I am extremely vocal on the topic of electric cars, especially when it comes to their performance potential. Instant torque is very, very fun—to say the least—and makes a lot more sense on the racing circuit than internal combustion engines (at least in short bursts). Makers of high-end exotics are starting to pick up on this trend, though Ferrari is (as far as I know) the first supercar maker to confirm it will be adding and electric-hybrid to its lineup.

Of course, they claim this is to improve handling and not fuel efficiency. But hey, I’ll take what I can get from the prancing horse.

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But what if evolution designed us so that breastfeeding is emotionally, psychologically preferable to formula-feeding?

Intriguing new research suggests that some women develop postpartum depression due to reaching for the bottle instead of pulling out the breast.

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Because of CO2 build up in the atmosphere, its level of concentration in the oceans also increases. There, some of the CO2 converts to a simple acid called carbonic acid. (H2CO3).

What is becoming a much-studied phenomenon in recent years, these dead zones of depleted oxygen (02) - typically found at depths between 300 and 600 meters–are the result of several factors working separately and in combination: lower sea surface 02 levels, less heat exchanging (”ventilation”) with mid-level ocean depths due to over-all warming, and “euthrophication events” (an over-growth of a species due to excess nutrients).

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Breastmilk’s benefits don’t outweigh that of formula, she claims, or at least there are only tiny benefits.

While almost 74 percent of babies in the U.S. are breastfed at birth, only about 21 percent are breastfed through the recommended year. That means many, many parents turn to formula at some point.

But a new comprehensive British study shows that formula-feeders are poorly informed and supported,

Mistakes in preparation of bottle feeds were common.

Now, while we could pull the, “Well, I never measure how much I breastfeed wrong” holier-than-thou stuff, we have to recognize that some parents will formula-feed. We don’t want them to do it wrong!

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And for the formula-fed babies, that’s not a good thing. What researchers found worried them, as they said it could help predict obesity in children.

The randomized study of 1,000 children followed them for 2 years, comparing those fed “regular” formula and low protein formula with breastfeeding babies.

Kids who had used the low protein formula were approximately the same height as those fed the higher protein formula, but the latter group weighed more. Kids with low-protein formula weighed closer to what the breastfed babies weighed.

Researchers say that a few things should probably change…

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Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  Part 3 scrutinized the stroller.  Part 4 ditched the diapers.  Part 5 scrubbed the tub.  Part 6 busted the brain boosters.  This week, we banish the baby food!

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Ahh.  I see researchers have a new F-word: formula. An Australian National University study criticized researchers for taking a “Voldemort” approach to naming formula in their studies of infants. Said Dr. Julia Smith:

We looked at the findings of nearly 80 authoritative studies, all of which highlighted that formula-fed babies tend to be at higher risk of poor health than children fed on breast milk.

But where was the mention of formula? Nowhere that mattered, said researchers.

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The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), a leader in children’s oral health.

It found U.S. parents and caregivers are uninformed about cavity-causing bacteria and teeth-friendly snacks.   One result showed 96% of U.S. adults with children under 12 years old in their household thought a cracker was better for children’s teeth than a piece of caramel.  Starches, however, can also cause cavities like sugars, and caramels dissolve more quickly from the mouth than crackers.

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Not only have six young Chinese children died from kidney stones and more than 290,000 made ill from melamine-contaminated milk formula, but now a Chinese court has issued death sentences for two men involved in the contaminated milk scandal.

The two men are executives from Sanlu Group, a Chinese firm that hid reports of deaths and sicknesses caused by formula that contained melamine.  Tian Wenhua, the former general manager of Sanlu Group, has plead guilty to charges of “producing and selling fake or substandard products”.  She has been sentenced to life in prison.

China is responding to the melamine crisis with strict sentences, as well as production controls.  According to Reuters, the Chinese government hopes to reduce the number of melamine producers:

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The makers of babylife wee*go bottles must have had this in mind when they developed their product.  Their glass bottles are protected by a colorful silicone sleeve that can be boiled or put into the dishwasher along with the bottle itself.  The nipple that is included with the bottle is latex-free, and the recyclable plug and cap contain absolutely no polycarbonate.

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On November 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has established safe levels of melamine and an analogue, cyanuric acid, in infant formulas and associated products.

The FDA’s new limit of 1 ppm (part per million) contrasts with the World Health Organization (WHO) “tolerable” limits, established on December 5, of 0.2 mg/kg of body weight for melamine and 1.5 mg/kg for cyanuric acid. The coincidence of both of these chemicals appears to be even more toxic than their separate occurrences, and neither organization has set a safe limit for such in any type of food product.

Both the FDA and the WHO have stressed that melamine and cyanuric acid do not naturally occur in any type of food product. However, melamine is a chemical commonly used in food packaging materials and in cleaning solutions for certain types of manufacturing equipment.

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Astonishingly, 77 percent of mothers in the US breastfeed their newborn babies. I would have suspected the number was far lower, due to the intolerance of public breastfeeding that still exists in some parts of the country, and I am partially correct. 77 percent of mothers breastfed their babies in the first month of life, according to a survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). This is up from 60 percent in 1994. “The report shows that the initiation of breast-feeding is at an all-time high,” said Karen Hunter of the CDC.

Breastfeeding rates remain unchanged for children six months of age. According to the New York Times:

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that mothers breast-feed exclusively for the first six months of their child’s life and continue breast-feeding with baby food as a supplement until at least the child’s first birthday.

The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Family Physicians also recommend six months of exclusive breast-feeding but suggest supplemented breast-feeding until the child is at least 2.

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