Browse Category: Babies, Children & Teens
With the release of TIME Magazine’s new provocative cover-- depicting a 3-year-old standing on a stool, suckling casually from his mother’s breast— the public debate over breastfeeding has been reignited.
Researchers have gone back and forth about the health dangers of cell phone use for years now. One day your Blackberry is giving you brain cancer; the next day you can practically super-glue your iPhone to your head and you’d be fine.
Back in September 2011, the Campbell’s Soup brand was attracting a quite a bit of unwanted attention. A recent study claimed the company’s soup had some of the highest BPA levels out of the canned foods they tested. At the time, Campbell’s was confident that their products were safe.
But not everyone felt that way.
Once upon a time…
As a child of the 80s, I inevitably grew up with a stockpile of Disney VHS’s by which I lived and died. A dramatic assertion, I know; but at a time when the world is a black hole of unknowns, they provided the comfort and consistency that every child yearns for: the bad guy will never really get you, there will always be a happy ending, animals are generally friendly (although they do not actually talk, which was a huge letdown). However subliminal, these were lessons that we absorbed through the whimsical storylines and integrated into the fabric of our daily lives.
If you haven’t heard yet, a couple in Portland, Oregon is suing their local hospital because the doctors identified their yet-to-be-born child as a fully healthy baby girl.
#KONY2012. If you haven’t heard about this African warlord yet then you are either too old to use the internet properly or you have your own fulfilling life that takes most of your attention. Either way, get in the know, people.
Bullying has been around for as long as one can remember, and while no one likes to be called “four eyes” or getting a wedgie, there seems to have been an innocence lost when it comes to being picked on. In fact, bullying is no longer just a benign problem, and has been getting much worse over the years. Not only that, but it has taken on new forms such as cyberbullying.
In America's fight to reduce the percentage of childhood obesity, push has come to shove. Sadly, the shove might have been too hard . . . and in the wrong direction.
If you’re a teacher, or a daycare provider, you’re likely on the lookout for signs of a child who is being abused. After all, you come into contact with the same kids each and every day . . . and even the most well-hidden bruises, scratches or bumps would probably catch your attention.
It may seem like beating a dead horse: you hear it over, and over and over again . . . “
the obesity epidemic.” Unfortunately, it’s rather essential to beat that dead horse, given that the obesity rate in children and adolescents has tripled since 1980; and that over 12 million kids aged two to 19 are obese.
Chicken Pox. If you were old enough to remember your own episode with this nasty virus, then it’s likely you wouldn’t wish the itching, scratching, scarring and pain on your worst enemy. Not to mention the emotional damage that goes along with being a sick kid . . . I missed my first grade Valentine’s day outing at the local skating rink because of the nasty pox, and I’ll never forget it! But lately, many people are going in the direct opposite direction and purposely exposing their children to other kids with chicken pox with the intention of making them sick.
No parent enjoys seeing their infant frequently spitting up or crying often and with no explanation. If you’re a parent, that can be pure torture! But as a society, are we too quick to seek medical treatments - especially ones that can be potentially dangerous?
In the last four weeks,
five senseless and tragic suicides have ended the lives of five gay teenagers. The most recent was Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student whose roommate allegedly posted a video on the Internet of him engaged in sex with another man. Prior to Clementi, Jamey Rodemeyer from Buffalo, N.Y., killed himself after nearly 12 months of taunts from cyberbullies. Thirteen-year-old Seth Walsh recently hanged himself when the harassment and teasing by bullies became just too much.
We've known about the dangers of
BPA (the dangerous industrial chemical bisphenol A associated with
possible links to cancer) for some time now. For more than 40 years BPA has been used in the manufacture of many hard plastic food containers such as baby bottles, reusable cups, and the lining of metal food and beverage cans, including liquid infant formula. In 2008, the FDA conducted a review of toxicology research and information on BPA, and, at that time, judged food-related materials containing BPA on the market to be safe.
Imagine the following: you’re pregnant . . . not due to have your baby for two more months, but suddenly you find yourself having contractions. You rush to the hospital in a panic where you find out your baby girl is coming and there’s no stopping it.
Two months early.
The media industry knows a good story when they see it, especially those publications that cater to our obsession with Hollywood stars and their children. Little Suri Cruise has been followed like a tiny fashion diva from the moment she toddled out in public in her mini Juicy Couture. While we may expect Hollywood kids to be dressed in the latest fashions, there are some trends that may seem a little out there for kids, even Hollywood's youngest stars. Vegan babies are one such trend.
The idea that children are growing up too fast these days is nothing new. I remember my grandmother lamenting the same thing, and perhaps her grandmother made a similar observation. Since the mid-1800's girls have been reaching puberty at progressively younger ages. Now, it's not that uncommon for eight-year-old girls to start sprouting breasts.
When children get ready to settle into a new school year, epidemiologists get a little hyper-vigilant. This year is no different and for good reason. Health professionals are encouraging parents to keep an eye out for a potentially dangerous condition known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA. You may have heard warnings about MRSA in the past, but parents should beware: this
new strain doesn't respond to typical antibiotic therapy.
For many women, pregnancy is a time of awe and joy. But even the most awe-struck mom-to-be will admit to a few weeks that aren’t so joyful. More than half of all pregnant women experience
morning sickness at some point. For 75-80% of pregnant women, nausea and vomiting are just part of the package.
Teenagers have been experimenting with alcohol probably since the beginning of recorded history. Nothing new there. However, there is a new drink in town that has experts more concerned than ever with the dangers of underage drinking. Popular alcohol-energy cocktails are providing a different and stronger kind of high and are even proving deadly.
