These findings raise safety concerns, note the researchers. They point out the paucity of evidence supporting the efficacy of these medications to treat young children, their known adverse metabolic effects, and unknown long-term effects on the developing brain.

The rate of antipsychotic drug treatment among privately insured children, aged 2-5 years, rose from 0.78 to 1.59 per 1,000 children during the study period, and increased more for girls (148 percent) than for boys (94 percent).

Treatment with antipsychotic drugs rose significantly for children diagnosed with pervasive developmental delay/mental retardation (57 percent), disruptive behavior disorders (54 percent), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (70 percent).

Antipsychotic drug treatment for children without a diagnosed mental disorder increased by 65 percent, although the rate per 1,000 children remained low. Over the same time period, the rate of nondrug interventions decreased or remained unchanged. The rate of mental health assessments for children treated with antipsychotic drugs remained essentially unchanged from 1999-2001 (40 percent) to 2007 (almost 41 percent).

While 50 percent of children treated with antipsychotic drugs in 1999-2001 had at least one psychotherapy session during a treatment year, this rate fell to slightly more than 41 percent by 2007.

These findings were based on analysis of service and pharmacy claims from the MarketScan Research Databases on privately insured individuals and their families from 150 United States employers. The study was funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to the Center for Education and Research on Mental Health Therapeutics at Rutgers University.

Despite increasing rates of antipsychotic use by very young children, provision of formal mental health services remains sparse, the authors note. These service patterns highlight a critical need to improve the availability of specialized and well integrated mental health care for very young children with serious mental health problems.

For more on child heath issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury lawyer.

In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.

“Parents often look forward to transitioning from one stage to the next, but these transitions should generally be delayed until they’re necessary, when the child fully outgrows the limits for his or her current stage,” said Dr. Dennis Durbin, lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report, in a press release.

The updated policy is based on new research that shows children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing.

“The ‘age 2’ recommendation is not a deadline, but rather a guideline to help parents decide when to make the transition,” Dr. Durbin said. “Smaller children will benefit from remaining rear-facing longer, while other children may reach the maximum height or weight before 2 years of age.

“A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” Dr. Durbin said. “For larger children, a forward-facing seat with a harness is safer than a booster, and a belt-positioning booster seat provides better protection than a seat belt alone until the seat belt fits correctly.”

While the rate of deaths in motor vehicle crashes in children under age 16 has decreased substantially – dropping 45 percent between 1997 and 2009 – it is still the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and older. Counting children and teens up to age 21, there are more than 5,000 deaths each year. Fatalities are just the tip of the iceberg; for every fatality, roughly 18 children are hospitalized and more than 400 are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment.

Children should transition from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness, until they reach the maximum weight or height for that seat. Then a booster will make sure the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fit properly. The shoulder belt should lie across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not near the neck or face. The lap belt should fit low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the belly. Most children will need a booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.

Children should ride in the rear of a vehicle until they are 13 years old.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration permits children under age 2 to ride on an adult’s lap on an airplane, they are best protected by riding in an age- and size-appropriate restraint.

“Children should ride properly restrained on every trip in every type of transportation, on the road or in the air,” Dr. Durbin said.

For more on child safety issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury lawyer.

The study is consistent with what doctors have long suspected, and why women of childbearing age are always asked about the possibility of pregnancy before being x- rayed.

A UK-US collaborative study found small increases in risk of cancer for children who had x-rays at ages less than three months and in children whose mothers had undergone an x-ray while pregnant. These increases were not statistically significant. The researchers report no increased risk from ultrasound scans.

Researchers studied the childhood cancer risk associated with exposure to radiation and ultrasound scans during gestation and in early infancy.

Previous studies of children born between the 1940s and the 1970s, when radiation doses were likely to be higher, found in utero x-ray exposure to be associated with an increased risk of childhood cancer, particularly leukemia. The effect of medical radiation on young children has been less clear.

Although diagnostic x-rays and other radiological imaging procedures to the abdomen and pelvis of pregnant women are rare, there are concerns about the growing use of computed tomography (CT) scans and other types of higher-dose imaging procedures on younger children.

Researchers compiled data on 2,690 children with cancer and 4,858 healthy children from the UK Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS). All children were born between 1976 and 1996. Data on exposure to radiographic and ultrasound examinations were collected from medical records.

A total of 305 children received 319 radiographic and related examinations while in utero and 170 children received 247 diagnostic x-ray examinations in early infancy. A total of 13,723 in utero and 138 early infant ultrasound scans were carried out.

Researchers measured the risk of childhood cancer overall, and leukemia, lymphoma, and central nervous system tumors specifically.  Results showed a heightened risk following in utero exposure to x-rays for all cancers and for leukemia, though neither was statistically significant.

Exposure to diagnostic x-rays in early infancy was found to be associated with a small, non-significant extra risk for all cancers and leukemia, as well as increased risk of lymphoma, but this finding was based on small numbers (only seven cases).

The researchers conclude: “Our results, which indicate possible risks of cancer from radiation at doses lower than those associated with CT scans, suggest a need for cautious use of diagnostic radiation imaging procedures to the abdomen/pelvis of the mother during pregnancy and in children at very young ages.”

For more on health safety issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach personal injury lawyer.

Conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the study examined such injuries among children younger than 2 years of age from 1990 through 2008.  During the 19-year study period, an average of 9,500 injuries and more than 100 deaths related to these products were seen in U.S. emergency departments each year.

According to the study, which was released online this  week and will appear in the March 2011 print issue of Pediatrics, the majority of the injuries involved cribs (83 percent) and the most common injury diagnosis was soft-tissue injury (34 percent), followed by concussion or head injury (21 percent). The head or neck was the most frequently injured body region (40 percent), followed by the face (28 percent). Two-thirds of the injuries were the result of a fall, and the percentage of injuries attributed to falls increased with age.

“Despite the attention given to crib safety over the past two decades, the number of injuries and deaths associated with these products remains unacceptably high,” said Dr. Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Unlike other child products that require adult supervision for their safe use, cribs, playpens and bassinets must be held to a higher standard because we expect parents to leave their child unattended in
them and walk away with peace of mind.”

This is the first nationally representative study to examine injuries to young children associated with cribs, playpens and bassinets that were treated in United States emergency departments. Data for this study were collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which is operated by the CPSC.

“Educating caregivers about the proper use and potential dangers of these products is an important part of making cribs safer for children, but education alone is not enough,” said Dr. Smith, also a Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “Innovations in product design and manufacture can provide automatic protection that does not rely on actions of caregivers to keep children safe.”

In recent years, organizations such as the CPSC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have amplified their efforts to increase crib safety.  The CPSC has issued recalls of more than 11 million cribs and has prohibited the manufacture, sale or lease of drop-side cribs starting in June 2011. Continued strengthening and enforcement of crib safety standards will protect more young children from harm.

Despite the potential risks, cribs are still considered to be the safest location where parents can place infants to sleep.  There are several steps parents and caregivers should take when selecting a crib for their child:

Pay close attention to the crib you select.

Select a crib that meets all current safety standards, does not have a drop side and is not old, broken or modified.  Avoid cribs with cutouts or decorative corner posts or knobs that stick up more than 1/16th of an inch. Measure the slats to make sure they are not more than 2 and 3/8 inches apart. Visit www.recalls.gov to make sure the crib has not been recalled. Make sure the mattress fits tightly into the crib. If you can fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the crib, you need a bigger mattress. Frequently examine the crib to make sure it is in good repair and that there are no loose parts. Carefully read and follow all assembly instructions.

When putting your child in a crib to sleep, consider the following:

Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep. Remember that a bare crib is best. Do not add pillows, blankets, sleep positioners, stuffed animals or bumpers to the crib. Crib tents and mesh canopies are not safe to use over cribs. Children can become trapped or strangle in them if they try to get out. Avoid placing the crib near a window to prevent falls and possible strangulation from cords from window blinds or shades.

Monitor your child’s developmental milestones and make changes to the crib as needed:

Once your child can push up on his hands and knees or is 5 months old (whichever occurs first), remove all mobiles and hanging toys. When your child can pull herself up or stand, adjust the mattress to the lowest position. Having the crib sides at least 26 inches above the mattress can help prevent falls. Check the manufacturer’s instructions to know when your child will outgrow the crib.  This generally occurs when your child reaches 35 inches in height. If using a bassinet or playpen, make sure they have a sturdy, wide base and that your child meets all height and weight limits.

For more on child safety issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury lawyer.

Research has linked over-the-counter cough and cold products to poisoning or death in hundreds of children, ages 2 and younger. And studies have  shown that these medicines do little to control symptoms. As a result, in 2008, the  FDA formally recommended that OTC cough and cold products not be given to children under age 2.

A new poll released  last week by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health shows that 61-percent of parents of children, ages 2 and younger, gave their children OTC cough and cold medicine within the last 12 months. The poll also shows that more than half of parents report that their child’s doctor says these OTC medications are safe for children under 2; half of their physicians said they are effective.

“FDA warnings about OTC cough and cold medicines prompted a voluntary recall of products marketed for children younger than 2 years,” says Dr. Matthew Davis, director of the poll and associate professor in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the U-M Medical School. “We wanted to see how well parents and physicians were adopting those recommendations. Unfortunately, this latest poll indicates that the FDA warnings have gone unheeded by the majority of parents, and surprisingly, many physicians.”

In January 2011, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked randomly selected parents across the U.S. with children, ages 6-months to 2-years, about using OTC cough and cold medicines.

Parents were asked: “When was the last time you gave your … child an over-the-counter medicine for cold, cough and/or flu symptoms?”

The poll also found:

• Use of such medicines differs by race/ethnicity with higher use reported among black (80 percent) and Hispanic (69 percent) than among white parents (57 percent).

•Use also differs by income — highest (80 percent) in families with annual income of less than $30,000 and lowest (41percent) in families with income of $100,000 or more.

•Use is not different if the parent had older children at home.

•When deciding whether to use an OTC medicine, two-thirds of parents report wanting their child to be able to sleep better or to be more comfortable during the day as “very important” reasons for using the
medications.

•56 percent of parents say having their child’s health care provider recommend the medicine was very important.

“There are challenges to informing parents about this topic,” says Davis, in a press release. “The FDA warning is specific to young children, age 2 and under — but parents of those kids may not have heard the warnings issued more than two years ago. Each year a ‘new generation’ of parents must be educated about a wide variety of health care issues for their children.

“Physicians are a valuable source of information for parents about this issue, but it appears that physicians are not heeding FDA warnings about OTC cough and cold medicines either,” Davis said “Kids will be safer when parents and doctors are all on the same page in limiting these medicines to older children.”

For more on child safety issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury lawyer.

Think it could never happen to you? Think of these possible scenarios, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

■You’re in a hurry. You might unwittingly give your child too much acetaminophen if you don’t take the time to carefully measure the medication — or if you don’t realize that another caregiver has already given your child a dose of medication.
■You combine medications. If your child has various cold symptoms, you might combine acetaminophen with a cold remedy. But this can be dangerous because many cold medications already contain acetaminophen.
■You use the wrong formulation. You might cause an overdose if you give your child adult acetaminophen tablets instead of the children’s formulation. Even the children’s versions of acetaminophen come in many different formulations, and the dosage varies for each one.
■You decide that more is better. If you’re not satisfied with the performance of the recommended dosage, you might increase the dosage and cause an accidental overdose.
■Your child mistakes the medication for candy or juice. Overdoses
often occur when a child mistakes acetaminophen for something safe to
eat or drink.

If your child ingests more than the recommended amount of acetaminophen but not enough to cause a toxic reaction, medical care may not be necessary.

Be cautious, however. If you’re concerned about a possible acetaminophen overdose or notice early signs or symptoms of an
overdose — nausea, vomiting, lethargy and abdominal pain within 24 hours — call your local poison control center at 800-222-1222 or seek emergency care.

Left untreated, a serious acetaminophen overdose may be fatal within a few days, according to the Mayo Clinic. Careful use of acetaminophen and prompt treatment in case of an overdose can help prevent a tragedy.

For more on child safety issues, see the child injury library articles by Ormond Beach personal injury lawyer.

And it’s not just chemicals in your home marked with clear warning labels that can be dangerous to children. Common items in your home, such as household cleaners and medicines, can be poisonous to children as well. In fact, among children,  emergency department visits for medication poisonings are twice as common as poisonings from other household products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such visits are most common for children under 6.

Active, curious children will often investigate — and sometimes try to eat or drink—anything that’s left out and within their reach. That’s
why it’s incumbent upon parents to take the steps to poison-proof your home and protect the children you love.

The CDC recommends these poison prevention tips:

Lock them up. Keep medicines and toxic products, such cleaning solutions, in locked or childproof cabinets.

Know the number. Put the nationwide poison control center phone number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every telephone in your home. You should also program it into your cellular phone. You can reach poison control centers 24 hours a day. Call poison control if you think a child has been poisoned and if they are awake and alert. Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and your child has collapsed or is not breathing.

Read the label. Follow label directions and read all warnings when giving medicines to children.

Don’t keep it if you don’t need it. Safely dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs. Be aware that if you dispose
of unused medicines, they can be mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter to make them less appealing to children.

For more on child safety issues, read the child injury library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury lawyer.

Most American children with middle-ear infections are treated with antibiotics. But for children with mild symptoms, US clinical practice guidelines generally recommend watchful waiting, reserving antibiotics for children whose symptoms do not improve with time, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center  In contrast, responding to concerns about the overuse of antibiotics, doctors in many European countries follow a strategy of watchful waiting for
nearly all cases of middle-ear infections in children

Previous trials comparing the two strategies yielded conflicting results, chiefly, say the authors of the current study, because of differences among the trials in the definition of middle-ear infections.

In the NEJM study reported in the Jan. 13th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the investigators randomly assigned 291 children between 6 and 23 months of age with acute middle ear infections, diagnosed by stringent criteria, to receive either
amoxicillin-clavulanate or a placebo for 10 days.

They found that those children in the treatment group had a significant reduction in both the severity and duration of their symptoms compared with those in the placebo group. The study authors caution that these results must be weighed against concerns about the
side effects of antibiotics and the potential emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

For more on child safety issues, see the child injury library of articles by Daytona Beach personal injury lawyer.

Babbling usually begins much earlier than at 12 months and is now thought to be necessary step towards learning to speak. In fact scientists have noted that babies babble in similar ways regardless of where they are born and what language they are learning. Babies begin transforming babble into the distinct sounds of their native tongue later as 2-year-olds.

By 6 or 7 months, babies’ babbling should include both consonants and vowels. If a baby makes only ooo or aaa sounds are not practicing their word formation and are not developing speech as quickly as most. At the latest, this should occur by 12 months.

Interestingly, babies must learn language from people; television and even educational videos do not work. Not only is human interaction crucial, but the type of interaction turns out to be important as well.

The moment a baby is babbling is an important teaching moment. Scientists think that while babies babble their brains are in a focused state of attention and they are primed to learn names of new objects.

A recent study found that showing a baby an object and naming it in response to the baby’s babble allowed the baby to learn the names better. So instead of just repeating the babbling or trying to guess, “Oh do you want your toy?,” we should either show them an object and name it or name the object they’re looking at.

Staying off busy roads is not enough. More than half the 135 children who die in bike-related car accidents are killed on minor roads or in residential areas. They don’t have to – bike helmets reduce the risk of severe brain injury by 88 percent.

Make sure you set a good example for your child. You are a role model whether you like it or not. Your approach cannot be “do as I say, not as I do.” Children are always watching you for what is acceptable behavior.

Use hand signals in traffic and always ride responsibly. Ride on the right side of the road with traffic. Don’t let your child be one of the 75 to 85 percent of children who ride bikes without helmets. Show them that using a helmet is the only way to bicycle.

Even though you may be riding responsibly, sometimes injuries occur due to the fault of others. Helmets significantly reduce your risk of needing a Daytona Beach personal injury lawyer.