Is 5 Years Old Too Young For An Addiction?

Most working adults will tell you that if they start their day without coffee, it will inevitably be tiresome, slow, and less productive as a morning with Folgers in their cup. Now, what if someone told you that a five year old was having that same reaction? Could someone that young be addicted to caffeine? Recent studies are showing that children are becoming addicted to caffeine as young as five, not because of coffee, but because of everything that comes cold and thirst quenching.  And, the frequency in which they consume these beverages adds to the problem.  Here are just a few things children are drinking that have their caffeine adrenalin soaring through their little young bodies:

• ·         Arizona Green Tea Energy ® 200 mg equivalent to 4 Cokes
• ·         Orange Soda ® Filled with acid & one 12 ounce contains 41 mg of caffeine
• ·         Mountain Dew ® Has 55 mg of caffeine
• ·         Pepsi ® Contains 38 mg of caffeine/ 54 mg for Pepsi ONE

With the average suggested caffeine intake at fewer than 200 mg per day, most people surpass this number based on the size of their cup. If you think that switching your soda with a diet version will make it better, THINK AGAIN! When companies remove sugar, they add more substitute sweeteners, therefore, enhancing the amount of caffeine. With sodas, sports drinks, teas, and energy boosters present in many homes across America, children have more accessibility to this “drug” than ever before (if it can cause an addiction, yes, it is a drug).

            Are you now wondering what the caffeine is really doing to these young bodies? Caffeine is a stimulant. It is used to boost endorphins within the body for a short amount of time by speeding up the heart rate and releasing energy. The problem with caffeine is that, when the heart rate is increased and then drops, it weakens the heart. Just think, a child’s heart is far less developed than that of an adult; therefore, their heart is being damaged before it reaches its full potential. Enhanced heart rates can lead to heart attack or stroke. When the body is on caffeine, it makes it harder to sleep. In children, since their body does not absorb caffeine as quickly as an adult, it stays in their system longer and makes it harder for them to go to sleep, disrupting their sleep pattern.

            In recent news, a Maryland family has filed a lawsuit against Monster, an energy drink company, after their 14 year old daughter drank two cans in a 24hr period and went into cardiac arrest. This is just one of five cases being investigated throughout the country in which young people have suffered extreme heart conditions after drinking these energy boosters.

            With stories such as these in the news, parents are pushing for energy drinks and soft drink companies to place disclaimers on their products, warning of caffeine amounts and possible dangers. Should companies place a disclaimer on these products, or should parents take away the caffeinated drinks and hand over a bottle of water? What is your child having with their dinner tonight?

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2010/12/16/kids-are-getting-amped-on-caffeine-even-at-age-5

A Must Read for Anyone Hiring Child Care Online

Just how reliable are online background checks? Not Very.

We have told our children time and again, not to talk to strangers on the internet. So why is it that so many parents are meeting strangers on the internet, and leaving their children in the care of these strangers?

In light of recent events, the online background checks run through many online websites, such as sittercity.com, are coming under fire and rightfully so. What are these recent events? A 19-year old man is in police custody on suspicion of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 years. The boy is eight to be exact, and Jordan Liu had been caring for him for the past eight months. Detectives have also been investigating allegations that Liu sexually assaulted the victim’s three year old brother. The parents found Liu on sittercity.com, a site that completes “background checks” on member caregivers. Liu also had a care.com account. And why are online background checks coming under fire? Online background checks are database searches.  They may not show any misdemeanors the candidate has on record. And they offer no further personal screening. Parents who haven’t been trained or experienced in interviewing and reference checking may end up with a false sense of security about the extent of their knowledge about a caregiver found on a website.

Every candidate presented to families by The Philadelphia Nanny Network has gone through in-house screening, in-depth interviewing and extensive reference checking; and no third parties are used. They have also been cleared by a private security firm that conducts a criminal check, a driving check, a credit check and social security number verification. They have been checked against the US Justice Department Sex Offender Registry. And finally, PA residents have passed a PA Child Abuse Clearance.

We do recognize that families use many different resources to find nannies, sitters and other domestic employees, but we cannot express enough how important it is to rigorously check the backgrounds of these individuals. If you are employing on your own, we urge you to use our expertise! Call us for a Candidate Check Package or a Basic Security Check. Please remember you cannot always trust individuals you meet on the internet. For more information on why this is so important, please read the full article here; and please read the developing story of the string of Craig’s List murders spree that has taken place in Ohio here.