Lately, we have been inundated with news headlines about toys being recalled: the lead paint on Dora dolls from China; the tiny yet powerful magnets in Magnetix that end up in kids’ tummies and cause internal injuries and death; and hundreds of other toys for young children. There is plenty of blame to go around, and we consumers need to ask ourselves why so many of the things we buy are manufactured in ways that put our children at risk. It is great that we can buy so many fun things for $2-$3. But there are at least two downsides to continuing to demand ever cheaper products:

1) The cheapest forms of manufacturing will always be the ones that prize efficiency over safety

2) If we reduce all of our playthings to the inexpensive trinket level, are we training kids to be “disposable” consumers? (more…)

Last month, the FDA issued this advisory warning to parents: NEVER give cough and cold medicines to children younger than 2 years old unless your doctor has instructed you to do so. The agency is very concerned about the hundreds of adverse reactions and several deaths resulting from popular children’s medicines containing dextromethorphan (often DM in a drug’s brand name) and pseudoephedrine (a decongestant). Adverse effects include hallucinations and abnormal movements (dextromethorphan) and increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeats (pseudoephedrine).

Accidental overdoses happen for at least three reasons: (more…)

If you are reading this, you are probably a parent whose goals include helping your child get the best start in life. Whether your child is 2, 8 or 16, you have probably spent lots of time thinking about how your child can be a success down the road. Today many parents start talking to their kids about college, even tangentially. My nephew Everett informed us at six that he and his best friend Noah would be roommates in college. At seven, he announced that he would be going to Boise State because they have a blue football field. I am all for painting a picture of higher education in your child’s mind – college years allow a teen to mature to a young adult in a reasonably safe place outside the home, and a college degree almost always increases your child’s options and earning power as an adult.

But is college the most formative stage on your path to a productive and satisfying adult life? It wasn’t for me – and I only really thought that through after being asked in an interview “What was the key life experience in your early years that has had the greatest impact in your entrepreneurial success?” Without even thinking about it, I said “My job at Winn Dixie”, and then I found I needed to explain myself. (more…)

Many people believe that if they give their children food that is less heavy in calories, they will snack more later, and so eventually take in those calories regardless. A study by the Obesity Society reported that is not true. For one week, a group of kids was given breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and the next week, they received the same menu and portions, with lower calorie substitutes for milk, fruit and pasta sauces. As long as the volume of food stayed the same, the children were no more likely to snack during the week of eating fewer calories than during the high calorie week.

The Blue Lake take on it:
We are reminded of the old phrase used to describe “hearty” food: It really sticks to the ribs. Well, it seems it really just sticks to the stomach! If your child has any issues with weight, you would be doing him or her a big favor by trying some of the substitutions that worked in this study. And don’t do it secretly – kids are capable of learning with you about what works to keep weight off.