Baby Information 2012

Is Crying it Out Dangerous for Kids?

2011-12-15T23:39:00.000-05:00

New Research on Infant Sleep

If the link between parent and child is strong enough that kids can "catch" their parents' stress, it may stand to reason that babies crave the physical connection that comes with a cuddle. It's something that plenty of parents are more than happy to provide during the day but, when it comes to bedtime, the modern emphasis has been on teaching good sleep habits -- and giving mom and dad a break.

Most sleep-deprived parents get to the point where they're willing to try almost anything in order to get a good night's rest. While some decry it as cruel, others have had success with the "cry it out" method -- teaching babies to "self-soothe" by letting their nighttime crying go unanswered.

But is "crying it out" about establishing independence? Or is it just a way of making those early years easier for parents?

In an article published this week in Psychology Today, one researcher says that crying it out could be dangerous for children, leading to a lifetime of harm.

"A crying baby in our ancestral environment would have signaled predators to tasty morsels," writes Darcia Narvaez, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Collaborative for Ethical Education at the University of Notre Dame. "So our evolved parenting practices alleviated baby distress and precluded crying except in emergencies."

When babies are stressed, their bodies release the hormone cortisol, which can damage or even destroy neurons in their still-developing brains, researchers at Yale University and Harvard Medical School have found. That can lead to a higher incidence of ADHD, poor academic performance, and anti-social tendencies.

Human babies are hardwired for near-constant holding, breastfeeding, and having their other needs met quickly -- the hallmarks of Attachment Parenting, Narvaez points out -- in order for their brains to develop properly. Even Dr. Richard Ferber, whose sleep-training method is commonly called the Cry It Out Method, says that he never intended parents to completely ignore their babies nighttime tears.

"I've always believed that there are many solutions to sleep problems, and that every family and every child is unique," he said in an interview with BabyTalk. "People want one easy solution, but there's no such thing. I never encouraged parents to let their babies cry it out, but one of the many treatment styles I described in my book is gradual extinction, where you delay your response time to your baby's wakings. I went to great pains in the second edition to clarify that that treatment is not appropriate for every sleep issue, of which there are many."

What he does encourage is teaching children to soothe themselves during normal nighttime wakings. But many parents extend his advice to include all bedtime-related crying. That's the type of crying it out sets kids up for stress-related problems, trust issues, anxiety disorders, reduced brain function, and a lack of independence, Narvaez writes. And since the problems are on a genetic level, they can't necessarily be fixed later in life.

"In studies of rats with high or low nurturing mothers, there is a critical period for turning on genes that control anxiety for the rest of life," Narvaez writes. "If in the first 10 days of life you have low nurturing rat mother (the equivalent of the first 6 months of life in a human), the gene never gets turned on and the rat is anxious towards new situations for the rest of its life, unless drugs are administered to alleviate the anxiety."

Could a lack of nurturing explain our "Prozac Nation?" Narvaez points out that she's witnessed the long-term physical effects of it firsthand.

"I was raised in a middle-class family with a depressed mother, harsh father and overall emotionally unsupportive environment -- not unlike others raised in the USA," she writes. "I have only recently realized from extensive reading about the effects of early parenting on body and brain development that I show the signs of undercare -- poor memory (cortisol released during distress harms hippocampus development), irritable bowel and other poor vagal tone issues, and high social anxiety."

The lack of nurturing, and the prevalence of parents who put their own needs in front of their kids', may be to blame for the mental and physical health problems that are plaguing the United States now.

"If we want a strong country and people," she writes, "we've got to pay attention to what children need for optimal development."

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine | Parenting

ref: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/

Bumbo seat under fire after babies injured

2011-12-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

Did Bumbo Ignore Child Safety in Favor of Profits?

Like millions of other parents over the past several years, Kevin and Lucy Ferrell used a new baby product called the Bumbo Baby Sitter that they bought at Toys R Us to prop up their son, Colby. The simple molded plastic seat is more upright than a bouncy chair, and less rigid than a high chair, making it a hit with parents looking for new infant gear.

IMAGE ref: yahoo.com

But when 9-month-old Colby fell out of the seat and fractured his skull, his parents learned very quickly that the seat wasn't ideal for a small, moving child.

"He arched his back up and he kind of flipped out of it sideways and backwards and rolled right off (the table)," Kevin Ferrell says. "It just happened in a split second."
Bumbo, which is used to help babies sit up before they're able to do so on their own, has been an unquestioned success in sales - with nearly 4 million sold in the U.S. since 2003. But its safety record is uncertain.

The South African company recalled Bumbo in 2007 after a spate of 28 injuries reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission - including numerous skull fractures - and placed warning labels on the seats that said they shouldn't be used on elevated surfaces. Bumbo company records obtained as part of a lawsuit the Ferrells filed in June against the company and Toys R Us, where the product was purchased off their baby registry, show some 300 reported incidents, including some in other countries, mainly Great Britain. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas, where the case is still in a pretrial phase.

IMAGE ref: http://diapers.com

Then in late November, the CPSC issued an unusual warning that there had been another 45 incidents since the recall, and that it had learned of another 18 older cases. It also noted that children were hurt both when the product was elevated and when it was on the ground.
Ross Cunningham of the Rose Walker firm in Austin, who represents the Ferrells and says he has settled a dozen lawsuits over Bumbo's safety, alleges in the lawsuit that Bumbo "has taken no effort" to reconfigure the product to prevent children from getting out of it, "despite having actual knowledge of the dangers associated with the Bumbo Baby Sitter...and the potential of the Bumbo Baby Sitter to cause serious injury to children."

Bumbo's U.S. attorney, Tarush R. Anand, says he cannot comment on the litigation, but did provide a statement from Bumbo, in which the company says the product is safe. "The Bumbo baby seat is a safe product for infants when it is used as intended: on the floor and never on an elevated surface," the statement says. "Children should always been closely supervised when they are in the Bumbo seat." The company also says it is working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to educate parents on the correct use of the seat.
Toys R Us is accused in the most recent lawsuit of knowingly stocking a baby product that has caused injuries. One of the company's buyers is quoted in the litigation as saying under oath that she had never seen an infant product like that without a safety restraint, and that after learning about the severity of the injuries, she didn't think it was safe.

Nancy Cowles, executive director of the advocacy group Kids in Danger, notes the product - unlike cribs, car seats and high chairs - is not governed by any government or industry standard. The Ferrell lawsuit says Toys R Us has a huge profit margin on the seats and has ignored even voices from within the company about their safety.

Toys R Us spokeswoman Katie Reczek said in a statement in response to questions that the retailer followed the terms of the recall and stands by the decision to keep selling it.
"The safety of the products we sell is, and always has been, our highest priority," Reczek said. "At the time of the recall of the Bumbo Baby Sitter, we immediately removed the product from our store shelves, and worked with Bumbo to update the warning labels on the packaging, as was required. This warning label cautions parents not to use the Bumbo on elevated surfaces. Due to the recall and labeling process, the product was off the sales floor and was not available for purchase for several months. We continue to offer Bumbo products in our stores, and as always, we closely monitor all product safety issues."

Its only competitor, bØbØPOD, added a seatbelt after the Bumbo recall.

Attorney Cunningham alleges in the Bumbo lawsuit that safer alternative design existed. "Specifically, Bumbo could have incorporated any combination of the following design changes: made the Bumbo Baby Sitter wider at the base, raised the side and back walls of the seat, installed a bulbous pommel on top of the post in between the child's legs, and incorporated a safety harness, seatbelt or other securing device...that would sit low and tight across the child's hips. These, and possibly other design improvements, would have prevented a child like (Colby) Ferrell from falling out of the Bumbo Baby Sitter."

The Ferrells are now evangelists for seatbelts. Says Kevin Ferrell: "For me, it was important, if nothing else, to try to prevent (this) from happening to future parents and kids."

The author is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.
(Editing by Lauren Young and Beth Gladstone)

Baby Info Web

2011-11-29T21:40:00.001-05:00

Baby Info Web

Baby Info Web is an informational website about Pregnancy, Baby Care, Child Development and much more. Visit us to create a video for your Baby. Visit our Baby Store.

http://BabyInfoWeb.Com

Articles

● How to Swaddle a Baby

● How to Change a Baby’s Diaper

● Rectal, Ear, Oral, and Axillary Temperature Comparison

● What is normal body temperature? What is a fever?

● Pregnancy – Morning Sickness

Baby Store - Discount Baby Items for SALE

2011-11-29T21:37:00.001-05:00

Baby Store. Baby Shop. Baby Info.

Discount Baby Items for SALE

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- Baby Bathing, Baby Skin Care, Baby Aromatherapy, Baby Bathing Tubs, Baby Bath Seats, Baby Bathroom Safety, Baby Bathtub Toys, Baby Bubble Bath, Baby Bath Gift Sets, Baby Grooming Kit, Baby Healthcare Kits, Baby Non-Slip Bath Mats, Baby Shampoo, Baby Skin Care, Baby Soaps & Cleansers, Baby Travel Bathing Kits, Baby Washcloths, Baby Towels
- Baby Bedding, Bassinet Bedding, Baby Blankets & Swaddling, Cradle Bedding, Crib Bedding, Baby Gift Sets, Baby Pillow Protectors, Baby Pillowcases, Baby Pillows, Baby Playard Bedding, Baby Quilts & Bed Covers, Toddler Bedding
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- Strollers, Stroller Accessories, Joggers, Lightweight Strollers, Prams, Standard Stroller, Tandem Stroller, Stroller Travel Systems

Breastfeeding – Means Higher intelligence

2011-11-29T21:32:00.001-05:00

Breastfeeding – Means Higher intelligence:

Do you agree or disagree?

Studies examining whether breastfeeding in infants is associated with higher intelligence later in life include:

1. Horwood, Darlow and Mogridge (2001) tested the intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of 280 low birthweight children at seven or eight years of age. Those who were breastfed for more than eight months had verbal IQ scores 6 points higher (which was significantly higher) than comparable children breastfed for less time. They concluded “These findings add to a growing body of evidence to suggest that breast milk feeding may have small long term benefits for child cognitive development.”

2. A 2005 study using data on 2,734 sibling pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health “provide[d] persuasive evidence of a causal connection between breastfeeding and intelligence.” The same data “also suggests that nonexperimental studies of breastfeeding overstate some of [breastfeeding's] other long-term benefits, even if controls are included for race, ethnicity, income, and education.”

3. In 2006, Der and colleagues, having performed a prospective cohort study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis, concluded that “Breast feeding has little or no effect on intelligence in children.” The researchers found that “Most of the observed association between breast feeding and cognitive development is the result of confounding by maternal intelligence.”

4. The 2007 review for the AHRQ found “no relationship between breastfeeding in term infants and cognitive performance.”

5. The 2007 review for the WHO “suggests that breastfeeding is associated with increased cognitive development in childhood.” The review also states that “The issue remains of whether the association is related to the properties of breastmilk itself, or whether breastfeeding enhances the bonding between mother and child, and thus contributes to intellectual development.”

6. Two initial cohort studies published in 2007 suggest babies with a specific version of the FADS2 gene demonstrated an IQ averaging 7 points higher if breastfed, compared with babies with a less common version of the gene who showed no improvement when breastfed. FADS2 affects the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in human breast milk, such as docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid, which are known to be linked to early brain development. The researchers were quoted as saying “Our findings support the idea that the nutritional content of breast milk accounts for the differences seen in human IQ. But it’s not a simple all-or-none connection: it depends to some extent on the genetic makeup of each infant.” The researchers wrote “further investigation to replicate and explain this specific gene–environment interaction is warranted.”

7. In “the largest randomized trial ever conducted in the area of human lactation,” between 1996 and 1997 maternity hospitals and polyclinics in Belarus were randomized to receive or not receive breastfeeding promotion modeled on the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. Of 13,889 infants born at these hospitals and polyclinics and followed up in 2002-2005, those who had been born in hospitals and polyclinics receiving breastfeeding promotion had IQs that were 2.9-7.5 points higher (which was significantly higher). Since (among other reasons) a randomized trial should control for maternal IQ, the authors concluded in a 2008 paper that the data “provide strong evidence that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding improves children’s cognitive development.”

ref: http://wikipedia.org

Baby - Internal physiological changes at birth

2011-11-29T21:28:00.001-05:00

Internal physiological changes at birth

Upon its entry to the air-breathing world, without the nutrition and oxygenation from the umbilical cord, the newborn must begin to adjust to life outside the uterus.

Alert infant interested in surrounding objects and people

Newborns can feel all different sensations, but respond most enthusiastically to soft stroking, cuddling and caressing. Gentle rocking back and forth often calms a crying infant, as do massages and warm baths. Newborns may comfort themselves by sucking their thumb, or a pacifier. The need to suckle is instinctive (see suction in biology) and allows newborns to feed.

Newborn infants have unremarkable vision, being able to focus on objects only about 18 inches (45 cm) directly in front of their face. While this may not be much, it is all that is needed for the infant to look at the mother’s eyes or areola when breastfeeding. Depth perception does not develop until the infant is mobile. Generally, a newborn cries when wanting to feed. When a newborn is not sleeping, or feeding, or crying, he or she may spend a lot of time staring at random objects. Usually anything that is shiny, has sharp contrasting colors, or has complex patterns will catch an infant’s eye. However, the newborn has a preference for looking at other human faces above all else.

While still inside the mother, the infant could hear many internal noises, such as the mother’s heartbeat, as well as many external noises including human voices, music and most other sounds. Therefore, although a newborn’s ears may have some catarrh and fluid, he or she can hear sound from before birth. Newborns usually respond to a female voice over a male voice. This may explain why people will unknowingly raise the pitch of their voice when talking to newborns (this voice change is called motherese). The sound of other human voices, especially the mother’s, can have a calming or soothing effect on the newborn. Conversely, loud or sudden noises will startle and scare a newborn. Newborns have been shown to prefer sounds that were a regular feature of their prenatal environment, for example, the theme tune of a television programme that their mother watched regularly.

Newborns can respond to different tastes, including sweet, sour, bitter, and salty substances, with a preference toward sweets. It has been shown that neonates show a preference for the smell of foods that their mother ate regularly.

ref: http://wikipedia.org

Baby Care and Feeding

2011-11-29T21:24:00.001-05:00

Care and feeding

Infants cry as a form of basic instinctive communication. A crying infant may be trying to express a variety of feelings including hunger, discomfort, overstimulation, boredom, wanting something, or loneliness.

Breastfeeding is the recommended method of feeding by all major infant health organizations. If breastfeeding is not possible or desired, bottle feeding is done with expressed breast-milk or with infant formula. Infants are born with a sucking reflex allowing them to extract the milk from the nipples of the breasts or the nipple of the baby bottle, as well as an instinctive behavior known as rooting with which they seek out the nipple. Sometimes a wet nurse is hired to feed the infant, although this is rare, especially in developed countries.

As infants grow, food supplements are added. Many parents choose commercial, ready-made baby foods to supplement breast milk or formula for the child, while others adapt their usual meals for the dietary needs of their child. Whole cow’s milk can be used at one year, but lower-fat milk should not be provided until the child is 2 to 3 years old. Until they are toilet-trained, infants in industrialized countries wear diapers. Children need more sleep than adults—up to 18 hours for newborn babies, with a declining rate as the child ages. Until babies learn to walk, they are carried in the arms, held in slings or baby carriers, or transported in baby carriages or strollers. Most industrialized countries have laws requiring child safety seats for infants in motor vehicles.

ref: http://wikipedia.org

Child Development

2011-11-29T21:22:00.001-05:00

Mechanisms of Child Development

Although developmental change runs parallel with chronological age, age itself cannot cause development. The basic mechanisms or causes of developmental change are genetic factors and environmental factors. Genetic factors are responsible for cellular changes like overall growth, changes in proportion of body and brain parts, and the maturation of aspects of function such as vision and dietary needs. Because genes can be “turned off” and “turned on”, the individual’s initial genotype may change in function over time, giving rise to further developmental change. Environmental factors affecting development may include both diet and disease exposure, as well as social, emotional, and cognitive experiences. However, examination of environmental factors also shows that young human beings can survive within a fairly broad range of environmental experiences.

Rather than acting as independent mechanisms, genetic and environmental factors often interact to cause developmental change. Some aspects of child development are notable for their plasticity, or the extent to which the direction of development is guided by environmental factors as well as initiated by genetic factors. For example, the development of allergic reactions appears to be caused by exposure to certain environmental factors relatively early in life, and protection from early exposure makes the child less likely to show later allergic reactions. When an aspect of development is strongly affected by early experience, it is said to show a high degree of plasticity; when the genetic make-up is the primary cause of development, plasticity is said to be low.Plasticity may involve guidance by endogenous factors like hormones as well as by exogenous factors like infection.

One kind of environmental guidance of development has been described as experience-dependent plasticity, in which behavior is altered as a result of learning from the environment. Plasticity of this type can occur throughout the lifespan and may involve many kinds of behavior, including some emotional reactions. A second type of plasticity, experience-expectant plasticity, involves the strong effect of specific experiences during limited sensitive periods of development. For example, the coordinated use of the two eyes, and the experience of a single three-dimensional image rather than the two-dimensional images created by light in each eye, depend on experiences with vision during the second half of the first year of life. Experience-expectant plasticity works to fine-tune aspects of development that cannot proceed to optimum outcomes as a result of genetic factors working alone.

In addition to the existence of plasticity in some aspects of development, genetic-environmental correlations may function in several ways to determine the mature characteristics of the individual. Genetic-environmental correlations are circumstances in which genetic factors make certain experiences more likely to occur. For example, in passive genetic-environmental correlation, a child is likely to experience a particular environment because his or her parents’ genetic make-up makes them likely to choose or create such an environment. in evocative genetic-environmental correlation, the child’s genetically-caused characteristics cause other people to respond in certain ways, providing a different environment than might occur for a genetically-different child; for instance, a child with Down syndrome may be treated more protectively and less challengingly than a non-Down child. Finally, an active genetic-environmental correlation is one in which the child chooses experiences that in turn have their effect; for instance, a muscular, active child may choose after-school sports experiences that create increased athletic skills, but perhaps preclude music lessons. In all of these cases, it becomes difficult to know whether child characteristics were shaped by genetic factors, by experiences, or by a combination of the two

ref: wikipedia.org

Top 5 Sleep Training Methods

2011-11-29T21:16:00.001-05:00

Bedtime battles – Sleep Problems & Concerns

Why it happens? What to do? Here are some answers. See if you find it usefull.

Why it happens

You put your toddler to bed at 8:30 at night. You hug him, kiss him, and wish him sweet dreams. It’s been a long day. The dinner dishes await you, your spouse has to pay the bills, the dog needs to be walked, the cat needs to be fed, and you haven’t had a moment to sit down and put your feet up. But nope — instead of spending the rest of the night catching up on your chores and spending some precious time with your partner, you’re in and out of your child’s room, cajoling him to go to sleep. He finally does — three hours later. Sound familiar? You’d be surprised at just how many of your fellow parents face this scenario night after night.
Sometimes you can tell your toddler’s fighting sleep — he rubs his eyes, yawns repeatedly, and falls apart at the merest hint of frustration. Other times he may seem wide awake, even hyper, but this can be another form of exhaustion. What’s happening is the toddler version of “so much to do, so little time”; there’s so much going on around him — Daddy’s in the living room poring over the mail, the pets are scuttling about, and you’re moving from room to room — that he wants to be part of the action. Also, just like other toddlers, your child is beginning to understand that he’s separate from you and is his own person, so he wants to assert his independence. Refusing to go to bed at night is one way he asserts control.

What to do

1. Teach your child to fall asleep alone. If your child will to go to bed only if you’re around, he’s forming bad habits that will be hard to break later. The best lesson you can teach him is how to soothe himself to sleep. Follow a nightly bedtime ritual (bath, books, and bed, for example) so he knows what’s expected of him and what to expect at night. You can tell him that if he stays in bed you’ll come back in five minutes to check on him. Let him know that he’s safe and that you’ll be nearby.

2. Don’t let him dawdle. Toddlers are great negotiators, and they’re no different when it comes to bedtime. And because they so enjoy the time they spend with you, they’ll do what they can to prolong the time they have with you. Your child may take his time doing his usual nightly routine, ask repeatedly for a glass of water, or keep requesting that you come to his room because he needs something. If you suspect he’s stalling, don’t let him. Tell him it’s time for bed and that he can finish working on his art project the next day or find the stuffed bunny the following morning.
You may want to anticipate all of your child’s usual (and reasonable) requests and make them part of the bedtime routine. Fill up a glass of water before bed and have him put it on his night table, remind him to use the potty one more time, and give him lots of extra hugs to last him the whole night. Then allow your child one extra request — but make it clear that one is the limit. He’ll feel like he’s getting his way, but you’ll know you’re really getting yours.

3. Offer him acceptable choices at bedtime. These days your toddler is beginning to test the limits of his newfound independence. To help him feel empowered, let your child make choices whenever possible at bedtime, from which story he wants to hear to what pajamas he’d like to wear. The trick is to offer only two or three alternatives and to make sure you’re happy with every choice. For example, don’t ask, “Do you want to go to bed now?” He could very well say no, which isn’t acceptable. Instead, try, “Do you want to go to bed now or in five minutes?” He still gets to make the choice, but you win no matter which option he picks.

4. Be calm but firm. Stand your ground even if your child cries or pleads for an exception to the going-to-bed rule. If you’re frustrated, try not to engage in a power struggle. Speak calmly and quietly but insist that when time’s up, time’s up. If you give into his request for “five minutes more, please” once, you’ll hear it again and again. If he throws a fit, ignore it as you do other tantrums. By paying attention to him — even if you’re displeased with him — you’ve reinforced his behavior.

5. Moving him to a big-kid bed. Between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4, your child has probably outgrown his crib and is ready to give it up. Moving from his crib to a bed signals to him that he’s becoming a big kid. You can tell him that part of getting older is learning how to go to bed when he needs to rest and doing so on his own. Once he’s using his new bed, be sure to praise your child when he stays in it at bedtime and overnight. After the confinement of his crib, your child may get out of his big-kid bed over and over just because he can. If your toddler gets up, temper your reaction. Simply take him back to bed, firmly tell him that it’s time to go to sleep, and leave. (Ref: babycenter.com)

5 Things About Kids and Food

2011-11-29T21:13:00.001-05:00

How to Live With a Fussy Eater

Good news for parents of fussy eaters: You didn’t create them. In an effort to find out what drives unhealthy eating patterns among children, researchers from University College London compared children’s eating behaviors to their mothers’ reactions to said behaviors and found that parents are usually responding to (not the cause of) fussy eating or overindulgence.

The details: The authors collected questionnaire data from 244 mothers of children between the ages of 7 and 9. The moms filled out one survey related to their children’s eating behaviors, agreeing or disagreeing to statements that measured how a child responds to food (for instance, “If allowed to, my child would eat too much”), their child’s enjoyment of food, and whether their child ever avoids food (for instance, “My child gets full before his/her meal is finished” and “My child takes more than 30 minutes to finish a meal.”). The second survey related to the mother’s feeding habits, agreeing or disagreeing to statements like “If my child says ‘I’m not hungry’ I try to get him/her to eat anyway,” or “If I did not guide or regulate my child’s eating, he/she would eat too much of his/her favorite foods.”
The authors found that what the mothers usually wanted from their children yielded the exact opposite result: Mothers who put more pressure on their children to eat were more likely to report having children who felt full before the end of a meal, ate slowly, were “fussy” eaters, or didn’t enjoy food very much in general. On the other hand, mothers who were more restrictive of what their children ate (those who agreed strongly with the statement “If I did not guide or regulate my child’s eating, he/she would eat too much of his/her favorite foods”) were more likely to have kids who they reported would eat too much if allowed.

What it means: If you have a fussy eater or a child who overeats, it probably isn’t your fault. While this study doesn’t rule out the possibility that kids are simply eating a certain way just to assert a little control over the dinner table, Laura Webber, doctoral student in the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London and lead author of the study, says that most likely the child’s behavior is driving, not responding to, her mother’s reaction. Eating behaviors are usually inherited, Webber says, so chances are, a fussy eater isn’t being fussy simply to get a rise out of her mother (or overeating just because she was told not to). Essentially, she adds, “it is important that mothers do not blame themselves for their children’s eating behaviors.”
So what is the appropriate reaction for moms with fussy eaters or overindulgers? Here are a few tips:

#1. Maintain control at the dinner table.

“Mothers should take control and attempt to encourage their children to try new foods and eat healthily, rather than giving in to their demands,” says Webber.

#2. Limit the drama.

When parents label their kids “picky” or “fussy,” the children pick up on that, says Sarah Krieger, MPH, registered dietician with the American Dietetic Association. “Then it becomes a license to not try new foods,” she says. If you’re the parent of a fussy eater, serve food in a very matter-of-fact way, she says. “Have no emotion on your face.” If the child refuses it, just take it away and try serving it again in a few days. Don’t beg and plead with them to try it, she adds.

#3. Feed children when they’re hungry.

“The number one tip I tell parents is to make sure your kids are hungry when serving a meal, snack, or whenever you want them to eat nutritious foods,” Krieger says. “It seems like common sense, but it’s amazing what kids will try when they’re hungry.” It also helps teach children that it’s OK to be hungry so they’re less likely to eat constantly, or when they’re bored.
By the same token, she says, watch your child’s liquid intake. “Anything that offers calories without a lot of nutrition (like lemonades) can fill up tummies,” she says. Keep children from drinking any kind of caloric beverage two hours before a meal. If necessary, make the kitchen off limits during certain times of the day so children won’t fill up on either drinks or snacks before meals.

#4. Plan after-dinner activities.

Boredom is a powerful motivator for overeaters, says Krieger. “If you notice that a child wants to eat an hour after dinner, when it isn’t physically possible that they’re hungry, it can be more of a cry out for something to do,” she says. So instead of arguing with your child about the fact that she just ate, take her outside for a walk, or have some other activity lined up as a distraction.

#5. Make dinners a family affair.

“Encourage children to help make their lunch or dinner,” Krieger says. “Kids are more likely to try and eat more fruits and vegetables when they make them themselves.” And planning meals together also helps teach kids about portion control. When you do sit down at the table, make it a pleasant experience, she says. Don’t fight over how much a child is or isn’t eating, because then “It turns into a power struggle, and it’s not worth it.” Most important, be a good role model. Parents who eat healthy foods will set good examples for their children.
Ref: By Emily Main, Rodale.com

Toddlers in Rear-facing Seat Until 2

2011-11-29T21:10:00.001-05:00

Toddlers in rear-facing seat until 2

In a new policy statement published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat, which can be found on the back of the seat.
Previously, the AAP advised parents to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible, up to the maximum limit of the car seat, and this has not changed.

But it also cited one year and 20 pounds as the minimum for flipping the seat, which many parents and pediatricians interpreted as conventional wisdom on the best time to make the switch.
The new policy clarifies the AAP’s recommendation, making age 2 the new guideline — a real game-changer for parents of toddlers.

A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or to be severely injured in a crash if they are rear-facing. Another study found riding rear-facing to be five times safer than forward-facing.

“A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” said Dennis Durbin, M.D., F.A.A.P., a pediatric emergency physician and co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.

Recall Finder: Check if your child’s car seat has been recalled
Parenting talked to Ben Hoffman, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and a child passenger safety technician, to get answers to parents’ most pressing questions about the new policy.

Although the new baseline is now age 2, the AAP has advised parents since 2002 to keep kids rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of their car seat. Why are parents so eager to turn their car seats?
“Parents are interested in milestones, and the minimum of one year and 20 pounds has been interpreted as gold standard instead of the minimum,” says Hoffman. “Parents are always looking for the next stage of development because in every other scenario, that’s a good thing. With car safety seats, however, that’s often not the case.”

But isn’t forward-facing easier for everyone?
Yes, it’s easier to interact with your child when she is facing forward, and less awkward to get her into the seat. But safety should be the main concern. “I would ask parents to consider the protection of the child in addition to comfort,” says Hoffman. “It’s minimally acceptable to change to forward-facing at a year, but parents can do better than that.”

What about squished legs?
Kids who have been only rear-faced will most likely not be bothered, since they don’t know anything else. And it’s completely fine for their feet to touch the seat back, or for their legs to bend. “Once you make the switch, it’s hard to go back, so try not to ever switch them before they are ready,” says Hoffman.

Why are so few parents aware of even the older guidelines that say kids should stay rear-facing as long as possible?
There may have been some confusion with the message, with many parents mistaking the minimum for the ideal age to make the switch. The AAP hopes that by making age 2 the new guideline, the message will be less confusing for parents and for pediatricians.

If my child turns 2 before he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat, should I keep him rear-facing?
Yes. The safest decision is to keep him rear-facing until he reaches the height or weight limit for the seat.

If my child reaches the height or weight limit for my seat before age 2, what should I do?
Once your child exceeds the height and weight limit of his infant car seat, purchase a convertible car seat with a higher height or weight limit (most go to 35 pounds rear-facing) and continue to use it rear-facing until age two, or until your child hits the height or weight limit for rear-facing use. At that point you can make the switch to forward-facing– or you can purchase a convertible car seat with a higher weight limit for rear-facing (some go up to 45 pounds). “That’s a very personal decision for the parent,” says Hoffman, one that may also be influenced by the size of your car, the arrival of a younger sibling, or your budget.

What should I do if I’ve already switched my under-2 child for forward-facing?
The best advice is for parents to consider switching their child back to rear-facing. But the next best thing is to, at a minimum, make sure you correctly use the seat you have: Make sure the seat is harnessed tightly to the vehicle, that the harness is snug over the child and the chest clip is in the correct position, and that the seatbelt or LATCH system are installed correctly.

Why didn’t my pediatrician tell me about this?
“Pediatricians should be talking about this,” says Hoffman. “But given everything else that needs to happen in a well-child visit, sometimes this message gets left behind. I would love to see a day where every family-care health provider knew the best possible advice and shared it with their patients.”

By Sasha Emmons, Parenting.com

March 21, 2011 7:37 a.m. EDTMarch 21, 2011 7:37 a.m. EDT

Pregnancy - Month by Month

2011-02-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

First month

At the end of the first month, the embryo is about a third of an inch long, and its head and trunk-plus the beginnings of arms and legs-have started to develop. The embryo receives nutrients and eliminates waste through the umbilical cord and placenta. By the end of the first month, the liver and digestive system begin to develop, and the heart starts to beat.

Second month

In this month, the heart starts to pump and the nervous system (including the brain and spinal cord) begins to develop. The 1 in (2.5 cm) long fetus has a complete cartilage skeleton, which is replaced by bone cells by month's end. Arms, legs and all of the major organs begin to appear. Facial features begin to form.

Third month

By now, the fetus has grown to 4 in (10 cm) and weighs a little more than an ounce (28 g). Now the major blood vessels and the roof of the mouth are almost completed, as the face starts to take on a more recognizably human appearance. Fingers and toes appear. All the major organs are now beginning to form; the kidneys are now functional and the four chambers of the heart are complete.

Fourth month

The fetus begins to kick and swallow, although most women still can't feel the baby move at this point. Now 4 oz (112 g), the fetus can hear and urinate, and has established sleep-wake cycles. All organs are now fully formed, although they will continue to grow for the next five months. The fetus has skin, eyebrows, and hair.

Fifth month

Now weighing up to a 1 lb (454 g) and measuring 8-12 in (20-30 cm), the fetus experiences rapid growth as its internal organs continue to grow. At this point, the mother may feel her baby move, and she can hear the heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Sixth month

Even though its lungs are not fully developed, a fetus born during this month can survive with intensive care. Weighing 1-1.5 lbs (454-681 g), the fetus is red, wrinkly, and covered with fine hair all over its body. The fetus will grow very fast during this month as its organs continue to develop.

Seventh month

There is a better chance that a fetus born during this month will survive. The fetus continues to grow rapidly, and may weigh as much as 3 lb (1.3 kg) by now. Now the fetus can suck its thumb and look around its watery womb with open eyes.

Eighth month

Growth continues but slows down as the baby begins to take up most of the room inside the uterus. Now weighing 4-5 lbs (1.8-2.3 kg) and measuring 16-18 in (40-45 cm) long, the fetus may at this time prepare for delivery next month by moving into the head-down position.

Ninth month

Adding 0.5 lb (227 g) a week as the due date approaches, the fetus drops lower into the mother's abdomen and prepares for the onset of labor, which may begin any time between the 37th and 42nd week of gestation. Most healthy babies will weigh 6-9 lb (2.7-4 kg) at birth, and will be about 20 in. long.

Ref: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com

Perinatal period

2011-02-01T12:44:00.000-05:00

The perinatal period is immediately before to after birth. Depending on the definition, it starts between the 20th to 28th week of gestation and ends between 1 to 4 weeks after birth (the word "perinatal" is a hybrid of the Greek "peri-" meaning 'around or about' and "natal" from the Latin "natus" meaning "birth.").

Ref: wikipedia.org

Postnatal period

2011-02-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

The postnatal period begins immediately after the birth of a child and then extends for about six weeks. During this period, the mother's body returns to prepregnancy conditions as far as uterus size and hormone levels are concerned.

Ref: wikipedia.org

Prenatal period

2011-02-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

Prenatal defines the period occurring "around the time of birth", specifically from 22 completed weeks (154 days) of gestation (the time when birth weight is normally 500 g) to 7 completed days after birth.

Legal regulations in different countries include gestation age beginning from 16 to 22 weeks (5 months) before birth.

Ref: wikipedia.org

Pregnancy Duration

2011-01-12T01:21:00.000-05:00

The expected date of delivery (EDD) is 40 weeks counting from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP), and birth usually occurs between 37 and 42 weeks. The actual pregnancy duration is typically 38 weeks after conception. Though pregnancy begins at conception, it is more convenient to date from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period, or from the date of conception if known. Starting from one of these dates, the expected date of delivery can be calculated using the Naegele's rule for estimating date of delivery. A more accurate and sophisticated algorithm takes into account other variables, such as whether this is the first or subsequent child (i.e., pregnant woman is a primip or a multip, respectively), ethnicity, parental age, length of menstrual cycle, and menstrual regularity.

Pregnancy is considered "at term" when gestation attains 37 complete weeks but is less than 42 (between 259 and 294 days since LMP). Events before completion of 37 weeks (259 days) are considered preterm; from week 42 (294 days) events are considered postterm.When a pregnancy exceeds 42 weeks (294 days), the risk of complications for both the woman and the fetus increases significantly. As such, obstetricians usually prefer to induce labour, in an uncomplicated pregnancy, at some stage between 41 and 42 weeks.

Recent medical literature prefers the terminology preterm and postterm to premature and postmature. preterm and postterm are unambiguously defined as above, whereas premature and postmature have historical meaning and relate more to the infant's size and state of development rather than to the stage of pregnancy.

Fewer than 5% of births occur on the due date; 50% of births are within a week of the due date, and almost 90% within 2 weeks. It is much more useful and accurate, therefore, to consider a range of due dates, rather than one specific day, with some online due date calculators providing this information.

Accurate dating of pregnancy is important, because it is used in calculating the results of various prenatal tests (for example, in the triple test). A decision may be made to induce labour if a fetus is perceived to be overdue. Furthermore, if LMP and ultrasound dating predict different respective due dates, with the latter being later, this might signify slowed fetal growth and therefore require closer review.

The age of viability has been receding because of continued medical progress. Whereas it used to be 28 weeks, it has been brought back to as early as 23, or even 22 weeks in some countries.

Ref: wikipedia.org