I have been stockpiling blog ideas for a few weeks in hopes of producing more lengthy commentaries, but it is time to just post a bunch of "quick hits."  As baby #4 quickly approaches, maybe this is my form of "nesting."

"The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In" -- a cool New York Times article about texting while parenting.

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman -- a fascinating book about how the conventional wisdom of various aspects of child-rearing may be wrong.  A very fascinating book, highly recommended, 5 stars.  Dr. Mitchell has read it and loved it too!

Can Dirt Do a Little Good? -- a great Wall Street Journal article discussing the documentary "Babies" and the interesting concept of the hygiene hypothesis.  My wife and I saw "Babies" and really enjoyed it -- catch it quick while it is still in the theaters.  (I know what you are thinking, don't I get my fill of babies at work and at home???)

ImageGently.org -- increasing awareness about the increased sensitivity of children to the dose of radiation from commonly used CT scans and x-rays.

Cord Blood Donation at Medical City Dallas -- did you know that since 2006, any baby born here at Medical City Dallas has had the option of donating their cord blood to the public cord blood bank?

Enjoy!

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a revised policy statement regarding the prevention of drowning.  The Washington Post has a nice summary here, but I would encourage you to read the full statement in Pediatrics here, especially if you have a pool or hot tub at home.  This statement now allows that children between ages 1 and 4 who are developmentally ready may benefit from swimming lessons.  Previously, the AAP had advised no swim lessons under age 4, reasoning that there was no proof that swimming lessons for younger kids prevented drowning, that lessons might provide a false sense of security, and that lessons might reduce a child's natural fear of the water and encourage them to go in without supervision.  New data have emerged from small studies indicating that swimming lessons in the 1-4 year age group did decrease the rate of drowning death.  The policy statement also draws attention to other less recognized hazards:  drain entrapment and hair entanglement in regular pools or hot tubs, and the drowning risk in portable or inflatable pools.  If you have a pool at home, I would encourage you to review the safety of the pool and its surroundings.  There are many specific recommendations and resources in the AAP policy statement.  Ultimately, there is no substitute for close and constant supervision when your young children are around the water.

So, a Honda Odyssey is the way we roll, but this video makes me a little jealous of the Toyota Sienna...

An entertaining article in the New York Times this week discusses the travails of head lice in kids.  It turns out that head lice are pretty harmless little critters, but they give all of us the "ick" feeling.  Many of the traditional treatments are quite harsh, and even toxic, and the lice have become increasingly resistant.  Thankfully, there are some new less toxic treatment options available.  Additionally, for families who can't handle the "ick factor," there are companies who will come out to your house and do the nitpicking for you.  My favorite quote from entomologist Dr. Richard J. Pollack:  The only way to get head lice is by direct head-to-head contact.  The silver lining is a kid with lice is a kid with very close friends."

So Leigh and I are fairly obsessed with the topic of baby names lately.  With Boy #4 on the way, we have struggled to pick a name (I will never tell).  We have used up most family names, and I have the added difficulty of associating certain names with patients.  This is neither a good or a bad thing, it just means that I already know seven Jacobs and five Ethans.  Way back in the dark ages when Walt was born, our favorite book was Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana.  It served us well at the time, but everything is online these days.  The same authors of "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" now have their own website, Nameberry.  This is still our favorite site, as it provides advice, opinion, and flavor in addition to the usual lists of names.  You may also find the following sites useful.  I would love to hear feedback about your favorite baby name websites.

Baby Name Genie - fun but limited site that makes suggestions for you.

Baby Name Wizard - lots of historical data and baby name resources.

Baby Center's Baby Names Finder - popular baby website has lots of cool tools to help pick a name.

There has been a flood of activity in the pediatric literature about childhood obesity recently.  The rate of overweight children continues to increase, and we are continuing to recognize the short-term and lifelong health impact of this.  In the current issue of the journal Pediatrics, a study finds that children who eat meals regularly with their family, get adequate sleep, and limit their TV time to no more than two hours per day had a 40% reduction in obesity compared to kids who had none of these routines.  I would also add avoiding high-fructose corn syrup to this list.  High-fructose corn syrup is a cheap industrially manufactured (i.e., not natural) sweetener that is an indicator of highly-processed, low nutritional value foods.  It is also extremely common and challenging to avoid, but it is worth looking for this on the ingredient list when you are shopping.

Other new resources for you:

www.healthychildren.org -- A new website from the American Academy of Pediatrics with information on multiple health topics, not just obesity.

www.letsmove.gov -- First Lady Michelle Obama is leading a new initiative to improve access to healthy food and exercise opportunities.

www.getkidzfit.org -- The Dallas Area Coalition to Prevent Childhood Obesity is sponsoring "Get Kidz Fit" on Saturday, April 24 at Fair Park in Dallas.  This is a free festival to engage children and families in fun ways to exercise and eat well.