayed at the Golden Crown Paradise hotel in Puerto Vallarta with her husband. "It has bars, multiple restaurants, a pool, beach activities, billiards. We specifically loved that it was for adults only."

A sister resort next door includes amenities for families. Guests staying at the adults-only resort can use both facilities, but families are restricted to their side. "For us it's the perfect combination," says King. "We could . . . play next door, and we could get away from the kids at our adult resort only a few steps away."

Finding a resort with an age restriction is the only reliable way to avoid children when traveling. But even when a resort or hotel does have a child-free policy, it may not be easy to find. "It's not usually in gleaming, huge letters right up front," says Mathis.

Roland Ballner, owner and manager of Hotel Cortisen in St. Wolfgang, Austria, recently switched to a child-free policy. "In October 2005 we decided to start our 'no-kids policy' with the beginning of the summer season," he says. "In the Alps there are no other hotels with that philosophy and I thought, this idea is missing in our area - just to guarantee an even more peaceful and relaxing atmosphere in our hotel."

There was a little fallout after the announcement that guests must be 13 or older, but soon people began to embrace the idea.

"In Austria there are 75 hotels which are focused on families with little kids and babies," says Ballner. "So, why not do something for the other side as well? Most of our guests are young parents. If they have the chance to leave the kids with Grandma, they are more than happy to enjoy the peaceful, child-free atmosphere."

Since Caesars Pocono Resorts in Pennsylvania opened in 1958, three of the four properties have had a minimum age of 18. "We know that our guests love spending time with their children at home, on family vacations, and in everyday life," says Mark Saari, director of marketing. "But they also know the importance of spending time together as just a couple."

"Our suites are especially designed for romance," says Saari. "Some have 7-foot-tall champagne glass whirlpool baths for two, in-suite pools, saunas, heart-shaped Jacuzzis, and luxurious round beds."

Upscale locations are not likely to fit into a family budget, and "out of the way" destinations are inconvenient for toting tots. Jerry Steinberg, founding "non-father" of the social group No Kidding, looks for unique places to stay on vacation. "We prefer renting waterfront cabins or staying in bed-and-breakfasts, as opposed to impersonal hotels, motels, and resorts," he said.

Working vacations, such as helping to rebuild New Orleans, are likely to attract older groups, although you may encounter some teens. Destination spas are becoming more popular, and rarely interest children.

Study tours are an option. Mathis recently attended a conference sponsored by Disney for another branch of her travel agency. She was surprised to discover a new escorted tour program called "Adventures by Disney" that includes tours limited to the 18-and-over crowd. "It falls in perfectly with my client base."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation also sponsors dozens of domestic and foreign study tours every year. While there is no guarantee there will be no children in your group, the price tag and itinerary suggest that only adults will find it appealing.

If you enjoy adult-oriented activities, you can also minimize your contact with children. "We do a lot of scuba diving in Mexico," says Gavan, "so we really don't have to search that hard for relatively child-free vacations since scuba diving is not a big activity for kids. We usually travel to Cozumel, which is a great adult dive community."

Looking for a cruise? P&O Cruises has two child-free ships, the Artemis and the Arcadia. Disney also offers ships with adults-only decks that include child-free pools and restaurants.

Timing is important if you want to avoid children; the spring and fall shoulder seasons and the off-season are when they are in school.

"We avoid traveling during the summer months," says Kaye Walters, of Santa Barbara, Calif., who is working on a book called "Kidfree & Lovin' It," "unless we are driving to a secluded cabin in the woods somewhere. Fall, after the kids have just started school, is a good time to travel. We do not travel during school breaks or holidays."

Walters discovered Nukubati Island Resort, a child-free resort in Fiji, calling it "a small luxury private island resort on coconut plantation with a nearby reef for spectacular snorkeling."

Of course, just because school is in session doesn't mean you will be child-free. "You may still encounter infants and toddlers too young for school," says Walters, "and they do know how to scream."

Kimberly A. Kenney

Shaken-baby trial starts

PITTSFIELD — The toddler has lost her sight and probably will never walk. And she may not have much bodily function at all, although only time will tell.

The baby was just 10 weeks old when she sustained life-threatening injuries at the hands of one of her parents on March 11, 2006, according to Berkshire Second Assistant District Attorney Joan M. McMenemy.

The prosecutor made the damning allegations during opening statements yesterday in the criminal trial of Marlin Brandow, the girl's father. The girl's mother, Janan M. Scutt, will be tried at a later date, according to Berkshire Superior Court officials.

Each parent accuses the other of inflicting serious, debilitating injuries on the child, who is now more than 2 years old. That is why prosecutors decided to charge both Brandow and Scutt in connection with the incident.

Brandow was indicted on single counts of assault and battery on a child resulting in substantial injury, assault and battery on a child with injury and permitting substantial injury to a child. Scutt was indicted on two counts of assault and battery on a child with substantial injury and on one count of assault and battery on a child with injury.

"This will not be an easy case," said McMenemy. "Both of (the child's) parents blame the other."

Meanwhile, Brandow's attorney, Alexander Z. Nappan, said his client has become the commonwealth's fall guy in the difficult case. Nappan said Scutt is the one who has exhibited abusive behavior toward the child, telling the baby to "shut the (expletive) up" when she cried.

"Somebody has to pay for this crime," Nappan said. "The commonwealth, for whatever reason, has selected Mr. Brandow as the man who did this crime."

However, McMenemy and Nappan do agree that both Brandow and Scutt have told lies during the criminal investigation. According to police and prosecutors, Brandow changed his stories about what happened to the baby: He initially claimed she choked after a feeding, then stated she rolled off a bed while he was changing her.

"The medical evidence will show you that (the child) was shaken," said McMenemy, and suffered brain and retinal hemorrhaging — symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, or SBS.

SBS is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma cases, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. The Utah-based organization claims an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children are injured or killed by shaking every year in the United States. About a quarter of all SBS victims die from their injuries, according to the organization's Web site, www.dontshake.com.

The majority of infants who survive will have some form of neurological or mental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy or mental retardation.

When the case is boiled down to its essence, the evidence will show that Brandow was alone with the baby when she stopped breathing, McMenemy said. Brandow and Scutt had been staying at a West Housatonic Street motel in Pittsfield at the time of the March 2006 incident.

Brandow ran to the motel's office, where employees quickly called 911, then tried to calm Brandow while helping his infant daughter, according to testimony yesterday. The employees — Mary Barker, 48, and Jessica Clayborn, 24, neither of whom works at the motel now — testified that Brandow was distraught when he ran into the office with the lifeless child in his arms.

"I just noticed that (the baby's) head was flopping," Barker said.

Clayborn, who had recently finished emergency medical training at the time, attempted to resuscitate the child, who initially did not have a pulse.

Both women claimed that Scutt angrily confronted Brandow when she returned to the motel. Clayborn testified that she heard Scutt scream: "What did you do to my baby?"

Testimony is scheduled to resume today at 9 a.m. in Berkshire Superior Court.

Two-year-old girl survives falling into pool after learning to swim from just eight weeks

A toddler survived falling into her family's pool because she had taken swimming lessons since she was eight weeks old.

Elizabeth Jelley, who is now two, spent several minutes in the 4ft-deep pool while her mother Amanda frantically searched for her in the house.

The 38-year-old nurse said the Water Babies swimming classes she attended with Elizabeth taught her daughter not to panic and to swim to the side.

Elizabeth Jelley with mother Amanda: The toddler was able to keep safe while holding onto the side of the pool

She had heard her daughter calling her name but was unaware she had left the door leading to the pool unlocked.

She found Elizabeth clinging to the side of the indoor pool.

Mrs Jelley, of Noctorum in the Wirral, said: "She was running around but suddenly she went quiet so I began looking for her.

"She was calling 'Mummy, Mummy' but she wasn't panicking. It just sounded like she wanted me to look for her.

"I was hunting under the beds and in wardrobes but I couldn't see her.

"When I saw the door was open I just went cold. I thought that was it. I thought she had gone under the water."

Elizabeth as a baby learning to swim

She added: "When I found Elizabeth she was holding on to the side of the pool. She seemed quite content."

Mrs Jelley believes her daughter managed to right herself, swim to the edge of the pool and hold on to the side ? techniques taught in her class.

She said: "It was pretty amazing."

Jess Thompson, who founded Water Babies, said: "Stories like Elizabeth's make me feel emotional.

"I don't think she would have survived if it hadn't been for the classes. Most children drown because they panic when they fall into water.

"Water Babies teaches children to become familiar with water, starting with splashing it gently on to their face."

Woonsocket woman charged with toddler’s death sobs in court

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A woman accused of beating her 3-year-old nephew to death sobbed during her trial yesterday.

Katherine Bunnell broke down as a detective testified about interviewing her shortly after Thomas "T.J." Wright suffered the injuries that killed him in October 2004.

Wright and his siblings had been placed in Bunnell's care. She's charged with murder and conspiracy.

A judge warned Bunnell against further outbursts.

On Wednesday, a baby sitter testified that Bunnell dragged T.J. out of bed, beat him and poured a container of milk over his head because the toddler made a mess.

Bunnell's attorney says Bunnell's boyfriend, Gilbert Delestre, is responsible for the child's death. Delestre has also been charged and will be tried separately.

Westminster tot bounces off bed through 2nd-story window

Westminster police are investigating an incident in which a 2-year-old girl fell from a two-story bedroom window Thursday.

The toddler, who was not identified, was taken to Children's Hospital, where she was in stable condition Thursday night.

"She was conscious and crying but lethargic," said Stephanie Topkoff, spokeswoman for Westminster police.

Investigators learned that the girl had been bouncing on a bed in an upstairs bedroom.

"The bed was next to a window," said Topkoff. "The window doesn't have a screen, and she fell."

The toddler fell two floors, but it was not known whether she fell on rocks below the window or on the grass.

By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News

Baby bounces out window, lives!

A 2-year-old girl bouncing on a bed bounced out an open second-story window in Westminster today, but the toddler appears to have escaped with only cuts and bruises, authorities said.

Rescuers were called to the home in the 5900 block of 118th Ave. at about 4 p.m. The little girl, who was not identified, was playing with two siblings. Her mother was at home; her father was at work, police said.

The girl was taken to The Children's Hospital in Aurora.

In statement, Westminster police said, "It is important to remember with warmer weather not to allow children to play near windows. Even window screens can give way leading to accidents. Do not place furniture under windows and do not open windows wide enough children can fit through."

Police have not determined whether any charges are appropriate.

By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 05/08/2008

Holland toddler falls from second story window

HOLLAND - A 21-month-old child is in the hospital after falling out of a window Saturday night. Police say Riley Gillihan and her 3-year-old brother were playing in the second story window next to their bed at a home on East 40th and Lincoln.

Sgt. Jeff Velthouse says a man and woman from Grand Haven were driving near the home when they spotted the children and tried to help.

"They saw two small children sticking their heads out the window and they stopped. They knocked at the door didn't get a response immediately and at the same time were telling the children to get back in the house," said Holland police sergeant Jeff Velthouse.

But police say the mother had put the kids to bed and apparently did not hear anything.

When the couple couldn't reach her, they went to a neighbor's house who called the dad on his cell phone.

"He did call his wife to say hey check on the kids, something is going on-- they're hanging out the window. And by the time the mother got to the window the little girl had already fallen out," said Detective Sergeant Roger Vanliere.

"The window is right next to the mattress of that bunk bed so both kids were standing on that mattress near that open window, said Velthouse."

Police say the toddler suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. She is recovering at DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, and is expected to be okay.

Velthouse says if it weren't for the couples quick thinking the little girl could have been out there for a long time before anyone discovered her.


by: Angela Cunningham

Summer Infant 1Q profit grows 31.6%

WOONSOCKET – Summer Infant Inc. posted a first-quarter profit of $1 million, a 31.6-percent increase from the year-ago $760,000, on net revenue that rose 65.6 percent to $28.43 million. Diluted earnings per share rose to 7 cents from the year-ago 5 cents.

“This growth was driven primarily by an expanded product offering at existing customers and penetration into a larger number of stores within existing customers’ networks,” Summer Infant said in its report. “The company benefited from strong increases at all major existing customers, as well as solid growth from new customers such as Wal-Mart and Lowe’s.

“The increase in revenue was also driven by new product launches within the soft-goods and baby-gear categories, in addition to strong sales of the 3 Stage Super Seat. In addition, sales momentum remains strong in core categories, including baby monitors, [a category that] continues to benefit from solid performance of the new flat-screen monitor.”

The company’s gross margin shrank to 35.0 percent in the quarter just ended, from the 2007 fourth quarter’s 37.0 percent and the year-ago 38.2 percent.

“While we continued to face rising raw material, currency and labor cost headwinds in China, we remain focused on growing our business and positioning it for the long term,” CEO Jason Macari said in the after-market report.

On March 31, Summer Infant completed its purchase of Basic Comfort Inc., a maker of infant sleep positioners, head supports and changing pads. The company paid about $4.7 million in cash plus 450,000 shares of unregistered common stock, which had a closing price that day of $3.95 per share, giving the deal a total value of about $6.5 million. (READ MORE)

On April 18, the company completed its purchase of Kiddopotamus & Co., a maker of infant travel, feeding and nursery accessories. Summer Infant paid about $9.6 million in cash plus 697,890 unregistered shares, valued at $2.9 million, giving the deal a total value of about $12.5 million. (READ MORE)

As of March 31, Summer Infant’s balance sheet listed $2.2 million of cash and $32.5 million of debt. The company expanded its borrowing last month in preparation for the Kiddopotamus acquisition, to an authorized total of $50 million, of which $8.0 million remains untapped.

“Our recently announced acquisitions of Basic Comfort and Kiddopotamus complement our existing product offerings, enable us to expand our brand presence at existing customers, and provide access to new retailers,” Macari said. “We are confident we can realize significant sales and cost synergies as we integrate these operations into our existing platform.

“Looking ahead,” he added, “we expect our sales momentum in 2008 to remain healthy, as ordering rates and customer feedback continue to suggest solid demand. … While we anticipate raw-material inflation, higher labor costs and devaluation of the U.S. dollar in China to continue to pressure gross margins in the near-term, we have been able to implement select price increases in order to pass on some of the incremental costs … [and] we continue to implement sourcing and supply-chain initiatives to help offset some of the cost pressures we are incurring.”

The company yesterday boosted its full-year forecast, projecting 2008 revenue of $129.0 to $133.0 million and earnings of 37 to 40 cents per diluted share.

Summer Infant Inc. (Nasdaq: SUMR, SUMRU, SUMRW) – formerly KBL Healthcare Acquisition Corp. II – is the parent of Summer Infant (USA) Inc., Summer Infant Europe Ltd. and Summer Infant Asia Ltd. (collectively, the “Summer Infant Operating Companies”), which design and make audio-video monitors, safety gates, bed rails, infant thermometers, booster and potty seats and other infant and toddler products. To learn more, visit www.summerinfant.com.

By Susan A. Baird
PBN Web Editor

Child falls out of second story window

HOLLAND, Mich (WOOD) - A toddler was hospitalized Sunday after a frightening fall from the window of a Holland home.

Accidental injury is the number one killer of kids in the United States.

The hospital says Rileigh Gillihan is in fair condition and is beating that statistic.

Her family tells us they're thankful because this near-tragedy could have turned out very differently.

"She was lying that way, I couldn't really see her, because they had her head covered in blankets, because she could freeze, it was raining, we didn't want her to get sick," said Alison Van Deusen.

Alison arrived a the home in Holland to discover a little girl she describes like her sister lying on the gravel driveway.

"I asked her older brothers and sisters, what happened. Her older brother Cole said she fell out of the window," said Van Deusen.

Alison says Rileigh fell out of the second story window.

She thinks her brother may have opened the window near their bunk bed.

"Cole probably got warm in his room, so he opened his window, and Rileigh probably peeked her head out and accidentally fell," said Van Deusen.

24 Hour News 8 went to the experts to determine what parents need to know to protect their kids.

"Young children especially are top heavy, especially their heads. We want to make sure they're very actively supervised, but you never want to put anything by windows, especially toys, cribs, dressers or anything that children can stand on to give them even more access," said Kim Francis of the Safe Kids Coalition.

This family is grateful Rileigh will be able to walk away from the close call.

"Her dad says she is smiling and wanting to run around but they have to keep her there for testing to make sure," said Van Deusen.

The Safe Kids Coalition says in addition to moving items away from windows, another thing parents can do is use window locks or window guards.

Both are available at many hardware stores.


By Jessica Leffler

Toddler falls from second-story window

HOLLAND (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A toddler fell from a second story window while playing with a sibling.

Police say a husband and wife were driving by when they noticed the two small kids sticking their heads out the window. The two stopped and knocked on the door to let the parents know because they didn't feel it was safe. At the same time they told to kids to get back in the house. The children didn't listen and continued to throw their cloths out the window.

The couple didn't get an immediate response so they went to the neighbors for help. When they came back they found that the toddler had fallen from the window.

The 21-month-old child suffered head injuries but was conscious and alert. The mother was in the house at the time but didn't know what the kids were doing upstairs because she had put them to bed.