The only thing standing between you and a good night out..... Is the Baby Sitter!

Almost immediately after welcoming a baby into the world, every mom and dad discovers that parenthood is full of farewells. And of all the bittersweet partings you will face -- at school-yard gates, camp bunks, college dorm rooms-perhaps none is as anxiety-inducing as the first time you put your infant into the arms of a baby-sitter and head out for a little adults-only time.

Even parents whose babies regularly attend day care are susceptible to sitter jitters. "Day-care providers are viewed as professionals," points out Connie Harvey, a health and safety expert for the American Red Cross, in Washington, D.C. "But a regular baby-sitter may not be used to watching infants."

An overactive conscience only aids and abets this anxiety. "Ordinarily, an infant is in day care because parents have to work," Harvey says. "But they usually hire a sitter because they want to have fun. So a little voice keeps whispering, We'll never forgive ourselves if anything happens, because we could have stayed home."

And the smaller the baby, the bigger the potential guilt trip. "An infant can't tell you afterward if something went wrong," notes Sue Dunkley, president of the Plymouth, Minnesota-based New Horizon Child Care centers.

In short, it's up to you to make sure nothing does. Happily, that doesn't mean staying glued to your cell phone every minute you're away or, worse, never leaving the house at all.

Finding Mary Poppins

What should you look for in a sitter? Above all, experience. "Age alone is not the decisive factor," Dunkley says. "A mature teen over 15, who's cared for baby siblings, is preferable to an older person who has never sat for an infant." Ask basic questions like "Do you know how to hold, feed, burp, and change a baby?" Look for someone who knows first aid and infant CPR or has taken a baby-sitter's training course (all offered nationwide by the Red Cross, the last for teens only).

Candidates with such qualifications, however, are often in short supply, and other parents may be reluctant to share the names of people they use. So search creatively. First, contact your local Red Cross chapter (listed in the White Pages under American Red Cross or on www.redcross.org) for referrals on recent graduates of its baby-sitting course. Also, approach people whose day jobs involve working with children or safety training. "Lifeguards, teachers, and camp counselors may all be well qualified," Harvey says.

And in every case, check your prospective sitter's references, and pay equal to or better than the going rate.

Once you've found someone you like, give her a chance to meet your child and learn how the household works. If time and money allow, this orientation should take the form of a supervised, paid trial. If not, at least ask the sitter to arrive an hour before your departure. Walk her through the house to familiarize her with the layout. Explain your family's fire-escape plan (if you don't have one, devise one now).

Demonstrate how to use appliances like the microwave and the air conditioner, and show her where to find the circuit breakers or the fuse box. And make sure she can operate your infant's gear, from the bouncy seat to the stroller. Also, be sure to leave a binder of important emergency-contact information for reference (see "Parents Alert: Make a List, Check It Twice," on right).

Then tell her your baby's preferences and habits, including such details as the way she likes to be held or the fact that she won't go to sleep unless her music box is playing.

Make your own preferences clear as well, especially on such matters as whether the sitter is allowed to have visitors or talk on the phone (experts discourage both); when and for how long he can watch TV or use the computer; and how far outside, if at all, he can take the baby.

Finally, don't forget to stock the fridge with a few snacks.

Turning Over the Reins

You're not out the door yet. Be sure to take these five extra precautions.

1 Post emergency numbers in a visible place. It's not enough to leave your cell-phone number -- if you're somewhere loud, you may not hear it ring -- so write down direct contact info as well (such as the restaurant's phone number). Local emergency numbers should be posted and also listed in your baby-sitter binder.

2 Say good-bye and mean it. Your infant may become distressed that you're leaving, especially if you're nervous yourself. "Your baby picks up on your emotions," Dunkley cautions. Kiss the child and walk away, resisting the urge to run back if you hear him wailing.

3 Don't stray far or long. Make your first outing to a place nearby, advises Tori Kropp, R.N., author of Ask Tori, a syndicated pregnancy and baby-care column. You and your sitter will both feel better knowing you could get home in a hurry. And limit yourself to one or two hours.

4 Check in while you're out -- once. Keep the call brief, unless there's something specific to discuss.

5 Check in when you're back. "Take a few minutes to talk to the sitter and find out how the experience went," Dunkley advises. The feedback will help you fine-tune future preparations.

Living It Up

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once wisecracked about his disappointment with some instant soup he'd made. "Then," he quipped, "I realized I'd forgotten to follow the final step of the directions: 'Enjoy!' "

He's on to something: You can hire the most responsible sitter in the world, but it will all be for nothing if you fret the entire time you're out.

Relax. Going a few hours without you is good for your child. "It gives her a chance to grow accustomed to different people," Kropp says. And it gives you a chance to get reacquainted with someone near and dear whom you haven't had much time for lately, like a friend, your spouse -- or yourself.

Do Your Kids Chew with their Mouths Open, refuse too stay sitting in their seat during mealtimes, then its time to serve up some table manner ettiquette to them...

You know that eating together as a family is important to your child's social and intellectual development, so you do it as often as you can. But at times, it can be a test of your nerves -- and intestinal fortitude. Dining a la kids isn't always pleasant or appetizing. (Ever watch a 5-year-old noisily slurp up spaghetti?)

If you're like most parents, you've wished on more than one occasion that your children wouldn't eat with their fingers or burp between greedy bites of pizza. Still, you might have turned a blind eye because of how much time it would take to correct their mistakes or because they just seemed too young to learn the finer points of fine dining.

But to think that way is as wrong as, well, talking with your mouth full. Even very young children can be taught to eat in a (mostly) civilized fashion. "Because children learn by imitation, they'll mimic the way you conduct yourself at the table," says Peggy Post, Parents contributing editor and coauthor of The Gift of Good Manners. That doesn't mean that meals have to be china-and-white-tablecloth formal; instead, focus on simple manners such as placing napkins on laps. "Once you've spelled out the basic rules, reinforce them in a consistent, but not critical, fashion," says Post. Here's how.

Start teaching your little ones when they're toddlers.

"Children are never too small to begin learning good manners," says Dorothea Johnson, founder of the Protocol School of Washington, in Yarmouth, Maine, which offers classes to individuals and also trains etiquette instructors. In fact, the sooner you start, the faster your kids are bound to catch on. "Teaching manners works better at an early age, because the children are interested in making you happy," explains Sheryl Eberly, author of 365 Manners Kids Should Know.

Keep in mind, however, that while kids can learn to say "please" and "thank you" as soon as they begin to speak, it will be a long time before they master all the rules, so be generous with praise and sparing with criticism. By age 6, children can acquire all the basic skills.

Explain the reasons behind the rules.

While the guidelines for gracious dining aren't necessarily intuitive, there's often a logic behind them that even small children can understand. For example, they'd probably agree that chewing with their mouth open is gross. (Of course, to them, that's not a good reason to refrain from doing it; it's your job to make that case.) They can also see that placing used utensils on the plate rather than on the table keeps the table clean.

Spell out the consequences of insensitive remarks too. Explain that you don't say "yuck" when Aunt Sophie serves broccoli, because you don't want to hurt her feelings -- or suffer a drop-off in dinner invites.

Keep it fun.

Invent lighthearted ways to keep kids on course. When I was a child, my father recited rhymes about our infractions ("Mary, Mary, if you're able/Keep your elbows off the table"). Johnson uses a puppet named Catherine the Mannerly Cat, who explains the rules and reminds kids when they forget.

Catherine never nags, though -- and neither should you. "It's counterproductive," says Nicole DeVault, who teaches dining skills to children at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel. Before you go to a restaurant or a friend's home, review the behavior you expect, but don't correct your child in public.

"The idea behind etiquette is to make others" -- your children included -- "feel comfortable," DeVault explains. (Not so comfortable, of course, that they put their elbows on the table.)

Get The Parent Magazine age-by-age chart for teaching table manners.

· Dora the Explorer Board Book
· Sandy Claws Swim Trainer
· Vending Machine Toy Necklaces
· Small World Wooden Puzzle
· Heartsong Happy Villagers Toy Sets
· Hedstrom Corp. Trampolines
· Home Trends Kiddy Sling Chair

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Batty Cake
How much fun will you have serving up slices of this dessert? The sky's the limit!

1 box (16 oz.) pound-cake mix
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
Yellow food coloring
1/4 cup yellow sugar crystals
1/2 cup dark-chocolate melting wafers
Mini marshmallows
Toothpicks

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans. Prepare cake according to package directions. Divide evenly between the two pans. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert, and let cool completely.

2. Tint the frosting a pale yellow. Place one layer on work surface, and spread with 1/2 cup of frosting. Place other layer on top of frosted layer. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes. Cut a ¾" piece from cake to create a flat edge. Place cake on a serving platter, flat side down, and frost with remaining yellow frosting. Sprinkle with sugar crystals.

3. Line a sheet pan with wax paper. Place chocolate wafers in a resealable bag, and melt in the microwave for 15-second intervals, until smooth, about 1 minute. Snip a small corner from the bag, and pipe outlines of bats onto wax paper (see template below). Fill in with chocolate, and refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

4. Insert toothpicks into marshmallows. Peel chocolate bats from wax paper. Attach a marshmallow to the center of the back of each small bat using a dab of chocolate. Repeat this with the larger bat, attaching two marshmallows to back. Refrigerate bats until set, about 2 minutes. Attach bats to cake by inserting toothpicks halfway into cake. Makes 16 servings.

Note: Remove toothpicks from cake before serving.



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Slime Punch
Make sure to use a very large bowl or a saucepan with high sides when making this frothy mixture. The meringue powder will really foam up when you start whisking.

2 tubes red decorating gel
Lemonade mix to make 2 quarts
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. meringue powder
2 liters seltzer
10 drops green food coloring
4 drops yellow food coloring

1. Squeeze red gel down the inside of 12 small, clear glasses. Let dry about 10 minutes.

2. In an extra-large bowl, combine lemonade mix, sugar, and meringue powder. Slowly pour in seltzer, whisking continually until combined. Stir in green and yellow food coloring. Pour punch into glasses and serve.









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Monster Mash-Mallows
Kids love everything served on a stick, so enlist their help when making these colorful pops.

1/4 cup green melting wafers
1 cup orange melting wafers
1 cup purple melting wafers
Lollipop sticks
24 large marshmallows
Sprinkles, candy corn, and candy icing decorations
1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Place melting wafers in separate small bowls. Microwave for 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Insert one end of lollipop sticks into melted green wafers. Push green-colored end of each stick into a marshmallow. Let set 3 minutes.

2. Dunk marshmallows into orange or purple melted wafers, shaking off any excess coating. Place on a sheet of wax paper, and top with assorted sprinkles or decorations.

3. To make faces, place melted chocolate in a resealable plastic bag, and snip off one tiny corner. Pipe face designs onto marshmallows.


Choking Hazard Alert: Remove any decorations or small pieces of candy before giving treats to children 3 years old or younger.



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The Recalls Listed below are up to date for the month of October:
· Comforts Pacifier
· Bottled Water With Sports Cap
· SunTech Baby Walkers
· CDX Toy Jets
· Magic Cabin Toy Trucks
· International Playthings Toy Stacking Rings
· Toad Lawn Sprinklers
· Small Small World Easter Toys
· Cosco Infant Car Seats/Carriers


These products require your attention please contact the Manufacturer or the vendor for more information exchanges and/or refunds.

Thanks

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: "Comforts" pacifiers

Units: 154,000

Manufacturer: Apothecary Products Inc., of Burnsville, Minn.

Hazard: These pacifiers fail federal safety tests, come apart, and can pose a choking hazard to infants and small children.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The pacifiers are available in both silicone and latex formulations in the following colors: powder blue, red, purple, and pink. The name "Kroger" appears on the package, along with the words "Pacifiers," "Latex," "Silicone," "0-6 months," or "6-18 months." The model numbers are located on the back of each package and are the last five digits of the UPC code:
35826 35827 35828 35829

Sold at: Many Kroger-owned stores from August 2002 through August 2003 for about $3.50 to $5.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Return the pacifiers to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: Contact Apothecary Products at (866) 274-7956 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or call The Kroger Co. toll- free at (800) 632-6900 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.

Media Contact: Kelly Schwab, Apothecary Products, (952) 808-8342.

Costume Caution
Whether you're making or buying your child's outfit this Halloween, beware of these risky design flaws.

Problem: The costume makes your child hard to see in the dark.
Solution: Pick out or create a light-colored or bright costume that will be visible to drivers. If your child wants to be dark and spooky, decorate the outside of his costume with strips of reflective tape (which you can find in most hardware stores). Make sure the candy bag he carries is also brightly colored or trimmed in reflective tape.

Problem: It's a tripping hazard.
Solution: Falls are a major cause of injuries on Halloween, so it's important to make sure your child's costume fits. To prevent her from tripping on curbs, steps, or the hem itself, keep pants, dresses, and capes above her ankles. She should be able to wear warmer clothes underneath the costume if it's cold out, but the outfit shouldn't be so loose that it catches on doorknobs. Don't let her wear shoes or hats that are too big.

Problem: It's flammable.
Solution: If you're buying a costume, make sure it's labeled "flame resistant." This doesn't mean that the outfit is burnproof, but that the material won't catch on fire as easily or burn as quickly. Keep your child away from jack-o'-lanterns and other open flames.

Problem: Your child's wearing a mask.
Solution: An ill-fitting mask makes it difficult for your child to see potential dangers when he's near a busy street or negotiating steps. The mask can also scrape his face and eyes. Consider using nontoxic makeup instead (see "Face-Painting Pointers"). If he wants to wear a mask, make sure it's the right size -- the eye and mouth holes should be large enough for him to see and breathe through properly.

Problem: The accessories are dangerous.
Solution: Carefully choose the props to go with her outfit, and remove choking hazards -- such as buttons and beads -- from younger children's costumes. Swords, wands, and other props can cause eye, face, and head injuries, so use a flexible material, such as cardboard. Avoid hats with cords, which can get caught on objects and strangle your child.