For the first time, scientists have identified the point in development at which infants appear to be able to differentiate between pain and basic touch.

British researchers report that infants can distinguish painful stimuli from general touch at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation, just before birth.

Because infants cannot report whether they feel pain or not, the researchers based their findings on recordings of brain activity by electroencepholograpy (EEG).

The EEG recordings, taken between 28 to 45 weeks of gestation, showed that infant brains began to produce distinct responses to pain – in the form of a clinically essential heel lance – and general touch around the time the pregnancy reached full-term at 37 weeks.

Due dates, in turn, are based on 40 weeks of pregnancy.

The results may have implications for the treatment, care and development of premature newborns, according to the researchers.

They also added that, interestingly, these children often grow up to be either more or less sensitive to pain than usual.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.

Children who undergo surgery to have their adenoids removed do not get fewer upper respiratory tract infections such as sinusitis and colds, according to a new study.

While adenoidectomies are one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in children, new research shows the procedure is not effective in reducing the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections.

For the study, researchers studied a group of 111 children between one and six years-old selected to undergo adenoidectomies. Half of the group was assigned to have the operation and the other half was initially not.

At a follow-up meeting, the results showed that the children who had the surgery had 7.9 episodes of upper respiratory tract infections in the two years following the procedure compared to 7.8 episodes in the children who did not.

Days of absences for school or day care and health-related quality of life were similar in both groups.

Encouragingly, the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections decreased over time for both groups as well.

Based on the results, the researchers recommend “watchful waiting” rather than surgery for children who suffer frequently from colds and other similar illnesses.

The study was published on bmj.com, the website of the British Medical Journal.

Seventy percent of 8 month-old babies consume too much salt due to being fed high amounts of processed foods, according to a new study.

UK researchers found that the salt intake of most infants was double the recommended maximum level because many were consuming foods like yeast extract, gravy, baked beans and canned spaghetti.

Many were also given cows’ milk, which has higher levels of salt than breast or formula milk.  Doctors typically recommend that infants not be fed cows’ milk as a main source of nourishment until they are at least one year old.

Too much salt intake can damage developing kidneys, increase children’s preferences for salty foods and establish poor eating habits that continue into adulthood, setting them up for a lifetime of health problems.

The study results were based on a survey of nearly 1,200 participants in England.  Researchers found that the majority of infants were first introduced to solid foods around 3-4 months, and the mean salt intake in 8 month olds was up to double the recommended amount for that age group.

The infants who consumed the most salt typically also drank cows’ milk as their main drink and ate three times the amount of bread as infants who consumed the least amount of salt.  They also had diets high in processed foods, which are typically high in sodium.

‘These findings show that salt intakes need to be substantially reduced in children of this age group. Infants need foods specifically prepared for them without added salt, so it is important to adapt the family die,” said Dr .Pauline Emmett and Vicky Cribb, the nutritionists who conducted the research.

The study was published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

If you’re a smoker who has just found out you’re pregnant, it’s not too late to quit, according to scientists.

A study of over 50,000 pregnancies has confirmed that women who gave up smoking as soon as they were told they were pregnant gave birth to babies with similar birth weights and health to babies born to mothers who had never smoked.

Low birth weight is the most common adverse outcome of smoking during pregnancy, but there are also risks of premature birth, brain damage and congenital abnormalities such as cleft lip.

This is the first study to show that these negative outcomes can be avoided even if the mother waits until pregnancy confirmation to give up smoking.

British researchers collected clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic data from pregnancies between 2002 and 2010.  They separated women into groups, including those who had never smoked, those who had stopped less than a year before conceiving, those who stopped once the pregnancy was confirmed, and those who continued smoking into pregnancy.

Babies born to mothers who had stopped smoking around conception or as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed had significantly higher birth weights than those born to mothers who had continued to smoke throughout pregnancy.

“Not only was birthweight much better in this group than it was in the groups where the mothers had continued to smoke, but we also found that the babies reached the same gestational age and head circumference as those born to women who had never smoked,” said Professor Nick Macklon, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Southampton, UK.

Prior studies have linked smoking with difficulty getting pregnant, increased risk of miscarriages and early menopause.

“We hope that our research will provide additional encouragement to mothers-to-be to give up cigarettes,” Macklon said.

Our daughter has had a problem with constipation since she was 1 year old.  Now, she is 3 1/2 years old.  She has been on Miralax (over the counter powder) for 2 1/2 years.  She is an extremely picky eater.  Sometimes, when we are lucky, she’ll try some new foods.  My question is, how safe is Miralax for everyday use?  Is it affecting any of her organs or her brain?  Is there a more natural way to keep her regulated?  Please help us … we don’t know what to do! – Lauren and Joann

Dear concerned parents, I personally would not recommend daily use of Miralax in a 3 year old child. I strongly suggest you consult a pediatric gastroenterologist.  There are more natural ways to create a healthy bowel habit.  Hydration is key.

The leading cause of death in otherwise healthy babies more than a month old is SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. It occurs in about 50 of every 100,000 births in the U.S. SIDS applies to any infant whose death is sudden and unexplained.

Usually, the infant is found dead after having been put to sleep, and a subsequent autopsy finds absolutely nothing wrong with the baby. For parents, it is the most horrific of experiences.

No one knows what causes SIDS, but there are several risk factors asociated with it. Babies who are born prematurely are at increased risk for SIDS; so are those who are exposed to tobacco smoke. Laying an infant to sleep on his or her stomach also increases the risk, as does excess bedding, a soft sleep surface or the presence of stuffed animals.

There is no surefire way to prevent SIDS, but in light of these known risks, parents can take precautions to reduce its likelihood. Here are seven quick tips for avoiding SIDS.

–Don’t smoke in the house

–Don’t sleep with your baby in your bed. More and more evidence suggests that parents, especially overweight ones, may inadvertently smother their babies when they’re sleeping with their child.

–Do choose a crib with a firm surface

–Do keep blankets and stuffed animals to a minimum. Infants have little control over their heads and may smother themselves in their bedding.

–Do place baby on his or her back to sleep, never on the stomach.

–Do breastfeed if you can. One recent study showed that breastfed infants are five times less likely to have SIDS as forumula fed infants.

–Do use a pacifier. A recent study has noted that the use of pacifiers is associated with a 90 percent decrease in the risk of SIDS.