Having trouble toilet training the toddler?

Then check out this interesting idea - a musical diaper that triggers a ‘wetting alarm’. 

Seriously.

In a study recently published in Neurology and Urodynamics, the participants (young healthy children between 18 and 30 months) in a daycare center were observed for the effectiveness of wearing a diaper with an ‘alarm’ system. Some wore the actual diapers with the actual wetting alarm and others wore diapers with a placebo alarm.

The results - those wearing the ‘wetting alarm’ diapers achieved independent bladder control almost 60% of the time as compared to the placebo alarm group that achieved independent bladder control only 8.3% of the time.

Makes sense really. The ‘wetting alarm’ training method offers both the child and the caregiver immediate information of any leakage which allows the caretaker to take the child to the bathroom at that particular moment. This offers the child awareness of bladder behavoir and more quickly helps the child make a connection between feeling the need to urinate and the need to get to the toilet.

Will this make the musical diaper the next big thing on the supermarket shelf?

(source and image)

The sad news of the death of four-year-old Exodus Tyson who died as a result of strangulation from a treadmill cord offers a somber reminder to parents everywhere of the dangers of treadmills.

Treadmills and other home gym equipment is great for keeping adults fit but are a definite danger to children.

In fact, the Australian Office of Fair Trading has become so concerned the increase in reports of treadmill injuries to children that they issued a public education campaign in 2008.

Called  Treadmills and Kids Don’t Mix, this campaign highlights the dangers of treadmills for children, especially how a treadmill’s moving belt can cause friction injuries and entrap fingers, hands, hair, and clothing.

The campaign made the following safety tips for treadmill owners and users… 

If you can, use your treadmill in the room away from young children.

If this is not possible:

–use safety barriers (like a playpen) to keep children away from the treadmill

–do not use your treadmill when young children are around

Always keep your treadmill unplugged when not in use.

Store your treadmill well away from children’s reach.Always supervise older children if they are using a treadmill.

When you buy a new treadmill choose one with protective covers and a safety stop switch.

Keeping children away from the treadmill altogether, however, might be the best line of defence.

(image source)

“We don’t swim in your toilet. Please don’t pee in our pool”
- sign posted next to a private swimming pool

It’s sad, sad world when people have to put signs like this up.

One might be inclined to take the message as a joke except that according to  survey conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council, “four fifths of those questioned believe that their fellow swimmers are guilty of relieving themselves without bothering to get out and find a bathroom. And one in six people polled admitted that they have indeed peed in the pool.”

This isn’t good. Swimming in unclean water can lead to recreational water illnesses (RWIs) such as  diarrhea, respiratory illness, and ear and skin infections. Those most at risk are Children, pregnant women, and  any one with a compromised immune systems.

So if you going to be swimming in pools this summer, aim to find ones that appear well maintained and clean. The water should be clear, clean, and blue. The tiles should feel smooth and clean. There should be no strong odors. And there should be the sounds of pool cleaning equipment humming in the background.

Furthermore, the CDC recommends…

• Avoid swallowing pool water.
• Shower with soap before swimming.
• Wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers before getting in the pool.

And of course, if you are suffering from diarrhea, please don’t go into the pool. (you’d think that one was a given, but apparently not!)

(image from sxc.hu)

What’s the connection between obese children and allergies? 

Well, the researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or NIEHS aren’t quite sure. But having recently conducted a study on this, they are convinced that there is a connection.

During this study (now  published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology)  they analysed data that had been collected on 4,000 children and young adults between the ages 2 to 19. In particular, they looked at all allergy and asthma related data on these children.

The result - they discovered that obese children and adolescents appeared to be 26 percent more likely to have some kind of allergy, be it asthma, hay fever, food or skin allergies.

What I’d like to know is what comes first - the obesity or the allergy.

So far, the researchers don’t know. As  Dr. Darryl Zeldin, one of the researchers, says ” while the results from this study are interesting, they do not prove that obesity causes allergies. More research is needed to further investigate this potential link,”

(source and image)

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day.

Trying to get some kids to eat vegetables is like pulling teeth. They’ll do just about anything to avoid that green, orange, or yellow thing sitting on the plate. Hiding it doesn’t work. Somehow, they always seem to know it there.

Well, turns out there’s an easier way to get your kids to eat their greens, yellows, and oranges.
Just give them a cool name like ‘X-ray Vision Carrots’, ‘Tomato Bursts’, or ‘dinosaur broccoli trees’ and the vegetables won’t stand a chance. They’ll be goobled up quick.

That’s the finding of a new study by Cornell University researchers. They presented 186 four-year old “X-ray Vision Carrots” and found that these pre-schoolers ate nearly twice as much as they did on the lunch days when they were simply labeled as ‘carrots’.

As researcher Brian Wansick says “Cool names can make for cool foods”. And the best of this is that once the kids started eating the carrots, they continued to eat them even on days when they were no longer labelled ‘X-ray Vision Carrots’.

Such a simple idea with great results. But I think that many mothers already knew this.

But the interesting thing is that doesn’t just work on kids. Adults too have an affinity for cool food names. For example, changing the name of seafood filet to ‘Succulent Italian Seafood Filet’ on a restaurant menu resulted in sales increased by 28% and taste rating increased by 12%.

Maybe it’s all in our mind.

(image source)

Got a few minutes to spare? Then check out this National Geographic Channel quiz which challenges you to compare twinned photos to find 10 differences in each, and learn facts about identical twins, particularly how they may not actually be fully identical.

Sure hope you do better than me…

The National Geographic Channel created this quiz as part of their In the Womb series.

By the way, the next episode of In the Womb screens this Saturday 28th February on National Geographic Channel.

Today’s Sunday Sidebar focuses on three different cases that intrigue and mystify me.

First up, the 60 year old woman from Western Canadian who recently gave birth to twins. Seems she had her heart set on having children and when it didn’t happen naturally, resorted to IVF treatment in India (Canada apparently has a cutoff age of 50). I’m sorry but having twins at 60 sounds more like a nightmare than a blessing. Keeping up with one infant would be hard enough but two? Even a thirty year old might have problems doing that.

Second up, the baby faced 13 year old father in England. These kids (the mother is just 15) might have the energy to raise a child but as we all know, it takes so much more than just energy. It takes money. It takes maturity.

And third, there is Octo Mom who, even though she already has six children under age of 7, went to a fertility clinic, an action that resulted in her recently having octuplets. I’m still trying to get my head around this one. Why would anyone do this? Actually, why would any doctor allow this to happen? This woman believes that she can raise all 14 children but also go back to college in the fall and complete a master’s degree in counseling. Seriously, she plans on studying! When! How! The house will be full of children.

Any thoughts?

Did you know that more than five million children and adults in North America wear braces ?

For them, Halloween season can be a dangerous time. The hard, chewy, sticky or crunchy candy usually handed out can easily result in damaged or broken braces, a painful and costly experience.

So what’s a brace wearing trick or treater to do?

Well, according to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), people with braces should steer clear of these traditional halloween treats…

  * All hard candies
  * All chewy candies
  * Caramel
  * Nuts
  * Licorice
  * Taffy
  * Jelly beans
  * Hard pretzels
  * Bubblegum
  * Popcorn (including unpopped kernels)
  * Taco chips
  * Ice

Instead they should aim for braces-friendly Halloween treats such as soft chocolate candy, peanut butter cups and thinly sliced apples, dipped in yogurt or creamy chocolate sauce.

If that sounds a little on the boring and tame side, then check out these Brace Friendly Halloween Recipes created by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello…

Black and Orange Bon Bons

Pumpkin Cookie Pops

Spider Bites

They’re guaranteed to put the spook back into your Halloween fun.

But make sure you don’t forget to brush and floss after any candy treats. It’s more important than ever during the Halloween season, when teeth may receive more exposure to sweets that can cause cavities.

(Images provided by AAO)

No one ever said baby naming is easy.

With hundreds of thousands of names to choose from, family expectations, and societal trends and fads, it’s definitely something that expectant parents agonize over.

One California couple, having a hard time making a decision,  has come up with a unique baby naming plan.  

Having narrowed the choice down to 17 boys and girls names, they’ve set up an online poll listing the names and hope that the world, or at least cyberspace, will help them decide. 

Want to help them out?

Cast your vote here…