Toy maker Mattel announced its second toy recall in a month. Some of the items are die-cast cars containing high levels of lead, while millions of others contain small magnets that could cause fatal intestinal perforation or blockage if swallowed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has details. I have the urge to give my son […]
I was going to ask readers to take the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) survey of parents, which they’re conducting “to keep our products as up-to-date and informative as possible.” I wanted to make sure the AAP has plenty of input from LGBT parents on questions like “Please think back to when you were a
DVDs and videos such as “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby” may hinder, rather than help babies acquire language skills, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants understood an average of six to eight fewer words
From the world of science comes further proof that gender is a mysterious and fluid subject. Neuroscientists at Harvard found that by blocking female mice’s ability to smell pheromones, they exhibit much more “masculine” behavior, “without any significant rise in testosterone or other steroid hormones.” All the thinking until now was that female brains can
Less than two months after a widespread recall of Thomas the Tank Engine trains because of high lead content, another major toy manufacturer is issuing a similar recall. Fisher-Price says various figures and toys manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 should be taken away from children and returned for replacement vouchers. Toys
Having just undergone the thrill of bringing my son to his four-year-old physical (complete with three injections), I offer you my list of ways to pass the interminable time between when the nurse shows you in and the doctor shows up. My preference, because I’m one of those who doesn’t carry a handbag and my
A Canadian baby is the first to be born using the process of “in vitro maturation (IVM),” in which an egg was matured in a lab, frozen, thawed, and then fertilized. Traditional in vitro fertilization (IVF) requires a series of hormone treatments that cause the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. IVM, which takes immature
Taking a break from all the political posts of late to pass on this news of potential interest to parents and pregnant women, among others: MizPee lets you use your mobile phone to find the nearest, cleanest, public toilet. Text your city and state to their phone number, or point your mobile browser at www.mizpee.com.
A sobering new study of secondary schools in Britain concluded that homophobic bullying is “almost epidemic.” The School Report study, conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for LGBT-rights organization Stonewall, found: 65% of young LGB people experience homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools. 97% of gay pupils hear derogatory phrases such as “dyke” or “poof”
Boys with ring fingers longer than their index fingers tend to do better in math, according to a new study by psychologists at the University of Bath. (Thanks, Slashdot.) This would be nothing more than an interesting tidbit that might make me check my son’s hands next time I cut his nails, except that it
