Some cool videos to share

I've found some cool songs and videos, so thought of sharing it here.
Hope your kids will like it! Enjoy!!

Alvin and the chipmunks - Get Munk'd


High School Musical 2 - Everyday


High School Musical - Start of Something New

Baby Comics

Enjoy this baby comic!! Heeheee....Just for laugh! :)

Can You Be Too Clean?

If you're feeling guilty about leaving your baby in germ-ridden daycare, letting the dog slobber all over her, and not keeping your house spotlessly clean all the time, you can stop worrying. Though your little one may have a few more colds now than her less hygiene-compromised peers, she may be less likely to suffer chronic problems with asthma and allergies later, according to the latest research.

In this century, there has been a huge increase in the numbers of children with asthma and allergies worldwide, particularly in developed countries. In the United States, asthma is now the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 5 million children and adolescents. Reports show a 75 percent increase in asthma prevalence from 1980 to 1994, with an astounding 160 percent rise in children under the age of four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 1989, an epidemiologist writing in the British Medical Journal suggested that the rise in allergies may be due to declining family sizes and higher standards of cleanliness that provide young children with less exposure to germs. This, in turn, is thought to give their still-developing immune systems less practice fighting off intruders. The result, as the theory goes, is that the under-challenged immune system wants to be used, so it's primed to see harmless substances like dust and pollen as dangerous invaders, leading to allergies and asthma.

Recent studies show that there may be some truth to this idea, which has come to be known in medical circles as the "hygiene hypothesis." In 1997 a study of almost 12,000 families in England and Scotland found that the more children a family had, the less the incidence of asthma. A May 2000 study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reported that among almost 1,200 teenagers in Canada, those who grew up on farms were 40 percent less likely to have asthma than their urban and suburban counterparts.

And in a more comprehensive study in the August 24, 2000 New England Journal of Medicine, scientists at the University of Arizona followed a group of 1,035 children from infancy until they were as old as 13. They found that among babies under six months, those who had older siblings or were in daycare were more likely to have asthma symptoms such as wheezing. But after the age of six, these same children were 40 percent less likely to be suffering from asthma.

"What do siblings, animals, and daycare have in common?" asks Dr. Thomas M. Ball, assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Arizona and one of the authors of the study. It sounds inelegant, but the answer is probably contact with trace amounts of feces. Ball speculates that what actually causes that decrease in asthma later isn't actually the number of infections a baby has, but rather the amount of contact she has with endotoxins, which are substances that are given off by bacteria when they die. Feces are loaded with them.

But the important thing to note from Ball's study is that the window of opportunity for affecting the developing immune system seems to occur during the first year of life. Research has shown that a baby's immune system begins preparing for microbial onslaught even before birth, with the placenta acting as a filter that lets through small amounts of innocuous allergens and microbes. Babies, it seems, are born ready to have their immune systems challenged. So don't stress too much about the various bugs your baby may be encountering at daycare or from the family pet. They may be the best thing for her in the long run.

2007 December Holidays Fav Performance

Here's some photos captured during the performance of some children's favoutite character in Singapore 2007.
Enjoy!!

WINX CLUB, Barbie Island Princess...etc

Nursing Mothers may be giving their infants food allergies.

Nursing Mother's with a history of asthma or eczema may need to be more cautious about foods they consume. A study being done in Canada has found that nursing mothers may pass peanut proteins in breast milk to their infants. Such early exposure to these kind of allergens could put babies at risk, developing potentially fatal allergies.

A recent Food and Drug Administration study also found that many food manufacturers fail to list highly allergenic ingredients such as peanuts, eggs and milk that are in their products. About 7 million Americans who suffer from food allergies rely on ingredient labels to tell them which processed foods are safe. Some food allergies, particularly peanut allergies, can be fatal -- they cause about 150 deaths each year.

Mothers who breast-feed their children may be able to prevent them from developing such allergies by monitoring their diets, according to a Canadian study. Researchers said babies with one or both parents with a history of asthma, eczema or other allergy-based diseases are at risk of peanut allergy, because those children can be identified at birth, nursing mothers could avoid exposing them to the allergen by not consuming peanut products while nursing.

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, said breast milk had been suspected as a hidden route by which children became sensitized to peanuts. Avoiding exposure through breast milk does not guarantee that children can avoid peanut allergy when they are exposed to the food at a later age. It is now believed the allergy is often triggered by exposure early in a child's development. Doctors generally recommend that parents not feed children peanut products until age 3.

Choosing the correct breast pump

What Type of Breast Pump Is Right For U?

Manual or electric, single or double-alternating pump, buy or rent? With the number of options available choosing the most suitable breast pump for your pumping needs can be tricky. Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all breast pump; what worked well for your mother or best friend may not work well for you. Choosing your ideal breast pump is a decision best made after considering your needs and weighing all of the options. There are several factors that can help determine your ideal breast pump.

The following sections provide a brief outline of points to consider when choosing a pump. If you are having difficulty choosing a pump, a qualified healthcare professional can help guide your decision based on the following factors:

1) How do you plan to use the pump?

Are you using a pump in addition to breastfeeding?
Do you plan to pump and store several containers of milk?
Are you returning to work?
Will you be away from your baby for several days?

2) How much time will it take you to pump?
The amount of time it takes to pump varies, but certain types of breast pumps may be easier to use and extract milk faster.
If you plan to pump at work or do not have a lot of time to pump, you may want to consider a battery or electrically powered breast pump. Double and double-alternating pumps may also decrease the amount of time it takes to pump because both breasts can be emptied at the same time.

3) Are the pump's instructions easy for you to understand?
Review the instructions included with several different pumps and choose a pump that is easy for you to assemble, use, clean, and take apart. If you are shopping for a pump in a store, ask a salesperson if the store has display breast pumps so you can practice assembling and taking apart several different pumps before you buy one.
Keep in mind that for health reasons most stores will not allow you to return a breast pump.

4) Where will you be using a pump?
Manual and battery-powered pumps can be easy to transport and use in small spaces, while an electric pump will require an outlet to power the pump and may be difficult to transport.
It is important that women who use a powered breast pump are prepared for emergency situations when electricity or extra batteries may not be available. Having extra supplies for pumping and a back-up method, such as a manual breast pump, may help a woman maintain her breast pumping schedule during an emergency.

5) Do you need a pump that is easy to transport?
If you travel frequently, or plan to pump at work consider buying a light-weight pump that transports easily in a carrying case that holds the pump and your pumping supplies.
If you plan to pump in the same place every time, you may not need to worry about how easy it is to transport.

6) Will the breast-shields fit you?
Make sure that the breast-shield opening is the correct size for you. You should be able to comfortably center your nipple inside the breast-shield. Many pumps are sold with one size of breast-shield. If the included breast-shields make your nipples sore or are otherwise uncomfortable, make sure you can replace them with a different size or texture that is comfortable for you and will work with your pump.