News

Did your tot cram for her first exam? You might hope so! Immediately after birth most babies undergo the Apgar test with doctors and nurses observing the lil one's appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. They're graded on a one-to-10 scale with babies landing in the eight and above range deemed healthy tots. But what happens to those tots that score below the healthy range?

While monitoring and light therapy may be used on infants in the hospital, a new study finds that the lower scores stick with kids later in life. According to a new Swedish study, kids who had Apgar scores of seven or below "had roughly double the odds of attending a special school because of cognitive deficits or other difficulties" later in life. The scientists behind the study think that the reasons for the low score could impact future brain activity. Do you put any weight behind the study?

popsugar poll

Do you believe that the Apgar score and education are linked?

Yes — It seems reasonable to think that the two are tied.

No — The study seems like a stretch linking the two together.

Other — I'll tell you in the comments.

A sure sign that Summer's in full swing is the smell of sunscreen in the air. Drop the tots off at camp and mama's likely to be bombarded with the wafts of the lotion carefully lathered on by mom. But if mama's in Maryland and her tot still comes home with a sunburn, don't be surprised! In what's being called the nation's strictest rules on the matter, the state is now regulating who may reapply sunscreen to campers throughout the day, and it's not who you think.

Starting this Summer, parents must sign a form granting their child permission to wear the skin-saving lotions and sprays. They must also indicate whether or not their tot can have assistance from camp counselors. And if a friend wants to help your lil one put on the lotion, think again. Campers are not allowed to aid each other in the process — ever. The state has issued the regulation in an attempt to prevent inappropriate touching at camp (and this current version is more lenient than the first one, which outlawed counselors from applying suncreen at all), but have they gone too far?

popsugar poll

Have Maryland's new rules gone too far?

Yes — The risk of kids getting skin cancer from the sun is more of a threat than inappropriate touching.

No — In this day and age, camps can't be too careful.

Other — I'll tell you in the comments.

Authorities remove tots from homes where drugs and alcohol are readily available, but should the same rules apply when excessive junk food is present and the parents fail to "model a physically active lifestyle"?

One of the nation's leading experts on pediatric obesity thinks so. In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, David Ludwig suggests that extremely obese kids should be removed from their parents' homes and placed in foster care where they will receive healthy meals and better guidance in making lifestyle choices. According to the doctor, his foster care solution isn't intended to blame parents, but to temporarily place children in a healthier environment that will better prepare them for the rest of their lives.

Would you support such drastic moves to improve the health of our children?

popsugar poll

Should Obese Children Be Removed From Their Parents?

Yes — Children need to be removed from hostile situations.

No — There are other ways to handle this epidemic.

Other — I'll tell you in the comments.

Safety is one of, if not, the main concern for most parents. It's a big scary world out there. And though we can't protect our kids from everything forever, we certainly try our best. Or do we?

We heard about the dangers of drop-side cribs a year ago when the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced its intention to ban the cribs and do a general overhaul of crib safety standards. Last week, the CPSC followed through and announced a new set of safety standards that ban the manufacture of drop-side cribs.

Confession time: I didn't get rid of my drop-side crib. I kept planning to get a new one, but I just thought that my friend's two babies both slept in that crib, and we're just about done with it, and do I really have to spend all that much money on a new crib when this one works just fine? But when CNN reported that "the CPSC is appealing to consumers to not sell or give away their old cribs because they are “dangerous products that can kill” a baby," I stopped procrastinating. It may have taken me a year too long, but my baby is finally sleeping safely. And that means mom is sleeping a little better, too.

popsugar poll

How quickly do you respond to product recalls?

Immediately. I trash the product the nanosecond I hear that it's recalled.

I take a little time and think about the possibilities, ultimately trusting my own judgement.

I don't pay much attention to the recalls at all.

Just how offensive is the lowly breast pump? After years of neglect, the US government is finally making breastfeeding a national issue, requiring employers of large companies to provide new moms with dedicated time and space for pumping (not including the bathroom, and issuing a report outlining steps "all sectors of the community" can take to remove the hurdles women face when trying to nurse. These actions are having the desired effect, with more women trying to feed their lil one's mom's milk after they return to work.

But in a recent post to The New York Times Motherlode blog, a reader suggested that her co-workers are not adjusting with the movement as quickly as employers. She sought advice for dealing with a co-worker who was "uncomfortable" seeing the pumping mama's breast pump parts peeking out of her unzipped bag (mind you, it was tucked away in a bag, not sitting out on a desk or a sink). Commenters noted that they too had negative experiences with colleagues who didn't like to see them washing their pump parts in communal sinks, or seeing their pumped milk in the shared refrigerators. Do you agree with them?

popsugar poll

Should Breast Pump Parts Be Hidden in the Workplace?

Yes – A pumping mom should be discreet about the entire process.

No – There is nothing offensive about the process, and they should do whatever makes them comfortable.

Other – I'll tell you in the comments.