CUTE KIDS WINNER
The winner of the Cute Kids contest for January was Lila Taube, daughter of Chrissy and Nathan Taube. (Last week's Cute Kids announcement in Life included a mistaken photo. The Times Free Press regrets the error.)
Is your child's hearing at risk?
Are children's toys getting louder?
An ear specialist at University of California at Irvine says toys aren't necessarily increasing in volume, but an increasing number of them produce noise that can damage a child's hearing if sustained for long periods.
"I see lots of patients with noise-induced hearing loss, and it's such an easy thing to prevent," said Dr. Hamid Djalilian, director of Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at UCI Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology.
How much damage noise causes depends on three factors: the decibel level; how often the noise is repeated; and for how long. A person could sustain damage to the delicate hair cells inside the inner ear with noise of a short duration. For example, going to a very loud concert or nightclub can produce permanent damage within 15 minutes.
-- Landon Hall, The Orange County Register
CAN YOU HELP THIS MOM?
Please join the discussion groups at Chattamoms.com to help this local mom, who writes: My 7-year-old daughter has started to have nightmares. She wakes up, comes to my room and basically refuses to go back to sleep. After reassuring her, loving on her, etc., I make her go back to her own bed. I've tried suggesting thinking happy thoughts, back scratches, etc. She still says she "can't" go back to sleep. She doesn't watch scary movies or television shows. Any advice?