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Archive for April, 2009

The Swine Flu (or influenza A, H1N1): Fighting Fear with Facts

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Q: From a pregnant mother: “The swine flu is all over the news. What is it, and what can I do to keep my family healthy?”

A: The swine flu is a new influenza A, H1N1 virus strain never before known to exist. It combines elements of previously seen swine influenza, avian influenza and human influenza and appears to be unusual because it can pass directly from person to person like the human flu we are more used to.

People are worried because cases of this flu virus have been have been documented in 10 states and Mexico during the past week. In addition, swine influenza cases also have been reported in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, France and Israel. There is concern that it could spread rapidly throughout the world. This would be a “pandemic”.

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Turn Around Your Toddlers: The Latest in Car-Seat Safety

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Q: A Rhode Island Mom has wondered: “My daughter is 15 months old and hates her car seat because she hates facing backward.  When can she turn around?”

A: This is a well timed question because there is breaking news from the AAP as of this April!  They now recommend that all children younger than two years old be restrained in rear-facing carseats.  This recommendation has come about because of alarming new data:

  • Toddlers from 12-23 months who ride in a rear facing car seat are five times safer than children their age riding in forward facing seats.
  • Children under the age of 2 are 75% less likely to die or suffer serious injury (if involved in a car accident) if they are in rear facing car seats rather than facing forward ones.

This is probably a great opportunity to remind all parents that–as children move from infant, to  rear- facing convertible, and then finally to forward facing booster seats– there is one common denominator: keeping children safe within the car! Many parents let children “loose” after they outgrow their booster seats at about age 4.  Children of all ages–like adults–need to be buckled in!

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The Battle of the Bath

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Q: From a father in New York: “My three year old daughter used to love her bath, but now she is frightened of the water.  Are her tears and trauma really necessary–or can we skip the bath?”

A: Let me start by reassuring you that this sounds perfectly normal. In fact, I agree with your daughter:  she doesn’t need a nightly bath!   Kids don’t need nearly as many baths as their parents think they do.

Of course, everyone likes his or her child to be clean, to smell good, and to have shining hair. This is as true for newborns as it is for adolescents.  But the necessity of bathing—the risks and the rewards of bathing—differ with every age.

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What about Juice? Isn’t it Important for Kids to Drink Juice?

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Q: A Michigan Mom wonders, ”What is the story with juice? Isn’t juice important for children to drink?”

A: In a word, the answer is: “No.”

When we were growing up, many of us had mothers who made us drink our orange juice at breakfast.  Maybe this is why Moms  across this country believe that juice is important for their children and unwittingly give them more juice than is healthy.  Or maybe we all do this because of the successful marketing campaigns of juice producers!
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