Earlier this year, the federal government released new safety standards for cribs in the US and just this week, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a consumer public safety announcement reflecting these new guiddlines. The one that grabbed the headlines was a recall and strict prohibition of the manufacture and sale of cribs with drop side-rails. This was an important change, due to at least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths due to drop side-rail cribs since 2000. This was a landmark in crib safety in this country, as federal crib safety standards had not been updated in over 30 years. It's important for parents to be aware of the issue of drop side-rail cribs, but there are also several other pieces of the new federal crib safety guidelines that all parents should be aware of.
1. Childcare centers, in-home child care facilities, and public domains that provide cribs like hotels, have until December 28, 2012 to comply with these guidelines. With this in mind, if parents are aware that their children are going to be exposed to any of these settings, it's important to ask about the cribs that are provided.
2. If you currently own a drop side-rail crib, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Consumer Product Safety Commision are strongly urging parents to consider getting a new crib that meets the updated safety guidelines. If this is not possible, the recommendation is to frequently check the integrity of the crib, including the hardware, making sure that all parts are secured tightly and that there are no missing or broken parts. Consider having your child sleep in a pack-n-play (as long as it is not a model that has been recalled).
3. If you are unsure whether or not the crib that you currently own has been recalled, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/ and click on infant/child recalls.
4. This safety guideline applies to all cribs, even those sold at resale locations like garage sales and consignment sales. Additionally, drop side-rail cribs may not be donated to thrift stores or child care facilities/nurseries. Any cribs that do not meet current safety guidelines should be broken down and disposed of.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Musings from my Minivan
It's always entertaining for me, when people find out what I do for a living. It usually goes something like this:
Them..."What do you do for a living?"
Me...."I'm a pediatrician."
Them..."Really, that's great! Where do you practice?"
Me, smiling..."Out of my minivan!"
That is usually met with some confused stares and silence, at which point, I explain my housecalls practice to them. The fun part is hearing the variety of responses. I've met several new families this week, and in honor of these new relationships, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite moments over the course of the first 7 months in the life of Pediatric Housecalls.
1. Child..."Mommy, when is the doctor going to be here?"
Mother..."Honey, this is the doctor."
Child...(silently looking me up and down)..."No mommy, the real doctor."
2. I am not sure why, but for some reason, I have about an 80% rate of kids asking me to come see their
playroom after I'm done examining them. This is usually followed by about a 99% rate of horrified looks
on their parents' faces, as the thought of a pediatrician walking unannounced into their playroom dashes
through their mind in slow-motion. Since the playroom in my own house always looks like a page out of
the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, complete with organized and labeled baskets (not!), and only filled with
uber-educational books, games, and puzzles (not!), I typically politely decline the offer. And then
exchange silent smiles of relief with the mother.
3. I always let the kids pick where they'd like to be examined. Usually they choose the couch, a
comfortable chair, the floor, their bed...but not this 5 year old little boy...no, he had a sense of humor
way beyond his years, as he stared me dead-serious in the eyes and said, "How 'bout inside my firetruck
tent?" I could hear his mom laughing behind me as we climbed inside.
4. And lastly, here's my true modern-day 2011 version of an episode on Little House on the Prarie.
At 7:50pm on a Tuesday night, a mom called me to see if I could come see her son, who had fallen
asleep earlier that evening, but who had now awoken in tears, complaining of ear pain. Within 15
minutes, I was on her doorstep, tiptoed upstairs to his bedroom, diagnosed an ear infection, gave him
some pain reliever and his first dose of antibiotic, and emailed his prescription to the pharmacy, all
while he never got out of his bed, his little sister was still happily sleeping down the hallway, and his
mother didn't have to get out of her sweats to drag 2 kids out of bed (her husband was out of town) to
go to an urgent care. I have to admit, I felt a little like Doc Baker, pulling up in a rainstorm on his
horse and carriage, to take care of sick little Nellie Olsen. OK, so there were a few minor differences,
like the fact that Doc Baker didn't have a GPS system (or a car, for that matter), Nellie's dad was in the
barn throwing hay, not in Japan on business, and the treatment of choice was something like quinine
and rubbing alcohol instead of a bubblegum-flavored antibiotic, but hey, it was close enough!
I truly LOVE what I do for a living, and it's stories like these that make it all the more fun! I may have an
unconventional practice, and I may throw people for a loop when they hear what I do, but I wouldn't go back to traditional practice ever again. This is way too entertaining!
Them..."What do you do for a living?"
Me...."I'm a pediatrician."
Them..."Really, that's great! Where do you practice?"
Me, smiling..."Out of my minivan!"
That is usually met with some confused stares and silence, at which point, I explain my housecalls practice to them. The fun part is hearing the variety of responses. I've met several new families this week, and in honor of these new relationships, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite moments over the course of the first 7 months in the life of Pediatric Housecalls.
1. Child..."Mommy, when is the doctor going to be here?"
Mother..."Honey, this is the doctor."
Child...(silently looking me up and down)..."No mommy, the real doctor."
2. I am not sure why, but for some reason, I have about an 80% rate of kids asking me to come see their
playroom after I'm done examining them. This is usually followed by about a 99% rate of horrified looks
on their parents' faces, as the thought of a pediatrician walking unannounced into their playroom dashes
through their mind in slow-motion. Since the playroom in my own house always looks like a page out of
the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, complete with organized and labeled baskets (not!), and only filled with
uber-educational books, games, and puzzles (not!), I typically politely decline the offer. And then
exchange silent smiles of relief with the mother.
3. I always let the kids pick where they'd like to be examined. Usually they choose the couch, a
comfortable chair, the floor, their bed...but not this 5 year old little boy...no, he had a sense of humor
way beyond his years, as he stared me dead-serious in the eyes and said, "How 'bout inside my firetruck
tent?" I could hear his mom laughing behind me as we climbed inside.
4. And lastly, here's my true modern-day 2011 version of an episode on Little House on the Prarie.
At 7:50pm on a Tuesday night, a mom called me to see if I could come see her son, who had fallen
asleep earlier that evening, but who had now awoken in tears, complaining of ear pain. Within 15
minutes, I was on her doorstep, tiptoed upstairs to his bedroom, diagnosed an ear infection, gave him
some pain reliever and his first dose of antibiotic, and emailed his prescription to the pharmacy, all
while he never got out of his bed, his little sister was still happily sleeping down the hallway, and his
mother didn't have to get out of her sweats to drag 2 kids out of bed (her husband was out of town) to
go to an urgent care. I have to admit, I felt a little like Doc Baker, pulling up in a rainstorm on his
horse and carriage, to take care of sick little Nellie Olsen. OK, so there were a few minor differences,
like the fact that Doc Baker didn't have a GPS system (or a car, for that matter), Nellie's dad was in the
barn throwing hay, not in Japan on business, and the treatment of choice was something like quinine
and rubbing alcohol instead of a bubblegum-flavored antibiotic, but hey, it was close enough!
I truly LOVE what I do for a living, and it's stories like these that make it all the more fun! I may have an
unconventional practice, and I may throw people for a loop when they hear what I do, but I wouldn't go back to traditional practice ever again. This is way too entertaining!
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