Safety

Remember when you were a teenager? I do, and it wasn't pretty, both literally and metaphorically speaking. You look back on all the crazy things you did and marvel that you did them -- and that you occasionally got away with them!

In a blast from the past (and for those of you with teenage kids, a reminder of our present), I found these three interviews with UK teens on The Guardian online. I've included some choice quotes for you for you below, but if you'd like to read more click here.

• Read more

 

In light of yet another series of food scandals involving McDonald nuggets and melamine-tainted milk, China Daily reported over the weekend that inulin, a popular food additive and sweetener, has been found to induce stomach aches for some children if consumed excessively.
 
Inulin is a carbohydrate fiber that is found naturally in produce such as bananas, wheat, onions and garlic. When inulin is consumed from such unprocessed foods, it is hard to over-eat. However, inulin is often extracted and used as a food additive for processed products including chocolate bars, drinks and other snacks (and we know all too well how easy it is to over-eat chocolate!) If our intake of inulin is too high, we may experience symptoms such as bloating, stomach aches and diarrhea.

 

• Read more

Few busy travelers go more than a few days without problems interrupting their itinerary, including harrowing flight delays, upset stomachs, long lines and language barriers. Avoid adding temper tantrums and safety worries to this list by checking out BabyGro’s new items for little ones. From booster seats to blackout blinds, to ride-friendly luggage, BabyGro has the resources on-the-go parents need in familiar, trusted brand names, including Fisher Price. This month, BabyGro has newly stocked baby toys from US brand Sassy and Belgium company Motta.

• Read more

New research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology shows that women who choose home births might put their babies at a higher mortality risk. The study compared women from the US and Europe who had planned home births to those who had planned hospital births and found that twice the amount of babies died in the four weeks after home delivery. They found triple the mortality rate for babies born at home when “they removed those with congenital defects from the calculation,” according to The Guardian. Many of these babies died from a lack of oxygen during or after labor.

• Read more

With cheap, cold beer available on nearly every street corner in Beijing, no drinking age and a nightly fuss of World Cup celebrations, some parents, both in Beijing and abroad, might be wondering how to monitor their teens’ drinking habits. A recent New York Times forum shares the attitudes of some kids whose parents chose to not keep them corralled and instead exposed them to alcohol early.

• Read more

 

Avoid making your first trip to the pool this summer a painful regret by checking out Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen guide here. Their information, tips and detailed lists of safe and effective sunscreens will help keep you and your kids healthy and burn-free during Beijing’s sunny summer. Check the products you’ve already purchased for ingredients that are safe on the skin using EWG’s sunscreen database. You might find a few surprises.

 

 

Beijing residents should think twice before purchasing a tricycle for their kids for Children’s Day. The Global Times reported that tests in Guangdong Province have shown that only 40 percent of the baby tricycles examined met all of the safety requirements. 

In Shanghai, 30 percent of the tricycles tested were not safe for toddlers due to poor handlebar design and faulty positioning of the pedals and handbrakes. 

Safety concerns with the Guandong tricycles included “excessive amounts of removable substances that toddlers can peel off and swallow, such as paint, which may cause chronic poisoning in young children.” 

• Read more

Winter is slowly but surely coming to an end. As the days get longer and the mercury creeps up there’s something that will disappear off the streets of Beijing. No, I’m not referring to the snow! I’m talking about sweet potato. But just because the temperature is getting warmer, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy this delectable treat. This root vegetable packs a nutritional punch, and kids love it too!

• Read more

In a recent article, the Guardian reveals that a South Korean couple left their daughter to starve to death while gaming online. Addicted to Internet games, the couple spent most of their time on a role-playing game called Prius Online, in which they raised a virtual daughter. After spending a reported 12 hours at a Seoul Internet café, they returned to find their newborn daughter dead. An autopsy confirmed the infant’s cause of death to be malnourishment.

• Read more

Have you ever stuck your hand out of a moving car? Gever Tulley, author of Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), encourages children to do so (with adult supervision).

• Read more