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Parents are more likely to put fussy babies in front of TV Mothers of fussy or active babies are significantly more likely to use television to distract their infants, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and published in the journal  Pediatrics . The study was funded by the  National Institutes of Health (NIH) . The study is one of the first to look at the interaction between maternal and infant risk factors that contribute to infant TV watching. "In the past, studies have focused on maternal factors for obesity and TV watching, but this is the first time anyone has looked at infant factors and the interaction between maternal and infant characteristics in shaping TV behavior across infancy," researcher Amanda L. Thompson said. "And that's important, because mom and infant behaviors are inextricably linked." The researchers followed 217 first-time, low-income black mothers and their infants. All...

Babies that eat fresh foods instead of processed foods have fewer allergies Research now indicates that 8 percent of children have some kind of food allergy. Common childhood food allergies include reactions to peanuts, nuts, seafood, soy, wheat, and eggs. Medical professionals try to help parents avoid specific foods that seem to be the root of childhood allergies. According to new research from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, food allergies may not come from specific foods but may be developed through overall diet patterns. In essence, conventional medical advice may be misleading parents. The research finds that food allergies exist less often when a baby is raised on a fresh food diet. A nut allergy, for example, may actually derive from a baby's underdeveloped immune system due to an overall poor diet comprised of processed foods. "We have been aware that certain diets seem to reduce the risk of allergy in infants," said Dr. Magnus Wickman, pr...

Coffee drinking causes low birth weight in babies and prolonged birth If you're a mother-to-be and you happen to enjoy a couple cups of coffee in the morning, you may be undercutting your baby's birth weight. That's the conclusion by researchers who have conducted a decade-long study of nearly 60,000 women in Norway - expectant mothers who drink two cups of coffee a day risk having an underweight baby and having their pregnancies last longer, though only by a matter of hours, Britain's  Telegraph newspaper reported. The findings included data about how often women had foods or drinks that contained caffeine, including tea and coffee, as well as chocolate sandwich spread and bars of chocolate. Researchers compared those findings with details of infant birth weight and in doing so established a clear link between caffeine and lower birth weights. Data indicated that consumption of between 200-300 mg of caffeine per day raised the odds of a newborn being classed a...

10 super foods for babies and toddlers Babies and toddlers do not eat much food because their tummies are tiny. That is why it is important to feed them foods that are packed with nutrients. Superfoods are natural foods that are high in nutrients and antioxidants packed with health giving properties. They are easily digestible and keep the body and mind healthy and working great. These 10 superfoods are essential for babies' and toddlers' growing bodies. 1. Avocado Avocados are the best first food for your baby. They are a perfect consistency and they contain an abundance of nutrients including high levels of Omega-3s. You can simply slice open an avocado and feed it straight into your little one's mouth. If you would like a smoother consistency, add a little breast milk or substitute and mash. 2. Beans Beans are super nutritious. They are very high in antioxidants containing 10 times the amount of antioxidants as oranges. They are high in fiber, which prevents your...

131 Ways for an Infant to Die: Vaccines and Sudden Death There are 130  official  ways for an infant to die. These official categories of death, sanctioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), are published in the  International Classification of Diseases  (ICD).[1-3] When a baby dies, coroners must choose from among these 130 categories. The official causes of death listed in the ICD include nearly every imaginable -- and tragic -- possibility. However, there is NO category for infant deaths caused by vaccines.[4] This is odd because the federal government is aware that vaccines permanently disable and kill some babies -- the very reason Congress established a "death and disability" tax on childhood vaccines more than 25 years ago when the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-660) created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Many parents don't realize that...