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First Ladies Do Influence Baby Names

first ladies
Posted on May 31, 2016 by Christina Lavingia

On the cover of a tabloid or briefly captured on the news, the first ladies of the United States attract a certain level of media fascination. The markers of first ladies’ legacies vary, ranging from the lasting humanitarian efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt to the cultural phenomenon that was Jacqueline Lee Kennedy.

While each presidential wife to occupy the White House leverages her influence toward the causes of her choosing, the team at MooseRoots used data from the U.S. Social Security Administration to identify one interesting — and unintentional — aftereffect of their tenure: a general decline in the popularity of their first names. A trend that becoming first lady had little effect on.

By using the popularity of a first lady’s name the year she entered the White House as the base year, the MooseRoots team was able to compare the frequency of babies given the name in the 10 years preceding and following her arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Although she’s better known for her nickname Lady Bird, the name Claudia was nearly 200 percent more popular 10 years before President Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the office in 1963. The name Hillary experienced the most dramatic rise and fall in popularity in the two-year window surrounding President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1992. The name was given 133 percent more often in 1991 and fell by 61 percentage points in 1993.

To be fair, these instances appear to be on the more extreme end of the spectrum. To gain a more holistic picture of the trend, we combined the popularity data for the last 15 first ladies’ names.

Ten years before calling the White House home, first ladies’ names were 57 percent more popular than upon their arrival. While the average drop in popularity is steepest several years before candidacies are declared and first wives receive country-wide notoriety, the downward trend continues over time.

jacqueline kennedy and john f. kennedy

On average, the names of first ladies dropped 29 percentage points in frequency 10 years after their arrival at the White House.

Although this is the norm, some first ladies’ names were more resilient over time. Claudia, for example, was given to baby girls 195 percent more often 10 years before her arrival at the White House and 105 percent more often 10 years after when compared to her first year as a first lady. The frequency wasn’t as high, but it bounced up more than all other names analyzed. Meanwhile, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Barbara Bush, Elizabeth Ann Warren “Betty” Ford, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton all experienced bigger drops in long-term popularity than the average.

When segmenting the first ladies by party affiliation, we see a slightly different story for Republicans versus Democrats. The names of Republicans started off higher but ended up being less popular in the long run. The opposite occurred for first ladies of the Democratic party.

Against expectations, the notoriety of first ladies doesn’t positively influence the popularity of their names. Perhaps changing tastes is the predominant factor at play. The prestige of a first lady doesn’t seem to change the path of a name that’s deemed out of vogue, no matter how popular she and her husband are among Americans.

Compare Thousands of Baby Name Options on MooseRoots

Back to School: 5 School/Life Balance Tips for Kids

bellyitch rewind

back to school

 

As many children go back to school this month, several struggle in class, lose assignment sheets and notes, miss assignments and  forget to bring home books needed to complete homework if he or she is not organized.  There are tremendous benefits to teaching children executive functioning skills. These are the type of skills top or mid level execs use to succeed in work but certainly can apply to kids as well.

Organization and focus are key qualities for many successful adults, but these skills do not come naturally to grown ups, imagine if you were taught it at a young age and grew with those skills.

The Glenholme School in Washington, Connecticut  actually has a program called “Executive Functioning Skills” which helps its students focus on tasks at hand, prioritize and organize in a way that will help them throughout their lives even after leaving school.

Here are 5 tips that Maryann Campbell, Executive Director of The Glenholme School, offers to assist all parents and children:

  1. Stash and trash– Prevent mountains of papers from accumulating by learning what to keep and what to toss. This is a very important skill, even for the most organized adults! Teach children at a young age what types of documents to keep and throw away as well as how to best organize the materials they are keeping. Your future storage bins will thank you! 
  1. Balancing work and fun – It is important to teach children that there is a time for work and a time for play, and that they are both important for a well-balanced life! Make time for studying, after school activities and dinner with the family.
  1. Manage the day – Parents have planners, and so should children! Teach your child to use a day planner or calendar, where they can record their school work, after-school activities, social events and family time.  Whether it is paper or digital, it doesn’t matter. The point is that the child learns to manage their time and sets realistic expectations for each day.
  1. Organize assignments –Parents can help their children stay organized with color-coded folders and a desk-top storage system for their school work.  Children also really enjoy label makers. Divide the folders and storage containers by subject, and teach children how to label accordingly.
  1. Lightening the backpack without losing the work – We’ve all witnessed the tiny child with the gigantic backpack that weighs nearly as much as they do, as well as the extreme opposite of the student who shows up to class without a pen or paper. Teaching children to carry what is important for the day will help them be better prepared for class. Go over the day’s activities the night before, make a list of what classes and activities the child has and pack accordingly.

This solid advice should help parents have a basis and foundation for passing on these critical skills to their children.

photos: courtesy Ikea, The Glenholme School

Review: VTech’s New 2 Camera monitor lets You keep an Eye on Two kids at a Time

monitor

Baby monitors have come a long way since I last had a baby. My interest was piqued at learning about one of VTech‘s new monitor that had a temperature sensor, split-screen viewing and the option to monitor more than one child or room at a time.  My goodness! Parents can now have a virtual high tech security system just to watch their kids nowadays.

We wanted to get a closer look and took up VTech’s offer to give a review sample for a spin. One of our Bellyitch readers, Lauren, a third-time mom-to-be tested out the VTech Safe&Sound Bear 2 Camera Full-Color Video Monitor (VM341-216).

First off, she said she thought that the teddy bear-shaped camera was cute and would look great in the baby’s nursery.  It’s white and matches the decor. There was a second camera that she placed in her 8-year old son Ethan’s room so she could keep an eye on him too after she’d send him to bed at the end of the night.  Both cameras feature automatic night vision and full-color video that display on a large 4.3-inch LCD. Lauren found the size of the screen was ample and  she didn’t have to squint or lean in closer to check in on the kids.

For the baby, there is a built-in lullaby and soothing sounds setting so baby can be comforted without having her enter the room. It  would be perfect when it is time for sleep training. Also, given that a big cause of concern over SIDS death is overheating, the monitor’s temperature sensor can help mom make sure the nursery isnt’ too hot.

Again, she too found it neat that you can choose from multiple viewing options, including single view (one camera only), split-screen viewing (all paired cameras at once) and patrol mode (single view that transitions to a different camera every seven seconds). Very convenient and inventive!
vtech
With the talk back intercom, Lauren can give her 8-year old instructions from downstairs. The sound and transmission worked two stories down, Lauren said.

The unit can be placed on a table or mounted to the wall to avoid tumbles. It has 9-level of sound indicator and if she is working in the backyward or folding clothes in the basement, she can clip on the receiver to her waist and keep it moving. Multi-tasking is where it’sat!

Feedback/Final Thoughts: Lauren’s favorite feature is the monitor and the fact that the screen is large enough and she can see the baby even in the dark. It was easy to assemble and set up straight from the box. The retail price is $199 which Lauren said she thought was actually reasonably priced for what you get. The sound came thru for her loud and clear for her and she said she would recommend this product so people can kp an eye on baby while in another room.

Back to School: These States have Most & Least School Bullying



With back-to-school season upon us and more than 160,000 children missing school every day in the U.S. out of fear of being bullied, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s States with the Biggest Bullying Problems.

To identify the states where bullying is most pervasive, WalletHub’s analysts compared 45 states and the District of Columbia across 17 key metrics, ranging from “bullying-incident rate” to “truancy costs for schools” to “percentage of high school students bullied online.”

Here are the top and bottom states for pervasiveness of bullying.

Best vs. Worst

The District of Columbia has the lowest percentage of high school students who were bullied on school property, 12.08 percent, which is 2.2 times lower than in Nebraska, where the percentage is highest, 26.28 percent.

The District of Columbia has the lowest percentage of high school students who were bullied online, 7.86 percent, which is 2.7 times lower than in Idaho, where the percentage is highest, 21.08 percent.

Maine has the lowest percentage of high school students involved in a physical fight on school property, 4.85 percent, which is 2.8 times lower than in the District of Columbia, where the percentage is highest, 13.81 percent.

Kansas has the lowest percentage of high school students who missed school because they felt unsafe at school, 3.80 percent, which is 3.4 times lower than in Louisiana, where the percentage is highest, 13.10 percent.

Vermont has the lowest percentage of high school students who attempted suicide, 5.88 percent, which is 2.2 times lower than in Louisiana, where the percentage is highest, 13.10 percent.

bullying

 

To read the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit WalletHub here

Trend: More Parents are Choosing to Have Just One Child

 

one and done

It is true that more parents are selecting to have just one child and no more. Call it a trend. Call it necessity. Call it balking at societal pressure to have more than one child. Call it what you want, but it is actually a growing trend.

Their reasons range from economics of having more than one kid to wanting to shower all attention to one sole individual to not wanting to undergo expense and time of trying again after fertility challenges.

Our partners at mode curated several articles that speak to the trend:

When people talk about children, they always refer to “having kids.” No one says: “Get married and have a kid.” The idea seems to be that children come in groups of two or more. But many couples are going against the grain and having just one child—and they are happier for it.

More:

 

Check out One and Done: Why More Parents Are Having One Kid

by Clare Brown at Mode

 

How Paying for Quality Child Care Upfront may Eliminate College Tuition Bill

Students painting in class

There is a school of thought out there that parents should invest in high quality child care for their toddlers and pre-schoolers, by paying for a nanny or an excellent early childcare option versus skimp on quality on the front end, and end up having to foot your child’s tuition bill when they get to college. The idea is that premium and superb early childcare pays off in the end. A child will be more likely to excel and perhaps get a scholarship or be confident and have the abilty to work while in school.

Here is one such argument, presented from a nanny support site, so understand the bias. It’s still worth a consideration:

With the cost of childcare equaling the cost of college tuition in some states, some parents must consider if they want to pay for quality childcare or save for their child’s college education. According to a report from Child Care Aware of America, as reported on Time Moneyland, in 35 states plus D.C., the average annual cost for an infant in center-based care was higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a four-year public college. If a parent finds that they can afford to either pay for high-quality childcare or save for college, choosing quality childcare is probably the right decision.

Here’s why: The early childhood years shape who a child is and what that child thinks, feels, and becomes. According to J. Fraser Mustard, PhD, “The early years of human development establish the basic architecture and function of the brain. The early period of development (conception to ages 6-8), affects the next stage of human development, as well as the later stages.” While many parents opt for center based care, hiring a professional and qualified nanny allows parents to hand select the childcare provider who will help shape who the child will become and govern the practices, principles, and philosophies under which that care is provided.

Low quality child-care can leave lasting damage. According to a Washington Post article that reported on the 2010 federally funded study published in the May-June issue of Child Development, teenagers who received high-quality care were less likely to engage in problem behaviors and scored higher on tests designed to gauge cognitive and academic achievement. Choosing high-quality childcare where children receive consistent customized, personalized, and individualized care sets children up for later success. Children can finance their own college education.

While most parents cringe at the thought of their children having to take out loans to pay for their college education, for many families that will be their reality. According to a Huffington Post article reporting on a study conducted by the Associated Press, 60% of college kids take out loans to help pay for college.

Unfortunately for parents there are no loans or viable long-term financing options for childcare and children can’t contribute to their own childcare fund, so financing a college education may be more realistic. As parents consider their childcare choices, oftentimes private in-home childcare in the family’s home is automatically dismissed as unaffordable, when in fact for many families, hiring a nanny can be the most cost-effective childcare option.

For families with two or more children who need childcare and parents who have long workdays and require flexible care, hiring a nanny can cost the same or even be less expensive than using daycare. Unlike with daycare, nannies are paid per family, not per child. And because the parents are the employers, they set the schedule and hours for the nanny to work.

When you add up early care, late care, and the per minute rate most day cares charge to parents who are running late, in addition to being a high-quality option, nanny care is surprisingly a financially attractive one too. Some parents believe that they should foot the bill for their child’s college education, while others feel that their child should foot the bill, and most feel that they should help out as much as they can.

But when it comes to childcare, there’s no real option. While some low-income parents may qualify for daycare vouchers or subsidized care, for most families the rising costs of childcare will just be something that parents struggle with until their children outgrow the need for it – leaving parents plenty of time to begin worrying about and saving for college.

Rio: Brazilian Food You Can Make for the Family

 

brazilian food

We’re smack dab in the middle of Olympics coverage. Besides watching the various events and games, moms (and dads) can get their children into the spirit by making and eating foods from different nations.

And why not start with the host nation. Brazilian food is varied and colorful and yummy. It’s quite easy to find recipes that are kid-friendly as well.

Check out Mode.com’s curated recipes to get you started!

Check out Rio-Ready: Brazilian-Inspired Dishes for the Whole Family

by Eloquence & Company at Mode

Moms, Do you Do any of these Top 10 Distracting Things While Driving ?

Bellyitch Rewind
distracting
Most moms know how important it is to multitask, but multitasking while you’re driving is something that should certainly be off limits, no matter how long your to-do list is. While we all know distracted driving is a faux pas, here are the top 12 dangerous things moms have been seen doing while driving.



Distraction #1: Drinking Hot Liquids
Sipping a latte while driving may seem like second nature to you, but it’s really not. With one hand off the wheel you have less control of the vehicle. You also risk spilling hot liquid on yourself, which could cause you to lose control of the vehicle, depending on how you react.



Distraction #2: Eating
Driving takes two hands and when you’re eating, only one is available. In addition to the risk of spilling crumbs on yourself, fiddling with the packaging or wrapping can also be distracting.

Distraction #3: Applying Make-up

It can be tempting to pretty yourself up while you’re driving, but you shouldn’t. Doing so is a huge distraction. Looking in the mirror with one hand on the wheel is a recipe for disaster.

Distraction #4: Grooming

In the same sentiment, tweezing your brows and fixing your hair should also be off limits when driving. Your eyes need to be on the road, not in the mirror.

Distraction #5: Tending to the Kids

Reaching behind the driver’s seat to fish for a dropped teddy bear or a sippy cup is an act that requires strength, endurance and concentration. Pull over if you need to tend to the kids while on the road.

Distraction #6: Texting

Although many states now have no texting laws on the books, people continue to text and drive, which can set the stage for trouble.



Distraction #7: Talking on the Phone

Chatting while driving may seem like a great way to pass the time, but engaging in conversations when driving can be distracting, especially when discussing emotional topics.

Distraction #8: Playing with Electronics

Whether it’s adjusting the volume on the radio or popping a new DVD into the onboard DVD player, the second or two it takes to make the adjustment is enough of a distraction to put you and the children in danger.

Distraction #9: Driving while Drowsy

Being a mom is tiring, no doubt, but dosing off for just a second can put you and your children in a life or death situation. Well-rested drivers are typically better drivers and have better response times when facing obstacles in their paths.



Distraction #10: Zoning Out

Being on autopilot won’t cut it when it comes to driving, especially with the kids. While you may naturally tend to zone out when driving the same route day after day, it’s important to stay focused while on the road.

Distraction #11 Pumping

While it could be argued that as long as you hook up and unhook yourself while the vehicle is at a complete stop, pumping isn’t a distraction, the opposite could also be argued. Having to fiddle with the controls or deal with spilled milk could certainly be a distraction.

Distraction #12 Breast Feeding

Children are supposed to be in car seats for a reason, to protect them. Never mind how distracting it may be trying to manage the wheel and the child, taking a child out of his seat while the vehicle is in motion to nurse him puts you both at risk should an accident occur.  Should the airbag ever deploy, it could be fatal to the child.

 Watch yourself moms.

Get Your Kids’ Closet Organized Before School Starts: 10 Tips!

Bellyitch Rewind

back-to-school-1024x685

As you prep to send the kids back to school, you may want to reassess what’s in their closet now and consolidate uneeded clothes, give away some, fold away some for younger children and basically get organized. Here are 10 tips to help you do that from a past post:

1.Take inventory: Go through the clothes that you already have for your child and see which items fit and which items don’t. Take the items that they have out grown to a resale shop or donate them to a worthy cause.

2.Assess how your child dresses: Don’t buy a bunch of dresses if you have a tomboy who doesn’t like to wear dresses. This may seem like common sense, but for some reason people love to buy pretty dresses and then they hang in the closet with the tags on them. Or they are worn once for that special occasion and that’s it.

3.Buy separates: Instead of buying a bunch of dresses you need to buy separates so that you can mix and match tops and skirts. You can also wear the tops with jeans or other pants. A dress is one outfit, but if you buy three skirts and three tops that can be mixed and matched then you can get nine outfits out of those items.

4.Buy basic colors: When buying pants or skirts think about buying basic colors, black, blue and brown. Those will go with a lot of different things you may already own. The more combinations that you can make the better off you will be.

5.Don’t buy outfits: Stores are great about putting together outfits, like pink and green striped leggings with a matching pink and green top. This is a one trick pony. You might be able to wear the top with jeans, but otherwise you can wear the pants with that one top and that’s it. Plus it’s such a bold color choice that you don’t want to repeat it in the same week.

6.Teach them to wear things more than once: The biggest thing that they can wear more than once is pajamas. There is no need to have seven pairs of pajamas. They can get up in the morning and fold them up and put them under their pillow for the next night. Having three to four pairs of pajamas should be plenty.

7.Add leggings to an outgrown dress: Do you have some dresses that are getting too short but they fit otherwise? Just add a pair of leggings and you can still get some more mileage out of those dresses.

8.Jeans, jeans, jeans: Most of the time jeans can be worn more than once in a week so teach your child to hang or fold them up after the first wearing unless they know they got a stain on them. Jeans are very versatile and can be worn dressed up with a nice shirt or sweater or worn with a T-shirt.

9.Buy basics: Buy a sweater in white so that you can take those short-sleeved dresses into Fall and Winter. Buy a white shirt that will go with anything or under any sweater to make an outfit warmer for winter. Black pants are always a good idea because they can be worn with any shirt and can be dressed up or down depending on the circumstances.

10.Take pictures and make a fashion book: Boys are especially bad about grabbing the shirt that is on the top in their drawer and wearing it over and over. For boys you might want to hang shirts so that they can all be seen. With girls, make a fashion book. Take pictures of all of the separate pieces and then mix and match them in a fashion book to show the different outfits that can be put together. Even young children can pick out an outfit and pull the pieces out of their closet and put a matching outfit together. Accessories for girls are also great to stretch a wardrobe. A great colorful scarf can be added to a basic black or brown top and you have a completely different look that how you wore it last week. Accessories are cheap and this is a good place to allow your kids to follow the trends, but not break that bank.

Good luck!

4 Articles about that Crazy Back-to-School Supply List!

 

pencils

Raise your hand if you have at least one basket or box or drawer or bin somewhere in your home that houses the piles of excess school supplies your child’s school made you buy that the kid never used?

I have such a massive basket in the corner of the office in my house so brimming with items that we can literally do shopping from this basket! Wow!

And…. surprise! I’m not the only one who feels this way! There have been several articles written on the ridiculousness!

Are School Supplies Getting out of Hand, All Parenting.com

Open Letter to Sadist Teachers, PeopleIWantToPunchInTheThroat.com

Too Many School Supplies, On My Mind

What Do You Think of Your Child’s School Supply List, NorthesCambia.com

Cray!

 

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