Shelby County Moms Guide April 2014 | Page 9

May 23, 2014 is the last day of school for Shelby County area students. In the 1700s, moms averaged 7 to 10 kids; in the 1950s, it was 3.5, and today, the number of kids born to each mom is 2. (Fun Fact) Tylenol May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy New research has shown that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in many over-the-counter painkillers such as tylenol, could possibly play a key role in the development of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in children. This study, which was published in JAMA Pediatrics, has not specifically determined the link between acetaminophen use and ADHD, but the findings were enough to alert scientists on the possible dangers. Research has shown that this popular pain killer is not as safe to use during pregnancy as many people would think. Even though the research backs up this statement, experts agree that these findings are only preliminary, and more studies must be conducted in order to determine if there is any real threat. In the meantime, women are warned to use caution when taking Tylenol while pregnant. Did You Know? Moms in the Know Graco Car Seat Recall As of March 14, 2014 Graco Children’s Products has added more than 403,000 child seats to last month’s recall of 3.8 million to replace faulty harness buckles. Plan Ahead Shelby County students will have an entire week off for Thanksgiving break for the 2014-2015 school year. Alabaster City students will be off November 26th-28th. Moms Running Shelby County Moms Run Shelby County is a new and free running club for moms in the Shelby County area. Shelby County Moms Guide has developed this running club with the mission to help motivate and support moms who want to improve their overall well-being by running. Shelby County Moms Guide has decided to start developing groups/meet-ups to connect moms to other moms in their communities. Our first attempt at connecting moms is them with like-minded women Community surrounding running. Moms Run Shelby interested in County is for the beginner or well-seasoned runner. Visit the Shelby County Moms Guide website to join. News You Would Be Surprised at What 63% of Children Under 8 Already Own In today’s fast-paced modern world it can be harder to raise children than ever before. An onslaught of new technology has become available at our fingertips. Many parents question the introduction of this new technology at such a young age. Common Sense Media recently did research as to how children were spending their time on various electronic devices. The study was focused on children 8 and under. The findings were quite surprising. The first of the key findings was that children’s ownership of mobile media platforms (including smartphones, iPods and similar devices), smartphones and other mobile devices) has increased drastically. The changes have occurred in the last two years as well, from a period of 2011 to 2013. In 2011, around 40% of children 8 and under owned a smartphone. That has increased to 63% in just two years. Furthermore, in 2011, approximately 52% of children 8 and under had access to some kind of “smart” device. This includes phones, tablets, and other mobile devices. This number has jumped up to 75%. It is clear that even in two years, the usage of these devices by young children has increased drastically. Unsurprisingly, time usage has increased significantly over this period as well. This serves as a fair warning to parents, make sure how much your children spend on these devices. The demand for traditional media has fallen as well, with young children spending less time on other media including computers, DVDs, television, and video games. The decreases are substantial; approximately 31 minutes a day is spent on these traditional media devices. However, while TV is down as a whole, it still dominates how young children spend their media time. Overall, there has been a strong upward trend of mobile media usage. While there has been a decline in traditional media, overall it is still the most dominant form of media. It is smart to be on the lookout for what the effects