Have you ever wondered what happens when cord blood is banked? What happens if your child needs it later in life due to an illness or other disability? So many steps are being made to advance the research and amazing uses of cord blood stem cells today. It is easy to dismiss the idea of using stem cells as new, radical, and perhaps not something likely to happen soon because of the way it is often portrayed as new and in the experimental stage.

Some parents are stepping up to bank the blood of their newborns and have been for a few years now. Some have chosen private banking, while others have chosen to use public banks. Thanks to banking the blood of their newborn, one couple in Sacramento, California have seen dramatic improvement in their son’s condition. The two year old had been diagnosed with cerebal palsy shortly after birth, but thanks to being injected with his own stem cells, he is showing fewer signs of the disorder. His parents are praising the preservation of his cord blood and the injection of the stem cells.

According to his parents, Dallas had not spoken previously, nor laughed. His father expressed great joy at finally being able to hear the laughter of his son. Thanks to the accidental discovery of Cord
Blood Registry, the world’s largest family cord blood stem cell bank. The couple decided to spend the money to cover the cost of processing and storage, since this may have been their only chance to have a child due to conception difficulties.

Last July, the couple decided to allow doctors at Duke University to infuse Dallas’ own stem cells back into his system in an experimental approach to helping his disorder. According to the family, within 5 days Dallas was a new child, clapping, laughing, and reacting as never before.

For more information on Dallas and his recovery, visit MSNBC and The Early Show Video.

People will pick up on anything to accuse of being autistic. Absolutely anything.

More children are being diagnosed within the Autism Spectrum each year and the anti-vaccine movement just eats it up. Despite the fact that for years scientists and researchers have published comprehensive information disproving the link between the type of mercury found in vaccines, rabid protesters of vaccines still point fingers. See more about the disproving here – Infant study casts doubt on vaccine-autism link.

Perhaps these people fail to notice that the spread of autism has occurred at nearly the same time as the mass introduction of preservatives and other agents into our food supply. Maybe many of these people who are against vaccines would enjoy a back to the past approach of living. You know . . . Fighting off smallpox, polio, and other nasty bugs. I mean, living with those diseases is much better than trying to change the diet your child has. Right?

The link between diet and autism is becoming increasingly clear as research is progressing. Many websites and books are available on the subject, so why the hoo-ha about vaccines? Because of laziness, pure and simple. Or perhaps the need for drama, the need to work for a cause. But, this cause has no real science behind it.

On the other hand, diet and autism have a huge amount of research and proof. Many studies regarding the proteins in wheat and dairy, how they react in a child?s system have been done. Parents around the globe find their children released from the grips of autism by following strict diets that exclude wheat products and dairy. The proteins that are causing the problem in the child?s nervous system are gluten and casein.

Both of these act as opiates on an autistic child?s brain and body. That is one reason children in the autism spectrum are found to have such odd diets. They become addicted to these food items, literally. Chicken nuggets, sandwiches, milk, and any food with gluten or caseins in them.

Of course, many people who advocate the discontinuance of vaccines might come to me and say, ?What do you know? My child never exhibited signs of autism until after she had a vaccine.?

Perhaps this is true. But, normally the real diagnosis of autism does not occur until well after a child has received all of their vaccines. A child may behind in their development, but most of the time, these developments are coming at the same time the vaccines are, so a link is supposed.

I challenge all parents of autistic children to begin eliminating dairy from their child?s diet. Try this for a few months. If an improvement is seen, then move to wheat containing products. It will take time and be a challenge, but the possible benefits outweigh any risk. Once you have tried this, consistently, come back to me and tell me how vaccines are ruining our children?s lives.

This post does not reflect the views of Babies Online or it’s affiliates. The opinion expressed within are those of the writer alone.

My computer sits by my window and I have a great view of the snow blowing down my neighbor?s driveway. Times like this take me back to when I was a child. It seems like it would snow more often in the winter back then. At least, to my blurry memory it did. Memories are like that, you know. When twenty years have passed it seems like only the very good and the very bad stick in your mind like clear photos taken the day before.

I remember so strongly the taste and smell of the snow cream my grandmother made. She would take a large bowl, go outside and gather as much clean snow as would fit into it. She would then mix in sugar, milk, and vanilla. I still make it now for my kids when the snow is fresh and ?sticky?.

Hey, I like it, too.

I think that everyone remembers the tastes and scents from childhood. That is the main reason we have such a popular line of comfort food cookbooks all over the world. For me, the warm scent of vanilla or anything with a spice smell gives me a moment of peace.

I thought I would offer an alternative way to make this treat for those of you who have never had it. This recipe is suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and most children who may have food allergies.

Maybe, some of you have had this, but do not remember how to make it.

Snow Cream

• 1 large mixing bowl brimming with clean, fresh snow
• 1 cup of vanilla soymilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of sucralose

Mix all ingredients well. The snow will melt down as soon as the milk hits it, but keep stirring. Eventually it will clump, then become smooth. The texture you are looking for is thick and smooth, just a bit softer than real ice cream.

When you taste this, it should be slightly sweet with a real vanilla flavor. Feel free to play around with this recipe to get the flavor you prefer. I have also added in a touch of cocoa powder, but was not as pleased with the results. I am a vanilla fan!

If you do try this recipe, let me know how it works for you and please share your variations!

Looking For Answers?

I am the mother of a High Functioning Autistic child. So often, parents of children with disabilities find themselves feeling as if they are on the outside of what would be considered normal parenting. Care giving a special needs child is very demanding and the milestones we celebrates are taken for granted by the parents of ‘normal’ children.

Recently, I wrote an article for Western New York Family magazine on the search for an answer concerning the diagnosis for my daughter. We had been working towards a proper diagnosis for five and a half years, only to keep grasping at shadowy answers. Living day to day, not totally sure what the problem was, but knowing there was something wrong is just as challenging as already having a solid diagnosis for your child. You may find yourself feeling pity for the parent who knows their child is Autistic or developmentally disabled in another sense. Don’t. They are the lucky ones, though they may not know this.

Each morning, when you wake up, if you already have the diagnosis for your child, you know what to expect. You have routines, you have information at your fingertips, you know what the issue is. For the parent who does not know, it can be a nightmare. A flurry of doctor visits, school meetings, wrong placements, schools that need you to remove your child because they do not know how to deal with a wrongly labeled child. Genetic evaluations. It goes on and on.

You can find solace, though. My husband, who I could not have followed my dreams of being a writer or stood so strong during this time, summed up the situation in such a manner that he inspired me for life. He said that no matter what diagnosis we end up with or without, our child is just that, our child. Nothing will ever change the love we have for her or the joy each step in her development brings us. Without her disabilities, we would never have delighted as much in her first words, which were anticipated for nearly three years. Her first drawings, the first time she used her imagination to tell a story. Heck, her first lie!

If you are the parent of a child who is special needs, no matter if you have a diagnosis or not, find your inspiration. Each and everyday can give you an amazing amount of joy, even amidst the challenges.

In Lubbock, Texas, artist Lahib Jaddo found her exhibit banned from a city owned building. The Buddy Holly Center has long had a policy of ?no nudes? in any of the art that was displayed, but this recent controversy has found the town scrambling to rethink it?s stance on the art shown there.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4079181&page=1

As a mother who has nursed all four of her children, I found this story to be quite interesting. Many times I have nursed in public, though I used a thin blanket to cover myself and give my baby a bit of privacy. When I had my first child, in 1994, there were no areas in public restrooms that offered a place for women to nurse their babies. So often I have had to find an empty stall just to nurse in if I wanted to do so with a bit of quiet.

Even after the introduction of nursing areas, many public stores still did not have them with my younger children. Once an employee noticed I had walked into the restroom nearly twenty minutes before and came to ?check? on me. I had made myself comfortable in a corner the best I could, as all of the stalls were taken. Instead of offering me a chair or perhaps a seat in the employee break room, I was told to ?hurry up, I looked silly on the floor.?

You had better believe the manager received an earful, later on.

My youngest child is now fifteen months old and weaned. I still become irritated when I read of the hurdles women face when they want to pump breast milk at work or nurse their babies in a public area. Then, to bring the banning of such a lovingly crafted drawing into the mix, it is nearly unfathomable. Is the glimpse of a breast really that harmful? Especially when it is a glimpse of a mother feeding her child, not some sexually flagrant act of exposure?

Perhaps the towns, buildings, and other businesses should do a little more research into the world view on breastfeeding before taking such a stance.

Tea can be incorporated into many different recipes. I love to cook, but baking is my first passion in the kitchen. Right now, I am taste testing and reviewing teas for a gourmet company, this is one of the recipes I made for them. I hope you enjoy, please, let me know how your batch turns out!Tea Cookies

• 1 Cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• ? cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• Half a cup of your favorite tea, loose leaves. (You can open and empty flavored tea bags or purchase loose leaf)

Cream softened butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, milk, and the vanilla. When the mixture is light in color and fluffy, mix in the flour, baking powder, and tea with a large wooden spoon. Mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated well. Use a teaspoon to drop the batter onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Using the highest rack, bake until a golden brown at 350 degrees F. This usually takes around 10 minutes, but can be a bit shorter or longer depending on your oven. Makes 8 dozen cookies.

Substitutions:

• Molasses and honey can be used in place of sugar, cup for cup.
• Almond extract can substitute vanilla, ? teaspoon to each tsp of vanilla.
• Out of eggs? Vegan? Try a tablespoon of cornstarch for each egg missing.

Brewed tea can be used in place of milk. This will change the flavor, but the tea does not need to be strained.