Some quick 'n dirty scientific studies from which to draw way-too-hasty parenting lessons:
- Remember that Freakout where the breastfeeding, organic treehugger mom was all worried that perchlorates might be in her kid's drinking water? Well, that's the newly discovered benefit of formula: it removes all doubt. The CDC published a paper saying they found perchlorates in powdered formula. Only they won't say which brands, and the AP won't even say how many samples tested positive. Let's see if the Environmental Working Group press release has more detailed--Oh, here it is! Cow's milk-based formulas that account for 87% of the market. Whew. [ap/yahoo, ewg.org, abstract: nature.com via dt freakout correspondent sara]
- Now can we get all the kids vaccinated? It turns out autism is caused by vinyl floors, mothers smoking, and closed, sweaty windows. At least it is in Sweden. There are no vinyl floors in the US, so our completely different problems are caused by completely different things such as carpets. Mystery solved! [scientific american via dt reader dt]
- Babies with mothers who are depressed won't sleep. [abstract: journalsleep.org via sciencedaily]
- But babies with mothers who smoke won't wake up. Can't we bring these two together somehow? [abstract: journalsleep.org via sciencedaily]
- Researchers at Hasbro Children's Medical Center [really? really!] have identified the key risk factors for flatheaded babies. They are gestational age and boys. Makes no sense to me, either, but who am I to argue with Gary Rogers, MD, JD, MBA, MPH, of Children's Hospital Boston? [sciencedaily]
Wow. Gary Rogers, that's impressive. Of course, you were probably 40 when you finally got out of school...
alright, I had to look him up. UCLA undergrad, then the MD/MBA/MPH concurrently at Tulane, which does MD/MPH in four years, plus the first summer, and/or does MD/MBA in five years. So it looks like gunner got two extra degrees but only added 18 months to the clock. The JD was from UNC-CH, six years later [ie., post-residency]. Now if we find out he passed the bar, I'll go back to being impressed.