Just One Mild Concussion Can Set Kids Back For Life

TOP OF MIND

Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be football players
We all knew concussions were bad, but a new study has found that a child who has suffered a single concussion, even a mild one, is 15% less likely to go on to higher education in adulthood.

The study, which was published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, followed children and teens with brain injuries for 20 years, comparing them to peers with ankle or wrist fractures. It found that those with brain injuries achieved lower levels of education.

"This should get more attention in both healthcare and schools," says Julius Möttönen, Doctoral researcher and neurology expert.

The important bits
In Finland, where this study was conducted, education is free and required, typically lasting nine years, with higher education taking up to 25 years to complete. 

They looked at over 24,000 patient records and compared children with brain injuries to those without, and found that those who had a traumatic brain injury were 15% less likely to continue their education after high school. The chances were even lower—22% less—for more severe injuries, such as bleeding in the brain.

There was a similar study conducted nearly 10 years ago, producing eerily similar results.

That study found that children who suffer a traumatic brain injury (including a mild concussion) are more likely to receive a disability pension, nearly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, and were at an increased risk of early death.

What's it all mean?
Unfortunately, you can't make your kid wear a helmet 24/7, so the next best thing you can do is make sure they understand the importance of protecting their noggin. You might also want to seriously consider protecting them from contact sports like football, hockey, rugby and boxing. Here’s one doctor and his peers’ take on why they say they’d never let their kids play football.

DID YOU HEAR

🧍‍♂️ Some dads believe moms are the problem
Apparently, there's been a trend on social media with dads believing they're the superior parent because their kids act out less around them. One father boldly stated, "When we’re with the kids, and they’re gone, it’s easy as hell," and he believes it's because fathers are "way better" at enforcing boundaries. Of course, moms have a different theory:  "Children tend to show their full range of emotions with the person they feel most secure with." Shots fired? 🫢

📱 Parents say their 6-year-old needs a tech detox
It’s hard to imagine a 6-year-old needing to detox from anything other than nose-picking and apple juice, but 68% of parents say their little ones (6 and under) need a tech detox. This is concerning to experts because ideally, they say we should be limiting young kids to one hour a day, with most of that time spent watching educational programming like Sesame Street or even Bluey. More here.

🎂 What's the ideal age to have children?
According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, U.S. adults believe 27 is the "ideal" age to have a child. Additionally, they say 26 is the perfect age to get married and 61 is the ideal retirement age. This confirms the trends of adults hitting milestones later in life than previous generations. In 2024, the median age for a first-time marriage was 30. In 1974? 21-years-old. Also of note? The average home price in 1974 was around $35k. In 2024? Around $350k. Cool, huh?

🍬 These artificial sweeteners are making me hungry!
As more parents give their kids sugar-free alternatives, new research continues to suggest artificial sweeteners aren't all that sweet after all. Experts have found that sucralose activates the area in the brain that regulates hunger, and that activation, in turn, is linked to greater ratings of hunger. In fact, people who drank water with sucralose reported a nearly 20% increase in appetite compared to those who drank water with table sugar.

🤱 We all scream for breast milk-flavored ice cream!
Wait, seriously?

DOSE OF GOOD

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BITES WITH KIYAH

Baby-led weaning (BLW) is a game changer for some parents‚ but it's not without its pitfalls.

This week, I wanted to talk about where BLW worked for me and where it missed the mark. So whether you're getting started with solids or moving out of this stage of feeding, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with the practice.

HERE’S A QUESTION

Last week, we asked what your preferred age-gap between children would be and around 42% of you said "three" while "two" came in a close second.

RECALLS

Frito-Lay Tostitos
If you have a milk allergy in your household, you'll want to pay close attention to the latest recall from Frito-Lay.

The company announced they're recalling around 1,300 13-ounce bags of Tostitos Cantina Traditional Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips. The bags could contain nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips, which are made with milk.

All of the bags impacted have a “guaranteed fresh” date of May 20, so if your bag doesn't have that date, you should be good to go!

Also…
These popular liquid eggs are being recalled because they may contain cleaning solution. Yikes!