Especially if you’re a first-time parent, you’ll probably receive many baby items as gifts from well-meaning friends and family. Consider it a blessing for your budget. The right baby registry can help you save big on your baby’s first year, take the guesswork out of giving, and help you avoid duplicate gifts. The key is to create a targeted product line-up so you get just what you need, with a few splurges in there, too. Our registry ground rules can help you fine-tune your wish list. 1. Safety first. Check for recalled models at www.cpsc.gov and www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov before registering for baby items. And see what not to buy for babies for more tips. 2. Get real. Don’t be afraid to request practical items. Diapers (dispoable or cloth), diaper wipes, and diaper rash ointment are fair game, as are breast pads, pacifiers, a nursing bra or two (after you’ve been fitted by a certified bra fitter for the correct size), breast milk storage bags, baby bottle liners, and baby formula. Practical items may not seem gifty, but they’re handy—especially when you run out of baby wipes and discover another package amidst your baby shower bounty, which prevents you from having to dash to the 24-hour pharmacy. 3. Think high-end, too. Go ahead and ask for bigger-ticket gear like a stroller, glider, crib, changing table, infant car seat, play yard, and designer diaper bag. With expensive items, friends and family may chip in as a group. 4. Be choosy. Do just as much homework as if you were paying the tab yourself. For example, test-drive strollers in the store to get an idea of how they handle before putting a particular brand and model of stroller on your baby registry. If you’re registering online, visit a baby products retail outlet first to get familiar with the products you’re considering. You’ll know so much more after doing the legwork. Selecting baby products is a process, so expect to make several trips to fine-tune your wish list. You’ll save time later, when you don’t have to return items you chose blindly. 5. Cast a wide net. Register at more than one store so gift givers have lots of options. If you’re registering online, check out Web sites like www.amazon.com, which has retail relationships with third-party merchants such as Target and Baby Age, so you have a wider selection of products to choose from. Or check out the www.myregistry.com, an online registry that allows you to create a central e-registry from more than one store. Plus, with an online registry, you can e-mail your list to friends and family. That’s convenient. 6. Go ahead and splurge a little. Feel free to wander outside the baby gear aisle. “New moms are requesting items on their baby registry that aren’t typical, like an iPod,” says Mark Randall, vice president of the baby division for Amazon.com. Similarly, if you don’t have a digital camera, now may be the time to ask for one.
A study published in the April 2009 issue of the medical journal Acta Pædiatrica is the first to report that birth defect rates in the United States were highest for women conceiving in the spring and summer. The researchers also found that this period of increase risk correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water across the United States. Studying all 30.1 million births which occurred in the U.S.
UroToday.com - In a recent journal article, Dr. Marc Smaldone et al., described a metaanalysis performed with a comprehensive literature review using Medline and PubMed to evaluate indications, techniques, complications and efficacy of endourologic stone management in children. With regard to shock wave lithotripsy, they found that there is currently no consensus for the maximum size of residual stone fragments that are considered clinically significant.
UroToday.com - After ureteroscopy, success is defined with either x-ray or IVP in adult series with ultrasound added in pediatric series. These imaging modalities are not sensitive and may overestimate stone-free rates. Dr. Amanda Macejko et al. evaluated the use of CT scans to assess stone-free rates after ureteroscopy. They evaluated a total of 92 patients who underwent 113 ureteroscopic procedures for either renal or ureteral stones.
The following summarizes an opinion piece and editorial responding to a federal judge’s order last week for FDA to reconsider age restrictions on nonprescription sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B. ~ Marie Cocco, Indianapolis Star: U.S.
The New York Times on Saturday examined the number of abortion procedures among underage girls in Brazil, particularly among those who have survived sexual abuse. Earlier this month, Brazilian physicians performed an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who allegedly had been raped by her stepfather and was 15 weeks pregnant with twins.
UroToday.com - A study by Dr. Benjamin Breyer et al. evaluated the confounding factor of obesity and whether it impedes the ability to palpate a testis, both in the office and under anesthesia. Not surprisingly there was difficulty in palpating a testis in obese children. Obesity was defined as a BMI for age or height for weight percentile greater than 85% or BMI for age or height for weight percentile greater than 95%. This was determined using a CDC based definition for obesity.
Bacteria from a mother’s mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child. This could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child. This evidence could have an important implication for women and babies’ heath since simple improvement of dental hygiene may help to reduce the incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy and newborn babies.
Bacteria from a mother’s mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child. This could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child. This evidence could have an important implication for women and babies’ heath since simple improvement of dental hygiene may help to reduce the incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy and newborn babies.
High-deductible health plans are increasingly used by healthy people who are unlikely to incur high medical expenses. But they also end up enrolling many low-income, vulnerable families, finds a study of Massachusetts families from Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School’s Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention (DACP). The study appears in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.
