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TOP OF MIND
Measles are making a comeback
In the past two months, there have been two measles outbreaks in the United States. The first outbreak happened in Philadelphia after a 7-month-old contracted the highly contagious disease while traveling abroad. For some reason, the child was brought to daycare, infecting at least nine other children.
The second outbreak went down in Florida, more specifically Broward county, where less than 92% of children have received immunizations against the disease. The CDC recommends any given area needs to hit 95% immunization to prevent widespread outbreaks.
Florida's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, knows all this, but still told parents in Florida they could ignore the CDC's advice to keep unvaccinated children home from school for 21 days.
So far, six children have been infected.
The important bits
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases humans have ever faced. According to the research, if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will become infected. And while most people infected with measles make a full recovery, it's estimated that one to two children per 1,000 infected will die of the disease. In fact, in rare cases, unvaccinated babies who become infected can develop a fatal neurological condition years after coming down with the disease.
This has health officials worried, and honestly, a bit flummoxed because there is a perfectly safe vaccine against the disease. Many health experts have noted that serious side effects from the vaccine are incredibly rare.
Despite the lack of evidence, there's a growing number of parents who believe the vaccine causes autism in some children, but numerous medical studies have repeatedly shown there is no link between the vaccine and autism.
The World Health Organization worries the misinformation surrounding the shot will result in measles making an unfortunate comeback.
They recently warned that "half the world" will be at a high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of 2024.
What we are worried about is this year, 2024, we've got these big gaps in our immunization programs, and if we don't fill them really quickly with the vaccine, measles will just jump into that gap. We can see, from data that's produced with WHO data by the CDC, that more than half of all the countries in the world are going to be at high or very high risk of outbreaks by the end of this year.
Yikes.
What's it all mean?
We think it's fairly clear... the surest way to avoid measles is to make sure your child is up to date with their immunizations. And if you're worried about the possible side effects from the vaccines, this link will take you to a number of studies conducted throughout the years, so you can read them and come to your own conclusion.
DID YOU HEAR
⚠️ Are you a plastic wrap parent?
The term "plastic wrap parenting" is fairly new. It describes a parenting style marked by overprotectiveness and excessive control over a child's life. While it can be tempting to protect your child from all potential danger in life, going too far may have serious long-term effects. Find out what they are here.
🐄 You probably don't need moo moo milk
If you grew up in the '90s, chances are you saw your favorite celebrity sporting a milk mustache for some "Got Milk?" advertisement. The dairy industry has been trying to convince us for decades that all our bones will start breaking in half if we stop drinking cow's milk. But is that really true? Is moo moo milk really that essential, especially for adults? You can find all the answers here.
🚩 Teachers share their parenting red flags
Buzzfeed took a brief break from creating, "What Simpsons character are you?" quizzes to ask a more important question: "Teachers, what are the automatic tell-tale signs that a parent or kid's behavior exhibits 'red flags' parenting styles?"
Numerous teachers answered, and you should probably check out their responses to make sure you're not unknowingly waving a red flag.
💸 What would you do with an extra $1,000 every month?
The Urban Institute conducted a study in Austin, TX, giving families $1,000 a month for a year, describing it as "guaranteed income" to keep them from moving away from the city. What did the families spend the extra money on? Well, analysts have found that nearly every single participant used the money to get ahead on things like rent, groceries and child care costs.
🍿 20 kids movies that were obviously not made for kids
See if your favorite made the list.
A DOSE OF GOOD
@lileviemae Evelyn Mae on this golden day 💕✨#toddlersofticktok #babiesoftiktok #EvelynMae #hairstyles #hair #fyp #fypシ #hairinspiration #goldengirl #... See more
HILARY SWANK'S SWANKY BABY REGISTRY
For those who don't know, Hollywood actress Hilary Swank gave birth to twins last year at the age of 48. She was working 18 hours a day when she found out she was pregnant, so she didn't have time to make a proper baby registry.
But now that she's been a mother for several months, she's revealing what items would/should have been on her baby registry.
Some of the items listed are affordable, like this parenting book: The Nurture Revolution — Swank claims this book has had a "profound impact" on how she parents her babies.
She also swears by this surprisingly affordable lactation supplement. Swank notes everyone is different, but when she started taking these, she produced more milk.
Some more expensive items on her list include this Ergobaby Omni Dream Baby Carrier which will set you back $200. If you don't have $200 to spend on a baby carrier, we're big fans of this 6-in-1 Baby Carrier, which is half the price!
Swank's also a fan of this Revolving Solid Wood Bookcase, but if you don't have $500 to spend on a bookcase, this $99 rotating bookshelf should work just fine.
See her full list here.
PARENTING WIN/FAIL
This week, loyal reader Miranda P. shares how she and her 2-year-old son finally conquered the grocery store!
Going to the grocery store with my 2 year old son is typically a traumatic event for me, my son, and everyone around us. I'm honestly shocked we haven't been banned from our local Kroger. ANYWHO, during our most recent trip, he was getting a little antsy in the cart and started digging through my purse. At first, I was going to tell him no, but then he pulled out a tube of chapstick and managed to keep himself entertained for 30 minutes. So, yeah, tip for all you parents out there, just give your kid chapstick.
Chapstick saves the day once again! Thank you for sharing, Miranda!
If you have a parenting win/fail you'd like to share, email us at [email protected] and your story will be featured in a future edition!
HERE’S A QUESTION
Do you believe the measles vaccine is safe for children? |
Last week, we asked you how often your kids see their grandparents, and nearly 60% of you answered, "Once a month".
RECALLS
Thankfully, it's a pretty slow week when it comes to recalls... unless you own a Toyota. The company was forced to recall nearly 300,000 vehicles after discovering a transmission problem that can result in cars rolling forward while in neutral. The issue can lead to an increase in crashes.
More info here.