Hey baby fans! Did you hear about the latest CPSC children’s bed recall? Ever wonder what it costs to raise a child? If so, you’ve come to the right place because I cover these topics (and many more) below:

• A Child Born in 2009 Will Cost $222,360 to Raise According to USDA Report: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released USDA’s new annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, which finds that a middle-income family with a child born in 2009 can expect to spend about…(more at USDA.gov)

• Health-care law improves insurance coverage for pregnant women and new mothers:  By the time women reach 44 years old, roughly 85 percent have given birth. Yet even though pregnancy and childbirth are such commonplace events, health insurance coverage and support services to keep mothers and babies … (more at The Washington Post)

• Childhood constipation often lingers into adulthood: Stubborn cases of chronic constipation in childhood may become an adulthood problem for a significant percentage of kids, a new study suggests… (more at Yahoo News)

• Bayside Furnishings Recalls to Repair Youth Beds Sold at Costco Due to Entrapment Hazard: This recall involves the Bayside youth bed: the Pirates of the Caribbean Twin Trundle Bed. The pre-assembled headboard has a brown wood base…(more at CPSC.com)

• Do pregnancy and bipolar disorder mix? As recently as 10 years ago, doctors advised women with bipolar disorder not to have children. While that thinking is now dated, bipolar women often face tough decisions about how to handle…(more at CNN.com)

• Does Tourette’s Run in Families?: Dozens of readers  had questions about Tourette’s syndrome, the odd and poorly understand disorder that causes uncontrollable tics and vocalizations, after the disorder…(more at NYT.com)

• ‘Baby Bubbler’: Student Invention Helps Infants With Respiratory Ailments: The Baby Bubbler — or in its more technical guise, the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device — helps children with acute respiratory infections breathe naturally as they recover. According to the…(more at ScienceDaily)

To address any of the issues mentioned, please leave your comments in the box below.  The baby blog is moderated, so please remember that all “commercial” and “off topic” comments will be deleated.

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

I was thrilled to find Dr.MOZ’s ‘The GoodFather gift CD-ROM’ for new dads featured in the baby and kids blog Kidlantis today and wanted to send a quick ‘thank you‘ to the crew. It’s rare to come across a blog featuring so many baby and toddler products I’ve never heard

of (Cedarworks Indoor Playset, I’m Pregnant Coffee Stencil, Sock Ons), so I recommend visiting Kidlantis.com for a fun collection of fresh finds!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

Hello baby fans and happy new year! Many of you are getting back online for the first time in weeks, so here’s a little update covering some of the baby news that you may have missed:

• Medication Taken During Pregnancy: A  new research program called MEPREP (Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program) will study the effects of prescription medications used during pregnancy. Approximately two-thirds of women who deliver a baby are now using at least one prescription drug (more at fda.gov)

• Double Daddy: Matthew McConaughey and his girlfriend welcomed a 7 pound 7 ounce daughter named Vida Alves McConaughey on Sunday… (more at HoustonChronicle )

• New Breastfeeding Information: Researchers have known for years that breast milk has advantages that can’t yet be reproduced in formula, and new studies are finally starting to pinpoint exactly what these differences are from the transfer of live active organisms to the baby and hormones released…( more at Businessweek.com)

• Dr.MOZ’s New Giveaway Page: If you are on Facebook, you might be interested to know that you can now win fantastic baby goodies, toys for toddlers, and  parenting gear on Dr.MOZ’s new giveaway page… (more at Facebook.com/DrMOZ)

• Play Yard Recalls: 213,000 play yards with bassinets were recalled on Dec 3oth due to risk of suffocation or positional asphyxiation (more at CPSC.gov)

That’s all the baby info for today my friends, but be sure to visit again tomorrow for a healthy dose of fun from you favorite moose M.D.!

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

Are you or your partner pregnant and wondering about the risks associated with the H1N1 swine flu virus? Chances are, you are just as concerned with the contents of the vaccine as you are the virus. There’s been a lot of debate as the flu season approaches, so your favorite moose M.D. has you covered with a growing H1N1 link roundup.

Note: This list of information from government sources, the media, and popular parenting/baby blogs were updated from the date of the original post through December. 2009.

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Media (TV, Newspapers, Magazines)

• (Dec 15th) The Washington Post: Pregnant woman is panicked about swine flu risk for herself and her children
• (Nov 29th) Examiner.com: Shocking horror stories about pregnancy and H1N1 vaccine
• (Nov 9th) Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Depressed and Pregnant? Flu Shot May Be Needed
• (Nov 9th) Daily Herald: H1N1 vaccine works well for pregnant women
• (Oct 25th) CNN.com: Understanding the H1N1 virus
• (Oct 23rd) NPR, All Things Considered: In N.Y. Vaccine Availability Worries Pregnant Women
• (Oct 23rd) LaTimes.com: H1N1 vaccine a tough sell to pregnant women
• (Oct 23rd) Examiner.com: California suspends ban on thimerosal containing H1N1 vaccine for pregnant women
• (Oct 21st) Fox News on YouTube: Panel, Sean Hannity, Deirdre Imus, etc Obama’s Daughters Should Be H1N1 Vaccinated on TV
• (Oct 19th) Newsweek: Innoculation Misinformation
• (Sept 30th) CBS Evening News: Some Pregnant Women Say No to H1N1 Vaccine
• (Sept 28th) New York Times: (Essay) Pregnancy Is No Time to Refuse a Flu Shot
• (Sept 21st) USAtoday.com: Pregnant women bare arms for H1N1 vaccine
• (Aug 9th) NPR, All Things Considered: Pregnant Women Weigh Risks of H1N1 Vaccine
• (Aug 5th) CNN Health, Paging Dr. Gupta: Swine flu vaccine for pregnant women

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Blogs (Parenting, Baby Blogs)

• (Nov 9th) CafeMom: A Mom’s H1N1 Story, Vaccinated Without Consent
• (Nov 5th) New Moms Need: Is there thimerosal in the H1N1 vaccine?
• (Nov 3rd) Attachment Parenting Blog: Fighting H1N1 with a cool soap dispenser
• (Oct 26th) Babies Online The Blog: H1N1 Flu Updates for the Family
• (Oct 23rd) cafeMom, dailybuzz: Swine Flu Vaccine: Demand the Babysitter Get It?
• (Oct 22nd) BabyCenter, MOMformation: Swine Flu and You: Breastfeeding and H1N1
• (Oct 21st) SafeMama: H1N1 Vaccine: Get It or Don’t Get It?
• (Oct 20th) Babble, Strollerderby: What Pregnancy Plus Swine Flu Looks Like
• (Oct 19th) ParentsConnect.com: H1N1 and Pregnancy: Swine Flu and Pregnant Women

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U.S. Government

• (Oct 23rd) FLU.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services: What Pregnant Women Should Know About H1N1 Virus
• (Oct 2nd) CDC H1N1 Flu: Influenza Shots and Pregnant Women: Questions and Answers for Patients

Thanks for visiting everyone and feel free to share your comments, swine flu concerns, and useful H1N1 links in the comment box below.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a sucker for baby gadgets…and the stranger the better. Here’s a strange one in the early design phase called the B(l)aby based on the controversial “Mozart effect”. In a nutshell, the theory proposes that exposing children to classical music early in life will ultimately make them more intelligent as adults. If you’re a

believer (and pregnant), you’ll soon grow weary of standing in front of speakers…enter the B(l)aby by Geoff Ramsay. Proposed features include:

• USB port for data transfer (music/voice/etc) from computer or iPod to B(l)aby memory
• microphone embedded inside wrap for direct recording of voice to play for baby
• luminescent technology sewn into the belt for soft pulsating interface
• three mini mechanisms sewn into the back to provide a massage for the expecting mother

I love Geof’s design work, but my take on the B(l)aby…scratch the all the music capabilities, add twelve more massage mechanisms, and sell a million pregnancy massage belts. On the other hand, stranger products are on the market so let’s see what our readers say. Would you buy the B(l)aby as proposed by the designer for yourself (or as a gift), or would you prefer a simple massage belt?

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> thanks to Yanko Design