According to research published at the British Medical Journal, waiting at least three minutes before clamping the umbilical cord in healthy newborns boosts iron levels, has no adverse effects and should be standard practice after uncomplicated pregnancies.
Iron deficiency and anemia pose risks to young children world and can affect growth.
Swedish researchers compared 400 full term infants born after low-risk pregnancies, some of which had their umbilical cords clamped after at least three minutes, others less than ten seconds following delivery.
At four months old, those babies with delayed clamping showed better iron levels and fewer cases of neonatal anemia, with one in every 20 babies avoiding anemia.
If you are due to give birth soon, it might be worth bringing up this research with your obstetrician or midwife.
A school in Toronto's east end is getting a lot of flak -- for banning the use of 'hard' balls after a parent struck in the head suffered a concussion.
Alicia Fernandez, the principal of Earl Beatty Public School, claimed balls are simply too dangerous for the playground. "Kids were coming in complaining of injury, or being scared," she said.
The ban does not extend to sponge or other soft balls but includes soccer balls, footballs, baseballs, even tennis balls.
Needless to say, some parents feel the school's knee-jerk reaction is excessive and unfair.
"A lot of things could happen," said Chris Stateski, who has a son in Grade 2 and a daughter in Grade 4 at Earl Beatty. "A child could trip on the asphalt, a child could fall off the monkey bars and break their arm. So many things could happen. What are they going to do — cover the schoolyard in pillows and take all the doors off the hinges?"
Although he sympathized with the injured woman, Stateski doesn't feel the whole school should be penalized for what was an isolated incident. He stressed the relatively small size of the playground wasn't a factor in the ban.
Our neighbours to the south are having a heyday with the ball ban. Saturday Night Live already had a poke, while radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh warned that such a ban would "wimpify" kids.
Ontario Education Minister Laurel Broten, however, supported the principal's decision, while a spokesperson for Toronto District School Board insisted the ban was a temporary measure while the principal consults with parents and staff to find a solution.
Does the ball ban strike you as OTT (over the top) or better safe than sorry?
Ever since Pink had her daughter, Willow, five months ago, the songstress has kept a pretty low profile in Tinsel Town. Until this past weekend, that is -- when Willow made her first red-carpet appearance, dressed in what looked like a mini-tux, at the Hollywood premiere of Happy Feet Two.
A family movie, sure, but isn't five months old too soon to expose little Willow to the media frenzy?
It's bad enough having flashbulbs go off in your face every time you leave the front door. Why any celeb would want to inflict that kind of exposure on their babies is beyond me.
My maternal instinct would be driving me to protect my bundle from predatory photographers, not swooning in front of them.
Should Pink and her partner Carey Hart have shielded their baby from prying paparazzi eyes for longer, or is that just delaying the inevitable?
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