meta-dad

Child Poison Prevention Week

They say, education is the best prevention. I think you’ll be surprised to find some of the real hazards in you cupboard and closets, even over-the-counter products, household plants and crafting supplies. There are hidden dangers in some of the most common household items such as baby oils and sunscreens are listed as oily hydrocarbon products which can suffocate children if drawn into the lungs when ingested, who knew? Now you know.

• Each year, poison control centers receive more than 1.1 million calls about accidental poisonings among children ages 5 and under.
• Only 30 percent of caregivers are able to accurately measure a correct dosage of over-the-counter medications to their children.
• More than 90 percent of poisonings in children occur in the home.
• In children, approximately 60 percent of poisonings involve products other than medicines such as plants, cleaning products, cosmetics, pesticides, paints, and solvents; 40 percent of poisonings involve medications. [*MUSC Children’s Hospital, Common Childhood Injuries and Poisonings]

A chilling fact, between 4 and 10 p.m. is known as the “arsenic hour” at most poison control centers because that is when call volume peaks. They attribute it to the fact that the parents tend to be distracted by dinner and other end-of-day tasks that leave their young ones unsupervised more than any other time of the day.

Sited & Related Links:
MUSC | Tips to Help Reduce Unintentional Poisonings in the Home
CPSC | 9 Out of 10 Unintentional Child Poisonings Occur in the Home
Poison Prevention [dot] Org | Resources and Materials [*fantastic resources here]
American Association of Poison Control Centers | Kids Tips

Kids & language; semantics and syntax development

There is a lot to say about the many nuances of language acquisition and what is considered the normal range of development for toddlers and young children. What my wife and I have learned is there is a wide spectrum of normal development and a lot of things (specifically – incorrect pronunciation and grammar) “work themselves” out in the early years of grammar school.

The chart above presents typical language development, specifically grammar and vocabulary development. It is presented so you will have a better idea of what is considered a healthy and acceptable range of development. My understanding is that delays in syntax and semantics may point toward other delays or issues with speech and/or cognition in general. That said, the wide spectrum that is considered acceptable is affected by many factors. There can be environmental things slowing down your child’s language development. One example is if the child is living in a house where more than one language is spoken on a regular basis, they may develop English slower than a classmate that only hears English in the household. In this case, it is important to point out that the child being exposed to two languages is more apt to pick up the second language quicker than her monolingual classmate.

We have been keeping close tabs on our children since our oldest has had a speech delay and issues with low tone since early on. Like a lot of parents, we did a lot of research on the possibilities of autism, apraxia and other language or communication disorders. He has been doing individual and group speech therapy, as well as various occupational therapy (O.T.) for the past few years (he’s four years old) and we have tried to adopt a healthy regimen of reading to him (with an emphasis on word-play, rhyming and song) and using flash cards to give him as much opportunity to practice and sharpen his language skills. My understanding is like working the many major and minor aspect of a muscle group, reading, singing and rhyming use different parts of the language/communication portion of your brain. His articulation has progressed, although he still has problems expressing himself.

If your child seems significantly behind in language development, you should talk with your child’s physician regarding your questions and concerns. The chart illustrated above attempts to map the general syntax and semantics development, although it purposely excludes phoneme development. Phoneme development is the way your child’s articulation and pronunciation develops during these early years (*follow the link, “What sounds should my toddler be saying?“ below for a Phonological Development Chart).

Sited & Related Links;
Meta-DAD | What Sounds Should My Toddler Be Saying?
Child Development Institute | Language Development in Children
American Speech, Language, Hearing Institute | How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?
American Speech, Language, Hearing Institute | Late Blooming or Language Problem?
Medem Medical Library | Age 4 to 5 Years: Language Development
CDI | Children with Communication Disorders
Everything ESL | Stages of Second Language Acquisition
DOWNLOAD:
General Syntax and Semantics Development in Children [PDF file]
General Phonological/Articulation Development Chart [Image file]

How dangerous are your baby products?

The recent laws enacted banning the use of phthalates has stirred up a number of concerns for me both as a consumer and as a parent. To understand my concerns I will explain something about how phthalates are used in various products. Some may know that phthalates in its most common form (phthalitic acid) is used to make plastic more flexible, rendering them “chewy” or “squishy” like that rubber duckie that your kid may play with at bath time.

What may not be common knowledge is that phthalates are also used in heavy amounts as a fragrance “binder” or stabilizer in a number of cosmetic and hygiene products like baby shampoos, baby powders, bubble baths, sunblock and a startling number of other common products. Sure there are a number of other things to be on the look out for in these type of products, but right now I’ll focus on phthalates.

Why are phthalates so bad? And why has its use been outlawed in Europe for almost ten years? There has been growing evidence More »

Stem Cell Research Underway to Treat Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is Number Six on the list of top ten killers for women, of the 185+ thousand women diagnosed with it, over 41 thousand women die every year. Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Cryo-Cell, which is a company that has made a name for itself as a family cord blood bank, has gone into partnership with the National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Center to begin research on potentially treating diseases, specifically breast cancer.

Through this partnership they will conduct an exploratory study to determine if stem cells collected from menstrual blood can be used in the potential treatment of breast cancer. This study will include cutting-edge techniques making it possible to track stems cells in the body using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—a non-invasive method.

Currently, non-invasive imaging for long term tracking of stem cells in the body do not yet exist, making this truly ground breaking research. The ability to use MRI to monitor the journey of menstrual blood stem cells in the body holds great promise in the utilization of menstrual stem cells in the future treatment of disease. Cryo-Cell’s research partnership with the NIH is a major step towards discovering potential breast cancer therapy.

WIC Benefits for Unemployed Families

All fifty states subscribe to this federally funded program which provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to health and other social services to participants at no charge. The WIC Program serves low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk. Benefits allowance is based on four factors; Categorical (pregnant or postpartum women, infant (up to a year in age) and children (under 5), Residential (you must apply in the area of your residence), Income and Nutrition Risk. Glancing at the staggering (and steady) rise in unemployment, knowledge of these federal programs may prove to be invaluable.

WIC is not an entitlement program; that is, Congress does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate in the program. Instead, WIC is a Federal grant program for which Congress authorizes a specific amount of funding each year for program operations. Furthermore, in 1992 Congress in established the Farmer’s Market Nutritional Program to provide fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants, and to expand the awareness, use of and sales at farmers’ markets.

If moms or dads out there have recently been unemployed and you are scrambling to cover your bases and keep food on the table while searching for your next job, follow the links below and go to your regional office and find out your eligibility. Let me say again, if dad has been laid off and is collecting unemployment benefits and mom is either pregnant or you have a child under the age of five, you may be eligible for aid. In most cases, you need to bring proper identification for you and your children. You will need to bring your children with you (they will be weighed), and if applicable you will need to bring proof of unemployment. This is the basic requirements in the state of California.

If you are eligible for benefits, you will receive a monthly package of provisional vouchers on behalf of the mother and individual children to buy necessary nutritional foodstuff like cereal, eggs, milk and juice. The WIC program identifies an explicit grouping of food brands it deems healthy (ex. Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Kix, etc.), it’s a short list but it makes sense. It only makes sense they sponsor healthy items.

These programs are in place for all of us, if you ever find yourself unemployed use it.

Sited Links;
Food & Nutrtion Service | WIC Program
Farmer’s Market Nutritional Program

The Ebb and Flow of Toxic Toys

Have you noticed the number of toy recalls in the news has declined? Should we trust the issue has been handled and we can do our holiday toy shopping with ease? Perhaps these recalls are still out there but have been downgraded by the news industry because of the hubbub of the recent elections. Or perhaps there has been less toxic toys put on the shelves. The answer to all of these questions is most definitely a resounding, “no.”

Legislation has made efforts to put bans in place to prevent toys with heavy amounts of lead and other toxins from being sold. Washington, Vermont and California have already put laws in place banning the sale of toys containing phthalates.

Consumer advocates and some members of Congress are outraged that toymakers and retailers are rushing to sell the contaminated toys rather than destroy them.” ~ Consumer Affairs Article, Oct. 2008

Phthalates is the chemical additive in plastic (toys) to make them soft, and pliable. Arguments against this chemical have been mounting for years (European countries placed bans on it years ago) because medical studies show it to be an endocrine disruptor, affecting the hormones and reproductive organs of children. Think of that soft squishy rubber duckie in the tub. It is fair to say unless it has a big sticker on it saying, “non-toxic,” it is probably filled with phthalates.

Phthalates is not the only dangerous substance, as we already know. There is still an active concern about dangerous levels of lead in toys. Lead poisoning is especially harsh on the developing bodies of our children. Think that toy manufacturers have learned their lesson in lieu of the massive recalls of yester-year, no. Within the last month there were two recalls that I know of for toys laden with dangerous levels of lead filled paint [*see the CPSC Recall Press Releases below].

So what are we (the Consumer) supposed to do or look for this holiday season? Toy manufacturers are not required to list ingredients of their toys and it is fair to say most Retailers don’t have a clue what is in them. Large toy stores have begun to put corporate policies in place to do third party testing and other quality assurance standards in place.

Regardless, the most prudent thing for parents to do this holiday season is to assume that if squishy toy in your hand has not been labeled non-toxic by the manufacturer, there may be (even the slight) possibility there is toxins in it. And those cheap toys in the bargain bin? There is a reason why they are so cheap and it is not because they are eco-friendly or non-toxic. So when in doubt, shop at the retailers that explicitly have strong safety practices in place or (of course), buy them a sweater.

Sited Links:
Wikipedia | Phthalates
Wikipedia | Lead Poisoning
Consumer Affairs | Soon-to-be Banned Plastic Toys Flood the Market
CPSC Press Release | Toy Xylophones Recalled by King Import…
CPSC Press Release | OKK Trading Recalls Toy TVs Due to…
Toys R’ Us | Safety Practices

Related Links:
Christian Science Monitor | End of Toy Story: Where do Lead-tainted Toys Go?