My collaboration with Protect-A-Bed® seemed more tangible as I ripped open the package I received last week to reveal a beautifully packaged Protect•A•Bed® Premium mattress protector. The working relationship has been progressing well. Their articles on sleep health and dust mites have provided some good content and frankly, have lighten the work of creating articles for SuperParents.

But it’s more than just a working relationship. My son is asthmatic, and his medical condition seems to progressively worsen each winter and with each new cold. The awareness Protect•A•Bed® has created for sleep health and to the allergens present in bedding materials have meant I am more aware of what I’ve got to do to manage his condition. So I felt extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to do this product review.

Pulling out the Protectabed Mattress Protector

As we did his sheets last weekend, I again took the opportunity to again vacuum his mattress and pillow before putting on the new product. The mattress protector was easy to spread out, and fitted well over the mattress. Apparently, the product does not only prevent bacteria and dust mites from breeding in the bedding, it also increases the contact comfort of lying in the bed.

From what I understand, dust mites and their excrement are easily eradicated through normal washing. This means that through regular washing, the mattress protector will minimise the amount of allergenic material in his bed. Everything else has either been washed or vacuumed quite thoroughly. The only thing that I’ve not yet catered for is his comforter – which will be aired regularly.

While Protect•A•Bed® has benefitted from the air-time on my blog, my tweets and retweets, and FaceBook announcements, I am in debt to their team reaching out to contact me. No doubt you would have seen that I have not held back in promoting them. I urge you to explore their website and spread their better sleep health message.

Thank you.

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Baby Names |Calendar

Sleep Health in Winter

A Guest Post by Protect·A·Bed®

Hiya everyone, back again!

Thanks for all of you who participated in our ‘No More Mouldy Pillows for Me’ comp and congrats to our winners, Rachel Koopmans, Dianne Childs, Kelly Burstow, Julie Boxsell and Monique Nickalls (see Winners Get to Drool). We’re posting the pillow protectors out as we speak, so hang tight, you should be receiving them at some stage next week.

Now I realise with all the hoo-ha surrounding the competition in our last post, I didn’t actually get the chance to tell you a little bit about me. My name is Jessica Mendez and I’m the Protect·A·Bed® Healthy Sleep Zone Nurse. Basically, my role is to assist with all customer enquiries in relation to their sleep health.

Of course by blogging here on SuperParents, I’m more than happy to also answer all your queries, so feel free to ask me any questions either through commenting below or emailing me direct at healthysleep@protectabed.net.au – whether it’s in relation to skin disorders or allergies, don’t be shy, I’m here to help!

So what are we talking about today? Yes, you guessed it – sleep health in winter. The winter months have well and truly set in, and as the temperature continues to fall, mums and dads will find looking after sick kids with sniffily noses an increasing occurrence.

As we spend more time tucking our loved ones under the bed covers and curling up under extra blankets, I wonder how many of you realise the kind of role the sleep environment can play in triggering asthma and allergy symptoms?

As I said it in my previous post, one in four children in Australia has asthma, and a child with asthma is often woken up during the night as a result of this condition – it’s an astounding figure and definitely one to keep in mind as you put your kids to bed. Limiting their exposure to these elements in the bedroom is critical for their sleep health.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the long proven fact that asthma can be triggered through the continual exposure to dust mite allergens. However how many of you know that one of the primary places dust mites accumulate is in a mattress, and that the typical mattress contains anywhere from 100,000 to 1 million mites?? Around 30 to 40 per cent of Australians are allergic to dust mites and while mites are not parasitic, each year they are still responsible for up to
60,000 deaths worldwide for their association with asthma!

Other allergic reactions like hay fever and sinusitis, or even more serious conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis can also be triggered by dust mites, adding to mums and dads concerns this winter.

So what can you do to improve your child’s sleep health?

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Middle of the month saw us announce a giveaway from Protect-A-Bed®. I’m happy to announce our winners:

Rachel Koopmans

Dianne Childs

Kelly Burstow

Julie Boxsell

Monique Nickalls

Soon, you’ll be able to slobber and drool on your pillows all night long and still be able to yell out ‘No More Mouldy Pillows for Me’! You’ll do this whilst trying not to get too absorbed by thoughts of dust mites and dust mite poo on your mattress.

Congratulations!

Links

• Collaboration between Protect-A-Bed® and SuperParents™
• @ProtectABed_Aus Giveaway – Act Now!
• Your Child’s Sleep Health
• Tips for Protecting Your Health in Winter

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

Last week, in collaboration with Protect-A-Bed®, SuperParents posted a promotion and giveaway post combined with an article on sleep health @ProtectABed_Aus Giveaway – Act Now!. We don’t think the article got the highlight it deserved, so we’re posting the good bits of it again.

Why is healthy sleep important for your child?

We spend an average of one-third of our lives asleep in bed. While this may be a fact we have all heard before, it’s a figure that still loses none of its impact.

Sleep is essential for each and every one of us, especially our kids as it is particularly important for their developmental growth. It restores our immune system, is required for laying down memory, renews energy levels, restores mental function and is essential for physical growth.

Last month we partnered up with independent health and hygiene specialist, Mycologia, who run the only laboratory in Australia for mould and fungi, and asked them to test some household pillows to determine their health and hygiene.

Test results from household pillows

The lab took samples from four pillows – a 15-year-old pillow, a four-year-old pillow, a two-year-old pillow and lastly, a two-year-old pillow that had been encased with a Protect-A-Bed pillow protector from day one.

The report found all pillows had an extremely high amount of mould and bacteria inside them, with the exception of the Protect-A-Bed pillow, which had only natural levels of mould and less than half the level of bacteria in comparison.

Mycologia also tested mould levels on the outside of the pillows, with results indicating the Protect-A-Bed pillow had 78 per cent less mould than the other two-year-old pillow and four-year-old pillow, and a significant 92 per cent less than the 15-year-old pillow.

See the A Current Affair story

A Current Affair was so fascinated with the results that they did a whole story on it! Check out their story here. The video highlights the test results from three of the four pillows, however (understandably) doesn’t mention that the protected pillow is from Protect-A-Bed.

So what does this mean for your child?

Having a mouldy pillow isn’t desirable in anyone’s books, however other than the general ‘ick’ factor, it’s actually quite harmful for those who suffer from asthma, allergies and skin disorders. A lot of people don’t realise that not cleaning or protecting your pillows with protective pillow protectors can cause unnatural levels of mould to grow inside them, which can actually be making your child really sick.

One in four children in Australia has asthma and a child with asthma is often woken up during the night as a result of the condition. Allergies to environmental factors such as dust, dust mites, bacteria and mould can also lead to an increased risk of asthma as well as the potential to trigger symptoms for other allergic reactions like hay fever, sinusitis, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.

The most important thing to highlight is that Protect-A-Bed’s pillow protectors have a built-in breathable and waterproof protective barrier that blocks out any liquid or skin from getting through to the pillow. It also prevents any allergens and airborne bacteria from escaping from the pillow. While you can clean your pillow, the easiest way to keep you pillow clean is to cover it with a pillow protector with a protective barrier. There are several pillow protectors on the market, but not all of them have that waterproof, impermeable barrier that’s essential for keeping your pillow healthy.

Visit the Protect-A-Bed® website to see their complete product range – http://www.protectabed.com.au/

Links

• Tips for Protecting Your Health in Winter

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

Protect-A-Bed® had their first blog post and giveaway announcement on this site [click here]. Their article overviewed sleep health affected by allergens present in household bedding. Manage this with tips on maintaining pillow hygiene. Enter their giveaway by following two simple steps. Support us by checking out their post.

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

First Post and ‘No More Mouldy Pillows’ Giveaway by Protect-A-Bed®

Do you know what lives inside your pillows?

Thanks to SuperParents, we’re sure most of you have heard by now that we’re all about raising awareness on a range of family health issues. We’re just as excited about our two-month collaboration and would like to extend our thanks to SuperParents for giving us the opportunity to contribute to their blog.

As you might have guessed from the headline, our first post is about yes, what lives inside your pillows. As you tuck your bubs and tods into bed each night, do you know exactly what they’re going to be sleeping with?

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Last week, we announced that Protect-A-Bed® and SuperParents were working together over the next two months to come up with an interesting line up of articles, giveaways and products reviews. Read the announcement here. The work together has started out well so far with lots of activity on Twitter, some interest on FaceBook, and some through Aussie Mummy Bloggers.

This Wednesday 14th July 2010, Protect-A-Bed® have scheduled their first blog post and giveaway through the SuperParents blog. Check back for details on how you can win Protect-A-Bed® product to help you achieve better sleep and better health for you and your family. Their post will cover:

• Healthy sleep for your child
• Test results from household pillows for health and hygiene
• Top tips to keep your pillow clean

Please help me make this work by showing support for Protect-A-Bed®. Cheers, Colin

Some Random Links

• Spank you very much, Parents
• A Child’s Perspective on Support Needed for Sport

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

The SuperParents Perth Family and Parenting Online Community blog is excited to announce a two-month collaboration with Australian company Protect-A-Bed® http://www.protectabed.com.au/. The collaboration was formed to focus on improving awareness of family health issues that may be of interest to parents and care-givers.

I am quite interested to hear more about the Protect-A-Bed® product range and the health issues their products aim to resolve. My personal motivation is driven by my son’s worsening asthmatic condition and in some part from a previous obsession with dust mites.

Far from being a heavy-handed corporate, Protect-A-Bed® has been easy to work with, interested in my input, and happy for me to take the lead. We have seen eye-to-eye on all issues from the start, and I am quite happy to help them out.

Visitors to SuperParents can look forward to product reviews and to two attractive promotional giveaways featuring Protect-A-Bed® products. Entry details will be forthcoming, but would most likely involve ‘liking’ both SuperParents FaceBook Page and Protect-A-Bed® FaceBook Page.

Please support this collaboration by welcoming them to our community warmly, and directing any obsessive dust mite questions to the Protect-A-Bed® nurse at their FaceBook Page.

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

A couple of years ago I was watching a tv documentary on dust mites and how they flourish on bedding and pillows, feed off dead human skin and bathe in your perspiration. The  fecal material dust mites leave on bedding can trigger allergies and asthma attacks.

Eradicating them seems to be straightforward according to the Dust Mites entry on Wikipedia, but these little critters multiply rapidly and so a good management strategy needs to be in place to ease adverse sleeping conditions.

The  fecal material dust mites leave on bedding can trigger allergies and asthma attacks.

At one point in time, whenever we washed our sheets, I would iron my mattress and vacuum it before putting on clean sheets. Unfortunately, I don’t hardly do this often enough nor do I do anything for my pillows.

So when I was recently contacted by Protect-A-Bed® for a joint promotion I got secretly very excited.

Protect-A-Bed® is an Australian company touting the World’s Best Mattress Protector. Protect-A-Bed® was initially interested to arrange a promotion/giveaway through SuperParents, but I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to expand content within the health category on my blog. Specifically, I wanted them to talk about family health issues relating to allergies, quality sleep, bed-wetting, and other problems alleviated by their product line.

I think their suggested ideas for posts are spot on what we’d all be interested to read. So I really look  forward to having them as my guest over a two month period. We will see two giveaways from them and I have also offered to coordinate an objective product review on their behalf. I don’t stand to benefit personally from this alliance, and am happy that they have insisted on me being objective and ‘true’ to myself and the blog.

If you have an asthma sufferer in your house, know someone with allergies, hate those pesky dust mites, and struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you might be interested in tracking the upcoming posts from Protect-A-Bed®.

Links

• CSIRO Wellbeing Plan for Children
• Make Your Own Organic Mosquito Repellent for Children

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar

I just saw Michelle Borba’s alarming post Substance Abuse Rising. Teen Girls Get High to Cope. Looking through her 9 parenting solutions, I realise that my kids are not old enough yet for her tips to be entirely applicable. So I’m coming up with my own solution for younger kids. This isn’t in any particular order:

Respecting One Self

Placing importance on grooming, health, safety and security promotes the need for the kids take care of themselves. We have told our children many times that it is important to love one self and take care of their needs first. This is far from being selfish, as it then in turn should allow them to love those near to them and to ensure all of us are cared for equally.

Self-confidence to Say No

The children should know they have the freedom to say no reasonably. This can be taught anywhere from mealtimes to play or the types of family activities chosen during the weekends. Saying no with reasonable justification allows them to have the self-confidence to make the right judgement and to know they are part of a family team.

Confiding in Parents

As soon as you get hurt, are bleeding, or in trouble … the first person you shout for is me. Don’t hide it from me because I’m here to help; you must confide in us. You will not get into trouble for this. You will get into trouble if you hide it and I find out. Your children need to know that they can trust you and that you are there to share their burden.

Positive Coping Examples

I work out like a fiend and love it. My children are also highly active and love it. I’ve often shared with them that I was fat when I was a kid; so fat I had to be sent to the fat nurse. Look at the horror in their eyes!!!

Dealing with Negative Emotions

What was it? Fear, anger, hate are all emotions that feed the dark side of the force? Look at how I brought my daughter back from tears during our violin practice. Children are able of controlling themselves with your help. Just make sure you pick the right opportunity or you might end up with a blubbering mess on your hands. Remember, it’s not about the absence of anger – all of us get angry. But maybe it’s about shortening the duration the child stays angry for.

Responsible Drinking

My wife and I drink in front of our kids. Does this sound like bad parenting? I am confident it isn’t. We drink maybe once every few weeks, open up a bottle of good wine and have no more than 1 glass in front of the kids. Most of the time the wine is from 6 to 10 years old, which prompts me to remember and share events from the year it was bottled.

Conservative Thinking

I’m a conservative bastard and am happy to share my feelings about idiots on the road or bizarre fashion trends. This conservative bent has meant I’ve not always needed to control myself in the face of nihilistic activities – just because losing myself in that way isn’t my cup of tea.

Links

• If I Can Make My Own Decisions
• Job Performance Review Your Child
• You Are Not the Centre of the Universe
• Tough Discipline or Corporal Punishment Forms Strength of Character
• Dads Play a Vital Role
• Act Belong Commit
• Parents and Exercise
• Parenting Fuel Tank
• Happiness Fund Teaches Financial Independence
• Positive Self Image for Kids

–
The Original SuperParent
Blog | Favourites | Surveys | Have Your Say | Calendar