eHealth Connection | Cooper University Hospital

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released new recommendations regarding child safety seats. According to the new guidelines, children should be kept in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they have reached the height and weight maximums set by the car seat manufacturer. This is a significant departure from the current recommendation for children to be kept in rear-facing seats until at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds in weight. The new guidelines are published in the April 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

“We are excited that the AAP is endorsing rear-facing child safety seats until age 2. We have been educating parents to keep their child rear-facing longer, and to have pediatricians also relaying this message to parents will be helpful,” said Maureen Donnelly, RN, MSN, NPC, Coordinator, Safe Kids Southern New Jersey, led by the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper.

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Diabetes is being diagnosed in epic numbers among children in the United States.  Obesity and lack of physical activity are two of the major reasons for the prevalence of this disease. The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper is pleased to bring parents this information on detecting diabetes in school-age children.

Diabetes occurs when specialized cells of the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach) do not produce adequate amounts of the hormone insulin.  Insulin permits the body to process proteins, fat, and sugars in food to make body tissues, produce energy, and store energy.  In people without diabetes, insulin is produced as needed to process food.  But people with diabetes have a reduced supply of insulin or none at all.

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