Anyone else relieved to see that Target is finally carrying BPA-free BornFree bottles?

So are other retailers, which is good news to moms concerned about using plastics containing the risky chemical BPA. The FDA says BPA is safe, but other agencies – and tests – say differently. Prompting some to question whether the FDA is biased toward the industry that profits from BPA-laden baby products.

Read my column in today’s Accent section of the Savannah Morning News to find out more. Click here to read it.

You can find more products that are BPA, PVC and phthalates free @ The Soft Landing, a site started by an RN and mother of three. In addition to sippy cups etc., the site also has toothbrushes, teething rings, and bibs — all without risky chemicals.

Babble.com also put together a guide of BPA-free bottles – with photos of the products – so you don’t have to settle for risky bottles. Click here.

UPDATE: Just for Baby & More dropped all of feeding products that were not BPA free. The Savannah store @ 7701 Waters Ave. also carries Born Free bottles; Dr Browns new BPA-free bottles; the Medela bottles, which also is BPA free. Just for Baby & More also has the full line of BPA-free feeding accessories- sippy cup, bowl, snack ball, silverware – from Boone and toddler sippy cup/bottles from iplay.

We know you Southern Mamas love to plan ahead. So who is already thinking about scheduling family photos for holiday cards?

Photographer Lori Grice, a SouthernMamas sponsor, knows you are. So she’s already scheduled a family (or just the kids) express session day outdoors, Tues. Oct. 14.

The $299 express sessions will include the session fee, 25 Holiday cards and two 8×10’s (includes two poses–additional poses $25/pose). Lori will take more than two poses and won’t rush you through. You will have your own scheduled time – so no lines.

Lori also has Santa photo sessions set for Tues., Nov. 11. The 30 minute session will include a VIP Santa experience. Only you and your family will be in the studio with Santa. Again, no lines.

Just arrive at your scheduled time and enjoy your session with Santa and Mrs. Claus while Lori photographs the experience. The package is $349 and includes the session and your choice of 4 8×10’s OR 25 Christmas cards plus two 8×10’s. You need to schedule your session and place order when you call to insure you will get everything back for Christmas.

This annual VIP Santa experience does sell out.

To reserve a spot for either of the October or November holiday sessions, call 912.764.7274/1-800-704-LORI (5674). Read more about these special sessions and see examples of Lori’s work on Lori’s blog by clicking here.

Welcome to another SouthernMamas Q&A with one of our savvy readers about parenting tips, troubles and triumphs. (If you know a SouthernMama you’d like to nominate for a profile, email anne@southernmamas.com. Read past profiles by clicking here. )

Meet Beth Howells, English professor and Armstrong administrator.

Your family: husband, David Thompson, Nurse Anesthetist; daughter, Elsie (Elizabeth Locksley Thompson), 2 years old; pug, Oscar, 7 and aging quickly with Elsie around; cat, Baby, who has better things to do. We live in midtown Savannah.

How would you describe your parenting philosophy?

Wow! We don’t really have a philosophy since this is our first. We are kind of making it up as we go. I guess we try to encourage Elsie’s independence, we try to let her explore and experience the world, and we try to stay positive. Most of this is not premeditated, though, we just end up trying to react appropriately in the moment and later reflect on whether or not our reaction was correct.

What are your child’s favorite books and toys?

It seems there are new toys every day: new instruments, animals, puzzles, balls… She finds them, loses them, refinds them, and loves them. And of course, the toys she likes best aren’t toys at all: toothbrushes, hair products, shoes… Actually, her current favorite is the Dora umbrella her babysitter Elaine gave her for her birthday.

Elsie loves books, every book, really. She loves the Boynton books; Each, Peach, Pear, Plum; Knufflebunny; the Carl books, the Peggy Rathman books; and Good Night Moon, of course. We’ve moved from the touchy-feely books to those with words and stories and find she even likes longer ones like Amelia Bedelia or Sylvester and the Magic Pebble–though we might summarize a bit. Ultimately, at this point, it is more about her parents’ favorites, books we aren’t tired of or too tired to read!

What are your child’s favorite TV shows or movies?

Elsie likes the Wiggles, Hi Five, and the Doodlebops–oh and Thomas, she has a thing for Thomas the train. She adores the bonus DVD that came with the Lisa Loeb/Elizabeth Mitchell CD–it has two songs that she dances to over and over: “Catch the Moon” and “Stop Go.” As for movies, she likes parts of Charlotte’s Web best but watches bits of Nemo from time to time. Of course, we try not to do too much TV, and then again, we just broke down and got the car DVD player for long roadtrips.

What are your child’s favorite foods?

Guacamole and chips. Edamame. Cheese. And ice cream for special treats.

What one adjective would you choose to describe motherhood?

Wondrous.

Describe your most humbling parenting moment:

The most humbling moments are probably yet to come with #2 on the way in January. When we find our hands full with one two year old and see those handling much more than that with such grace, we are incredibly humbled. And we’ll have two girls–I imagine the teenage years with two will be a daily lesson in humility.

Describe your most beautiful parenting moment:

Coming home from work every day and seeing her face lit up and having her run to me saying “Mommy… Mommy…. Hug.” If she is anything like I was, unfortunately, she won’t always have that reaction to her mother, so it is especially beautiful to me.

Favorite local kid-friendly eatery?

Jalapenos.

Favorite local kid-friendly spot/event?

We love all of the little parks and playgrounds in Ardsley. We walk and bike to them daily.

What resource for children does our area lack, one that you would like to see here?

I hear the Charleston Children’s museum has a kid’s size little grocery story. I think Elsie would love something like that.

Who is your pick for the area’s best pediatrician?

Dr. Dudley Stone

What is your pick for the area’s best preschool?

Montessori Academy of Savannah.

Most valuable baby gift you received that you couldn’t live without?

Our Mountain Buggy stroller.

If you had zillions of extra bucks to donate, what charity/cause would you select?:

Fighting Cancer.

What is the one phrase you hope your child will say to you when she’s all grown up?

Nothing’s better than “I love you,” though, I will miss the childish little lisp–“I lub you.”

The owners of Island Child on Hilton Head Island are more than just the duo behind the upscale boutique that’s been dressing children for generations.

Steve and Senny Powell – who have seven adopted children and have fostered seven children – also have designed their own line of children’s items produced solely for their store in the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island.

Check out their very own THINK TINK collection on their online store here. The collection features Tinkerbell, a cute little teacup Yorkie. Picture this THINK TINK tank pictured here paired with these ruffled leggings or pink cowboy boots, both available @ the Island Child, for a fun fall look.

The Powells actually started in the retail business by creating children’s items and selling them to upscale boutiques in the Chicago area. Their dream was to produce their own line and sell it in their own store.

See, dreams do come true.

We’re thrilled to have Island Child as a sponsor of SouthernMamas.com. Watch for announcements on SouthernMamas.com about an upcoming Tink Tea Party to be hosted by Island Child.

Click here for more info or call 1.888.705.5437 or 843.686.5437.

Jen Williams!

Congratulations, Jen.

She wins a $50 Belly Bandit Couture , an abdominal compression binder to help flatten the belly and redefine the waistline post-baby. The wrap also helps decrease bloating caused by water retention, give support to legs and back, improve posture and reduce back and shoulder pain associated with breastfeeding.

Thanks for all your entries and for sharing your plans and tips on losing baby weight. Jen is due Oct 2 with her first baby. She writes her to plan to shrink her post-preg belly includes water aerobics class @ the Chatham County Aquatic Center, breastfeeding and eating right.

Even if you aren’t pregnant or a recent new mom, these tummy wraps make fun shower and baby gifts. Check out the wraps here.

Thomas the Tank Engine fans get ready. The beloved storybook character is chugging into to Cordele, Ga. for two weekends in October.

Children of all ages can take the “Day Out With Thomas Great Discovery Tour 2008” @ SAM Shortline Excursion Train depot in Georgia Veterans State Park on Oct. 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26.

Take a 25-minute ride on real train that looks like Thomas the Tank Engine; meet and snap photos with Sir Topham Hatt and Fifi Forget-Me-Not; join in on storytelling and crafts; and enjoy live music, mini-golf, bouncy inflatables, food vendors, wildlife displays and more.

The train departs every hour on the hour, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Rain or shine. The park is @ 2459 U.S. Hwy. 280 West in Cordele, 9 miles west of I-75 via Exit 101. Tickets cost $18 for ages 2 and older.

For tickets, call 1 (866) 468-7630 or click here. For more information and directions, click here or call 1 (877) GA-RAILS.

Our wonderful sponsor Love & Blessings is giving away a FREE copy of The Baby Bonding Book to anyone who visits LoveBlessings.com and signs up to receive their monthly newsletter for savvy mamas absolutely FREE.

The Baby Bonding Book makes a terrific baby shower gift. While visiting the Love & Blessings Web site, check out the beautiful, organic gift baskets for baby and mama.

The folks @ Love & Blessings.com are pros at putting special gift baskets together, for moms, new moms, expectant moms. You can create your own gift basket or select one that Love & Blessings already has set up and filled with all their goodies.

Steve Martin also sang of King Tut: “Now if I’d known, they’d line up just to see him, I’d have taken all my money, and bought me a museum.”

Get ready to stand in line to see the exhibit “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” opening Nov. 15 in Atlanta.

The exhibit @ the Atlanta Civic Center features more than 130 treasures from the tomb of celebrated pharaoh King Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites at the Atlanta Civic Center. It runs through May 25.

Due to the popularity of this exhibit and the 30-minute timed entrances, tickets are on sale now. Advanced tickets ensure you can see King Tut and provide you with the “Tutlanta” affiinity card, which will get you deals at more than 75 area businesses. To see full listing of offers is available, click here.

To get your tickets or for more information, click here. Adult admission is $32.50 and children are $16.50.

Soon your toddler may substitute ‘bye-bye’ with namaste.

Yoga instructor Cathy Baxter of Twisted Warrior Yoga will start a parent-and-toddler yoga class Tues. Oct. 7. The 45-minute class for ages 2-5 will be 10 am Tuesdays @ the Charles H. Morris Trustees Garden Center, 10 East Broad St. (downtown Savannah next to the Pirates House).

Children’s yoga mats are provided. Toddlers must be accompanied by an adult. No need to worry about donning hip yoga wear, just dress in any comfortable clothing.

I definitely want my son to be a little yoga warrior in this class when he’s old enough. All that peaceful, hand-clasping and deep-breathing has got to have a cleansing effect on toddler tantrums, right? Plus, it will be a kick to see him do downward-facing dog.

Cost is $10/ class or $29/ month. For more info, call 912.704.5111 or email Cathy@TwistedWarrior.com. Or visit the Web site here for toddler yoga info as well as adult yoga classes.

Are you receiving your weekly SouthernMamas newsletter?

We’ve heard from several readers who didn’t receive theirs this week. Please let us know if you didn’t and we will try to individually email you one.

The newsletter is emailed regularly every Sunday and packed with quality information about local kid-friendly events, so we really want you to read it. If you are not receiving yours, we want to hear about it and fix the problem. Email anne@southernmamas.com.

Baby weight.

How do you lose it? Why is there so much of it? And why do other moms seem to banish their baby bellies immediately after giving birth?

Maybe their secret is Belly Bandits, an abdominal compression binder to help flatten the belly and redefine the waistline post-baby. The wrap also helps decrease bloating caused by water retention, give support to legs and back, improve posture and reduce back and shoulder pain associated with breastfeeding. Check out the wraps here.

Belly Bandit is giving away a $50 Belly Bandit Couture to a lucky SouthernMamas subscriber. See the giveaway wrap here. Even if you aren’t pregnant or a recent new mom, these tummy wraps make fun shower and baby gifts.

To be eligible to win, email us your name and your secret to losing baby weight (or your gameplan on how you will lose it.) Deadline is 9 pm Thurs. Sept. 18. Send email to anne@southernmamas.com. We’ll pick a name at random and announce the winner here Friday. The winner can select her size of Belly Bandit.

You have to be a SouthernMamas subscriber to participate. Subscribing is free. Click here to do so.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, please check out my column today in the Accent section of the Savannah Morning News to find out how that newborn can help save lives.

Read it by clicking here.

To find out more about Cryobanks International Inc.’s free donation program, click here.

Babble.com has an interesting and quick Q&A today with Sanda Tsing Loh, author of the new book “Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting.”

Loh , a writer, performer and NPR essayist, is now a staunch defender of “those scary, scary” public schools. She points an accusatory finger at moms like me who are leaning toward choosing private schools (if we can save enough money by the time my son’s ready and if we don’t make the lottery for the public school Charles Ellis Montessori Academy).

Should we feel “judged” or “disrespected” or “guilty” for choosing private schools over public?

That depends, according to Loh. If you are disgusted with the state of public education, the best solution is getting involved and making improvements as a public school parent. Loh says she has a big problem with “The very elite, wealthy blue, blue Democrat, Manhattan or L.A. people railing against the educational system” while sending their kids to exclusive private schools.

“They could make it (the public school system) better. All the money they’re dumping into the private schools, all the favors they’re doing for private schools — speaking at commencements, the fund raising, teaching the little Latin class, dumping all their resources into the private schools — then looking critically at all of us people out there in the not-so pretty schools. Those are people I would judge most harshly,” Loh says.

She also defends the stereotypical PTA mom who makes school fund raising her life’s mission, leaving other parents feeling inferior.

“It’s the moms at public schools who are doing all of it: cutting out cute heart-shaped figures, bringing snacks for field trips, figuring out the system, selling the wrapping paper, writing grants for the violins, getting money together for a music program,” Loh says. “So the PTA mom is glaring at you. . . leave her alone, she’s getting a new gym built!”

Read the Q&A here.

Below is a blurb from Amazon about her book. It sounds like an interesting, albeit guilt-provoking, read.

“Prompted by her own midlife crisis, Loh throws her frantic energy not into illicit affairs, shopping binges, or exotic trips, but into the harrowing heart of contemporary, dysfunctional L.A. life when she realizes that she can’t afford private school for her daughter, and her only alternative is her neighborhood’s public school, Guavatorina, where most of the kids speak Spanish and qualify for free lunches. “

I want to live in a leeann ritch portrait. Check out her photos here and you will, too.

The Savannah photographer and new mom – her 3-month old treasure Easton is pictured here – has a love for life, children and, now, motherhood that is evident in her photography (and in her blog). We’re thrilled to have her as our newest sponsor.

LeeAnn shoots portraits (like this mother-daughter shot pictured here), weddings, even pets.

She has a knack for natural lighting and candid shots. A native Floridian, LeeAnn also has lived in California, and, now, Georgia. She’s obviously not one to be landlocked. LeeAnn has had a passion for photography since she was a little girl and has been shooting all her life.

Mention SouthernMamas when booking your session with LeeAnn, and you will receive 10 percent off the sitting fee. Click here to contact LeeAnn. Or call 912.308.9327 or email leeann@leeannritchphotography.com

Ginger D. Thompson!

Congratulations, Ginger.
She wins a $50 gift card to use @ Just for Baby & More, which is in a new location @ 7701 Waters Ave. – right across from their former spot. Look for the polka dots.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Look for a different giveaway from a different business to be announced here Monday.

Make plans to attend the Aesop’s Fables family puppet show presented by The Red Herring Puppeteers visiting from North Carolina.

The FREE! puppet shows will be various branches of Live Oak Libraries including:
4:30 pm Thurs. Sept. 18 @ Oglethorpe Mall Branch, 7 Mall Annex, Savannah.
10:30 am Thurs., Sept. 25 @ Effingham (Springfield) Branch, 810 Hwy. 119, Springfield
4 pm Thurs. Sept. 25 @ Islands Branch, 125 Wilmington Island Road, Wilmington Island

Best for ages 5 to 12.

Sponsored by The Savannah Coastal Puppetry Guild and the Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation.

Let SouthernMamas sponsor and travel agent Jennie Tarver book your next trip.

Visit Jennie’s Web site – My Easy Travel Planner – by clicking here to book travel direct or to have Jennie find and create a great vacation that you can afford without the extra fees that traditional agencies charge. This is especially handy for a large group trip because reserving them can be time-consuming.

Jennie specializes in honeymoon travel, but also books other types of travel including: family vacation packages, business travel, wedding destinations, golf packages, cruises, and even tickets to concerts, theme parks, sporting events. You can be on vacation and pull up My Easy Travel Planner and purchase tickets for events etc.

Jennie also helps other moms start their own travel business. Find out more about how to work from home as a travel agent by clicking here.

Contact Jennie: 912.272.9965; email jennie@myeasytravelplanner.com.
Or visit My Easy Travel Planner.

We’ve heard a lot of talk lately about the value of carrying a baby with Down syndrome to term.

One of our sponsors, Bethany from The Polkadot Platypus, and her husband are actually CHOOSING to adopt a little girl from Russia who has Down syndrome. The couple already has two birth children including a daughter with Down syndrome.

Bethany and her husband will be traveling to meet their soon-to-be adopted daughter within the next couple of weeks and will hopefully bring her home soon after that. As you know, adoptions are pricey.

The Web site – The Mom Crowd – is hosting a raffle to raise funds to help with their substantial adoption costs. Each raffle ticket purchased will enter you into a drawing for amazing prizes listed here.

Raffle tickets are $5 each. The more raffle tickets you purchase, the more chances you will have to win.

The raffle ends midnight Wed. Sept. 24. Winners will be announced Fri. Sept. 26. Click here to purchase tickets.

Searching for a professional photographer whose sessions won’t break your bank?

Check out our sponsor, Lynnae Weller, owner of “Weller Is Deeper” and some of her work pictured here.

Lynnae has a passion for pictures. She loves to photograph, create, combine, and work with pictures to see them come to life and capture special moments. She specializes in photography, DVD slideshows (also known as photo montages) and photo restoration.

Lynnae photographs families, children, pets and events. Her love for life spills over into her art. She finds nothing so beautiful as outdoor photography, so she chooses to do only on-site shoots.

Any images taken during a photography shoot will not be copyrighted. You have the option of receiving your photos on a CD, download them from a private website created just for you or have them uploaded directly to a website that you can order them from. You may have them printed where and how you choose.

Contact Lynnae by clicking here or call 912.921.4541. She offers $5 off to SouthernMamas subscribers.

The popular Toddler Tuesdays craft, storytime and animal program @ Oatland Island Wildlife Center is about to get better.

Starting Tues. Sept. 16, Toddler Tuesdays will feature more age appropriate activities on alternating weeks.

• Each month, the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month will be more appropriate for 6 month-2 year olds.

• The 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month will be more appropriate for 3-4 year olds.

• On the rare 5th weeks of each month, the program will be appropriate for all ages

Of course, all toddler ages from 6 months-4 years are welcome to attend any of the programs! Toddler Tuesdays is from 10:30-11:15 am every Tuesday. It’s free with regular admission to Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

Dates, ages and topics are also posted on Oatland’s Web site. Click here.

Just for Baby & More is in a new location @ 7701 Waters Ave. – right across from their former spot. Look for the polka dots.

And to celebrate their move with SouthernMamas, Just for Baby & More is giving away a $50 gift card to a lucky SouthernMamas subscriber! To be eligible for this week’s giveaway, just email your name and the answer to the following question to anne@southernmamas.com.

One example of the fun baby gear Just for Baby & More carries are adorable bottle pets – soft, plush bottle covers that turn feeding time into cuddle time. Bottle pets come in a variety of animals. Email us the name of the monkey – pictured here. Or the name of the turtle or the cow. Hint. Visit the Just for Baby & More Web site by clicking here. Then click on toys and scroll down.

Deadline is 9 pm Thurs. Sept. 11. We’ll pick a name at random and announce the winner Friday.

You have to be a SouthernMamas subscriber to participate. Subscribing is free. Click here to do so.

Does Sarah ‘Barracuda’ Palin make you marvel and wonder “How does the supermom do it all?”

If so, you’re not alone. Be sure to read my column “Pitbull in lipstick’ puts moms to the test” in today’s Savannah Morning News Accent section. Read the column by clicking here.

But a much better article is this one from the New York Times about parents of special-needs children being divided over Palin’s promise to help. Read it by clicking here. The question raised is what Palin, whose youngest son has Down syndrome, would seek to accomplish for disabled children as vice president.

Parents of special-needs children ask whether her promise to help in her nomination speech means she will improve services and financing for special-needs children; get rid of Medicaid wait lists to get kids services; quickly pass the American with Disabilities restoration act?

Would love to hear from any parents of special-needs kids about your take on Palin’s promise that you would “have a friend and advocate in the White House” in a McCain-Palin administration. As the NYT article points out:

“The last time a candidate explicitly appealed to families of the disabled at a national convention, advocates said, was 20 years ago, when the presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, endorsed the Americans with Disabilities Act — and got a 10 percentage point bump among voters who identified themselves as having disabilities.”

Starting Sept. 15, Telfair Museum of Art will offer youth studio art classes for a variety of age levels, including as young as 5. Check out all the classes by clicking here.

Sessions include:

• Home-school art: painting – art fundamentals for Savannah-area home-schooled children.
• Photography, drawing, mixed media.
• Multi-media Saturday series – painting, sculpture and drawing.

To register, call 912.790.8823.

Don’t forget, the next Toddler Third Thursday @ Telfair’s Jepson Center of the Arts is 10-11:30 am Sept. 18. Toddler Third Thursday is designed for preschoolers ages 3-5 and their adult companions.

Toddlers explore artwork and partake in a fun-filled art project relating to their tour. Colors, shapes and material vocabulary are encouraged. Each month brings a different tour and project. This month’s is s farms and barns art activity based on the work of William Christenberry.

Kids also get time to play in the ArtZeum, the Jepson’s interactive children’s section, and can take home their art masterpieces. Admission is $4 per child with adult admission fee. Call 912.790.8823 to register.

You spent all summer cultivating your child’s love for the ocean.

Now you can celebrate that nautical love @ Gray’s Reef 2008 Ocean Film Festival. The festival has a special program for kids – Seaside Saturday. It will be 9-10 am Sat. Sept. 20 @ SCAD’s Trustees Theatre – Broughton Street. All children are invited to attend this FREE! event with their parents.

The event includes these kid-friendly films:

• Sanctuary Sam – (1 min) – The National Marine Sanctuary System’s “flippered” ambassador delivers a message.
• Water Detectives – (11 min) – Children of one Mexican town teach the adults how to conserve water.
• Ride of the Mergansers – (11 min) – Baby mergansers get their first look at the world.
• Always Ready – (4 min) – A kid-sized view of the U.S. Coast Guard produced by 8-year-old Herbert Gilman.

For more info, click here.