Scroll down for information on:
1. Carseat Safety  
2. Breast Pump Facts
3. Local Breastfeeding Concierge Service
4.  Directory for out-of-town Baby Drives/Gemachs
 
1.  Car Seat Safety Information
Car seat information is overwhelming and constantly changing.  We have Safety Stop in St. Louis, which has Certified Car Seat Technicians who are available to help.
Call 800.678.KIDS (5437), then press 3 to set up an appointment
-OR-
They provide child passenger safety education including a car seat fitting station, CPR, AED, and First aid training, parenting education, and children’s classes.

The Basics:

Children ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until they are at least 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.
(Even when a child grows out of their infant seat, they can remain rear-facing in a convertible car seat.) Better to keep kids rear-facing longer as long as they haven’t outgrown seat limits.
Any child who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for his convertible car seat should use a Forward-Facing Car Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.  Better to stay in a harnessed seat rather than jump up to a booster too early.

All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 ft 9 in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

When children are old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly, they should always use Lap and Shoulder Seat Belts for optimal protection.  All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.  In general, it is best to keep children in each stage as long as possible instead of rushing to “graduate” them to the next stage.

Resources to check out:

1) Car Seats for the Littles 

2) Healthy Children

2.  Breast Pump Safety

PREPARE: Obama Care now allows Moms to order breast pumps!  Order before your baby is born as it takes up to 9 weeks for delivery.

Medela Pumps should *NOT* be passed from user to user….. EVEN with new parts.        (Unless, it is one of Medela’s two hospital grade closed-system pumps – the Symphony and the Lactina).

There are two different types of breast-pump systems: an open system and a closed system.  In an open system, the pump’s motor can be exposed to your milk. This is important because the milk that is unintentionally drawn into the pump can often go unnoticed. This can result in mold growth and the transmission of viruses. In fact, the FDA says this type of breast pump should only be used by one woman because there is no way to guarantee the pump can be cleaned and disinfected. This is true even if the tubing is cleaned and/or replaced.  In addition, some lactation consultants will go as far as recommending replacing an open system breast pump when working with a mom who has a lingering yeast(aka thrush) infection because of the complexity in safeguarding the complete destruction of the fungus even with a thorough cleaning.

THE BEST CHOICE: A closed system breast pump is designed to keep every drop of your expressed milk away from the pump’s motor and into your collection container. This decreases the possibility of mold growth and infectious particles. Closed system pumps are considered more hygienic because they have a barrier, such as a filter, which catches any milk before it reaches the pumps working parts. As a result, the pump can be safely used for many years – which is good for baby AND you.  In addition, this pump is the only type that is safe to sterilize and pass to another user.                                                                                             (adapted from Hygeia’s website)

3. Local Breastfeeding Concierge Services

IF YOU ARE HAVING BREAST FEEDING ISSUES:  Missouri Baptist Hospital(314-996-5751) has a breast-feeding clinic open to the entire community free of charge (with concierge parking available).

4.  Directory for out-of-town Baby Drives or Baby Gemachs

Going out-of-town or on vacation?

Click here: http://www.soralasbabygemach.com/contact.html and avoid the schlepping!  There is a list of gemachs and baby drives in the U.S.A., Canada and Israel.

 

Disclaimer:  The St. Louis Baby Drive is a division of Vaad Hoeir Bikur Cholim, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It seeks and provides infant and toddler goods and equipment to Jewish families in need.  The St. Louis Baby Drive derives no profit from its operations. Each person utilizing the services of the St. Louis Baby Drive understands and acknowledges that all goods have been donated by third parties and are, in most instances, used equipment.  The St. Louis Baby Drive makes no representation or warranty that any of the goods distributed meet any national, state or local government standards or that any of the goods are free from defects.  It has not examined any of the equipment to determine their condition, their safety or their use for any particular purpose and expressly disclaims any obligation or responsibility in connection with the equipment.  It is up to each individual to inspect and examine the equipment prior to use.  The St. Louis Baby Drive shall have no liability whatsoever to any individual in connection with the use of the equipment distributed.  Those using said equipment hereby waive any right to commence an action against the St. Louis Baby Drive for damages or other relief.