Thursday, January 31, 2008

Double-dipping!

by Teresa

Remember that Seinfeld episode with the scene where someone yells at George for double-dipping?  Taking a bite of a chip with dip, and then putting the same chip back into the dip?  Well, scientists wanted to find out just how many germs get left behind, if someone double-dips.  They actually did a study, and the New York Times printed an article about their results.  You can click here to read it.  It might make you think twice about that tasty-looking salsa or guacamole you might see at Super Bowl parties this weekend!

Friday, January 25, 2008

TOY RECALL: Christmas Tree Shops Blocks and Train Sets

by Teresa

Here’s some important information for anyone who bought sets of toy blocks, or wooden train toy sets from Christmas Tree Shops recently.  Some of these products are being recalled because of lead paint!  Please click here for more information, including a phone number you can call… and pictures of the sets that are being recalled.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

FDA: No cold medicine for kids under age 2

by Teresa

The FDA has new recommendations for parents today.  They’re advising parents NOT to give cold medicines to ANY child under the age of 2.
Moms and dads should, instead, make sure the little ones get plenty of fluid and rest.  Saline drops can be administered nasally.  Using a humidifier can be helpful, too.
And for kids over 2, the FDA wants parents to be sure to follow the instructions on cold medicine labels, and avoid using more than one product.  If more than one medicine is used, parents need to check the labels carefully to make sure kids aren’t getting too much of any one active ingredient. 
For more information, please click here.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

LINKS:  Adoption

by Teresa

WJAR has always been a welcoming place for employees who are parents.  Many of my coworkers have children with their spouses or partners.  Some are single parents.  And there are several families that have adopted children—in various ways.  Some of the little ones have come to their new families through traditional adoption, some from the foster care system in Rhode Island, and some from foreign countries.
You may have seen our long-running weekly feature called “Tuesday’s Child.“  The stories, done in conjunction with Adoption Rhode Island, and narrated by Patrice Wood, focus on one child each week… a child who’s waiting for a permanent home.  This week, we featured a boy named Zach, who says he feels he’s “missed out” on the chance to have caring, loving parents.  To see Zach’s story, and past stories… and for more information about Adoption Rhode Island, click here.
I also wanted to share a link to a great blog on the New York Times website.  Various writers contribute to the blog, periodically, and the topics focus on the joys, and the challenges, of international adoption.  It’s called “Relative Choices.“  To read it, click here.  I hope you enjoy it!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

LINKS: Kids Using Cold Medicine to Get High?

by Teresa

This really surprised me.
A new article in Newsweek says more than 3 Million young people in the U-S have tried to get “high” using cold & cough medicine.
To read the article, with more information for parents, click here.

LINKS: Vaccines & Autism

by Teresa

Okay, this one is a sensitive topic for a lot of parents: vaccines & autism.  Some parents of autistic children across the country believe an ingredient that has been used in some vaccines may have contributed to the increased rate of autism in children. 
A new study looked at the autism rates before, during, and after the period of time when vaccines using a certain preservative were in use, to examine whether there was a drop in the autism rate when it was removed.  The study didn’t find any decrease.  However, critics are questioning the study’s results.
I’m a firm believer that parents should always have as MUCH information as possible about issues that could affect their children. 
So: for much more detail on this very sensitive topic, check out some of the articles I’ve found on the topic: click here , click here , or click here . 

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Celebrities like Jennifer Love Hewitt

by Teresa

I wish there were more celebrities like Jennifer Love Hewitt.

You may have seen news items about her recently, after some paparazzi photos were published, showing her in a bathing suit, walking on the beach. Some of the text that accompanied the pictures on some websites contained derogatory remarks about her body.

Hewitt responded in a dignified way on HER blog with a small statement. In part, it reads: “I’ve sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women’s bodies are constantly scrutinized… I’m not upset for me, but for all the girls out there that are struggling with their body image… being a size 0 doesn’t make you beautiful… To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini — put it on and stay strong.“

Responses to her statement have been widespread, and varied, and included an offer from Hugh Hefner to feature Hewitt in Playboy magazine (she declined). To read an MSNBC article about the photos and her response, click here.  (There’s also a spot on that page where you can view a “Today Show” story about the whole thing.)

Now, you may wonder why I’m writing on a “parenting” blog about a Hollywood actress.

My own sweet girl is just 3 and a half years old and yet recently, she told me she didn’t want an extra treat at snack time because she “might get more fat.“ It turns out that a relative, someone who most assuredly had nothing but good intentions, recently told my girl that she has a “cute little fat tummy.“ My daughter was a happy, breastfed, adorable and admittedly, quite chubby baby—but she’s since grown into a completely normal, preschooler, body size and shape. She does, however, still have that characteristically round “toddler tummy” that’s common in kids her age. And she took note of the innocent comment about her tummy, because even at her tender age, somehow, she already knows girls shouldn’t be “round” or “fat.“

I told my baby that she’s healthy, and growing, and that’s what’s most important. And that she’s beautiful just the way she is. Her round tummy is beautiful, and her body will keep changing as she “grows up.“ And, I told her it’s okay to have a special treat once in a while, as long as we eat healthy foods most of the time.

But it was around this same time that I read the stories about Jennifer Love Hewitt, the things bloggers said about her and what she said in response, and that’s why it stuck out in my mind. It seems that most of the actresses who are in the spotlight these days are size 2 or size 0, with sharp cheekbones, collarbones, elbows and ribs… and few curves. (Even journalists aren’t immune; the anchors and reporters on the “Today Show,“ for example, seem to get thinner and thinner each year.) I was happy to see that there are some public figures out there who are willing to say to their critics:  “I will NOT starve myself. I will be healthy. This is my shape, and I’m fine with it… and YOU’RE the ones with the problem.“

Cheers to you, Hewitt… I hope there are more women like you in magazines when my daughter hits high school.