As a parent one of my worst fears is that one of my children will get a life-threatening illness. Protecting them from this is almost always on my mind. Will that fever get out of hand? Will that asthma strangle the lungs?

Of course I know there are things I can never protect them from. Some kids get cancer. That’s life. But how often do you hear of a family where not only does one of their sweet-faced babies have cancer, but both parents do as well?

Yes, when life seems to be treating some people most unfairly, it can–and does–get worse.

In Alameda three of six members of the Pixon family — dad Jim, mom Jen and little guy Porter, now 4 — are fighting cancer. This Saturday there’s a benefit bluegrass concert to help them out.

Visit our sister blog at www.BandsOfTheBay.com, which is supporting the fundraiser, for all the details. Or you can donate directly: The Jen Pixton Cancer Fund, PO Box 6001 Alameda, CA 94501. Please make checks payable to: The Jen Pixton Cancer Fund.

An almost 2-year-old Antioch girl died Sunday after falling into a backyard pool. The child’s family was staying in the Antioch home while trying to find its own housing, according to Antioch police. (Read staff writer Matthias Gafni’s article here. Write an online condolence here.) The even more startling revelation is that this is the third accidental drowning by a toddler in Antioch in just over six months. Add to that a near drowning in Brentwood last month and you have a pattern that is too dangerous to be ignored.

Usually, I’m the last person to advocate for government intervention — I’d like to think my fellow citizens are responsible enough to do the right thing. Clearly, not everyone is. So perhaps it’s time for California’s politicians to make it illegal to have an unfenced pool. Ask any of the families who lost a child — none of them expected this could ever happen. That’s why they call it an accident. But just as we take precautions by placing kids in car seats and putting safety gates at the top of stairs, we should take precautions with our pools. That includes owners who don’t have small children. You never know when guests will include these children, or when a neighbor’s child might wander in. This is when better safe than sorry rules out everything else, including expense and how much a fence might detract from how pretty the pool looks. One drowning is a tragedy. Three in about six months is a major cry for help.

If we need a reminder about why young children belong in car seats, here it is:

A 3-year-old boy remains on life support after he and his 8-month-old brother were thrown from an SUV in a Highway 4 accident Thursday. Neither of the children were properly restrained in car seats. The driver was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The other passengers, who were wearing seat belts, escaped with minor injuries. Too bad the same caution wasn’t taken with a young boy now fighting for his life. (Read the latest Contra Costa Times story here.)

We’ve all heard how TVs and computers should be housed in the den, not children’s bedrooms, but we’ve usually heard it in the context of internet safety and television violence concerns. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics gives us another reason: there’s a link between teens with TVs in their bedroom and unhealthy habits.

A University of Minnesota study found that teens with TVs in their rooms watched four to five hours more television per week than their young colleagues with TVs in the den. Kids with their own TVs joined in fewer family meals and ate fewer fresh fruits and vegetables. They ate more fast food and drank more sugary sodas, and they read fewer books and studied less. And the boys had lower GPAs. Yikes.

So what do you do if the TV’s already in there?
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been hours, maybe even days since the last toy recall, so it was with considerable relief that we opened yet another Consumer Product Safety Commission recall. Because if we’re not upending our kids’ toy boxes searching for deadly toys on a daily basis we get so, like, bored. Seems the CPSC has recalled 300,000 of these Cuddly Cousin Plush Insect toys - ladybugs, bumble bees, caterpillars, snails and two butterfly designs sold for a buck apiece at dollar stores. Their small parts fall off and pose a choking hazard. CPSC urges parents to take these toys away from their children and return them to the store, although for a buck… it’s hardly worth the gas to get there.

A startling study released today shows a possible link between premature birth and autism. Boston researchers found that a quarter of the preemies they studied showed signs of autism as they neared their second birthdays. The children are still awaiting a final diagnosis, but the study is the first to associate low birth weight - 3 lbs., 4 oz. or less - with autism. The last 20 years have brought dramatic increases in autism rates - they’ve also brought enormous hikes in the survival rate for very premature babies, notes lead researcher Catherine Limperopoulos.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation last fall that all babies be screened for autism at 18 months and again at 24 months. The idea is that new parents may be less likely to notice developmental symptoms, and many children are not being diagnosed until age 3 or 4. Now, it appears that kids who are born 10 weeks or more early, may be at even greater risk.
Read the rest of this entry »

Bringing new meaning to the term “off your rocker,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission folks just issued a recall for 122,000 of these little rocking horses, which also come in unicorn, penguin, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and other versions, all of which have unstable bases. The CPSC has received 35 reports of the ride-on toys flipping over, so if you have one, take it away from your child and contact TekNekToys for a replacement base.

Body parts from toes to noses are the featured topic on KidsHealth’s cool, just-updated web site, “How the Body Works.” Click on the body parts, then explore articles (everything from “Cerebral Cortex” to “What’s a booger?”), activities, puzzles, experiments, even an animated movie on your nervous system - which, you’ll soon discover, is “large and in charge.” Plus, did we mention our new favorite superheros, Glandman and Col. Lucy Leukocyte, commander of the body’s immune system?

Two thumbs up for educational value and kid-appeal, and if you’re going to let your youngster wile away his spring break online, this is wayyyy cheaper than Webkinz. (P.S. We had trouble loading the site with Firefox,  but it worked fine using Explorer.)

Hot weather, cool water, lead paint … the benefits of hydration are more than counteracted by the lead paint on these little darlings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission just yanked 18,000 of these Backyard & Beyond water bottles because the surface paint on the metal bottles contains excessive levels of lead.

A new study says Mom was right all along. Eating breakfast is important. In fact, adolescents who eat that morning meal end up with a lower body mass index — in other words, starting your day with cereal or toast and eggs translates into leaner, healthier bodies. A University of Minnesota “EAT (Eating Among Teens)” study, published this month in the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal, followed 2,216 teens over five years, and compared their breakfast intake to their body mass index and weight. Teens who ate breakfast regularly ate more carbohydrates and fiber, but their fat intake dropped and activity levels rose. The theory is that what they’re eating raises glucose and insulin levels, which makes them feel more satisfied, and reduces the chances of overeating later in the day.

And, say experts, adults might want to pay attention too. Don’t just serve up the flapjacks or Cheerios. Sit down and have breakfast too.