In the U.S., over 500,000 children are now taking antipsychotic drugs. Prescriptions are not just growing among teenagers, which is believed to be the developing stage for schizophrenia, but also among tens of thousands of preschoolers. For drugs with little study about their long-term side effects, isn’t it disconcerting how many young children are on antipsychotics?
Some doctors say extreme treatment is needed for some young children in school or daycare. But only some. By prescribing these drugs to younger and younger kids, there are risks to their fast-growing brains and bodies. Interestingly, boys are more likely to be medicated than girls.
Several critics have confirmed my skepticism with the growing prescription rate of antipsychotics. Is it simply easier to medicate — just sedate children — then actually deal with behavioral issues? As we know, doctors get kickbacks for prescribing certain drugs, and pharmaceutical companies would like nothing more than an entire nation dependent on their goods from a young age.
Even if antipsychotics are a good way to help kids with behavioral issues, is it worth risking the development of their growing minds and bodies?
Three-year-old Sophie sings a handful of big pop songs and sounds ADORABLE doing it. Kids sing the darndest things. Although it’s slightly disturbing hearing her sing “California Gurls.”
There is something about the theater that is so full of magic that I can’t help but be swept away every time I get the chance to go. And if you add in a little Disney magic to boot, you’ve got a night to remember. And that’s exactly what I found when Cheyanne and I had a girl’s night out in the city. We went to the opening night of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Golden Gate Theater and were mesmerized from the moment we sat down.
I freely admit that I have done my share of trash talk when it comes to Disney Princesses. But I always feel that Beauty and the Beast (even in the pre Disney/original version of the tale) stands apart from other fairy tales because when you look at it, the person in need of rescue is Beast more than Beauty. And at the end of the day it Beauty who has saved the day, not the prince.
Beauty and the Beast is certainly one of my favorite fairy tales indeed so when we received tickets to the show, I knew that there was no one else I wanted to see Beauty and the Beast with than my own princess. Read More
Last week’s recall of half a billion eggs is pushing forward a lot of legislative reform in the way food safety is handled. But in the mean time, parents should keep an eye out to make sure they haven’t purchased any of the recalled brands. Here’s the most up-to-date list of brands with recalled eggs:
You might think it’s impossible to find a skincare line that meets the following requirements: Vegan, no chemicals, cruelty free, no preservatives, unprocessed and raw, no pesticides, no solvents, and even the glass container is recycled. But you’d be wrong! Steffany has found the Anthology Organic Skincare line.
And it’s even pretty inexpensive! And it’s even less expensive with the 25% off coupon code: ecobold25off at AnthologyPlace.com.
As always, you can see more reviews at Steffany’s website EcoBold.
A few months back, we talked about how some schools were banning Silly Bandz (more like Silly Banz—get it?). But the latest in bracelet bans is a controversial accessory that reads “I Love Boobies.”
Or at least it’s controversial in one school district in California. The bracelets, which are part of a fundraising campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer, have been banned because the word “boobies” was deemed offensive.
That’s silly! Maybe if it were a more offensive word than “boobies” (of which there are many), but combine that with the fact that these are made by the American Cancer Society, and I think we have the most ridiculous school ban of the year.
Do you think “I Love Boobies” bracelets should be banned from school?
A new school year has finally begun and that means only one thing: flu season is not far behind. And that means many moms are faced with that seasonal question of whether to get flu shots or not.
Last year, with the outbreak of H1N1, was a nasty flu season and my family was knocked out with H1N1 long before we got the chance to get flu shots.
Because we had H1N1 in October, we chose to still get flu shots once we were all healthy again. After all there was still quite a few months left of the flu season left to deal with. For my family, it seemed better to take our chances with flu shots than to risk welcoming another flu outbreak into the house.
If you’re wondering whether YOU should get the flu shot, the best advice is to trust your instinct and talk to your doctor or pediatrician to see what the flu season is looking like where YOU live. Read More
Doctors say that headaches and migraines are some of the most frequent complaints in childhood, and yet they seem to be the most overlooked as well. For some reason, pediatricians often view migraines as an adult condition. Interestingly, whereas migraines in adults usually last four or more hours, a migraine in a child can range from 1 to 72 hours, and can be felt more widely throughout the head. Clearly, it’s a real cause for concern.
So what causes headaches and migraines? Changes in a child’s sleep schedule, especially when transitioning back into the school year, can cause headaches. Also the changes in diet — like skipping breakfast or not drinking enough water — can also trigger headaches and migraines for kids.
For more serious cases, pediatricians have been prescribing low doses of antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs, and even preventative therapy. That seems a little extreme, but perhaps it’s because I’ve cast aside headaches in children as an excuse to play hooky for so long?
Do your kids get headaches? How do you treat them (the headaches, not the kids)?
Trampolines: every kid wants one, no parent wants to have it in their backyard. But it begs the question: are they safe? Spoiler alert: they’re not safe at all, even with surrounding safety nets. MomLogic asked pediatrician Dr. Gwenn for her input:
It never fails. In fact, not only can I count on this, so can you: Two kids plus one backyard trampoline equals injury. The injury can be mild to major and can involve one or more kids, but it WILL happen — and often includes sprains, contusions, lacerations, head traumas, spinal traumas, dislocations, bumps, bruises and concussions. Safety nets don’t prevent these from happening; they just prevent your kids from getting injured on the ground.
I don’t think it takes a pediatrician to see that trampolines are a terrible idea. Plus, most kids jump on them for five minutes, and if they don’t get injured, they get bored and never use it again. Then it turns into a giant leaf collector in the fall. Awesome. Thanks, trampoline.
BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical that seeps into your food and water from plastics and cans. While manufacturers keep reassuring people that BPA is not harmful, new research keeps finding evidence that says otherwise. This morning, a study from Washington State University revealed that even small amounts of BPA have negative effects on the ovaries of female mice.
And the worst part is that the BPA exposure, which only takes 12 hours to affect the formation of eggs, gets passed not only from the mother’s children but to her grandchildren as well.
The research may have just been on mice, but yikes, there’s a reason we test mice first! The best way to avoid BPA exposure is to not use any food or drink containers that have the recycling code #7. Unfortunately, that includes a lot of canned foods and drinks, and while it might be impossible to cut all of those out of your diet, maybe cutting back isn’t such a bad idea.
There is something about the theater that is so full of magic that I can’t help but be swept away every time I get the chance to go. And if you add in a little Disney magic to boot, you’ve got a night to remember. And that’s exactly what I found when Cheyanne and I had a girl’s night out in the city. We went to the opening night of Disney’s 
Last week’s 
A few months back, we talked about how some schools were 
Doctors say that headaches and migraines are some of the most frequent complaints in childhood, and yet they seem to be the most overlooked as well. For some reason, pediatricians often view migraines as an adult condition. Interestingly, whereas migraines in adults usually last four or more hours, a migraine in a child can range from 1 to 72 hours, and can be felt more widely throughout the head. Clearly, it’s a real cause for concern.
Trampolines: every kid wants one, no parent wants to have it in their backyard. But it begs the question: are they safe? Spoiler alert: they’re not safe at all, even with surrounding safety nets. MomLogic asked pediatrician Dr. Gwenn for her input:
BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical that seeps into your food and water from plastics and cans. While manufacturers keep reassuring people that BPA is not harmful, new research keeps finding evidence that says otherwise. This morning, a study from Washington State University revealed that even small amounts of BPA have negative effects on the ovaries of female mice.
