The City of Milwaukee’s New Anti-Co-Sleeping Campaign

Co-sleeping has often been a controversial subject. Some parents and experts love it, saying it brings the whole family together, makes for more confident children, and eases night time feedings. However, other experts think it is a dangerous practice that should be avoided. The city of Milwaukee falls into the anti category when it comes to co-sleeping. The city started a new controversial campaign recently to encourage parents to put babies in their cribs. The campaign is a dozen mattresses and two sofas along a busy intersection. While this may not sound inflammatory, each is inscribed with an anti-co-sleeping phrase … Continue reading

We Love Kangaroo Care

My daughter was born with some minor health concerns. Because of this, the pediatricians at the hospital recommended she remain in the hospital for a week to be observed. It was very upsetting that we didn’t get to take her home right away. However, the experience was not entirely negative. I was able to stay in my daughter’s room the entire week, and we learned about a very valuable method of caring for babies. This method is called Kangaroo Care. Kangaroo Care is a method often used with premature babies, but it has been proven to be very successful in … Continue reading

Cutting Corners On Formula Could Be Fatal

In tough economic times, families are cutting back everywhere. One practice that could be deadly is cutting back on formula. Some parents are actually watering down formula in order to make it stretch further. Not only is this unwise, holding back needed nutrition for you baby, but it could be fatal. The Todayshow.com is reporting on a story about one mom who almost lost her five-month-old son because she watered down his formula. She was shopping with him at a store when he curled up and stopped breathing. The culprit was water intoxication. The baby was rushed to the hospital … Continue reading

Thanksgiving in the Emergency Room

We have been very fortunate. Up until this point, neither of my younger children had ever wound up in the emergency room. That all changed on the night before Thanksgiving, when our adventurous two-year-old (his first word after Mama and Dada was “uh-oh”) obtained a gash that required emergency care. It was our fault really. While our older children were sent off to bed, we kept our youngest up while we were finishing up putting the Christmas tree together. It was a way to spend some time with him alone, and finish up our task without the interruption of the … Continue reading

Safety Alert! Traces of Melamine in U.S. Formula

Here is important news for anyone who is currently using infant formula. The Associated Press is reporting that traces of the industrial chemical Melamine has been found in the top-selling brands of infant formula. Melamine is the chemical that was found in formula from China as well as some chocolates. The Chinese formula has been linked to the deaths of at least three infants and the illness if more than 50,000 others. The Food and Drug Administration is urging parents and caregivers not to stop using formula because this would be a dangerous overreaction to keep formula away from babies … Continue reading

Baby Blog Month in Review: October 2008

If you had an October baby, congratulations! I hope that you will spend some time with us here at Families.com, as we bring you the latest news and tips for you and your family. Here is the Baby Blog month in review for October. October 1st Insect Repellent and Young Children Protecting my children is the number one priority, but one thing that I tend to avoid is insect repellent. I figure that putting additional chemicals on my kids is not the best idea, that is until now. These days, a mosquito bite is not just an annoyance, but it … Continue reading

Warning about Carter Baby Clothing

If your baby has a mysterious rash all over his back, chances are that it could be caused by his onsie or pajamas. There have been more than 400 reports about infant developing rashes on their backs after wearing Carter clothing. Some of the rashes reported in the news are so severe that blisters have formed. Read more to learn about the details. MSNBC.com reported yesterday on the official government warning for parents against using Carter’s Inc. baby clothing, specifically the 2007 line which contains tagless baby garments. More than 110 million garments are affected. The Consumer Product Safety Commission … Continue reading

Study Finds Link Between Depression and Premature Babies

A new study, about premature babies that shows a link between symptoms of depression in pregnant mothers and premature babies, was published yesterday in the medical journal, Human Reproduction. The study from Kaiser Permanente surveyed hundreds of pregnant patients during their early weeks of pregnancy, using a questionnaire that measured depressive symptoms. Almost half of the women showed severe or significant symptoms of depression. Depression in women who are expecting is more common than you might think. It is a treatable condition, and women should be aware that ignoring the symptoms may very well lead to to premature delivery, according … Continue reading

More Than One Million Cribs Recalled

A recall of more than 1.6 million cribs was announced this week because of the suffocation deaths of two eight-month-old infants. Parents are warned to check their own cribs, even if they are not part of the recall. Here is what you need to know to ensure that your baby is safe in her crib. The official crib recall concerns cribs that were manufactured by Delta Enterprises and encompassed many different models of drop side cribs. Some cribs contained safety pegs that were spring loaded. The cribs were sold at major retailers including Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target.com between January 1995 … Continue reading

The Danger of Manganese

Pediatricians are becoming concerned about children, and in particular those under the age of 12 months, being exposed to high levels of manganese. Here is what you need to know about current studies and the effects of exposure for your child. Manganese exposure has been long known by physicians to be hazardous. It is considered a neurotoxic substance, that is, it negatively affects the nerves and the brain. Too much manganese can cause behavioral changes, memory loss and a neural condition that mimics the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. A new study done by Robert Wright, MD of Children’s Hospital Boston … Continue reading