Classroom furniture is needed at any school, no matter the  age. However, some furniture is particularly useful  in elementary school, such as classroom cubbies. Every child  needs a place to put their things. Rather than permitting  children to leave their backpacks, lunchboxes, and jackets  in between desks, where anyone might trip over them, give them  a specially marked space. You may think there is just  one kind, but classroom cubbies come in all shapes, sizes, and  colors.

If you have the typical  class of around 20 to 30 kids, you could  consider plain classroom cubbies. This  type is usually wooden, basic, and has just enough  space for each student to place a few belongings. These  may include backpacks, but if you prefer your students  to place their packs over their chairs, then the classroom cubbies  you pick need only be large enough for a lunchbox and  coat. In such a case, you may choose to buy  a single set of cubbies. If you need space for everyone  to put many belongings, you may consider opting  for a couple of sets of cubbies that are particularly deep.

Often,  you want the usual look, but with a tad  more functionality. Purchasing classroom cubbies is not  different. Consider a set of cubbies on wheels, which is made of the  same materials as the usual type, but much simpler  to move. This way, an occasional moving of some classroom  furniture is easily possible. Some such cubbies also  come with space on both sides, which is good if you do not want  to put the furniture against the wall. Instead, you may  place one edge alongside a wall, offering  access to both sides of the set.

Rather than simply  using classroom cubbies that supply an open  space, you could prefer the tidier look of drawers.  Some cubbies come with drawers already, either transparent plastic  or shaded. If the classroom furniture you desire does  not come with drawers, you can always add them later to any  cubby set. This feature is helpful when you want to  limit the space children have to put their things.  This might be important for making sure each student has  enough space for his or her things, or it could  be helpful in teaching children to bring only  what they need to school.

When considering classroom cubbies, just think of the functionality you need  for your class. For example, if many children take  coats or extra pieces of clothing with them, purchasing  a set of cubbies with hooks to hang clothes is definitely  useful. You should additionally take the height of  your pupils into consideration when buying classroom  furniture so that everyone has access to a space for their things.  Obviously, there are a good number of options  when it comes to buying classroom cubbies, so think about  what you need before you buy.

The Safety 1st High-Def Color Digital Video Baby Monitor is technology at it’s finest, always providing a 100% clear connection. Its state of the art wideband audio clarity ensures no interference or static, and guaranteed privacy while monitoring. DataLock technology means no loss of video picture or sound. Indoor/outdoor range is 650+ feet. It has a remote digital pan and zoom on the camera which parents love. The baby unit is battery operated or can run on AC power.

Video Picture Quality:

The Safety 1st High-Def Digital Baby Monitor has a high quality clear picture, color day vision and black and white night vision(infrared). That being said, it is NOT “high-def” by the standards of a high-definition TV, but it is high-definition compared to the picture of other monitors currently available. Keep in mind this is a baby monitor, not a video camera, it works fantastically for its intended purpose.

Audio and Reception:

The sound quality and reception are very good, excellent in fact. Generally there is no static or interference, however occasionally there is a soft “whoosh” (white noise) of interference that can be in the background when the receiver is on. The microphone is very sensitive and can pick up your child’s smallest sounds, like breathing noises, which is very reasurring to hear or turn the volume down so that you hear crying but not breathing or little murmers.

The reception is excellent, it also has a huge range of 650 feet, you should be able to move anywhere in your house with no loss of quality.

It seems to vary quite alot whether the Safety 1st High-Def Color Digital Baby Monitor will interfere with your wireless network or not. The majority of people don’t experience conflict with their wireless internet at all, however some people have experienced sporadic interference that has shut down their wireless internet service for a few minutes.

Pan/Tilt Feature:

From the handheld parent unit, you can zoom in on the picture 2X to 4X. While in a zoomed view, you can move right, left, up or down within the picture. The zoom feature does actually produce fairly clear images.

Time Out Feature:

The Safety 1st High Def Digital Video Baby Monitor has an on-screen menu that allows you to set your preferences for the Time Out feature, AUTO level, Night vision (infrared) and adding other cameras. ‘Time Out’ allows you to set how long you want the screen to be on before it automatically shuts off to save battery life – 5 seconds, 15 secs, 25 secs, or OFF which leaves it on until you turn it off. The sound continues after the screen turns off unless you have set the AUTO LEVEL, which turns the sound off and then turns it on if there is noise in the room. For night vision you can turn the infrared on, off, or to auto.

Safety 1st Logo:

There is a Safety 1st Logo screen that comes on every time you turn the screen on, but it’s only there for 3 seconds then will automatically turn off or push the left button to manually turn it off.

Volume Control:

To change the volume you have to turn on the screen first which will beep, wait for the safety 1st logo to dissappear, then adjust the volume. Anytime you push any button on the handheld monitor it will beep softly, the beep feature cannot be turned down in volume or totally off.

Overall, regardless of a few minor features that some parents don’t like, the Safety 1st High Def Digital Video Baby Monitor is still highly recommended by parents who use this digital video monitor. When it comes to technical specifications this monitor has all the important quality features parents need and is certainly amongst the top few digital baby video monitors available today.

It’s amazing how quickly time flies after having a baby.  The first few sleepless and arduous nights feel like they are lasting an eternity, but before you’ve had time to blink, you’re celebrating your little one’s first birthday, watching them stumble their way across the room on their own and left wondering where the time has gone.  And unbelievably the following years seem to disappear even faster……

But as parents, we’re left with some very precious items that remind us of those first days, items that we will cherish forever.  The first scan picture, the hospital bracelet, a first size nappy, the baby’s favourite outfit, the first shoes, a special comforter or small toy, christening gifts and keepsakes.  The list goes on.

Whatever the items are, they are important and it feels almost a sin to hide them away in a box in the attic, rarely to be looked at again.  This is why I opted for a Keepsake Frame – I didn’t want to let go of things that reminded me of such special times and so instead, I framed them.

With Keepsake Frames the options are endless.  You can use a frame without a mount and create a scrapbook theme using mounted photos, decorative accessories as well as baby items, such as shoes.

A single opening, wide, mount can help create a modern and contemporary effect if you are using a simple display inside. I.e. one pair of shoes, a small teddy, an outfit.

Or a mount can be used to create sections in the display: Two openings can split a photo with a baby item such as a shoe or soft toy.  With three openings you could display a photo, a scan picture and a small soft toy.

If you are not particularly creative but know what you want to frame, the process is simple.  All you need to do is choose a keepsake frame that best complements the item you wish to frame.

If you are creative you can use different coloured and patterned craft papers instead of backing boards and can personalise the mount.

You can style your keepsake frame so that it will complement any room in the house.  What better way to cherish those memories?

The best keepsake frames to use are deep rebate box frames, rather than those with a normal frame face and a box built onto the back.  Not only do the deep rebate box frames look much better, but they can also be left to either stand on a windowsill or shelf or can be hung on the wall.

Keepsake Frames do not have to be limited to baby keepsakes but make excellent display pieces following a wedding and a more interesting alternative to a standard wedding photo.  In a wedding keepsake frame you could include a photo, an invitation, dried flowers, ribbons and anything else that was used for the wedding or represents the wedding theme.

So what are you waiting for?  Now all you have to do is decide what to frame.

LOS ANGELES – Swine flu is not only dangerous to pregnant women, but it’s a threat to new mothers too, the first study to document this risk shows.

An analysis of pregnant women and new mothers who were hospitalized with swine flu in California found that those who had a baby in the previous two weeks were at higher risk of severe flu complications.

The swine flu threat to pregnant women has been well-documented, and public health officials urged them to get vaccinated. Previous research showed expectant mothers infected with the virus are more likely to be hospitalized and face a greater risk of death than the general population.

The new report, released Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to look at the risk to women who recently gave birth and highlights “the continued high risk immediately after pregnancy,” the researchers wrote.

As a result of the research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its guidelines, recommending that flu drugs be given to women who show signs of the flu soon after they give birth.

The study was done by the California Department of Public Health and the CDC. California, the nation’s most populous state, has stepped up surveillance of the disease since the 2009 H1N1 strain was discovered in April in two California children.

The study involved 94 pregnant women and eight new mothers who were hospitalized during the first four months of the pandemic before a vaccine became available, in October.

Most of those pregnant women were in their second or third trimesters, when the risk of flu complications is believed to be highest. Many were otherwise healthy and went to the hospital with mild symptoms like fever or cough, but their health rapidly declined.

A total of 22 women – 18 pregnant and four who had delivered – needed intensive care. Eight died including two new mothers. The study found all eight women who died did not receive prompt treatment with flu drugs.

Researchers estimated that swine flu killed more than four pregnant women per 100,000 live births in California. The pandemic has proven so deadly to pregnant women that researchers say it may increase the nation’s overall maternal mortality for 2009. The rate was 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006, the latest year for which data was available.

Death from childbirth remains fairly rare in the United States. One of the most common causes is excessively bleeding.

“This is unusual in that an infectious disease may increase the overall mortality rate,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson of the CDC, who was part of the study.

In a separate study also appearing in the journal, doctors in Argentina determined the death rate from swine flu in children was 10 times higher than in a normal flu season. More than two-thirds of children who died had chronic health problems.

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On the Net:

New England Journal: http://www.nejm.org

CDC advice: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/tip-sheet-pregnant.pdf