Tougher restrictions on lead

All children's products must meet a new, tougher lead standard by Feb. 10, regardless of when they were made, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel.

The new lead limit is part of a sweeping product safety measure that became law Aug. 14. The law stipulates that by Feb. 10, children's products can not have a total lead content above 600 parts per million. Six months later, that limit drops to 300 ppm and then to 100 ppm in three years if feasible.

The decision won't affect toys for sale this holiday shopping season. So this holiday season is buyer beware

In addition to setting a stricter lead limit, the product safety law also boosts funding and authority for the CPSC and bans certain types of phthalates, a chemical in plastic that has been linked to reproductive problems. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us both have pledged to phase out phthalates.

Hectic Schedules Don't Hurt Kids

New studies are showing that children aren't necessarily stressed out by their schedules as we all had worried they were. The first thing to recognize is that only a small minority of children are actually heavily scheduled. Secondly, organized activities are linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and behavior. The children most at risk are those who have no activities at all.

So all the worry we parents have been having while trying to give our children every opportunity to expand their horizons has been for nought. Higher levels of activity do not lead to stress symptoms such as depression, anxiety, alienation and fearfulness. New studied show that more active children are NOT more stressed.

But before you go off and schedule more activities for your children, remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics warned in 2006 that a hurried lifestyle could create anxiety or contribute to depression for some children. Some experts feel that children do not get enough sleep or downtime to be creative and thoughtful.

Children who seem to fair the best have a more balanced approach: one or two activities, for less than four hours. One quarter of highly involved children do almost as well. Children with no activities are more withdrawn and socially immature with lower self-esteem. This has implications for those less fortunate who can not afford the fees to sign the children up for these activities.

Another thing to keep in mind as parents is that it is the pressure for achievement not the busy schedules that children seem to react negatively towards. Children do not want to be criticized by those adults who are most important in their lives. When parents pressure the child about sitting on the bench or not being the lead in the play then the activity ceases to be a source of pleasure and becomes a source of anxiety. I myself lived through this as I was the only girl on a boys' baseball team. As my dad kept track of my batting average and rewarded me with gifts to keep up the good performance (After all, I had to contribute. I didn't want to be a token girl. I wanted to compete with the boys as their equal), the game began to lose its enjoyment for me and I developed performance anxiety.

So let's give our children a break and provide moderate levels of activity where they can grow and flourish but remember to not make the highest level of achievement the goal. Let the activity in and of itself be the enjoyment. Children will flourish then as they learn teamwork, good sportsmanship, and other good qualities that will help them later in life.

Algebra: Key to the Future

Linear equations and inverse functions......what do they have to do with anything and what are they? A growing chorus of educators, politicians and business leaders insist understanding those phrases will be crucial to our children's futures. Abstract math is not known for being a favorite activity for teenagers; however, algebra is viewed as increasingly essential for college or careers in a technology-based economy. Algebra is the new literacy.

So what are we to do as parents? We need to support math education. We need to be math literate ourselves so we can help them with their homework no matter how daunting a task that might seem. We need to explain to them that they might actually use algebra later in life. We need to help our children when they are younger beginning in first grade because math concepts build on each other. We need to help children from lower socio-economic areas because scores are lower for those from poor families. But problems aren't solely for those less fortunate, mathematical struggles and angst pervade society.

Why the angst for math? We live in a society that had a Barbie that said, "Math class is tough!" The last time the United States pushed math as essential to our national interests was in 1957 after the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik. We also used to have an attitude that math is for the geeks and brainiacs but now expectations are that ALL children should learn math. Every child should learn to think and algebra teaches that.

Why the motivation now? Well, jobs are being sent overseas or lost to technological innovation creating a situation where the middle-class positions in the work force will require higher math skills and higher education. Success will be based the ability to think critically, abstract thinking.

Which brings me back to algebra as the key to our children's future. Research shows that those who complete Algebra II are more than twice as likely to graduate from college as those who do not. They are also better positioned for admission to competitive colleges. And those who pursue advanced math are likely to have more career options. The National Science Board estimates that jobs in science, technology and engineering are growing at three times the rate of jobs overall. But many jobs in other fields rely on data analysis, which requires some algebraic skills.

Boys are as socially aggressive as girls

Having two boys and a girl myself I found this research very interesting and thought my readers might as well.

Boys are as likely as girls to be socially aggressive by doing things such as spreading rumors, gossiping and intentionally excluding others the September/October issue of the journal, Child Development states.

"These conclusions challenge the popular misconception that indirect aggression is a female form of aggression," review lead author Noel A. Card, an assistant professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, said in a Society for Research in Child Development news release.

Card and his colleagues analyzed 148 studies that included almost 74,000 children and teens. The researchers said the belief that girls are more likely to be socially aggressive than boys persists among teachers, parents and others because of social expectations that develop early in life, which are fueled by movies and books that depict girls being mean and socially aggressive toward each other.

The studies included in the review were conducted mostly in high schools and looked at both physical and social aggression, which is meant to damage a person's social standing in his or her peer group.

The analysis of the studies also revealed that children who carry out one of the two types of aggression may be more likely to carry out the other type. This connection is seen more in boys than in girls, the researchers said.

Card and his colleagues also noted ties between both forms of aggression and adjustment problems. Physical aggression is related to problems like delinquency and ADHD-type symptoms, poor relationships with peers, and low "pro-social behavior" such as helping and sharing. Social aggression is related to problems such as depression and low self-esteem, as well as higher pro-social behavior. This may be because some teens use pro-social behavior to encourage peers to exclude or gossip about others, the researchers said.

Can chess boost math and reading scores?

Chess, once used as a way to teach war strategy, is now being taught to second- and third-graders as part of a plan to make students better at subjects like math and reading. Students who struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder sit still when playing chess. The game can help students develop critical thinking skills that make them better at math, reading and writing. For example, students who become familiar with the vertical and horizontal lines of a chess board and how they are numbered also learn the fundamentals of how maps, graphs and how X and Y coordinates work. Students seem more polite after learning a game that requires opponents to shake hands before and after they play. For now though, there's little hard evidence students actually benefit from playing chess.

Drugs should not be the first solution to behavioral issue

Isn't this interesting. Parents report emotional and behavioral issues at double the rate if their child is a male as opposed to a female. Why do you think this is so? Is it because they are more concerned for the boys and what the future holds if the problems aren't addressed now. This issue leads to another issue: the over-prescribing of medication for our children and the over-diagnoses of ADD and ADHD. Some might think that the pharamaceutical industry is behind the over-diagnosing and over-prescribing medicines. This is a huge money-making industry that cares more about their profit margins than our children. Resources to help children cope with the increased demands of today's society without the drugs would be a better solution. Therapy at school for mild issues would be a great idea before the situation gets out of hand. A diet without sugar and caffeine might also help the situation. Exercise instead of Guitar Hero. Getting involved in positive after-school activities like Boy Scouts, sports, etc. where our children can learn social skills and values like teamwork would be a welcome solution to help children learn to channel and deal with their anxieties and worries. Drugs aren't always the answer and definitely should not be the first choice.

Hot vehicles affect infants and children in a deadly manner

Every year hyperthermia takes the lives of about 35 children. So far this year, 23 infants and children have died in hot cars. Since 1998, 364 have died. Cars transform into hot-air ovens when direct sunlight heats objects within them. People can lose consciousness and their natural cooling mechanisms, like sweating, can shut down once their core body temperature reaches 104 degrees; death occurs at 107 degrees. Children should never be left in vehicles for any period of time. Many people mistakenly believe cracking windows or leaving the car running with air conditioning creates makes it safe to leave the children. Cracking the window doesn't change the inside temperature by much, and leaving the child in a running car makes them a target to be taken.

Children react three to five times faster to heat than adults, because the hypothalamus regions of their brains, which control body temperature, are not as developed. Not only are they more sensitive to heat, but they depend on others to keep them cool. They can not speak and depend on their caregivers to keep them hydrated. Even with comfortable temperatures outdoors, the temperature in an enclosed car climbs rapidly.

Temperature increase inside a car with an outside temperature of 80 degrees (elapsed time in minutes):

After 10 minutes: 99 degrees inside car

20 minutes: 109 degrees

30 minutes 114 degrees

40 minutes: 118 degrees

50 minutes: 120 degrees

60 minutes: 123 degrees

If you think that forgetting children is the cause, this product should be of assistance. Baby Alert manufactures the "ChildMinder System," ($59.95, babyalert.info) which is a gadget that clips onto children's car seats and alerts parents via keychain alarm if they stray more than 15 meters from the car. The clip is only engaged when the car seat is fastened. The product also offers an alternative pad that is placed under the car seat's cushion and interacts with the keychain the same way as the clip. Another idea is to leave a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the front passenger seat to remind you that your child is in the back.

Some belive that most hyperthermia deaths are a result of parents intentionally leaving children in cars while running errands, not forgetting them. First aid classes are a great way to learn about the symptoms of hyperthermia and how to act in emergencies. Nanny Poppinz teached free CPR, First Aid classes every month all over the United States, wherever there is an agency.

Your child does NOT need to get Chicken Pox

Cases of chickenpox — a childhood infection that was once nearly universal — have fallen 57% to 90% in communities across the USA since a vaccine was introduced in 1995, a new report shows. Before the vaccine, 4 million Americans a year came down with chickenpox, nearly 11,000 were hospitalized and more than 140 died, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today's Pediatrics.

The vaccine has reduced infections in every age group, including among babies under 1 year old, who are too young to be vaccinated, says study author Jane Seward of the CDC's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases. These babies are being protected by "herd immunity," which results when vaccines reduce the opportunities for infection in a community.

Deaths in children ages 1 to 9 have declined about 90%, the study shows. Hospitalizations and costs have fallen 75% to 88%. While the vaccine prevents 85% of general infections, it prevents 95% of severe infections, which can lead to pneumonia and a dangerous brain inflammation called encephalitis.

Even healthy children can develop life-threatening pneumonia or encephalitis, says Vanderbilt University's William Schaffner, a board member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America who was not involved in the study.

The CDC has revised its recommendations as experts have learned more about the vaccine, Schaffner says.

The CDC initially recommended one shot for toddlers ages 12 to 15 months. But a single shot prevents only 85% of infections, Seward says, allowing the virus to break out even in schools where nearly all the children were vaccinated. Chickenpox can spread through direct contact or through the air, as lesions burst open and spew viruses into the air, Seward says.

In 2006, the CDC suggested a booster shot for children ages 4 to 6. About 89% of children ages 19 to 35 months had received the shot by 2006, the study shows.

Even with two shots, vaccination still saves money, given the expenses of hospitalization and doctors' visits, the study shows.

Austin pediatrician Ari Brown says she actually sees more chickenpox cases these days — because today's parents no longer know how to recognize the disease themselves.

Sufferers develop hundreds of extremely itchy blisters or crusted spots that may last for two weeks. Parents traditionally have treated children by putting them to bed, trimming their fingernails and using calamine lotion, oatmeal baths or antihistamines to relieve itching.

Doctors continue to study chickenpox and how the vaccine is changing who gets sick — and when.

In 1995, the bulk of chickenpox cases hit children ages 3 to 6. Now that so many toddlers have been vaccinated, however, the disease is hitting hardest in those ages 9 to 11, who may have missed out on the shot when they were small, the study shows. Several states are considering whether to require chickenpox shots for kids entering middle and high school, to prevent outbreaks among teens who weren't vaccinated as babies and who've never been exposed to the "wild" virus, Seward says.

Doctors are also learning more about the vaccine's safety, Schaffner says.

Children who received a single combined vaccine — protecting against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella — were twice as likely to develop fever and seizures, compared with those who got the chickenpox shot separately from the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, the study shows.

About 5% of negative reactions to the vaccine have been serious, causing problems such as pneumonia and hepatitis, the study shows. All of those problems occurred in patients with serious but previously undiagnosed medical conditions.

Because the vaccine is new, doctors don't yet know how long its protection will last — a question with all vaccines, Schaffner says. Doctors are closely studying how the vaccine will affect cases of shingles.

That condition occurs when the chickenpox virus — which has been hibernating in the body for years or decades — suddenly re-emerges, causing painful sores, Schaffner says. Shingles can affect both those who have had chickenpox as well as those who avoided chickenpox through vaccination. Experts recommend that adults over 60 get a shingles vaccine, because the condition becomes more common later in life.

So far, studies suggest that the shingles rate is lower among vaccinated children.

Doctors don't yet know how the vaccine will affect a community's natural immunity.

Before the vaccine was introduced, people might be re-exposed to chickenpox many times throughout their lives, Schaffner says. Those who had already had the disease didn't get sick. But their immune systems got the equivalent of a booster shot from each encounter with the virus. Those boosts probably helped keep the virus in check, preventing shingles.

With less exposure to wild chickenpox viruses, Schaffner says it's possible that the immune system may not remain as strong, leaving people more vulnerable to shingles. In that case, Schaffner says, doctors might recommend that the shingles vaccine be given to younger adults, such as 40-year-olds.

This article was written by Liz Szabo for USA Today.

Healthy lunches for your child? Prepare it at home

USA TODAY asked two registered dietitians to give parents ideas for healthful meals to pack at home. Elizabeth Ward is a Boston nutritionist and the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feeding Your Baby and Toddler. Her daughters are 9, 12 and 13. Bonnie Taub-Dix is a New York nutritionist who serves as spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and as a Cartoon Network nutrition consultant. Her kids are 13, 18 and 21.
"Children can't make it three or four hours in the morning on just sugary cereal or pastry," says Ward.

"At breakfast, I try to make sure my kids get a decent dose of protein (egg, cottage cheese, peanut butter), as well as complex carbohydrates like whole-grain toast or oatmeal, fruit, and dairy, such as skim or 1% milk or yogurt.

"I'm a big fan of school lunches, but you have more control over the cost and what your child eats if you pack lunch at home. Think outside of the box. Lunch can be more than a sandwich. Consider leftover pizza, soups, stews, pasta, chicken Caesar salad or even breakfast foods, like cereal with milk.

"I like to get my kids involved in preparing their own lunches. For five minutes the night before, we put our lunch together for the next day. It reduces the chaos in the morning." Her suggestions:

Breakfast

•Yogurt parfait: Layer 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 1 cup berries or ¼ cup raisins, and 1 cup whole-grain cereal in a tall glass.

• Scrambled egg pocket: Scramble one egg or two; place in half a whole-wheat pita pocket; add salsa, black beans and grated cheese. Serve with fruit or 8 ounces of 100% fruit juice.

• Banana Ants-Under-The Dog: Take 1 white whole-grain hot dog roll, spread with 2 tablespoons peanut butter or sunflower seed butter (good for kids who are allergic to peanut butter), then sprinkle ¼ cup raisins or dried cranberries on top. Peel banana and put in hot dog roll. Have with 8 ounces of 1% low-fat milk. "This is one of my favorites," Ward says. "This can also be lunch if the child brings the banana unpeeled and peels it right before eating. If you want this to be lunch, add some other food to the meal."

• Smoothie: Place 4 ounces plain low-fat yogurt, 1 cup berries or 1 medium banana, ½ cup of 1% low-fat milk and 2 ice cubes in a blender or food processor. Serve with one or two pieces of whole-grain toast.

• Hard-cooked egg (or two), whole-grain roll or toast with jam, sliced apple and 8 ounces of 1% low-fat milk. This can also be made into a lunch. You can make eggs on the weekend for the week ahead.

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go bar, banana or other piece of fruit and 8 ounces of 1% low-fat milk.

Lunch

•1 slice of leftover thin-crust cheese pizza, a peach or pear, 8 ounces 100% fruit juice, and a single-serving bag of low-fat popcorn (already popped).

•Turkey and cheese roll-ups: Wrap deli turkey around string cheese. Serve with whole-grain pretzels, carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes, fruit and 8 ounces 1% low-fat milk.

•Mediterranean wrap: Place hummus, tabbouleh and feta cheese on whole-wheat wrap and fold. Serve with a can of pineapple juice, an ounce of pistachios, a carton of low-fat yogurt and a Quaker chewy granola bar with protein.

•Bagel sandwich: Leftover cooked, chopped chicken tossed with grapes and low-fat mayo on a 2-ounce whole-wheat bagel. (You can buy these frozen and keep on hand for lunches.) With a single-serving carton of raisins and 8 ounces 1% low-fat milk.

•Whole-grain crackers, hummus, string cheese, single-serving carton of raisins (1 ounce), 8 ounces 1% low-fat milk and a Quaker chewy granola bar with protein.

•Hard-cooked egg (or two), whole-grain roll, single serving of mandarin oranges, single-serving carton of raisins, 1 ounce of in-shell pistachio nuts and 8 ounces of 1% milk.

"With breakfast, it's all a matter of timing," Taub-Dix says.

"Breakfast doesn't have to be elaborate. It's quick, not fast food. It can be something like mozzarella string cheese on a piece of bread. If you grab a glass of milk, that would be great.

"A big thing with kids is the lunch can't be smelly. That's why many won't take a can of tuna fish for lunch.

"It's good to interview your kids. Sit down with them and ask them what kind of things they like in their lunch and what they toss in the garbage or trade with other kids. That way you don't waste your time and your money. You can even have a taste test at home. Buy several kinds of low-fat cheese or whatever you want to taste test and figure out which one they like best." Her menu ideas:

Breakfast

•Whole-grain bagel with 1 tablespoon crunchy almond butter and 2 teaspoons of apple butter, 1 fresh pear and 1 cup of skim or 1% milk.

•Greek-style quesadilla: Place 1 seven-inch, whole-grain tortilla on a piece of foil wrap and sprinkle with ½ cup low-fat cheese, such as shredded mozzarella-type cheese, and sliced tomatoes, then cover with another tortilla. Carefully place the combo in the toaster oven until cheese melts. Top with ½ cup low-fat Greek-style yogurt.

•A whole-grain frozen waffle toasted with 1 slice of part-skim cheese melted on top of it sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, 1 cup of skim or 1% low-fat milk and 1 fresh peach.

•1 cup whole-grain cold cereal (preferably with less than 5 grams of sugar a serving and at least 5 grams of fiber) topped with fresh or frozen berries. With 1 cup skim or 1% low-fat milk.

Lunch

•Multi-grain bread with 2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam, melon wedge and 1 cup low-fat yogurt.

•2 slices of raisin breadwith 2 slices of low-fat mozzarella cheese, fresh sugar snap peas, 1 banana, handful of almonds and 1 cup of skim or 1% low-fat milk.

•1 cup of cooked whole-wheat pasta (cooked the night before) tossed with cubes of grilled chicken, carrots, zucchini, and pine nuts, and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Serve with an individual serving of crushed pineapple in its own juice and 1 cup skim or 1% milk.

•Mixed green salad with grape tomatoes, sliced yellow peppers, shredded carrots, ⅓ cup chickpeas, 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds and mandarin oranges and grilled lean meat, such as chicken, turkey or fish, with 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. With 1 cup low-fat yogurt.