Family & Parenting

How to Tell if Your Bed Has Bed Bugs

While bed bugs are essentially harmless, they are nevertheless pests that you will not want to have in your home or hotel room. Can you imagine being a host to tiny little blood sucking creatures while you sleep? Not a pleasant thought.

The Stigma of Bed Bugs

Because of their blood sucking feeding habits and their elusive nature, bed bugs have a nasty reputation. They are commonly associated with bad hygiene and dingy hotels and therefore also carry a bit of a social stigma. If a guest finds bed bugs in their hotel room they most certainly are likely to give it a bad review and never return. Similarly, if friends have bites after staying in your home they'll probably be too embarrassed to tell you – and may never return either, at least not to sleep.

Unfortunately bed bugs really aren't that discriminating and they are increasingly being found in up-market hotels, apartments and houses. Though bed bug bites are not known to have serious medical consequences, the bites are itchy and unpleasant. Also once people are aware of bed bugs they may feel nervous about going to bed, thus ending up with sleepless nights.

Why Suspect You Have Bed Bugs?

Because they are small creatures and generally avoid sunlight, bed bugs are often not detected until they become a larger infestation. They got their name because they are generally found in mattresses and cushions. From the bug's point of view it's because they want to be near a host. Bed bugs feed off the blood of humans and is most convenient to do at night when people are sleeping.

Typically people will discover small, itchy red bites on their skin, though sometimes the redness only develops a few days later. They can occur anywhere on the body and are often clustered together in a linear pattern. They can usually be found in areas where the veins are close to the skin's surface. A visit to your local pharmacy or doctor will be able to give you confirmation that the bites are indeed from bed bugs.

How to Check for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can be seen by the naked eye and are generally 5mm long when adult. They are reddish brown in color, are wingless and have flat rounded bodies. The nymphs are only 1mm and are translucent so are a little more difficult to spot. Bed bugs move by crawling and don't like sunlight, so they generally only come out at night. You can check for bed bugs by making a visual inspection of the bed and surrounding areas. Bed bugs tend to hide in cracks, folds and crevasses when inactive. You can use a magnifying glass and small card to help you inspect an area. Ensure that you carefully check headboards, bedside tables, mattresses, bed linen, bedside lamps, wallpaper joints, carpets, bed throws and curtains. Bed bugs typically like fabric and wood so inspect the bed frame as well, particularly in places where there are cracks and joints.

Other Indications of Bed Bugs

While you may not be able to spot the actual bed bugs, another thing you could look for are small blood stains or brown excreta on bed sheets, walls and mattresses. These are left by bugs while they are feeding and moving around. Often the bites occur in a linear pattern because the bug is disturbed by the host moving while they are feeding. They will typically move to another nearby area on the skin and sometimes a tiny blood spot remains on the bed linen as a result.

What Could Cause You to Get an Infestation of Bed Bugs in Your Home?

Experts suspect that bed bugs have increased due to people traveling more internationally. You could inadvertently pick up bedbugs from a hotel room or guesthouse, or visitors from abroad staying in your home could unknowingly bring bed bugs with them. If you have been traveling it's a good idea to launder your travel clothes separately and dry clean them if possible. After having guests, be sure to clean the room and bedding thoroughly. It's always a good idea to wash the bed linens separately and at as high a temperature as possible.

Having said all of this, bed bugs are easy to exterminate once you've established they are in your home. There are a variety of treatments and solutions which can help you get rid of them. If you have children or pets then it's best to use a reputable pest control company who has non-chemical and environmentally friendly solutions. This will ensure that your home remains a safe and healthy environment.For over 80 years Standard Pest.com has been setting higher standards in pest management. Our mission is to provide effective and continuously improving professional New York pest control services for our customers. Visit online today.

Primo Viaggio Car Seat

The market is being saturated with new, fashionable and safe baby products. Parents are becoming more and more aware of what they are purchasing for their babies. The Primo Viaggio car seat is top of the line in baby travel products. It is one of the best car seats on the market for safety and convenience. Not only have that but parents loved them! It was designed in 1949 by Giuseppe Perego in Italy. He designed a carriage for his little son and thus the idea was formed. There are three different styles. The Tango, Wave and Moka. The Primo is from Peg Perego and may be the safest car seat available. It is equipped with a 5-point padded safety harness that holds babies in place and has a side impact protection. This protects the baby in case of an unexpected bump or sudden quick movement of the vehicle.

The frame itself is strengthened to provide that added safety. The seats have undergone extensive testing for impact resistance. The seat can carry babies up to 30lbs and are certified for auto or aircraft use. The Primo Viaggio is padded on the bottom and sides making it soft and cozy for babies to sit in on their many rides. There is additional padding around the head area and extra padding on the car seat harness to protect babies skin. Parents love the fact that the seat can be removed from the base and placed into the stroller. You can actually use one hand for removal and adjustments. The whole seat is easily cleaned. The whole unit will cost you around $300 but it can be found at some resources for a discount. That is especially important when you are on a budget. One resource you may want to look into is Amazon.com Baby.

When you are going to buy a Peg Perego Primo make sure you get a 100% satisfaction guarantee even online. You should be able to return or exchange it with no questions or hassles. If there are any problems with the padding, seat, frame you should be able to return it and get a seat that you know will support and protect your child. The Primo car seat is safe and top of the line and encases and surrounds your baby in safety, comfort and security. What could be better than that?

Johnathan Ableser is the owner of a website provides detailed information on Car Seat Covers, peg perego car seats , Custom Car Seat Covers and britax convertible car seats.

Chicco Cortina Stroller – A Review

The Chicco Cortina stroller not only serves every possible need a parent could have, but it also boasts one of the highest safety ratings in its class. It is designed to work perfectly with the KeyFit 30 infant car seat, which makes it extremely convenient to transfer a baby back and forth from stroller and car. While there are many travel system strollers flooding the market right now, this one stands above the rest with a much higher level of safety for the baby and convenience features that makes everyday life with a baby much easier.

While it is packed with features common to most strollers in this price range such as cup holders, snack trays, removable canopies with windows for monitoring the baby, the Chicco stroller comes at a much lighter weight than most complete travel system strollers. It is also easier to fold down than many other models.

While easily latching the baby seat into the stroller is highly convenient, there are some nice features on the stroller seat itself as well. The seat not only reclines all the way to a flat position, but it is equipped the Chiccos very unique memory recline function for further convenience everyday.

The Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 travel System stroller is equipped with all wheel suspension for a very smooth ride that will not bump and toss the baby needlessly. The front wheels have a swivel design that makes it easier to maneuver around, but can easily be locked into place to smoothly pass over rougher surfaces such as grass.

Other stroller reviews have been extremely kind to this stroller, with many people championing it among the best on the market right now for its unique features and high safety rating. The only small downfall sometimes noted is that the latch that reclines the seat could be a little easier to reach. When you consider everything else you are getting with this top of the line travel system that is a very small price to pay.

Parents who purchase the Chicco Cortina stroller are looking for very high quality that is not going to tear up and a high level of convenience. Since the stroller is lightweight, it will serve every imaginable stroller need from walking the mall to spending the day at an amusement park. It is much easier to carry around and fold down as needed, while still serving all of the convenient functions that a travel system is expected to deliver.

Follow the links for the Chicco stroller. You'll find the best stroller reviews on leading brands such as Maclaren, Evenflo and the Zippy stroller.

10 Tips For Car Trips You’ll Love With Children

Vacationing with kids in a car is no vacation. Or another way of saying this is being cooped up with the kids in the car is the pits. If you dont plan on popping in a DVD and letting the kids watch endless movies here are sanity saving ideas for your car trip.

Long trips can be boring for kids and every two seconds (well maybe one) they are asking, are we there yet? Plan ahead before the trip to make your drive pleasant for everyone"of course this works best with school age children.

Get a map and show the children before leaving where you will be traveling. If your children are old enough give each one their own map and markers. They can plot the trip so they can see you are getting closer. Before leaving home have them mark on the map certain destinations and at that point in the trip hand out a treat or tell a new story etc.

Allow enough time for the trip. Have frequent rest stops. This will not only help the children but it will help you. Drive two hours then get out and do some exercises like touching your toes, jumping jacks, running around the car three times both ways. You and your children will be refreshed with the break.

At certain intervals if you are taking it leisurely stop at a school or a city park and let them burn off some energy on the playground equipment. Go to a local deli or grocery store in whatever town you are in and buy the fixings for a picnic. The added bonus is that the kids can run around. Or stop at a restaurant where there are play areas for children to play.

When I was a child we would travel 625 miles from one state to another. One of my memories is stopping at the same place every year, eat a lunch my mother had packed and have a licorice ice cream cone across from the park. We would then play for 30 minutes while my mom took a nap. I wonder if that is why I love licorice anything to this day.

Make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks for the trip. Bring them out at different intervals. Bring plenty of water in a cooler and other drinks your family likes.

Include plastic cups, one dishtowel for each person, a Frisbee to eat out of or to play with at a rest stop. Baby wipes are a must for everyone in the car.

Have plenty of their favorite music. Have sing along songs that the whole family can sing to.

Each child needs to have their own book bag or back pack. Stuff it full of things for them to do. Reading books, coloring books, new small toys, and one of their favorite. Some could be wrapped and at certain places they have marked on the map they could open this surprise.

travel games are great fun because they are the only time they can be played so they are new and different. Games like I Spy or also called travel Bingo"spy license plates from different states, an animal, a certain kind of road or building (barn, gravel etc), and different road signs.

Bring lap pads to play cards on or to eat on. It could be a travel desk suspended from the back of the front seat.

Electronic video games are great to have in the car as it helps time pass more quickly for you and for them.

Long trips can be boring for children and a pain for the parents. With some planning before the trip it can be fun for everyone and might be the best part of the trip for the children.

Marilyn is a professional organizer and invites you to visit her website www.marilynbohn.com, She is a sought after public speaker and author who is passionate about teaching ways to organize your life and how to reduce clutter. She works with women in their homes and offices. On her web site she teaches you to get rid of clutter by using her Lights On Organizing System. She provides practical information on how to declutter your home, office and life. In her blogs, articles, and videos she gives timely tips on how to clear clutter and how to declutter everything in your home and office. She is the author of a book called Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple steps which will be in major bookstores in December 2009.