Pediatricians are warning parents about an alarming rate of soda can ‘stay tabs’ being swallowed by children.  While there was a replacement due to kids removing the older version and putting them in their soda as to not litter, it seems that the new version isn’t much safer.

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Nick Jonas has Type 1 Diabetes

Doctors really don’t know what causes Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes. Research is being done to explore both genetics and environmental triggers, but many kids who are diagnosed with diabetes have no family history of it at all.

Diabetes is manageable; kids who have this condition can live normal, active lives if they pay close attention to treating their condition. Diabetes can’t be cured, but its effects can be minimized. If your child doesn’t do this conscientiously, he or she might develop several undesirable complications. These can include:

• Neuropathy. This is nerve damage. It commonly causes problems in the legs, but it can also affect other systems in the body as well.

• Retinopathy. Diabetes can cause damage to the eyes, including causing blindness.

• Nephropathy. Nephropathy is kidney disease. Weak kidneys allow toxins to build up in the body and make a child sick.

• Heart Disease. Heart disease is more common to diabetics than non-diabetics. It can lead to other complications such as stroke, embolism, or heart attack.

So how do you know if your child has diabetes? There are some symptoms that all parents should be on the lookout for:

• Excessive thirst. Is your child constantly asking for something to drink?

• Frequent urination. If you find yourself saying, “Are you in the bathroom again?”…pay attention!

• Drowsiness or lethargy. They fall asleep over their homework, or they just can’t get the energy to do things they used to enjoy. If you’ve tried adjusting your child’s bedtime and it isn’t helping, bring this to your doctor’s attention.

• Sugar in urine. Obviously your doctor will have to test this, but it’s a pretty significant indicator.

• Sudden vision changes. The cells in the eyes are being attacked by the immune system, so vision decreases fairly quickly.

• Increased appetite. Are they suddenly hungry all the time, and can’t seem to get enough? They could be going through a growth spurt, as all kids do…but it could be diabetes.

• Sudden weight loss. None of that food is being processed like it should be. Instead of gaining weight, they might lose weight very quickly.

• Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath. The imbalance of sugar and insulin in the blood can come out in strange ways, including very sweet breath.

• Heavy, labored breathing. Your child might find it hard to catch his or her breath, even if they aren’t doing anything strenuous.

• Stupor, unconsciousness. If diabetes goes too long without being diagnosed, it can cause kids to faint or, in extreme cases, fall into a coma.

Taken alone, most of these symptoms seem harmless, but together, they could indicate the presence of Type 1 diabetes. Don’t be afraid to bring them up to your doctor; he or she can judge whether there’s anything to be concerned about. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely your child is to live a normal, active life.

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In some ways, you’ll never be financially ready to have children.  There are just too many expenses you can’t predict.  For example, how many birthday presents will you have to buy for kids in your baby’s day care?  How much does it cost to have a birthday party for a 1-year-old, 2-year-old, etc?  You don’t usually think to budget that stuff.

But not everything comes out of the blue like that.  There are some things that you can predict and plan for.  My suggestion, before you even begin to look at numbers, is to sit down with your partner (or alone if you don’t have one), and decide what your values are.  Figures aside, what do you want your family’s life to be like? 

If you want one of you to be able to stay home, if you want the most exclusive daycare, or if one of you wants to take the baby to work, what are you willing to sacrifice to make those things happen?  Once you have your values articulated and agreed upon, then it’s time to get the budget out.  Can you get by on one income?  What would you have to save to buy you 6 months at home?  3 months?  6 weeks?

Times are tight for a lot of people right now, but here is one piece of advice I want you to remember.  Money is your servant, you are not money’s servant.  Money works for you, you do not work for money.  Now, I know the reality is that bills have to be paid, and sometimes there’s too much month at the end of the money.  But your life choices need to be values-driven, with a realistic respect for money, not money-driven with a wistful glance over your shoulder at your values. 

Having said all that, here are some things to consider about your financial situation if you are considering getting pregnant.

1. What is your employer’s family leave policy?  Federal law mandates that they must allow you 12 weeks of leave without penalizing your job, but that’s unpaid leave.  Check to see if your income will take a hit if you miss work. 
2. What is your insurance provider’s pregnancy and childbirth policy?  Check to see how many ob/gyn office visits you get and how your insurer will respond if there are complications with the pregnancy or delivery.
3. Save soon, save much.  This is good policy for life in general, but if you are hoping to quit or cut back work for one parent, you want as much as possible saved up.  And believe me, it’s never too early to start scoping out those Roth IRA’s for college.
4. Overestimate expenses.  Abide by Murphy’s Law–anything that can go wrong will.  When you budget for the coures of your pregnancy, take into account that some women end up on bedrest for long periods of their pregnancy.  And if your baby is born early or with problems that delay him or her leaving the hospital, you want to be there, with your child, not at your desk.  Plan for adversity, and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t happen.
5. Keep couple time in the budget.  We’ll talk about this more when we get to emotional readiness, but your couple relationship will determine what kind of home your baby grows up in.  Budget date nights and babysitters–even if it means starting a fund for it now, before you’re even pregnant.
6. Be open to renegotiation.  If you don’t yet have a child, you can’t imagine how deeply in love you’re going to fall.  There’s no point in me telling you, really; it will overwhelm you and change everything you thought you knew.  You might find that you can’t bear the thought of going back to work and leaving the baby in 6 short weeks.  On the other hand, after giving the stay-home thing your all, you might find that you are frustrated and discontent without your chosen work to balance your life.  Make sure you and your partner make room for the reality check that the actual baby (rather than the “planned baby”) will bring.
7. Budget! All of the above assume that you have a budget, so if you don’t have one, make one!  There will be enough unexpected expenses that you want to have control over as many details as possible.  You want to be proactive, not reactive, with your money.  Remember, you’re the boss.  Money works for you, so you have to tell it what you want it to do.
8. Taxes.  You have to determine what your timeline is, but all I’m saying is that a baby born before December 31 is a sweet little tax deduction.