Search Results for: blog house approves legislation for tougher toy standards

Mine Pollutes Water in Nevada

I sometimes take our water supply and its purity for granted. At least I, like most Americans I think, assume my water is free of harmful chemicals. The people of Yerington, Nev., a community 65 miles southeast of Reno, have thought their water was contaminated for years, but only recently have they found proof. Peggy Pauly and her neighbors have blamed the abandoned uranium mine for the high levels of uranium in their water. Officials scoffed at the notion, but now, new government testing has finally shown there are dangerous levels of uranium, arsenic, or both in 79 percent of … Continue reading →

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 18-24, 2009

This week in the United States is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The goals of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week include: Raising awareness about lead poisoning Emphasizing the importance of lead screening for the highest risk children (children under the age of six) Reducing lead exposure in people of all ages Preventing childhood lead poisoning Eliminating childhood lead poisoning in the United States by 2010 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) estimates that 250,000 children in the United States have elevated levels of lead in the blood. This is … 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 →

Should You Worry About Infant Abductions?

We have all heard the scary stories about babies being taken away from their parents. I remember worrying so much about this when each of my children were infants. What if someone came in to the hospital and snatched our child? What if I turned away for a moment at the grocery store and turned back to find that my child wasn’t there. Of course, the worry that your child will go missing stays with you probably forever. I still make sure to keep my kids in site at all times whenever we are in public. When I gave birth … Continue reading →

BPA is Safe Says FDA

Are you worried about exposing your baby to bisphenol A, also known as BPA? It is a chemical that has been shown to cause fertility and sexual maturity problems in the lab. In low doses, the chemical has also been shown to cause behavior and brain changes, as well as possible reduced viability and low birth weight in fetuses. There has also been a study that shows that the more often babies are exposed to BPA through shampoo, soap and lotion that are stored in BPA containers, the more of the chemical they have in their systems. Not to worry … Continue reading →

Link Between Second-Hand Smoke and Allergies

Here is another warning against exposing your baby to second-hand smoke. A recent study took a look at infants who are exposed to second-hand smoke and found a link between that exposure and the risk of developing allergies, both indoor inhalant allergies and food allergies. Since food allergies can easily be deadly and inhalant allergies can lead to asthma, the results of this study are important to note. The study took place in Sweden. There were 2,534 children in the study, and each child was followed from birth through the age of four years old. The study found the following … Continue reading →

Toy Safety Database

Are you worried about the safety of your children’s toys? Massive recalls of toys containing lead have brought the issue of toy safety to the forefront of our minds, and many parents are concerned that this information wasn’t available previously. Also in the news is the presence of certain chemicals in plastic that have been seen to interrupt endocrine function leading to growth problems and problems with adult reproduction. Fortunately, new legislation and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) should help protect our children, as these harmful toys are banned from sale. Still, the law won’t protect our children right … Continue reading →

Is Air Conditioning Harmful for Your Baby?

In the summer, especially in some parts of the world, air conditioning seems a necessity. Hot and humid temperatures make us all uncomfortable. But could turning on the air conditioning be harmful for your new baby? Could all of that cold air cause a chill or weaken her immune system? Could it cause Asthma later in life? Keep reading for the answers. Could Air Conditioning be Harming Your Baby? Two of my babies were summer babies. They were born in June and July and came home to a brick house that tended to retain the heat of the day. As … Continue reading →