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By clipgator | Published: May 3, 2010

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The Parenting Buzz : Nick Jr. Reaches Across the Pond

By clipgator | Published: February 4, 2008

Nick Jr. premieres its newest preschool show Ni-Hao, Kai-lan this week, just in time for Chinese New Year.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a play-along, think-along series that weaves together Chinese language and culture, preschool-relatable stories, and interactivity. The show is positioned to launch the next generation of  preschool television programming by weaving together concepts of bilingualism (popularized by shows like Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!) and biculturalism – featuring culture as something more than ethnic food and festivals.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan premieres on Nick Jr. on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11:00 am.

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The Parenting Buzz : America’s Best Colleges 2008

By clipgator | Published: August 20, 2007

The U.S. News & World Report has released its America’s Best Colleges 2008 rankings. At the head of class for an 8th year is Princeton University. MIT dropped from a tie for 4th place last year to 7th place this year, while UPenn rose from 7th place last year to a tie for 5th place this year.  The top ten national schools are:

1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Yale University (CT)
4. Stanford University (CA)
5. University of Pennsylvania (PA)
5. California Institute of Technology (“Caltech”) (CA)
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) (MA)
8. Duke University (NY)
9. Columbia University (NY)
9. University of Chicago (IL)

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The Parenting Buzz : Study About Children and their Internet & Cell Phone Usage

By clipgator | Published: August 19, 2007

A rather interesting Study was conducted recently in Europe on the subject of internet and cell phone usage by children between the ages of 9 and 14. The Study, Safer Internet for Children, was conducted from March 2007 to May 2007 and spanned 29 European countries. The subject children were invited to group discussions where they discussed their internet and cell phone usage, their on-line behavior and their perceptions of risks and safety measures related to online and cell phone usage.

According to the Study, children use the internet primarily to play online games, look up information on subjects that are of interest and to browse for fun. Looking up information for schoolwork also came up as a popular – albeit less exciting – use for the internet.

The older children tend to use the internet for downloading (music, movies, games) and communicating (instant messaging, chatting with friends, emailing).

The Study also found that the children tended not to use the internet to engage in open chatrooms or reading or responding to the blogs and/or homepages of strangers.

Most children have cell phones and consider them to be a status symbol. Predictably, the younger children use their phones primarily to stay in contact with their parents, while the older children use their phones to call and text their friends. Only a small minority of the children stated that they used their cell phones to take photos, share photos or videos, listen to music or play games.

The Study also found that children, while aware of the risks and dangers associated with irresponsible internet and cell phone usage, tend to deny or minimize the consequences.

The results of the Study will be used to contribute to designing a Safer Internet Programme in Europe.

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The Parenting Buzz : Another Mattel Toy Recall

By clipgator | Published: August 14, 2007

Did you walk away unscathed from last week’s Mattel recall?

Hopefully your luck holds up during Mattel’s most recent recall of 9 million toys.

After last week’s recall of over 1 million Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! toys, Mattel decided to test all of its products. The result: Mattel announced this morning that it has voluntarily recalled 9 million toys from its Barbie, Batman, Polly Pockets, Doggy Day Care and Cars line, all of which were manufactured in China.

The recalled items have been deemed dangerous for various reasons, including the presence of lead paint and loose magnets, both of which are hazardous to young children.

For more information about the latest Mattel recall and instructions on how to return affected items, visit the Mattel website.

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The Parenting Buzz : Baby Einstein – A No-Brainer…Literally!

By clipgator | Published: August 9, 2007

Seems those Baby Einstein DVDs that have been all the rage these past few years may not help your child crack the theory of relativity. In fact, that supposed “genius fodder” may actually be hindering your child’s linguistic development.

According to a recent University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute study, DVDs of the Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby ilk don’t make infants smarter. The study found that for every hour an infant between the age of 8 and 16 months watched such “educational DVDs,” that child understood six to eight fewer words than an infant who didn’t watch them at all.

Hmm…guess that explains why Costco’s put them on sale…

Fredrick Zimmerman, lead author of the Study explains in an interview published in NEWSWEEK:

You can compare it with nutrition. A healthy child needs a balanced diet. A little sugar is not going to kill them but a lot of sugar creates all kinds of problems—tooth decay, obesity—so we call sugar empty calories. And I think it’s the same thing here. What some of these videos are is empty calories for the developing brain. So I would suspect that in small doses it’s not a problem, but in larger doses it becomes a problem—both because it displaces other things and because it’s potentially harmful in its own right. Again, that’s speculation.

So, what’s a parent to do to kick-start an infant’s intellectual development? According to Zimmerman, nothing beats good old-fashioned human interaction.

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The Parenting Buzz : Mattel Recalls One Million Fisher-Price Products

By clipgator | Published: August 2, 2007

The buzz around the web today is Mattel’s worldwide recall of close to a million Fisher-Price products from its popular Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! product lines. Much like the recent Thomas the Tank Engine product recall, this toy recall is due to excessive levels of lead in the surface paints of the toys. Lead, which is known to be toxic, can cause adverse health effects if ingested by young children.

The voluntary recall applies to certain Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! figures and toys which were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and sold at retail stores from May 2007 to August 2007.

For full details about the items affected by the recall (including color photos of each item) and more information about how to return any affected products that you may have, contact Fisher-Price at (800) 916-4498 or visit their website.

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The Parenting Buzz : Weighing In on Weight

By clipgator | Published: July 31, 2007

Remember the days when it was considered OK to stuff your face when pregnant? Go ahead…after all, you’re “eating for two,” right?

Indiscriminate eating during pregnancy quickly fell out of vogue, as study after study found a correlation between obesity and pregnancy-related complications. And it’s not just the weight gained during a pregnancy that causes concern; weight gain before getting pregnant can also cause complications, including a higher risk of pre-eclampsia, hypertension, gestational diabetes, large-for-gestational age births and stillbirths.

But wait, stop the presses:

Last week, a study out of Ireland turned the other studies’ findings upside down. Published in the British Medical Journal, the study finds that women who diet between pregnancies may have an increased risk of premature birth, stillbirth and high blood pressure. The study concludes that dieting can undermine the body’s ability to maintain an adequate supply of nutrients to support fetal growth and well-being. This study echoes the findings of a study published last year in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which found that a woman who’s Body Mass Index fell by five or more units between pregnancies has a higher risk of premature birth.

So, what does it all mean? Here are the words of wisdom drawn from the Irish study: “…women should try to maintain a healthy and consistent weight before, during and after pregnancy.”

Oh…is that all?!? Sheesh!

[Editor’s note: thanks to Sandy Maple at ParentDish for the heads-up]

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The Parenting Buzz : “Veggie Booty” Recalled

By clipgator | Published: June 29, 2007

Veggie Booty  

 

 

 

 

 

Seems a Pirate just can’t catch a break these days – Robert’s American Gourmet, makers of the snack food Pirate Booty and other delectable delights have announced an immediate recall of all Veggie Booty products.

The FDA ordered Veggie Booty to walk the plank after linking it to a multi-state outbreak of salmonellosis, a bacterial infection that can cause diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

In fact, at least 51 cases of salmonellosis linked to Veggie Booty have been identified across the US as far back as early March – and almost all of those affected were toddlers or infants.

Salmonellosis symptoms usually develop within one to five days after eating contaminated food. While most people get better without the need for medical attention, it is recommended that anyone who has eaten Veggie Booty and is ill with bloody diarrhea or diarrhea with fever contact their health care provider.

If you have packages of Veggie Booty, you should throw the contents away and return the empty bag to either to the store or to Robert’s American Gourmet for reimbursement or a product voucher.

Aaaarrrghhh!

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The Parenting Buzz : Recipe for Smarter Kids: Family Dinners

By clipgator | Published: June 16, 2007

We’ve all heard the adage – A family that eats together, stays together. Sitting down as a family to eat and talk together on a regular basis has several positive effects, including promoting intergenerational communication and bonding. No one is expecting a gourment meal every night - one-dish wonders or even ordering a pizza will do just fine. It’s the act of finding the time to reguarly sit down together as a family, without interruptions or distractions (translation: no TV, iPods, text messages or phones!) that makes the difference.

And now, thanks to a new study out of Columbia University, you can add “better grades” and “better citizens” to the laundry list of benefits of a family dinner.

According to the study, teenagers who eat with their families at least five times a week are more likely to get better grades: in fact, they are 40% more likely to get A’s and B’s in school. You can also credit better behavior to family meals: the study found that teens who enjoyed frequent family meals were 42% less likely to drink alcohol, 59% less likely to smoke cigarettes and 66% less likely to try marijuana. The stable, loving environment that family meals foster also sets the foundation for strong, stable teenagers: they are less likely to be depressed, contemplate suicide, get into fights, engage in promiscuous behavior or get into trouble at school.

Get into the habit of breaking bread with your kids, you’ll be happy you did!

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