Nap Needs

Zero to eight weeks - three or four naps, for a total of six to seven hours, 2 - 6 months - three naps for a total of five hours, 6 - 12 months - two or three naps, for a total of three and a half hours, 8 - 12 months - two naps, for a total of three hours.

Is it true that boys attraction to wheeled toys is an inborn preference?

In recent studies with rhesus monkeys, boy rhesus monkeys strongly preferred playing with toy vehicles when given a choice between those and soft stuffed animals. Since most rhesus monkeys are not watching TV - it must be biologic predisposition.

psychologytoday.com

Black is the New Brown

Brown rice is healthy, but have you heard the latest? Like brown rice, black rice has an outer layer of antioxidant-rich bran, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol. Unlike the bran found in brown rice, however, black rice bran contains anthocyanins, the purple and reddish pigments also found in blueberries, grapes and acai. These compounds decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.

cnn.com

News to help you lose

Drinking two glasses of water before meals while cutting back on portions may hep with weight loss according to a new study in the journal Obesity. Water can help you to fill up making you less likely to overeat; it may also serve as a reminder that you're trying to slim down.

nytimes.com

Breastfeeding mom strikes a pose

Claire Dederer discovered yoga after hurting her back due to uncomfortable breastfeeding positions. Initially resistant to yoga, 'white female self indulgence' she was willing to try anything to relieve the back pain she was experiencing. The book, 'Poser - my life in twenty three yoga poses' allowed Dederer to become a better wife, mother, sister, friend and daughter.

clairedederer.com

Breastfeeding benefits from top to bottom - part 3

Immune system-breastfed babies respond better to vaccinations. Human milk helps to mature baby's own immune system. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of childhood cancer; Endocrine system-reduced risk of getting diabetes; Kidneys-with less salt and less protein, human milk is easier on a baby's kidneys; Appendix-children with acute appendicitis are less likely to have been breastfed; Urinary tract-fewer infections in breastfed infants; joints and muscles. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is less common in children who were breastfed; Skin-less allergic eczema in breastfed infants; Growth-breastfed babies are leaner at one year of age and less likely to be obese later in life; Bowels-less constipation. Stools of breastfed babies have a less-offensive odor.

askdrsears.com

Juggling work and motherhood

Employment and early return to work are both factors associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding, a study from Scotland found. More flexible working conditions and more generous employment leave could help to prolong breastfeeding among working mothers.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Breastfeeding benefits from top to bottom - part 2

Throat - children who are breastfed are less likely to require tonsillectomies; respiratory system - evidence shows that breastfed babies have fewer and less severe upper respiratory infections, less wheezing, less pneumonia and less influenza; heart and circulatory system - evidence suggests that breastfed children may have lower cholesterol as adults. Heart rates are lower in breastfed infants; digestive system - less diarrhea, fewer gastrointestinal infections in babies who are breastfeeding. Six months or more of exclusive breastfeeding reduces risk of food allergies. Also, less risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in adulthood.

askdrsears.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved." - Victor Hugo

Breastfeeding pumps now deductible, IRS rules

In a reversal of a long-held government position, families can use pre-tax funds for lactation supplies. Breast pumps and other lactation supplies are now tax deductible as medical expenses, the US Internal Revenue Service said yesterday. Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics asked the IRS to allow this deduction, but the agency initially denied that request.

msnbc.com

Breastfeeding benefits from top to bottom

Breastfeeding is good for every part of baby's body--from the brain to the diaper area. Here's a partial list: brain-higher IQ in breastfed children. Cholesterol and other types of fat in human milk support the growth of nerve tissue; eyes-visual acuity is higher in babies fed human milk; ears. Breastfed babies get fewer ear infections; mouth-less need for orthodontics in children breastfed more than a year. Improved muscle development of face from suckling at the breast. Subtle changes in the taste of human milk prepare babies to accept a variety of solid foods.

askdrsears.com

New website launched

The Virginia Department of Health and the University of Virginia Office of Continuing Medical Education announce the launch of a new website dedicated to providing the latest evidence-based guidelines for infant and toddler nutrition.

infantandtoddlerfeeding.org

Starting Infants on Solids Before 4 Months Raises Childhood Obesity Risk

A new study shows that formula-fed infants or infants who stopped breastfeeding before 4 months and started eating solid foods before 4 months of age were six times more likely to be obese by age 3 than infants who started solid foods later.

webmd.com

FDA approves drug to reduce risk of preterm birth in at-risk pregnant women

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate) injection to reduce the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, in pregnant women with a history of at least one spontaneous preterm birth.

fda.gov

Increasing your milk supply

Nap and night nurse: one of the most powerful ways to stimulate increased milk production is to take your baby to bed and nurse. This relaxes both you and your baby and stimulates longer and more frequent nursings. It also increases your milk-producing hormones and reminds you that breastfeeding your baby is the most important thing you can do at this stage of your life together.

askdrsears.com

Increasing your milk supply

Try switch nursing: for babies that suck at a leisurely pace or who fall asleep a few minutes into a feeding. Switch nursing will encourage a baby to suck more vigorously for a longer period of time so that he gets more of the creamier, high-fat hindmilk. In switch nursing, you let the baby feed on the first breast until the intensity of his suck and swallow diminishes. Before he drifts off into comfort sucking, sit him up and switch him to the other breast and encourage him to nurse actively again. When his sucking slows, go back to the first breast, and finally, finish feeding on the other breast. Burp him or change his diaper between sides, if that will help to wake him.

askdrsears.com

Breastfeeding and Diet

You should add calories but the right calories! Complex carbohydrates are among the best foods you can eat while breastfeeding. Build these food into your daily diet: vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, squash, and beans; fruits such as apples, berries, plums, oranges, peaches, and melons; and whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, rye bread, and brown rice.

webmd.com