Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Baby Banz Swim Goggles


You can check out the new swim goggles and get your own here: http://usa.babybanz.com  













Checkout these great Baby Banz products from swim season now available at Amazon.com!


Monday, March 29, 2010

March Contest Winner: Baby Banz and Simply faBOWlous


Baby Banz and Simply faBOWlous March Giveaway!


Simply faBOWlous is teaming up with Baby Banz for a fabulous giveaway!

"You can't be TUTU safe in the SUN!"

The winner is: Dana!
Dana said...
I would choose the Baby and KidZ BanZ - Polarized Ultimate BanZ in Pink! zippieee@msn.com

 



You have won your choice of (1) Tutu, (1) Flowerd Hat, (1) Retro Banz,  (1) Adventure Banz (not blinged) (1) JBanZ and (1) Sunglasses Case

Since you get to pick your prizes you can create whatever look you want for your SUN SAFE DIVA.

Pictured is Vivienne, 6 months old and daughter of Baby Banz Operations Manager, Shari,  wearing Simply faBOWlous Peppermint Princess Tutu with Pink Flower Baby Hat and Baby BanZ Adventure Banz in Flamingo Pink which have been glammed up by Baby Bling Things Boutique. Her custom letter "V" shirt is from Resa Designs.






Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Protecting your children's eyes from the sun

When the sun is shining on a nice warm summer day it's great to wear sunglasses. It looks good and it protects our eyes from harmful UV rays which can cause long term damage. Sometimes it's easy to forget that our children have even more sensitive eyes that need protecting.


Traditionally, to protect your childs eyes you would either use a hat that allows a shadow to form over the eyes or some other way of cover the sun so the eyes are shielded by a shadow. That's all well and good but the eyes aren't actually being covered. If your child looks up there will be no protection.


What are the risks?


The risks associated with prolonged UV exposure on infants' eyes are endless. There are many eye related health problems and even sight loss can become a problem. The young babies eyes aren't able to cope with extreme UV rays and can cause pain to the baby when outside after only a few minutes.


Imagine how it would feel, as a parent, if you child develops problems later on in life; problems that could have been easily prevented by protecting your Childs eyes from the sun.


Baby Banz


Baby Banz are a great solution, allowing your children to wear sunglasses at a very young age. Baby Banz feature a strap which wraps around the back of the head to prevent the sunglasses from falling off or slipping on the face. They also look adorable on any baby!


Baby Banz were first designed in Australia where the suns UV rays are at their highest and toughest. Baby Banz have been clinically tested by one of the world's leading authorities. Baby Banz sunglasses are safe and provide the maximum protection for your child. They've passed very high standards and tests making them perfectly safe.


A stylish solution


You really do have to see the Baby Banz on to see how amazingly adorable they are! They're quite a unique solution since not many other brands offer sunglasses to babies. Your baby can have that cool look and instantly impress anyone they meet!


Whilst some people see dressing your baby up to be stylish as inappropriate, others love it! When it comes down to it, there's nothing wrong with having a fashionable baby! People are likely to compliment you, and your family will have a cool looking younger member.


So, if you're heading out into the sun this summer; remember your children's eyes aren't as strong as yours. If you need to wear sunglasses then your children definitely need to wear sunglasses. It's the responsible thing to do and it will prevent any damage to your child. What's more, you can even get your children looking as stylish as you on the next family outing!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Baby Banz and DadLabs.com

Baby Banz is excited to sponsor DadLabs.com with a massive Sun Hat, Wrapz and sunglasses combos giveaway for their viewers! Tune  in to the daily live streams, like this one from earlier today, for info on how to enter - PLUS great parenting info for Dads from the fun guys at DadLabs!!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Protect Your Child's Hearing

Protect Your Child's Hearing

5.2 million 6-19 year-olds have hearing loss directly related to noise exposure*. Don't let your child be part of this unfortunate group.

Peace and Quiet


"Offer your child peace and quiet," says the Noise Center. "Noise poses a serious threat to children's hearing, health, learning and behavior." (And I can't think of an adult who functions well in a noisy environment either.) "Peace" and "quiet" usually go together because without "quiet" there can be no "peace."

Aside from turning down the TV and stereo, lowering your voice, and providing the opportunity for quiet time in both their work and leisure, take a look at the toys you allow your children to play with.

Fortunately my children didn't suffer hearing loss from the obnoxiously loud toys they played with, but I must admit I told them to quit for my sake, not theirs, and I was always standing a good bit father away from their toy than they were.

One father I know immediately disarms any noise-making function on a toy his child receives, and this may not be a bad idea.

And because they're young doesn't work in this case. You might assume, for instance, that your teenager can take that 85 decibels (dB) music because he's a teenager, but that isn't the case. Children's ear canals are shorter than adults, and therefore more vulnerable to damage in this way.

A study conducted by the Henry Ford Health System found that many current toys, including tape recorders, bike horns, cap guns, and toy telephones, are not safe for your child's hearing. Of the 25 they tested, more than half made sounds higher than 115 dBs.

According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, at 110 dB, the maximum UNdamaging exposure time is one minute and 29 seconds.

NOTE: In researching this article I found a variety of decibels, as well as length of exposure before damage and also read studies saying that individuals varied in their tolerance for noises. The data is not consistent, but will give you a range. Should you be wondering what protection to take, and when, ask your personal health care professional for medical advice.


Permanent Instant Damage

The ear is more unforgiving than you may know. A loud enough noise can cause instant, permanent damage, some noises can cause damage if heard long enough, and there is also cumulative effect over time. Prevention is crucial because noise-induced hearing loss can't be corrected, and hearing aids don't do much good.

Sound is vibration and has three properties: intensity, frequency and duration. "Intensity" is what is measured in decibels (dBs). A measure called dBA indicates damage to hearing. The higher the dBA number, the greater the risk of damage to hearing. This is because intensity translates to pressure on the eardrum.

What sound has what dBs? There is a long list of dBs (which they equate with dBAs) on the League for the Hard of Hearing website, including various recreational and work situations. A noisy squeeze toy rates an alarming 135 dB from them.

"Noise levels above 85 dB will harm hearing over time," they caution, and "noise levels above 140dB can cause damage to hearing after just one exposure." 140dB is also the pain threshold; most of us hearing a sound at this level will feel it as well. All values are approximate.

According to Dangerous Decibels, harm can occur with 103 dBs after 7.5 minutes, 106 dBs after less than 4 minutes, 109 dBs after less than 2 minutes, and 115 dBs after around 30 seconds.
 

Here is a list of sounds and the decibels to give you an idea:

0 The softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing aka "hearing threshold"
10 normal breathing
20 whispering at 5 feet, broadcasting studio, rustling leaves
30 soft whisper, library
50 rainfall, light traffic, average home
60 normal conversation, air conditioning unit
80 alarm clock
85 noisy restaurant
90 city traffic
110-120 rock concert, speedboat, headphones on maximum
110 shouting in ear, baby crying, many power tools
120 thunder, jet takeoff at 200'
130-140 firecracker, gunshot, powerful car speakers
180 rocket launching

According to the Noise Center, musical toys measure over 110 decibels, comparable to many power tools.
 

Teens

With your teenagers, pay special attention. So many of the things they love are not advisable:

Clubs and discos, 91 - 96 dBA+
Dance floor, 85 - 100 dBA
At the bar, 90 dBA or more
Personal stereo systems. 60 - 114 dBA
Rock concerts, 100 dBA or more average
Car stereos, up to 154 dBA!!
Home stereo, 80 - 115 dBA

If you take your kids hunting or to the shooting range, take the hearing protectors along. Firearms are all high and a single exposure can cause permanent hearing loss. Examples, 12-guage shotgun, 150-165 dB, shotgun, 163-172 dB, rifle, 143-170 dB. Most firearms start at 100 dB and can go as high as 190 Db.

You may also assign your older child or teenage chores involving power tools which require supervision for safety, including hearing safety.

Also note than a firecracker can cause immediate damage.
 

Recreation

Two other things children and teens like should be monitored. Noise levels at video arcades can exceed 100 decibels (similar to factory machinery), and computer games and stereo systems can go as high as 135 dB (the level of a jackhammer). An action movie is generally beyond 90 dB.

No one knows exactly what level damages a child's ears, but the Noise Center's Rule of Thumb is:
IF YOU HAVE TO SHOUT TO BE HEARD THREE FEET AWAY, THE NOISE IS TOO LOUD AND IS DAMAGING TO HEARING.

Don't let your child become a statistic. According to Dangerous Decibels, approximately 30 million Americans have hearing loss, and 50 million have tinnitus, an early indicator.

According to a study done by Montgomery and Fujukawa in 1992, "Over the last 10 years, the percentage of 2nd graders with hearing loss has increased 2.8 times; hearing loss in 8th graders has increased over 4 times."

Check with your child's pediatrician for specific information. This is not medical advice.

*According to the 3rd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [Niskar, 2000]. Reported on DangerousDecibels.

What Can You Do?


1. Educate yourself about noise levels
2. Provide your child with peace and quiet
3. Make it clear you value peace and quiet
4. Counteract that "loud is cool"
5. Ask your local theater to lower decibel levels
6. Provide ear protection
7. Model good hearing protection

 

 

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Baby Banz Hearing Protection in the New York Times!

Want a Better Listener? Protect Those Ears






Published: March 1, 2010
For football fans, the indelible image of last month’s Super Bowl might have been quarterback Drew Brees’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass that put the New Orleans Saints ahead for good. But for audiologists around the nation, the highlight came after the game — when Mr. Brees, in a shower of confetti, held aloft his 1-year-old son, Baylen.

 
(Photo Credit) Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
DULL THE ROAR After guiding the New Orleans Saints to Super Bowl glory, quarterback Drew Brees shared the moment with his son, Baylen, 1, who wore protective earmuffs.

The boy was wearing what looked like the headphones worn by his father’s coaches on the sideline, but they were actually low-cost, low-tech earmuffs meant to protect his hearing from the stadium’s roar.

Specialists say such safeguards are critical for young ears in a deafening world. Hearing loss from exposure to loud noises is cumulative and irreversible; if such exposure starts in infancy, children can live “half their lives with hearing loss,” said Brian Fligor, director of diagnostic audiology at Children’s Hospital Boston.
“This message needs to be conveyed to parents over and over again,” Dr. Fligor said. “If a child attends only one loud sporting event, it isn’t a big deal. But for those kids who will be going to football games throughout their lives, as Drew Brees’s kids will, it’s a very big deal. A young, tender ear may not be able to withstand damage.”

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, more than 15 minutes of exposure to 100 decibels is unsafe. The noise in a football stadium can reach 100 to 130 decibels.

And noise that is potentially dangerous to an adult is even more dangerous to a child, said Levi A. Reiter, head of the audiology program at Hofstra University, who also has a private audiology practice in Brooklyn.

Because a young child’s ear canal is much smaller than an older child’s or an adult’s, Dr. Reiter said, the sound pressure entering the ear is greater. An infant might perceive a sound as 20 decibels louder than an older child or an adult. The shorter length of the ear canal increases dangerous noise levels in the higher frequencies, which are crucial to language development.

Awareness of the problem is spotty, audiologists say. Even if concertgoers know about damage from loud music, few children are wearing protective gear at sporting events, parades or fireworks displays, or around high-decibel motorcycles and snowmobiles.

It’s a hard message to convey. Hearing loss, which accumulates slowly over a lifetime, is neither painful nor disfiguring, so it goes unnoticed. Stephen Glasser, an audiologist in Great Neck, N.Y., says the stigma attached to hearing aids — often considered a sign of age or weakness — seems to carry over to hearing protection.

And while adults may be able to escape from uncomfortably loud noise, “when you are a toddler in your parents’ arms or a stroller, you can’t walk away,” said Nancy Nadler, assistant executive director of the Center for Hearing and Communication, formerly the League for the Hard of Hearing. Nor are they likely to articulate it if they are feeling aftereffects of loud noise exposure, which include sensations of fullness or muffling, or the ringing sounds known as tinnitus.

But protecting the hearing of very young children is not easy. Earplugs are too big for tiny ear canals and too easy to put into the mouth, where they pose a risk of choking. They are also hard to insert — even adults do not always insert their own earplugs correctly.

Enter protective headgear, like the earmuffs worn by Baylen Brees. Sold by a number of companies (Baylen’s came from Peltor), they include lightweight foam-filled ear cups, weigh less than half a pound and typically cost $20 to $30.
Most are not meant for infants, but Baby Banz sells earmuffs for babies 6 months and older. Though they are adjustable, they may still be too loose for younger babies, said Shari Murphy, the company’s North American operations manager, adding that earmuff sales rose 40 percent after the Super Bowl.

More than half of customers have special needs, like autism or sensory disorders, Ms. Murphy said. For other children, the purchasers are typically grandparents, who sometimes say that their grandchildren cover their ears at fireworks or air shows, or that they themselves suffer from hearing loss.

The use of hearing protection “can make the experience enjoyable instead of having the baby crying and you don’t know why,” said Ms. Nadler, of the Center for Hearing and Communication.

Often, she added, limiting a child’s noise exposure is a matter of common sense. It might be best to leave the baby home with a sitter.

“We need to look at noise as something that is dangerous,” Ms. Nadler said, “like sharp tools or a hot stove.”

Monday, March 1, 2010

CLOSED: Baby BanZ March Giveaway with Simply faBOWlous


Baby Banz and Simply faBOWlous March Giveaway!


Simply faBOWlous is teaming up with Baby Banz for a fabulous giveaway!

"You can't be TUTU safe in the SUN!"

The winner receives a TuTu and Flower Hat of their choice from Simply faBOWlous AND a sunglasses wardrobe from Baby Banz!
 
As studies reveal the damaging effects of UV damage, we must not overlook the need to also preserve children’s sensitive skin and eyes.  Get your child a pair of sunglasses from the industry’s leader in all aspects of sun protection for children 10 and under.  Famous for their unique, wraparound sunglasses with the neoprene band, Baby Banz assure a comfortable, snug fit for those delicate noggins, leaving out the dangers of having sunglass arms snapping off or poking someone in the eye!
Baby Banz were originally designed in Australia for one of the world’s toughest UV environments. Clinically tested by one of the world’s leading authorities on sunglasses, Baby Banz have passed the most stringent standards on sunglasses in the world! A testament to their outstanding quality, Baby Banz has been endorsed by the Melanoma International Foundation, Vision Australia, InfantSEE and the Cancer Society of Australia. In addition, Baby Banz has been recognized by iParenting Media, the Toy Man, Creative Child Magazine, The New Parents Guide and hordes of other media outlets as the Ultimate in Children's Sun Protection.
Get your child the protection they need for their eyes, without sacrificing an ounce of comfort or style.
The Baby Banz line protects your child from head to toe with affordable and fashionable sunglasses, UV swim and active wear, rash guards, sun hats, hearing protection, flap hats. New for 2009, Baby Banz improved on its Original Baby Banz wraparound design and introduced Adventure Banz with a comfortable silicone nose and brow piece built into the frame. For the older set, the new JBanZ  line for active boys and girls comes has temples and a removable sport strap for kids 4-10. Coming Summer 2010 4 new UV swimwear designs, board shorts, swim shoes, UV protective cover ups and UV swim goggles!



Simply faBOWlous® began with a mom's need for organization. In 2006, Co-Founder, Cheri White, started designing unique hair bow holders to turn her baby's hair bow collection into a chic work of art, while putting an end to cluttered drawers and lost or damaged hair bows. She soon started taking request from friends and family... and Simply faBOWlous® was born.

In 2007, a full line of accessories for mini divas was added. This line includes infant, toddler & child headbands, crochet flower hats and Petal Poof Tutus. In 2008, hair accessories for that ever evolving 'Tween-ager were added.  This line includes several Ribbon Covered Arch Headband styles: Glitzy, Flowers & Dots. In 2009, Simply faBOWlous® introduced our new Rock Wear Accessory which includes our Tattoo Art Baby Hats.  So, whether you prefer our Boutique Line for your Mini Diva or our Rock Wear Line for your Lil' Dude (or dudette) Simply faBOWlous® can outfit your little one with something for every age and every style.
Simply faBOWlous® has grown into a nationwide company selling products on-line at faBOWlous.com and servicing upscale boutiques across the nation and in several countries around the world. Here's looking to a new era in posh designs - they're only little once don't they deserve faBOWlous® accessories!?!


You will win your choice of (1) Tutu, (1) Flowerd Hat, (1) Retro Banz,  (1) Adventure Banz (not blinged) (1) JBanZ and (1) Sunglasses Case

Since you get to pick your prizes you can create whatever look you want for your SUN SAFE DIVA.

Pictured is Vivienne, 6 months old and daughter of Baby Banz Operations Manager, Shari,  wearing Simply faBOWlous Peppermint Princess Tutu with Pink Flower Baby Hat and Baby BanZ Adventure Banz in Flamingo Pink which have been glammed up by Baby Bling Things Boutique. Her custom letter "V" shirt is from Resa Designs.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to enter:


Take a look around BabyBanz.com and SimplyfaBOWlous.com and tell us what you would choose if you won with what size and color! (2 entries)

Follow @babybanz on Twitter and let us know that you did (or already do)! (1 entry)

Follow @faBOWlous on Twitter and let us know that you did (or already do)! (1 entry)

Tweet about the giveaway by copying and pasting the following text-
RT @babybanz @fabowlous You can't be TUTU safe in the Sun Tutu and Sunglasses Giveaway  ends 3/26, {http://tinyurl.com/ydntx4n}

You may tweet the giveaway as many times as you like, but there is only one entry per tweet. Please leave the permalink of your tweet in your comment.

Blog about the giveaway, linking to Baby Banz and Simply faBOWlous. Then come back and leave a comment letting us know that you did. You must leave the direct link to your post! (5 entries)

Fan Baby Banz on FaceBook ! (1 entry)

Fan Simply faBOWlous on Facebook! (1 entry) 

Follow the Baby Banz Blog (publicly) (1 entry)

Subscribe to the Baby Banz Inc Newsletter (1 entry)

Make a purchase before March 26th from Baby Banz or Simply faBOWlous (10 entries)


Please note to get all of your entries counted, for each thing that you do you MUST leave a separate comment for each entry! Example, if you do something that gives you 3 entries you must leave three comments to get those 3 entries. If you do not leave separate comments per entry then your comment will be counted as one entry except where indicated. We do check every entry to make sure that you did what the entry required. Your entry can and will be deleted if you do not follow the entry rules listed above.

Contest open to US and Canada residents only. Must be 18 years of age to enter. Contest ends 3/26/10 at 11:59 CST. Winners will be chosen by Random.org at the end of the contest and notified via email as well as posted on our site. Please make sure that your email address is obtainable by Baby Banz Inc. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize before Baby Banz Inc chooses another winner. Family members of Baby Banz Inc and Simply faBOWlous are ineligible to enter in any of our contests.

March Press, Reviews and Giveaways