The children's corner

NORFOLK, VA - A new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, shows that parents can sooth their babies with five comforting methods to help reduce the pain of infant vaccinations.

The method was developed by assistant professor of Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine, Dr. Harvey Karp.

The five techniques are known as the five S’s. This includes swaddling, placing the baby on its side, gently swaying, having the child suck on a pacifier and shushing in the infant’s ear. These measure help calm the baby immediately after being stuck with a needle. These steps work together by imitating the feelings of being in the womb.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics and led by Dr. John Harrington of the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Va.

Harrington encourages parents to use Karp’s five S’s to alleviate discomfort after infant immunizations.

“Some parents might be a little skittish giving their babies vaccines knowing it’s not painless… they can do something to reduce the pain and soothe their child,” Harrington said.

During the study, medical residents were trained to use the five S’s on infants after they received their routine vaccination shots.  The study found that infants who were exposed to the five S’s immediately after getting stuck with a needle scored lower on a pain measurement scale. Babies also stopped crying faster compared to infants given a sugar solution.

CBS Video: Soothing a Crying Baby

When it comes to reducing vaccination pain in babies, Dr.Karp is confident in his development of the five S’s method.

“There’s been 30 to 40 years of research showing the individual S’s work, but what was missing was the recognition that babies are born with a reflexive-off switch for crying and an on-switch for sleeping,” Karp said.

A sugar water solution is commonly used to reduce pain in infants after infant immunization shots. Harrington believed that together the five S’s and the water could relieve pain. Before the study, he doubted that the five S’s alone could be affective. But researchers found that pain scores were lower in infants when using the five S’s.

“Going in, we thought that maybe sugar and the physical intervention would work together,” said Dr. Harrington.  

“But what we found was that just the physical intervention was good enough. You really didn’t need to give sugar prior to the shots.”

On average, infants receive at least three shots per two month checkup and two at their four month visit. Breastfeeding is commonly used to soothe babies during these checkups, but for women not breastfeeding it is encouraged to use the five S’s. These techniques can also relieve discomfort in a colicky baby.

By Amanda Legros

With Contributions by the New York Times, USA Today, CBS

Photo, SheKnows

Video, CBS

EDUKATE YOSELF

WebMD: More Parents Refuse, Delay Child’s Vaccination

10 Reasons Why Parents Choose Not to Vaccinate

Swaddling Your Baby

Facebook: Parent Connection - Infant Vaccinations

Twitter: It’s National Infant Immunization Week!

WASHINGTON, DC - A recent study by the Agriculture Department has found that food stamps have decreased the rate of poverty considerably during the recession.

In 2009, the food assistance program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, reduced poverty by approximately 8 percent.

Expertise Stacy Dean with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities believes the assistance program is an important antipoverty effort for the country.

“SNAP plays a crucial, but often underappreciated, role in alleviating poverty,” she said.

According to ABC News, before the recession, the food stamp program served 26 million Americans. This number has since grown to more than 46 million.

Kevin W. Concannon, the under secretary of agriculture for food, nutrition and consumer services believes that SNAP is one of few remaining antipoverty programs that supplies benefits with few requirements.

“The numbers of people on SNAP reflect the economic challenges people are facing across the country,” Concannon said.

“Folks who have lost their jobs or are getting fewer hours. These people haven’t been invented.”

Voice of Americans Video: Millions of Americans Using Food Stamps

Data from the U.S.D.A revealed that during and immediately after the recession, enrollment in the program grew largely by 45 percent from January 2009 to January 2012.

Nine years of data of people whose incomes remained below the poverty level were examined in the study. The program increased the average poor person’s income by nearly six percent closer to the line showing a less severe case of poverty.  Incomes of families with children moved about 11 percent closer.

“Even if SNAP doesn’t have the effect of lifting someone out of poverty, it moves them further up,” Concannon added.

By Amanda Legros

With contributions by the New York Times, ABC News

Photo, Getty Images

Video, VOAvideo

EDUKATE YOSELF

Public Assistance/ Food Stamp Fraud

New York City Coalition Against Hunger: Top 10 Myths about Food Stamps

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Facebook: Food Stamp Abuse

Twitter: Food Stamped

MANHATTAN, NY – The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has installed an exhibit to promote healthy living in children. The EatSleepPlay activity center, which opened in November 2011, helps to prevent childhood obesity by incorporating play centers and education.

Museums across the United States are establishing similar exhibits to tackle other social issues affecting the children community. This includes foster care, homelessness and education.

Andy Ackerman, the executive director of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan believes part of the mission of children’s museums is simply providing access.

“Social issues, education, health and creativity — it’s all a continuum, and we can connect those domains and reinforce each of them,” he said.

Children’s museums continue creating programs specialized in the interests of children.

Located in Florida, the Young at Art Museum provides an afterschool arts program for homeless student. The Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore has an exhibit for children with special needs. And the Providence Children’s Museum in Rhode Island helps find permanent homes for foster care children.

Executive director of the Association of Children’s Museums in Arlington, Va., Janet Rice Elman has realized that people are utilizing museums to tend to specific needs of children and their families.

“These are places where families can learn through play — from science to early literacy skills to parenting — in settings that are joyful,” she adds. 

Many children’s museums are collaborating with various organizations and experts to develop programs within their facilities.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has worked with the National Institutes of Health to develop the EatSleepPlay center. The Museum has also teamed up with health advisers for further expertise.

Research from Dr. Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, has helped establish the sleep division of the EatSleepPlay exhibit. This center teaches healthy sleeping habits for children.

“Educating through the arts….That’s how you change behavior,” Ackerman said.

Video: Children’s Museum of Manhattan

Children’s museums are also reaching out to underprivileged neighborhoods. They are creating programs in these areas in an effort to attracting people who wouldn’t normally visit nor have access to.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is building a replica of its museum in East Harlem’s public housing. It also travels beyond Manhattan and provides health and literacy programs in the Bronx and New Orleans.

Jeri Robinson, the vice president for early childhood and family learning at the Boston Children’s Museum wants the mission of the museums to remain relevant to its communities.

“The audiences who are living here want to be able to come here and see their lives reflected,” said Ms. Robinson.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has made special accommodations for special needs children. On Mondays the museum is opened to children with autism and their families. This will allow the children to enjoy the exhibit in a quiet venue- an experience that all children have the opportunity to enjoy.

By Amanda Legros

With contributions by the New York Times

Photo, the New York Times

Video, Mahalo

EDUKATE YOSELF

Better Parenting: Why You Should Feed Your Children Junk Food

Babble: Junk Food for Kids

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Facebook: Childhood Obesity

SANFORD, FLA. – A Seminole grand jury will hear evidence in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin next month according to the state attorney’s office for Brevard and Seminole Counties. Evidence includes phone records showing that Martin’s girlfriend was on the phone with him before his death.

Phone logs obtained by ABC News indicate the conversation between the teen and his girlfriend occurred five minutes before police arrived on the scene.

On Tuesday, Brevard and Sanford state attorney, Norman R. Wolfinger released a statement that said the grand jury will examine the case starting on April 10.

“I share in the desire of the family and the community to accurately collect and evaluate all the facts surrounding the tragic death of Trayvon Martin,” Wolfinger’s statement said.

“I respectfully request that the public remain patient as this process continues forward.”

On February 26, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer while walking from a convenience store. The case has received national attention and stirred a national outrage given the circumstances of the case. George Zimmerman said he killed the teenager out of self defense.

Monday evening, the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department made the decision to further investigate Martin’s death.

“The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation,” Xochitl Hinojosa, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said in a statement.

“The department also is providing assistance to and cooperating with the state officials in their investigation into the incident.”

A grand jury is intervening after demonstrations outside the Seminole County courthouse took place following Martin’s death. College students rallied around the courthouse protesting for justice for the teen.  The Sanford police department was also receiving complaints regarding their mishandling of the case.

On Tuesday the family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said at a news conference that Martin was talking to his girlfriend on the phone minutes before his death. Crump said Martin told the girl that a man was following him as he was walking home.

His girlfriend told him to run and Trayvon responded and said he would “walk fast.”

The 911 recordings of the incident have been released by the City of Sanford in Florida. The audio reveals someone pleading for help and crying. You can also hear a gunshot in the recordings. Zimmerman is heard using expletive language during a nonemergency call.

“These a**holes always get away,” he said on the recordings.

Along with ABC News, Martin’s father, Tracey Martin, and mother, Sybrina Fulton listened to the calls.

“He knew he was being followed and tried to get away from the guy, and the guy still caught up with him,” Tracey Martin said.

“And that’s the most disturbing part. He thought he had got away from the guy and the guy back-tracked for him.”

Video: Travon’s Parent’s- We Want an Arrests

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46805798#46805798

Over 860, 000 have signed and online petition fighting for the arrests of Zimmerman.

Since the release of the tapes, social media’s have joined the protests for justice in the case. Twitter has gotten thousands of mentions of the hashtag #trayvonmartin. Hundreds of Facebook users have responded to a request to post a picture of themselves wearing hoodies -a movement called “A Million Hoodies for Trayvon Martin.”

By Amanda Legros

With contributions by the New York Times, ABC News, Newsfeed, The Lede, Facebook

Photo, Reuters; Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Video, MSNBC: The Today Show

EDUKATE YOSELF

Sanford Police Department

National Neighborhood Watch Institute

Change 

Facebook: Justice for Trayvon Martin