Booster Seats Are Safer

The journal “Pediatrics” published the results of a study, conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, confirming previous reports that it’s safer to keep children aged 4 through 8 in a booster seat during car travel.

The new study gives us solid figures: Children in belt-positioning booster seats are 45% less likely to sustain injuries in a crash than children using standard safety belts.

Booster seats protected children even better during side-impact crashes, reducing the risk of injury 68% for near-side impacts and 82 % for far-side impacts. The most common type of injury children sustain in vehicle crashes is a head injury, accounting for 65 % of all injuries regardless of the type of restraint used. The data did not show a difference in the level of protection using a high-back booster or a backless booster seat.

The good news?

The study considered injuries sustained in 21,943 crashes in which at least one child received medical attention, as well as crashes where no children were injured, and the vast majority of injuries were not fatal, whether children wore a regular seat belt or used a booster seat.

Car Seats for the Car Only

It bears repeating that parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics car seat guidelines to keep their children safe during road trips. But it’s equally important to note the danger that exists when parents keep infants in car seats for extended periods when they are not traveling.

In a related article, CBS News reported the results of a study presented to the AAP that shows 8,700 emergency room visits resulting from inappropriate use of a car seat/carrier.

Most of the injuries occurred when parents placed car seat/carriers on soft surfaces, like beds and sofas, or high surfaces like counters and tabletops. This causes a risk of suffocation in infants, but babies can also suffer injuries to the head or extremities if the car seat tips or falls.

If you do place your baby in a carrier:

• Place the carrier on flat ground only.

• Be aware in public places; do not place the carrier and baby in high-foot-traffic areas.

• Avoid keeping baby in the carrier for long periods of time every day; this can lead to weak muscles and flat spots on the head.

The Bottom Line on Car Seat Safety

Car seats are intended for use in motor vehicles to protect infants, toddlers and children from injury in a crash. Use a car seat or booster seat, for as long as possible with your child, for its intended purpose. But don’t leave your infant in a carrier/car seat for extended lengths of time when you’re not traveling.

More Information

If you leaf through your baby or parenting magazine you’d be sure to find one of those cute pictures of babies, pictures that will tug at any mommy’s heart. Unfortunately, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is not pleased with many of them. Not in the least, according to this US News report. Because most of the pictures, especially those of sleeping babies do not reflect the safety guidelines to prevent sudden infant death (SIDS) as recommended by the AAP. Great photos as they are, they nevertheless set a bad example to parents and care givers.

Baby Ad Inconsistencies in Regards to SIDS:

• Babies sleeping on their tummies. The AAP and other health organizations have been advocating the “Back to Sleep” campaign to prevent SIDS.

• Babies on soft surfaces. The AAP discourages the use of pillows and soft blankets to prevent suffocation and overheating. Overheating is another factor that causes SIDS.

• Babies co-sleeping with mommy. There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping Madonna and her child. The AAP doesn’t think so because it is strongly against co-sleeping even though many other groups advocate co-sleeping for the sake of mom-baby bonding and promoting breastfeeding.

• Babies co-sleeping with other babies. The picture of Jennifer Lopez’s twins Max and Em sleeping in the same crib was really a slap at AAP’s face. I have twins myself and I admit I never let them sleep in the same crib mainly for practical reasons – they slept better that way and were less likely to disturb each other when one wakes up. But I know twins who couldn’t sleep away from each other.

Clearly, there is a big difference between what is safe and what makes a good photo. From a photographer’s view for example babies may look cuter “bottoms up.” And ads are all about photos that are cute and appealing and nice to look at. Plus the artistic license, of course.

What do you think?

Do you think the AAP has the right to “police” baby photos in ads, print and web media for safety reasons?

For years we were told not to give toddlers and children anything but whole milk. Their growth and development, especially brain development, were believed to be dependent on it. However, the longstanding debate about giving children low-fat milk as against whole milk has once again raised its head. This time the experts are now telling us that it is OK to give some toddlers and children up to age 12 low-fat milk. According to a report, Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood, published in the July 2008 issue of Pediatrics, there are instances when low-fat is the best choice for toddlers and children.

New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that toddlers can be given reduced-fat milk (2 percent milk) if they are ?overweight or obese, or have a family history of obesity, high cholesterol or cardiovascular (heart) disease. The new guidelines indicate that children aged 12 months to 12 years old who fall within the category listed do not need whole milk as they may already have adequate amounts of fat. The recommended time to switch for children who fall within the group listed above is between one and two years old.

Experts state however, that children who are vegetarians may still need some amount of saturated fat from whole milk since it is needed for proper growth and development.

The new guidelines in the report are aimed at helping to keep the cholesterol of children at healthy levels. The long-term goal is to keep their hearts healthy. This new low-fat milk recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics is just one in a list of recommendations they are offering to improve the cholesterol levels of children.

Also of importance is the recommendation that children?s cholesterol levels should be first tested soon after their second birthday. In fact the AAP and the American Heart Association agree that this is especially important for children who may be at a higher risk for heart disease.

Reading about heart disease in toddlers and children is a bit scary. It means that as parents we need to start paying closer attention to the diet of our children, and get them on the track to better nutrition. What are you doing about it?

When I brought my daughter home from the hospital, I was determined to do things differently this time. This baby was not going to be held 24/7. She was going to learn to soothe herself when upset. Baby #2 was going to sleep through the night well before 9 months. And she was definitely going to learn to fall asleep (and stay asleep) in her crib, rather than in my arms.

Maybe you have two children, and are thinking, ‘HaHaHa.‘ But before you chide me for my obviously well-intended but misguided idealizations, let me defend myself. It’s going pretty well (it helps that my daughter is the most laid-back, easy-going baby God ever created). But maybe some of it – just a teensy bit – is due to some things I’ve learned. One thing in particular has helped with all of these goals: I swaddled her.

And when I say swaddle, I don’t just mean I wrap her in a blanket. I mean she is practically in a straight jacket.

It started when my friend sent me a blanket as a baby gift that was twice the size of normal receiving blankets, with this little tag of swaddling instructions and the phrase, ‘Swaddled babies sleep better.’ Always one to ask the question, ‘Who said it and why should I believe them?‘ I looked it up. Turns out, it was the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In May 2005, they again published research indicating that babies who are wrapped sleep more efficiently; that is, they wake up less often (unless there is noise). And then there was that phrase about how swaddling helps excessive crying. That was good enough for me to try it.

On her second night of going to bed drowsy but awake (let’s not talk about the first night), I bundled her awkwardly, stuck a pacifier in her mouth and voila! It worked. She was out cold in 15 minutes. She’s three months old now and she still can’t resist the ‘burrito’. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, I rewrap her, find the pacifier, and we’re good until 5:00 am.

Now I just have to figure out what I’m going to do when she’s old enough to turn over?