You know the old adage, “Don’t pout. Your face will freeze that way!” Wasn’t this something grandmas were supposed to warn kids about? Well, Pumpkin’s Grandma is bucking tradition and actually encourages her granddaughter to make this face. (Yes, that one, in the photo at right.)

Now, every time I reach for my camera and say, “Smile,” Pumpkin thinks I am asking her to make this particular scrunched-up face. I have more than a dozen pictures taken in the past couple of weeks that feature variations of this pose:

Although I know kids can be funny about taking photos, I don’t think that’s why Pumpkin is making this face. I think she actually believes I want to see it.

How about other parents? Any picture-taking foibles to share? Do you have a child who just has to stick his tongue out at the last minute? Or who crosses her eyes just when the shutter clicks?

If you have some funny photos of your kids, send them to me with the story behind them and I’ll post them on the blog!

If your baby is using a walker, stop now. That’s the message from Westchester County Executive Andy Spano and District Attorney Janet DiFiore, who issued an alert today about a new campaign to stop parents from endangering their children in baby walkers.

The death of a New Rochelle boy who fell down a flight of stairs while using a walker inspired this effort. The county’s Department of Consumer Protection is distributing brochures and flyers at health clinics, youth programs, day care centers and other places where families with babies gather.

Babies who live in a home with a walker are nine times more likely to suffer a serious injury, according to the county. Children are hurt primarily by falling down stairs, but also get into trouble because a walker gives them access to things they couldn’t reach on their own, like hot stoves and poisons. There are safety standards for new walkers that are supposed to prevent stair injuries, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled at least 18 baby walkers since 2000. Three out of four of the 3,600 yearly injuries to young children involve infants falling down stairs and suffering head injuries, according to the county. “We need to get the word out about this. Parents are shocked to hear the numbers but they should be a wake-up call for all of us. Sometimes protecting children means educating parents and caretakers,â€? said Gary Brown, director of consumer protection.

Safety experts advise parents to instead choose a stationary activity center without wheels.

Has your toddler ever tossed a toy from his or her car seat only to cry to have it back? And what did you do when that happened? Stop the car to fetch the toy — or reach around while keeping one hand on the wheel? It’s a dilemma most parents of toddlers face at one time or another, but when it happened to Port Chester mom Patricia Friend Douglass, she invented a solution: A toy that buckles right into the car seat.

I talked to Patricia about her new company, Casey and His Friends, for a story in today’s Business section. She told me about the day her daughter, Parker, kept dropping her favorite blanket (which had a pony on it) — on purpose. After Patricia retrieved the blanket, she realized how dangerous it can be and how many moms and dads do it all the time. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t driven down the road and had one hand in the back seat of the car,” she said.

The Casey and His Friends car seat toys are stuffed animals in the shape of horses, a dog and a dragon — all were inspired by animals and people in Patricia’s life. Patricia spent a year developing the toys and getting them “tested for everything known to man,” as her manufacturer put it. Safety expert Stephanie Tombrello from SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. gives the toys a thumbs up because Patricia got them crash-tested at a university lab.

I haven’t tried one with Pumpkin because they only work with forward-facing car seats (and as I’ve mentioned in this blog, I’m keeping her rear-facing until she reaches 33 pounds), but they seem cute and fun.

What about you other moms and dads? What are your strategies for keeping the wee ones happy in the car?

My colleague Alison Bert, who wrote a great story about the cost of containing clutter for Sunday’s paper, asked me if I’d like to write something about what I do with Pumpkin’s stuff. I happily agreed because I’ve spent a lot of energy figuring out what to do with her toys, books and clothes — and that doesn’t mean avoiding all mess.

It might surprise friends who consider me a neatnik to see my house at the end of a day of play. (Let’s just say you need some obstacle-avoidance skills.) My philosophy about Pumpkin’s belongings is that they have as much right to occupy space in our home as any of my things. After all, it’s her house, too. So, I don’t make any effort to corral her into a separate playroom or to hide her toys from view. It actually makes me happy to live amid her stuff. (Maybe it’s what comes of being an older mom and the parent of a preemie — I just don’t take these things for granted. So, at the risk of sounding mushy, I take pleasure in sitting down for a DVD with my husband after she’s asleep and seeing her toys lined up in front of the entertainment center.)

That said, I think everyone is happier if there is some order in a home, so we do have fairly rigid rules about where things belong. We have two woven baskets in the living room, with one reserved for soft, stuffed toys (her books usually end up in a loose stack beside it):

The other is reserved for balls, puzzles and anything else plastic:

The bigger toys, like her Noah’s Ark, Mega Bloks and scooter and tend to sprawl a bit, but after she is asleep we put them in a row in front of the TV cabinet:

We keep her bottles, dishes and spoons handy on the kitchen counter, with bibs hanging to dry on a cabinet knob:

In the bathroom, we’ve hung this handy mesh bag to contain bath toys in between use:

In her bedroom, we use a lightweight nylon toy bag:

Some of Pumpkin’s stuff has even migrated into her parents’ bedroom. Her books share space with mine on my night table so that after her morning bottle in bed, we can snuggle and read:

Whether you call it clutter, mess or simply the overflowing stuff of life, the truth is that your house will be fuller once you share it with children — and that’s pretty cool. What solutions and advice would you like to share with other moms and dads?

I’m walking kind of crooked today, and I feel a decided twinge deep in my lower back when I stand up. This is all because I decided to put Pumpkin in a sling on Tuesday.

When she was very little, last winter, her dad and I carried her around in this wonderful fleece pouch from Kangaroo Korner, which she loved, as you can see in this picture. (At least while I was in motion. She couldn’t tolerate being confined if I sat down to work on the computer, but while I was washing dishes, cleaning up or walking around, it was great fun.)

But I didn’t use the pouch all summer because it was too warm, and I kind of forgot about it for a while. When I remembered it earlier this week, I went to Kangaroo Korner’s Web site, which featured online instructions for wearing your older baby on your hip. Looks easy, I thought. And, at first, it actually went really well. She liked being close to me while I cleaned up the morning dishes, opened the shades and tidied the house. I loved the feel of her warm little self tucked against me. And it was a big improvement over the way I usually carried her during my chores because using the pouch gave me two free hands instead of one.

But here’s the thing: When I carry her in my arms, I’m supporting her body. In the sling, it’s my back that does the supporting. And now that she’s over 20 pounds, that’s a lot of weight. Maybe if I were in better shape, I would be able to handle it. But I also fear it’s a consequence of being an older mom. If I were in my 20s, maybe my back would be resilient and strong enough to support the weight of a toddler.

I’m sure there will be other experiences coming when being an “older” Gen X mom will come into play. But I’m hoping that having more years behind me will also be helpful when it comes to patience and wisdom. We’ll see if Pumpkin agrees.

What about other folks who became parents in their late 30s? Have you found yourself challenged to keep up with your child or discovered things you wish you could still do?

Here’s a photo from last January (when she was still little enough for me to easily carry her in the pouch):

You probably think so, but you might be surprised. Consumer Reports, published by Yonkers-based Consumers Union, just did a crash-test of rear-facing infant car seats and found that most failed tests at 35 mph and 38 mph. The magazine, in its February issue, reports that the seats twisted violently or actually flew off their bases. One test dummy was thrown 30 feet across the lab.

I found this very scary, but was reassured when I saw that Pumpkin’s seat, the Graco SnugRide with EPS, was one of the two seats out of 12 that passed the test. The other was the Baby Trend Flex-Loc. Consumer Reports recommends that infant car seat shoppers buy one of these two seats.

As I mentioned last month in this post about the importance of keeping your child rear facing as long as possible, I am on the verge of moving Pumpkin to a bigger, convertible car seat. If you haven’t read this post and you have a toddler, I urge you to check it out and watch the videos of crash tests. I was all set to let Pumpkin sit facing forward until I saw those videos. Now I will keep her rear-facing until she meets the weight limit for doing so in the new seat (which at her rate of growth won’t be until close to age 2 and a half).

The investigation from Consumer Reports tested the kind of infant car seats that snap into a base that stays in the car. These seats are required to meet U.S. standards for protecting babies in a 30 mph front crash. Consumer Reports tested the seats in the tougher standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the way cars themselves are tested. Child seats are not required to be tested at the higher speeds.

As I said above, only two of 12 seats were good enough to earn the magazine’s recommendation. The other nine provided “poor protection,” even though they met the lower 30 mph federal standard, according to Consumer Reports. One seat didn’t even meet that, so the magazine is urging a recall of the Evenflo Discovery. The video of the Evenflo Discovery’s crash test is really scary, and if you own one, I don’t hesitate to urge you to consider throwing it out.

But, despite the poor performance of some seats on the test, the editors at Consumer Reports warn several times — and I’d like to chime in — that any car seat is better than no seat at all. So, please buckle your children in, and send in those registration cards to be alerted when there is a recall.

If you bought your son or daughter a trampoline for Christmas, you’ll be taking it back after watching this video. Or, at the very least, you won’t atach a basketball net to it! (Warning: The video will make you cringe.)

Via BloggingBaby.

I’m wrapping up a big story on the debate over the benefits of traditional versus high-tech toys, so I don’t have enough time for a proper post, but I just couldn’t resist directing you all to a hilarious feature in Radar magazine that lists the “10 most dangerous toys of all time.” The hazards of the toys — including radiation! (I’m not kidding!) — make me glad I’m researching the merits of LeapFrog and Melissa & Doug! I’ll blog more about the toy debate story when it appears on Thursday.

Thanks to BloggingBaby for the tip.

There’s a “good story”:http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2006-11-02-mym-toy-safety-issues_x.htm in today’s edition of USA Today with some great tips for buying safe toys for the kids. This is one of these concerns that pops up at this time of year, for obvious reasons. I must confess, other than the obvious stuff when my son was very young — toys with small pieces, etc. — I probably don’t think enough about it now that my son is older. My bad. So, a reminder like this article is a good thing to come across.

When you buy a gift for a baby or young child, you have three choices:

A). Something the child would enjoy now, like a toy. (With no guarantees. Little people are both whimsical and guileless. They won’t play with something just because it’s a gift from a beloved gramma.)

B.) Something the child’s mom and dad would enjoy, like clothes or a deposit into a college fund.

C.) Something the child will enjoy in the future. (Most interesting and challenging, I think.)

While sportscars and ponies certainly might fall into this latter category, what I had in mind were mementos, keepsakes and artwork.

When I think back on my own childhood, the treasures I remember (and mostly saved) include figurines, stuffed animals and pictures.

Pumpkin has received many, many wonderful presents, including clothes, toys, stuffed animals and money for college. But I suspect that 35 years from now, when she’s a grownup, the things she’ll treasure most from her childhood will be the unique keepsakes she’s received.

She has a lovely and tiny ceramic box with a fairy perched on top that’s waiting to hold her baby teeth (most of which haven’t sprouted). She has a sweet figurine of a purple bear. She has a pink dinosaur coin bank.

When my husband and I buy gifts for his siblings’ children, we sometimes go for the easy choice. (See A. above.) It can be hard work to find a keepsake that’s unique or beautiful. But a Web site called Etsy makes the task a little easier. It’s an online marketplace exclusively for craft artists from all over the country (and internationally). You buy directly from the artist. Etsy just serves as a venue for buyers and sellers (similar to eBay, but without the auction). There are a wide array of choices for children’s gifts, including toys, clothes and artwork — all handmade. I wrote a story about Etsy in today’s paper that featured some local sellers and explains what it’s all about.

When it comes to giving gifts for children, which option do you choose: A, B or C?

And, for your child, what do you like to see when the wrapping paper comes off?

There’s something about a new baby’s name that makes proud moms, pops and grandparents yearn to see it emblazoned on everything from birth announcements to bibs. And once a child gets older, chances are she or he will be equally thrilled to see those magic letters in print — and just might end up scrawling it all over your house. (My husband can flip over his mom’s coffee table and show where he left his mark 30-plus years ago.)

Recognizing the universal appeal of a baby’s name, Pound Ridge resident Lisa Brotmann, a mom of two, started a Web-based embroidery business called kidzthreadz. Lisa embroiders burp cloths, towels, blankets, bibs and T-shirts with a child’s name as well as a favorite design, including cars, flowers, butterflies, ice cream cones and hearts. (The towel and washcloth you’re seeing here are an example of her work.)

“Parents love to see their child’s name in print because that is one of the major decisions when you have a baby. I can remember looking in tons of books and online for names, their meanings, the history and backgrounds of the name,” she said.

Gifts with a baby’s name often become special keepsakes. “I remember our first baby gift with my son’s name was a white fleece blanket with a moon and ‘Sam’ on it. I loved it. It was the only thing we received with his name on it,” she said. “That gift was what gave me the idea to start my business.”

Around her house today, there are plentiful blankets, towels, stepstools and shirts with both Sam’s and daughter Lucy’s name. “And of course, their room doors have their names on it,” said Lisa, who recently started a new Web site called Polka Ducks to sell other baby gifts such as oilcloth splat mats for under the high chair.

Since I decided to write this post, I’ve been thinking about what items we have with my daughter’s name on them, and I’ve only come up with two: her beach towel and a pop up book featuring a mouse who just happens to share a name with my girl.

When I was little, I had a record with songs all featuring the name Julie. I loved it.

What about the rest of you? Do you enjoy items with the kids’ names? Anyone have a ton of stuff around the house?

Since Pumpkin only speaks about 10 words, I haven’t been pestered yet to get a specific toy, but I know that day will come.

For parents with children whose vocabularies already include the words “I want,” that day is here. Alas for those moms and ads whose kiddies are hankering for the new T.M.X. Elmo doll.

Although the doll only came out on Tuesday, most stores, even online, are sold out. People who simply must have the doll are spending a premium that ranges from tens to hundreds of dollars on eBay, Craigslist and other Web sites.

Knowing the doll would be popular, other people went out on Tuesday and Wednesday and bought up multiple Elmos — no doubt contributing to the shortage. Some stores imposed a two-doll limit per customer to squelch this.

When I was reporting a story about the phenomenon for today’s paper, I even learned about an incident when police were called to a Target store in Mount Kisco after a customer tried to get other customers to buy dolls for him to circumvent the store’s limit.

A brand manager at the doll’s maker, Fisher-Price, told me the instant popularity of T.M.X. was a surprise to the company and to retailers. He said more dolls are in the warehouse and will be coming out of the factory. Even so, one toy industry expert told me that parents will need to be diligent about visiting the toy store often if they hope to get an Elmo for a holiday present this year.

These kinds of toy crazes seem to come up every few years. Parents of older kids will remember the Furby mania of 1998 and the hype around the original Tickle Me Elmo in 1996. Going back, there was the whole Cabbage Patch Kids hysteria in the 1980s.

I checked Amazon.com’s list of the top sellers in toys today, and although T.M.X. Elmo was No. 1 — and the cross-marketed Barbie-T.M.X. Elmo combo was No. 3 — I was interested to see that favorites from my own childhood in the 1970s, like Trouble, Scrabble, Monopoly and Legos, were on the list.

In a LoHud.com forum on the T.M.X. Elmo craze, one reader made a great point about the kids probably being more amused with the box than the doll!

What about you all: Do you tend to buy the year’s hot toy? What are your strategies for getting one when there are shortages? And if you don’t buy one, how do you resist your children’s entreaties?

Now that school has resumed, my husband and I find ourselves once again getting our PDAs in synch to determine who’s taking which son to which event and when. There’s so much to keep track of: soccer and football practices, piano lessons, orthodontist appointments, not to mention birthday parties.

While we do a decent job of keeping most of it straight, a calendar that we recently received will make life even easier.

“Mom’s Family Calendar 2007â€? and the companion desk calendar, created by children’s author/illustrator Sandra Boynton, are two items no mom should be without.

You probably already know Boynton’s work – it’s everywhere from greeting cards to books to plush toys. But the coolest thing about these calendars is that they have room for MOM’S appointments and events (first!) and then space for Mom to list everyone else’s activities. There are also stickers to make note of birthdays, dance recitals and sports games. Even better, the desk calendar includes tear-out cards to be used as “To Do” and grocery lists. Smartly, “chocolate” maintains a permanent spot on the grocery list. There’s also an Emergency Telephone Number card to stick on the fridge. The calendars are useful and fun. And the fact that Boynton’s familiar cartoon characters are sprinkled about makes them seem, well, comfy.

I’m sure they would also make welcome holiday gifts for all the busy moms we know.

For more about the calendars, visit “Sandra Boynton’s Web site”:http://www.sandraboynton.com. You can also find the calendar at several online retailers, like Amazon.

I already know what I’m going to be for Halloween this year: a doting mom. I got to try out the role last year on Pumpkin’s first Halloween.

Even though she was a baby and the closest she came to milk chocolate was, well, milk, we had a frightfully good time. As you can see, she was a pea in the pod. I dressed up as a new mom, which didn’t involve changing out of jeans and my around-the-house top (or styling my hair for that matter).

Dad came home from work in time for a stroll around the neighborhood so we could practice for holidays to come when she’ll be begging for candy door to door.

You may ask why I dressed up a tiny infant who hadn’t a clue what was going on. One answer: Because I can! The real answer: To make memories.

I already have Pumpkin’s costume for this year in the house. It arrived about a week ago from mail order. I’ll share a photo on the big day, but here’s a hint: We’re trying to teach her to say Bzzzz.

If you’re planning your family’s Halloween, check out a story that consumer reporter Alison Bert wrote this weekend about the money people are lavishing on costumes.

And if you’re not in the mood yet — despite all the bite-size candies and ghoulish decorations in stores — stop by Wikipedia’s Halloween page.

I fall for her ruse every time. Pumpkin crawls over to me while I’m working at the computer, stands up and tugs on my shirt. I think, “Aw, she wants a hug from mama,” and I pull her into my lap. But, do I get a hug? No. She immediately reaches for the keyboard.

If I let her have a go, I inevitably end up with a scrambled desktop and renamed files.

If I hold her arms to keep her little fingers from typing over the story I’m working on, she’ll strain with every muscle in her body and even try and use her feet to reach the keys. Must. Touch. The. Keyboard.

Now, let’s just be clear: There are ample (ample!) toys in my house. But none of them fascinate Pumpkin as much as the telephone, the alarm clock, the remote control and, especially, the computer.

Since I don’t have the heart to say no when her beseeching eyes ask me to pick her up, I decided to figure out a way for her to safely bang away at the keyboard.

I discovered that other parents with babies — but with computer programming skills — have already created a solution: Software that locks out the computer and responds to baby’s random typing with sounds and colorful shapes on the screen.

I decided to write a story about the phenomenon of software just for babies younger than 2 years old. The category is nicknamed “lapware” because mom or dad holds baby on the lap to play with it.

The first software I found was a free program for the Mac called AlphaBaby, written by a mom from the Boston area who was inspired by her experience with 6-year-old son when he was a baby.

When I gave it a spin with Pumpkin, she seemed to love it. (She probably couldn’t believe I was actually encouraging her to pound away.) I even customized it with pictures from our iPhoto album, so half the time she sees numbers and shapes and half the time she sees photos of herself.

I also talked to Tim Leverett, a Rochester area interactive media designer who created a program called Giggles Computer Funtime For Baby based on his experience when his son was a baby. “When my son was 10 months old, I was working out of the house. They see you on the computer all day tapping on the keys and they want to pretend to be just like you,” he said.

Pumpkin also attacked the keyboard with zeal when Giggles was loaded up.

I did find myself worrying a bit about the safety of my keyboard — she’s strong! Tim said he’s sold 10,000 copies of Giggles so far, and no one has reported a broken keyboard. “We were worried about it at first, but in all the testing and in all the thousands we’ve sold to people, it’s never been an issue,” he told me.

As far as the experience goes, I’m not entirely sure Pumpkin understands the connection between her actions and the shapes and sounds coming out of the computer. I suspect she might be equally happy with a keyboard that’s not even connected to a PC!

The advantage to the software, for me, is that it’s easy to put a shortcut on my desktop and quickly load it up when she crawls over for a “hug” while I’m working.