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16.11.2007 | 10:33:40 am | Posted by admin By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
As a new mom, you may tend to worry over every little mark you see on your baby. The good news is, you are definitely not alone. CNN recently posted an article called “5 Weird Things About Newborns″. It may be a funny title, but it is an interesting read for first time moms who want to know more about common baby skin ailments they may not have been prepared for.
Cradle Cap
Although it may be jarring to look at your newborn and see scaly patches or flaky skin on her dainty little head, rest assured it is a common occurrence known as cradle cap that usually goes away within a few months. Nobody knows what causes cradle cap but we do know it isn’t contagious or a sign of poor hygiene. For a simple remedy, rub a natural oil (such as almond or olive) on her head and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Before removing the oil, use a soft-bristle baby brush to loosen the flakes then shampoo well to keep her pores open. There is no need to overdue it, shampooing 2-3 times a week will keep her scalp clean and prevent further drying. Cradle cap usually goes away on its own.
Baby Acne
No, it is not a sign of his teenage years to come, only proof of his connection to you. Red or white headed bumps on your baby’s face, or a rash-like appearance, can often appear in his few weeks of infancy. Pregnancy hormones that cross into the placenta during the last few weeks of pregnancy stimulate a baby’s oil glands, which can sometimes lead to baby acne. No “treatment″ is usually necessary; simply wash his face with mild baby soap. And remember: less is more- he doesn’t need oils, creams, or harsh scrubbing. Baby Acne usually clears up after a few weeks but in some cases may last until he is 6 months old.
Rashes
The most common infant rash is diaper rash that is caused by prolonged dampness. To prevent or clear up diaper rash, be sure to change your baby often. Also, be sure to carefully clean her bottom between diaper changes and ensure the area is completely before putting on a new diaper. You can also try an over the counter diaper rash treatment. Dr. Greene explains that baby rashes come in many shapes and forms. Just like adults, babies sometimes get rashes because something has irritated their skin. Another possibility of rash like symptoms could be an allergic reaction to a type of food eaten. As always, if you have any concerns, talk to your doctor.
Caring for Baby Skin
Keep in mind that your baby’s skin is much more fragile than yours. It is less resistant to bacteria and environmental substances, especially if it is irritated. Here are a few things you can do to protect your baby’s skin:
- Use only baby-safe laundry detergents
- Do not use adult skin care products on your baby
- Use gentle, baby-friendly skin cleansers
- Try to use organic products and clothing when possible
- Avoid feeding your baby common allergens during his first year of life
| 10:28:28 am | Posted by admin By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
At last, more substantial news arrives to support the adage "breast is best". The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) announced this week at their annual meeting that exclusively breastfeeding infants for the first 3 months of life can protect them from food allergies.
This statement, along with several others made via the ACAAI, provides insight into preventing allergies in children. Highlighted measures for food allergy prevention in infants and children include:
- Breatefeeding
- Maternal food avoidance of common allergens while pregnant and breastfeeding
- Delayed introduction of solids to infants until they’re 6 months old
- Postponed introduction of common allergens to infants until after their first birthday
- Use of hypoallergenic formulas
- Early intervention when signs of food allergies appear
- Probiotics
Additional Findings
Exclusively breastfeeding infants with a high risk of developing food allergies for the first 3 months provides a significant protective measure. This conclusion was derived from the review of 18 studies. Experts at the ACAAI also stated that doctors should be aware that food allergies could also be the cause of dermatological (skin) and gastrointestinal (stomach and intestines) symptoms in patients. The consensus is that removing allergic response inducing foods can help alleviate symptoms and is the best form of treatment.
Why It Works
One of the reasons breastfeeding aids in allergy prevention is that immunity is directly passed from mother to baby. Not just food allergies, but environmental allergies as well. As the Holistic Pediatric Association points out, breast milk contains probiotics (“friendly bacteria″), immune factors, antifungal, and antiparasitic components.
Breastfeeding and Asthma
While on the subject of breastfeeding and infant health, it is important to discuss the rumors about the risk of asthma. Some moms may have heard that breastfeeding your baby may increase the risk of her developing asthma. The truth is there is no proven truth to that statement. Research deems the correlation between breastfeeding and asthma to be relatively inconclusive, as not enough research has been done on asthma directly. Science Daily provides one explanation to all the recent rumors and confusion. A recent study discovered that while infants breastfed longer than 4 months by asthmatic mothers may be at a greater risk for developing asthma, there is no risk for babies being breastfed by non-asthmatic mothers. This crucial element was not looked at in any other study. What we do know for sure is that breastfeeding enhances your baby’s immunity which provides overall better health. Sometimes science takes a while to catch up to what we already know innately.
References:
1. Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 19, No. 3, 250-261 (2003)
2. American Thoracic Society (2007, November 6). Breastfed Babies Breathe Better, Except When Mom Has Asthma. ScienceDaily
3. Breastfeeding, atopy, and asthma. The Lancet, Volume 361, Issue 9352, Pages 174-174 R. Becquet, V. Leroy, L. Salmi
4. Gdalevich M, Mimouni D, Mimouni M. 2001. Breastfeeding and the risk of bronchial asthma in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Pediatrics 139: 261-66.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
15.11.2007 | 1:22:23 pm | Posted by admin By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
With so many baby toys on the market, it can be difficult for parents to decide which toys are both fun and educational. Although several series of baby videos and DVDs are marketed towards improving infant cognitive development, new research finds that may not be true.
Videos May Not Provide Benefits
An interesting new study sought to investigate claims that baby videos improve cognitive and language development. The new research concludes, however, that television is not a good medium for teaching language skills to infants. In fact, the infants (ages 8-16 months) who watched videos had a slower rate of language acquisition. Of the 90 infants studied, each hour per day of video viewing resulted in 6-8 fewer words learned than in infants that did not watch videos. Most videos made specifically for babies contain very little dialog, flashy images, and short scenes, which could be part of the reason the babies did not pick up new words. In addition, researchers theorize that infants who watch more videos in general may have less interaction with their parents.
A Time To Learn
 The first 3 years of a baby’s life includes rapid brain development. A significant amount of research states that providing your baby with educational toys can be beneficial for brain development. An infant’s brain grows more in the first year of life than in any other, almost doubling in size, so it is important to “feed″ that growing brain with the right kind of toys. As Best Child Toys points out, babies need to be stimulated through their 5 senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound. Playtime for infants is also learning time as playing is a baby’s primary way of learning. Educational baby toys are focused on each stage of infant development. From increasing sensory and motor development to problem solving play, finding the right toy to suit the stage of your baby’s development can help increase your baby’s mastery of his growing skill set.
A Time To Play
Much of what your baby learns during her first year of life has to do with her interaction with you. Your baby learns best from observing you, and as previously mentioned, the more time she spends with you the more she can learn. Although educational baby toys may be beneficial, participating in playtime with her is even better.
Resources for educational and eco-friendly baby toys:
Walking Stick Toys
Sum-Bo-Shine
Green Toys
02.11.2007 | 10:52:11 am | Posted by admin By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
This month, the World Health Organization (WHO) is publishing the first ever internationally agreed upon system for assessing the health of youth and children within the context of both their stages of development and the environments they live in. Detailed descriptions of health standards using environment and position on the developmental continuum have long been the norm for adults. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY), as the assessment will be known, now confirms the importance of using the same methods for children.
 Learning From the Past
Children grow rapidly in the first 2 decades of life. Previous methods of health assessments have not accurately captured this important time in childhood health and development. Methods such as Milestone charts, Growth Charts, and BMI have had very limited use in terms of providing the “big picture″ for a child’s overall health and well being. In addition, previous developmental assessments have not taken into account a child’s living situation, ethnic diversity, environmental factors, or activity level. The new ICF-CY provides a coding system for many environmental factors that may restrict or allow children to function in every day activities, as well as hundreds of bodily functions and structures.
Looking Toward the Future
The goal of the ICF-CY is to provide a brighter, healthier future for children’s health across the globe by accurately pinpointing the areas where assistance and policy change are needed. Up until now there has not been a tool for measuring developmental delays nor has there been a way to compare the health status of children all over the world. For example, children who are malnourished may experience developmental delays but that correlation has yet to been defined. This new means of assessment will provide a direct correlation to the cause of the developmental delay so that proper health care can be provided. The ICF-CY also measures children who develop at their own pace, allowing for health providers and educators to provide a tailored health and education plan for them.
Growing at Home
For the first time ever, the world will have a universal language with which to identify the needs of children including health, social services, and education. On a more local level, charting child development is an important aspect of parenting. Along with regular check-ups with your physician, keeping on eye on how your child grows and learns is equally important. Parents are typically the first to notice if their child has a problem. A study by Vanderbilt University took a look at parental concerns versus developmental problems. The children of 96 families were screened for articulation, language, fine motor skills, and global development. Ninety-four percent of parents who had no concerns for their child’s development had children who passed the screening, while 80% of the parents whose children did have developmental delays suspected so prior to the screening.
When will we see it?
The ICF-CY has just been launched in Venice to international praise. This new assessment method will be working its way around the world throughout the upcoming year. At this time, it is unclear when it will be initiated in the United States. Until then, we are at least provided with a little more hope for the future of our children.
| 10:10:38 am | Posted by admin By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
 What am I supposed to eat? Am I getting enough nutrients? How much do I need to eat? These are all questions on the minds of expecting and new mothers. To help answer those questions, the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Prevention in conjunction with the Food and Nutrition Service’s Women, Infants, and Children Program, and the Department of Health and Human Services, has launched a new MyPyramid (formerly known as the Food Guide Pyramid) specific for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
How It Works
As NBC Action News reports, to use the program an expecting mother provides some physiological information along with her baby’s due date and a breastfeeding mother provides her baby’s birth date along with whether or not she is solely breastfeeding. The new MyPyramid then calculates dietary needs and provides personalized meal guidelines for the expecting or breastfeeding mother that can be downloaded into a full color printout. The nutrition advice provided is consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and includes calorie needs, food groups, and serving sizes. Other topics include weight gain during pregnancy, breastfeeding, food safety, and special health needs. The MyPyramid for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers can also provide registered dietitians and other health care providers with a tool to help women obtain sound nutrition for themselves and their children.
The USDA plans to release another on-line tool known as the MyPyramid Menu Planner within the next few months. The Menu Planner will provide specific meal plans that match your calorie needs with nutrient requirements.
Pros and Cons
As with any new resource, there are both pros and cons. Because is it brand new, modifications can be expected to take place based on user feedback.
Current Pros Include:
• Easy to use format
• Colorful diagram of dietary needs
• Provides serving sizes for each food group
• First online tool specifically for pregnant and nursing women
• Emphasizes fruits and vegetables, including what types
• Gives moms an opportunity to directly impact their own health
Current Cons Include:
• If you are overweight, you are referred to a physician without entering the site
• Calorie requirements may be marginally higher than what you are eating
• Does not allow for dietary preferences or specialized diets (e.g. vegan, lactose intolerance, celiac, or vegetarian)
• Limited amount of information
• Very few specific foods listed
• No non-dairy sources of calcium provided
One Giant Step Forward
Despite its shortcomings, the new MyPyramid for mothers is a step in the right direction. It can provide a great framework for which to plan your daily meals, something many expectant and breastfeeding mothers may find difficult to achieve on their own. For more detailed information or dietary recommendations, speak with your physician or dietitian.
Additional resources for breastfeeding, pregnancy, and nutrition:
Women Fitness
Breastfeeding 123
UCSF Children’s Hospital
Women’s Health Channel
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The Baby Mum-Mum blog discusses everything to do with babies and parenting with a focus on child health and child development. Baby Mum-Mum is a healthy, easy to digest baby rice snack that is enjoyed by babies and mothers around the world for its portability, gluten free ingredients and great taste.
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On February 22, the FDA issued letters relating to labelling to 22 food companies, including several baby food manufacturers. We were advised by the FDA that we are not permitted to print the statements "Low in Fat" or "No added fat or oils" on our Baby Mum-Mum packaging.
Although these statements are true and each serving of Baby Mum-Mum does not contain any fat, the FDA has brought to our attention that these claims are technically not allowed on our packaging solely because the product is intended for consumption by infants and children under 4 years of age.
In the future, these claims will be removed from our packaging.
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