Dog Bites Child

There is a little boy from central Illinois we have been following who was brutally attacked by his pets last month. Four-year-old Tyson Winter was attacked by the family's 3 dogs in his back yard while his dad ran inside to use the restroom. He was cut over 30 times and received over 100 stitches.

We showed the pictures this week of what the little boy looked like when it happened. Wow, it was a bad attack. I couldn't help thinking about my own kids. We don't have a dog, but my son has asked for one. What causes a family pet to attack?

The little boy's mom says he wakes up screaming in fear at night. Poor little guy. I guess it's a good reminder not to leave kids alone with dogs. But It's still hard to imagine a child's own dog attacking.

Is anyone else surprised this would happen? Does anyone have any experience with something like this?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Kids and Sleep Apnea

This week in our "helping kids sleep" series, I thought we should mention sleep apnea. Reader Jennifer emailed me saying "My son is a mouth breather, does that effect sleep?

Pediatric Sleep Specialist Dr. Sarah Zallek said mouth breathing can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, the most common medical problem she sees in her practice. She said, "So, mouth breathing can be a sign of a tendency toward sleep apnea because of upper airway narrowing. It can also be a cause of some sleep apnea because of the way the jaw can relax and collapse the airway."

Here's the definition of sleep apnea according to the American Sleep Apnea Association:

"There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. The most common is obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality."

My son was diagnosed with obstructive mouth breathing a month and a half ago. He consistently wakes up at night. One of the main treatments for obstructive sleep apnea is a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy or both. My four year had the surgery a month ago.

Here are the links to those posts:

Tonsillectomy Recovery

Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy Surgery Day

The last few days he seems to be doing better. He is waking up twice a night screaming instead of 6-8 times a night. So, I am hopeful he will sleep through the night at some point. I can't say whether having the surgery cured him. I am not necessarily convinced he had sleep apnea in the first place.

"More than twelve million Americans have sleep apnea, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues. "

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea: from About.com

• Although snoring is a common symptom in children with obstructive sleep apnea, it is important to remember that between 10-20 percent of normal children snore (primary snoring) on a regular or intermittent basis.
• failure to thrive (weight loss or poor weight gain)
• mouth breathing
• enlarged tonsils and adenoids
• problems sleeping and restless sleep
• excessive daytime sleepiness
• daytime cognitive and behavior problems, including problems paying attention, aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, which can lead to problems at school

Treatment of Sleep Apnea:

• Treating Allergies
• Weight loss
• Surgery to remove Tonsils/Adenoids
• Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure)
  

I also found a quiz that is supposed to tell you whether you suffer from sleep apnea. You can find it at the American Sleep Apnea Association.

Here are the links to the other stories I have covered on the blog dealing with sleep and kids:


How many hours of sleep do kids need?

"The Sleep Fairy" Book for toddlers

Older kids losing sleep when new baby arrives


Do you or your kids suffer from sleep apnea?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Websites that teach kids

I often wonder how "Technology Savvy" my kids will be when they're my age. It's still puzzling to me when my four-year-old says, "Mamma, why don't you just send dad an email if he won't answer the phone?" (My husband is known for never answering, very frustrating!) And today my son asked me for an iPod.

I used my first computer in high school. It was basically an overgrown word processor. We never had a computer with Internet access in my house growing up. We certainly didn't have a laptop that sat on the kitchen table! That would have been crazy!

I know there are some downsides to kids using the Interenet, but there are so many educational tools available, I can't dreprive my kids of that. And seriously, wouldn't you be hurting your child's reputation if he didn't know how to use the computer? It's just not cool to neglect them of this great tool! So, here are some education websites recommended by Sylan Learning Center.

Feel free to comment with your favorite sites!

Sylvan Learning Centers recommends these sites for parents to use as tools to teach kids:

• Fun brain.com offers games and activities to make learning math, reading and grammar skills fun for students from kindergarten through high school.


• IPL.org, the Internet Public Library, created by the University of Michigan, has a wealth of information in the arts and humanities, business, health and science as well as reference materials and news sources.


• Educate.com shows parents how to motivate children. It is part of Sylvan's website that also gives tips on how to help with homework and projects, how to communicate to teachers and others about school performance.


• Book adventure.com is free online reading motivational program for children in grades kindergarten through eighth. In the "kids zone" characters help readers choose from more than 7,000 books to read. There are also quizzes to earn points for fun prizes.
  There are educational games, printable rewards, an online encyclopedia, dictionary, and links to web sites with additional information and activities for young readers.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Autism and Vaccinations

We have been following the controversy surrounding autism and vaccinations. The latest round of court proceedings lead to an interesting interview with the former Director of the National Institutes of Health. What she says is pretty shocking. This is the first time I have heard this from someone who has worked for one of the big health care groups.

I think anyone with kids should be keeping track of this controversy.

Here's the CBS interview with Dr. Bernadine Healy:

Help young victims of China earthquake

The thought of what's happening to these kids in China makes me so sad, but there is a way for us to help.

An organization in Bloomington, Il is doing its part to help victims of the massive earthquake in China. Our Chinese Daughters Foundation or OCDF is collecting donations for several orphanages in need of supplies. With water cut off, the orphanages can't wash diapers or make formula for babies. OCDF is collecting bottled water and diapers, which will be delivered once roads reopen.

If you'd like to make a donation you can call OCDF at (309) 829-8202.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Moms teaching daughters bad habits

Some moms are working to improve their daughter's self esteem by cooking. If we, as moms, say negative things about our bodies, our kids pick up on those cues. Clinical Psychologists believe the problem is most prevalent in young girls.

Here's the story from ABC News:

Young girls can learn a lot from their mothers, including some dangerous eating behaviors.

There is a cooking program for moms and daughters that is teaching women to have a better image of their bodies. Vicki Bratton and her 8 year old daughter Catherine are getting more than a cooking lesson , they're learning that a healthy attitude towards food leads to a healthy body. Vicki said, "I love the good message that we're learning that healthy food is fun."

Clinical psychologist Dina Zeckhausen, founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network, teaches mothers how to be positive role models for their daughters. Dina said, "It's important that you don't put yourself down in front of your daughter because she has an adult woman's body in her future and she's looking to you in terms of how to feel about that body. she's taking notes whether you know it or not."

Vicki said, "Once I heard her talk about that I realized so many things come out of my mouth that I don't expect, but everything we say their ears are hearing and they are processing it." By cutting out negative body talk, Zeckhausen believes these young girls will have a better image of themselves as they grow older.

Weight obsession affects millions of teenagers, especially girls. One out of every seven women has or is struggling with an eating disorder at any given time. But teenage boys also have body image concerns. Many boys strive for the perfect body by dieting or compulsively exercising.

I have two boys, but I still don't want to set a bad example for them. I can't think of anything I have said that would be negative about my body, but I will still be watching what I say. I keep those negative thoughts for friends who are going through the same thing! Who has time to work out? It's hard to squeeze it in!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

10 Rules for Internet Safety

Some of these tips made me say "no duh," but you never know what your kids are thinking. It seems like it would be worth reviewing these safety tips with kids, even though some of them seem obvious.

iVillage lists these 10 rules for kids Internet safety:

1. Never give out personal information on the Internet, such as their address, telephone number, the name or location of their school, or their parents' names.

2. Be cautious when developing a website. Children should know never to post a home address, telephone number, or personal photograph on the site. If children wish to have people contact them, they should post an email address.

3. Always inform their parents when they come across anything online that makes them uncomfortable. Parents and children can alert their Internet provider or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children hot line at 1-800-843-5678.

4. Never, under any circumstances, agree to meet face-to-face someone they have corresponded with online without a parent's permission. If a meeting is arranged, make sure that it takes place in public and that parents always accompany the child.


5. Avoid chat rooms that discuss sex or cults. While these topics may seem interesting at first, they could put a child in danger.

6. Be suspicious of anyone they meet in a chat room who tries to turn them against their family, friends, teachers, or religion.


7. Choose a gender-neutral online name in a chat room to avoid harassment.

8. Never respond to messages or bulletin boards that are sexually obscene, threatening, or make them feel uncomfortable in any way.


9. Never send any personal materials to an online friend, such as an address, telephone number, or photograph, without first informing parents.

10. Always be reminded that the people they meet online may not be who they say they are.

Do your kids get on-line? My four-year-old does. It is a rule not to get on-line without permission, but that doesn't always happen. He doesn't know how to chat or email, but he knows how to get to sproutonline.com and noggin.com.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Pregnant Moms and High Blood Sugar

From ABC News:

High blood-sugar levels for expecting moms - even if they don't develop diabetes - can have a negative impact on their babies' health.

Babies born to women with diabetes are at higher risk for birth complications, Caesarian delivery, and impaired insulin levels. New research suggests that babies born to women with high blood sugar levels have many of these same health risks, even if the mother doesn't develop full-blown diabetes.

Doctors from Northwestern University, along with colleagues from around the world, gathered information on more than 23,000 pregnant women.

They found that women with the lowest blood sugar levels gave birth to abnormally large babies roughly 5 per cent of the time, compared to 26 percent for women with the highest blood sugar levels. Higher blood sugar also increased the chance of Caesarian delivery and low blood sugar problems for the baby by 10 per cent.

Researchers say that there was NO set point at which these health risks appeared; they grew gradually as blood sugar levels increased. Experts say maintaining a healthy weight - both before and during pregnancy- is the most important thing that women can do to keep their blood sugar levels down.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Favorite Mother's Day

I ask my four-year-old (or as he would say four-and-a-half) what he wants to do on this rainy Mother's Day. He ponders the thought for awhile, looks up at me and says, "When is it going to be kid's day?"

I don't know if any gift can top that. You gotta love em'!

Last week we were filling out Mother's Day cards. He decides to fill out one for Nanny first (his great grandma.) I wrote down the word Nanny so he could fill out the card. Instead of writing Nanny, he writes Mommy(or something that looks like the word Mommy.)I explain to him that the card is not for me, it's for Nanny. He looks up at me with this "duh, I know that face" and says, "Nanny is a mom too. Didn't you know that?"

What is your favorite Mother's Day memory?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen