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Gasp! A Bumbo recall?!

by Amanda on October 26, 2007
category: Fun time & Toys,In the news

bumbo.jpg Yesterday the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of Bumbo Baby Sitter seats, because there have been reports of children falling out of them and three children had skull fractures.

Basically, the CPSC is warning parents against the seats being placed on tables and counter tops. Children can arch their backs and flip out of the seat. The recall will put new warning labels on the seats.

I place Ace in her bumbo seat just about every day on our kitchen table while we have dinner. I even fed Ace in her chair on the table for the first time yesterday. I know that as soon as I see Ace arch her back or when she is growing tired of sitting there, I take her out.

As with all baby products, we just need to use common sense.

IntroFee is Offering $1000 for Footage of a Live Birth

by Amanda on October 25, 2007
category: In the news

I saw the news about IntroFee’s call for video submissions on valleywag.com under the category Bad Ideas. I agree with the category title.

According to the story on Yahoo! News, “in its upcoming Super Bowl ad, www.introfee.com is offering a $1000 bounty for clear video footage of live baby birth to use in its ad, announcing the birth of its website & service on Feb 3.”

Entries have to be uploaded to any video hosting service like YouTube or Veoh and tagged “IntroFee.” Entries must be submitted by Nov. 14th.

The introfee website states some of the requirements.

Video requirements:
* Video must show clear baby emergence
* Video must show umbilical cord being severed
* Includes sound

Additional Requirements:
* You own the video
* You have the ability to upload the video to a video hosting site such as YouTube and tag it with ‘introfee’
* You agree to the terms below

This is not a hoax. So if you want millions of Super Bowl fans to clearly view your miracle of child birth, submit your videos! Not to mention the viewers on YouTube will get to see the clear shot too.

Not that footage of live child birth is bad, I am just not sure I want millions of folks seeing mine. I am modest and some women aren’t. Also, I don’t think $1000 dollars is that much of an offer.

So now when you see the commercial in February, you can brag about how you knew about it months before the Super Bowl.

What is Up with the Cough and Cold Medicine News?

coughmed.jpg On October 12th makers of cough and cold medicines pulled their drugs targeted for babies and toddlers from store shelves. Then the following Friday an advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration voted to ban over-the-counter cold products targeted for children under six years old. The votes to ban the over-the-counter products for 2 years of age and younger was 21-1, while the vote to ban over-the-counter products for ages 2-5 years of age was 13-9. So we most likely won’t see a ban for drugs for children over the age of 2, because the agency is likely to ignore such a close vote according the New York Times.

The ban is suggested, because all 11 studies reviewed by the panel report that the medicines don’t work and in some rare cases cause serious harm. Also, the drugs were only tested on adults and assumed to be safe in children. Researchers have since found that some medicines react differently in children than adults.

A ban might not even take place at all. Dr. John Jenkins, director of the FDA’s office of new drugs, in an Associated Press article says, “If the agency chose to restrict use in children 6 and under, that won’t necessarily lead to a ban on the products. It might lead to labeling that says ‘do not use.’”

Also a ban may not happen for a while, because of the red tape of the FDA and the manufacturers will fight the ban according to the New York Times.

The panel’s patient and family representative, Amy Celento of Nutley, N.J. in an AP article said that she fears that parents will administer adult products to their children because they work for them or feel they work for them.

In the same AP article, “the panel also recommended drug makers provide standardized droppers with their liquid cough and cold medicines. Experts had told the panel the sometimes hard-to-use dosing devices contribute to parents unwittingly overdosing their children.” I agree! It takes me about five tries to get the medicine in the dropper right at .4 or .8. Better droppers would be nice!

There is a lot of talk in the media about these medicines and the FDA is taking no action right now. The advisory panel has only made suggestions to the FDA.

If the reports claim that the medicines don’t work, then a ban is not a loss to parents. Although, I know one parent who claims the medicines work for her four children. My daughter is only five months old, so I wouldn’t consider cough and cold medicine right now. She had her first cold last week and I have given her some children’s Tylenol when she had a fever and on the nights she was extremely uncomfortable. I have also made sure to feed her often, so she gets lots of liquids to break up the mucus. If needed, we also use a warm humidifier during the night.

(more…)

In The News: Cough and Cold Medicine for Children Under Age 6

The New York Times recently published an article about a 356-page recommendation written by safety experts to the Food and Drug Administration to ban “over-the-counter, multisymptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6.” The article never specifies who the safety experts are, except that they are internal to the F.D.A. The next step in the review process is to get an outside expert recommendation.

The article speaks about the marketing strategies of drug companies. Apparently, there is a huge market to target children, because they get sick far more often than adults. It makes sense why they would offer more products for children.

The concern is that some of these medicines may be ineffective or even harmful. The article suggests that the research that has been done is outdated.

One specific narcotic to treat pain and suppress cough, Hydrocone, is said to be unsafe and ineffective. The drug has a shaky approval history with the F.D.A. The F.D.A. is currently allowing Hydrocone to be marketed for children.

I find this interesting, because I just went to the doctor yesterday for medicine to treat my cough and viral infection. I am breastfeeding, so that limited what my ENT could give me. He gave me medicine that they give children and babies. Then he informed me about the symptoms of pneumonia and to call if I got any of those. That didn’t sound encouraging.

I don’t believe that we should fear all cough and cold medicines. I would be absolutely sure that I consulted with my pediatrician or at least called the nurse before giving my child a “multi-system cough and cold” medicine. What would I do if my child was in significant pain with a cough and cold on a Saturday night and I couldn’t get a hold of my pediatrician’s office until Monday morning? It depends on the situation. I would definitely research more natural remedies until I could see the doctor or stick with the medicine I am sure is safe.

What steps would you take in this situation? What do you think about the article? Should all “multi-system cough and cold” medicines be banned by the F.D.A.?

Read the full article here.

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