Now you can stop using Google to diagnose your baby...

We've all done it. You know. Saw something suspicious on our baby in the middle of the night and tried to figure it out using Google.

Not to knock online research, but frankly the internet's advice can be unreliable. There are some great sites, but we've seen some crazy advice out there!

The American Academy of Pediatrics to the rescue. Check out their new online patient education site, www.patiented.aap.org. Search a huge range of topics from teething to immunizations or even listen to audio files of advice from a pediatrician. Our Mamas are going to love the wealth of information, and our nurse Instructors are going to love the reliability.

Now you can sleep easy.

Hand sanitizer? For babies?

What with the H1N1 flu going around these days, our Mamas have lots of valid concerns about keeping their newborns safe. How does a mom keep those tiny hands clean? They spend all day in those tiny mouths, after all.

There are some all natural hand sanitizer products on the market.... or should you wash their hands with soap and water? What about cleaning them with baby wipes? Should you even bother?

Our trusty pediatrician, Dr. Stefan Kramarczuk, says babies' hands can safely be cleaned with hand sanitizer, but it can be an irritant to eyes and mouth. After sanitizing your baby's hands rinse them with plain water.

And what about alcohol-free products? Only alcohol-containing products are recognized by the CDC as an effective alternative to hand washing. Only use hand sanitizer if your hands are free of visible dirt - otherwise you should wash your hands thoroughly with good old soap and water.

And if you want to have hand washing skills that make the grade? Schoolchildren are taught to scrub hard for as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday." Twice.


A-plus for clean hands, mom.