Date: January 16th 2007

BABY & TODDLER 411 NEWS UPDATE January 2007: Colic cure? Dental dilemma, Flu Shots, Cold Meds, Consumer Reports Crash Tests

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BABY 411 and TODDLER 411 NEWS UPDATE: January 2007
The free eNewsletter for the readers of BABY 411 and TODDLER 411
http://www.Baby411.com
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Happy New Year!
This year has started off with lots of news in baby and child health. We’re here to get you up to speed on all of it.

Top Stories:
1. A cure for colic?
2. Dental Dilemmas: Too much or too little fluoride?
3. Flu shots: not too late!
4. Some formulas being discontinued.
5. Cough and cold meds: BEWARE.
6. Crash test: Do infant car seats measure up?

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1. A cure for colic?

A recent study published in this month's journal, Pediatrics, looked at yet another possible 'cure' for colic....probiotics. Probiotics are 'good germs' that can benefit people by improving intestinal function.

As most parents know, colic is excessive crying for about 3 hours a day, starting at 3 weeks of age and lasting until 3 months of life. (It's also known to reduce the number of children a parent will decide to have). Although it has been studied for years, no one really knows what causes it, or what fixes it (other than time).

This latest study compared 90 exclusively breastfed babies with colic. Half received over the counter gas drops (simethicone) and the other half got 1 capsule a day of a probiotic containing the germ Lactobacillus reuteri. The results? Pretty darn impressive...The gas drops group saw a 7% reduction in crying. The probiotics group had a 95% reduction in crying. Babies who cried 2-3 hours a day were crying less than an hour after one month of treatment.

Are we ready to recommend probiotics to every colicky baby? Not yet. This was a relatively small study and more research is needed to confirm the findings and prove safety. But, this may be a reasonable way to reduce the misery of colic (and certainly less expensive than hiring a babysitter every night for 2 months!)

For more on this story, check out our blog and you can watch Dr. Brown’s appearance on ABC News.

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2. Dental Dilemmas: Too much or too little fluoride?

Fluoride has been a controversial subject ever since communities began adding fluoride to their water supplies (about 50 years ago). Advocates point to the benefits of fluoride in reducing cavities. Critics have concerns about bone cancer and enamel fluorosis (streaking of the enamel due to excessive fluoride intake).

The latest fuel to the debate is a statement from the American Dental Association. The ADA responded to the National Research Council's assessment that infants being fed formula preparations mixed with water (i.e. powder or liquid concentrate) may be getting too much fluoride.

Here's what the ADA recommendations boil down to:

1) There has never been a recommendation to offer fluoride supplements in babies UNDER six months of age. Babies under six months of age who are fed liquid concentrate or powder formula prepared with tap water that is high in fluoride may be getting too much of a good thing.

2) Each community water supplier assesses naturally occurring fluoride levels, and decides whether or not to add fluoride to its supply. It's important to find out how much is in your own tap water (the ideal, as ADA says is 0.7-1.2 ppm)

3) If your baby is breastfed, this is not an issue. If your baby is eating ready-to-feed formula, it is also not an issue.

4) If your baby is formula fed and you are using powdered or liquid concentrate that needs to be reconstituted, use either bottled water that does NOT add fluoride or use your tap water if the fluoride levels in it are not excessive.

5) And, if you have tap water with little to no fluoride or well water, and your baby is OVER six months of age, you may need to actually give your baby a fluoride supplement. Check with your pediatrician/dentist for their recommendations.

For more information, see the ADA's FAQ page for parents at www.ada.org/public/topics/fluoride/infantsformula_faq.asp

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3. Flu shots: not too late!

If your child hasn't gotten his or her flu vaccine, it's not too late. Although there were some distribution problems this year, the vaccine supply is plentiful and should still be available at your doctor's office. And, flu season is just getting underway across the country.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children ages 6 months to 5 years receive the flu vaccine as they are considered high risk for complications from the flu. (Babies under 6 months old are also high risk, but they are too young to receive the vaccine.)

Kids under age 9 who are receiving flu vaccine for the first time should get a series of two doses, given one month apart to have better protection. But if your child is only able to get one dose, that is better than none.

The AAP and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have differing opinions as to what to do for a child who only gets one dose of flu vaccine the first year they are vaccinated. AAP says to give 2 doses the next year. CDC says to only give one dose. Because neither organization can agree at this point, don’t be surprised if there is some variability among health care providers on how they manage this situation!

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4. Low-iron formulas being discontinued

Two products made by Enfamil are being discontinued. They will no longer be producing their low-iron formula (Enfamil Lipil Low Iron) and their fatty acid free (DHA/ARA free) formula called Enfamil with Iron.

The reason? The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend using low iron formulas because babies need the iron for growth. (Parents may hear that problems like gas, colic, and constipation are due to the iron content of the formula which is why these products were on the market in the first place...but it is a myth!)

And clearly, there has been a demand for the DHA and ARA supplemented formulas because of the possibility of improved vision and brain development.

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5. Cough and cold meds: BEWARE.

The Centers for Disease Control is investigating the deaths of three babies under six months of age who died after taking cough and cold medication.

According to the CDC, “because of the risks for toxicity, absence of dosing recommendations, and limited published evidence of effectiveness of these medications in children aged <2 years, parents and other caregivers should not administer cough and cold medications to children in this age group with-out first consulting health-care provider and should follow the provider’s instructions precisely.”

Bottom line: Cough and cold remedies don’t work that well and in some cases, may be dangerous to young children. Don't guess-timate the right dose of a cough and cold product made for kids over six years of age. And, multi-symptom products or using a combo of over-the-counter and prescription products may inadvertently cause an overdose. For a majority of viral respiratory illnesses, the best remedy is time.

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6. Crash test: Do infant car seats measure up?

Consumer Reports Magazine dropped a bomb on the infant car safety seat industry and concerned parents everywhere: infant car safety seats may not be as protective for SIDE impact collisions or collisions above 35 mph. Ten of the 12 infant car seats failed CR’s independent crash test.

To be fair, the federal standards require car seats to pass a safety test on collisions at 30 mph and they are not tested for side impact. So, commercially available car seats DO meet minimum federal standards (which are fairly rigorous).

Here are the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

~Continue to use car safety seats on every automobile outing. Infant car safety seats are 71% effective in reducing death from collision.

~Follow the car safety seat and vehicle manufacturer’s instructions for installation.

~Get help by a certified car safety seat technician to be sure your child’s car seat is installed properly. Check out http://www.seatcheck.org or call toll-free at 866/SEATCHECK (866/732-8243).

We have a detailed commentary on the Consumer Reports crash test controversy on our Baby Bargains blog:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/blog/B40737805/index.html

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Happy Winter!
Sincerely,
Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields
authors, BABY 411 & TODDLER 411