Daily Dose of DrGreene

Bumpers Bumped?

Do those ever-popular crib bumper pads protect babies’ heads? Or put them at risk? Do they make the crib cozier for babies? Or more frightening? An important study in the September 2007 Journal of Pediatrics examines the limited evidence we have –and it does not look good. Researchers reviewed twenty years of history in the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) databases. They found 27 cases of infant deaths involving bumper pads or similarly padded basinets. In some the cases the baby’s face was found pressed up to the bumper pad; in some the head was wedged between the bumper pad and something else; and in some the bumper ties were around the baby’s neck. In addition, 25 non-fatal crib injuries were reported. Perhaps some of these could have been caused by or prevented by bumper pads – the reports were not clear. The authors conclude that the risks of using bumper pads (death) outweigh the possible benefits (minor bruises or other injuries), and that bumper pads should not be used.

However, I should point out some statistical issues with the study. The numbers used were...more

Alan Greene MD FAAP

Does Your Child Need a Multivitamin?

You know that it is wise to back up your computer’s hard drive; I recommend backing up your child’s food drive with a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. This simple habit could improve your child’s health and even intelligence. I’ll explain briefly why I feel strongly about this:

For young babies, breast milk provides an ideal food. The match between their complex nutritional needs and the milk that moms make is spectacular. In their dance of supply and demand, babies are designed with a drive to enjoy just the right amount and moms are designed to make just the right amount. Even so, I do suggest that many breastfed babies take 200 IU of vitamin D daily, as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends – but not because of any lack in breast milk. We are built to get vitamin D from sun exposure. Because of the amount of time babies spend indoors, and the depleted-ozone-caused need for...(continue reading)