From USA Today:Here's some welcome news for the parents of America: You're doing a great job.
Although exhausted moms and dads may not hear it often enough, research shows that their devotion is paying off. In dozens of important ways, kids are far healthier and safer today than they were even a generation ago. "Things are tremendously safer now for our children than they were for us, and they continue to improve each year," says pediatric trauma surgeon David Mooney, director of the trauma program at Children's Hospital Boston.
In the past century, the infant mortality rate has declined with each generation, falling from 29 deaths per 1,000 births in 1950 to 13 deaths per 1,000 births in 1980 to just under seven deaths per 1,000 births today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Babies are more likely to survive for many reasons, from cleaner water to vaccines, antibiotics, good prenatal care and better nutrition.
And kids of all ages are benefiting from a wealth of new research, as well as the safety laws and better products based on those research findings.
Death rates from unintentional injuries among children under 19 have dropped nearly 50% since 1981, from 27 deaths per 100,000 children in 1981 to 14 per 100,000 in 2005, according to the CDC.
"Tens of thousands of children are alive today because of the effort that everybody has made, including loving parents," says Alan Korn, executive director of Safe Kids USA, a non-profit advocacy group.
That's a relief to moms like Nikki DeLaTorre (pictured), a mother of four who says she sometimes struggles to keep up with the latest guidelines. All that parenting advice — whether it comes from a well-informed pediatrician or uninformed busybody — can be overwhelming, she says.
"When you become a mom, you become scared to death," says DeLaTorre, 33, of Oak Park, Calif. "People are quick to tell you when you're doing something wrong. But it means so much to you when someone says, 'You're a good mom.' "
WHAT PARENTS DO RIGHT
Progress in key areas:
Breast feeding
• 77% of mothers initiated breast feeding in 2005-06 vs. 54% in 1986-88.
More women are breast feeding today than a generation ago, show stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast milk provides antibodies to help babies fight infections. It reduces the risk of infections of the ear, lung and gastrointestinal tract. Breast-fed babies also have lower rates of SIDS, diabetes, obesity and even leukemia, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Safe sleeping
• 151 cases of sudden infant death syndrome per 100,000 children in 1979 vs. 55 cases per 100,000 in 2004.
Most parents now put their babies to sleep on their backs, which has helped to cut the death rate from SIDS, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
FOLLOW UP: For strong babies, make playtime 'tummy time'Vaccinating
• About 77% of children ages 19 to 35 months received all recommended vaccinations in 2007 and 90% were vaccinated against chickenpox.
Vaccines have nearly eliminated deaths from diphtheria, mumps, pertussis and tetanus, polio, measles and rubella, according to the CDC. Newer vaccines, approved since 1980, have reduced the number of deaths from hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae, or Hib, and chickenpox, by 80% or more. And thanks to one of the newest vaccines, approved in 2000, deaths from invasive pneumococcal disease have fallen 25%.
"Giving vaccines is one of the most important ways that parents can keep their children safe," says infectious-disease expert Joseph Bocchini.
VACCINATIONS: Whooping cough returns in kids as parents skip shots
Reducing birth defects
• About 38% of all women ages 18 to 45 took a folic acid supplement last year vs. 25% in 1995.
More women today are taking folic acid to reduce the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida, which can cause paralysis, according to the CDC. The USA also began fortifying grain cereal products with folic acid in 1998. The next year, the prevalence of spina bifida dropped 31%.
Staying smoke-free
•33%-40% of married pregnant women smoked in 1967 vs. 10% in 2005.
More women today are giving up tobacco while pregnant, says CDC researcher Van Tong.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Some moms resume use after pregnancyMaking homes safer
Manufacturers and lawmakers have made key changes, too.
•Thanks to stronger building codes, the water heaters in new homes and apartments now have a maximum temperature of 120 degrees to prevent scalding, according to Safe Kids.
•Injuries from baby walkers — which help babies stand up — have fallen 88% since the early 1990s, from 25,700 a year to 3,100 annually today, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Many parents no longer buy walkers because of the risk that babies will fall down stairs.
•Deaths from crib accidents have fallen 84% since 1973, decreasing from 200 deaths a year to 30, largely because of safety improvements, the CPSC says.
•Thanks to childproof caps, accidental poisonings have fallen more than 80% since the early 1970s, when 216 children died each year, the CPSC says.