Why Do Even Healthy Babies Cry??

If there’s one thing everyone knows about babies, it’s that they cry. Frequently. But why do healthy babies cry? The things that make them fuss (and things that won’t) may surprise you.

“Babies are born three months before they’re really ready for the world,” says Harvey Karp, M.D., Los Angeles-based pediatrician and creator of The Happiest Baby on the Block. “What they need is for us to imitate the experience in the womb, which was very active.”

In his 30 years of practice and study, Karp has found that baby crying occurs because:

• First and foremost, they’re missing the rhythms of the womb. Babies need constant stimulation and motion such as swinging, walking or jiggling. Skin-to-skin contact is also very soothing.
• It’s too quiet. The sound of blood flowing in the womb is a loud “whoosh,” so it should be no surprise that babies find white noise (such as the sound from the vacuum cleaner) calming.
• They’re hungry.
• They need a diaper change.
• They’re simply uncomfortable. “To put a baby in a quiet room by itself on a flat bed may be something you or I would like, but for a baby, it’s sensory deprivation,” says Karp.

And then there are some persistent myths to debunk. As Karp explains baby crying does not occur because:

• They have gas pains. Gas is one of the first things parents blame when babies are tearful, but Karp insists it’s a highly unlikely cause of severe crying.
• They’re overstimulated by the world. This is an old wives’ tale, says Karp. When you remember that babies are surrounded by noisy, pulsating sounds inside the womb, you realize that it’s just as likely — if not more likely — for a baby to feel upset by an under-stimulating environment.
• They sense their mother’s anxiety. Babies aren’t yet able to tell when their mothers are worried, explains Karp.

You can cope with a baby that’s crying by using Karp’s Happiest Baby techniques, which he calls “the five S’s”:

Swaddling. Wrapping a baby’s arms and body securely with a blanket mimics the snug and comforting confines of the womb.

Side positioning. Hold baby in your arms on its side, slightly forward-leaning. Stomach positioning (aka tummy time) is also good, but never put newborns and very young babies to sleep face-down.

Shushing. Make a somewhat loud “shushing” sound near your baby’s ear, or play a CD of white noise.

Swinging. Use a motorized infant swing when you need a break. Ones that recline and come with a secure harness are best.

Sucking. Give your baby a breast, a bottle or a pacifier. Sucking on something is a great distraction!

These techniques flip on your baby’s calming reflex. Start with one S and add more as needed until your crying baby is soothed.

Keep Your Kids Safe in Sports

Of the more than 38 million American kids who play sports, less than 10 percent get seriously injured during practice or a game. But that figure is steadily rising as more kids compete year-round in numerous sports activities.

Growing bones can’t handle the physical demands of so much training and playing. And if damage to bones, muscles and tendons doesn’t have a chance to fully heal, it leads to overuse injuries, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The most dangerous sport is football, which sends 1 million kids under the age of 18 to hospitals, emergency rooms and doctors’ offices, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Soccer is next (with 370,000 visits), and cheerleading (with 75,000 injuries) is the leading cause of serious injury to girls.

To protect your kids from serious sports injuries, prevention is key. Make sure they consistently use proper gear, do warm-up and cool-down exercises, and use facilities that are well-maintained. Check that their coaches are trained in first aid and CPR, or that there is a certified athletic trainer on site to provide immediate care that will put your kids back in the game – without further injury.

But if an accident does occur, be prepared. Here’s how to spot and treat the most common injuries in kids’ sports:

Sprains and Strains

• What they are: Sprains occur when ligaments, the tissue that connects two or more bones, are stretched or torn. Ankle sprains are the most common sports injury, according to the National Institutes of Health. Strains occur when muscles or tendons are stretched or torn.
• What they look like: Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising and difficulty moving the joint. Strains may also cause muscle spasms.
• What to do: Give them rest, ice, compression and elevation. That usually works for mild injuries, but more serious ones may require surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic. See a doctor if your child can’t walk more than four steps without feeling a lot of pain or numbness, or if he has redness or streaks coming out from the injured site.

Growth Plate Injuries

• What they are: Growth plates are areas of developing tissue at the end of the long bones (hands, forearms, upper and lower legs, and feet). Eventually the plates are replaced by solid bone, but in the meantime, they are particularly vulnerable to injury.
• What to do: See an orthopedic surgeon immediately.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

• What they are: Injuries caused by the overuse of muscles and tendons, such as stress fractures (tiny cracks in the bone) and tendinitis (the inflammation of a tendon).
• What they look like: You can’t always see these injuries on X-rays, but they cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Tendinitis causes tenderness, swelling and a dull ache. Stress fractures cause pain and swelling that increases with activity, and tenderness in a specific spot.
• What to do: Rest the injured area, apply ice or compression, and elevate it. See a doctor if the pain persists even at rest; your child may need crutches, an immobilizing cast, physical therapy or even surgery.

A Little Change & Prep Now, A Year of Safety for Your Family

Greetings to all and I hope everyone is having a great 2023 thus far. It’s hard to believe we are already in March, and with the month of March comes the beginning of spring and a time for change and preparation.

As the saying around the firehouse goes: when the clocks change, its time to change the batteries in all of your detectors in your home, whether they be smoke or gas detectors.

A properly functioning detector is key in the safety of you and your family in early trouble detection from smoke, flames and harmful gases in your home day and night. So please do not put this off, it only takes a few minutes and can make all the difference in the world and while you are at it, maybe you can make a fun family fire drill out of testing your new batteries in your detectors.

The preparation part of what I would like to talk about is the fact the spring is here and that means that summer is rapidly approaching. With summer comes the kids being home, at camp and almost assuredly being around water a lot more than the rest of the year. I cannot stress enough the importance of water safety and preparedness. Enrolling children in swimming lessons or teaching them yourself now is a great way to give them added protection for the summer months ahead. It is an all too common occurrence in the summer that children have near drowning or complete drowning events in pools or lakes and in many of these cases the child was not taught how to swim. Please contact a local instructor or organization in your area and arm your child with the ability to swim and in the mean time get some good fun quality time together.

Thank you and I wish you health and happiness.

Are Used Bike Helmets Safe to Buy for Kids?

It’s important to insist that your kids wear bike helmets. Research shows that wearing one while riding reduces a child’s risk of brain injury by 88 percent. But, the truth is, it’s best to buy a bike helmet new. It could have been damaged in a crash — even if you don’t see cracks — and might not be able to withstand another one. When purchasing a helmet, look for the CPSC seal, which means it meets the standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The helmet should sit flat on top of your child’s head and be snug enough so that it doesn’t slide down over the eyes when pushed or pulled. The chin strap should be snug. Many kids wear their helmets loose and tipped back, exposing their foreheads. But this doubles their chances of suffering a serious head injury.

Never buy a helmet that’s too big so that your child can “grow into it.” It might not protect him in an accident.

For a guide to exactly how a bike helmet should fit your child, download these instructions on fitting your bike helmet from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.