More Baby TMI: Tracking Your Child’s Development on the Internet
Some parents write Facebook or Twitter updates about their child’s bowl movements, while others log into an application to track not only bowels but sleeping patterns and feeding habits. While such a program, often a website or iPhone application, gives parents a forum-like atmosphere on the internet, what does this say about parents and their child’s development? An article, titled “Techno Parenting”, discusses the benefits and downsides to such tracking devices, mainly one called Trixie Tracker. This program in particular allows parents to keep track, timing wise, of how long their children sleep, when they eat, and other basic baby behaviors.
The counter arguments against this are, one, the child’s life is being divided into statistics, and, two, the child is being compared developmentally to other parents’ children through these programs. Certain developmental milestones exist for babies and young children, but not everything falls into place perfectly. Parents who see, either in real life or on the internet, that other children might be reaching these milestones faster, may freak out or question themselves on their parenting skills because their child isn’t the first to crawl or eat solid foods. Children, however, develop at their own pace and crawling or walking before other babies doesn’t guarantee their child will be a high school valedictorian and soon-to-be Harvard freshman in eighteen years.
Should parents simply go back to tracking their child’s development with visits to the pediatrician or are these internet applications just as effective? Parents, of course, should be taking their children to the doctor but, at the same time, tracking a child’s development is acceptable at home. When tracking becomes a developmental milestones race, however, the child starts to become a statistic and symbol of “ineffective” parenting. For comparing children, wait until grade school and, for the moment, simply help but wait for your child to reach all developmental points of being a baby and young child.
Baby Product Recalls and What to do About Them
Baby product recalls have been in the news recently, ranging from cribs to Maclaren strollers. Recently, Heinz baby cereals, particularly the mixed cereals sold in Canada, have also been recalled for having levels of a possible carcinogen in them. The possible carcinogen, called mycotoxin, is known for causing fungi in grapes and coffee. For animals, the substance has been known for causing kidney and liver tumors. These cereals are sold only in Canada at the moment and no one, so far, has reported any illness from consuming the baby cereals. Nevertheless, if such a product is in your cupboard, it’s recommended that you stop using it.
Something like this Heinz product recall is somewhat straightforward. The company finds that something is wrong with their product and, although no one has been hurt or sick from it, they issue a recall statement. But other product recalls really aren’t as straightforward. In fact, some, such as the Maclaren stroller recall, have lead to lawsuits. In the linked story, one British family claims they complained to Maclaren after their child sliced its finger on one of their strollers and the company did nothing. Right now, no safety recall has been issued in the UK and those who’ve experienced such problems with the strollers can’t get safety kits, as the story claims.
In such a situation, the stroller (or any other recalled baby product) should stop being used. Although the recall was issued in the US, it has made British news simply for being a large American recall and not a UK one, although Maclaren is a UK-based company. Similar recalls have been in the news on both coasts, such as a Toys R Us recall in 2007 over Chinese toys. If you hear about a recall, regardless of whether you live in the US or UK, research it to find which products by the brand have been placed on a list. If you own such a product, stop using it. A safety kit may be sent in some cases but, if it isn’t, the product should stop being used for the safety of the child.
Celebrity Baby Week: Kourtney Kardashian, Michelle Duggar, Giselle Bundchen, and Kendra Wilkinson Give Birth the Same Week
It appears to be a week for celebrity babies. While the “bump watch” for celebrities is a fairly recent addition to pop culture magazines and blogs, the celebrities, regardless if anyone notices, eventually have their children. This past week, Michelle Duggar, Kourtney Kardashian, Giselle Bundchen, and Kendra Wilkinson have all had children. All except for Bundchen have been reality TV stars at some point, but, regardless, they’ve all been on a celebrity baby watch for several months. All, except Duggar, had boys.
Reality TV stars Kourtney Kardashian, Kendra Wilkinson, and Michelle Duggar have all had their pregnancies watched by viewers, in addition to magazines and blogs. While actresses on television who have been pregnant have needed to cover up their condition, it’s far more acceptable on reality TV. In fact, it often seems better for the plot and viewership. But that doesn’t mean these women are free from criticism, however. Articles on such celebrity news sites often criticize the Duggars for having too many children (now 19 and counting) and the recent birth of Josie Brooklyn Duggar might prove to be more ammunition for those that think the reality TV family should stop reproducing.
Josie Brooklyn was born by C-section and is the Duggar’s nineteenth child. She was born with preeclampsia, a condition which affects five to eight percent of babies. As she’s the Duggar’s nineteenth child, such a percentage for this condition in their family makes sense mathematically.
Another issue with celebrity births are the names the parents give their new offspring. While few go down the “Apple,” “Rumer,” or “Moon Unit” route, a possibility for such a unique name exists. These celebrities didn’t go for anything particularly unique (Bundchen and Tom Brady haven’t even picked a name yet), with Kardashian naming her child “Dash” after the family’s boutique. Although Mason Dash doesn’t have his mother’s last name, the name itself isn’t anything extremely unusual.
About Touching a Baby
Many parents are concerned about germs, as one advice letter about kissing a baby suggests, but what counts as touching a baby too much to spread germs? Babies, especially four-week-olds like the one mentioned in the letter, are still developing immune systems, and a cold or, worse, the flu could make a baby far more sick than the virus strain could make an adult. However, many new parents find that family members, friends, and complete strangers all want to touch their baby. In this situation, what do you do?
While the writer of the letter is worried about being seen as more of a germophobe, telling people not to touch the baby when they’re sick, such as the five-year-old cousin, is necessary, as the baby could pick up those germs. Whether for kissing or touching a baby, rules should be established by you, the parent, in regards to anyone touching, kissing, or holding the baby. Don’t want any germs spread by touching? State those as rules and stick to them. Only want to avoid colds, the flu, and other common viruses? The same applies. Either way, by stating your stance on touching your child now, others will accept it soon enough.
Some of the comments for the article mention using a pediatrician’s advice as an excuse for not touching the baby. While something like this could work in the short term, it could also lead family members and friends to ask, “When can we touch the baby again?” Instead of telling them to hold off (and keep telling them), just tell them that they need to wait until the baby’s older. After all, the child will have a more developed immune system by this point. While you don’t want a child to be contained in a bubble its first year, establishing rules in regards to touching, kissing, and holding will reduce risks of the baby becoming sick.
Baby Einstein Product Refunds
Have parents been duped over the past ten years over Baby Einstein videos? Apparently, even the company, Walt Disney, agrees that their products aren’t entirely effective in learning development, as the company has issued refunds on Baby Einstein videos purchased between June 2004 and September 2009. The group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood issued a civil litigation against the company, stating that Disney’s Baby Einstein videos are sold under the assumption that they educate children. If you’ve purchased Baby Einstein videos over the past five years thinking that they’ll build your child’s vocabulary, you’re probably entitled to a refund for your purchases.
This isn’t the first time Baby Einstein has come under fire, however. Past studied have shown that babies who watch these videos don’t add more words to their vocabulary. Instead, one study indicated that children who don’t watch Baby Einstein and similar videos develop a more varied vocabulary faster. So, have parents been duped into thinking that educational videos will help their child get an edge above their peers?
Of course, this varies, as not all videos and educational programs are created equal. With Baby Einstein, the videos have come under scrutiny for how the material is presented. Mainly, this includes that the new words are presented not in “parent-ese” – also known as “baby talk” – and, instead, in regular adult speak. The second factor which compounds to the first is that no parental interaction is involved. In general, babies and toddlers appear to learn more from interacting with their parents through reading or games instead of being put in front of a TV or computer. While toddlers have appeared to pick things up from Sesame Street and other age-appropriate programs, the same doesn’t apply to babies. In fact, the information contained in a Baby Einstein video may go over a child’s head for how it’s presented or it may be a case of stimulation overload.