How To Know When Your Baby Is Sick

As new parents, you’ve spent nine months emotionally as well as logistically preparing to welcome that magical newborn into your household. Nevertheless, you may not be prepared to evaluate your infant when he’s ill and to know when you can handle the illness yourself and when to get help. For infants under the age of six months, the following are some of the signs of illness and general guidelines for when to call the doctor.

• Fever itself is not an illness, but rather the baby’s response to an illness – most commonly an infection. Call the doctor if your infant is less than three months old and has a rectal temperature above 100.3F, or if between three and six months has a temperature above 101F. Even if the temperature is lower than these general guidelines, call the doctor if the baby appears ill with such signs as a rash, irritability, poor feeding, trouble breathing, a stiff neck, persistent vomiting or diarrhea, signs of dehydration or is lethargic or difficult to arouse.

• Dehydration can happen if the baby is feeding poorly, has a fever, is in too warm an environment, or has persistent vomiting or diarrhea. You can recognize it if the baby has a dry mouth and gums, wets the diaper less frequently, sheds no tears when crying or the fontanel (the soft spot on the top of the head) appears to sink slightly. If you think the baby is dehydrated, call the doctor.

• Diarrhea is common in infants, but call the doctor if there is blood in the stool, the baby has more than 6 watery stools a day, is not taking fluids or shows signs of dehydration.

• Vomiting (not just ‘spitting up’) may not be serious if it happens only once or twice. If it happens more frequently, contains blood or is green in color, or if the baby looks dehydrated, call the doctor.

• Difficulty breathing can be suspected if the baby is breathing much more rapidly than usual, if the tissue between the ribs, above the collar bones, or in the upper abdomen is sucked in when the baby inhales, if the baby grunts while exhaling, if his head is bobbing or if his lips or skin develop a bluish tinge. The doctor and 911 should be called immediately.

• Red, oozing or bleeding navel (or umbilical remnant) or penis – call the doctor.

• Rashes are common in babies, but call the doctor if the rash covers a large area, especially the face, or is accompanied by a fever, if it oozes, bleeds or the area is swollen, or if it looks infected.

• Colds (upper respiratory infections or “URI”) are caused by a virus and are very common in infants. They usually last 1 or 2 weeks with an associated runny nose, fever and poor appetite for a few days, and a cough which can last as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Do call the doctor if the temperature is higher than the guidelines above, if there is a rash, there’s any difficulty in breathing as described above, he is unusually fussy and cries a lot, the cough is severe and almost non-stop or brings up any blood, if he is vomiting, or if the symptoms last more than 2 weeks.

Finally, under all circumstances, if you’re very worried that the baby looks really ill, trust your instincts and call the doctor!

By Margaret Lewin, MD, FACP – Medical Director, Cinergy Health (www.cinergyhealth.com)

Top 5 Tips for New Parents

Having a first child can be overwhelming – with the new bundle of joy comes the new lifestyle, new responsibilities, new sleep schedule, etc. An alarming amount of parents can get overwhelmed, particularly in the first few weeks of bringing the baby home. This could be a lot less of a stressful experience knowing some tips from the experts beforehand. BornFree, the leading chemical and BPA-free baby product manufacturer has provided some tips below to guide first time parents in ensuring a more pleasant experience for mom, dad, and baby.

Top 5 Tips New Parents Need to Know from BornFree:

1. Get your home in order before the baby arrives: Clean, organize, and find a place to store all baby products, so they can be easily accessible.
2. Find the places that are open all night and who will deliver to your home – keep a running and accessible list of nearby pharmacies, grocery stores, etc. and have these numbers readily available.
3. Keeping your baby safe is the most important. Products that are BPA and chemical free are essential.
4. Try and lock down a sleep schedule ahead of time to adjust to both your needs and your baby needs. Taking turns between parents is a great way to ensure both parties are tending to the baby while taking care of their own health as well and getting as much rest as they possibly can.
5. Read up beforehand and don’t be afraid to ask your pediatrician questions before the baby even arrives in your home such as what to expect for feeding, sleeping and general care of your child.

Information courtesy of BornFree

About BornFree:  BornFreeâ„¢ has developed a range of products baby bottles, cups and accessories that is totally free of the potentially dangerous chemicals Bisphenol-A (BPA), Phthalates and PVC. BPA is a known estrogen mimicker that is used in the production of polycarbonate plastic. According to researchers, BPA may cause developmental and neurological problems if it leaches from plastic. Reports suggest that small amounts of BPA may leach into food or beverages stored in polycarbonate containers, especially when the contents are heated. In addition, BornFreeâ„¢’s cups and bottles feature the unique BornFreeâ„¢ venting system, designed to reduce colic and ear infections.

The Real Nutritional Cost of Name Brand Formulas

Since deciding on going back to work, I realized that we’ll have to supplement Kaila’s feedings with formula. With Kacie and Kiana we used the expensive name brand ones and even though it was purchased through Costco, it was still pretty expensive. However, since the company was advertising superior nutrition and other benefits we figure the cost was worth it.

However, in a recent law suit against the makers of Enfamil LIPIL it was found that “store-brand formulas are nutritionally equivalent to and confer the same developmental benefits as the more expensive national brands.”

A news release dated December 2, 2009 states:

PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM’s infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” and “there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.” The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM’s store brand infant formula.

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

So what does this mean for you? We all know how expensive name brand formulas are and we pay the price because we want the best for our babies. But now you can get all the benefits without the high cost. This is such a relief for our family and we’ll definitely be checking what the generic store brands offer. You should, too.

Toy Safety Tips

By Malcolm Denniss, Technical Director for SGS Consumer Testing Services

1. The most important aspect of buying gifts for children (whether for holidays or birthdays) is to make sure the toy or game is age-appropriate for the child. Nearly every toy or game will list the appropriate age on the box. The guidelines were developed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Toy Industry Association, and take into account the typical ability of children to handle certain toys. Buying toys for children that are younger than the indicated age, even though we think a child may grow into it or is capable may lead to inappropriate play patterns and hazards that a child is not yet prepared for.
2. Children are naturally excited to play with new toys at holiday times, often in a robust and possibly in an overly enthusiastic manner. It is important that parents periodically check their children’s toys for any damage or breakage, which could create sharp edges or a choking hazard. If a toy looks damaged, take it away! If necessary, contact the manufacturer to verify that it is still safe to play with.
3. While toy shopping during the holidays, check recall notices at the toy or department store to verify none of child’s existing toys have been recalled and are still in your child’s room or toy box.
4. If you are buying toys for nephews, nieces, or other children that you may not see on a regular basis, it is always a good idea to check with the parents and make sure you know what they think is appropriate for the child, particularly for very young children where maturity can vary significantly. Be particularly careful when buying for children under the age of three years. This age group often still puts toys in their mouths, so check the front of the toy package to see if the toys have small parts before buying.
5. Teach kids outdoor and indoor play safety. It’s important to teach them to not play ball games near roadways and to always look where they are running if the ball goes outside the play area. Never let them play near roads and areas where automobiles are driving. Do not let them play with flying toys indoors where they can not only knock over fragile decorations but can also hit bystanders.

« Previous Page — Next Page »