New Windows 8 App: Parents Pregnancy and Baby Guide

Monday, October 29th, 2012

With Microsoft officially unveiling its latest Windows 8 operating system and new Surface tablet on October 26, Parents is happy to announce the launch of its Windows 8 Pregnancy & Baby Guide!

The app provides a fun interactive experience for new and expectant parents—week-by-week guides are packed with helpful information and photographs for pregnancy and baby’s first year, while another month-by-month section guides parents to age 2.

Other cool features allow users to track their baby’s development and share photos with friends.

The app is free. Click here to get it today!

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Good Bacteria During Pregnancy May Ward Off Eczema
Babies were less likely to get an itchy skin rash when their mothers took probiotics during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, according to a new study. (via Reuters)

Parents Who Argue Over Money Connected to Overspending by Kids
In a new study, students who specifically responded that “my parents usually argued about finances” were twice as likely to have more than two credit cards than those who said their parents didn’t argue over money, and three times as likely to have a large amount of debt. (via Time)

Texas Schools Begin Tracking Students With Computer Chips in ID Cards
Two schools in San Antonio have begun tracking students using radio-enabled computer chips embedded in their ID cards, allowing administrators to know the precise whereabouts of their charges on campus. (via NBC News)

Why Fertile Women Are More Aloof
According to a new study, ladies who settled down with Mr. Stable over Mr. Steamy are less likely to be sexually attracted to their partner during their most fertile period than women who paired up with sexually-desirable men. (via Time)

Pregnant Mothers on Anti-Depressants Are Putting Babies At Risk, Warn Scientists
Thousands of women who take anti-depressants during pregnancy are endangering their unborn babies, researchers have warned. (via Daily Mail)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, October 19th, 2012

Pediatricians Call For Strict Gun Laws to Protect Kids
Pediatricians are calling for the strictest possible regulation of gun sales, as well as more education for parents on the dangers of having a gun at home, to prevent deaths of kids and teens. (via Fox News)

Genes and Immune System Shaped by Childhood Poverty, Stress
A new study has revealed that childhood poverty, stress as an adult, and demographics such as age, sex and ethnicity, all leave an imprint on a person’s genes. And, that this imprint could play a role in our immune response. (via ScienceDaily)

Laundry Detergent Pods an ‘Emerging Public Health Hazard’ Among Kids
There’s a new warning for parents who use laundry pods about how kids are mistaking them for bright, colorful candy and eating them. (via ABC News)

Family Whooping Cough Shots May Protect Babies
Vaccinating moms and older siblings against whooping cough may prevent infants from coming down with the infection, a new study suggests. (via Reuters)

Smucker’s Uncrustables Sold to Schools Recalled
Officials have told school lunch programs across the country to check to see whether they have any Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwiches that might contain peanut butter made by a New Mexico company that is being recalled because of potential salmonella contamination. (via AP)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Tuesday, October 9th, 2012

New Field of Developmental Neuroscience Changes Our Understanding of Early Years of Human Life
For the first time, scientists have amassed a large collection of research that looks “under the skin,” to examine how and why experiences interact with biology starting before birth to affect a life course. (via Science Daily)

Mother’s Fish, Mercury Intake Tied to Kids’ ADHD Risk: Study
Children’s risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life may be tied to how much fish their mothers ate while pregnant, according to a U.S. study. (via Reuters)

New Test Can Diagnose Genetic Disorders in Infants in 50 Hours
Too often, newborns die of genetic diseases before doctors even know what’s to blame. Now scientists have found a way to decode those babies’ DNA in just days instead of weeks, moving gene-mapping closer to routine medical care. (via AP)

Meningitis Outbreak Stirs Calls for FDA Pharmacy Oversight
A deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak tied to contaminated steroid shots should spur new legislation to regulate how pharmacies mix and dose drugs, experts said on Monday. (via Reuters)

CT Scans of Kids in ER With Stomach Pain Skyrockets
The use of CT scans on children being brought to emergency rooms with abdominal pain has skyrocketed, new research reveals. (via U.S. News and World Report)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

‘Active’ Video Games Get Some Kids Off the Couch
Kids may spend too much time in front of the TV, but “active” video games are getting some of them on their feet and moving, according to a study out Monday. (via Reuters)

Baby Communication Gives Clues to Autism
A new study shows that measures of non-verbal communication in children, as young as eight months of age, predict autism symptoms that become evident by the third year of life. (via Science Daily)

Smoked Salmon Blamed for Salmonella Outbreak
Smoked salmon tainted with salmonella bacteria has sickened hundreds of people in the Netherlands and the United States, sparking a major recall, health authorities said Tuesday. (via AP)

HPV Vaccine Safe But Linked to Fainting and Skin Infections, Study Finds
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is generally safe, but may increase the risk of fainting and skin infections shortly after vaccination, a new study finds. (via My Health Daily News)

Pedestrian Accidents Are More Preventable for Young People
Trauma surgeons have identified two preventable reasons why young pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles — poor guardian supervision and distraction because of mobile device use. (via Science Daily)

Poor Sleep and Sleep Habits in Adolescence May Raise Health Risks
Evidence now suggests that sleep problems during adolescence may negatively impact heart health. (via CNN)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, September 28th, 2012

Preschoolers Use Scientific Reasoning, Study Says
A review article in the journal Science sums up a swath of research suggesting that preschoolers can make deductions about cause and effect, infer preferences and test hypotheses. (via CNN)

Possible Link Between Infants’ Regulatory Behaviors and Maternal Mental Health
It is believed that maternal anxiety and depression can influence the child’s capacity to self-regulate, but infant problems can also exaggerate parental mental health issues. (via Science Daily)

U.S. Is Tightening Web Privacy Rule to Shield Young
Federal regulators are about to take the biggest steps in more than a decade to protect children’s privacy online. (via New York Times)

Researchers Investigate Aggression Among Kindergartners
Not all aggressive children are aggressive for the same reasons, according to researchers, who found that some kindergartners who are aggressive show low verbal abilities while others are more easily physiologically aroused. The findings suggest that different types of treatments may be needed to help kids with different underlying causes for problem behavior. (via Science Daily)

Physical Activity Interventions for Children Have ‘Little Impact’, Study Suggests
Physical activity interventions for children have small impact on overall activity levels and consequently the body fat and mass of children, a study suggests. (via Science Daily)

Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, September 14th, 2012

Salmonella Cantaloupe Infection Toll Rises to 270
At least 270 people in 26 states have been sickened by two strains of salmonella tied to cantaloupes recalled by an Indiana grower. (via NBC News)

Good Health Helps Grades When Students Hit Puberty
A new study shows that good health helps children with stressful transitions from elementary school to middle school. (via Science Daily)

New York Approves Tougher Regulations on Circumcision
The city’s Board of Health passed a regulation that will require consent from parents before Jewish ritual circumcisers can use their mouths to draw blood away from the incision. (via Reuters)

Keeping Mom and Baby Together After Delivery Beneficial
A new review backs up the WHO/UNICEF initiative of “rooming in,” or keeping mom and her newborn in the same room 24/7 to encourage breastfeeding. (via Science Daily)

Mixed Grades For New, Healthy School Lunch Rules
Leaner, greener school lunches served under new federal standards are getting mixed reviews from students piling more carrots, more apples and fewer fatty foods on their trays. (via AP)

Enter the American Baby Cover Contest!

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

Think your little one is model material?

American Baby is partnering with NUK this year for its annual cover contest! Capture your baby (newborn to 12 months) in a happy moment with a bright, healthy smile and you could be one of five finalists to win $1,000, a NUK gift basket, and an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for an exclusive photo shoot.

The Grand Prize winner will appear on the cover of the April 2013 issue. Check out the cutie who won last year’s contest, to the right.

Don’t miss the chance for your baby to be seen by moms across the country: enter the contest via Facebook today!

The contest entry period ends at 11:59 PM C.T. on November 10, 2012.

Read the official contest rules here.