A team of scientists at Oxford University in England have identified a gene linked to dyslexia, a learning disability that often leads to reading and spelling difficulties. If not addressed early on, children can fall behind in literacy skills and spend the rest of their lives trying to catch up. With this new discovery, however, children may be able to get help in coping with the condition sooner.

"On average," notes Dr. Silvia Paracchini, of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford, "people carrying this common genetic variant tended to perform poorly on tests of reading ability. However, it is important to note that this is only true for reading ability and not for IQ, so it doesn't appear to be connected to cognitive impairment." In other words, dyslexia does not affect intelligence, just the ability to process certain types of information.

It's estimated that about fifteen percent of the people in the UK carry the gene, so it seems to me that identifying it and being able to check for it is a very good thing.

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Presidential nominee John McCain allegedly had a date set with actress Jenny McCarthy. The topic of their discussion? Not love but, rather autism, and specifically the link between the condition and the use of thimerosal in the vaccines McCarthy believes cause autism.

McCarthy was eager to meet with McCain after learning he believes there may be a link as well, and apparently flew herself out for a meeting with the Republican senator to try to make autism a major part of the presidential campaign.

According to reports, however, McCain backed out after his flack decided the subject matter was too controversial. Right, like presidential nominees should avoid discussing anything controversial! If they did all they'd end up doing at debates was drinking Yoohoos! Although not attributed anywhere, the post on IMDB claims McCain also bailed after learning there is no hard evidence linking vaccines with thimerosal and autism. Either way, McCain declined to meet with the former Playboy centerfold (huge mistake, dude!) and McCarthy has now set her sites on meeting with Senator Obama.

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Are you having a baby but haven't yet figured out what to call the little bundle of joy? (Hey, I understand -- despite having the best names ever, our son Tuolumne Ezra was several days old before he had a name.) Could it be that you just don't think the name you've picked out does your little one justice? Are you a big fan of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her unusually named children? Well, why not let Palin choose a name for your baby?

Yep, coming all the way from Alaska via that well-known series of tubes, it's the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Just put in the name you were thinking of and get back Sarah's suggestion for a better name. In fact, to show your support for the future veep, you could even put in your own name and change it to Sarah's suggestion. Just call me Geese Whalebone Sinasohn from now on.

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The World Health Organization and UNICEF last week urged Asian mothers to return to breastfeeding in the wake of a series of infant deaths caused by melamine-contaminated powdered baby formula in China.

An update issued by WHO states that more than 40,000 children have sought medical attention after eating the formula, and nearly 13,000 more are receiving treatment in hospitals. So far, three deaths have been confirmed.

The organizations stress that breast is best for babies.

According to an article on Rueters.com, "no infant formula contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to enhance infant growth and brain development as breast milk does." Breast milk also contains antibodies that protect children against stomach upsets like diarrhea.

Experts say more and more Asian women have turned away from breastfeeding and adopted formula as the preferred food for their children.

However, medical experts warn that, on top of risking their infants' health, mothers in China are also putting themselves at risk by consuming more and more dairy products.

Right now, only 1 percent of the Chinese population is diagnosed with breast cancer, but occurrences of breast cancer-and also osteoporosis- will increase doctors say, if Asians continue to adopt a more Western-style diet.

Breastfeeding advocates advise women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their lives.

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Baby powder smells good and feels good too, that's why it's been used on babies' bottoms for decades. But for the last several years, pediatricians have been telling parents to resist the urge. Not only is there little evidence that talcum powder prevents diaper rash, it's easily inhaled and can irritate the lungs.

A new study, however, gives one more solid reason to avoid using talcum powder. Researchers found that when women used talcum powder every day in their genital area, their risk of developing ovarian cancer rose as much as 40%. Experts believe that the talc travels up to the ovaries, causing inflammation that can develop into cancer. It's important to note that most women who use talc will not develop cancer, but even so, they're recommending that women either stop using powder altogether or switch to a cornstarch based formula.

I think that based on previous recommendations regarding lung health, combined with these new studies, it's probably time to put baby powder to bed for good. What do you think? Do these studies cause you concern, or are you reluctant to give up this diapering tradition?

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Hard to believe but it's already flu season again. Or, to be more accurate, it's really (hopefully) flu PREVENTION season. This week the Center for Disease Control whipped out a new, stronger than ever campaign to get pregnant women and young children vaccinated. This campaign, of course, is not without its controversy. Not so long ago, one of our commenters seemed to think the topic of vaccinations was my high horse, as I write about it frequently, but I can assure you that's not the case. I'm a parent, too, with the same concerns as many of you regarding vaccines and children's health--I'm just interested in getting as much information as possible and seeing how the whole thing turns out.

According to the CDC, children as young as six months of age should be getting flu vaccinations. It strongly recommended vaccinations for kids up to eighteen years old, pregnant women, healthcare workers and anyone over the age of fifty. Seems harmless enough, right? I mean, most of us have gotten at least one flu shot in our lives and for the most part we turned out OK. The problem with the flu vaccine, which contains thimerosal, is that thimerosal contains mercury. Yep, mercury. Rather DANGEROUS. Now, that said, we've all been assured that even if it did contain said mercury, the amount would be no more than that in a small can of tuna. Contrary to that, however, are the findings that the kind of mercury found in thimerosal differs from that found in tuna (methyl mercury) in that it stays in the system, namely the brain, for a lot longer period of time. This is not great news for a developing fetal brain.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists claim that pregnant women should be getting this vaccine and that there isn't any evidence of harmful effects to women or their unborn children. According to some that notion is quite misleading as it implies that tons of tests and research has been done on the subject, when, in fact, it has not. Still, what would my pediatrician say? Well, he'd tell me that the chances of something happening to my child as a result of the flu vaccine are a great deal smaller than what might happen if he remained unvaccinated. When one weighs the odds from that perspective the vaccination wins out.

Clearly, more research is needed and the results well-established before we make any uniform decisions with respect to vaccinating our children--unborn or not. The other side of the argument? Opt for what my pediatrician did--offer flu shots without thimerosal. Hopefully, pregnant women can get that option too.

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Mr. Aiken, welcome to the wonderful world of parenting. Sure, it's one filled with joy and happiness, but it's also, more than occasionally, one filled with fear. Clay Aiken learned about this less seemly side of parenting just weeks after the birth of his son. Aiken's son Parker was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, which affects the gastrointestinal tract, the symptoms of which had the American Idol star fearing for his young son's health.

Parker was throwing up everything he was eating and Aiken feared he would become dehydrated. Prior to that he'd been gassy for several weeks. Aiken was concerned about taking his son to the hospital, but then realized that, as the child's father, he would be given access to the hospital and that he had a responsibility to ask the questions his baby could not.

See, parenting brings out the best in us (at least most of the time). Aiken is well on his way to being a great dad. And, it's thanks to celebrities, much of the time, that the public becomes aware of certain health issues. Before yesterday I'd never heard of the pyloric stenosis condition, nor was I aware of its symptoms, which not might seem that bad to a new parent unaware of the hidden dangers of such symptoms in newborns. Luckily, Parker and family are doing well and the little tyke is well on the road to recovery.

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In the wake of the Chinese milk scandal, the European Union has banned the import of all baby food containing Chinese milk. Four babies have died and more than fifty thousand have become sick due to melamine added to watered-down milk. The melamine is added to cover up the lower protein content.

Unfortunately, it's not just milk that's affected. Milk is an ingredient in many products, including baby food. In order to protect infants, the European Union has put the kibosh on baby food containing Chinese milk. Any products containing more than fifteen percent milk powder will be tested before being sold, according to new rules taking effect today.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF issued a statement about the scandal, saying "Whilst any attempt to deceive the public in the area of food production and marketing is unacceptable, deliberate contamination of foods intended for consumption by vulnerable infants and young children is particularly deplorable." I couldn't have said it better.

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The best parenting advice I've ever heard is also the simplest: play with your kids as long as they will let you.

A family of nine children, ranging in age from one to seventeen, was left at a Nebraska hospital on Wednesday, thanks in part to the state's unique safe haven law. Generally, such laws are intended to protect newborn infants from being killed or left to die by allowing the parents to leave them at a hospital or police station without fear of prosecution.

That's the way Nebraska's law started out too -- but concern over arbitrary age limits led to the inclusion of the term "child" in the law, allowing it to apply to, some say, anyone up to the age of nineteen. The nine children left at Creighton University Medical Center were brought in by their father. "It was the parents not wanting to continue the journey with their kids," said Todd Landry of Children and Family Services, speaking of the older kids that have been abandoned since the law went into effect. In addition to the nine siblings, two other, unrelated, boys, aged eleven and fifteen, were also left at a hospital.

I can sort of understand a parent feeling the need to give up a newborn infant -- they may be unable to care for the baby or may not be ready for that sort of responsibility -- but I can't imagine abandoning a child older than that, let alone a teenager. By the time a kid is a year or two old, I would imagine that any parent would have bonded with them enough to make such an action impossible. And what about the kids? What sort of effect would this have on kids old enough to understand what's happening? It seems to me that Nebraska better start budgeting for a whole lot of therapists if this keeps up.

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Want to save your marriage despite having kids? Remember this.

Croup is scary. If you've ever woken up to the sound of your child barking like a seal, then you know what I mean. Though in most cases, croup can be handled at home with some warm steam or cool night air, it can occasionally be serious enough to warrant a trip to the ER.

Croup is almost always caused by a virus. But a recent small study found that recurrent cases of croup, or those that happen repeatedly in a short period of time, might actually be triggered by acid reflux. When doctors treated children with recurrent croup who also had symptoms of acid reflux, many showed improvement in the number of times they came down with croup and the severity of it.

Though researchers believe that this acid reflux/croup link only applies to a small number of children, there is growing evidence out there linking acid reflux with other respiratory disorders, such as asthma. If your child has symptoms of acid reflux, it might be worth mentioning to your doctor.

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Do you put your baby to bed, only to have her wake with a start when you step on a squeaky floorboard? Here's a tip for you.

Third time's a charm for Mark Wahlberg. The actor and his girlfriend Rhea Durham (who might possibly be the most beautiful woman in the word, seriously) welcomed a baby boy into the world this past Tuesday! The baby, whose name was not given at the time of this writing, joins older sister Ella and brother Michael.

The Funky Bunch front man has refused to reveal details or sell pictures of the baby, wanting to keep the family matter a private affair. Wahlberg will probably stay true to his word, too--we haven't seen much of his other children, and I am sure that is on purpose. Good for you, Mark!

The actor previously revealed he feels it's finally time to settle down and tie the knot with Rhea, speculating it would happen after the birth of their third child. Well, the baby is here, Marky Mark, so you'd better pull out the old tux!

Congrats to the couple on their newest bundle of joy!

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Parents with no time for tradition baby books quickly discovered that blogging baby was time-saving electronic alternative to keep friends and relatives updated on their child's growth and development.

Now parents have a new option for sharing the daily minutia with friends and relatives- Twitter-like social networks that are kept under the baby's name and written from a first-person perspective.

"It's an interesting model," said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist for the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Everyone can decide how much or little they want to know about a baby, which avoids the situation of receiving a few too many e-mails about someone's wonderful child, and parents can decide how much they want to share - in minimal or maximal ways."

Parents can also use the networking platforms to create a group of cyberspace peer "friends" for their infants, but one has to wonder.........why?! Is this a way for parents to now cyberly helicopter their children before the tots can even speak for themselves or is it an attempt to create the next generation's Dooce, or simply a way to lighten the monotony of caring for a sleepless infant?

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