Strollerderby : fans

They Say: Fan Use Cuts Down On Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SunnyChanel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:17:00 GMT

When my toddler was a baby, I lived in fear of sudden infant death syndrome. The thought that a child, my child, could just die from no apparent malady, affliction or action and there was a chance, albeit slim, that she'd just suddenly stop breathing, totally freaked me out. I like it when there are reasons and answers. But the mystery of how or when SIDS may strike is one that is a prevailing fear in paranoid parents like me.

When my daughter was an infant, I’d go to her room several times throughout the night, just to make sure she was breathing. Fortunately, she always was. But the fear still lingered. Had I known about this new study, I would have slept much better. A report published this month in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine states that keeping a simple fan on in your child’s room as they sleep cuts down on SIDS. Along with having your child sleep on their back, a firm mattress, removing pillows and toys from cribs, and not letting babies get to warm, this new addition is to simply make sure that there is adequate air circulation.

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together, and although the before mentioned practices cut the death rate in half, SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies from one month to one year of age. Hopefully with some fans, this number will go down even further.

Via AP

They Say: Use All-Natural Bug Spray that works

Brett Singer — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The worst thing about going outside in the summer is the bugs. When its hot, you can always drink more water, take a shower, hire some local kids to fan you... wait, scratch that last one. But with bugs, they bite, and that itchy gift stays with you long after you go inside. It's even more difficult to protect your kids since they tend to be having too much fun to notice when a flock of horseflies are attacking.

We all want to keep chemicals off of our kids' bodies as much as possible. The thing about Deet is, it works. New York Magazine points to a product called Herbal Armor that is relatively cheap (the mag says $8.99, but it's less at Amazon, although shipping adds a lot) and is also, they claim, sweat-proof. So you slap it on and go. It's all-natural, so no worries about junior growing a third arm out of his back as a result of too much Deet-exposure. I haven't tried it, but I'm going to look for it in stores and report back. If anyone has used this stuff, let us know if it works.

image: Amazon

They Say: Celeb-Watching Boosts Self-Esteem

Madeline Holler — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:01:00 GMT

Does your daughter feel bad about herself? Take her to a Hannah Montana concert! Is your son not the confident boy he used to be? Make sure he has a subscription to People magazine! As for you? Don't listen to Adrienne -- keep following every move of your favorite celebrity mom and you're gonna love yourself in the morning, every morning.

Why? Because, they say, this is going to make you stronger.

A new study from SUNY-Buffalo shows that admiring celebrities can actually boost your low self-esteem, not drive it down. Who knew?

One hundred undergraduates in the study described their favorite celebrity in an open-ended essay. Self-evaluations in these essays were then assessed using a self-esteem scale. Apparently, the students' "relationships" with the celebrity provided some benefits that real relationships didn't.

From UPI:

These parasocial relationships, which have very low risk of rejection, offer low self-esteem people an opportunity to reduce their self-discrepancies and feel closer to their ideal selves, the researchers said.

Huh. So Angelina loves me? She really loves me? Suddenly, I feel fabulous!

Photo: lovebscott.com

Cookies that time forgot - Hydrox

Brett Singer — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:54:00 GMT

Kellogg's has decided to bring back the cookie that everyone always thought of as an Oreo also-ran. The reason? An online petition that was signed by a whopping 1,000 people. They also received 1,300 phone calls.

Now, maybe I'm crazy, but that doesn't sound like enough of a fan base to bring back a product. Unless these people realllly like their Hydrox, it seems unlikely that they will buy enough cookies to justify the re-release. This year is the 100th anniversary of Hydrox's introduction in 1908, so maybe that's another reason. The cookies will only be sold for "a limited time" beginning in August, although if sales are good one imagines the cookie will stick around for a while.

As it turns out, Hydrox was introduced 4 years before Oreos, which makes one wonder why Sunshine Biscuits Co. (since absorbed by Kellogg) didn't go the Mattel route and attempt to sue Nabisco into oblivion. (Maybe lawsuits weren't so popular in the early part of the 20th century. Or maybe they did sue, and they lost.)

Back in the day, one of Hydrox's main attractions was that the filling was made without lard, rendering it Kosher (literally), and also Vegan-friendly. According to this site, Oreo no longer uses pig fat. That's too bad, since that could've made for a great marketing campaign. Hook up with PETA, tap into the no-animal-products snack food base, get Pam Anderson to do the ads, wearing nothing except a thin coating of cookies... Now they'll have to rely on that gigantic 1,000 strong fan base.

image: What on Earth?!