Jami Tries to Maintain Sanity

This is the sort of thing that drives parents over the edge. In a parenting magazine I flipped through at a friend's house, an article on choking hazards says "Until your child is four, peel and quarter his grapes." That's right, peel and quarter his grapes. Now, we did cut up Eddie's grapes when he was smaller and those parents with children who don't chew properly should absolutely at least cut those suckers in half, but peel?? Until he's FOUR? Come on. Another magazine to which I used to have a subscription had, in the nutrition section, the suggestion that for children ages 1-2 wheat toast with peanut butter spread very thinly was an excellent source of protein and fiber. 20 pages later in the same issue of the same magazine, an article on deadly allergies mentioned that to prevent children from developing allergies and also to give them a better chance of survival if do have a reaction, certain things should be introduced later. Like peanuts and tree nuts which shouldn't be given to children until at least age 3. So, it's a great source of protein, but for goodness sake, don't actually feed your children that. Now, most of the moms I know strike a pretty good balance between the way-too-lenient and the nutso-over-safe. It's a tough walk, because of the advice, like the above, where you just don't know what to believe. I especially feel for new moms who maybe don't have a lot of experience with children and who don't have the mommy-friends to bring them back down to sanity when they feel the need to buy one of these or maybe even this (which looks cool, but please). They are the ones most likely to get sucked into the "DO THIS OR YOUR BABY WILL DIE!!" pitches and lose their minds. When did human babies become more fragile than cotton candy? On the other hand, if you need one of these to remind you that your own child is in your freaking car, you should not be reproducing. If you can't remember that you have your kid, you shouldn't have one. Just my personal opinion.