Newspaper Page Text
Continued twin precious ixtac fna \ '
"11 | Check
XX Baby’s head.
Since parents have been told to put
Baby to sleep on her back to avoid sud- 4
den infant death syndrome (SIDS), the
incidence of positional plagiocephaly has in
creased fivefold. Positional plagiocephaly oc
curs when Baby’s head becomes slightly mis
shapen because her skull is soft, and she’s pri
marily sleeping on one side. Within a year or
two, “as the baby starts moving around, they
take care of the problem on their own,” says
Monica Wehby, M.D., a spokesperson for the
American Association of Neurological Sur
geons. She suggests rolling up a blanket and
angling it under Baby’s shoulder and hip to
alleviate pressure on the head. “Don’t prop
the head or you’ll risk them suffocating them
selves. If you’re concerned or it gets worse,
mention it to your pediatrician.”
10 Know the signs.
mMJk ! It’s estimated that one in 150
kids are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD), a group of disorders that
affect social behavior and communication
skills. Most parents become concerned
when Baby is between 15 and 18 months.
Although how the disorder presents itself
varies, you may want to talk to your doctor
if Baby ignores your efforts to draw her
attention, seldom makes eye contact and
hasn’t begun babbling after 9 months. If
Baby has ASD, she may play differently, too.
Kids with ASD often lack creativity, en
gage in repetitive play and develop attach
ments to common objects, like string, sticks
and rocks, rather than store-bought toys.
kP* ' * ■
I
I
FATHER'S DAY
RON SHERMAN, GETTY IMAGtS
8
USA WEEKEND ■ Feb. 29-March 2.2008
lh
a
i [1 j
lO Follow safe swim rules.
mAJ i After age 1, the primary cause of death
for kids is injury. In the past five years, there
were, on average. 2,200 children younger than 5
years old treated in emergency rooms for swim
ming pool-related injuries. “The No. 1 rule is
that you never leave a child unattended ***
around a swimming pool,” says Lam’ ,
Baraff M.D., professor of pediatrics and |
emergency medicine at the David Geffen w
School of Medicine at UCLA. “You have to be
paying attention. You can’t be having an in
tense conversation.”
Do you know a great military dad?
For Father's Day, usa weekend
is planning a cover story that will reveal
the commitment of countless military
dads to their families even as they serve
To submit your nomination, go to USaweekend.COlTl and click on Military Dads
M Check your home.
More than 90% of injury-related
deaths in children under 1 happen at home,
according to the CDC. A study pub
lished in Pediatrics found that moms
reported a greater use of home safety
M practices than were actually in use. For
W example, smoke detectors were found in
■ 97% of participants’ homes, but only about
f half w T ere working. The AAP recommends
the following tips to keep your home safe
for Baby:
► Make sure draper,’ and blind cords are
out of Baby’s reach.
► Be certain the smoke detectors w’ork and
that there is one in or near Baby’s bedroom.
► Place plug protectors in any unused elec
trical outlets.
► Keep all medicines, vitamins, toiletries
‘ and any other potentially poisonous sub
stances in cabinets with child-resistant
safety latches.
1C Get Baby
iJ vaccinated.
The AAP issued new vaccination rec
ommendations in 2007. The changes in
clude giving Baby a hepatitis A vaccine
at 1 year of age as a two-dose regimen.
Each dose should be given at
least six months apart.
The AAP also recom
■Hk mends two doses of the
varicella vaccine < for chicken
fißPf J[f » pox) the first given to
children between 12 and 15
months and the second be
tween 4 and 6 years, o
thousands of miles away. Thanks to
improved technology, dads can now
be "with" their kids, no matter where
they're serving.
Submissions also
will be considered
for publication
in both
Army Times and
Navy Times.