Suffocation while sleeping is a huge risk for infants. Professional organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, have set standards to help reduce the rate of infant deaths caused suffocation. Among their recommendations: Keep cribs free from baby bumpers because of their association with infant deaths.
Some parents ignore this advice, which has made breathable bumpers -- bumpers created with breathable mesh that increases airflow and can reduce the potential of accidental suffocation -- a popular choice. The breathable bumpers' mesh keeps arms and legs from getting caught in the crib. Unlike traditional bumpers, the unsupportive mesh keeps older children from climbing up the sides of the crib.
Still, there are breathable bumper critics.
Consumer Reports experts in February 2009 stated that "bare is best," meaning that netting, sleep positioners or bumpers should not be used in cribs. The recommended that blankets, pillows or any other loose, soft bedding should be kept out of cribs, too.
Kids are now discouraged from hand-to-hand contact. Credit: Corbis
The latest casualty of the swine flu outbreak: Handshakes after youth hockey games.
With the flu spreading, USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport, now recommends that kids keep their gloves on when they line up for traditional post-game hand pumps. Avoiding skin-to-skin contact may help prevent the spread of H1N1, they say.
But the anti-flu measures don't stop there. Players have also been told to drink from their own water bottles, to wash their hands regularly and to clean their workout gear before each practice and competition.
"USA Hockey is taking a proactive approach by simply offering basic, simple advice to our athletes," Dr. Michael Stuart, USA Hockey's Chief Medical Officer wrote in an email to ParentDish.
A family looks at a gun during the National Rifle Association of America's annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Credit: Getty Images
The National Rifle Association is pushing a new bill that would prevent adoption agencies in Florida from asking pistol-packing mamas and papas if they have guns in their homes.
The bill was prompted by the case of a Brevard County, Fla., couple who, when applying to adopt a child, were asked if they had guns in their home, according to NBC Miami. The Miami Herald reports that the couple, who was not named, contacted a lawyer who put them in touch with NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer. The lawyer told the couple that it would be easier to change the law than to sue.
"We want all moms and dads to know that concussions are a very serious injury and should never be ignored," says CDC's Division of Injury Response director Dr. Rick Hunt.
Should concussions be a major worry for parents and coaches of young athletes? For a sobering answer, consult the family of Ryne Dougherty.
In 2008, Dougherty was a 17-year-old junior linebacker for his high school football team in Montclair, N.J. In September of that year, Dougherty suffered two concussions in two weeks, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. A month later, while playing for his school team, Dougherty suffered a third concussion. Two days later, he died.
Last month, Dougherty's parents sued the high school and the physician who cleared him to play.
Recall of Young Artist Easels, sold by MacPherson's/Art Alternatives. Credit: CPSC
A chalkboard on 10,000 Young Artist Easels sold by MacPherson's has tested above federal limits for lead allowable in children's products, prompting a recall.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the company has put out a voluntary recall, asking consumers to take the easels away from their kids until a replacement chalkboard can be sent to them.
The easels were sold mostly at art supply shops and online for about $75 between July 2004 and July of this year. Named Young Artist Easels, they were sold by MacPherson's doing business as Art Alternatives and manufactured in China.
The original packaging has the item number AA13301, and the UPC number is 082435133010. The recall applies only to easels with a chalkboard on one side and a whiteboard on the other.
The National Institutes of Health warn that lead poisoning is especially dangerous in kids. Even low levels of lead have been linked to lower IQ scores in kids, while higher levels are linked to anemia, muscle weakness and brain damage.
Parents can call MacPherson's at 866-319-5335 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday for a replacement, or e-mail them at recall@macphersonart.com. To fill out a form to have a replacement chalkboard sent your way, visit the MacPherson's Web site.
Kids are more stressed out than they were last year, and they take their cues from their parents. Credit: BrittneyBush, Flickr
Kids are more stressed out than ever, and their worries include family financial troubles, body image issues and getting into a good college or university.
The term "safety first" means that being safe is the first priority when performing a task.
Freedom from danger, risk or injury is foremost in whatever activity is being executed. In order to insure "safety first," one must know basic safetyrules.
Even preschoolers can understand the importance of keeping all windows and doors locked, not opening the door to strangers and how to dial 9-1-1.
While remembering this philosophy is a very important thing to do as a parent, some safety gadgets can go overboard. Attachable GPS trackers can tell you every move your child makes. In most cases, your common sense will help your safety skills more than an expensive gadget will.
Turn to ParentDish for further Health and Safety questions and answers.
Choosing the right chicken means better flavor and better quality. Credit: thebittenword.com, Flickr
We've been hearing for years that we should cut down on the amount of red meat we eat. Since these exhortations began, Americans have largely been plunging their forks into chicken instead -- to the tune of 8 billion birds a year -- because it's healthier, right? Well, that depends.
Parent Portal is a site created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide information on keeping children healthy and safe. If your kid has the sniffles and you are wondering if it's swine flu or a just a common cold, the Parent Portal is a good place to find reliable information from a credible source.
Additionally, there is health and safety information for pregnant women and children from infancy to the teen years. A "Quick Links" section includes information on H1N1 (swine flu), vaccines, growth charts, home safety, violence prevention and more. An easy-to-use "A to Z" index lets users quickly find information on thousands of health and safety topics.
Parent Portal also includes informative videos on a wide range of topics and links to other resources provided by government agencies. Additionally, users can sign up to receive automatic email updates on subjects of interest to them.
In a heart-stopping split second, an Australian mother watches as her 6-month-old son rolls onto a train track and under an oncoming train -- and escapes with just a scratch.
It could happen to any parent -- you release the brake on the stroller to prepare to board the train, and it rolls away from you. For Shweta Verma, a 29-year-old mother and dentist who lives in Melbourne, it is a nightmare that keeps replaying in her head and on TV, thanks to a surveillance camera that captured the entire terrifying episode on film.
Verma told Today's Matt Lauer about the terrifying moment when her son, Saurish, rolled onto the tracks as a train sped through the station. The video shows her horror as she helplessly watches her baby disappears under it.
Playing video games for an hour a day can increase wrist and finger pain in kids. Credit: Corbis
A study presented last week at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting showed kids who play video games for more than an hour a day increase their chances of having wrist and finger pain. Among kids ages 7-12 who play up to three hours per day, each hour of play time increased pain by 50 percent.
Elimination communication (EC) is a type of potty training that goes back to time immemorial because one of its goals is to forgo diapers altogether. Here's how it works: When a parent or caregiver knows or feels that the baby needs to go, he or she removes the diaper or clothing and holds the infant over a toilet or other appropriate receptacle. Because the baby is pre-verbal --i.e., parents are starting this early after their child's birth -- way before most parents think about potty training -- caregivers need to be on the alert for body language cues, patterns (e.g., after a feeding or a waking), intuition or simply by the clock.
EC training can begin as early as birth but can also start in later infancy or during the toddler years. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics believes there is no set age at which toilet training should begin, they do say that children younger than 12 months have no control over bladder or bowel movements.
EC's rising popularity is certainly influences by the economy (diapers are expensive) and environmental concerns (diapers are not biodegradable), but it's also a natural extension of a common practice called attachment parenting.
All new moms are warned about the dangers of germs when it comes to their newborn babies.
We're told to get flu shots; make sure everyone who touches baby washes his or her hands first; and to avoid taking newborns to church, restaurants, the mall or anywhere he's in danger of catching a cold,flu or worse.
One Utah mom keeps people from touching her newborn triplets with Hands off Baby stop signs that can be hung from infant carriers warning, "Wash hands before touching baby."
Germ-phobes can also buy don't-touch-me bibs,onesies,T-shirts and more, in hopes of keeping baby-loving strangers from getting too close.
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