Bed sharing accounts for half of all cot deaths, study suggests

Over half of infant cot deaths are linked to babies sharing a bed with their parents, according to a new study by Bristol University.

However, other factors were also found to be linked and harmful, such as when a parent smokes, drinks alcohol or uses sedating drugs before bedtime.

Researchers suggest that further education is still required to reduce the risk of cot deaths, despite the success of the “Back to Sleep” campaign from the early ’90s.

“Parents need to be advised never to put themselves in a situation where they might fall asleep with a young infant on a sofa,” said researchers, adding that parents should never sleep with an infant in any environment after consuming alcohol or drugs.

Young single parents have been targeted as the most likely to ignore safe sleep advice, and for this reason the web site Bubbalicious.co.uk has been launched to provide support.

Via

Fussy eating kids drive their parents mad, survey finds

While it may not be as serious as those we’ve watched on Freaky Eaters, fussy eating kids are driving parents mad.

A survey of over 3,000 parents by Green Giant found that one in three children have been described as fussy eaters by their parents.

Added to this, two out of three parents say that their kids are fussier than they themselves were when growing up.

One in twenty children hide food they don’t want to eat (one mother reported that her six-year-old son is regularly caught flushing peas down the toilet), while others sneak food onto other plates or feed it to the dog.

Of course, sulking, tantrums and claiming to be full also make an appearance ion the list of tactics used by children trying to avoid eating unappetising food.

To appease the kids, one in five parents say they have to cook different meals for each family member, while a similar number buy special “reward” puddings.

General Mills nutritionist Vanessa McConkey RNutri says: “These findings reinforce the importance of getting back to the table – sitting down together as a family to enjoy mealtimes, without the many distractions revealed by this survey. Kids can be very fussy and encouraging them to eat a proper, nutritious meal can be difficult for parents.

“Instilling healthy eating habits early on in life will help ensure children eat a healthy, balanced meal, rich in vegetables and fruit and get more of the nutrients they need. It will also increase the likelihood of these healthy habits being carried on throughout life. Choosing vegetables like canned sweet corn can make it much easier to ensure children get one of their recommended five a day.”

Healthy eating is a real marketing buzzword at present, as you’ll see if you watch a few food adverts on TV, but it can be a difficult balancing act to find food that kids will eat and that’s reasonably good for them.

Do you consider your kids to be fussy eaters? How have you tried to resolve the issue, or have you found yourself giving in to their pressure?

Share your thoughts, tips and tricks in the comments below.

British relationships suffering due to poor sleep

If sleepless nights are causing problems and arguments between you and your partner, you’re not alone.

A recent survey suggests that over a third of British couples argue because of sleep-related issues.

Research shows that two out of five people get less than six hours of sleep each night, leading to both health and relationship problems.

One in ten people are kept awake by their partner every night, while a quarter say they are woken up at least once a month.

The top five health conditions that cause arguments between couples at night are:

1. Back Pain
2. Restless leg syndrome
3. Night terrors
4. Nocturnal cramp
5. Teeth Grinding

One in five Brits have slept in a different room because of a night-time row and one in four of those polled suffers from sleep envy and are jealous of their partners restful nights sleep.

A third of people in the UK say they end up sleeping on the sofa after a night time argument, while one in three choose the spare bedroom. One in twenty Brits have even slept in the children’s bunk beds in order to get a restful sleep!

Other interesting revelations from the survey include:

• Over half of us are regularly too tired for sex, while 1 in 10 would go without sex in order to get a good nights sleep
• Nearly half (44 per cent) would have more sex if we didn’t feel so tired
• Spooning is the UK’s favourite sleeping position – over a third of British couples (38 per cent) doze off with the man spooning the woman
• Nearly 20 per cent of romantic Brits fall asleep holding hands with their partner
• Not everyone likes to snuggle up – nearly half of all couples (48 per cent) regularly sleep turned away from each other, on opposite sides of the bed
• 36 per cent of people admit to sleeping better on their own – one in twenty have separate beds every night

Solving Sleep Problems

If you are having sleep problems which are leading to problems in your relationship, whether you are not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don’t feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep then try the following top tips put together by sleep expert Chris Idzikowski:

Here are the dos and don’ts to help you get better nights sleep

Do:

• Plan your night – follow a set routine each night that gives you time to relax
• Relax – Try having a warm bath or reading a book before bedtime
• De-clutter – Make your bedroom a clutter free, restful place, with soft lighting
• Invest – buy the best bed you can afford – the average person spends 25 years in their bed so it is essential that your bed is right for you and your partner
• Use the 20 minute rule – get up and rest somewhere else and do not return back to your bed until you feel sleepy
• Exercise regularly – just be careful not exercise too close to bed time as this can prevent the brain from relaxing quickly

Don’t:

• Try to fall asleep – Tell yourself to let go of being awake, rest your eyes and visualize yourself slowly sinking into bed
• Drink alcohol – alcohol cab make you restless and is a diuretic which means more trips to the bathroom at night
• Drink caffeine – this will stay in your system for six hours and act as a stimulant – try herbal or fruit tea as an alternative
• Eat a heavy or spicy meal less than 2 hours before bed – your body needs to rest and not be busy digesting
• Watch TV in bed – this will disturb your partner as well as stop your mind from relaxing
• Keep electrical components in your bedroom

For further tips or to complete the first ever interactive sleep personality quiz to identify how good your sleep is, visit www.goodsleepadvice.com

The survey was carried out by Crampex (the only over the counter product for muscle cramp at night) to highlight November’s Sleep Disturbance Month.

Weight is a major relationship issue, survey reveals

Once again it seems that the weight issue is rearing its head, as a new survey suggests that nearly two-thirds of Brits think that their partner should lose some weight and “improve their physique”.

Over half had lied to their partner about their appearance, while four out of five said that they thought their partner did not exercise as often as they should.

Men were more likely to lie about their partner’s weight, at 61% compared to 44% of women, although interestingly, more women were unhappy about their partner’s appearance (68%) compared to men (59%).

Three-quarters of those surveyed cited physical attraction as an important aspect of a relationship.

The correlation between people who had been in relationships the longest and those that were least concerned by their partner’s appearance was evident. Participants who had been in a relationship with their partner for less than a year were twice as likely to be bothered about their partner’s appearance than participants who had been in a relationship for longer than 10 years, 83% compared to 48%.

Oliver Cookson, MD of Myprotein.co.uk, said, “There is clearly a gender difference between the ways we think about our partners, with men much less likely to be bothered about their partner’s appearance, contrary to popular belief. The fact that men are more likely to lie to their partners if they don’t have an issue though can be taken one of two ways – it can either be construed as ‘polite white lies’ or dishonesty. Personally, I think men are far less shallow than given credit for, on the whole!”

What do you think?

UK government supports “From Bump to Breastfeeding” DVD

Expectant mums across the UK will have access to a new breastfeeding resource thanks to a collaboration between the Department of Health and child health charity Best Beginnings.

The From Bump to Breastfeeding – following real mothers’ stories to find out how DVD gives positive and practical information to encourage mums to breastfeed and help increase breastfeeding rates across the UK.

Recent statistics (2005) show that, while over three-quarters of mothers started breastfeeding their new-born baby, a third had stopped within six weeks. Those numbers also drop significantly when looking at the younger age group – for mums under 20, just half were breastfeeding their baby.

Produced by Jacqueline Smith, the 35-minute film features nine women who chart their expectations and concerns as they prepare for motherhood.

The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, with continued breastfeeding, alongside other food and drink after six months. That’s because breast milk gives babies all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life and helps protect them from infection and diseases, such as gastrointestinal infections, ear infections, urine infections, eczema and obesity in later childhood.

Dawn Primarolo, Public Health Minister, said, “The DVD will appeal to all women who are having a baby as it follows ordinary women on their breastfeeding journey and addresses hopes and concerns that are relevant to all. The DVD demonstrates breastfeeding as the normal and natural way to feed a baby and will support mums to continue to breastfeed and help them give their baby the best start in life.”

Best Beginnings founder & CEO Alison Baum said, “Only with accurate information and practical support can there be real choice for families about how to feed their babies. The DVD will enable more mothers across the UK to have the information and reach out for support so they can enjoy breastfeeding their babies for as long as they wish.”

More information is available at the Best Beginnings web site.

Study suggests higher levels of antisocial behaviour in children of mothers with depression

This study sits rather uneasily with me, though it’s worth bearing in mind that I only had access to a few brief paragraphs, rather than the entire paper.

However, for what it’s worth, researchers at King’s College, London, studied 1,116 sets of twins, finding much higher levels of antisocial behaviour in 7-year-olds whose mothers had suffered depression during the child’s first five years of life.

The greatest risk of “problem behaviours” were in children of mothers who also exhibited signs of antisocial personality disorder.

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Top 10 health topics parents wish their doctor would discuss with kids

A recent study has discovered the most important topics that parents would like their doctor to talk to their teenage children about during routine check-ups.

While there were differences between different ethnic groups and genders, these were the top ten most popular subjects overall:

1. Diet/nutrition
2. Exercise/sports
3. Physical changes of puberty
4. Drug use
5. Tobacco use
6. Sexually transmitted disease
7. Depression/suicide
8. Obesity
9. Drinking
10. Eating disorders

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Health concerns raised over bisphenol A (BPA) used in baby bottles

The health of young baby is of paramount importance to every new parent, so whenever there’s the potential for that health to be put at risk by a seemingly innocuous product, it’s worth taking notice.

A large number of state and national environmental health organizations in the U.S. and Canada are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers, based on the results of a new study that demonstrates the toxic chemical BPA leaches from popular plastic baby bottles when heated.

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Girls who eat with their families less likely to do extreme diets

Yet again, more research which shows the benefits of families eating together.

Teens who frequently (five or more times per week) eat together with the rest of their family are less likely to use extreme methods – such as binge eating and self-induced vomiting – to control their weight five years later.

That’s according to research by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and lead investigator of Project Eating Among Teens (Project EAT) at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

The same doesn’t appear to be true for boys.

“Health care professionals have an important role to play in reinforcing the benefits of family meals, helping families set realistic goals for increasing family meal frequency given schedules of adolescents and their parents; exploring ways to enhance the atmosphere at family meals with adolescents; and discussing strategies for creating healthful and easy-to-prepare family meals,” said Neumark-Sztainer. “Schools and community organizations should also be encouraged to make it easier for families to have shared mealtimes on a regular basis.”

(Via Insight News)

Caffeine during pregnancy increases miscarriage risk, study suggests

A new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research suggests that a high intake of caffeine during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of miscarriage, regardless of its source.

While previous research showed a link between caffeine consumption and miscarriage, this is the first study to thoroughly control for morning sickness, which typically causes many women to avoid caffeine, explained De-Kun Li, MD, Ph.D., an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and lead investigator of the study. “This study strengthens the association between caffeine and miscarriage risk because it removes speculation that the association was due to reduced caffeine intake by healthy pregnant women,” Li said.

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WellChild Helpline launched: UK’s only national children’s health advice line

The children’s charity WellChild today announced the launch of the WellChild Helpline, designed to offer comprehensive help and advice to anyone concerned about the health and well-being of children.

Staffed by a team of trained healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines, callers will either have questions answered, or efficiently passed to the most appropriate organisation.

BBC1’s Breakfast programme’s GP, Dr Rosemary Leonard, endorsed the WellChild Helpline, saying, “WellChild’s new service is extremely welcome as accessing the right information can seem daunting and not having access to concerns about health can cause a lot of anxiety. By having this multi-disciplinary team of experts at the end of a phone-line or email, WellChild will be putting people in touch with the right health information which could ultimately lead to saved lives as well as an enormous improvement in the quality of many more.”

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Lily Allen suffers a miscarriage

Sad news for the singer Lily Allen and her boyfriend Ed Simons. A spokesperson for Lily’s publicists confirmed “that Lily Allen has suffered a miscarriage… and we ask that her privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

The miscarriage reportedly occurred after returning from a holiday in the Maldives.

According to statistics, one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, which accounts for nearly a quarter of a million each year. It proves to be a very tough time for a large number of couples, but the truth is that – in time – you can move on from the pain. Many women enjoy healthy pregnancies after miscarriage, so while it’s tragic at the time, it certainly doesn’t rule out starting a family.

Our thoughts are with Lily and Ed at this time, and I do hope the media give them space to come to terms with this.

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