The Gerber Life Parenting Blog

Preparing for a child’s future is usually a top parental priority. With the price of a college education continuing to rise, many parents are looking for ways to help pay for their children’s college tuition. What are the options?

Several are available. Finding the option that best suits your family’s needs may seem daunting, as some people find. The early years of your child’s life offer a great opportunity to begin some basic financial planning to help tackle the future cost burden of education.

Two popular vehicles for putting aside money for college are 529 Plans and the Gerber Life College Plan¹. To help you decide which one might make the most sense for your family, here’s a summary of their advantages and how they work:

Cuts, scratches and scrapes are a typical part of growing up. A quick clean-up, a bandage, and a kiss from Mom frequently suffice to make everything better. Sometimes, however, a cut or scrape may become infected and, if not treated appropriately, could worsen and lead to an infection.

A Staph infection, for example, can occur when an open wound is exposed to Staph bacteria – a bacteria found on the skin or in the nose of about a third of the population, according to The Mayo Clinic.

Staph bacteria, the most common cause of skin infections in the United States, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can cause minor infections such as boils and pimples, which are usually treated without antibiotics. A more serious Staph infection may require an antibiotics regimen in order to rid the body of the infection.

If you think that your child may have a Staph infection, consult your child’s pediatrician, who can advise if treatment requires antibiotics.

Approximately 55 million people in the United States own a United States savings bond, according to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service of the Department of the Treasury. Savings bonds can be considered an investment in the future, and can be used toward any future expense such as school tuition, or a child’s first car or first home.

The end-of-year holiday season, regardless of the holiday you celebrate, is usually spent among friends and family, who may span a continent or even the globe. Even if they are miles away and it’s not possible to be with all them in person, there are many ways to spread cheer – and to teach your children the importance of staying in touch.

Here are some ways to keep in touch during the holidays:

This winter when you are snowed-in with a house full of kids, channel some summertime fun into this easy-to-do, indoor activity that will have their fingers and maybe toes in the sand – literally!

Here’s how to make moldable sand in three easy steps:

What You’ll Need:

• 6 cups colored play sand (available at most home and garden centers)
• 3 cups cornstarch
• 1.5 cups cold water
• Large, airtight container for mixing and storing the sand
• Plastic molds (sand buckets, cups, any other molds to form moldable sand into shapes)