2 Hours

If your kids have two hours of free time then spending those two hours outside can help prevent nearsightedness (NPR: Buried Indoors, Ranks Of Nearsighted Grow) or contribute to obesity if you put them in front of media (NPR: Pediatricians Recommend A Media Diet For Kids To Fight Obesity).

Environmental Working Group Released Their Annual Best Sunscreens List

EWG: Best Beach & Sport Sunscreens

California Baby has four products make the list.

Cow Bell Won't Help

The best course for kids with a fever is to let it do its own thing - that's why we have the fever.

What I normally do is wait at least 24 hrs with the child having a fever then give them minimum doses of a fever reducer as needed simply to keep them comfortable. The exception was my oldest daughter who seemed to have asthma-like symptoms triggered by a high fever.

See NPR: Pediatricians Caution Parents Against 'Fever Phobia'

Speaking of body temperature, research indicates 98.6 is ideal for preventing fungal growth [SciAm].

Dirt - It Is Not Just For Boys

More hygiene hypothesis to explain why girls appear to be less healthy than boys. See NPR: Why Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick

The converse of this topic was recently on the Diane Rehm Show: "Cinderella Ate My Daughter"

Jaundice And Autism

Correlation or causation?

A Danish study simply links the two. See PhysOrg: Newborns with jaundice more likely to develop autism: study

My first reaction is that this is an example of correlation and there's nothing here to indicate a shared causal agent in autism and jaundice.

Except for this part: "the risk of autism was higher... if the child was born between October and March."

Is this another argument for Vitamin D? Research is indicating this vitamin is a super-agent for health. Hopefully further studies of the jaundice-autism link will be forthcoming.

A Feeding Three Way

Not at Skyline


But a three-way interaction between mother, infant, and microbes. And another reason as to why there's no real susbstitute for breast-feeding. Or to quote from the article - “So for God’s sake, please breast-feed".

See NYT: Breast Milk Sugars Give Infants a Protective Coat

2010 Sunscreen Safety Report

I wrote about sunscreens in 2009: Sunscreen Safety

The Environmental Working Group has released their 2010 Sunscreen Guide

They only recommend 39 out of 500 tested sunscreens. Those are:

All Terrain
Aquasport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
TerraSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
KidSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30

Badger
Sunscreen for Face and Body, Unscented, SPF 30
Sunscreen for Face and Body, SPF 30 Lightly Scented
Sunscreen for Face and Body, SPF 15 Lightly Scented

Beyond Coastal
Lip and Face Screen, SPF 30

California Baby
Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Lotion Everyday/Year-Round, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30+, Citronella
Sunblock Stick Everyday/Year-Round, SPF 30+

Caribbean Solutions
Natural/Biodegradable SolGuard, SPF 25
Sol Kid Kare Natural Sunscreen, SPF 25

Desert Essence
Age Reversal SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen

Episencial
Sunny Sunscreen, SPF 35

Estion
Sunscreen with Zinc, SPF 38

Jason Natural Cosmetics
Sunbrellas: Mineral Based Physical Sunblock, SPF 30+
Sunbrellas: Chemical Free Sunblock, SPF 30+
Earth’s Best: Sunblock Mineral Based, SPF 30+

Kabana Skin Care
Green Screen Organic Sunscreen Fragrance Free, SPF 20
Green Screen Organic Sunscreen, SPF 22, Skin Tone Tinted

L’uvalla Certified Organic
SPF 20 Sunscreen Face/Body

La Roche-Posay
Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream

Little Forest
Sunscreen Lotion For Babies and Kids, SPF 30+

Loving Naturals
Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Miessence
Reflect Outdoor Balm, SPF 15
Purple Prairie Botanicals
SunStuff, SPF 30
Sun Stick, SPF 30
SunStuff, SPF 15

Soleo Organics
All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Soleo Organics/Wyland Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Soleo Organics/Atlantis Resort All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

thinkbaby and thinksport
Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Trukid
Sunny Days Face and Body Stick, SPF 30+

UV Natural
Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Sport, SPF 30+
Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Vanicream
Sunscreen Sport, SPF 35

Not Just Good For Babies

Scientific American reports How Breastfeeding Benefits Mothers' Health

...researchers think that by not engaging in the process that the body prepares for during pregnancy, many crucial systems can go out of whack. And the effects can last for decades after children are weaned.

Eat Your Dirt

Following up on the post Rub Some Dirt On It comes a study indicating early exposure to pathogens leads to a decreased risk of stroke and heart disease later in life.

See 80Beats: Let Kids Eat Dirt: Over-Cleanliness Linked to Heart Disease

...parents should develop a healthy medium between letting kids get dangerously sick and raising them in a nearly sterile environment. “In the U.S we have this idea that we need to protect infants and children from microbes and pathogens at all possible costs. But we may be depriving developing immune networks of important environmental input needed to guide their function throughout childhood and into adulthood”

Getting Vaccinated Pros And Cons

Two divergent views in national magazines.

The Atlantic: Does the Vaccine Matter?

Newsweek: The Long-Term Evidence for Vaccines: Vaccination does more than protect against flu. Study after study shows that keeping children safe from viruses has long-lasting, positive health benefits.

Rub Some Dirt On It

The hygiene hypothesis usually refers to respiratory illnesses such as asthma, but the BBC reports on new evidence that indicates when kids play outside and get dirt in their scrapes and wounds they are introduced to bacteria that prevents unnecessary swelling.

See: Dirt can be good for children, say scientists: Children should be allowed to get dirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal.

A Photo Gallery Of Baby Poop

This is exactly what is sounds like because sometimes you need a visual.

At Babycenter.com: What should baby poop look like?

[Via BB]

Sunscreen Safety

I'll admit to being a sunscreen skeptic. The reasons for this are that I turn tan relatively easily, some studies show the benefits of Vitamin D outweigh the risks of sun exposure, and there have been no studies showing the effects of putting all these chemicals on the body's largest organ (especially for small children who have a larger surface are to mass ratio than adults).

I have changed my mind after talking to someone who lost a 39 year old friend due to melanoma. The doctor told her it was due to sun exposure before she was 10. And now there is a report that has looked at sun screen safety. See: Healthiest sunscreens

There isn't one Coppertone product on EWG's list of recommended sunscreens and only two of the 50 Banana Boat and Neutrogena products tested met its criteria. One downside is that all of the products on EWG's list are pricier than your average sunscreen, some slightly more so and others are significantly more expensive.

Here are the most affordable sunscreens on EWG's recommended products list (calculated based on price per ounce):

Badger Balm, SPF 30
Caribbean Solutions Sol Kid Care, 25 SPF
Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 or SPF 30
Tropical Sands, SPF 50 or SPF 30
Solbar Shield Sunscreen, SPF 40
Vanicream Sunscreen Sensitive Skin, SPF 60 or SPF 35 version
Goddess Garden Kids Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
Solbar Zinc, SPF 38
Jason Natural Cosmetics, Mineral Based Sunblock, SPF 30

Maybe Morning Sickness Is A Good Thing?

From NewSci: Morning sickness may be sign of a bright baby

Morning sickness, which affects most pregnant women, is thought to be a reaction to the hormones human chorionic gonadotropin and thyroxine, which are secreted at unusually high levels during pregnancy to maintain a healthy placenta. Now Nulman speculates that these hormones, which are higher in women who experience morning sickness, may protect the fetus's developing brain.

Breaking News - Watching TV Makes Kids Fat

Yes, there are studies about this. Still. The correlation appears to be one extra kilogram of body weight for each additional hour of television viewing.

See PhysOrg: Children who watch more TV are fatter

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV is quite common in children under two. Know the symptoms and don't let your pediatrician try to talk you into allergy and asthma medications. However, if your child is wheezing get them to a hospital.

See: More children need medical help for RSV than previously known

More than 2 million children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are seen in hospitals, emergency rooms and doctors' offices in the United States every year -- many more than doctors know. In fact, only 3 percent of children with RSV in an outpatient setting actually receive a diagnosis of RSV infection.

After a couple of emergency room visits for RSV I developed this strategy to stop wheezing: make sure the child naps every day, even if that means walking for four hours and 20 miles; and lower any fever as soon as possible as I have a hunch the body's fever response is involved in constricting the esophageal lining leading to the wheezing which leads to low oxygen levels in the blood.

Don't Prescribe Steroids For Wheezing

Via MSNBC: Steroids do not help wheezing kids, studies say

Revisiting The Hygiene Hypothesis

NYT: Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You

Dr. Ruebush deplores the current fetish for the hundreds of antibacterial products that convey a false sense of security and may actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Plain soap and water are all that are needed to become clean, she noted.

“I certainly recommend washing your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, after changing a diaper, before and after handling food,” and whenever they’re visibly soiled, she wrote. When no running water is available and cleaning hands is essential, she suggests an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Dr. Weinstock goes even further. “Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” he said. He and Dr. Elliott pointed out that children who grow up on farms and are frequently exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Also helpful, he said, is to “let kids have two dogs and a cat,” which will expose them to intestinal worms that can promote a healthy immune system.

First, Do No Harm

Don't let grandma rub Vicks on children under two.

See MSNBC: There’s the rub: Vicks might make kids sicker

Another Reason To Breast Feed

Better lung function later in life.

See MSNBC: Better lungs for kids fed from breast, not bottle

"The physical exercise caused by suckling at the breast — about six times daily on average for more than 4 months — may result in increased lung capacity and increased airflow in breast-fed children compared with bottle-fed children," Dr. Ikechukwu U. Ogbuanu