Time to Play Baby

Living with Children: Tackling Obesity

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:20:00 +0000

The childhood obesity problem in this country is a disgrace. We have the best economy and the best health care system in the world and nearly one in five of our children ages 6 to 19 are obese. That's up from approximately one in 20 in 1980. And consider that childhood obesity was pretty much a nonissue when I was a kid.

Being overweight during childhood and adolescence significantly increases a child's risk of developing high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression, and type 2 diabetes during his/her childhood years. Furthermore, begin obese in childhood greatly increases the likelihood the child will have serious weight-related health problems as an adult. Needless to say, the child's estimated life span is much shorter than that of a child of normal weight. The hospital costs associated with childhood obesity are in the megamillions.

The US Department of Health and Human Services says "the causes of childhood obesity are multi-factorial." No they're not. The reason so many of our children are obese is because they consume too much bad stuff and move too little. Their diets are high in bad carbohydrates (i.e., junk food) like French fries, sodas, and sweets, and low in fresh vegetables, fruits, and healthy sources of protein. They spend entirely too much time in front of televisions, video games, and computers and not enough time in physical activity. And make no mistake, the best physical activity for a child is free play. A child enrolled in an adult-micromanaged sport is not getting half the exercise kids got playing sandlot games in the 1950s and 60s, when childhood obesity was very rare.

In rare instances, a medical issue may precede childhood obesity, but the typical overweight kid has a lifestyle problem. As such, the solution is for parents to begin making their children's weight a high priority. Yes, schools need to eliminate carbo-load lunches along with soda and snack machines, but in the final analysis, childhood obesity is going to be prevented and solved at home.

This is not rocket science. Eat at least ninety percent of your meals at home, around the table as opposed to in front of a television set. If that means taking your kids out of most after-school activities, do it! Most of them involve minimal activity anyway. Prepare meals that are heart-healthy.

When your children are hungry between meals, give them apples, cheese, and raw vegetables. When they're thirsty, direct them to the faucet.

Garden with your kids. Studies have shown that children who garden with their parents eat what they grow and have, as a consequence, healthier diets.

They actually like vegetables! Gardening is also a source of great exercise.

Exercise with your children. Take daily walks and bicycle rides with your kids. Play catch. Throw Frisbees. Get a backyard trampoline. When they say they're bored, point to the back door.

Don't allow televisions, video game consoles, or computers in your children's rooms, and restrict total screen time to no more than one hour per day.

As screen time has increased for America's kids, so has their weight.

Perhaps most important, find out what you should weigh, get there, and stay there. Having an overweight parent greatly increases a child's chances of being overweight. Good health tends to run in families.

Join the next parenting revolution! Be a happier, healthier parent! Have happier, healthier kids!

Baby's First Words

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:56:00 +0000

When will your baby's cooing turn into his first word? And will it be "Mama"? Well, we can't answer the second question (though our guess is yes!), but generally babies utter their first words at 11 to 14 months, when the tongue and lips gain dexterity and the brain starts to match up objects with names. Of course, every child reaches this milestone at his own pace, but there are things you can do -- from birth onward -- to encourage him to talk.

How your baby communicates with you

At birth:

From the very start, your baby is learning the power of communication: He cries, you make him feel better. Your response to his noise-making lays the foundation for language.

At 2 months old:

Your baby can respond to your cues. So when you say sweet nothings while looking into his eyes, he can gaze back and coo in return. He's making a connection between what he hears and what he does with his mouth. And the high-pitched, singsong way you probably speak (experts call it "motherese") keeps your baby riveted so he can start to decipher sentences and words.

At 6 to 8 months old:

Get ready for all the adorable babbling! Your baby makes vowel sounds now, and will add consonants, too. Within months he may imitate the sounds he hears when you speak.

Encouraging baby talk

Give everything a name. At bathtime, for instance, say, "This is the shampoo," as you reach for it. Your baby will build her vocabulary.

Read together. At first she won't understand what you're saying, but you'll stimulate her senses and build a lifelong love of books.

Be silly. Games like "so big" or peekaboo reinforce listening, turn-taking, and imitation -- prerequisites for conversation.

Sing. Babies naturally love music, and singing is a great way to introduce a range of sounds.

Babble back. When your baby says "goo goo," say something similar in return, like "Hey, boo boo, how are you?" The play on sounds makes language fun. Before you babble on, pause to let her "talk" so she gets a feel for the rhythm of real conversation.

First words

Your child will probably say his first word right around his first birthday (what a nice present for Mom!). Most early words are repeated: You say "spaghetti" and she says "geddy." By 16 months, she'll be able to say a handful of words -- an average of 50 for girls and 30 for boys. (Boys tend to develop speech about a month or two later.)

This is the age range when most kids' progress varies most widely. To help yours enjoy chattering:

Read between the lines. When you're looking at books together, talk about what's on the page (point out the mouse on each page of Goodnight Moon, for instance).

Provide plenty of narrative at playtime. If he's having fun with his toy farm, for instance, say, "Gus is holding the cow. 'Moo,' says the cow," And so on. Help him put words to objects and verbs to actions.

Don't anticipate every desire. Try not to rush to refill his sippy cup when it's getting low -- let him tell you first.

Make like a monkey. Or a cow or a kitty. Animal sounds are some of the simplest for little talkers to form because they don't have a lot of consonants.

First sentences

Your toddler will likely start using short sentences now, like "More juice" or "Want ball." Encourage her by:

Prompting. When you're looking at a book together, ask her to describe what's going on in the pictures, which will reinforce her vocabulary. But don't do it to the point of frustration. If your toddler finds quizzing annoying, she may just clam up.

Kicking it up a notch. Repeat her simple sentences in more complicated ways. If she says "Doggy bark," for instance, reply, "Yes, the doggy is barking."

Build your child's vocabulary

By age 2, your child can start to follow increasingly complex sentences and use more pronouns, adjectives, and prepositions. Now's when the two of you can have the real conversations you've been waiting for. Tips for inviting more talk:

Avoid correcting him... Instead, repeat what he just told you in the proper form. If he says, "Daddy goed to work," you can say, "Yes, you're right. Daddy went to work."

...but get him to correct you. Hold up his pants and say, "Let's put on your hat!" Kids love it when you make a silly mistake.

Give him some room. Try not to finish his sentences, and pause after you ask him a question. It may take him a little while to think through what he wants to say.

Get him to tell you stories. Ask him about that trip to the zoo -- what he saw, what he liked most. Don't expect too much; stories for little kids can be as simple as "I saw a lion."

When to get help

About one in four children is a late talker -- and fewer than half of those kids will require therapy to get them on track. The best time to get professional help is when your child is around 2 1/2 -- the age when late bloomers usually catch up, says Leslie Rescorla, Ph.D., director of the Child Study Institute at Bryn Mawr College.

Signs that your child may be delayed include:

* She's still speaking in single syllables or drops final consonants.

* She doesn't use two-word sentences or ask questions.

* She melts down frequently because you don't understand her.

Let your instincts guide you, and consult your doctor, who can refer you to a specialist if necessary.

Summary

Your baby's first word is an exciting milestone, and one that you're probably anxiously waiting for. Keep in mind, though, that every child develops at his own rate, and whether your child is an early talker or a late one seldom has an impact on his later communication skills. Talk, sing, read, and play silly games with him. The more you communicate -- from birth on up -- the more language he'll learn.

Tips for Disciplining Toddlers

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:23:00 +0000

Perhaps one of the most challenging parts of parenting is the prospect of disciplining toddlers. Toddlers come to you like a blank canvas, wherein, you would have to paint different kinds of pictures which would teach the young minds to blend themselves with the rest of the world. And needless to say, this has to be done right from scratch. And it has to be remembered that once the color goes in to create something on this canvas, it becomes really difficult to undo it. Which is why, parents must be extremely careful in choosing the right type of colors, the ideas which they would paint, and the course of the painting. Hoping that you have got a fair idea, here are some parenting tips you can benefit from, in disciplining toddlers.

Tips for Disciplining Toddlers

Before I begin, I would like to stress on the fact that I am not a professional adviser to give you the right directions in disciplining your toddlers. Whatever I am going to pen down, are a shadow of my personal experiences in child care. Also, disciplining preschoolers is no easier or difficult than disciplining toddlers. Everything is same at its own level. The tips are as follows:

Tip #1

The first tip I would give you is about using the word 'No' for what it is meant to be. For instance, if your child has done something unacceptable, then do not lay your thought on negotiating the situation. Instead, use the word 'No' firmly. At this age, your toddler is not aware of the importance of obeying your orders, and so it is you who would have to be on the lead. It is most likely that your toddler would whine with all her 'why's', and so you must use this as an opportunity to make her understand as to why are you stopping her from doing a certain thing. Always use reasoning, and not corporal punishment, as your primary tool in disciplining children.

Tip #2

As a parent you must know when to react harshly and when to do it in a calm way. Being a rude daddy or a mommy, at all times, does not work. Trust me, it didn't for me. Toddlers, as I have mentioned, are empty canvases, without the colors of what's bad and what's good. Once they plunge themselves into something, it is you who would then help them see the difference between good and bad. So, decide if your reaction to certain acts is really worth it.

Tip #3

One of the most important advice to be followed in disciplining toddlers is about using the power of creating consequences. It is not something to be used to keep the child in fear, but it is a tool that would help them take decisions with a rational mind, when they grow up. Every decision has a consequence, and when you weigh the consequences before, you run minimal risk of blowing up what you have decided. So keeping this in mind, always help your toddler understand the consequence of good and bad actions. For instance, if your child is not coming out of the bathtub, then warn her that you would close the door and turn off the lights. Otherwise, it is most likely that your toddler would take you for granted.

Tip #4

One of the wisest quality God has bestowed on us is the ability to use what is known as empathy. This virtue is something which you would need every now and then. If you are not allowing your child to be at the zoo for long, then let her know that even you wanted to, but it's getting late. Try to voice her feelings to herself, but in your way. Knowing that you do understand what she feels, is one harmless way to know that you care thus, calming her down.

Tip #5

Although not always possible, but another essential tip in disciplining toddlers is about finding an alternative to unacceptable child behavior. For instance, if she is stubbornly throwing out stuff from the dressing table, then show her what fun it is to throw clothes in a basket. With repeated attempts you would be able to teach her one such constructive behavior.

Tip #6

If you are noticing what bad your toddler resorts to, you must be twice as responsible to see what good she does, as well. And to show her that you are pleased of what she is doing or has done, is to reward her. The reward may be a treat, a toy, a trip to the zoo, anything that you make her feel loved and pampered.

Tip #7

And coming to my last tip on disciplining toddlers, it is about realizing the importance of being consistent. Just like a cup of tea has to be stirred repeatedly to dissolve the sugar, you need to follow all these tips with consistency and whenever there is a need. With time, your actions would be learned well before she enters the next phase of child development and growth.

Boot Camp for New Dads

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Wouldn't it be nice to sit in a room with a bunch of new dads, and ask them what life with an infant is really like? That's exactly what you can do at Boot Camp for New Dads, a program available in 50 hospitals nationwide.

"Babies can be scary, especially for men," says Greg Bishop, founder of this unique crash course in fatherhood and a father of four. "New fathers need to be invited in, to be given the chance to feel competent."

So with the goal of helping men enjoy their babies and get involved from the start, he created a novel orientation to parenthood; he invited new dads to bring their babies into a classroom so that the expectant fathers — the students — could ask questions covering everything from holding a baby to identifying different kinds of burps and poops. One testament to the success of the program: Nearly half the "rookie" dads ask to come back to speak to a class once their baby is born.

Here, Bishop shares the organization's top ten tips to help dads-to-be hit the ground running.

Learn from the best.

Ask the hospital nursery personnel to show you how to change, swaddle, and bathe your baby. One dad was determined to change his baby's very first diaper — while in the hospital and surrounded by staff and family. "I wanted to set the tone that I'm here to play," he said. If that sounds a little daunting, Boot Camp veterans say, just ask the nurses to show you how to do these basic tasks. You'll all benefit: No one will typecast you as a traditional, noninvolved father, you can become a pro at something baby-related early on, and you and your wife can start sharing responsibility.

"No matter what happened during pregnancy — whether or not you played Mozart to the fetus — the rubber hits the road when the baby is born," says Bishop. ""Jump in now — the more you do with your baby, the quicker you'll bond."

Trust your instincts.

You will become the expert on your own baby. "The most nervous dads are afraid to hold a baby," says Bishop. "We've found that if we put another guy's baby in their arms, they'll hold him very stiffly as they try to do it exactly right, but within five minutes, they relax and mold into the baby."

A few such encounters go a long way. Formerly nervous new dads tell expectant dads, You don't have any choice but to get in there and do it: Change the diapers, comfort the baby, trust your instincts, and in two days, you'll feel like a natural.

Be patient and positive.

When it comes to your partner, communication and support are the keys. "Dads always say that the most important thing in the early weeks is being patient and taking care of mom," says Bishop. New fathers typically advise the rookies to cut their wife plenty of slack: She's been through the physical trauma of childbirth and her whole life has been turned upside down by the arrival, however joyful, of this new baby.

Meanwhile, even if you've had a hard day at work, it probably sounds like a vacation to her. So do be patient and supportive. Bishop's standard advice: Call your wife in the afternoon, when she may be feeling as if the day will never end, and let her know you appreciate what she's doing.

Stand your ground.

Don't let anyone push you away from your baby — not your mother-in-law, your mate, or your boss. It's easy for a new father to feel excluded from taking care of a baby, or that he can do nothing right. "Dads may well do things differently from moms," says Bishop, "and that's okay. If it's a problem, go into another room and try things your way." And make sure you spend time alone with your baby, especially in the first month. "You'll have problems," says Bishop, "but the key thing is you'll get through it, one way or another. And once you do, your anxiety level diminishes."

Veteran dads agree: A little bit of time alone with an infant makes you feel like a father. And it's the only way you'll reach the milestone of learning to comfort your crying baby yourself — rather than turning him over to someone else. "Dads tend to be very creative problem-solvers when given the chance," says Bishop, "whether they're working out how to soothe a baby or to help him stay asleep during the critical transition from Dad's arms to the bassinet."

Learn as a family, just the three of you.

Don't let "help" become interference. Relatives who want to help can be a mixed blessing — and new mothers and mothers-in-law can easily push a father into the background. "Lots of dads say they weren't able to be themselves until their relatives left," says Bishop, "but these newborn days are a crucial part of forming a family." Good advice: Consider putting family members up in a hotel — not your home — and asking them to help with the house, not the baby. This way mom, dad, and the baby can focus on each other.
Your baby is portable.

You can take your baby anywhere, so don't get caught up in fretting about what you can't do. You won't ruin your baby's schedule if he naps away from home. In fact, young babies will often sleep anywhere. "Get out together with the baby," says Bishop. "Otherwise, you'll all feel trapped."

You will get frustrated.

So step back. Think. Count to some high number. Think again.

"When you don't know why a baby is crying, it's easy to get frustrated," says Bishop. When you've checked out every possible reason for discomfort, know that babies sometimes just need to blow off steam while you look at them adoringly, but also know your limits. Sometimes you just need to put the baby in his bed and shut the door for a few moments to collect yourself. That's okay, too.

Make eye contact.

How do you play with a young baby? By looking and talking to him. He'll look right back. "Eye contact is a big part of bonding and spending time with your baby," says Bishop.
Remember, this too will pass.

When times are trying, keep this in mind: This baby will be grown up before you know it.

Relax and enjoy the ride.

Make it a daily habit to play with your new baby, check out his tiny little feet, play peekaboo, sing. Veteran dads often say that there's nothing more relaxing than having a baby fall asleep on your chest. As sappy as it may sound, Bishop finds that men have no idea how much their baby will mean to them.

Parenthood often comes at a time in a man's life when he has to work 60-hour weeks; some dads believe they can make up for lost time later. "You can't," says Bishop. "So make sure that you do spend time — even if it's just an hour a week — alone with your baby now."

Protecting Your Child From Toxic Threats to Brain Development

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:14:00 +0000

1) Reducing Risks from Pesticides

*Nearly all pest problems can be solved without the use of toxic pesticides. Alternatives include the use of nontoxic products and substances to kill or repel pests, and also the use of techniques that prevent pest problems. These range from companion planting in the garden, to sealing cracks and crevices in the home where pests may enter. Many of these can be found in a variety of books that detail specific nontoxic products, remedies and methods. Do not use pesticides in your home or garden unless all other alternatives have been exhausted. Then try to use least toxic pesticides.

* Make sure your child's school has policies in place that emphasize the least use of toxic chemicals, including pesticides. Many communities have adopted Integrated Pest Management techniques to minimize pesticide use. Parent involvement has often been the catalyst to reassess the need for using toxic chemicals in the school environment. See if such a group exists in your area as part of the national Healthy Schools Network. In order to protect your child from exposure when pesticides are used, inform the school that you, as a parent, want to be
notified if and when pesticides need to be applied.

* Give your kids a varied diet, buying organic fruits and vegetables and other foods whenever possible. Peeling and/or washing can in some instances remove surface residues of contaminants. Buying organic also helps support the growers and distributors of organic foods, who are contributing to the creation of an overall healthier and cleaner environment.

2) Reducing Risks from Lead

* Have your child screened by your pediatrician or family physician for lead.

* If you live in a home built and painted prior to 1978, it is likely to have leaded interior paint. The paint should be tested by a professional, especially if it is peeling. When possible, lead paint should be removed, but only by trained personnel, since removal can create even more problems when not done properly. When lead paint cannot be removed, surfaces and floors should be wiped regularly with a damp cloth, and children's hands and toys should be frequently washed. It may also be possible to cover lead-painted surfaces with wallpaper, tiles, paneling or other materials.

* Check product labels for the presence of lead, and avoid the use of products such as hair dyes and lipsticks that may contain lead.

* Run tap water for a minute or two in the morning to discharge water that may be contaminated from leaded solder (used for sealing joints until 1986, and still commonly used in taps and water coolers).

3) Reducing Risks from Chemicals that Accumulate in Food

* Eating low on the food chain (more fruits and vegetables; less meat, dairy, fish and poultry) is an effective way to reduce your intake of the persistent chemicals that accumulate in animals that are high on the food chain or long-lived. These chemicals also accumulate over many years in humans, and are passed from mother to fetus during the most sensitive period of brain development. Fetal exposures are therefore best prevented by lifelong dietary habits that minimize your intake of these pollutants.

* Since these "bio-accumulating" chemicals are found mainly in animal fat, reducing your intake of animal fat reduces toxic threats as well as risks for heart disease. Animal fats are found in dairy products (especially cheese), processed foods, meat, fish, and chicken. You can lower your fat intake by consuming only low fat animal products, such as nonfat milk, and lean meat, poultry and fish, and by cutting away any fat that can be trimmed before cooking.

* Mercury, unlike other bio-accumulating chemicals, resides in the muscle of the fish, not the fat. Therefore, high-mercury fish should be avoided. Fish of concern include swordfish, shark, and freshwater fish in contaminated regions (commonly found throughout the US). Tuna, which is moderately high in mercury, should be limited to about 6 oz/wk5 (for a woman of average weight). [Read the articles about the harmful impact of mercury in fish: "Too much tuna could harm babies" and "FDA to review its do-not-eat list of fish".]

Before and during pregnancy and lactation, high and moderately-high-mercury fish should be avoided in favor of fish which are lower in mercury and other bio-accumulating pollutants, such as cod.

4) Reducing Risks from Household Products

* Use less toxic or nontoxic cleaning products. Commercial brands are available, or you can make simple cleaning solutions with substances such as baking soda, soap, and vinegar. The use of scrubbing pads and brushes can also eliminate the need for chemical cleaning agents. Modern household and bathroom deodorant products (e.g., toilet bowl deodorizers, air fresheners, surface disinfectants) and some cleaning products may contain solvents, suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and sometimes pesticides.

5) Reducing Risks from Building Materials, Construction and Furnishings

* Toxic fumes and dust are commonly present during demolition and new construction. Pregnant women and young children should avoid
exposure to home renovations and construction areas.

* Bonded wood products (plywood, chipboard), carpeting and furniture may contain and off-gas volatile organic chemicals and other toxic fumes. Purchase nontoxic or less toxic furnishings and building materials when possible, such as solid woods.

* Installed carpets may be reservoirs for toxic pollutants (including lead, pesticides and dust). They should be vacuumed frequently with a rotary brush, fine-filter vacuum, or eliminated when possible. Removing shoes when entering the house can reduce carpet contamination by chemicals brought in from outdoors (e.g. lead, pesticides). Natural fiber area rugs are constructed without chemicals, and, in contrast to installed rugs, do not require gluing with solvents. Like installed carpets, area rugs may also be reservoirs for pollutants and should be vacuumed or shaken outdoors frequently.

6) Avoiding Solvents

* Numerous hobbies (e.g. painting, model building, furniture refinishing) and any activity using degreasers (e.g. automobile repair) or non-water-based glues are likely to involve exposure to solvents. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should completely avoid such exposures. Others should minimize solvent exposure by using these products only in very well ventilated areas, and avoiding skin contact.

* Avoid chemical dry cleaning whenever possible. Air out freshly dry cleaned clothes outdoors before wearing or storing them indoors. Leave windows open in the car when transporting newly-cleaned clothes. If you live above or near a dry cleaner, have your home tested for perchloroethylene contamination. Women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or nursing should avoid any exposure to dry cleaning, including recently dry-cleaned clothes.

* Alternatives to traditional solvent-based dry cleaning are available. Wet cleaning processes using soaps and controlled application of water have been found to be extremely effective, and well received by consumers. Urge your local dry cleaner to switch to safer cleaning methods.

7) Breast-feeding

* Breast-feeding is recommended for a period of at least one year, since it provides a broad spectrum of important, proven health benefits to the infant.9 These benefits include reduced risks for life threatening diseases as well as mild illnesses. For example breast-fed infants have less pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea, and meningitis in infancy, and later in life, appear less likely to develop asthma, obesity and diabetes. Mothers who breast-feed return to their pre-pregnant weight more quickly, and have improved bone remineralization and reduced risk of hip fractures in later life.

* While breast milk is contaminated by environmental chemicals, these exposures, unlike those of the fetus, have not been shown to cause harmful effects. Since the chemicals in breast milk, however, do increase the chemical body burdens in infants, it is prudent to decrease breast milk contamination. This can be accomplished by reducing consumption of animal fats, which are high in cheese, processed foods, and non-lean meat and fish. Since persistent chemicals build up in the body over decades, these dietary habits should extend from infancy through the
reproductive years. A diet low in animal fat prevents not only breast milk contamination, but more importantly prevents the fetal exposures that have been shown to cause adverse effects.

* Breast milk contamination should be prevented at its source. The
margin of safety in breast feeding, and in fetal development, should be protected by reducing or eliminating the production of these contaminants. For more detailed information, see What About Breast-Feeding? on this site.

8) Alcohol and Tobacco

* Children whose mothers smoked in pregnancy, or who were exposed
to second hand smoke, are at risk for impairments in learning and
intelligence. Pregnant women should not smoke or be near others
who are smoking.

* Pregnant women should forego all alcohol throughout pregnancy.

Antibiotics are not needed for ear infections in children

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Ear infections represent the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions in children, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that most children with acute ear infections be observed for a period of 48 to 72 hours without antibiotics (AAP Subcommittee, 2004). They reached this conclusion because most children with ear infections will get better just doing nothing (Rosenfeld 2003).

A study published in the November 2010 issue of JAMA confirms the wisdom of avoiding antibiotics for the treatment of ear infections. This study reviewed 125 previous studies on the effect of antibiotics vs placebo, and found that 80 percent of children with ear infections would recover within about 3 days without antibiotics. If all of the children were treated with antibiotics, then another 12 percent would improve in three days. However, 3 to 10 percent of the children would develop diarrhea (Coker 2010). The authors could not assess the long term effect of antibiotic treatment on antibiotic resistance and further infections based on the data, but some studies have shown that children treated with antibiotics tend to develop resistance to antibiotics and have more ear infections than children not treated. This makes sense because antibiotics interfere with the production of white blood cells. When white blood cells are unable to fight infections, then recurrence of an infection is more likely (Fratkin).

The modest benefit of using antibiotics for ear infections may be far outweighed by the detrimental effects, especially when other safe and effective treatments exist for resolving these acute infections.

Homeopathy and herbal medicine have been effectively treating ear infections for hundreds, even thousands, of years. A double-blind clinical study of the homeopathic treatment for ear infections showed a significant decrease in symptoms after 24 hours compared with the placebo-treated children (Jacobs 2001). Chinese herbal medicine offers especially effective treatment for ear infections in children, including formulas specifically developed for pediatric use (Neustaedter 2010; Fratkin). With these alternatives available and the evidence from numerous studies of antibiotic failure, it seems that the era of prescribing antibiotics for children's ear infections should be relegated to the past.

References

AAP Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media, Diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media. Pediatrics 2004 (May) 113(5)1451-1465.

Coker TR, Chan LS, Newberry SJ, Limbos MA, Suttorp MJ, Shekelle PG, Takata GS. Diagnosis, microbial epidemiology, and antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media in children: A systematic review. JAMA. 2010 Nov 17;304(19).

Fratkin J. Pediatric ear infections and Chinese medicine. http://www.drjakefratkin.com/pdf/Ea...

Jacobs J, Springer DA, Crothers D. Homeopathic treatment of acute otitis media in children: A preliminary randomized placebo-controlled trial. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2001;20(2):177.
Neustaedter R. The Holistic Baby Guide: Alternative Care for Common Health Problems. 2010, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, CA.
Rosenfeld RM, Kay D. Natural history of untreated otitis media. In: Rosenfeld RM, Bluestone CD, eds. Evidence-Based Otitis Media. 2nd ed. Hamilton, ON, Canada: BC Decker Inc; 2003:180-198.

About The Author

Dr. Randall Neustaedter, OMD, has practiced and taught holistic medicine for more than thirty years in the San Francisco Bay area, specializing in child health care. He is a licensed acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine, author of The Holistic Baby Guide, Child Health Guide and The Vaccine Guide. Visit his website, www.cure-guide.com, to register for a free newsletter with pediatric specialty articles and follow him on Facebook, username cureguide1 or Dr. Randall Neustaedter, OMD.

How Will You Know When Your Baby is Ready to Eat Solid Foods?

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:36:00 +0000

How Will You Know When Your Baby is Ready to Eat Solid Foods?

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods? Your baby may be 3 months old or 4 months old when you start to feel she may need "something more" than formula or breast milk. Maybe she is beginning to awaken more often at night or eat more often than "usual" and you wonder if introducing solid foods may be what she needs.

A Growth Spurt May be Confused with a Readiness for Solid Foods

Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age. Your baby may begin to wake more frequently at night for a feeding and/or may begin to eat non-stop (cluster feed) as she once did as a newborn. This growth spurt often accounts for the increased hunger in your baby and it should not be taken as a sign that your baby needs solid foods added to her diet.

Try offering your baby more frequent nursing sessions and/or bottle feedings instead of solids; you will find that within a week or two, your baby is oftentimes over the growth spurt and back to feeding "as usual".

Here are a few "signs" that may indicate your baby is ready for Solid Foods:

Loss of tongue-thrust reflex - This allows baby to drink and swallow liquids with ease; with the tongue-thrust reflex still present, baby may simply drink in liquid purees or push the food back out. According to Dr. Jim Sears, in the first four months the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back. Between four and six months this reflex gradually diminishes, giving the glob of cereal a fighting chance of making it from the tongue to the tummy
Ability to let you know she is full from a "meal" with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food being eaten. This helps stop baby from accidentally overeating as parents may continue to feed baby thinking that she is still hungry.
Ability to sit up and hold head up unassisted
Interest in your food (we tend to disagree with this one as when a baby reaches the age of 4-6 months, he is interested in putting everything in his mouth.)
Doubling of birth weight
Frequently waking in the middle of the night when a solid sleeping pattern had been established. This may not be the best indicator that your baby is ready for solids. Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age, 6-7 months of age and also 9-10 months of age. Baby may also be waking due to an illness or teething.
I know Many Babies Who Were Started on Solids "Early" Why Shouldn't My Baby?

Many parents say that their own pediatricians or their friends' pediatricians have said that it's fine to start solids (typically cereal) at 4 months of age. It is still common for pediatricians to just say "start solid foods when your baby is 4 months old" because this has been the norm for many years.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) acknowledges that there are no "strict" age guidelines on introducing solid foods to your baby. However, "The AAP Section on Breastfeeding, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, and many other health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.2,127–130 Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as an infant's consumption of human milk with no supplementation of any type (no water, no juice, no nonhuman milk, and no foods) except for vitamins, minerals, and medications.131 Exclusive breastfeeding has been shown to provide improved protection against many diseases and to increase the likelihood of continued breastfeeding for at least the first year of life. 2005
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496

This ensures optimal nutritional exposure and may stave off food allergies amongst other issues. Further studies have shown that an infant's gastrointestinal tract has not or may not have matured enough to properly digest/utilize solid foods until around 6-8 months old.
There is a "conflict" between the AAP Breastfeeding et al and the Committee on Nutrition as regards starting solids. The Committee on Nutrition says babies may be started on solid foods "between 4 and 6 months" of age.
The Committee does not recommend 4 months of age as the absolute starting age however. "At approximately four-to-six months, you can begin adding solid foods. "Most babies are not ready for solids before this time, as they have not lost their tongue-thrust reflex at that age," Dr. Greer says. Dr. Greer is with the Committee on Nutrition.

Studies show that babies are highly individual in developing a readiness for solid foods. One baby might seem to be ready for solids at 4 months, while another shows no signs of readiness until around 6 or 7 months. Just because your friend's baby may have began eating solid foods at 3 or 4 months of age does not mean that your baby should.

Don't be pushed into starting solids and don't feel like you are a "bad Mommy" if you feel your baby is ready prior to 6 months of age.

**Please keep in mind that "outward" signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby's inner digestive system is mature and ready. You should thoroughly discuss starting your baby on solid foods with your baby's pediatrician.

If your pediatrician insists that you start your 4 month old infant on solids and you don't feel baby is ready, ask the pediatrician to explain the benefits of starting solids early.

And remember, you never HAVE to begin introducing complementary foods simply because your pediatrician has suggested that you do so; unless there is some medical need. Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician will you be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.

Parenting - Understanding Your Child's Temperament and Personality

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:57:00 +0000

As individuals we all have our own temperament and personality but what many parents do not appreciate is that we are born with the former and that the later develops over time and is influenced considerably by our environment.

A child's temperament will include such things as his level of activity, how adaptable he is, how easily distracted he is and how sensitive he is.

For many parents a child's temperament becomes a source of frustration since the child is born with this and, despite the parent's best efforts, it cannot be changed to any substantial degree. If your child is naturally sensitive then you are not going to have much success in changing that, whatever you do.

The real problem for many parents is that they fail to see the advantage in the fact that a child's temperament is largely set at birth. Raising a child is immensely complex at the best of times, but having a fixed base from which to work has tremendous advantages and the secret is not to try to change your child's temperament but to work with it.

The fact that you know that your child is exceptionally active, is not easily distracted or demonstrates a particularly high level of emotional expression gives you an excellent basis for understanding your child and for devising a strategy which works with your child's temperament to help him to develop and to reach his full potential.

Personality by contrast is a whole different ball game and is a far more complex and less well understood area than temperament. Experts disagree widely about just what shapes a person's personality and the degree to which various factors influence the development of personality.

There is little doubt however that a child is born with at least the basis of his personality inherited from his parents and that his personality will be shaped by his environment and, to a degree, by his own experience and perception of that environment. There are however many other factor which come into play and such things as culture and the role by a child's parents are also extremely important is forming a child's personality.

Whatever view the so-called 'experts' might form about personality one thing is certain and that is that we can all recognize different types of personality fairly easily since personality, when all is said and done, is nothing more than those characteristics which make up the individual and set him apart from others. Your child may for example be serious, quiet and reserved or may be very assertive and outspoken. He may be a very organized and practical individual or may be particularly good with other people and be warm-hearted and popular.

Once again the secret is to recognize your child's personality but, in this case, to understand that personality is not set in stone and can be altered, within reason, with care and the right approach. A child who is assertive and outspoken could find himself making remarks which are likely to run him into trouble but, because this personality trait is not set in concrete, a parent has the opportunity to work with the child to help to curb this particular tendency.

Recognizing a child's temperament and personality, and understanding the strengths in each and the degree to which changes can be made, is vital in helping parents to create a strategy on which to base their parenting style to ensure the best possible development for a child.

Things You Need To Know Before Potty-Training

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:52:00 +0000

Do you know that there are a ton of techniques and methods that people use to potty-train their children?

Well, the good news is that none of them are wrong - the difference between the many different strategies is that some are quicker than others and some are more comfortable than others. They'll all get the job done - eventually!

Ever hear of babies being potty-trained? Crazy, huh? It is possible, you know? It takes a little bit longer, but it is possible.

"Baby Training" can be very effective, but it's very time consuming - it won't happen in 48 hours. The approach is carefully planed and perfectly executed. Like all plans - things have to be in order first. If you're looking to take this approach and have your little one out of diapers just after learning to walk then you'll need to understand a few things:

Verbalization and Vocabulary
Introducing the Potty
Knowing the Pros and Cons
"Weekend Potty Training" is an awesome method for getting your child out of diapers. Like the "Baby Training" approach, things need to be in place though. This is the 48 hour technique. If you want this method to be successful understand the following:

Getting Ready
Understanding Play Practice
A Day on The Potty
Implementing Rewards
To Deal With Accidents
Verbal Cues
What Is Ending The Day
Knowing the Pros and Cons
Many Physicians recommend the "Gender Approach" for potty-training. This method focuses more on the child's readiness. As opposed to the previous methods, this strategy requires patience on your end - waiting for your child to show you that they'll ready to tackle the "potty". Here's what to look for and teach:

Potty Introduction
Giving Child Choices
Implementing Rewards
Recognizing When "Late" Is "Too Late"
Knowing the Pros and Cons
Again, you can find all the details to these methods at http://www.potty-secrets.com where everything is broken down and made easy to understand and even easier to put into action.

The right approach for your child is essential. Be sure that you understand whatever one you'll take because the success of your child's potty-training depends of his or her comfort level. The last thing you want is your child regressing.

Why Early Childhood Development is So Important

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +0000

This video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (developingchild.harvard.edu) features Center Director Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School addressing basic concepts of early childhood development, established over decades of neuroscience and behavioral research, which help illustrate why child development—particularly from birth to five years—is a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLiP4b-TPCA&feature=player_embedded

Inside A Baby Mind

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:34:00 +0000

WHAT IS IT like to be a baby? For centuries, this question would have seemed absurd: behind that adorable facade was a mostly empty head. A baby, after all, is missing most of the capabilities that define the human mind, such as language and the ability to reason. Rene Descartes argued that the young child was entirely bound by sensation, hopelessly trapped in the confusing rush of the here and now. A newborn, in this sense, is just a lump of need, a bundle of reflexes that can only eat and cry. To think like a baby is to not think at all.

Modern science has largely agreed, spending decades outlining all the things that babies couldn't do because their brains had yet to develop. They were unable to focus, delay gratification, or even express their desires. The Princeton philosopher Peter Singer famously suggested that "killing a disabled infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Very often it is not wrong at all."

Now, however, scientists have begun to dramatically revise their concept of a baby's mind. By using new research techniques and tools, they've revealed that the baby brain is abuzz with activity, capable of learning astonishing amounts of information in a relatively short time. Unlike the adult mind, which restricts itself to a narrow slice of reality, babies can take in a much wider spectrum of sensation - they are, in an important sense, more aware of the world than we are.

This hyperawareness comes with several benefits. For starters, it allows young children to figure out the world at an incredibly fast pace. Although babies are born utterly helpless, within a few years they've mastered everything from language - a toddler learns 10 new words every day - to complex motor skills such as walking. According to this new view of the baby brain, many of the mental traits that used to seem like developmental shortcomings, such as infants' inability to focus their attention, are actually crucial assets in the learning process.

In fact, in some situations it might actually be better for adults to regress into a newborn state of mind. While maturity has its perks, it can also inhibit creativity and lead people to fixate on the wrong facts. When we need to sort through a lot of seemingly irrelevant information or create something completely new, thinking like a baby is our best option.

"We've had this very misleading view of babies," says Alison Gopnik, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the forthcoming book, "The Philosophical Baby." "The baby brain is perfectly designed for what it needs to do, which is learn about the world. There are times when having a fully developed brain can almost seem like an impediment."

One of the most surprising implications of this new research concerns baby consciousness, or what babies actually experience as they interact with the outside world. While scientists and doctors have traditionally assumed that babies are much less conscious than adults - this is why, until the 1970s, many infants underwent surgery without anesthesia - that view is being overturned. Gopnik argues that, in many respects, babies are more conscious than adults. She compares the experience of being a baby with that of watching a riveting movie, or being a tourist in a foreign city, where even the most mundane activities seem new and exciting. "For a baby, every day is like going to Paris for the first time," Gopnik says. "Just go for a walk with a 2-year-old. You'll quickly realize that they're seeing things you don't even notice."

There's something slightly paradoxical about trying to study the inner life of babies. For starters, you can't ask them questions. Young children can't describe their sensations or justify their emotions; they can't articulate the pleasure of a pacifier or explain the comfort of a stuffed animal. And, of course, none of us have any memories of infancy. For a scientist, the baby mind can seem like an impenetrable black box.

In recent years, however, scientists have developed new methods for entering the head of a baby. They've looked at the density of brain tissue, analyzed the development of neural connections, and tracked the eye movements of infants. By comparing the anatomy of the baby brain with the adult brain, scientists can make inferences about infant experience.

These new research techniques have uncovered several surprising findings. It turns out that the baby brain actually contains more brain cells, or neurons, than the adult brain: The instant we open our eyes, our neurons start the "pruning process," which involves the elimination of seemingly unnecessary neural connections. Furthermore, the distinct parts of the baby cortex - the center of sensation and higher thought - are better connected than the adult cortex, with more links between disparate regions. These anatomical differences aren't simply a sign of immaturity: They're an important tool that provides babies with the ability to assimilate vast amounts of information with ease.

While the pruning process makes the brain more efficient, it can also narrow our thoughts and make learning more difficult, as we become less able to adjust to new circumstances and absorb new ideas. In a sense, there's a direct trade-off between the mind's flexibility and its proficiency. As Gopnik notes, this helps explain why a young child can learn three languages at once but nevertheless struggle to tie his shoelaces.

But the newborn brain isn't just denser and more malleable: it's also constructed differently, with far fewer inhibitory neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals that prevent neurons from firing. This suggests that the infant mind is actually more crowded with fleeting thoughts and stray sensations than the adult mind. While adults automatically block out irrelevant information, such as the hum of an air conditioner or the conversation of nearby strangers, babies take everything in: their reality arrives without a filter. As a result, it typically takes significantly higher concentrations of anesthesia to render babies unconscious, since there's more cellular activity to silence.

The hyperabundance of thoughts in the baby brain also reflects profound differences in the ways adults and babies pay attention to the world. If attention works like a narrow spotlight in adults - a focused beam illuminating particular parts of reality - then in young kids it works more like a lantern, casting a diffuse radiance on their surroundings.

"We sometimes say that adults are better at paying attention than children," writes Gopnik. "But really we mean just the opposite. Adults are better at not paying attention. They're better at screening out everything else and restricting their consciousness to a single focus."

Consider, for instance, what happens when preschoolers are shown a photograph of someone - let's call her Jane - looking at a picture of a family. When the young children are asked questions about what Jane is paying attention to, the kids quickly agree that Jane is thinking about the people in the picture. But they also insist that she's thinking about the picture frame, and the wall behind the picture, and the chair lurking in her peripheral vision. In other words, they believe that Jane is attending to whatever she can see.

While this less focused form of attention makes it more difficult to stay on task - preschoolers are easily distracted - it also comes with certain advantages. In many circumstances, the lantern mode of attention can actually lead to improvements in memory, especially when it comes to recalling information that seemed incidental at the time.

Consider this memory task designed by John Hagen, a developmental psychologist at the University of Michigan. A child is given a deck of cards and shown two cards at a time. The child is told to remember the card on the right and to ignore the card on the left. Not surprisingly, older children and adults are much better at remembering the cards they were told to focus on, since they're able to direct their attention. However, young children are often better at remembering the cards on the left, which they were supposed to ignore. The lantern casts its light everywhere.

"Adults can follow directions and focus, and that's great," says John Colombo, a psychologist at the University of Kansas. "But children, it turns out, are much better at picking up on all the extraneous stuff that's going on. . . . And this makes sense: If you don't know how the world works, then how do you know what to focus on? You should try to take everything in."

While thinking like an adult is necessary when we need to focus, or when we already know which information is relevant, many situations aren't so clear-cut. In these instances, paying strict attention is actually a liability, since it leads us to neglect potentially important pieces of the puzzle. That's when it helps to think like a baby.

This new understanding of baby cognition, and the peculiar ways in which babies pay attention, is also giving scientists insights into improving the mental functioning of adults. The ability to direct attention, it turns out, doesn't merely inhibit irrelevant facts and perceptions - it can also stifle the imagination. Sometimes, the mind performs best when we don't try to control it.

The differences in how babies and adults pay attention are primarily caused by the unformed nature of the prefrontal cortex, a brain area just behind the eyes. While the prefrontal cortex has been greatly enlarged during human evolution - it's responsible for a wide variety of cognitive abilities, from directed attention to abstract thought - it's also the last brain area to fully develop, and often isn't done developing until late adolescence.

Although scientists have long held the lack of a functional prefrontal cortex responsible for all sorts of "childish" behaviors, researchers are beginning to realize that, sometimes, it might actually be better to allow the prefrontal cortex to loosen its grip.

A recent brain scanning experiment by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that jazz musicians in the midst of improvisation - they were playing a specially designed keyboard in a brain scanner - showed dramatically reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. It was only by "deactivating" this brain area that the musicians were able to spontaneously invent new melodies. The scientists compare this unwound state of mind with that of dreaming during REM sleep, meditation, and other creative pursuits, such as the composition of poetry. But it also resembles the thought process of a young child, albeit one with musical talent. Baudelaire was right: "Genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will."

The immaturity of the baby brain comes with another advantage: utter absorption in the moment. The best evidence for this comes from brain scans of adult subjects as they watched an engrossing Clint Eastwood movie. The experiment, led by Rafael Malach at Hebrew University, found that when adults were watching the film their brains showed a peculiar pattern of activity, as their prefrontal areas were suppressed. At the same time, areas in the back of the brain associated with visual perception were turned on. As Gopnik notes, this mental state - the experience of being captivated by entertainment - is, in many respects, a fleeting reminder of what it feels like to be a young child. "You are incredibly aware of what's happening - your experiences are very vivid - and yet you're not self-conscious at all," she says. "You're not thinking about anything but what's on the screen."

But it's not just the movie theater that transports us back to a newborn state of mind, in which we're fully immersed in the moment. Gopnik notes that a number of other situations, from Zen meditation to the experience of natural beauty, can also lead to states of awareness so intense that the self seems to disappear. "This is the same ecstatic feeling that the Romantic poets were always writing about," she says. "It's seeing the world in a grain of sand."

If people could never regress into this babylike consciousness, then we'd struggle with the kind of tasks that require us to stop being self-conscious and lose ourselves in the job. Such moments are often described as "flow" activities, and can occur whenever we're completely captivated by what we're doing, be it stirring a risotto or solving a crossword puzzle. The Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki referred to such modes as "beginner's mind," since people are able to think like a baby, open to possibility and free of errant preconceptions.

Gopnik has discovered for herself the advantages of being able to shift between a babyesque form of cognition and a more adult frame of mind. "As a scientist, you really need to use both kinds of thinking," she says. "Sometimes you need to focus and analyze your data. But you also need the ability to be open and creative, to think in a new way if the old way isn't working."

At such moments, she suggests, we need to think with the innocence of an infant - to release the reins of attention and look anew at a world we're still trying to understand.

Want to engage your baby’s brain?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

The brain of a newborn baby is astounding. It contains almost as many neurons as there are stars in the Milky Way. Those neurons—the tiny cells that transmit nerve impulses—are just waiting to make the billions of connections that will foster her social, emotional, and intellectual development. To help ignite that development, all it takes is one simple thing—love and attention from you.

Click here to read the entire article