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A new study shows that kids who were given proper nutrition during the first two years of life out-earned their nutritionally-deprived peers by 50 percent as adults. That’s surprising, even though earlier studies reported that kids who ate better early on were more productive in adulthood.

This is the first direct evidence that eating well as an infant and toddler translates into greater earning potential as an adult, according to the study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

Iron and iodine deficiencies, for example, can lead to stunted growth, poor cognitive development and energy-sapping anaemia. Such handicaps prevents children from realising their full potential.

This study was conducted in Guatemala, and the results only seemed to apply for men - but consider that there aren’t as many economic opportunities for women in that area. Also, the men with better nutrition as young children didn’t outscore their peers academically as adults, so nutrition didn’t seem to play as large a role in actual cognitive ability. I just thought this study was interesting, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Posted by Sunshine.

Yesterday, a friend (who doesn’t yet have kids) asked me if there was a particular moment when I felt like a mom for the first time - did it just “happen” as soon as I got the double lines on the pregnancy test, or what?

Of course there was a particular moment - and it was one of the most defining moments of my life.

I miscarried my first (unplanned) pregnancy around ten weeks. I had barely gotten my mind around the fact that I was pregnant, so I didn’t feel like a parent at all. I felt the loss, but not the motherhood I’d already walked into in some ways.

With my daughter, I didn’t feel very maternal for a long time. I loved this new little person growing inside me, but on some level it was still an abstract concept to me. That changed when we were sent for an ultrasound to measure my amniotic fluid levels, and the tech freaked us out by running for the doctor, who sent us straight to the hospital. We didn’t really understand until he told us that, among other things, if she rolled on her cord, she didn’t have enough room to get off of it, and she could die if she didn’t get out of there now.

Suddenly it wasn’t “the baby is” anything - it was “my child is in danger.” Over the next 22 hours, I went from passive observer of my pregnancy to mama bear mode, and when she finally cried that first ticked off cry, all was right with the world. My daughter was safe, and I was firmly entrenched in motherhood in every possible sense of the word.

Was there an equally defining moment for you, when you realized “Wow - I’m a parent!” for the first time? Squawk back and share!

Posted by Sunshine.

More news on the Children’s Health bill. Last week there was another vote to try to overrule George Bush’s veto of the proposed Children’s Health bill. The 260 to 152 result was not quite enough for it to pass.

At the moment in the USA there is a kind of no-man’s-land. There are families who cannot afford private health insurance, but do not qualify for Medicaid because they are not poor enough. The program is aimed at these very people.

Bush is vetoing the bill because he believes that it is too close to a “state-run” system similar to Canada and Western Europe. Currently in the US, our government spends 16% of our economy on healthcare, compared to Western Europe who spends about 8%. There are currently 50 million Americans without health insurance, comparatively all persons in Western Europe are covered.

As an American living in Europe, I have a view to both systems and there are pros and cons to each. I can see why the “European” system as it is probably would not work in America. I think what is bugging me here is that if this bill helps improve things in America, so what if it bears a similarity to the European system? It’s not the European system - so what is there to be afraid of if in the end this piece will work for America and it will help millions of children? I would be interested in understanding in a bit more detail why Bush decided to veto it, there surely is a better reason than that. And I am even more interested in hearing what the presidential candidates have to say on the issue.

What would you do? In a sad story (a warning to any weepy preggos out there) at four months pregnant, a woman in the UK found out that she had bowel cancer and she made the difficult decision to delay her cancer treatment until after her child was born. The baby was born at 25 weeks, and she began treatment immediately after the birth yet died two months later.

I would like to say that I would make the same decision, but to be honest I don’t know if I would be strong enough of a person. Her cancer was at an advanced stage, it would have been a difficult battle in any case. A tragic story all around. My condolences go out to her family. (And little baby Liam does look adorable in the last picture at the bottom of the article.)

Is she or isn’t she? After wearing a very flowy gown to yesterday’s SAG awards, the tabloids are yet again abuzz with rumors that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting their second biological child. Some are even saying that she is pregnant with twins! Keep in mind, it was only a few short months ago that the same rumor was going around about Jennifer Lopez…

We know that safety gates (”baby gates” to many of us) are a good way to keep small children confined to safe areas. They prevent kids from falling down stairs, having access to fireplaces, etc. - but how do you pick the best possible gate?

HealthDay passes along these tips from the Nemours Foundation:

* Choose a gate that is securely mounted to the door frame with hardware, and that doesn’t leave any openings to pinch little fingers.
* Be careful with gates that use pressure or tension to keep them secured in a doorway. Never place this type of gate in front of stairs, as it may be more easily removed by children. (We ended up throwing away a gate of this type because my two-year-old could ram it hard enough to dislodge it, despite our best efforts to make it super-tight. And if they warp at all, forget it - they’ll never fit right again.)
* Make sure that the bar on pressure gates is on the side away from the child’s access.
* Leave no more than 2 inches at the bottom of the gate to prevent a child from trying to slide underneath. (They will try if they think they can fit, which can result in wedged limbs.)
* Choose a gate that is difficult to climb on or over. (Think of little kids as monkeys - they are always capable of more than we give them credit for!)
* Only use gates that are safety approved and certified, and have no sharp or dangerous parts that could hurt a child.

It doesn’t take much extra time to select a gate that will do the job right. I would never have forgiven myself if we’d had a stairway and had used the pressure-mounted gate my daughter ended up barreling through. Can you imagine? As it was, she only crashed into the kitchen. Whew!

Posted by Sunshine.

Night Terrors linked to infant’s temperament? Researchers have found that some preschoolers may be more vulnerable to having nightmares, and it could be linked to their temperament as infants showing even as young as 5 months old. More anxious or difficult children appear to be more prone to these nightmares.

In this study, “bad dreams” as early as the age of 2 1/2 were predicted by signs of anxiety at the ages of 5 months and 17 months, explained Nielsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal. It goes on to explain that as a child grows older, some “minor traumas”, such as the first days of school, can subsequently trigger these nightmares again.

You are what you eat. Even children who are overweight, yet not technically obese, are at increased risk for serious heart problems as they get older. To me, what it comes down to is not only the child’s weight, but WHAT they eat that is important. We have seen as adults that there are adults who are not overweight that have serious heart issues as well. It is tempting to feed children empty, fat-filled calories. Especially with all the packaged and pre-prepared junk food out there - and it is impossible not to notice with all of the advertising campaigns these days. But getting down to food basics and feeding children fresh foods filled with vitamins and all the “good” things they need to grow healthy is an essential building block for a child’s future.

FTC cautions movie marketing to young children. The FTC is asking the Motion Picture Association of America to reconsider their advertising recommendations for some PG13 movies. This was brought to their attention after merchandise for the somewhat violent Transformers movie was marketed to children even as young as 2 years old. This includes restaurant advertising (children’s meals toys). I tend to agree with their recommendation - parents can do their best to protect their children from more mature themed toys and such, but it sure can be difficult when these days advertisers are very clever in their abilities to keep their products right in front of our faces everywhere we turn. I am seeing a constant theme in today’s post…

Watch those temper tantrums. One of the joys of parenting - those temper tantrums. For the most part, this is a phase that children go through and tantrums are usually a sign that a child is tired, sick, hungry or overstimulated. But a parent should watch out of tantrums are too frequent or extreme.

If a child hurts itself or others or has too difficult a time calming themselves, parents may want to seek medical help. It can be a sign of something more serious, and could lead to depression.

Baby blessings - a new trend. Parents these days are looking to less-traditional ways to celebrate the birth of their child. Blessings, naming ceremonies, welcome ceremonies… there are many varieties to choose from. In these days with changing religious values, parents are finding this a nice alternative to traditional ceremonies. It is also good to keep those nagging parents/in-laws off your back. If you are tired of hearing “so WHEN are you going to have little Susie baptized…” this might be something you want to consider.

Christmas tree trivia. Did you know that the very first Christmas trees were not decorated at all? And that they were hung upside down from the ceilings? Legend has it that the triangular shape of the fir tree was to symbolize the holy trinity.

For those of you who have not yet put up your trees, I guess I don’t have to remind you that there are only three days until Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Ever wondered what makes certain toys so appealing to little kids, while others just gather dust? With Christmas a week away, most of you who celebrate the winter holiday have already finished your shopping - but for those like me, who procrastinated until the last possible moment, here are some toy-buying tips to ensure that your gift to little Johnny isn’t tossed aside at first glance:

Posted by Sunshine.

Celebrity pregnancy drama. Jamie Lynne Spears, Britney’s 16 year old sister, has just announced that she is 3 months pregnant. Baby-daddy is her live-in 19 year old boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. Jamie Lynn is best known as the star of the hit Nickelodeon’s kids show, Zoey 101. No word yet from Nickelodeon if the pregnancy will impact the show.

On a side note, Britney and Jamie Lynn’s mom was due to release a book in the spring about how to raise children in show business. The launch of this book is now delayed indefinitely. Gee, ya think?

Anyone feel like commenting?

More celebrity baby news! Chris O’Donnell and his wife Caroline have just welcomed their fifth child, a baby girl they have named Maeve Frances O’Donnell. I have to admit - I am still swooning over his appearance in Grey’s Anatomy! Congratulations!

A little bit of Christmas trivia… Ever wonder about the history of candy canes? Curiosity got the best of me while I was hanging them on my tree. Origins are in Europe during the 17th century, when they used to decorate their trees with food and candies. At the suggestion of the choirmaster of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, white stick sugar candies were shaped into a hook to resemble a shepherd’s crook, and these were given to the children to pacify them during Christmas mass. Soon they were found all throughout Europe. The color remained white until the 19th century. If you are interested to find out more about them, including how they got red stripes and how they came to America, continue reading here.

The smaller the baby the sadder the adult? Researchers in Britain and Canada have released studies that show that lower weight infants have a higher risk of depression as adults. It was found that “…even people who had just mild or moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety over their life course were smaller babies than those who had better mental health.”

“Being born small isn’t necessarily a problem. It is a problem if you were born small because of adverse conditions in the womb — and low birth weight is what we looked at in this study because it is considered a marker of stress in the womb.”

Low birth weight has also been linked to diabetes and heart disease later in life.

Could anorexia be genetic? Studies on twins appear to show that male twins with a female sibling are twice more likely to become anorexic, possibly because of the exposure to female hormones in the womb. Researchers are hopeful to understand more about this so that they can work towards preventing this in the future.

“The one thing we are certain of is that there is a genetic disposition to anorexia, but at the same time this is not enough,” said Procopio, pointing out that if the eating disorder was due to genes alone, an identical twin of an anorexia patient would also have the disease, but this isn’t the case.

A magical fertility chair? Childless couples from all over are travelling to Naples, Italy where there is a church that is claiming to have a “magical chair” that will help fertility. It is the shrine of Saint Anna Maria Rosa Nicoletta Gallo, the first woman saint born in Naples over 200 years ago.

No one can explain why she helps fertility. Writings indicate that she carried the “stigmata” or wounds of Jesus. Whips on display are grim reminders of her “voluntary penance.” Buy hey, there are surely those who are trying to conceive who think “what can it hurt to give it a try…”

Years ago, when my son was a toddler, he was terrified of his godfather, Mika. There really was no reason to it - he would just look at him and burst into tears, almost terrified. The only thing we could guess was that Mika happened to have a bald head and black glasses, perhaps that was the reason? In truth, he is a great guy - and it was a very awkward six months or so until that phase passed.

Fast forward a few years to my second born, Cécile. My father grew a beard during the winter and when she first saw that, she as well burst into tears and would not let him near her. Dad, somewhat heartbroken at the rejection, shaved the beard for the next few years. (And I did silently notice that when our third child was born two years ago he shaved it off again and it has yet to reappear.)

There were the other odd instances, usually somewhere in public, when one of my kids would “freak out” at the site of a stranger. Thankfully, it wasn’t that often and was only embarrassing for a moment. The kids have grown and I hadn’t thought more about it. Until I read the MomSquawk news article the other day that said infants at even the youngest age have social skills and and differentiate between good and bad people. If this is the case, I hope my kids were mistaken because my dad really is a good guy, I swear!

Children were shown toys being helpful and toys being hurtful (pushing other toys) and almost always chose the helpful or a neutral toy over the hurtful one. And when researchers took away the big eyes that made them seem “human” the children did not show the same social judging skills.

This research is being disputed by some who think that the child’s behaviour is learned and not a natural ability, and researchers are continuing tests to see of they can draw more definite conclusions. In any case, there isn’t much else you can do when your child freaks out except shrug your shoulders, mutter an apology and assure the person that your baby is “just a little cranky” and it has nothing to do with them…

Posted by Meganlux

PS - Dad, if you happen to read this, I really like your beard and I hope you grow it back soon!