With the sun shining again here in TO, it’s time to think about sunscreen. There are a lot of organic choices out there, but what about SPF which is better?

What we know: SPF is based on how long your skin can stay in the sun without burning compared with unprotected skin. Someone whose skin starts to redden after five minutes on the beach would get 75 minutes of skin protection from an SPF 15 sunscreen and 150 minutes of protection from an SPF 30. A sunscreen with an SPF of 30 blocks 97 percent of the sun’s burning rays, compared with 93 percent blocked by sunscreens with an SPF of 15.

Although a higher SPF sunscreen, if used properly, should allow you to stay in the sun that much longer without burning, it isn’t clear if high SPF sunscreens block any more than 97 percent of burning rays. “Block” is a misleading term because no product you can see through will block 100 percent of the sun from your skin. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using at least a 15 SPF , reapplied every two hours, after swimming or sweating.

The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA). Here are some recommended tips from the CDA. 

• Try to limit the amount of time you work outdoors in the sun from 11 am to 4 pm.
• Seek shade from buildings, trees, canopies, etc, as much as possible, especially during lunch and coffee breaks.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat (more than 8 cm or 3 inches). Attach a back flap to a construction helmet to cover the back of the neck and a visor for the front of the face.
• Wear clothing that covers as much of the body as possible.  Fabrics which do not let light through work best.  Make sure clothing is loose and comfortable.
• Apply an SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB) sunscreen to all exposed areas of skin before you go outside.
• Reapply at midday or more often if you are perspiring heavily. Apply a broad spectrum, SPF 30 lip balm.

Enjoy the warm weather!

Quiet Nights Celebrates International Doula Month!

What?    Free Event for prenatal and postnatal health

Where?  Pacific Health Centre 168 Annette Street, Toronto

When?   Saturday, May 9^th 2009 from 9:30am – 3pm

 Please join us for a day of delicious healthy food, door prizes and health practitioner seminars, featuring the importance of health for you and your baby!

Guest speakers

Kelly Maslen                 Simply Healthy Family Kelly is a Doula, Holistic Nutritionist and

Personal Chef

Deborah VanderKurk Pre and postnatal Registered Message Therapist

Richard Metliss

and Rowan Allen          Osteopaths specializing in the treatment of pre and postnatal health issues

Amanda Spakowski      The Nesting Place – Doula and Toronto’s only Birthing From

Within educator

Michelle Gaudio           Quiet Nights - specializes in organic and natural baby products

for families

It’s that time of year again and march break is upon us.  If you are like my family, this year there isn’t a vacation at a warm sunny beach to look forward too.  However there are many fun activities to do right in our back yard.  I’ve found quite a few good links with great ideas to fill the days.  Including pj - baking day!! Okay that one may really be for me

Have a safe and fun filled March break.

Ontario:

http://www.winter-vacations-ontario.com/activities.html

http://gotmykidsmississauga.blogspot…s-fun-and.html

http://www.toronto.com/guide/marchbreak/attractions

http://www.400eleven.com/getaways-march-break.html

www.canadablooms.com.

http://toronto.todaysparent.com/articles/2007/03mar07.html

Quebec:

http://www.montrealfamilies.ca/articles/09_feb/f_spring_break_activities.htm

British Columbia:

http://www.bcparent.ca/index.html

http://www.vancouverplus.ca/feature/school_break/60245/activities.jsp

Nova Scotia:

http://www.novascotiamaplesyrup.com/festival.htm

Indoor Activities:

http://holidays.kaboose.com/winter/

Recently my nephew, who at the time was just a few weeks shy of his 2nd birthday, had an allergic reaction to peanuts.  We were at a family gathering and someone had given him a homemade chocolate chip cookie. As allergies are not common in my family no one thought to ask if there was any peanut butter in the cookie, and there was.  Luckily this was his first exposure and his reaction was somewhat mild.  However the reaction from the rest of us was not. 

His mother made an appointment on his 2^nd birthday to be tested for allergies.  Turns out he has a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.

Shaken from the experience I began to do a little research on symptoms of an allergic reaction.  My daughter is too young to be tested and we’ve taken extra precautions because we do not want to go through that experience again.  I’ve come across some good information.  I’ve also found some cute books to help children understand allergies.     

What are the symptoms of an allergic reaction?

A person experiencing an allergic reaction may have any of the following symptoms:

·         Flushed face, hives or a rash, red and itchy skin

·         Swelling of the eyes, face, lips, throat and tongue

·         Trouble breathing, speaking or swallowing

·         Anxiety, distress, faintness, paleness, weakness

·         Cramps, diarrhea, vomiting

·         A drop in blood pressure, rapid heart beat, loss of consciousness

Where can I get more information?

For more information on:

• food allergies;
• ordering free copies of this pamphlet and subscribing to the free “Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts” e-mail notification service, visit the CFIA Website at www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1 800 442-2342/TTY 1 800 465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
• http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/faalerts.php (For US, Canada and UK)

Below are some organizations that can provide additional allergy information:

Allergy/Asthma Information Association
www.aaia.ca

Anaphylaxis Canada
www.anaphylaxis.ca

Association québécoise des allergies alimentaires
www.aqaa.qc.ca (French only)

Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
www.csaci.ca (English only)

Books:

1.      “The diary of Cyril the squirrel”

Author: Lucy Warn
Publisher: The Anaphylaxis Campaign, UK.  
Year of publication: 1996

Cyril was a happy and healthy little squirrel but, unlike his friends and his sister, he could not munch or touch the ripe nuts which they found amongst the carpet of golden leaves and twisted roots. Find out what happened, and how they all coped.  Beautifully written and illustrated by a young student whose younger sister has nut allergy. A winner.

2.      “Allie the Allergic Elephant”

Nicole Smith’s preschool age son was due to enter school and she couldn’t find an age-appropriate book to explain his life threatening peanut allergies to his teacher and classmates. So she wrote her own. The book is geared toward ages 2-7, but has received rave reviews from older children too. “Allie” is a wonderful book written about the perils and triumphs of an elephant who tells her life story of what it is like to live with peanut allergies. The book explains allergic reactions (hives, coughing, red eyes) and how to say ‘no thank you’ to foods offered by other children and adults.  The pictures are enhanced by the fact that a 12 year old did the artwork. She is a very talented artist, and even drew the elephant with hives!

To all my family, friends and visitors I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.  We are looking to make 2009 an even better GREEN year!  Our goals at www.quietnights.ca are to increase awareness of organic and natural products for both children and adults; as well as promote “green” living through our website and locally.  We are planning to offer new and even better products as we continue to grow.  If there is a product you would like to see offered on our site just let us know.

Happy New Year from all of us at www.quietnights.ca !

Michelle