Recalls recalls recalls
We don’t usually begin the newsletter with recalls, but there are just too many important ones to ignore this week.

Pasta meals from Walmart and Trader Joe’s are under a Listeria alert, Sprout Organics is expanding a recall over elevated lead levels in baby food, thousands of car seat cooling gel pads have been pulled after one burned a child, and even corn dogs are being recalled over safety concerns.

The important bits
Let's start off with the corn dogs. 58 million pounds of corn dog and other sausage-on-a-stick products are being recalled because they might have wood pieces embedded in them.

And yes, we are aware that corn dogs typically have a wooden stick inside them, but these wood pieces are supposedly embedded in the batter. The impacted brands include Jimmy Dean, State Fair, and an unbranded label.

Then you have two pasta meals from Trader Joe's and Walmart being recalled due to Listeria concerns. The impacted meals are the Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs from Walmart and TJ's Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo.

Okay, so we have Listeria, wood pieces... what are we missing? Lead! Sprout Organics baby food pouches are being removed from the shelves due to elevated lead readings.

Finally, 20,000 units of the Hoovy Cooling Gel Insert Pads used in car seats and strollers are being recalled because they're doing the opposite of cooling. One kid suffered second-degree burns from the faulty product.

What's it all mean?
Proceed with caution.

❤️‍🩹 Emotionally healthy parents raise emotionally healthy kids
We spend so much time teaching kids to handle their feelings, but what about our own? In Parents Have Feelings, Too, Hilary Jacobs Hendel and Dr. Juli Fraga share tools to help moms and dads work through six core emotions: anger, sadness, fear, disgust, joy and excitement. Their Change Triangle method shows how naming and processing emotions helps parents stay grounded and raise emotionally healthy kids.

📈 Syphilis cases continue to climb in newborns
CDC data shows overall STI cases dropped in 2024, but congenital syphilis in newborns rose for the 12th year in a row, nearing 4,000 cases. The infection is preventable and treatable in pregnancy, yet healthcare gaps, drug shortages, and rising syphilis rates mean more babies are at risk. The CDC recommends that people get tested for syphilis three times over the course of their pregnancy.

🐩 Woof woof > meow meow
Dog lover? Good news! Babies who grow up around pups may be less likely to develop asthma. A new study found early exposure to dog allergens cut asthma risk by nearly 50% and improved lung function, especially in kids with higher genetic risk. Cat allergens? Not so lucky. Researchers aren’t sure why dogs offer this boost, but it's another sign they are truly man's best friend.

👼 $30k to name a baby
A San Francisco baby name consultant named Taylor Humphrey is going viral this week after it was revealed she charges parents up to $30,000 just to pick out the perfect name for their little one. She reportedly uses "marketing, genealogy, and even therapy-style guidance" to create unique, stylish names. In other, completely unrelated news, we're now offering this same exact service. Please reply to this email and Venmo us $30k. Thanks!

🐛 Lice infestations terrorize schools across the country
Here's how to protect your family.

As a complement to this week's episode of The Weekly Parent podcast, grab this free cheat sheet that gives you five simple practical strategies to help your kids explore new foods and expand their palate.

Last week, we asked you which "old school" tradition you wanted to bring back and "family game nights" came out on top, closely followed by "playing outside until it's dark".

In this episode: Dr. Kiyah unpacks why food variety matters for our kids' long-term health and how parents can actually make it happen (without adding stress).

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