OPINION and NEWS: Kids' Lunches Harboring Bacteria--So What?

I was watching CNN this morning when I saw this bit on kids' lunches and how they are too hot and harboring bacteria by lunch time. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, reported on how the University of Texas in Austin conducted a study and found 98 percent of the lunches tested were too warm by lunch time. The study was done on 700 packed lunches of 3- to 5-year-olds attending day care.

CNN.com in this article quotes Dr. Steve Abrams, member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition as saying, "This is a red flag. This means that the recommendations for food safety are not being followed."

Simple recommendation is to pack more ice-packs into the lunch-bag, and one pack may not be enough.

What the article fails to show, and the blurb on TV for the most part, is to say why should we care if our kids eat a little bacteria? Isn't it good for them to eat a little bacteria now and then to get their bellies used to things not being 100 clean? If my daughter is encouraged to eat dirt once in a while, what's a little warm turkey sandwich going to do? Make her burp a little? Maybe boost her immune system so that if she visits Mexico one day she doesn't automatically have to run to the bathroom after the first piece of unfiltered ice chip slides down her throat?

Aren't we getting a little too sterile and scared of a little not-so-fatal bacteria? Ok, I wouldn't be giving sushi to my kid for lunch without tons of ice-packs being involved in their lunchbox, but I probably wouldn't waste sushi on a child's palette anyway.

In my unmedically sound opinion parents are way too concerned about bacteria and a little dirt: hand sanitizer in every corner of every library, classroom, and playzone and anti-bacterial soap in every bathroom. I know superbugs are not a real concern just yet in this country, but it seems to me they will be one day and we're doing all we can to create them. Let the kids eat some warm sandwiches once in a while, let you kids play on the ground and get a little dirt under their nails, let them eat some bread that fell off their highchair from lunch, their kids they're supposed to be growing an immune system not living in a bubble.

NEWS: Warning on Geotagging Photos

I always knew you could geotag your photos, which is when the photos on a smartphone like the iPhone are tagged with latitude and longitude coordinates, but I never thought about the dangers of that tool. When you take a photo with your smartphone, then post it publicly online, the location of where those photos were taken is saved in the metadata. I certainly never thought someone could download software to grab the metadata, complete with the exact location, of those photos and then stalk (or worse) those children photographed.

I have to actually thank my mother for this information, which is VERY strange for ME (who used to write about technology) get news from my mother (who still has trouble opening Skype up properly after a year), about technology. Goes to show you, technology and technology news really is everywhere!

If you worry about such things like your children's safety and you post photos publicly online, make sure to turn off the geotagging service on your iPhone or other smartphone. If you have an iPhone you do this by going to the Settings, Location Services and then it has a list of which applications are using the GPS in your phone to geolocate you.

Many of the iPhone applications, like Around Me (that finds restaurants, gas stations etc...around you) or Sit or Squat (which shows you bathrooms in the area--very handy when you are pregnant), you might want to keep on, but you can turn it off just for the camera.

Don't be fooled it's not that a ton of stalkers are using this every day. It's not that easy and they'd have to really really want you or your kid to be going through this kind of trouble, but for me it's definitely worth turning off the service for a bit more safety.

More on this

NEWS: This Ridiculous Heat Can Cause Heat Stroke

This heat is out of control right now. It's so hot my daughter's crayons are practically welded to our back deck. In this kind of heat, it's important to be careful with infants and toddlers that they do not get too hot.

Heat stroke, a temperature of 105.1 degree Fahrenheit or above, is a serious condition that can lead to organ failure, brain damage and even death. Twenty-one children died of heat stroke after being locked in hot vehicles this year already, according to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University.

Some symptoms of heat stroke, according to BabyCenter.com, include:

Rapid pulse
Restlessness
Confusion
Dizziness
Headache (which may make him irritable)
Vomiting

If you think your child has heat stroke, immediately call 911 and get your child to as cool of an area as possible, preferrably a cool room. Sponge down the child and fan the child. For more information on cooling down a baby, visit NYU's Department of Pediatrics' site, it's pretty easy to follow and informative.

To PREVENT Heat Stroke, which is probably the best way to go about this heat, some things you can do is keep your babies and kids out of the sun/heat for extended periods of time.
Go to a cool place like the mall, a public library, or somewhere with air conditioning.
Provide lots of fluids to your kids if they are out in the heat, preferrably ones with electrolytes like Pedialyte (cheaper generic versions are available).

These prevention tips are just some taken from the CDC Extreme Heat site, for more of their tips, click here.

NEWS: NASA Has Fed Thousands of Babies

I thought this was a cute tidbit I found in the news about babies this week, the space shuttle program has helped developed a number of things one never thinks about, including today's baby formula recipes.

After researching algae as a recycling agent for space travel, scientists at NASA found one algae nutrient only found in human breast milk. Today, 95 percent of the infant formula out there is made with this algae-based additive called Formulaid. This ingredient is thought to be highly beneficial to infant mental and visual development, read NASA's press release.


“Millions of babies have been fed (by) NASA; that beats Tang,” Dan Lockney, NASA's spinoff technology manager, said to the Associated Press.

Read the full AP article here.

NEWS: Amber Alert In Mass. For Infant Boy

7/14/2011
UPDATE: Man arrested and child and mom found safe according to Enterprise News.

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7/13/2011
8:45pm

Massachusetts State Police have issued an Amber Alert for Raymond Slocum, a four-month-old boy. Raymond's father, Matthew Slocum, is wanted by New York officials fhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifor questioning in a triple homicide.

Police said Slocum abducted his son and his girlfriend Loretta Colegrove, the boy's mother in NY and then drove off to Mass. Raymond was last seen in Adams, Massachusetts, in a black 2003 Ford Mustang two-door, with New York license plate DED1769, a Reuters' article wrote.

NEWS: 10 Things Worse or New Now For Parents to Worry About

I was in a discussion with a Patch.com mom council about teens and sex and it made me think of sexting and that sparked this idea for a post:

10 things that we, as parents, have to worry about that our parents didn't have to worry about as much: (Feel free to tell me I'm wrong or add your own points)

1) Sexting
2) Facebook and predators online
3) Harassing text messages from bullies
4) Guns in school
5) Cocaine and other hard drugs at especially early ages
6) Pesticides on food
7) Childhood obesity
8) Being inside too much and forgetting how beautiful/fun nature is
9) Watching too much TV and too old-for-them TV
10) Spending too much money on materialistic crap.

NEWS: Target Recalls TWO Circo-Brand Items

Target announced a new Circo-brand recall today, add this to the Circo Booster Seat recall from June 15, this one on their Aloma Infant Girls Sandals. No injuries have been reported yet.

The sandals have decorative white plastic flowers attached to the toes and side areas. The flowers can be detached and pose a choking hazard. For a full refund, bring the shoes into any Target.

An additional 10 injuries have been reported since Target's 2009 recall of the Circo Child Booster Seats, bringing the total number of injuries to 18. The additional injuries prompted Target to expand the recall of the product from those seats sold between Dec. 2008 and June 2009, to all seats sold as far back as 2005. The constant issue is the restraint buckle or safety buckle can suddenly detach and allow the child to topple out. This could pose some serious consequences depending on the circumstances, so Target's pretty lucky there haven't been any permanent disabling or fatal injuries.

Visit the Consumer Safety Product Commission for more information on these and all recalls.

NEWS: Never Too Young To Be On A Diet

The Institute of Medicine warn parents and pediatricians alike that obese infants and toddlers can lead to adult obesity. Today, the IOM published in a report today, 10 percent of infants and toddlers are already obese. Childhood obesity can lead to adult obesity and so, the IOM is advising less TV and video time and making sure the kids are getting enough sleep and eating properly.

Interesting! I'd agree it's weird to see a baby who is already obese at only a few months old, and it's probably not the healthiest, but I'm not seeing anything earth shattering in this press release. Don't we all already know to limit TV and video time and be sure our kids are getting the right amount of sleep and veggies/fruits?

NEWS: Stronger Crib Standards May Cause SMBs Financial Loss

While I feel for the small businesses (SMBs) out there selling cribs no longer deemed safe by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, I can't argue that it is for the best.

See back in Dec. 2010, the CPSC voted to put very high safety standards on cribs sold in this country, making drop-side cribs illegal and creating overall more structurally sound cribs. The Commission put a June 28 deadline on companies, large and small, to get rid of their older, less safe cribs.

Now, some SMBs are having a hard time selling their older cribs and some are looking for an extension to the June 28 deadline. But the commission is not having it and so it looks like about 100,000 cribs may have to be trashed if they are not sold by the deadline.

I feel for those SMBs losing out on the already-hard-to-get dollars in this economy, but seriously, I can't feel too bad. The CPSC is doing a great thing by making sure more infants will be safe in their beds while they sleep (or don't). There has to be a deadline and it has to be enforced or it'll just drag on. So to the CPSC, I say kudos to you and thanks for helping all us parents rest a little easier in our own beds.

Read the CPSC Chairman's statement here.

NEWS: Breastfeeding Linked to Lower Risk of SIDS

As if you moms needed another reason to breastfeed, here's yet another benefit of giving babies the boob over a bottle at first--a possible lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--the most common cause of death for infants, about 8.1 percent of all infant deaths, in 2006 according to the American Lung Association.

Breastfeeding has been linked to babies having better immune systems, less gas, linked to a lower rate of diabetes and a host of other diseases as well as possible higher IQs.

In this study from one of my alma maters, The University of Virginia, the researchers combined data from 18 studies asking mothers about SIDS and feeding methods. Those babies breastfed appeared to have a 60 percent lower chance of SIDS than those babies not breastfed. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics on June 13, 2011.

The researchers did note they needed more data to link the two conclusively. Read the abstract on the study here.

NEWS: When Miscarriages Are Not Normal

This one came via my friend Kristel, from CNN.com. This story is about a woman who had four miscarriages by the time she was only 26. She lost four pregnancies and one was a set of twins in three years. The real issue is her OB didn't want to test her for any problems because she had one live, full-term, birth in the midst of all her miscarriages.

I did not know this but apparently, according to this article, an OB generally will not check for any genetic problems with the mom or dad unless the mom has had three miscarriages in a row without any live births.

This woman was found to have a genetic mutation that some believe can cause miscarriages. She was prescribed aspirin and her last baby was born full-term and healthy.

Read the full story here.

NEWS: Musical Shaker Recall

About 9,000 of these Woodstock Percussion shakers are being recalled because they pose a choking hazard and can cut babies. No injuries were reported, however.

The handle of these shakers can detach and expose a rough edge that can cut babies/children/whomever. If detached, there are other " small steel pellets and a plastic plug" that pose a choking hazard as well.

The shakers are made in China, even though the company is a NY-based one. Contact Woodstock Percussion for a $7 refund if you own one of these and stop using the product ASAP, the company warns.

Full recall here.

NEWS: Sextuplets Born in Penn.

I feel for any couple who undergo fertility treatment, and especially any couple who undergo treatment and wind up with six babies at once! That is tough and rough. If it took more than my hubby shaking his pants in my direction for me to get pregnant, I'd probably use some fertility treatment as well; but it doesn't seem as appealing when posed with the possibility is sextuplets. (Although they are a blessing for sure, don't get me wrong).

Here is the full story on the sextuplets from the Philadelphia Inquirer, but what really grabs me about this story is the dad's face in this photo. The mom looks all glowing and happy (probably reality hasn't hit her yet or she's just happy they are out of her belly finally), but the dad has a look of dread that just makes me feel for the guy.

NEWS: Genderless Baby?

I really don't understand the real point of this one. This family wants to raise their child "genderless" until it becomes necessary to make the sex of their child public. The full story is here.

Ok.....why is it such a big deal to be a girl and act like a girl and know that the baby is a girl? Or boy? People get so wound up in gender-roles, I get it, but that doesn't mean you can't be a scrappy girl or a bit butch just because you know you're a girl. I used to be in a skirt, with short hair, running after boys I liked and beating up the ones I didn't. Did that make me friendless and made fun of? Only sometimes, but most of the time I was able to convince a few other girls to join me in my fun.

And this therapist Susan Stiffelman brings up a good point, what about the siblings that know the gender of this baby and are told to keep it a secret? Stiffelman says, "...there's the contradiction that they want to raise their children with a sense of freedom and a lack of restraint in terms of gender expectations and, at the very same time... they are confining their other children."

Is this a family reaching for 15 minutes of fame and doing so using their child? Possibly. Is this a human/social experiment with their own child? Definitely. And to me that is just wrong. They are experimenting with their child's happiness and thrusting this newborn into the public view in an unfavorable way. As parents we're meant to protect our children, not force them from day one into the limelight with a giant question mark.

NEWS: Best Children's Hospitals 2010-2011

God forbid that any of us ever have to use a children's hospital for such things as cancer or a genetic disorder, but it does happen. And if you find yourselhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giff in need of a good doctor or hospital, then check out U.S. News and World Report's Honor Roll as well as their pediatric care rankings by specialty.

NEWS: Babies Born 'Full-Term' Fare Better

When I was pregnant I had false labor, a lot of women do. But it was thought that even if I had gone into actual labor my baby and I would have been fine, because I was 37 weeks pregnant--37 weeks is considered "full-term." Today, that idea may change.

A new study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology journal reads that babies born during week 37 and 38 of gestation are twice as likely to die during their first year than a baby born during the 39 or 40 week of gestation. Not anything a mother wants to hear.

The researchers analyzed the data of 46.3 million live births, using the National Center for Health Statistics database, from 1995 to 2006. The good news they found, generally, infant mortality has decreased for early-term and full-term births; however, they did also find babies born in the 37 or 38 week are 2.6 more likely to die pre- or post-birth for Hispanic and white babies, and 2.9 times more likely for black babies.

The abstract of the study can be found here.

NEWS: Reannouncement of Maclaren Stroller Recall (2009)

Additional fingertip amputations and cuts have caused the Maclaren company to reannounce their stroller recall from November 2009. An additional 112 injury incident reports have been filed since 2009, making the total reported injuries at 137.

About a million strollers are being recalled in total (from before 2009 and now) after a total of 17 fingertip amputations were reported and multiple laceration and finger-entrapment and bruising reports.

The strollers being recalled are the double-wide and single-wide umbrella strollers.

For many women, buying a stroller brand new is not an option. If you buy a used stroller, however, make sure there are no recalls on the item by checking online through the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

RECALL: Metoo Travel Chair Alert

Apparently these fairly popular travel and metro high-chairs are posing some serious hazards to children, including possibly amputation! The last thing you want with your burger is a side of your own baby's appendages! Terrible stuff!

These chairs clip on to the edge of tables with two metal vise clamps, see photo. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, "The clip-on chairs affected by this warning do not have plastic spacers between the table clamps and the front horizontal metal bar. The clip-on chairs that have plastic spacers between the table clamps and the front horizontal metal bar are under evaluation."

View the full advisory from the CPSC.

NEWS: FDA Warns Against Using Teething Gels

You know that any medication has side effects, tylenol can do harm to your liver, ibuprofen can cause heart arrhythmia and even allergy medicine can cause allergy-like symptoms. So it should come as no surprise that even medicine for babies and toddlers can cause harm too. The difference is your baby's immune system has not fully developed, like yours, so they are at more risk with medicines causing side effects.

Long story short the FDA has issued a rare (and take that into account here please) but fatal (also note that) side effect to using teething gels that contain benzocaine. Benzocaine can lead to lack of oxygen in the blood stream and in extreme cases a disease called methemoglobinemia that can be fatal.

If your child experiences any of these symptoms, the FDA says to immediately seek medical attention for your child: pale, gray or blue colored skin, lips, and nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; and rapid heart rate.

Click here for more on this safety release.

NEWS: Brains of Autistic Children Bigger

I am not up on my autism news, hopefully I will never have to be, but I found it pretty amazing that this research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School is finding children with autism have larger brains even up to the age of 5.

These researchers apparently already knew that children with autism had larger-sized brains at the age of 2, but this new paper they published reads this enlargement continues on for more years to come. Their research, albeit not with a large group (only 59 kids), shows that the brains of these children started growing extra "matter" as (possibly) early as before the babies turned one.

So whereas people who feel their doctor(s) may be over-diagnosing and perhaps their child is not autistic can now have one test done to rule it out or prove the doctor correct.

The CDC's site reads that one in every 10 children is born with the disorder now, hopefully places like the University of North Carolina can continue their research with larger groups and find undeniable indicators at an early stage to help treat, and ultimately find a prevention or cure for, autism.