Parental adaptation to infant sleep is poorer when infants spend any part of the night with their parents, even when parents endorse bedsharing, according to a Penn State study presented at the 22nd annual meeting of Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
A Penn State researcher studied 45 families with infants between 1 and 24 months. Parents completed measures of parental cognitions about infant sleep and attitudes and practices regarding sleep arrangements. A measure of adaptation to infant sleep was derived from five items that inquired about parents' satisfaction with infants' sleep location, and bedtime and nighttime behavior.
The results show that the adaptation scores of both fathers and mothers are highly correlated. Parents whose infants spend any time with them at night had poorer adaptation scores than did parents who sleep separately from their infants. Parents with more lenient attitudes toward bedsharing spend more time with their infants at night than do parents with less lenient attitudes. Interestingly, however, more lenient attitudes toward bedsharing are associated with poorer adaptation in both mothers and fathers.
"In a culture that is typically not accustomed to co-sleeping, parents who choose to co-sleep for their child's well-being may be doing so at their own expense," says Penn State researcher Molly Coutermine, who is a graduate student in human development and family studies.
It is recommended that adults get seven to eight hours of nightly sleep, infants 14 to 15 hours and toddlers 12 to 14 hours. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
Get a full night's sleep every night.
Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
Get up at the same time every morning.
Those who suspect that they might be suffering from a sleep disorder are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist.
(7-22-08)
Hot, humid weather can lead to heat rash or prickly heat, which occurs when sweat glands clog and sweat becomes trapped beneath the skin. The condition often results in a patch of little red bumps, usually arising on the neck, upper chest, elbows, groin or under arms or breasts, where skin folds touch. It can occur at any age, but is more often found on the elderly and on babies, who may be overdressed and have trouble cooling off.
"Heat rashes aren't serious, but they can be annoying," says Dr. Amit Pandya, professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Heat rash should fade away after those affected move to a cooler environment and expose the affected area to more air. Loosen clothing around the affected area or wash the area with a cold cloth, then let it air dry. Try calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to relieve itching.
To help avoid heat rash, try drying the area after a shower and using powders such as baby or talcum powder. Occasionally, a yeast infection may occur in affected body folds, which appears as more intense redness and small bumps. This is especially common in people with diabetes. An over-the-counter medicated cream or powder designed to treat yeast and fungus may be used for such infections. If you are uncertain as to the cause of the rash, consult a physician.
(7-22-08)
Joel Madden, lead vocalist for Good Charlotte, has been named UNICEF's newest Goodwill Ambassador. The news came during a cable broadcast on global child survival titled,
The Survival Project: One Child at a Time, which aired on CNN and was hosted by the network's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta.
Madden, along with fellow ambassador Lucy Liu, participated in the hour-long special that explored the causes and the actions required to stop the unnecessary deaths of children under age 5. The special also featured UNICEF experts from "the field" and examined the role celebrity plays in bringing attention to the issue of child survival.
"UNICEF is the best organization for children worldwide – they truly make a difference," says Joel Madden. "Twenty-six thousand children die every day from preventable causes; my band performs before that many people regularly, so it's a number I can wrap my head around, and pushes me to want to reduce it to zero."
No stranger to social and humanitarian causes, the 29-year-old Baltimore native and new father recently formed the Richie-Madden Children's Foundation, a charity which provides funding to groups focused on improving pediatric heath, education and human rights both domestically and abroad. Madden's first field visit as an official UNICEF Ambassador is scheduled for the fall.
For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
(7-22-08)
New guidelines have been released in the July issue of
Pediatrics, recommending cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. These guidelines, part of a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood," also recommends dietary changes for certain children and reemphasizing the importance of following the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and increasing physical activity.
One change the report recommends is to consider the use of reduced-fat dairy foods, such as reduced-fat (2 percent) milk, for children between 12 months and 2 years of age for whom overweight or obesity is a concern or who have a family history of obesity, dyslipidemia or cardiovascular disease.
"Research continues to show that for infants and children, milk and milk products are fundamental to a healthy diet," says Karen Kafer, vice president of Nutrition Affairs/Health Partnerships at the National Dairy Council (NDC). "We are working in partnership with the AAP to educate parents with children of different ages and health circumstances how to choose the milk products best for them. We want parents to understand that milk is more than just an important source of calcium for their children; it also contains eight other essential nutrients that help build and maintain strong bones, muscles and teeth."
The AAP continues to emphasize calcium recommendations from its 2006 Report on Bone Health, which promotes three servings of dairy foods daily for children and four servings for adolescents. Likewise, the Dietary Guidelines encourage children from ages 2 to 8 to consume three child-size servings from the milk group each day for a total of 2 cups; children age 9 and older should consume three cups per day. Whole, reduced-fat (2 percent), low-fat (1 percent) and fat-free milk all provide the same package of vitamins and minerals; the only difference is the amount of fat.
(7-22-08)
The 2008 Huntington Backpack Index indicates that parents need to be prepared
to spend $385 for elementary school children, $551 for middle school children
and $911 for high school students. Yet more than half of respondents in an online
survey of more than 600 students heading to elementary school through 12th grade
this fall say they think it costs less than $300 per child, and almost 40 percent
say they think their parents spend less than $200 a child.
The Huntington Backpack Index is also a reference for smart shopping to teach
older children about budgeting and bargains to spend within family financial resources.
Shopping advice includes the following:
Try to beat the average prices listed in the 2008 Huntington Backpack Index when
possible through local or online deals.
Talk honestly about what your family can afford to spend on upgrades and extras
for back-to-school.
Assign tasks for back-to-school shopping preparation, such as coupon-clipping
and online price checks, to your kids.
Consider setting up individual bank accounts for children or give them cash so
they can personally shop within or under budget, under your guidance.
Find out about the financial education your children are receiving at school
and incorporate personal lessons utilizing your local bank if you think they need
it.
In the study, Huntington Bank also found that 56 percent of students underestimate
the cost of buying classroom and extracurricular activity supplies. The survey
also found that among high school students:
23 percent say they don't know how to write a check
16 percent say they don't know how a debit card works
39 percent say they don't understand the concept of paying interest on a loan.
(7-22-08)
Could watermelon have Viagra-like effects? Maybe, say Texas researchers. Watermelons contain citrulline, which helps release a compound that makes blood vessels relax, which is similar to what happens after a man takes Viagra. Citrulline also reacts with enzymes when consumed in large amounts that change into arginine, an amino acid that helps the heart, immune and circulatory systems in the body. Unfortunately, 60 percent of a watermelon's citrulline is found in the rind, but scientists are working to boost concentrations in the flesh. (7-22-08)
Thinner people tackle all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets differently, according to a new Cornell study published in the journal
Obesity. Researchers found that thinner diners browse and chew more, use chopsticks and smaller plates, face away from the food and place a napkin in their laps. Larger diners tend to be "speed eaters" and start out with large plates without checking out the buffet, face the food, use forks and keep their napkins on the table. The study also found that people with lower Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) left more food on their plates.
(7-22-08)
More kidney stones because of global warming? Yes, say researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas. Global warming is likely to increase the proportion affected by stones by expanding the higher-risk region known as the "kid-stone belt" into neighboring states.
Because dehydration plays a role in kidney stones, global warming will increase this risk. The researchers predict that by 2050, the increased temperatures will cause an additional 1.6 million to 2.2 million kidney-stone cases. The "kidney-stone belt" includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Learn more about kidney stones in the articles Kidney Stones While Expecting: Diagnosing and Treating During Pregnancy and Kid-size Kidney Stones: A New Concern for Parents. (7-22-08)
Fewer than one-third of teens get the minimal amount of exercise recommended by the government, according to a study in the
Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that 90 percent of 9-year-olds get enough exercise, but that number drops to 3 percent for 15-year-olds. Lack of exercise can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems.
Get tips on getting your children active here.
(7-22-08)
Gas prices are at an all-time high, which may be hard on drivers' wallets, but there is a positive: fewer accidents, especially among teen drivers.
Researchers found that for every 10 percent increase in the price of gas, there is a 2.3 percent decline in automobile deaths. For teen drivers aged 15 to 17 the decline is 6 percent, and ages 18 to 21 have a 3.2 percent decrease. The study was done when gas prices were around $2.50 a gallon.
(7-22-08)
See parents helping parents in action! 
