Innovations for wheelchair-bound children have been few and far between in recent years, so I was excited to see The Little Mermaid Swimming Float concept design by Soyeon Park, Taeyeong Park, and Hyeonjee Lee. The hand-wheel advances the float by shooting water

through a tube inside the body to propellers on the back. Price and distribution information won’t be available until the float is manufactured in the future, but I’ll be sure to let you know when it hits the market.

Hopefully, they’ll rethink the name before entering distribution. I’d hate to see a useful product like this crushed by Disney’s intellectual property elves over a mermaid dispute. What do you think parents? Would your toddler find a float like this useful?

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> tipped by Yanko Design

The average American child spends 7.5 hours a day on computers, using cell phones, watching TV, and playing video games. Factor in the alarming statistic that each American now eats approximately 15 pounds more sugar than we did in the 1970′s and it’s no

surprise that our kids are facing chronic obesity.

The good news…implementing small changes can make big differences. This is why Chefs across the US are being asked to partner with their local schools as part of the Chefs Move to Schools initiative, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Interested in learning more about the program? Choose the appropriate link below:

• Chefs: find a local school that could use your help

• Schools: sign-up a school in your neighborhood
  

Let’s get with the program everyone. For the first time in American history our children are expected to live shorter lives than we do, simply due to diet and lack of exercise.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, parents with children suffering from food allergies all go through similar “allergy alert tour” at their kids’ schools, daycare centers, and summer camps. A parent never really knows who has access to their children’s

important medical alert forms, which is why I love the allergy patch collection by Jeeto! Found at specialty stores around the US, these cute allergy patches (seen above) can be applied to a backpack, hat, or just about anything that would be easily visible to a student’s teacher. Available in a variety of common allergy themes in sets of 3, 6, and 10 patches directly from Jeeto!

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

> Doctor’s Note: No sewing necessary. Jeeto patches have a heat-seal backing for easy iron-on application. Patch find thanks to Barbara, a regular blog reader of the moose M.D.!

Jane Chen demonstrates the portable, low-cost “Embrace Infant Warmer” incubator designed to save the lives of millions of premature babies around the world. It may look like a simple sleeping bag at first glance, but the removable (and re-heatable) pouch keeps a

constant warm temperature for the baby for4 to 6 hours. This amazingly simple idea is scheduled for release this year and will only cost $25…less than 1% the cost of today’s modern incubators found in the US.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

I receive quite a few pitches from inventors and manufacturers requesting product features, but very few products are actually a good fit for the baby blog. The BabyComfyNose nasal aspirator fits…and it’s so strange, it just might work! (see video above)

BabyComfyNose in their words:

“Consider for a moment the nasal aspirators in your drawers at home that don’t work. Perhaps the bulb they sent you home from the hospital with to clear newborn congestion, or the expensive battery-operated one that just doesn’t generate much suction. Now consider a vacuum nasal aspirator that really works. You’ll never need to buy another aspirator again! Baby congestion relief.”

What do you think parents? Would the BabyComfyNose make life easier for you and your kids? If you like it, visit BabyComfyNose.com to learn more. We don’t accept payments or affiliate partnerships for baby blog features, so feel free to leave your unfiltered review in the box below. Whatever you do, make sure your comments are “family friendly”.

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling run down and need a quick boost to the immune system…I pour myself a big bowl of chocolatey, sweetened rice cereal full of processed sugars and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Well…maybe not, but if you see a box of Cocoa Krispies by Kellogg’s in the supermarket you might be led to believe that

it’s full of nutrition and a responsible choice for help building your child’s immunity.

According to a letter sent yesterday, San Francisco’s attorney general wants to see the scientific research backing the immunity-builder claims. I think we all know that the eventual response will include references to vitamins falling somewhere at the bottom of the ingredients list, and these vitamins are known to build your immune system. While waiting for the official response from Kellogg’s, perhaps we should take a look at the top 7 ingredients in Cocoa Krispies.

1. Rice
2. Sugar
3. Cocoa Processed with Alkali
4. Semisweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Anhydrous Dextrose)
5. Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (One or More of: Coconut, Soybean and/or Cottonseed)
6. Salt
7. Malt Flavoring

So what do you think parents, should we hold corporations accountable for their advertising tactics or brush them off as harmless marketing campaigns? Oh by the way, those Baby Einstein videos purchased between June 5th, 2004 and September 4th, 2009 may not have made your kids any smarter. If you thought they actually would make your child a genius, Disney is now offering credit or a full return for the current retail value of $15.99 for submissions postmarked by March 4, 2010.

By the way, did I mention that new daddy T-shirts by Dr.MOZ make new fathers 39% more attractive? Studies also show that these shirts are a great way to boost diaper change participation among men aged 18-59. These are preliminary studies, but I’ll be sure to get back to you when I’m done crunching the final numbers here at the lab.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> Kellogg’s tip thanks to FoodPolitics.com!

The kids are going back to school which means that Fall is just around the corner. Stay a step ahead of the rainy day blues with a kid-friendly baking kit called Doodle Bread! In their words:

“Doodle Bread is a cool ‘make your own bread that doesn’t look like anyone

else’s in the world, ever’ kit. It makes bread with shapes running through every slice. The colour from Doodle Bread mixes come from powdered vegetables, seeds and grains.“

Doodle Bread kits come with Big Doodle Mix, Little Doodle Mix, a Doodle Bread Baking Tin, and a Squisher. If a family member is allergic to gluten or wheat, you should know that Doodle Mixes contain both. Learn more at DoodleBread.com or visit the Doodle Bread Blog for recipes and photos!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> found at Daily Candy Kids London!

Car seats were designed to provide the optimal upright angle needed to survive car wrecks, but not to be used as cribs in the home as many parents are now using them. A Pediatrics study reviewed a small sample of 200 two-day-old newborns and found that oxygen levels where slightly lower for infants sitting in a car safety seats for sixty minutes

compared to infants sleeping in hospital cribs. Experts agree that babies shouldn’t be unnecessarily restricted in car seats at home because healthy oxygen levels are needed for proper development.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

Are you having a hard time introducing a variety of healthy meals to your little one? Perhaps you just need to increase the funk-factor like the pros at  FunkyLunch.com! Funky Lunch in their own words:

Funky Lunch was born out of the desire to turn an ordinary lunchtime sandwich into something a bit different to encourage children to try and eat a varied and healthy lunch.

Drop by and say hi to the funky bunch at Funky Lunch for a little artistic inspiration, and don’t forget to tell them that the moose M.D. sent ya!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> thanks to Make

If you have a child living with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, you’ll be interested to see what designers Sheraz Arif, Andy Brand, Menno Kroezen & Katrien Ploegmakers have been up to with their amazing SQUEASE garment. In their words:

“SQUEASE is a garment that allows the wearer to apply deep pressure to their body in order to create a calming effect and reduce anxiety. It has integrated headphones that
reduce the sound level of high frequency noises that cause discomfort to people with hypersensitive hearing. The SQUEASE garment is mobile and allows the wearer to self-administer deep pressure discreetly in anxious situations. With its generous hood and sleeves, noise control and pressure application features, SQUEASE allows the wearer to feel protected and make them more at ease on-the-move.”

Not only is the SQUEASE designed to comfort those with ASD, but it also appears to be something that a teenager would actually wear. Bravo!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> Thanks to Yanko Design

If you are a breastfeeding mom in search of an easy way to collect breast milk while staying drip-free, I think you’ll love Milkies milk-savers. Simply slide the slim milk-saver in the bra-cup on the non-nursing side before you breastfeed, and it collects the
breast milk for future use. Not only does this help reduce the use of disposable nursing pads, but Milkies are also BPA and phthalate-free! (test results, pdf download)

What do you think moms? Would this have been a useful product when you were breastfeeding? Click on the bubble above to open the comment box below.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun. From two-week trips to the country to fun-filled and educational camping trips, they’ve served 1.7 million children from disadvantaged communities.

The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from to keep our vital programs flourishing. Right now, any gift you make to The Fresh Air Fund will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of generous donors. This means that a gift of $25 becomes $50, but you must make your donation by June 30th to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> Other ways to give: host a child, volunteer, or help The Fresh Air Fund spread the word online!