by Lois Lee, MD, MPH on September 7, 2011
Lois Lee, MD, MPH
The excitement of decorating a baby’s room is a wonderful rite of passage for every parent. It’s also a big business for manufacturers. If you look in any baby related catalog, the choices for furniture, bedding and toys seems unlimited. But even though having so many options for matching sheets, blankets, crib bumpers and stuffed animals for your baby’s crib may seem appealing, these items put infants at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)* as well as suffocation, strangulation and entrapment.
It is well known that there are significant disparities in some medical conditions between different races and ethnicities, and SIDS risks are no exception. In infants born to black mothers, the rate of SIDS is more than twice that of white, non-Hispanic infants. In addition, black infants have much higher rates of death due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, often caused by unsafe bedding items.
To better understand the reasons why the use of soft bedding is more prominent in black families, researchers from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. recently conducted a study of infant bedding practices in black mothers. It’s hoped that by compiling this type of data, the medical community can better identify and educate at-risk families, resulting in safer infant sleep surfaces in the United States. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on April 8, 2010
Kimberly Barbas, BSN, RN, IBCLC, is a lactation specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston’s Lactation Support Program.
How much does breastfeeding cost? How much money can be saved? In today’s health reform climate, it’s always about the bottom line. So for those of us who have for years championed breastfeeding as one of the best choices moms can make for the health of their children, a new study by Dr. Melissa Bartick and Arnold Reinhold in this week’s journal Pediatrics provides the financial data to support the choice to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months of a child’s life.
Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 21, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
School life for children after cancer takes a toll. Children’s Nelson Aquino, CRNA, reflects on his life-altering experience in Haiti. There are ways to confront bullying and cyberbullying head-on. Children’s injury prevention expert offers fire safety tips for your family. Learn how to make snacking a healthy time for your child. Are infants who swim more likely to get asthma? Girls’ soccer injuries are preventable. What are parents’ legal responsibilities when it comes to sexting? Is there such a thing as Internet overload for your child’s brain?
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 18, 2010
by Devika Rao, MD, Pulmonary Fellow
For a pediatric pulmonologist, the winter brings numerous questions from parents and other physicians regarding the management of recurring breathing problems in infants. Some of these infants have colds and some have chronic wheezing.
Some are hospitalized with bronchiolitis – an inflammation of the small airways of the lung. Bronchiolitis is typically caused by viruses, most commonly the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and infection rates peak from December to March. Symptoms range from just a cold with a runny nose, to wheezing or even severe difficulty breathing requiring hospitalization. Some of the many known risk factors that predispose children to bronchiolitis include daycare attendance, tobacco smoke exposure and prematurity. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 24, 2010
by Kristin Cantu on January 21, 2010
This week there has been a lot of coverage on the topic of childhood obesity. It’s not a new subject and one that we’re likely to hear much more on this year.
The Boston Globe reports that for the next 18 months, every public school in Massachusetts will evaluate whether students weigh too much or too little by calculating their body mass index (BMI) scores. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 17, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 16, 2010
Other stories we’ve been reading:
