No parent wants to lose a baby to SIDS. As a result, a market for SIDS-preventing baby products has sprung up. Recently, however, the FDA decreed that they have not approved any SIDS-preventing baby products. Parents, in response, should stop using them, while manufacturers should remove all claims on their packaging.

Most parents have come across SIDS-preventing or reducing baby products or may have even purchased them. If, on the other hand, you aren’t familiar with such products, the full scope of them involves wedges, sleep positioners, mattresses, sleep surfaces, bedding, pillows, and sleep tents. But, no matter the type of product, the concept is the same: the item is designed to keep the baby in a fixed position to prevent suffocation. Declaring them dangerous, the FDA mentioned in its statement that babies can slip out of these positioning products and end up suffocating. In fact, they state, 13 deaths resulting from SIDS-preventing baby products have occurred over the past 13 years.

Aside from parents, the FDA addresses manufacturers of such products. Because no claims can be supported thus far, the FDA requests that all statements touting SIDS-reducing properties, even from medical professionals, be removed from packaging until the product is cleared or approved by the government agency.

As far as proper positioning is concerned, what should a parent do? Parents need to stick with a basic approach: the FDA states they should put the baby on its back in an empty crib. Items like crib bumpers, stuffed animals, and other soft toys left in the sleeping area all pose suffocation hazards. Aside from what’s in the crib, parents should be aware of what’s around it – particularly cords. Babies may grab at monitor cords and can end up strangling themselves. To prevent this from happening, parents are advised to keep all cords at least three feet away from a crib.

Babies and toddlers like to explore, but curiosity can result in a child climbing onto furniture or touching an outlet. While parents should be watchful of their young children, they can’t observe a child every minute, and as a result, a home needs to be effectively childproofed. But the baby gates and outlet covers of years past are no longer effective, and homes now pose unique hazards. To address these and get you up to date on the latest parenting advice, the New York Times published a piece about new rules for childproofing.

Consulting experts, the author touches on a handful of points all parents preparing for a new baby, or a second child, need to address. Childproofing ideally should be done before a child arrives, and parents need to consider:

• Going cordless. Babies and toddlers want to touch everything, including cords. Cords, unfortunately, pose a strangulation hazard, no matter if they are on a baby monitor or power tool. While parents should have as few cords in a room a possible, those are present need to be at least three feet away from a crib.
• Children climb on furniture. To prevent falls or worse injuries, secure all furniture, televisions, and other large objects in a room.
• Outlet covers pose choking hazards. Parents, as well, may forget to put them back in after taking them out. As an alternative, install horizontal-sliding outlet plates.
• Viewing a space from the perspective of a child. What would a baby want to touch and put in its mouth? What could be a small – or large – hazard? Examine the space and check for any small objects that pose choking hazards. As a rule of thumb, if an object can fit through a toilet paper tube, it’s a choking hazard.
• Have a consultant examine your home. Because each property is different, yours poses unique hazards that even you may not be aware of.

What parent doesn’t want their child to get ahead in reading, learning new words, or math? At the same time, toy manufacturers take advantage of this desire and convince them that their toy is the one to accelerate a child’s skills or boost intelligence. Yet, with evidence showing the ineffectiveness of Baby Einstein, some are questioning the claims of baby toys with similar intentions.

Countless toys for babies and toddlers are geared toward learning new words, reading, math skills, and problem solving, but how many of them truly work? Researchers question the claims made by each manufacturer, but at the same time, nonbiased studies cannot be performed on every toy on the market. Additionally, proving that the particular toy increased or advanced a child’s skills is difficult.

How and if a toy works notwithstanding, marketing for educational baby toys is unregulated. As a result, manufacturers can make practically any claims – even improbable ones like Your Baby Can Read’s. About the lack of regulation, Russ Heimerich, spokesman for the California Department of Consumer Affairs, explained:

“Nobody checks the ads and says, ‘No, you can’t say that.’ That would be prior restraint. Unless it’s doing someone harm or grossly misleading, you have to give the benefit of the doubt to the people making the claim.”

If a parent wants to help their child learn new skills but doesn’t want to fall into the toy manufacturers’ traps, what can he or she do? The Early Years Institute President Dana Friedman recommends choosing simple toys and limiting computer and television screen time:

“Generally speaking, the simpler the toy, the more complex the play. The more complex the toy, the more simple the play. You want to find toys where children have options for what they do with it. If it’s a toy that can only be used in one way, don’t get it.”

Don’t you wish your child knew about sharing and would just stop saying, “That’s not fair!”? Your child may, in fact, be fully aware of fairness and sharing, according to a recent study from the University of Washington. The study, which involved showing videos and then sharing toys, showed that children as young as 15 months in age recognize unfairness.

Scientists, before, had shown that 2 year olds are capable of recognizing sharing and fairness, but the new study indicates that children identify them at younger ages. In the University of Washington study, a group of 47 babies were shown two videos: one of food being divided evenly between two people, and another of food being divided unevenly. As the babies watched, some stared at the video of food being divided unevenly. Babies, according to scientists, stare when surprised by something.

The second portion of the study was more interactive. The babies were given two toys each, and the researchers indicated that they would like to have one. Two-thirds of the babies offered to share, but how they did it was not uniform. Some babies offered their preferred toy to share, and this group was labeled as “altruistic sharers.” Other babies offered their least-preferred toy, and this group was dubbed “selfish sharers.”

Out of these two groups, the altruistic sharers were more likely to stare at the video of the food being divided up unevenly. Selfish sharers, on the other hand, were more inclined to look at the video of the food being divided up evenly. Regarding the results, Jessica Sommerville, who led the study, mentioned:

“Our findings show that these norms of fairness and altruism are more rapidly acquired than we thought. The infants expected an equal and fair distribution of food, and they were surprised to see one person given more crackers or milk than the other.”

Fathers should be included in baby showers, too. After all, having a baby and parenting are two-person jobs. The mother shouldn’t be expected to do it all on her own, yet the mother-centric culture of parenting often alienates fathers. Perhaps these reasons are behind the rise in co-ed baby showers and diaper parties. According to a piece in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, diaper parties are great opportunities for fathers-to-be to get ready for parenthood.

In concept, a diaper party and baby shower are essentially the same type of event. At both, a group of family members and friends join a parent-to-be for a few hours and bring gifts; the group spends the afternoon playing some games and eating. A diaper party differs in that, aside from all guests being men, diapers are the only gifts given and traditional baby shower games are eschewed in favor of more grown-up activities, such as poker or a barbecue.

Parents will spend $70 a month for diapers, on average, and a diaper party is great for amassing a starting supply. Nevertheless, the event signifies to the father-to-be that he’s being included as a parent, and prepares him for fatherhood.

Diaper parties haven’t been around long enough for a strict code of etiquette to develop. Because these events are so casual, a guest can show up with a basic pack of diapers. If you want to dress up your gift and still be practical, however, consider a diaper cake. High-quality diaper cakes have 80 to 150 diapers and are designed with baby products on the outside. Although attractive in appearance, a diaper cake is practical for new parents, providing them with a large starting supply of diapers (these will be added to the rest of all of the guests) and a few necessary baby products.

Children not carried correctly in slings have greater chances of suffocation. Yet, supporters of babywearing tout its benefits, including better bonding between mother and child. So, what should you pay attention to?

Some parents still are not aware of the risks of using slings. Australia had its first sling-related infant death recently, and as a result, the Australian Competition and Consumer Committee (ACCC) issued a safety warning. According to newspaper The Age, a mother was carrying her 2-day-old boy in a sling under her clothing and noticed he went cold and stopped breathing. As a result, the ACCC is also developing safety standards for baby slings.

Slings and other similar baby carriers are popular alternatives to strollers. Nevertheless, carriers in which the baby faces forward to pose some risks, and a few basic points need to be kept in mind. A child should never have his chin and chest touching and his mouth or nose should never be covered. The New York Times’ Motherload gives some more points to watch for:

• A baby in a sling must be in the same position as in your arms once you let go. A baby should never move away from the parent once in the sling.
• A parent should be able to kiss the baby’s head without bending his or her neck.
• The carrier needs to be tight enough so that no space is between the parent and baby.
• A baby’s face must always be visible.
• Parents should not feel back or neck pain when using slings. Otherwise, the carrier is being worn incorrectly.

If you need better visualization of how to put on and wrap a baby in a sling and how to carry your child, watch the video below for a few babywearing methods:

When a mother leaving a baby in a stroller outside of a restaurant for 10 minutes makes the news and babywearing is a growing trend, where’s the middle ground for being watchful of your child without being overprotective, indulgent, or selfish?

Parents may never know, but a child health expert out of Australia gave them another facet to worry about: carrying children forward. So, what’s the big deal? According to Professor Catherine Fowler, sourced in a Daily Mail piece, a child “suffers” in such a position and may later turn into an anxious adult:

“Imagine if you were strapped to someone’s chest with your legs and arms flailing, heading with no control into a busy shopping center – it would be terrifying. Outward-facing baby carriers and prams give babies a bombardment of stimulus, creating a very stressful situation. In not considering our baby’s perspective, we are inadvertently quite cruel to children.”

Who knew that such a slight action could scar a child into adulthood? But not everyone is impressed. In fact, other experts cited in the Daily Mail’s piece are incredulous to Fowler’s statements and, rather, think that a child facing its mother all the time gets bored.

Parents may never find the fine line between suffering and boredom for their children, but some are getting on board with the theory that a child close to and facing its mother bonds well. Babywearing is the result. Profiled in a piece in The Lufkin Times, babywearing allows a child to be close to its mother at all times, helping with bonding, and her hands are free to do ordinary tasks. Additional supposed assets of babywearing include calming fussy or colicky babies, less crying, and a more restful child.

Regardless of which experts you agree with, there are many options for baby carriers, including wraps, slings, and even strollers, that allow a child to face forward or backward.

Is it discriminating against children, or is it keeping adult spaces free of disturbances? Be it restaurant patrons, concertgoers, or Brooklynites in bars, adults through editorials or outright bans are stating that they want their spaces child-free. Parents, on the other hand, feel that not bringing their children along, especially if the child is well-behaved, is restrictive, if not discriminatory.

A year ago, a writer for CNN wrote an editorial about parents bringing their babies to bars in Brooklyn; the introduction of a baby to an adult-oriented space, she states, essentially requires everyone to become child-friendly:

Single hipsters and others without (and sometimes with) kids complain about being asked to watch their language, to not smoke outdoors near strollers and to keep their drunk friends under control so as not to scare the little ones. They don’t want to feel pressure to play peekaboo. They want to cry over their beers, they say, without having an infant drown them out. If anyone is spitting up, they want it to be them.

Brooklyn hipsters might complain about babies, but a Pennsylvania restaurant owner banned them and all children under 6 years of age entirely. His reasons? Children cause too much of a disturbance and are too loud.

Parents quoted in a PennLive.com editorial shot back, feeling that such bans don’t take responsible parents into account. But, what exactly is a responsible parent? Someone who takes a crying or whining child outdoors for a time out? Or, someone who understands that certain spaces, be it a bar, concert, or restaurant, just aren’t for children?

Tony Hicks, a writer for the Costa Mesa Times, falls into the latter category, especially after seeing toddlers in the audience of a Katy Perry concert. But, rather than singing along to songs like “Firework,” the kids were essentially asleep or bored. A concert, Hicks argues, can also expose a child to disorderly or drunken behavior, drugs, or an overly-sexual atmosphere. He writes:

The bottom line is that some concerts shouldn’t be open to kids of a certain age. I could see taking a 12-year-old to Katy Perry; maybe even a 10-year-old. But 2 and 4? That’s why they have “Sesame Street Live,” the Wiggles, “Disney on Ice” and Justin Bieber, who’s kind of like a Muppet with better hair. Kids aren’t supposed to be our little party buddies. They’re supposed to be home, getting a good night’s sleep. They have plenty of time to get their eardrums blown out at concerts later in life.

Do you agree with him? Or, with children running wild in restaurants and babies in bars, what, exactly, do you consider a responsible parent?

That crib you own, the car seat you use, or your baby’s favorite toy – one day you find it recalled and don’t know what to do. For a major recall, as we saw with the drop side cribs, the story will hit the news. If a toy by a smaller manufacturer is recalled, however, you may not hear of it until later. When something like this happens, the typical response is panic. But instead, develop a course of action for keeping your child safe.

First, stop using the product. Take the car seat out, disable the crib, or remove the toy. Although the item has not posed problems for you yet, it may at some point. Why take the risk?

Second, find out about what the manufacturer plans to do. Is the company permanently taking the product off shelves, or is it repairable? Expect a kit or replacement part for the latter option. In this case, sending in the registration card months before is helpful.

Don’t wait for a recall to question the baby products in your home, however. Instead, always be looking for parts or features that pose a hazard to your child, especially with toys and baby furniture. If you are unsure of what to look for, an article from U.S. News & World Report gives some suggestions:

• Always look for broken parts on the toy and around your home.
• No parts should be small enough to fit in a baby’s mouth.
• Toys for older children should be out of reach.
• Avoid cords, strings, balloons, and motorized toys.
• Find out if toys are safety tested.
• Always dispose of packaging.

Take a similar approach to examining baby furniture. Hardware, in particular, is often a cause of injuries, so see that is it always secure. Additionally, if the furniture has a seat or uses a harness, make sure that the child cannot escape or take it off.

Until recently, rear-facing car seats were considered necessary for babies up until age 1. Now, studies done by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that a child is safest in a rear-facing car seat until age 2, according to the Associate Press.

Evidence from crashes influences these two studies (not done in conjunction with each other) and the new safety recommendations. Seatbelts can cause abdominal and spinal injuries in children, and if a child is in a rear-facing car seat, he or she is five times less likely to be injured in an accident. Rear-facing car seats provide better spine, neck, and head support and distribute the force of a collision evenly over a child’s body.

Additional recommendations for older children in cars have changed as well. Children should be in booster seats with seatbelts until they are 4’9”, and those under age 13 need to stay in the back.

As The Star Press article shows, not all parents are sold on these recommendations. In fact, to some, they appear superfluous and do not think of the needs of a child. A car seat, according to one parent quoted, are too small for her 18-month-old, and for another, she wants to see her child as she drives.

If you need to buy a new car seat, what types of features do you need? Manufacturers of car seats now offer models that support toddlers up to 35 pounds. In addition to finding a larger design that accommodates a heavier child, you need to have a car seat with a five-point harness. The harness, preferably, should have strap slots below the shoulders and an adjuster. The seat, for infants and newborns, should recline to a 45-degree angle and, ideally, should indicate the incline.