Protect Against Flu: Caregivers of Infants and Young Children

"Children younger than 5 years old– especially those younger than 2– are at higher risk of developing serious flu-related complications. CDC estimates that from 2010 to 2020, flu-related hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years ranged from between 6,000 to 27,000 per year in the United States. Many more have to go to a doctor, an urgent care center, or the emergency room because of flu.

Complications from flu among children can include:

• pneumonia (an illness where the lungs get infected and inflamed),
• dehydration (when a child’s body loses too much water and salts, often because fluid losses are greater than fluid intake),
• worsening of long-term medical problems like heart disease or asthma,
• brain dysfunction,
• sinus problems, and ear infections.

In rare cases, flu complications can lead to death.

Children Younger Than 6 Months Old at Highest Risk

Children younger than 6 months old have the highest risk for being hospitalized from flu compared to children of other ages but are too young to get a flu vaccine. Because flu vaccines are not approved for use in children younger than 6 months old, protecting them from flu is especially important..."
Children and Flu 

Keeping Infants Safe in Midst of Formula Shortages

"There are few things that worry a parent more than their children’s health and safety. The ongoing infant formula shortage due to supply chain issues, which worsened due to a major formula recall in February, has left many caregivers feeling concerned and anxious about their options for safely feeding their infants.

Families receiving formula through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, are among the many affected by the recall. The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service are taking many actions to help ensure WIC participants can get safe formula to nourish their babies.

Some steps you can take to ensure the safety of your infant’s formula include:

• Learn more about choosing an infant formula that’s safe for your baby.
• Do not feed your baby cow’s milk or other non-dairy milks until 1 year old, unless you’ve talked to your child’s pediatrician.
• Don’t make homemade infant formula or water down formula; there are serious health and safety concerns.
• Do not buy formula online that comes from outside the U.S., which could be counterfeit, have a fake label or a wrong use-by date.
• Prepare and store infant formula according to the manufacturer’s instructions; do not water down formula.
• Properly clean, sanitize and store infant feeding items.
• Always wash your hands when handling formula and feeding items.
• Talk to your pediatrician about introducing complementary foods by 6 months (no earlier than 4 months). Visit MyPlate to learn more.

Please note: Only medical professionals are qualified to provide advice on acceptable alternatives to formulas that may currently be difficult to find. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips for parents and caregivers who are struggling to find baby formula during the shortage. Please talk with your pediatrician about safe and appropriate feeding alternatives for your child if needed..."
Infant formula 

New Federal Standard to Improve Safety of Infant Slings Takes Effect

"If you, or anyone you know, uses an infant sling carrier, a new federal standard aimed at making sling carriers safer is now in effect. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved the standard to prevent deaths and injuries to young children.  The new standard applies to any infant sling carrier manufactured or imported after January 30^th 2018.

What are the new rules?

Among other things, all infant slings must have permanently attached warning labels and come with instructions, like illustrated diagrams, to show the proper position of a child in the sling. Warning labels must include statements about:

• The suffocation hazards posed by slings and prevention measures,
• The hazards of children falling out of slings, and
• A reminder for caregivers to check the buckles, snaps, rings and other hardware to make sure no parts are broken

The mandatory standard also requires sling carriers to:

• Be able to carry up to three times the manufacturer’s maximum recommended weight,
• Be more durable to avoid seam separations, fabric tears, breakage, etc., and
• Be able to keep the child being carried from falling out of the sling during normal use...".

Infant slings

FDA proposes limit for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to reduce inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, a leading source of arsenic exposure in infants. Relative to body weight, rice intake for infants, primarily through infant rice cereal, is about three times greater than for adults.  Moreover, national intake data show that people consume the most rice (relative to their weight) at approximately 8 months of age.

Through a draft guidance to industry, the FDA is proposing a limit or “action level” of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. This is parallel to the level set by the European Commission (EC) for rice intended for the production of food for infants and young children. (The EC standard concerns the rice itself; the FDA’s proposed guidance sets a draft level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal.) FDA testing found that the majority of infant rice cereal currently on the market either meets, or is close to, the proposed action level..."
Inorganic arsenic & rice cereal

Infant Swings

"CPSC is making progress in establishing a new safety rule for infant swings. Many of you moms and dads know these products well, as they have helped your baby fall asleep at 3 a.m., 3 p.m., and everywhere in between.

While working through the safety of these swings, CPSC staff has assembled some interesting information for new moms and dads:

First, when you bring your new baby home, remember that newborns and young infants don’t have the muscle tone or strength to keep their heads up. So, when you put them into a swing, make sure that your baby is lying down..."

Infant sleep positioners: Consumer Warning - Risk of Suffocation
"AUDIENCE: Consumers, Pediatrics

ISSUE: FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning not to use Infant sleep positioners. In the last 13 years, the federal government has received 12 reports of babies known to have died from suffocation associated with their sleep positioners. Most of the babies suffocated after rolling from the side to the stomach.

BACKGROUND: The most common types of sleep positioners feature bolsters attached to each side of a thin mat and wedges to elevate the baby’s head. The sleep positioners are intended to keep a baby in a desired position while sleeping. They are often used with infants under 6 months old.

RECOMMENDATION: Consumers are warned to stop using infant positioning products. Never put pillows, sleep positioners, comforters, or quilts under the baby or in the crib. Always place a baby on his or her back at night and during nap time. See the Consumer Update for links to additional information, including product photos..."

Behind International Rankings of Infant Mortality: How the United States Compares with Europe
"Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation, and the recent stagnation (since 2000) in the U.S. infant mortality rate has generated concern among researchers and policy makers. The percentage of preterm births in the United States has risen 36% since 1984 (1). In this report we compare infant mortality rates between the United States and Europe. We also compare two factors that determine the infant mortality rate—gestational age-specific infant mortality rates and the percentage of preterm births. U.S. data are from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set (2,3), and European data for 2004 are from the recently published European Perinatal Health Report (4). We also examine requirements for reporting a live birth among countries to assess the possible effect of reporting differences on infant mortality data."

CDC Releases New Infant Mortality Data
"The United States ranked 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, compared to 27th in 2000, 23rd in 1990 and 12th in 1960, according to a new report from CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics.

The U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004, the latest year that data are available for all countries. Infant mortality rates were generally lowest (below 3.5 per 1,000) in selected Scandinavian (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and East Asian (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore) countries. Twenty-two countries had infant mortality rates below 5.0 in 2004.

The findings are published in a new Data Brief “Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States.” The data come from the Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set and Preliminary Mortality Data File, collected through the National Vital Statistics System..."