Parents Daily News Roundup

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Tough New York Private Schools Try to Lighten Load
Some of New York City’s most competitive high schools, like Dalton, Trinity and Horace Mann, are working to address student stress.

BPA Exposure in Womb Linked to Behavioral Woes in Girls
Girls who are exposed to high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) while in their mother’s womb may be more likely to show signs of behavioral and emotional problems as toddlers, new research finds.

U.S. Panel Urges ‘Energy Star’ Nutrition Ratings for Food Labels
Taking a cue from the Energy Star ratings on the front of household appliances, a panel of experts is recommending that a similarly easy-to-read system appear on every packaged food item in American grocery stores so busy consumers can glean nutritional info at a glance.

Educating New Parents Cuts Shaken Baby Syndrome
A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds that when a simple education program was implemented, hospitals in New York State’s Hudson Valley were able to reduce shaken baby syndrome cases in their hospitals by 75 percent.

New Barbie Has Pink Hair and Tattoos, and Some Parents Aren’t Happy
Brought to you by the Italian-based, Japanese-inspired brand Tokidoki, this new edgy Barbie has a chin-length pink bob, punk-style clothing and tattoos running down her arm and around her collarbone.

Daily News Roundup

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Shaken-Baby Syndrome Faces New Questions in Court

At 4 months, Noah Whitmer was an easy baby. Super tranquilo, remembers Trudy Eliana Muñoz Rueda, who took care of Noah at her home day care center in Fairfax County, Va. Rueda and Noah’s mother, Erin Whitmer, both noticed when he stopped taking his bottle well and napping as usual in the middle of his fifth month, in April 2009. Whitmer thought this was because Noah had just started eating solid food. She and Rueda talked about it early on April 20, both of them hunched over Noah in his car seat when Whitmer dropped him off. (New York Times)

Free Time for Parents

For months after my son was born I kept a running time tally in my head of time I no longer had to myself. Television I wasn’t watching. Books I wasn’t reading. Conversations I wasn’t having. Sleep I wasn’t getting.

Now a survey in Britain has done the calculating for me. The Co-operative supermarket chain polled 3000 customers and found that after everything else was subtracted, working parents have 90 minutes a day “to themselves.” (New York Times)

Parents Focus on Kids Diets But Neglect Their Own

Organic milk and eggs, hormone-free chicken, homegrown veggies — meals can’t get any healthier for the Winslow kids, ages 3 and 6.

“We’re really health-conscious when it comes to them,” says mom Marquita Winslow of Youngsville, N.C. “We try to do the least amount of processed food we can. In summer, we grow our own vegetables and we freeze some, so in winter, that’s what they’re eating.” (USA Today)

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