The American Academy of Family Physicians lists these common risk factors for ear infections in children:

• Being around cigarette smoking.
• Having had ear infections before, frequent colds, or having a family history of ear infections.
• Going to a day-care center.
• Being born premature or at low birth weight.
• Going to bed with a bottle or using a pacifier.
• Being male.
• Having allergies that cause congestion.

Secondhand smoke increases children’s risk of developing asthma, ear infections and cavities and increases infants’ risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Here are some healthy habits and guidelines for parents and caregivers to follow when caring for young children prone to ear infections;

• Breastfeeding appears to lower an infant’s risk of ear infections.
• Children under age two should not lie flat when they bottle-feed.
• No one should be allowed to smoke around children. Secondhand smoke increases a child’s risk for ear infections. In fact, even smoke from wood stoves can irritate breathing and increase the risk of an ear infection.
• Children in day care centers tend to have more colds and a higher risk of ear infection. Although it would be best to keep an ill child at home, this may not be possible. Parents should work with day care center staff to ensure proper hand washing, tissue use and cleanliness.
• Regularly practice proper hygiene in the home to reduce spread of germs that lead to infection; regularly wash and disinfect all surface areas, toys and play things and common play areas, teach children to always wash their hands after sneezing or coughing into them.

Sited & Related Links;
HealthDay | Ear Infections
HealthDay | Almost half of kids still exposed to secondhand smoke
NY State Health | Ear Infections [*PDF]
American Academy of Family Physicians | Ear Infections in children; What you should know

Most adults are likely to have a common cold two to four times a year. Children, especially preschoolers, may have a common cold as many as six to 10 times annually.” ~ Common Cold, Mayo Clinic

We all know the symptoms, it plays out like a NyQuil commercial; runny or stuffy nose, itchy or sore throat, cough, congestion, slight body aches or a mild headache, sneezing, watery eyes, low-grade fever (up to 102 F, or 39 C) and mild fatigue. In lieu of the recent trend by pediatricians and toxicologists to put pressure on the F.D.A. to clear over the counter cough & cold medicines from the shelves, what are we left to do when un-medicated kids have symptoms that linger for days and sometimes weeks?

Illness can occur throughout the year, but tends to cluster in the winter due to flu season. These illnesses can seem to spread like wild fire affecting other students, teachers, and family members. Families and schools need to balance the child’s school attendance with the risk of spreading the illness to others in the school. Sometimes even minor illnesses require the child to stay home just to prevent the further spread of a contagious disease.” ~ Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP, Pediatrics Now | When to keep kids home

So what symptoms are worthy of missing a day of school? Here’s an at-a-glance list of the deal-breakers:

• Fever: indicative an infection elsewhere in their body. A child with a fever greater than 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit needs to stay home from school until the fever is gone for at least 24 hours. If the fever does not resolve in 2 to 3 days, or if your child appears sick with any fever, call your doctor.
• Rash: many rashes will resolve spontaneously and are not reason alone to keep a child home from school. Any rash associated with symptoms such as trouble breathing or swallowing, fever, or ill appearance, should be evaluated by your physician. Rashes that are itchy or scaly may be contagious and should be evaluated before sending a child back to school.
• Cough alone may not be a deal breaker, unless it is deemed contagious or is interfering with sleep or is frequent enough to interfere with their day. If the cough is productive and has phlegm or is associated with fever or trouble breathing, keep your child home from school and call their pediatrician for an appointment.
• Diarrhea: where the stool frequency is often many times an hour. Diarrhea that is bloody or associated with fever, abdominal pain, or vomiting should be evaluated by your doctor.
• Vomiting: with or without diarrhea, needs to stay home from school. Your child can return to school when the symptoms have stopped and the child has eased back to their regular diet.
• Sore Throat: children can attend school with mild sore throats if no other symptoms are occurring. Any child with a sore throat associated with fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or difficulty swallowing should be evaluated by a doctor before returning to school. Call your child’s school to see if strep throat is going through the school population; if so, they should be evaluated by their doctor. A child with a diagnosis of strep throat needs to stay out of school until on antibiotics for 24 hours.
• Lethargy: if your child appears really sick, keep your child home and arrange an evaluation by your doctor that day. If you can’t get through to your doctor and you are really concerned, either call 911 or bring your child to the nearest emergency room for evaluation.

And of all the popular opinions I found they all mention enthusiastically the best deterrent of spreading germs and disease is to consistently and routinely wash your hands and practice go hygiene.

Sited & Related Links:
Mayo Clinic | Common Cold Symptoms
NY Times Health | The Cough-and-sniffle Question; When to Keep a Child Home
Pediatrics Now | When to Keep Kids Home

meta-DAD | Wash your hands
meta-DAD | How cough and cold medicine can adversely affect your child
meta-DAD | Use with caution – cough and cold medicine not for the young ones

I have spent almost five years, along-side my wife in the trenches, as they like to say, taking care of the kids. Here are five simple Dad Hacks for parents of infants, babies and young children that may help some parents make their day that a little easier.

1. Changing Diapers – give them a toy (to distract them and keep there hands busy) and lift their legs from under their knees to reduce strain on their knees and ankles, opposed to the ankle grab.

2. Baby Fashion Faux Pas – never get a shirt with your kids name on it, you are giving pedophiles (and general Bad Guys) way too much information about your kid.

3. Is Baby Tired? – ever find yourself trying to figure out whether or not you kid is hungry, tired or needs to be changed? If I need to figure out if my baby is tired I hold them and stand in front of a mirror with them facing the mirror, if they turn away from their own gaze- it is nap time! Try it.

4. I.C.E. – In Case of Emergency (I.C.E.), put an entry in your every cell phone on your Family Plan (Mom, Dad + Kids) with an emergency number in case of an accident so the Paramedic, Firefighter or Police can reach your family as quick as possible in case something dreadful happens to you or a loved one. They will look for it in your address book.

Also, studies say men’s wallets with baby pictures in them have a 88% better chance of being returned, so if you don’t have any pictures in there maybe you should.

5. Bag of Tricks – I have found it to be priceless to grab a small action figure, matchbox car before leaving the hose with the kids when going out to run errands with them. In case you find yourself standing in line at the post office and the kid needs a distraction, I have something in my pocket.

The key is to keep them item as a surprise and hang onto it until they are at the end of their ‘rope’. If it is a well chosen toy, it may keep them entertained long enough to get to the front of the line. I also keep sheets of paper in my glove compartment for the same reason. In case of a parking lot emergency, I can whip out a couple sheets of paper and fashion a triangle football or paper airplane to entertain them while Mom runs in-n-out of a store while I wait in the car with the kids.

The CPSC has teamed up with the Justice Department to enforce the legal sale and distribution of fireworks. Last month, a federal judge sentenced Jon Cea and Vincent Cea to 24 months and 36 months in federal prison, after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in explosive materials, involving the illegal sale of more than 1,000 pounds of explosives. The defendants and their customers were not licensed, yet they purchased and sold professional display fireworks.

While the federal and state government remain committed to stopping the manufacture and sale of illegal fireworks, the CPSC has issued a press release encouraging consumers who decide to purchase legal fireworks to:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.

• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.

• Avoid buying fireworks that come in brown paper packaging, as this can often be a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.

• Adults should always supervise fireworks activities. Parents often don’t realize that there are many injuries from sparklers to children under five. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.

• Never have any portion of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move back a safe distance immediately after lighting.

• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully functioned.

• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.

• Light one item at a time, then move back quickly.

• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.

• After fireworks fully complete their functioning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding to prevent a trash fire.

Of course, the safest way to celebrate the festivities is by going to your local fireworks display. If you live in Los Angeles county follow the link below to find out where and when they are showing.

Sited Articles:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Press Release
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Press Release [video]

Helpful Links:
Fireworks Shows in LA County [schedule]
Safe July 4th

This current recall affects 96,000 cribs from Taiwan-based Jardine crib maker that were sold at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys “R” Us, and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide, and at babiesrus.com, from September 2005 through April 2009.

Prior to this recall, Jardine had a similar recall in 2008 affecting 320,000 for similar defects to over a dozen models of cribs and an expansion of this initial recall in 2009 to include an additional three models. Everyone of these recalls has been a byproduct of injuries. It is safe to say, if you have a Jardine brand crib made after 2002, it would be prudent to check them for any type of structural deficiencies, especially the slats.

Sited Articles:
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Announces Second Recall Expansion of Cribs…
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Cribs Sold by Babies”R”Us Recalled Due to…
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Expands Recall of Cribs Sold by…

Other recent crib recalls:
Simplicity play yard recalled
Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants on 1898 in New York City, the young William James Sidis could read the New York Times by 18 months, reportedly taught himself eight languages (Latin, Greek, French, Russian, German, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian) by age eight, and invented another, which he called Vendergood.

Some consider Sidis the smartest man who ever lived, with an estimated IQ of 250 to 300. In comparison, you only have to have an IQ of 136 to be a mere run of the mill genius, and your average person is somewhere in the 85 to 115 range.

He gave a lecture a Harvard at nine and entered Harvard at 11. Whereas I, at the age of 11, had mastered Pong.

Related Articles:
Cracked.Com | 8 Child Prodigies So Amazing They’ll Ruin Your Day
Wikipedia | William James Sidis

Regardless of whether you are an individual or an entire family in need, you need to find out the facts, the facts about what resources and services are available to you. If an individual or family is currently earning less than 130% of the Federal poverty level [FPL] and their current household assets are below $2,000 you may be eligible for California Food Stamps Benefits and possibly additional benefits under the CALworks program.

Food stamp households, except those containing an aged or disabled member or where all members receive cash assistance, are subject to gross and net income determination tests. Gross Income – all non-excludable income from any source including all earned income and all unearned income. The maximum gross allowed is 130% of the Federal poverty level (FPL) or 165% of the FPL if the household has an elderly or disabled person who qualifies to be a separate household. If the household passes the gross income test, then the net income test is computed. Net income is computed by deducting the following, if applicable, from gross income. The resultant amount cannot exceed 100% of the FPL.” ~ California Department of Social Services, Eligibility and Issuance for Food Stamp Benefits

I don’t care what your place is in society, many people eligible for benefits may not step forward, whether it be embarrassment, pride, fear, whatever. Remember, this is a service sponsored by our government with taxpayer money, your money. It is there to help people when they need it.

For those of us with little or no resources currently, it is essential to know your options. If your wife, friend or loved one is pregnant or has just given birth, or has a child under the age of 5 in the State of California, they and their children are eligible for WIC Program [Women, Infants & Children] benefits. In California, the WIC Program supplies predetermined vouchers monthly for each eligible member of the family. Vouchers provide healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors, nutrition education, and help finding health care and other community services.

Additionally, there is a WIC Farmers Market Nutritional Program that offers vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables from participating vendors at local Farmers markets. My understanding is this portion of the WIC program is supplemental and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Sited & Related Links:
California State Department of Social Services | Food Stamps Program
CALworks Program
California Women, Children & Infants [WIC] Program
WIC Farmers Market Nutrition,al Program
meta-DAD | WIC Benefits for unemployed families

In the past year there have been a number of recalls for the now defunct Simplicity brand. In August 2008, a five month old Kansas child was strangled to death by the space between the metal bar and the bed of a 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close Sleepers”. In 2007, another four month old died after being entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet.

What compounds matters is that the company that now owns all Simplicity products, SFCA Inc., (an affiliate of Bethesda, MD based Blackstreet Capital Partners, LLC) refuses to take action. Evidently, SFCA purchased all Simplicity products in public auction back in April of 2008. According to the most recent CPSC Press Release, SFCA has ceased day-to-day operations, which means those of us stuck with faulty products have no action to take other than to stop using the product in question, contact the store it was purchased at for a refund and of course spread the word to other parents, friends and people in the community with small children.

In January of 2009, the Simplicity Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards with the Fisher-Price logo on it has one or more faulty rails which can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children.

Sited Articles:
CPSC | Simplicity Play Yards Recalled by Various Retailers Due to Fall and Entrapment Hazards

Related Articles:
CPSC | Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets…
Reuters | SFCA, Inc. Acquires Assets of Simplicity, Inc.

Meta-DAD | Simplicity Bassinets Potential Deathtrap for Infants
Consumer Reports | Third major recall of Simplicity includes 600,000 cribs
CPSC | Fisher-Price Recalls Simplicity’s Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards …
Meta-DAD | Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

If you are interested in tracking their sorted history look what comes up when you do a search for their name at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. I think there must be some type of federal law stating that companies must post recall information for up to one full year from recall date because their website seems to be suffering from short term memory. In the future, if you find youself giving in to the bargain bin and find yourself with something from OKK Trading, toss it back – you’ll thank me later.

Sited and Related Articles:
USCPSC | Pacifiers Recalled by OKK Trading Due to Choking Hazard
OKK Trading | List of Recalled Items [*PDF]
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Search Query for OKK Trading
meta-DAD | Millions of Cheap Toys Recently Recalled

It seems if the size of the recall is big enough (this recall is for 24,000 units) it is deemed press worthy while other seemingly smaller ones fall under the news industry radar, except for some of the smaller newspapers and news outlets. This means that word-of-mouth becomes vital to getting the word out to people who may have recalled products in their possession, tell a neighbor, bring it up at the park or mommy and me class – you may prevent an accident from happening.

These highchairs were sold at Target from 2008-2009 for about a $100 bucks. Look for product number (P5369) on the side of the seat.

Sited & Related Articles:
USCPSC | Fisher-Price Recalls 3-in-1 High Chairs Due to Fall Hazard
Mattel Consumer Relations | Recall Information