What to put in the Easter basket

What are you putting in your child's Easter basket? I haven't really thought about it, but with all the girl scout cookies in our house right now, we need to cut down on the sugar.

Web MD has some Easter basket basics that are "healthier" options. I put an assortment of suggestions I found on the internet:

Yogurt-covered pretzels

Play-doh

Dried Fruit

Trail mix

Raisins

Nuts

Stickers

Coloring book

Bubbles

flashlights

yo-yos

McDonald's gift certificates

gel pens

construction paper

glitter

nail polish

frisbees

card decks

fancy-edged scissors

sunglasses

jump rope

My husband says to put carrot sticks in the basket because that's what rabbits eat. Hah! Our son would probably cry.

What are your suggestions for a low-sugar Easter basket?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Questioning Your Pediatrician's Advice

I saw this story on CNN today about when it's okay to question your pediatrician's advice. If you know me, that's every time I go into the office. I am sure my pediatrician dreads it when I show up. It's just my nature. It's not that I think she's wrong, I just have a lot of questions and am always curious to see if there's more than one opinion on the issue in question.

Some pediatricians weighed in on this topic to let parent know which common topics have more than one answer.

1. 'Don't pick up your baby in the middle of the night'
Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician in Atlanta, Georgia, and co-author of "Heading Home with Your Newborn," says parents tell her all the time that their pediatricians have given them directives about their baby's sleep. "Parents tell me, 'My pediatrician told me to let my baby cry it out, that they should be sleeping through the night without eating," says Shu, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "Rather than make the parent feel awful, we ought to have some latitude, some flexibility."

Dr. Joyce Zmuda, a pediatrician in private practice in Owings Mills, Maryland, says she tells patients there's lots of "wiggle room" on this issue. "They have to first understand that if they go to their baby in the middle of the night, they're creating an expectation that the parent will always be there when they cry," she says. "But if they understand that and just can't stand to hear the baby crying and want to go to them, that's fine with me. It's a personal decision."

I am the biggest wimp when it comes to the "crying it out" method. I can't let my baby cry. He still gets up once a night and he is a year old. I think it's a bad habit and he doesn't need to get up, but I just can't handle the crying.

2. 'Baby should be at home with Mom'
Some pediatricians tell parents it's best if baby stays at home until a certain age.

"There's been a whole debate about this in the psychological literature," said Dr. Robert Needlman, co-author of the latest edition of "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care." "And the bottom line is that the timing of the day care isn't as important as the quality of the day care. Poor-quality day care is bad for a kid at any age, as is poor-quality home care."
He says that if your pediatrician tells you it's best for your child to stay at home, this is just an opinion. "There was a time we thought a child younger than 3 in the care of anyone but the mother was just horrifying. That belief has been well, well dispelled," he says.

I obviously work, but I would still love to be at home with my babies!

3. 'Don't give your baby 'triple nipple confusion''

If your pediatrician (or lactation counselor) tells you not to give your baby a bottle or pacifier because the baby might get "triple nipple confusion," take it with a grain of salt, our experts tell us.

I disagree. I think you have to be very careful about this for the first month at least.

Dr. Hope Hamilton-Rodgers, a pediatrician in private practice in Rome, Georgia, says there's not a lot of research to back up this assertion. "I have plenty of patients who do bottle, breast and pacifier from the get-go and don't have nipple confusion," she says.

Dr. Laura Jana, Shu's co-author of the newborn book and of "Food Fights," a nutrition book for parents and kids, says some newborns do experience nipple confusion, so she offers this advice: "I tell them if they're concerned about nipple confusion, they can do just breastfeeding for a week or two to make sure their baby's getting the hang of it, and then if everything's working OK, try a paci or a bottle if they want."

4. 'Your baby must eat solid foods by 6 months'

The standard advice for parents is to start their babies on solids sometime between 4 and 6 months of age. But if your baby's that age and isn't interested in real food and wants to get all his calories by breast milk or formula, there's no reason to panic, Shu says. "Some are just slower to take to the textures of food and want just the bottle or the breast."

Jana, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, says all children are different. She remembers one of her three children was unenthusiastic about food until she was 9 months old. "My son, on the other hand, at 4 months old cried between spoonfuls because it wasn't coming fast enough," she says.

Needlman agrees there's no reason to panic if your 6-month-old doesn't want to eat solid food, but it's a good idea to visit the pediatrician to make sure the dislike is just your baby's personal preference and not a sign of a health problem.

5. 'You must take the pacifier away'

Some pediatricians get very opinionated about the age at which to wean a child off the pacifier. But our experts say as long as it's not interfering with the child's speech, or causing dental problems, it's OK to let a child soothe herself with a pacifier.

"There's not a lot of science on this," Shu says. "It's not cut and dried by any means."

The bottom line: when you're in the pediatrician's office, you should try to separate medical fact from medical opinion. This isn't always easy.

"This is a big deal for mothers and even bigger for new mothers who trust their judgment even less," says Mia Redrick, a "mom coach" and author of "Time for mom-ME." "Often it's hard for mothers to distinguish medical advice from a pediatrician's personal opinion."
Needlman offers this advice: If you're not sure if you're getting fact or opinion, ask. "It's a good thing when a parent says 'Really? I don't want to do that,'" he says. "You can challenge your pediatrician along the lines of saying, 'That advice you gave me doesn't feel comfortable to me. Can we talk about some other options?'"

My oldest son was obsessed with his Binky and it was a complete nightmare trying to get rid of it. He had delayed speech and our pathologist says the Binky contributed to this. I waited forever to take the Binky away. However, he has not been a decent sleeper since we took the Binky away. Now I wish I could give it back to him!

What issues do you think are opinion rather than fact when it comes to your pediatrician's advice? Am I the only one annoying my pediatrician with a million questions every time I'm in the office?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Abercrombie and Fitch Controversy

I got this message from a newsanchormom.com reader:

"I've read your blog and thought you may be interested in this story, both professionally and as a blogger. My wife and I are associated with Nationwide Children's and are in the process of organizing a non-profit child advocacy. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the attached story." Dave Osborn

The story is about the clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch giving $10 million toward the construction of a new emergency room for Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Some are outraged the Abercrombie name would be seen in the ER because they believe the store promotes teens wearing racy, provocative clothes.

Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood said research shows racy marketing campaigns can be linked to more kids having eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

CNBC ran the full story this week.

What do I think? I used to wear Abercrombie clothes when I was in high school and I didn't think they were that racy. Then, I had my own kids and I think I am more conservative or maybe the clothes are skimpier now. I have seen 12-year-old girls in skirts that don't cover their behinds. That is just wrong. I think there's a big difference between tweens wearing these clothes and someone who is a senior in high school or in college. I can see why parents of tweens are upset with the advertising. Of course middle school kids going into high school want to wear what their peers are wearing. It's only natural. That would be a hard battle as a parent.

Here's the link to the Abercrombie and Fitch photo gallery. The first shot is of the back side of a boy, showing his behind. Then you see a girl with long hair who doesn't appear to be wearing a shirt. Hmmmm..

However, the picture I posted above doesn't bother me.

What do you think about Abercrombie's marketing campaign? Is is too racy?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

P.S. Because I used the words Abercrombie & Fitch, some of the google ads are inappropriate. I apologize and will try to fix that. The ads are not picked by me. The computer just looks for words that match my text. Apologies!

Kids and STDs

I know it's scary to think about your child getting a sexually transmitted disease. If you're like me you think, "That won't happen to my kids. They won't be that stupid." However, it does happen to a lot of kids and they don't necessarily have "bad" parents. So, you might want to start planning "the talk" with your kids. Experts say it's a good idea to talk to your kids about oral sex by age ten. I am not sure if any of my friends even had their first kiss by 10 -years-old. Wow, that seems young!

Here's the latest information on kids and STDs:

A news study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows at least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease. (That is insanely high!)

The study found the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in girls age 14 to 19. The highest overall prevalence is among black girls. Nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. Among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the rate was 20 percent.

The study included more than 800 girls who participated in a 2003-2004 government health survey.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Academy of Pediatrics on the HPV Vaccine

Will any of you give the HPV vaccine to your girls?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Kids preventing pharmaceuticals in water

Students from Pontiac Township High School in Pontiac, Illinois are working to get pharmaceuticals out of our drinking water. You may have seen the story this week on national news. An Associated Press investigation found all kinds of medications in our water from anti-depressants, to antibiotics, heart medicine, birth control pills, steroids, narcotics and more. This is certainly a concern for parents. The high school students were well aware of the problem and started a program in January to safely get rid of pharmaceuticals that are typically flushed down the drain. They send the drugs to an incinerator owned by the company Med-Turn. The teachers involved in the program say the participating pharmacies are picking up the costs of incinerating the drugs. Other states, like Michigan, are already copying their program and they hope to make it a nationwide policy.

If you haven't read the full story on water concerns, Here's the story we ran on HOI 19 this week:

The latest public health worry about tainted substances is hitting close to home.It involves water tainted with drug residues-- water that may come from your tap.

An Associated Press investigation found traces of drugs in the water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas out of 62 major water systems it checked. All kinds of medications: from anti-depressants, to anti-biotics, heart medicine, birth control pills, steroids, narcotics and more.

Dr. David Carpenter said, "There is no way that having pharmaceutical drugs in the water supply is going to be of any benefit."

How does this happen? Our bodies don't absorb all of the medicine we take, so some of it is excreted and flushed into our sewers. Sewage treatment plants don't remove the drugs. The treated water then flows into rivers and lakes and then to drinking water plants which typically don't screen for drugs.

But can it harm you? Scientists are seeing effects on animals. Male fish have developed female traits and have reproductive problems. The believed cause: exposure to human birth control hormones.

Marjorie Powell, a pharmaceutical industry trade group attorney said, "No studies have demonstrated any effects on human health."

The pharmaceutical industry points out the levels of drugs detected are minuscule. And the EPA says, while it is concerned about the issue, the agency points out, American water is still some of the safest in the world.

If you're still concerned about the possibility of your water being unsafe, experts say you can buy a reverse osmosis water filtration system.

Traditional water filters aren't designed to clear away drugs.

Experts also say you're not necessarily safe if you drink bottle water, because that water is often re-packaged tap water that is not treated for pharmaceuticals.

The first thing that came to my mind is the thought of the increase of certain conditions like asthma, allergies, type 1 diabetes and a host of others. Could there be a connection? You always hear people say maybe it's something in the water. What are your thoughts?-NewsAnchorMom Jen

After School Activities

How many after school activities is too many? Experts say it depends on a number of factors and this is a big issue facing many families.

Here is the question posted by a newsanchormom.com reader:

"I am curious what experts say is too many after school activities for middle school kids.

I've heard arguments both ways from older generations, doctors and peers. I sometimes feel the busier your kids are, the less time they have to get in to trouble and/or become "couch potatoes". But, on the other side of the coin, it cuts out some of our family time too.

I know personally that if we are all home together, we're all doing different activities anyway. I try to make time for family games, etc. But find that the kids would often rather have friends over and play outside away from us or in their rooms. Learning who knows what from those other kids. But, are they building friendships at this time?

We run every night except Fridays and Sundays. In particular, my kids go to karate a minimum of 1 hr per night. They want to! The hate missing it! And, it's great exercise as well as the fact that they are building friendships there as well.

Are we doing things right?

I know what the grandparents think (and hear it often). They feel that the kids are exhausted and need time at home with us. Well, I prefer that they are doing something to better themselves and encourage physical activity than sit and watch t.v. or play video games."

Child Psychologist Dr. John Day talks to parents about how after school activities are becoming too time consuming in society and often times there is too much pressure on kids to perform. He said kids need down time, where there is no structure. "Children need to learn to regulate themselves. Children and play is important. Play has become stressful and expensive. The best play is imagination. Children should rely on themselves for play time," he said.

Dr. Day said research shows kindergartners need at least 30-40 minutes each day of unstructured play. He said, "Maybe a couple evenings of activity a week is plenty. But the sports activities have a pretty rigorous schedule. Some practice 4 times a week. If the child is pretty motivated in the sport, I would let them do it. But talk to the kids. Some of them are overwhelmed, but might be scared to tell parents. And I would limit it to that one sport. Don’t overload the sports."

So are all these after school activities stressing kids out? Dr. Day said, "Yes they can. You have to look at all the activities and decide why you are doing so many. When I was in school, they had practice right after school. For some of these kids, practice is at 6pm at night."He said maybe some kids get used to these rigorous schedules early on and they can handle it, but some don't. He said, "I think some of the kids really get pressured and it’s usually by adults-parents, coaches, teachers. The kids get caught in the cross fire. That could lead to childhood anxiety and childhood depression. Kids quickly run out of resources. Often kids try to fix the situation on their own and when that doesn't work they just give up. Their grades suffer."

Dr. Day says he uses the child's grades a gauge on whether or not they are doing too many activities. He said when grades start to suffer, limit the activities. He said parents also need to keep in mind the importance of family time. He said,"It’s good to learn team work, but kids need time to themselves for self regulation and family time. We assume because the kid has breakfast with us or we are in the car together that’s family time, but that’s not necessarily enough. You have to interact with the family-talk to them."

If you are stressed out by taking the child to so many activities, Dr. Day said that's a good sign your kids are stressed too. He advises parents not to let kids drop out of commitments, but to finish that semester or season, if possible, and don't sign up again. He said, "I have seen kids really get hurt with this. When they get stressed, their learning will go down. Reading comprehension drops to zip. So keep an eye on that. "

How many nights a week are you running your kids to events? How do you achieve a healthy balance?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Do adults need vitamins?

Here's a great follow-up question that was posted after the vitamin story last week that said many pediatricians do not recommened vitamins for kids.

NewsAnchorMom.com reader Lisa asked:

"At what age, then, are vitamins recommended? Aren't we as adults supposed to be taking them... so when do doctors make the distinction that vitamins are important? I do give my kids a children's gummy vitamin each day. I don't think it's necessary, but I think it establishes good nutrition habits when it's made part of their daily routine."

Dr. Kelvin Wynn from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria responded:

"Vitamins are chemical compounds which are essential in small amounts for normal metabolism. The majority of vitamins are not made by our bodies so they need to be ingested in the diet to prevent certain disorders. It is important to distinguish vitamins from minerals (such as calcium and iron) which are also essential.

Therefore, if someone is not getting adequate nutrition then vitamin supplementation is necessary regardless if they are a child or adult. The best way to get the essential vitamins and minerals is with a balanced diet. A diet with five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day supplants supplemental multivitamin use in most people.

Individuals who have clinical reasons for vitamin deficiency, such as those who suffer from alcoholism, malabsorption, a history of gastric bypass surgery,or a history of metabolism disorders, should receive supplemental multivitamins. Physical signs and symptoms of vitamin deficiency depends upon the deficient vitamin. Remember, one can take too much of a particular vitamin which can produce signs and symptoms of toxicity."

I hope this helps! How many of you take vitamins as adults?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Getting your husband to do more housework

I thought you might be able to use this study reported by ABC News that shows men who do more housework may get more sex:

American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers they used to be. The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.

The report, by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. One found that men's contribution to housework had doubled over the past four decades; another found they tripled the time spent on child care over that span.

"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time dual-earner couples," the report says. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."

"He's the one who makes breakfast and folds the laundry," said Melchoir, 47. "I'm the one who fixes things around the house." Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist and author of "The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework," said equitable sharing of housework can lead to a happier marriage and more frequent sex.

"If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her — he's not treating her like a servant," said Coleman, who is affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families. "And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood."

How much housework does your husband do? Mine is in charge of the laundry. I absolutely dread doing the laundry, so it's a big relief to me!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Protecting kids from car crashes

From MSNBC:

Parents, we can all guess which circumstances are the most dangerous when it comes to our kids and car crashes. Now, a study proves it. Riding unbuckled with new teen drivers on high-speed roads are the three biggest risk factors of death for passengers 8 to 17 years-old.

While young drivers have higher chances of dying, the six-year study focused on nearly 10,000 children passengers who were killed in car crashes. More than half — 54 percent — were riding with a teen driver. Drivers younger than 16 were the most dangerous.

Not surprisingly, Other dangerous circumstances for young passengers included drivers who’d been drinking alcohol, male teen drivers, and driving on weekends.

The message for parents is simple and sobering: Don’t let your teen ride with a teen driver who has less than a year’s experience driving. Insist on seat belts. And practice ways teens can resist peer pressure to ride with other teens, said Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the study’s lead author.

But no states have all the restrictions recommended by State Farm(who funded the study), the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Philadelphia hospital. For example, they say the minimum age for a learner’s permits should be 16. But nine states grant them to 14-year-olds and at least 30 others give them to 15-year-olds.

Also, the groups say drivers younger than 18 should not be allowed to have more than one teen passenger without adult supervision, but only 34 states have that restriction, according to data provided by the hospital and State Farm.(Illinois is one of them) Does anyone know if teens actually follow this law or whether it's enforced?

Do you remember how unsafe you were when you were driving at 16-years-old with a group of friends in the back? What will you do the ensure your kids are safe?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

P.S. I haven't heard back yet from the doctors mentioned in the previous posts about cosleeping. I do have a ton of information on how many after school activities is too many (reader question). I will write that one this week. And I have half of the reader question on kindergarten requirements. I am waiting to hear back on the vitmain question. If you have a question you would like me to answer, just let me know.