In the "listen-up" category, everything we know about "sell-by" and "use-by" dates for foods adults consume you can basically toss out the window when it comes to infant formula and baby food.  Infant formula and baby food fall in a completely different category.  The Food and Drug Administration website, www.FoodSafety.gov provides further details.  Here is some basic information:

Dates on Formula and Baby Food
"Federal regulations require a "use-by" date on the product label of infant formula and the varieties of baby food under FDA inspection. If consumed by that date, the formula or food must contain not less than the quantity of each nutrient as described on the label. Formula must maintain an acceptable quality to pass through an ordinary bottle nipple. If stored too long, formula can separate and clog the nipple."

"Dating of baby food is for quality as well as for nutrient retention. Just as you might not want to eat stale potato chips, you wouldn't want to feed your baby meat or other foods that have an off flavor or texture."

"The "use-by" date is selected by the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the product on the basis of product analysis throughout its shelf life; tests; or other information. It is also based on the conditions of handling, storage, preparation, and use printed on the label. Do not buy or use baby formula or baby food after its 'use-by' date."

Preventing Foodborne Illness

Another food preparation rule we always need to keep in mind when preparing formula or baby foods for consumption by infants and toddlers is that cleanliness in the kitchen and safe food handling can prevent foodborne illness.  Just as washing our hands is important in preventing the spread of colds and flu--it's also extremely important in preparing and handling food for our family, especially for our children. 

Mishandled food can lead to foodborne illness, it's just that simple.  The Partnership for Food Safety Education developed the "FightBac"® campaign which advised 4 simple ways to help eliminate the possibility of bacteria getting into food. In the kitchen, make sure you:

·        Clean: Wash hands with warm, soapy water and wash surfaces often;

·        Separate:  Don't cross-contaminate!  Keep meat, fish, and poultry away from other food.  Utensils that have touched them should be washed immediately.

·        Cook: Heat food to proper safe, minimum, internal temperatures.

·        Chill: Refrigerate food promptly.

Making sure hands are clean before we handle our children's foods sounds like a fairly simple matter, until we list all the ways we can contaminate food.  Always wash hands before handling food; after handling food; after using the bathroom; after changing a diaper; after tending to a sick child; after blowing nose, coughing or sneezing; and after handling pets. In addition to making sure that when we handle food, our hands are clean, everything that touches food must be clean.  If you use a thermometer to test the temperature of baby's food or milk, it must be washed and dried after using, each and every time.  Using a dishwasher helps to sterilize dishes, bottles, containers, and utensils.                                                     ##

It's the height of the vacation season.  If you haven't traveled with your child on an airplane lately, there are definitely some safety tips and recommendations for flying with infants and young children you may want to review!

Naturally, traveling with infants and toddlers places a heightened burden of responsibility on parents, both in preparing for and taking the planned trip.  The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has recently updated recommendations of things you as a parent can do to make the trip safer, easier and less stressful. The TSA website http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm has several short videos for parents and caregivers of infants, toddlers and school-aged children to view to help simplify the process of proceeding through the checkpoint.

First and foremost, planning ahead for the trip never hurts. To ease stress when traveling with infants and toddlers and provide for a safer trip, TSA recommends learning before the trip what you can and cannot bring with you as both carry-on and checked baggage.  Check TSA's website for prohibited items:  http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm  Mothers, TSA makes special provisions for bringing breast milk and baby formula and other medically necessary items on board the airplane in larger than 3.4 ounce specified quantities provided they are declared at the checkpoint and presented to a Transportation Security Officer (TSO).

If your child is still a lap child, you may want to learn about in-flight child restraints before traveling. As we continue to hear in the news, seatbelts save lives, and the FAA strongly recommends child restraint systems (appropriate for children's weight) be used for children under 40 pounds (18.1 kilos). There are other options:  buying a ticket for a seat for the child (if under 2 and over 40 pounds) and using the appropriate restraint system for that seat.  For safety, you will want to seat your child away from an aisle where little arms, hands and feet, could get pinched or bumped; ideally, the child could be seated between two responsible adults.

When going through the checkpoint, it's a good idea to leave the items you will have to take out of your carry-on bag at the checkpoint on top in your carry-on things. Large items, such as diaper bags, blankets, toys, strollers, car and booster seats, baby carriers, infant seats, backpacks and baby slings, all must go through the metal detector at the checkpoint and can be checked in on the jet way before you get on the plane.  Frequently, TSA has an extra lane called the Family & Medical Liquid Lane for passengers who need assistance or who need a little more time may use. If you have questions, ask the TSO--or their supervisor if necessary.

Preparing for emergencies is always advised. Pay attention to the preflight emergency briefing. Ask if there are flotation devices on board for children. Make the counter agent, flight and gate attendant(s) aware if your child has any medical condition that could become an issue during the flight.  Bring along safe, softer toys if possible. 

And enjoy your family airplane trip!

Recently, the FDA warned parents and caregivers about how an infant or child could be accidentally given an overdose of vitamins, particularly Vitamin D, using Accurate Vitamin D Supplmentation™ due to a faulty medicine dropper, which would allow more than a 400-International Unit drop to pass through it to the infant's mouth.

The FDA also advises manufacturers of liquid Vitamin D supplements that droppers accompanying  liquid Vitamin products should be clearly and accurately marked for 400 international units (IU). "In addition, for products intended for infants, FDA recommends that the dropper hold no more than 400 IU." (FDA, June 15, 2010) 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the easiest way for parents and caregivers to avoid giving too much liquid vitamin is to use a medicine dropper that only allows 400 IU/dose to pass through to the infant.  The AAP also "recommended a dose of 400 IU of Vitamin D Supplement per day to breast-fed and partially breast-fed infants." (AAP Pediatric Nutrition Handbook, 6th edition, p.466).  The concern is that too much Vitamin D given at a time during infancy can ultimately cause kidney damage.  "Excessive amounts of Vitamin D can be harmful to infants, and may be characterized by nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, frequent urination, constipation, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, muscle and joint aches, confusion, and fatigue, as well as more serious consequences such as kidney damage." (AAP, June 15, 2010)

Healthcare professionals, parents and caregivers are urged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of medicine to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program and this can be done by going to the website:

www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm or calling: 1-800-332-1088.

Toy/Jewelry Recalls To Note:

Rhino Toys Inc. recalls Beado Hand-held Bead Playtoys.  About 5,500 of the Beado Hand-held Bead Playtoys have been sold between March and May 2010 for about $12 each. The toy is a colorful playtoy for young children with model number 1501 and date code 02910 04323A.  It was manufactured in China and sold to specialty toy retailers throughout the U.S.  The  toys' plastic wires can detach from the hubs due to insufficient adhesive, allowing the beads to slide off. The loose beads pose a choking hazard to young children

Approximately 66,000+ pieces of Cadmium Coated Beaded Jewelry made by "SmileMakers" has been recalled by the CPSC. Manufactured in China, the metal substrate in the jewelry contains high levels of Cadmium, which can cause health issues, especially in children.  If you have these beads (bracelets/necklaces), return or dump them! For additional information, contact SmileMakers toll-free at (877) 390-5470 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.  (I'm not Smiling!)

Perhaps the most significant thing that happened this week in Washington, is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted (5 to 0) July 14, 2010, to approve proposed new mandatory standards to address the hazards posed by full-size and non-full-size cribs.   We have been monitoring the safety hazards with these cribs which range from drop-side hardware or other drop-side entrapment issues to failures of the mattress support and detachment or breakage of the crib slats. All of these defects can create hazardous gaps allowing a baby to become entrapped and suffocate or fall out of the crib.        

Childsafetyblog.org is smiling.

It's summer time and the heat is on.  A lot of children are going to the local pool with their parents.  Some are swimming in lakes, wading in ponds, or playing in the sand.  There's lots of pollen from grass, trees, summer weeds, and flowers in the air, whether your children are at the lake, beach, pond, camping in the woods or backyard, or visiting down on the farm. If children have been playing outside a good bit of the day and they have difficulty breathing through their nose at night, should we be concerned? Although we know it's not winter and they may not have caught cold, why all the congestion, watery eyes, stuffy noses, and sneezing? 

The answer is yes, we should be concerned; and to be more informed we need to know the symptoms of nasal allergies in kids.  The symptoms are very similar to those of the common cold--and may or may not be accompanied by a sore or itchy throat:

• Congestion
• Sneezing
• Runny or itchy nose, often accompanied by watery eyes.

According to scientists, nasal allergies affect an estimated 40 million Americans, and 40 percent of the American child population.  Nasal allergies are believed to be the most prevalent cause of nasal congestion in children.

When a child experiences the symptoms of a nasal allergy, their immune system reacts often quickly by manufacturing an antibody in the child's system to fight the allergen's challenge.  The antibody sends a message to the brain causing a histamine to be released into the bloodstream--which causes nasal inflammation and its symptoms, such as nasal congestion, sneezing, and that itchy or runny nose, watery eyes, and possibly a scratchy throat.

Nasal allergic reactions in children frequently occur when a child is exposed to things in the air--allergic challenges--such as pollens (from grass, weeds, trees, flowers), mold, mildew, house dust, and even, sadly, good old Spot or Kitty and their pet dander.

Nasal allergies are particularly prevalent in the summer because children are more exposed to allergic challenges in the air.  They play out of doors more in the warm weather.  They may go to other areas of the country to visit relatives or go on family trips to very different surroundings, where they experience the pollens of different plants, trees, flowers, the dander of different pets, and even different house dust.  Swimming in a favorite lake that was surrounded by farm fields as a child, I frequently came out of the lake with a stuffed up nose and itchy eyes and spent the rest of the afternoon sniffing and sneezing, not playing!  Not fun for anyone!

If your child begins to experience nasal allergy symptoms this summer, it's a good idea before you medicate to consult your pediatrician.  You do want to make sure this is either an allergy or something else like a sinus infection.  Medicines, such as antihistamines, are available, both over-the-counter and by prescription from your physician, but you need to find the right medicine for your child.  You need to observe what causes the inflammation to occur and learn how your child reacts to allergy medicines.  There are allergy tests your physician may want your child to have, to be more certain about what kind of allergic reaction your child may be experiencing.  It's always a good idea to check with your doctor before you give your child any medicine! And don't forget that other safety tip, keep all medicines away from children when the medicines are not in use. Locking your medicine cabinet is being pro-active with regard to child safety.

In the meantime, childsafetyblog.org is wishing you a safe and happy summer!

In the warm -- no, let's just say it: HOT -- weather we've already been experiencing this summer, it's important we think again (or never stop thinking) about food safety for families with children.  It's important that we think about food safety for our kids' sake all the time. Whether we're on a picnic, in the boat, at the pool, or while camping, we need to take all precautions to make sure we handle food in a safe manner, so that we and our children don't become sick.  It's so easy to slip up in this way--and the experience can wreck a family vacation.

Here are some handy tips to keep food safe in hot weather:

1)         If you are traveling and taking food along, take 2 coolers, one for beverages (which may be opened and shut intermittently as people withdraw bottled water or canned or bottled drinks) and at least one more cooler for foods that must remain cold until the food it contains is prepared to be cooked or is eaten.  Make sure cooler # 2 contains ample ice packs and ice along with the food.  A thin layer of aluminum foil on top of the frozen and/or cold food in the cooler placed beneath the cooler top is an added protection to keep food colder longer--or you can wrap each food separately, first in plastic or wax paper and then in aluminum foil.

2)         If the ice melts in your food cooler or the cold food in it becomes warm for any reason or length of time, do not prepare or eat the food!  We realize food is expensive, but so are doctor bills. Throwing out food that has gone bad--although regrettable for the family's budget--is much easier and safer than combating salmonella or E.coli or another stomach-unfriendly bacteria.  Also do NOT re-freeze meat, poultry or fish that has thawed.  Never leave thawed meat at room temperature for more than 15 minutes without cooking it--including hot dogs! 

3)         Bring wrapped, "dry" snacks along on a car trip.  These are not as perishable as some fruits and vegetables.  Puffed rice crackers, healthy veggie chips, apples, oranges, and "trail mix" (if you or your child are not allergic to nuts or seeds) are an alternative to some of the more perishable snacks.  (Note: If you bring bananas along, make sure they are in a separate bag, don't put them in the cooler... if you do, everything will smell like banana.  I learned the hard way.)

4)         Make sure to wash your hands and your children's hands, especially before eating or handling food.  Washing hands often helps to retard the transmission of bacteria.

5)         There may be chemical residue on food--so make sure to wash all raw meat, poultry, fruits, or vegetables separately and thoroughly before preparing and eating them!

6)         There's no other way to say this: "Cook food to the desired temperature and then some!" Invest in a food thermometer and use it!  At http://www.FoodSafety.gov, you can

 check the safe minimum temperature at which most meats, fish, poultry, and egg dishes are truly at the optimum temperature for consumption.