The Second Happiest Place On Earth: Disney Children’s Hospital

Officials at Florida Hospital announced on Wednesday their plans to change the future of children’s health , beginning with a planned Disney-themed children’s hospital.

Plans for the new hospital include video games in patients’ rooms and familiar Disney characters, such as Baloo the bear, in the lobby. Tranquil beach or mountain scenery will appear on a wall inside the ER exam rooms with a flip of a switch. Kids in need of a CAT scan can learn more by sliding a stuffed alligator into a toy version to learn what to expect. But officials said the new hospital is not all about entertainment . They're adding more intensive-care beds for newborns and focusing on minimally invasive procedures to fix birth defects, remove appendixes and carry out other surgeries on children.

The expected $100 million hospital is planned to open in 2010 for all you rowdy parents. I might just feign an injury just to check out the new hospital.

Oh Boy, It’s A Girl!: Which Gender is Easier to Raise?

Most parents would attest that raising a child is a difficult, though rewarding, job. But is raising one gender more difficult than another? According to recent studies , it seems so:

• Discipline: Who's harder to raise? Boys

• Physical Safety: Who's harder to raise? Boys

• Communication: Who's harder to raise? Boys in the early years; girls around age 8 and older.

• Self-Esteem: Who's harder to raise? Girls

• School: Who's harder to raise? Boys

The final verdict? The general consensus seems to be that boys are more of a handful early on, and girls more challenging beginning in the preteen years. Hmmm sounds about right…

Baby, What's Your Sign?: A Look At Baby Horoscopes

A fun part of pregnancy is imagining what your baby's personality will be like. Will he be a charmer, a chatterbox, a Chargers fan? Will she be sensitive, serious, or sassy? There's no certain way to tell, but some astrological analysis of the stars may give you an idea of what's to come...

The Baby Aries
The Baby Taurus
The Baby Gemini
The Baby Cancer
The Baby Leo
The Baby Virgo
The Baby Libra
The Baby Scorpio
The Baby Sagittarius
The Baby Capricorn
The Baby Aquarius
The Baby Pisces

Nuts Over Peanuts

Childhood lunches are often associated with the ubiquitous staple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but this meal may prove deadly to some. Peanut allergies is one of the fastest growing allergies worldwide and exposure to this nut can trigger an anaphylactic reaction, causing airways to swell and blood pressure to drop dangerously low.

The first line of defense has always been a strict and vigilant dietary management- avoidance of the peanut. Recent studies, however, are showing that a form of immunotherapy may help get rid of allergy to peanuts within 5 years.

One approach is to gradually increase the dose of peanut to train the immune system to cope, eventually tolerating the allergic trigger. Another approach is genetically modifying peanut proteins, rendering the new peanut no longer a peanut, to change one’s immune response.

How promising these treatments will be is still unclear, though the research is interesting …as nutty as it sounds!

The Breast Medicine For Stress

Moms have always been encouraged to breastfeed for the nutritional advantages over formula milk as well as the bonding experience they have with their child. Researchers now are showing another advantage to breastfeeding: children who are breastfed respond more favorably to stress and have more reduced stress levels overall than their non-breastfed counterparts.

Though it is still unclear whether the reduced stress levels are a result of the breast milk itself, the maternal bond formed while breastfeeding or the supportive social network the breastfeeding moms often have, these findings still enhance the already extensive literature showing the benefits of breastfeeding. As these studies show, breast is best in reducing stress.

A Case of The Scuppies

A telltale sign that times are changing is when a generation gets coined a new name. From the ‘60s Hippies to the ‘80s Yuppies now comes a hybrid of the two, the Scuppies. A Scuppie is a socially conscious upwardly-mobile person who has the environmental values of a Hippie and the economic drive of a Yuppie.

Scuppies desire all the best life can offer and strive for those goals in a socially conscious manner. Their eco-bragging rights are who left a smaller carbon footprint. This new generation’s ethos has evolved from “greed is good” to “green is good”. They understand that the love of money does not preclude the love of nature…and vice-versa.

In other words, they can have their Lexus-Hybrids, and drive it too.

All Work and No Play, Makes Jack a Dull and Nearsighted Boy…

Although genetic inheritance plays a role, studies are now showing that children spending less time in the great outdoors playing lead a greater chance of myopia than their counterparts who are more frequently exposed to outdoor light. Children sitting indoors, such as in front of a computer or TV or reading, have the greatest chance of being nearsighted (...shocking!).

Researchers now believe it's the intensity of outdoor light that may be an important factor in shaping myopic eyes. The higher exposure to intense outdoor light may explain the lower prevalence of myopia in children in Australia , compared with ethnically matched peers in other countries.

Whatever the reason is for allowing children more time in the great outdoors, I am all for it! Now only if this study came out when I was growing up...

OMG Where Did You Find That? I Found It on EcoSearch.Org!

EcoSearch.Org is the first non-profit search engine dedicated to preserving the environment! (It’s about time!) Users log onto EcoSearch.Org and simply “google” just as they would any other search engine. The search results are populated from Google itself, so users get the same high quality search results that they get from Google’s website.

EcoSearch.Org generates ad revenue, and then generously donates 100%, yes all, of its profits to various non-profits that focus on the environment. Since Google pays billions of dollars to advertising partners every year, EcoSearch.Org was built as a way to redirect some of those funds back towards the environment. Kudos to companies making a difference! Now help spread the word!

All I Want For Christmas Are Phthalate Free Toys

Disturbing to think that prior to yesterday's Safe Toy Bill, the amount of lead and phthalates (a chemical used to make plastics softer) in children's toys have not been as regulated as once thought.

Alarmed by the number of recalls this past year, the House voted to ban lead and phthalates from items such as rubber duckys and other toys that might end up in children's mouths. Part of the new federal ruling requires manufacturers to have independent labs test products for toxic chemicals before they are sold.

The new rules, assuming Bush approves of them, will not affect toy sales this holiday season. Perhaps its time to start making a new Xmas list...