The Rouge Test

Here's something kind of fun you can do with your kiddo...a little experiment that doesn't involve wearing a hat to measure brain waves! In developmental psychology its been called "The Rouge Test".

Step 1. Put some bright red lipstick on the end of your baby's nose. Blush, pudding...anything that's safe for baby skin and colorful will work.
Step 2. Distract your baby so that she forgets that you did anything.
Step 3. Put your baby safely in front of a mirror so that he can see himself.
Step 4. Watch to see what your baby does. Does she try to interact with the other baby? Ignore the mirror? Try to touch his own nose?

If your baby is around 15 months or over, watch to see if he touches his nose or gives some other clear indication that he realizes the lipstick is there. Its about this time that toddlers develop self-recognition. They begin to understand not only that they are their own person (which starts to happen around 6 months) but that their self has specific characteristics...like a name and a certain look. Touching the lipstick on the end of their noses is a sign that says "Hey, that's me, and that's not supposed to be there!"

Before this time, they'll see a baby and might be interested, but won't have a sense of who that baby actually is. If your baby doesn't seem to exhibit self-recognition yet, just try it again in another month or so...they'll probably get it by 18 months.

Self-recognition is an important step in development...but be prepared. Once they realize they have a "self", the next step is trying to figure out how much control they have over their environments, and this is the stage parents often refer to as the Terrible Twos. When you hit it, take heart. Your sweet baby isn't trying to be "terrible", they're being smart. They're trying to figure out how the world works and exactly how it works for them.

TV for Toddlers: Do We Really All Do It?

If you’re not aware, the current guideline by the American Academy of Pediatrics says, “No TV for kids under 2 years old.” Many parents don’t know this – especially since there are movies, TV shows…even whole channels of programming aimed specifically at kiddos 2 and younger. Some parents I’ve talked to thought it was okay as long as it was “educational” TV. These parents tended to mean shows like Disney’s Baby Einstein, whose videos by the way, have been recalled because of the research findings on infants and screen time. Other parents have said they thought it was okay since their kids seemed to enjoy it so much. This explains the research findings that despite the “guidelines,” the majority of 1 years olds watch at least 1 hour of TV each day.

I know all about this research, which is why I very deliberately didn’t register or buy any “kid” DVDs when Ian was born. Somewhere in one of my many Target trips during that first year, though, I ran across a Wiggles DVD on sale. I’m a big fan of The Wiggles for young kids, so I bought it with the intention of saving it. Then Ian turned a year old and one day, out of curiosity (and probably a bit out of fatigue) I popped it in the DVD player to see what his reaction would be. He loved it. He seemed mesmerized and sat still for longer than I’d ever seen him. It was glorious in so many ways. My mind quickly wandered to all that I could accomplish in 30 minutes of time…dinner, dishes, catching up on emails or grading, and dare I admit – Facebook? Then better judgment came in and I put the DVD up, vowing to not take it out again until after 2.

But eventually stress hit and so I suggested…yep, The Wiggles. As a researcher, I know the data. As a therapist who works with families, I know that if the “rules” are causing stress to the family, its often time to be flexible. I was very comfortable knowing that for this brief time, Ian was joining the rest of America’s babies with his hour of TV a day. The problem was, the major stress passed and the DVD still stayed out. By this time, my husband and I knew all the songs and motions ourselves…we would tease each other when one of us would break out into one of them accidentally in a store. But as I watched Ian gazing at the screen one evening while I was making dinner, I reminded myself of the reasons why the guideline is what it is. I took the DVD out and put it in the top of a closet so that it wasn’t just so darn easy to grab and begin playing.

Here are some of the reasons why the guideline is there:

• That locked in look you see where your toddler is staring at the screen? That’s his brain shifting to auto-pilot in a sense, and for a brain developing as rapidly as a toddler’s is, that’s just never a good thing.
• There’s evidence that the level of stimulation kiddos get from programming that actually holds their attention gets them used to that level of stimulation all the time – which has been associated later in childhood with diagnoses of ADHD.
• Toddlers learn through interaction, which they don’t really get from a TV. While older children can learn from TV, there’s very little evidence that says toddlers do the same, but there’s quite a bit that says TV exposure may actually lower things like their vocabularies and later school performance. (This is the big reason for the Baby Einstein recall).
• Any time a toddler is watching TV they’re not doing something else – and we want them doing other things like looking at books and moving.

Is occasional TV going to completely ruin your child? No. If you resort to popping in a video on your long road trip to hold your toddler out for the last leg of the journey, you’re not a bad parent. But its just not a good idea on a regular basis, especially if you’re using it more like an electronic pacifier. If you can’t get rid of the screen time, limit it to 15 minutes at once (which is about the maximum time you’ll have before getting that glazed look) and interact with your child while you watch the program with them.

If you’re looking for replacement activities that will get you a few minutes of downtime, try CDs with music, books, or craft supplies instead. Especially if they’re “special” items that only get taken out when you need these moments, they’ll entertain a toddler for quite some time. I managed to find a great CD and giant flip chart combo that has songs with the lyrics written out on the pages of the flip chart. Add some of your own dance moves as you’re folding laundry or drying your hair and you’re sure to be more entertaining than someone on the TV screen dancing around!

Milk Share

For all you breastfeeding moms...do you have an abundance of milk - maybe even some left in your freezer that's still good? Consider checking into Milk Share. Each of you knows the benefits of providing breastmilk for your babies, but there are some moms who are unable to nurse for various reasons...and that's where Milk Share comes in. Milk Share isn't a milk bank. Instead, it acts as the "middle woman" (so to speak) between moms who are wanting to provide breastmilk for their babies and moms who have some to give. We encourage you to check it out and help out another momma!

Idea for Future Posts?

So sorry we have been derelict in posting anything new! The end of the semester definitely took its toll.

As we're brainstorming for ideas for posts, do you have any suggestions? Maybe there's something you're curious about or need help with? Let us know! Its always easier to write when you have something to write about!

Lack of Breastfeeding Support in Hospitals

While breastfeeding is almost universally recommended, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that in the US breastfeeding is not well supported. A 2009 Center for Disease Control Report gave the US a grade of 74 for supporting breastfeeding. Oklahoma only got a 66, but was higher than Ohio (59), Arkansas (62) and Louisiana (lowest at 49).

This is distressing as since 1991, the World Health Organization has promoted 10 simple steps that hospitals and health care providers can take to support breastfeeding. This Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has been shown to increase both the number of women who begin breastfeeding and the duration of breastfeeding. The Initiative has accredited over 15,000 hospitals and birthing centers world-wide. However, in the US, there are only 89 centers that are accredited! (See list).

Even if a hospital cannot implement all 10 of the “baby friendly” steps, there are four important ones that can make a big difference. The first two encourage the hospital to have a policy outlining how they will support breastfeeding and require that all staff who interact with breastfeeding moms are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. This gets everyone on the same page, assures that it is not just the lactation consultant who knows how to support new moms, and makes sure that even the maintenance workers know the benefits of breastfeeding. My research group did a small survey a few years ago and found that many hospitals in Oklahoma did not have a written policy or provide comprehensive training.

Next, it is very important that a baby be allowed to nurse in the first hour after birth. A survey of maternity nurses in Oklahoma found that just over half of nurses knew that the best time for an infant to start breastfeeding was in the first hour after birth.

Finally, community support is very helpful in maintaining breastfeeding. Oklahoma has only 1.6 lactation consultants per 1000 births, while Alaska, which has the highest breastfeeding score, has 9.3! Stillwater is lucky enough to have a La Leche group, however. If you are not familiar with La Leche, it is a group of women who get together to support each other while breastfeeding. The national organization supports a wonderful hotline which answers any and all breastfeeding questions: 1-877-452-5324.

So what can you do to make a difference? Ask your Ob/Gyns about their support for a hospital policy for breastfeeding. When you take a tour of the maternity ward, ask to see a copy of the hospital’s breastfeeding policy. Check out La Leche – it is a great way to get the word out about the importance of breastfeeding!

Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars

We saw this on CNN.com and thought you might be interested...

You can go here to read the original article

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Miriam Falco, CNN Medical News Managing Editor

April 5, 2010 10:06 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

"The United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 preventable deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations," the report said.

The World Health Organization says infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life "to achieve optimal growth, development and health." The WHO is not alone in its recommendations.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all agree that breast milk alone is sufficient for newborns and infants until they are 6 months old.

However, a 2009 breastfeeding report card from the CDC found that only 74 percent of women start breastfeeding, only 33 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at three months and only 14 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at six months.

Dr. Melissa Bartick, one of the new study's co-authors, says the vast majority of extra costs incurred each year could be saved "if 80 to 90 percent of women exclusively breastfed for as little as four months and if 90 percent of women would breastfeed some times until six months." Bartick is a hospitalist -- a doctor who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients -- at Cambridge Health Alliance, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a mother of two.

Bartick and her co-author Arnold Reinhold found that most of the excess costs are due to premature deaths. Nearly all, 95 percent of these deaths, are attributed to three causes: sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); necrotizing enterocolitis, seen primarily in preterm babies and in which the lining of the intestinal wall dies; and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of all of these and seven other illnesses studied by the study authors.

Bartick calculates $10.56 million for each of the estimated 911 children's deaths. Researchers also included the direct costs of health care and parent's time missed from work. They did not include the cost of formula, which is another added cost for moms who don't breastfeed.

There are a lot of factors contributing to low breastfeeding rates in the United States, and Bartick says moms shouldn't be blamed, because they receive mixed messages and often lack support from the moment their babies are born.

She says the biggest priority should be to improve maternity care practices. Bartick refers to a 2007 CDC survey of hospitals and birthing centers, which scored each facility to determine how well it complied with recommendations meant to encourage women to breastfeed.

According to that survey, Bartick says, "U.S. hospitals scored a 63 - that's a D."

Bartick says many hospitals delay immediate urgent skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby, which can make things harder for the newborn to act on its natural instincts to suckle.

Moms also need to be better educated about the importance of breastfeeding and they need adequate support after they leave the hospital in case they run into problems because the newborn isn't properly latching on and therefore not getting enough food.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes, was not surprised by the findings of the report. Fleischman, who did not work on this study, says if a new mom is struggling with breastfeeding, she may end up in a situation where "grandmother suggests to stop the silliness and give formula instead."

He believes the mothers and grandmothers of new moms also need to be educated about the benefits of breastfeeding because for their generations, feeding their babies formula was the norm.

Super-sized Portions

Can you remember when the BIG MAC was the “worst” burger a person could get? To provide more and more value, fast food chains and restaurants are offering larger and larger portions of all kinds of food. And it’s not just fast food - I recently saw a recipe for a 44 oz home-made smoothie with 10 cups of fruits and vegetables!

My Mom used to say “Be careful how much you take...don’t let your eyes be bigger than your stomach”. But the trend to value-size meals has taught all of us just that. Because we get large portions outside of the home, we think that we need large portions at home. And we end up eating more.

One research group invited a group of nutritionists to an ice cream social and gave each person a bowl and an ice cream scoop. Some bowls were small and some of them were large and some of the ice cream scoops were small and others were large. The researchers then kept track of what everyone ate. What do you think happened?
If you guessed those who got big bowls and big scoops ate more, you’re right! People who had big bowls ate over 50% more than those who had the small bowls and scoops.

You eat more from large packages even when you aren’t hungry. A study looked at a group who had just eaten lunch and then went directly to a movie. At the movie, half the group was given a medium popcorn and the rest a large. Although the group wasn’t hungry, those who got the large popcorn ate 50% more!

It seems our ability to estimate calories becomes less accurate the larger the portion size becomes.
So what can a family do to combat this trend to portion distortion? It may be easier to change your environment than you're thinking.

First, try to eliminate large packages from your pantry. If you need to buy big bags at a warehouse store, keep the large size package out of sight in a cabinet or break the package up into smaller “portions” for storage. Even if you buy a bag of chips or cookies for snacks, repackage the bag into smaller snack sized plastic bags.

You might want to take a look at your glasses and plates and buy something smaller. There is a natural tendency to “fill-up” a glass, though when you think of it no one needs 20 oz of juice or milk or pop at one time. It may take a trip to the thrift store to find smaller glasses but you can end up saving calories and money by using glasses that hold only 6 to 8 oz. The same goes for plates, instead of 12 inch plates look for those that are 8 inches across. There is no rule that says seconds aren’t allowed if someone is still hungry, but smaller portions at the start will help prevent overeating and waste.

I’d love to hear some of your suggestions for “downsizing” portion expectations.

Tay