Parents Daily News Roundup

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Kids from Drug-Making Homes Mostly Healthy: Study
Most children raised in homes where illegal drugs are produced appear to be in good health, according to a small Canadian study.

Child a Handful? Laid-Back Parenting Can Make Matters Worse
Rates of depression and anxiety are reduced when kids are parented in a style that matches their personality, a new study shows.

Football Practice in the Heat: Should Moms Worry or Relax?
It’s August, the month when mothers of football-playing teenage boys have to make peace — or not — with fears of heat stroke.

Toy Keys with Remote Recalled due to Choking Hazard
About 1,080,000 sets of toy keys with remote and an additional 3,600 in Canada are being recalled by Battat Inc. after reports of keys and key rings breaking.

PA Joins States Facing a School Cheating Scandal
A total of 89 schools in Pennsylvania— 28 in Philadelphia — have been flagged by the state for, among other things, an improbably high number of score erasures on state exams, as well as questionable gains on reading and math tests.

Children Eating More, and More Frequently, Outside the Home
According to a study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, eating location and food source significantly impact daily energy intake for children. Foods prepared away from home, including fast food eaten at home and store-prepared food eaten away from home, are fueling the increase in total calorie intake.

Choking Hazards Refresher

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

A grape, hot dog, gumball, raw carrot—what do all these seemingly innocuous foods have in common?  They’re just the right size to block a young child’s airway and choke her. Hot dogs cause the highest number of choking deaths of any food because the rubbery consistency helps them make an airtight seal. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released new recommendations for preventing choking injuries and deaths in kids, and is focusing on food risks. The AAP is calling for the FDA to create new regulations like warning labels on foods that pose a high choking risk and recalls of foods that are significant choking hazards. And they’re also suggesting that manufacturers redesign food products to eliminate choking risks. But there are steps you can take at home:

-Keep round or cylindrical foods away from kids under 4. They shouldn’t eat hard candy, nuts, popcorn, marshmallows, sausages, seeds, apples, or raw carrots.

-Cut hot dogs lengthwise before serving them and cut grapes into quarters.

-Don’t let kids run, play or lie down while they’re eating. Eating quickly and laughing can also cause a kid to choke.

-Don’t let your child throw food in the air and catch it in his mouth.