Baby
When Should My Toddler Sleep With a Pillow?
At what age does comfort finally edge out the risk?
Toddler
The Toddler & The Cat
How to teach toddlers to play nice…especially when your own docile pet puts up with far too much.
Big Kid
Teens, Sex and Porn
What I hadn’t realized then was that was the easy part, discussing the cut and dry mechanics of sex. I hadn’t realized that it was just the beginning of an ongoing conversation where I would have to push past my own embarrassment and get over my own hang ups.
Pregnancy
The Straight Poop on Toxoplasmosis
My doctor has told me to not touch my own cats for the next eight months. Is he overreacting?
Pregnancy
Is It Safe? Shampoo Edition
Making sense of warnings and “natural” ingredients while pregnant.
Pregnancy
Is It Safe To Color My Hair While Pregnant?
Roots vs. Embryo: Can you take care of both?
Pregnancy
High-Risk Pregnancies & Medical Terminations
A reader facing a very difficult decision checks back in.
Health & Safety
Bite Me: Insect Repellents That Really Work
Bug Repellents That Really Work Hi Amy, So about this time of year, every year, I start to look like a leper. Why? Because apparently I was put on this earth to be a mosquito buffet. I’m not kidding — every time I go outside,…
Health & Safety
Lead: the metal enemy.
When I first learned that this is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, I was determined to ignore it. Because lead terrifies me. And the primitive monkey part of my brain runs from scary things and then hides under a bush. We live in an ancient…
Health & Safety
No more cold medicine for you, young child!
By now you have heard about the FDA panel’s review of cold medication for children. Probably, right unless you’ve been under a rock. But I don’t want to rule that out a possibility. If not, here’s the PSA. At the end of last week, an…
Health & Safety
Recall of Infant Cough and Cold Medicines
Update: FDA committee decides that children under 6 should not be administered OTC cold medication. Boy, oh boy, there has been a lot of confusion in the press about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines for children. And, more news is expected…
Health & Safety
Another Mercurial Finding From the CDC
There’s a new study out on thimerosal, the controversial preservative once commonly used in vaccines. Whether or not thimerosal causes autism has been the cause of much debate, and this new study appears, at first, to reassure. I have to admit, it’s a little intimidating…
Health & Safety
Enough with the Crocs. Do you hear me? Enough!
Maybe it’s end-of-summer fatigue, but I’ve had it with the sight of kids in Crocs. I was tired long ago of them on adults, but now my disgust has spilled over to the children. First of all, when they get encrusted with filth, as all…
Baby
Baby Einstein no make smart? Uh oh.
This week, researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute sensed that parents were starting to feel good about themselves again. Luckily they’re putting a stop to that, with the announcement that Baby Einstein HAS RUINED CHILDREN EVERYWHERE. Okay, not that….
Health & Safety
Baby Videos: what’s the big deal?
By now you have seen all the press reports about the new study concluding that watching Baby DVDs/Videos may hinder, not help infants’ language developments (for children 8 to 16 months old). Of course this news makes for an attention grabbing headline. I got my…
Health & Safety
Elmo has recalls! Elmo has recalls!
First, I think you should know that I spent two hours at the dentist yesterday, and my teeth have been ground into nubbins and my tiny tiny jaws don’t cotton to being pried open for hours–and now my face, well, it hurts. (Your face hurts?…
Health & Safety
Best Tips for Curing Head Lice
Your kid got a note home from school that there was a lice outbreak. Now what? Read on for some tips on what you should do next.
Pregnancy
What to suspect when you’re expecting
The New York Times broke the news this week: despite all the warnings against it, pregnant women have been known to sometimes enjoy a glass of beer or wine. Anyone who lives in the world knows this, although some people believe it’s their job to…
Health & Safety
BREAKING NEWS: Child and Infant CPR Guidelines Changed
By Alpha Mom Editorial Staff and reviewed by Vanessa J. Anton, EMT American Heart Association (AHA) announces changes to its guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Infants and Children Alpha Mom wants to keep you up to the minute on important health issues for you…