Thank you, Toys R Us.

I was still reeling from the recent study of phthalates in baby care products when I read about the company’s new regulations. Toys R Us, a giant among toy retailers, has issued new regulations aimed at eliminating both phthalates and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the plastic that contains the compounds, from their products by the end of this year. This is good news for any parent who is concerned about their child’s exposure to these man-made, hormone-altering chemicals. Toys R Us and its sister store Babies R Us have, according to Chairman and CEO Gerald L. Storch, “already…

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Over the past few decades, the baby care products industry has exploded. The number of choices available in grocery and department store baby aisles is simply staggering! Well, the choice has just been made a little easier (if a little scarier)—eliminate those that don’t have the words “phthalate-free” on their labels.

Phthalates are man-made, hormone-altering chemicals that are used in a variety of products. Research conducted on animals and humans has suggested that early exposure to some phthalates may reduce testosterone and even alter reproductive organs. Yet manufacturers do not list phthalates among their products’ ingredients, making it difficult for consumers…

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The controversy about breastfeeding in public reached the comics page recently in a four-day storyline featured in Jan Eliot’s Stone Soup. It proved to be the perfect format for highlighting the questionable nature of such complaints.

In the first strip, feature character Joan Stone is confronted by a waiter while nursing her baby, Luci, in a café. “One of our customers is uncomfortable,” he tells her, as he directs her to the ladies’ room. Not one to take such ridiculousness lightly, Joan points out that the man who has complained is “nuzzling a buxom bimbo half his age” which “makes [her] uncomfortable.”…

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Parents, listen up. The people at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have something important they want you to know about. It’s called the “choking game,” although it’s also known as the “blackout game,” “pass-out game,” “scarf game,” and “space monkey.” Although the game seems to have been around for a while, the CDC has made its first effort at tallying deaths caused by it. And the result is chilling.

According to their limited data, 82 youngster deaths can be attributed to the game between 1995 and 2007. The youngest victim was just six years old. Keep in mind that because…

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It still happens—and each time I am surprised.

Mothers in public places such as restaurants and shopping malls are asked not to breastfeed their hungry children. They are directed to the bathroom. (Would you like to eat your meal while sitting on the toilet?) They are told to cover up. (Would you like to eat your meal with a blanket over your head?) They are shown the door.

Often such behavior violates state law. (The National Council of State Legislatures has a nice summary of state laws available.) But I don’t believe that it is intended to be malicious. I may be naïve,…

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Any woman who has given birth in a hospital setting probably came home from her stay with a very mixed message contained in the free samples of formula provided—breastfeeding is best—but here’s some formula for when/if you change your mind.

Not exactly the most supportive breastfeeding message, if you ask me.

MIXED MESSAGES

It seems that unless you specify ahead of time that you don’t want formula being given to your baby (something I put in my birth plan, and asked each nurse taking care of me to read), you are likely to be given free formula (along with other commercial products) in…

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A baby at the breast may be debatable enough when a mom is breastfeeding in public, but what about a toddler or a pre-schooler?

Or, to push the cultural norm just a bit more, what about a six-year-old?

An internet debate on this very subject was recently posted on Britain’s GMTV web site. The premise of the article is simple, but the answer is as far from simple as things could get.

When is it time to stop?

How old is too old to breastfeed? And should mothers who practice extended breastfeeding even be subjected to age limits?

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if there is…

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In my previous life, I was (among other things) a health department employee. I will never forget the phone call I received one day from a woman who lived in a nearby town. She identified herself as a lactation consultant and wanted the health department staff to know that she was ready and willing to handle referrals of breastfeeding moms and babies.

This was great news—breastfeeding rates were on the rise, due in large part to the wonderful work done by the WIC Breastfeeding Program, and we were desperate for help, especially with our high risk moms and babies.

At the time,…

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Human milk is designed for human babies. Cow milk is designed for calves. Cat milk is designed for kittens. Bear milk is designed for cubs. And the list goes on…

Human milk has everything human babies need—most human babies that is. The phrase, got milk, takes on new meaning, when the babies being fed are extremely premature—very low birth weight (VLBW) babies.

The antibacterial activity of human milk protects VLBW babies from infections including sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)—but human milk alone may not satisfy the special nutritional needs of babies born significantly premature.

So what’s the best way to protect VLBW babies from…

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It’s still up in the air whether or not our planetary environmental crisis can be solved through capitalism and consumerism. But it’s decidedly clearer that cutting as many chemicals as possible from our environmental diet is the healthier choice.

This comes with an exclamation point for mothers and their babies, who share a physical connection for potentially years, and face a full court press from companies selling thousands of products— made especially to safeguard babies.

We’ve known for years about the ecological benefits of breastfeeding, thanks in part to this extensive report from Andrew Radford of Baby Milk Action. In it, he notes…

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Breastfeeding is best. Sound familiar? It should. For decades it has been the dogma of breastfeeding advocates—parents, health professionals, legislators and government officials alike, citing as evidence breastfeeding’s many health benefits.

According to Berry and Gribble in a short communication published in the January 2008 issue of Maternal and Child Nutrition, there are growing concerns that the “breast is best” message fails to communicate the pivotal role breastfeeding plays in the growth and development of infants and young children. The authors suggest that it is time for health professionals to “rethink the way they consider breastfeeding” and “change the way that they…

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Got milk, but not enough? You’re not alone. As the number of breastfeeding mothers has increased, so too has the incidence of insufficient milk and along with it an increase in the use of galactagogues—substances that reportedly increase milk production. But do they work?

In an effort to determine the effectiveness of various galactagogues, Philip Anderson and Veronica Valdes conducted a review of the published literature on the most widely used galactagogues. The results of their review can be found in the December 2007 issue of Breastfeeding Medicine.

The authors found that the majority of the studies on galactagogues do not meet current…

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