Author Archives: Jeni

About Jeni

Creator of Little Sproutings, Written by Jeni Taylor, MPH MSN RN. I'm a nurse, public health advocate, and new mom living in Los Angeles, CA. I created Little Sproutings to share my experiences as a mom and discuss relevant baby-health topics through well-researched posts to help parents (new, experienced, and expecting) learn the why and how.

Otitis Media & Pacifier Use: Is there a Link? The Findings & Verdict (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of my post investigating the link between pacifier use and otitis media (OM), a middle ear infection that most commonly affects children and babies. If you want to read Part 1, which explains more of what OM is, and the pros and cons pertaining to pacifier use, click here.

If you’re a regular Little Sproutings reader and/or know myself and/or Jia personally, you’ll know that Jia’s pacifiers have been practically attached to those little pink lips since we introduced them at 3 months old. So, for 19 months to have gone by with only one illness that lasted just two and a half days, I have my doubts about pacifiers pre-disposing infants/toddlers to ear infections. Particularly without pre-existing conditions, such as having an upper respiratory infection (URI), to begin with.

As I said, I have my suspicions. Continue reading “Otitis Media & Pacifier Use: Is there a Link? The Findings & Verdict (Part 2)” »

What’s She Doing Wednesday: Sicky Sprout

It finally happened. At exactly 20 months old Jia got her first bout of illness. Last Friday morning started off with a low grade fever of 100.4 F (and it has never been higher than this in the past), but with a normal demeanor, still smiling and playful. Props to Daddy for noticing she felt extra warm when he got her up in the morning to change her diaper and dress her and for taking her temperature. Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Sicky Sprout” »

What’s She Doing Wednesday: Mamarazzi

I’m having a hard time really remembering all the things she’s been doing, when it comes time to write about it! As the day progresses, I always think to myself, “oh I need to remember to write that one down, for the blog!” but something always comes up. If you’re a parent, I know you can completely relate.

So the daycare drop-off has been an emotional back and forth. As expected, not a huge deal. Some days she cries, other days she’s happy to get out of the car and walk to the classroom. Today was one of those happy days, where she kept saying “buggy? buggy? outside?” anticipating the routine of riding in the 6-kid buggy ride after snack time. Once we got into the classroom, she sort of clung to me, but I was still able to put her down on her feet, which is a good sign for the drop-off. She went off playing with a puzzle with a couple friends, and I gave her a big kiss goodbye and was able to leave without hearing desperate cries (like we did yesterday). Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Mamarazzi” »

Otitis Media & Pacifier Use: Is There a Link? The Info (Part 1)

I’ve been wanting to write about this topic for a while now, but another topic seemed to always win out for the week. I remember hearing speculation that frequent pacifier use was linked to the common middle ear infection, otitis media, but I don’t remember where I heard it, if the source was credible, or if it was just a myth; an old wives’ tale. Every time we went to the pediatrician’s office after breastfeeding was well-established, (and we went a lot in the first 6 months, due to Jia’s soy and milk protein intolerance, see My Little Non-Soy Non-Dairy Sprout) Jia had a pacifier hanging from her mouth. Usually it was one of many Wubbanubb animals (pictured). But, they never warned us about a possible otitis media infection if she continued to use a pacifier. So I guess the speculation took a back seat in my mind, especially since in her 20 months, Jia hasn’t even come down with a common cold, let alone a painful and uncomfortable middle ear infection.

Since there is a lot of information in here, this will be Part 1: Otitis Media & Pacifier Use. We’ll get to the research in Part 2:

So here we go… Continue reading “Otitis Media & Pacifier Use: Is There a Link? The Info (Part 1)” »

What’s She Doing Wednesday: Lil’ Pumpkin

This week has been a pretty good one for Jia. The last 3 days, she hasn’t cried at all when I drop her off at daycare, which is a huge step in the right direction. And, her teachers told me that she hardly pays attention to her lions the last few days, either. When I arrived to pick her up Tuesday afternoon, her lions were already put away in her bin (usually she’s clutching them until we put them away together and leave to go home). She’s easily distracted at drop-off, now that she’s really paying attention to the toys and projects around her rather than our impending separation, and this morning she spent maybe 10 seconds worried after I kissed her goodbye. Huge win! She’s getting used to this routine and I’m really proud of her! Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Lil’ Pumpkin” »

Oh Honey! About Infant Botulism

So my topic choice for this week was pretty much decided by mulling over which would be the simplest topic to tackle. It’s pretty straight forward, kind of like my last research post on listeria (see: Listeria Mysteria and Pregnancy).

Honey and infants. I feel like it’s pretty common knowledge that when it comes to infant feeding, though recommendations regarding allergies have shifted over the years from avoiding to now encouraging foods like peanut butter, eggs, citrus, etc., the warning to not feed honey babies under 1 year old has remained consistent. Studying nutrition/dietetics in college, the “no honey for infants” rule was a black and white issue – no honey for infants! Plain and simple. Oh, you wanna give your baby something with honey? Nope, you just don’t do it. Continue reading “Oh Honey! About Infant Botulism” »

What’s She Doing Wednesday: In Case You Were Wondering…

Not really. This picture illustrates what we are feeling every morning at drop-off. I know many parents with kids this age can relate, especially if they started into the daycare system later than the early months. Gripping her lions, tears, scrunched up crying face… Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: In Case You Were Wondering…” »