Baby Guides And Offers

Alerts Work

On November 24, an Amber Alert was issued on a child kidnapped from a car seat. On November 14, an Amber Alert in Rochester on a 2-year old resulted in a successful recovery of Baby Hailey. Urgent Child Missing Alerts may not always have positive outcomes, but evidence of their effectiveness are reported every week. On November 24, an Alert for 14-year-old Angela Rodriguez in San Jacinto County resulted in a detailed bulletin including description of a suspect. 18-year-old Joaquin Garcia, 6 foot tall Hispanic, was named as a suspect.

492 Children Recovered

These programs bring together the collective resources of media, journalists, law enforcement and the general public, usually resulting in immediate searches by hundreds of volunteers. Public awareness through media alerts results in many recoveries.

While the Department of Justice reports statistics reflecting hundreds of thousands of missing children, good news is quickly reported. 492 children have been recovered through the program as of last year, the last year reported by the Office of Justice Programs.

The program "has helped to rescue hundreds of children from abductors and return them safely to their homes," said the previous administrations Assistant Attorney General and National Alert Coordinator Jeffrey L. Sedgwick in October of 2008. The Amber Alert program launched in 1996, named in honor of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Texas who was abducted and found murdered.

Social Networking Sites Cited as a Risk Factor

While media and law-enforcers cooperate on alerts, arguably the largest worldwide medium, the internet, has created more opportunities for criminals to prey on children.

On-line predators frequently find children and teens online, often luring them to dangerous situations. Law enforcers routinely investigate missing children by examining family computers for MySpace, Facebook and other social network histories. A well-known YouTube video explains step-by-step how predators can find, identify and target children, perhaps educating parents and children but also the very predators it warns against. Since many and social sites online are anonymous, children can be easily convinced they are chatting online with another child the same age, unaware it could be a sex offender.

Derek Armstrong is a journalist contributor to several TV news shows, magazines and newspapers. He has appeared as a reporter on HNN's Nancy Grace, the Larry King Show, MSNBC News, FOX News, Inside Edition, NBC's Dateline and the Dr. Phil Show. Armstrong is currently chief crime correspondent for Crime Report USA http://www.crimereportusa.com and is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). Twitter Updates: http://www.twitter.com/personaco.

Car Seat Law Texas
Hefty surcharges for Texas drivers with violations remain mostly uncollected
Motorists charged with certain driving violations owe the state more than $1 billion, and many of the 1.2 million people on the unpaid list are driving without valid licenses and at risk of arrest.

[wordbay]Car Seat Law Texas[/wordbay]
Dallas Attorney Angel Reyes on Good Morning Texas 11-09.wmv

Air Travel w/ 6 or 7 month old?!?

Hey all! My son and I are flying to CA in June/July for the hubbs' deployment homecoming and I need some tips for flying with him, since he'll be 6-7 months old? It's a 3 1/2 hour flight, I'm hoping to book nonstop so we won't have to rush between gates and what not. I'm definitely getting him his own seat, so which car seats do you recommend for air travel? Also, how difficult is it to do diaper changes in the plane bathrooms? I know that sounds like a silly question, but it just came to my mind. Any other tips you have for traveling with a 6/7 month old would be GREATLY appreciated. I can't leave him in Texas because my parents travel for the summer and I don't really trust my in-laws (they swear SIDS doesn't exist--ugh). Any advice you have, I'd greatly appreciate it!!

It's much easier to travel with a 6-7 month-old than you think. It's a pain in the butt to do diaper changes in the bathrooms on the plane, but if you have to do it, it will likely only be once. The flight isn't too long, so if it's a barely wet diaper (no poop), I'd leave them in it until the flight was over. If it's heavy, changing it is the only sane thing to do. Be armed and ready. Have diaper, pad, and wipes out and take only those items to the bathroom with you. Do not lug the whole diaper bag. Change the baby just before boarding.

We used our Graco SnugRide at that age and it worked very well. Get one of those clicky stroller deals where the car seat slips right onto it and it's soo convenient while traveling so you don't have a stroller AND car seat to lug around the airport. Click the seat in and roll away...

Bring pacis if he takes them and make sure you have extra. They are great for helping with the ears. If he doesn't take them, give him a bottle, nurse him, or give him a teething toy to help soothe his ears.

Bring a few colorful toys that crinkle, shake, and make other noises to occupy him for the flight. Hope he sleeps! My daughter slept through most of her flights at that age, luckily.

I think taking him is the best idea so Daddy can see his baby at the homecoming. If anyone gives you crap about it, explain that his Daddy is fighting for their right to moan about a baby on a flight and deserves the right to see his baby boy. Seriously, that will shut their mouths real quick.

Try to relax and just get through it. Good luck!