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 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!

Cold and flu season is upon us.  When we're unlucky enough to come down with something, it's almost second nature to reach a multi-symptom cold medicine.  New findings show that, when it comes to children, parents should think twice before giving such medications to their children.

Last year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that eading manufacturers of pediatric cough and cold medicines are adding a warning to their products' labels, "Don't use over-the-counter pediatric cough and cold medicines in children younger than 4."  FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Janet Woodcock, MD, says FDA supports the label "change" and drug manufacturers are doing this voluntarily.

 

 The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that over-the-counter cough and cold medications not be given to infants and children younger than 2 years because of the risk of life-threatening side effects. Also, several studies show that cold and cough products don't work in children younger than 6 years and can have potentially serious side effects.

 

The New York Times recently reported results of a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study on unintentional medication overdoses in children which "indicates 8 percent of emergency room visits and 14 percent of hospitalizations were caused by parents accidentally overdosing their children."

 

The study, which looks at causes for emergency room visits, estimates that 70,000 children under 18 years of age visit emergency rooms annually suffering from unintentional medication overdoses causing adverse drug events. More importantly, 75 percent of the overdoses occurred in children under age 5.

 

CDC's web page on child medication safety further indicates that the number one cause of emergency room visits due to adverse drug events in young children under the age of 5 is the unsupervised consumption of medicines.  CDC also notes, according to WebMD, that 7,000 children under 11 go to emergency rooms each year after taking cough and cold medicines. Roughly two-thirds of those adverse drug events occurred after children consumed medication while unsupervised.

It's the holiday season, and families are coming together from near and far.  Almost without fail, we all tend to congregate in the kitchen.   Certainly people are attracted to the wonderful smells and holiday treats, but it's more than that - the kitchen table instinctively seems to be a gathering place for friends and family. 

It's also a fun place for kids.  Sweets are often there for the taking, and it's fun for children to help out with cooking and baking projects.  Cooking with Jane and Libby is one of my favorite activities to do together, and they are having fun learning a skill that they can enjoy for a lifetime (and they also get to taste the sugar).  In addition to making our time in the kitchen fun, there are a few simple precautions that can keep them safe, as well.  Go to the next page for a few tips on how to keep kids safe while they're in the kitchen.

No matter how much we try to educate ourselves and our kids about health and safety, it's a sad fact of life that serious illnesses and accidents are going to happen.  When they do, we can only hope that a child gets the best health care possible.  One institution that has been singularly dedicated to children for more than 80 years is the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

I'm writing about the Shriners because I had occasion to speak with one of their doctors last week -- one of the preeminent pediatric burn doctors in the nation.  I can only imagine what this doctor sees on a day-to-day basis, and it brings up the larger point about what Shriners does and how they do it.  Shriners has 22 hospitals, all dedicated to taking care of children.  They treat children up to age 18 for serious orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries (SCI) and cleft palate and lip conditions.  And the amazing thing -- they do this all at no charge and without regard to financial need.

My seven year old is going as Gabriella from High School Musical, my five year old as a witch, my 17 month old as a fireman, and my 7 month old as a firehouse dog.  Here's what we're doing and telling them so that they'll be as safe as possible.  If any one else has any good tips, let me know and I'll include them next year.  By the way, Jane, Libby and I saw HSM3 over the weekend -- all in all not bad.

Halloween Safety Tips -

• Wear light colored or reflective clothing/costumes OR buy reflective tape (sold at any hardware or big box store) and place on costume.  3M makes good reflective tape.
• Make sure your kids have flashlights.
• Make sure costumes don't drag on the ground - long costumes present an increased fire hazard.
• Talk with your children about not getting too close to jack-o-lanterns with candles, or any other open flames.
  
• Young children should have a parent with them when trick-or-treating. 
  
• It's much more safe for children to travel in groups then by themselves or in pairs.
• Take masks off between houses (better yet, don't get a costume with a mask).
• Don't cut through yards -- use driveways and walks.
• The best neighborhoods for trick-or-treating are the ones with the fewest cars.  Take extra time to impress on your children the need to be on the lookout for cars - they will be excited and crossing the street often.  They absolutely need to stop and look before crossing, and young children need to wait for a parent before crossing.
• Feed your kids dinner beforehand -- lessens the candy intake (at least a little bit).
• If your older kids are going out alone, it's best for them to have a cellphone or some means of communicating with you.
• Inspect your children's candy for open packaging or anything else that might be suspicious.
  
• AND, although not safety related, talk to your kids about being polite, saying thank you, and not grabbing handfuls of candy when offered.
  

BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!