Get your own pouch sling from The Baby Loft - LOFTPouch
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt take their kids out in slings
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have 4 kids, and twins on the way! I'm guessing they need every parenting trick they can find! Here they use the pouch style slings, which are easy to set up, no buckles to fumble with.
Get your own pouch sling from The Baby Loft - LOFTPouch
Get your own pouch sling from The Baby Loft - LOFTPouch
Monday, March 10, 2008
Funny...
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the
ground than you are.
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the
ground than you are.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Honey seems to calm children's coughs in 1-night study
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
CHICAGO (AP) -- A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better, according to a new study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.
The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study authors said.
"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right," said lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine.
The research appears in December's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
U.S. health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should not be used in children younger than 6, and manufacturers are taking some products for babies off the market.
Three pediatricians who read the study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted that honey should not be given to children under age 1 because of a rare but serious risk of botulism.
For the research, researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory infections from a clinic in Pennsylvania. Parents were given a paper bag with a dosing device inside. Some were empty. Some contained an age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. And some contained a similar dose of honey.
The parents were asked about their children's sleep and cough symptoms, once before the bedtime treatment and once after. They rated the symptoms on a seven-point scale.
All of the children got better, but honey consistently scored best in parents' rating of their children's cough symptoms.
"Give them a little time and they'll get better," said Pat Jackson Allen, a professor at Yale University School of Nursing.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Honey Board, an industry-funded agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency had no influence over the study design, data or results, Paul said.
CHICAGO (AP) -- A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better, according to a new study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.
The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study authors said.
"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right," said lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine.
The research appears in December's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
U.S. health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should not be used in children younger than 6, and manufacturers are taking some products for babies off the market.
Three pediatricians who read the study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted that honey should not be given to children under age 1 because of a rare but serious risk of botulism.
For the research, researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory infections from a clinic in Pennsylvania. Parents were given a paper bag with a dosing device inside. Some were empty. Some contained an age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. And some contained a similar dose of honey.
The parents were asked about their children's sleep and cough symptoms, once before the bedtime treatment and once after. They rated the symptoms on a seven-point scale.
All of the children got better, but honey consistently scored best in parents' rating of their children's cough symptoms.
"Give them a little time and they'll get better," said Pat Jackson Allen, a professor at Yale University School of Nursing.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Honey Board, an industry-funded agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency had no influence over the study design, data or results, Paul said.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Study sees rise in imaging exams for pregnant women
CHICAGO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Pregnant women are receiving more high-tech imaging exams, exposing their babies to higher doses of radiation than a decade ago, a study said on Tuesday.
While the levels of radiation exposure are low, they carry a slight risk of harm to the developing fetus, said study author Elizabeth Lazarus, a professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
A review of 5,235 imaging examinations performed on pregnant women at Brown from 1997 to 2006 found the number of those exams rose 121 percent. The exams included computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine and plain film X-rays.
An abdominal ultrasound, a routine exam performed during pregnancy, does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation, which can cause cell damage.
CT exams, which deliver more radiation than other procedures, saw the the greatest increase in use, rising by about 25 percent a year. Use of X-rays increased 7 percent a year, and nuclear medical exams rose by 12 percent annually.
CT scans are used in pregnancy only to detect potentially life-threatening conditions such as bleeding in the brain, blood clots in the lungs or appendicitis.
Researchers estimated the average fetal radiation exposure for CT was 0.69 rads, compared to 0.04 rads for nuclear tests and 0.0015 rads for X-rays. The data were released at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
"A patient being recommended for a test like this should talk to their doctor to find out if there are any alternative tests or if there is any harm waiting," Lazarus said in an interview.
"But if one of these tests is needed, we would not discourage any patients from undergoing one, because making a diagnosis could also be life-saving."
(Reporting by Susan Kelly, editing by Philip Barbara)
While the levels of radiation exposure are low, they carry a slight risk of harm to the developing fetus, said study author Elizabeth Lazarus, a professor of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
A review of 5,235 imaging examinations performed on pregnant women at Brown from 1997 to 2006 found the number of those exams rose 121 percent. The exams included computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine and plain film X-rays.
An abdominal ultrasound, a routine exam performed during pregnancy, does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation, which can cause cell damage.
CT exams, which deliver more radiation than other procedures, saw the the greatest increase in use, rising by about 25 percent a year. Use of X-rays increased 7 percent a year, and nuclear medical exams rose by 12 percent annually.
CT scans are used in pregnancy only to detect potentially life-threatening conditions such as bleeding in the brain, blood clots in the lungs or appendicitis.
Researchers estimated the average fetal radiation exposure for CT was 0.69 rads, compared to 0.04 rads for nuclear tests and 0.0015 rads for X-rays. The data were released at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
"A patient being recommended for a test like this should talk to their doctor to find out if there are any alternative tests or if there is any harm waiting," Lazarus said in an interview.
"But if one of these tests is needed, we would not discourage any patients from undergoing one, because making a diagnosis could also be life-saving."
(Reporting by Susan Kelly, editing by Philip Barbara)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
My back aches from using a sling
If your back begins to feel strained, make sure your baby is pulled close to your body. Tighten the sling as necessary.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Nature tops nurture in childhood obesity
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Diet and lifestyle play a far smaller role than genetic factors in determining whether a child becomes overweight, according to a British study of twins published on Thursday.
Researchers looking at more than 5,000 pairs of twins wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that genes account for about three-quarters of the differences in a child's waistline and weight.
"Contrary to the widespread assumption that family environment is the key factor in determining weight gain, we found this was not the case," said Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour Centre, who led the study.
Previous studies have pointed to environmental factors as the main cause of obesity, a major problem worldwide that increases the risk later in life of type-2 diabetes, cancer and heart problems.
The World Health Organisation classifies around 400 million people worldwide as obese, including 200 million children under the age of five.
The British team looked at pairs of identical twins who share all their genes and compared their measurements with those of non-identical twins who share only half their genes.
A statistical analysis found that the differences in the children's body mass index and waist circumference were 77 percent attributable to genes and 23 percent due to the environment in which the children were growing up.
BMI is calculated by dividing weight by the square of height.
"These results do not mean that a child with a high complement of 'susceptibility genes' will inevitably become overweight, but that their genetic endowment gives them a stronger predisposition," the researchers said.
The results suggest that parents whose children are at the greatest genetic risk may need support to make sure they provide a healthy environment, the researchers said.
"This study shows that it is wrong to place all the blame for a child's excessive weight gain on the parents," the researchers said.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Will Dunham and Tim Pearce)
Researchers looking at more than 5,000 pairs of twins wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that genes account for about three-quarters of the differences in a child's waistline and weight.
"Contrary to the widespread assumption that family environment is the key factor in determining weight gain, we found this was not the case," said Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour Centre, who led the study.
Previous studies have pointed to environmental factors as the main cause of obesity, a major problem worldwide that increases the risk later in life of type-2 diabetes, cancer and heart problems.
The World Health Organisation classifies around 400 million people worldwide as obese, including 200 million children under the age of five.
The British team looked at pairs of identical twins who share all their genes and compared their measurements with those of non-identical twins who share only half their genes.
A statistical analysis found that the differences in the children's body mass index and waist circumference were 77 percent attributable to genes and 23 percent due to the environment in which the children were growing up.
BMI is calculated by dividing weight by the square of height.
"These results do not mean that a child with a high complement of 'susceptibility genes' will inevitably become overweight, but that their genetic endowment gives them a stronger predisposition," the researchers said.
The results suggest that parents whose children are at the greatest genetic risk may need support to make sure they provide a healthy environment, the researchers said.
"This study shows that it is wrong to place all the blame for a child's excessive weight gain on the parents," the researchers said.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Will Dunham and Tim Pearce)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
My baby doesn't seem to like the sling. Am I doing something wrong?
Most babies like the snug, cuddling feeling of being carried in a sling, but some take a little longer to get used to it. If your baby is fussy in the sling, here are a few suggestions:
Move around immediately
Eventually you will be able to be less active with your baby in the sling, but at first, and if the baby seems restless, start walking as soon as you have him secured in the sling. The rhythmic motion will be soothing, and your baby will enjoy all the sights from his new perspective.
Give her a few minutes to get used to it
As with anything new, being in a sling can take some getting used to. If your baby isn't crying, but is just a bit fussy, give him a few minutes to adjust to being inside the sling. If he becomes very upset, take him out and try again later. This might mean in an hour, a few days, a week or even a month later. A baby who seemed to hate being in the sling at 2 months old may surprisingly enjoy it at 3 months old. I found with my daughter that positioning was what made the difference. She didn't like the cradle hold when she was newborn, but did enjoy the vertical position with her head only slightly covered for support. (I used my hand to provide all the support she needed until she could hold it up herself.) We still use our sling daily, and she's 17 months old.
Relax!
Your baby will sense your tension. If you are frustrated with not being able to expertly tighten the sling, take a deep breath, or try again later when you are feeling more relaxed. It may be that just a change in position will make the difference with how your baby reacts to being inside the sling.
Hold your baby through the sling
Put the sling loosely around your baby. Continue to hold her with your arms. As she begins to relax, gradually tighten the sling until she is being completely supported by it.
Feed your baby
Your little one may be more accepting of the sling if she is being nursed.
Move around immediately
Eventually you will be able to be less active with your baby in the sling, but at first, and if the baby seems restless, start walking as soon as you have him secured in the sling. The rhythmic motion will be soothing, and your baby will enjoy all the sights from his new perspective.
Give her a few minutes to get used to it
As with anything new, being in a sling can take some getting used to. If your baby isn't crying, but is just a bit fussy, give him a few minutes to adjust to being inside the sling. If he becomes very upset, take him out and try again later. This might mean in an hour, a few days, a week or even a month later. A baby who seemed to hate being in the sling at 2 months old may surprisingly enjoy it at 3 months old. I found with my daughter that positioning was what made the difference. She didn't like the cradle hold when she was newborn, but did enjoy the vertical position with her head only slightly covered for support. (I used my hand to provide all the support she needed until she could hold it up herself.) We still use our sling daily, and she's 17 months old.
Relax!
Your baby will sense your tension. If you are frustrated with not being able to expertly tighten the sling, take a deep breath, or try again later when you are feeling more relaxed. It may be that just a change in position will make the difference with how your baby reacts to being inside the sling.
Hold your baby through the sling
Put the sling loosely around your baby. Continue to hold her with your arms. As she begins to relax, gradually tighten the sling until she is being completely supported by it.
Feed your baby
Your little one may be more accepting of the sling if she is being nursed.
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