August 13, 2010 | Front page story
The bounce house birthday party turns out not to be as reliable as we thought! The California Attorney General filed a lawsuit this week claiming that the vinyl used in some bounce houses contain unsafe levels of lead. The suit arises from a study by the Center for Environmental Health which tested dozens of bounce houses and discovered lead levels ranging from 5,000 to 29,000 parts per million. The federal limit is 90 to 300 parts per million.
California wants manufacturers to change to lead-free vinyl and party rental stores to include warnings about lead in bounce houses. Until the new lead-free editions, we can wash kids’ hands and faces after they play in a bounce house. We also are pulling out new party ideas–cookie decorating, fishing in a kiddie pool, painting and planting flower pots, decorating magic boxes and treasure hunts.
July 28, 2010 | Front page story
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released new guidelines for vaginal deliveries after a cesarean section (VBAC) stating that vaginal birth is a “safe and appropriate choice” for women who have had a cesarean delivery in the past, and for some women who have had two previous cesarean deliveries.
The new guidelines are in response to ACOG’s former guidelines which led many hospitals and doctors to limit VBACs, or refuse to allow them, for fear of liability if they did not follow ACOG’s more stringent recommendations. The former guidelines were interpreted by some health care providers as requiring a surgeon and anesthesiologist to be at the hospital at all hours, and even the presence of two doctors during a VBAC. Cesarean rates have increased to reach 31% in 2007, an alarming number that obstetricians are working to reduce for the health of mothers and their babies. More
May 1, 2010 | Front page story
McNeil Consumer Healthcare has recalled over the counter children’s liquid products as some may not meet quality standards. McNeil notes there have not been any medical incidents, while advising parents to stop using the products, including Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl & Zyrtec. For the specific product names, see the chart at the end of McNeil’s recall announcement.
March 24, 2010 | Front page story
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning this month about using baby slings for babies younger than four months. They explain the suffocation risk for young infants who have under-developed neck muscles and provide diagrams of safe and un-safe positions in a sling. The CPSC has also added slings to the list of baby products that will have mandatory standards.
Following this warning, today Infantino Baby Slings were recalled. The CPSC advises to stop using the slings immediately and provides Infantino’s contact information for a replacement.
The Moby Wrap and ERGObaby Carrier are alternatives which hold babies in a more upright position–but until the CPSC completes it’s safety standards for baby slings, be sure to review the CPSC diagrams.
February 4, 2010 | Front page story
The Three Faces of Work-Family Conflict: The Poor, the Professionals, and the Missing Middle evaluates the current strain on American families. Written by Joan Williams and Heather Boushey, a law professor and an economist, the study divides families into three socioeconomic groups with different challenges: low-income mothers struggling to find jobs that cover their childcare costs, middle income parents working themselves to the bone juggling work and childcare shifts, and professionals working part-time for low pay and no benefits or squeezed out completely because their jobs demand long hours and at least one parent needs to be available for the kids.
The Three Faces of Work-Family Conflict explains how the media misconstrues work-family issues by focusing either on upper middle-class mothers opting out or lazy welfare mothers dependent on government aid–when the reality for these families is far different, and middle class struggles are ignored. Williams and Boushey argue that work-family strains can be resolved for all of these families with short-term and extended paid leave, work flexibility rules, high-quality, affordable childcare, and ending discrimination against workers with family responsibilities.
The report summary is short and worth the read, we were struck by the economic data and started to feel like these public policy changes might one day be possible.