Terrible Twos

After melamine was found in milk products from China, the Food and Drug Administration decided to test domestic formulas for traces of it. Melamine contamination was found in one brand. The F.D.A. declines to release the name of the formula. “The F.D.A. allows anything below 250 parts per billion of melamine in infant formula, and the sample contained less than that,” Judy Leon said. Ms. Leon is a Food and Drug Administration agent.

Melamine is a chemical that has flame retardant properties. It is sometimes illegally added to food as it can make it appear that it has more protein than it actually does.

It is suspected that the trace melamine was an accident — perhaps the formula accidentally came in contact with a can liner that was affected.

In low doses, melamine is nontoxic. However, in China it has been the cause of death of 4 infants who drank contaminated formula and sickened tens of thousands more.

Robin Gail Reed pleaded not guilty in her granddaughter’s methadone overdose.

Reed was taking daily doses of methadone to help combat heroine addiction. Her 2-year-old grandchild found a bottle of the cherry flavored drug in her bag and drank it. She was dead by the time the paramedics arrived.

Reed was charged with second-degree manslaughter. A defendant charged with second degree manslaughter is thought to have acted recklessly, which resulted in the death of a human being.

She was under contract with the hospital to make sure that she kept the methadone in a lock box that was provided for her. Normally, the methadone dose was to be taken in the hospital under supervision, but during the weekend, she was given a dose to take at home. The dose that her granddaughter, Allison, accidentally ingested was the remainder of a dose from the previous weekend. Another part of her contract was that she was to take the full dose.

A scream was heard in the living room.

Nicholas Holderman’s parents rush in to see that their toddler impaled his face on a set of keys, one penetrating through this eyelid and piercing his brain.

Nicholas was airlifted to the hospital where he underwent surgery. The key was safely removed from being lodged in his brain. If that weren’t enough to be thankful for, the surgeons soon realized 15 minutes after surgery that the toddler’s eyesight was unaffected.

It is two months later and he has completely recovered. People look at him and cannot tell which eye was injured.

Last month, Madison Nose was left in his grandmother’s SUV. He fell asleep and she forgot to drop him off at his daycare before she went into work. Eight hours later, she found him dead from hyperthermia, which is a condition where the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate.

She was charged with reckless homicide, but a grand jury decided not to indict her. In order for an indictment, 9 out of 12 jurors must vote in favor of it. It is not known how many supported indictment because it is confidential.

Madison’s has many supporters who feel she made a sad, terrible mistake, but is not a criminal. Madison’s father, however, is upset about the jury’s outcome. He says Madison is unable to defend himself.

Baby P’s life was cut short due to severe neglect and child abuse inflicted upon him by his mother and her boyfriend. Their names are being protected due to legal reasons, although extreme outrage has sent a shockwave throughout the Internet, with different websites attempting to drop the real names whenever possible.

Baby P suffered from a broken back, broken ribs, along with a mutilated finger and several severe bruises. Even though he was visited frequently by social workers, police officers, and seen by doctors, they were unable to detect the abuse. In the last visit before his death, his injuries were covered up with chocolate by his mother and her boyfriend. This stunt fooled the same social worker who did not detect the abuse that happened to Victoria Climbie.

Baby P is lovingly remembered world wide, however, with candlelit vigils being held across the globe. A march is being held in London this December in his honor.

His mother is being sentenced for “causing or allowing the death of a child” which carries a maximum of 14 years. However it is common to serve much less time than this, as little as 4 to 6 years, meaning she could be released within a few months. Because of the public hatred towards his mother, it is suspected that she may be given a new identity upon release.

Isaiah Cairns was a beautiful baby boy who suffered from Tay-Sachs disease. He passed away this past week. He touched the lives of the people who knew him. It is also quite apparent from visiting websites that he was very well-loved and cared for by his family and community.

Tay-Sachs is a rare disease of the nervous system that tends to attack people of Jewish, Irish, and Eastern European descent. It occurs around the time an infant hits 6-months-old. Due to the lack of a certain enzyme in the DNA, nerve cells are unable to get rid of toxins. This causes loss of mental and physical capabilities, such as muscle control and vision. Children suffering from the disease typically die between the ages of 2 and 4. It is possible to test to see if a person is a carrier of the disease if they wish, however this test is completely optional.

Isaiah’s parents informed Fox News that Isaiah has taught them so much about living. They opted for him to go without a feeding tube when he lost the ability to swallow so he would not have to suffer any longer. During his life, Isaiah’s community in Blue Springs, MO raised over $12,000 to help the family with funeral costs, medical equipment, as well as funding for the Tay-Sachs foundation.

To help support the search of a cure, please contact:
The Cure Tay-Sachs Foundation
12730 Triskett Rd. Cleveland, OH 44111
(p) (216) 812-5855
(f) (216) 251-6728

To learn more about Isaiah’s life and the impact he made on those around him, please visit this site:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/isaiahproject

Behind a recycling center in Linda, CA, a teenager who intened to shoot his dog, wound up shooting at a car containing a toddler instead.

His father noticed that the boy was going to shoot his dog and tried to stop him. They argued, and the teenager shot at his father’s car instead.

The toddler is fine, however the 15-year-old boy faces child endangerment, among other, charges.

No reason is given as to why to boy was trying to shoot his dog.

In Florida, a family still mourning the 2006 SIDS death of their infant, also lost another child just recently — 16-month-old Julian Sanchez.

An older sibling stood on a TV stand to turn of the set, when the 36 inch screen fell on top Julian. He was taken to a hospital where he later passed away.

Julian’s father, who received the phone call at work saying his son had been in the accident, has been shaking since his son’s death. “I was just with him. He’s the biggest kid I have, the biggest baby. He never ever cried - just an awesome baby,” said Sanchez.

To prevent this type of accident, the use of “anti-tip” kits are suggested. They range from $8-$20 and secure furniture and TVs to the wall.

Photo courtesy kare11.com.

According to the BBC news, 23-month-old Iona Stratton has undergone her bone marrow transplant. She has leukemia and was given just a few months to live.

Because she is mixed race, with a Chinese mother and white father, finding a bone marrow match was difficult. Her parents requested for help in the media, along with social networking sites such as Facebook. A “10 out of 10″ match was found in Australia. Iona is now recovering from her transplant and is undergoing her radiation therapy, where she has to be carefully monitored just in case immune cells from the donor cause problems in Iona’s system.

They hope that the transplant will be a success, as it is considered Iona’s last chance at survival.

According to the registry for potential bone marrow donors, less than 4% of the donors were Asian. Many other ethnic groups have even less of a presence on the registry. The Stratton family continues to urge those of mixed-ethnicity to donate bone marrow.

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, only 2% of donors are of mixed-ethnicity. Thousands of people are diagnosed with blood cancers annually. Most of these patients will not survive without a transplant. Please contact info@mavinfoundation.org or call (206) 622-7101 if you are multi-racial and want to donate. MatchMaker is the only national organization dedicated to finding mixed-race bone marrow donors. They can also direct those interested to where to donate their community.

This blog centers around toddlers in the media, with its main focus being current events and news regarding toddlers. The theme can be very heart-wrenching, especially considering that the news that filters through often revolves around toddlers who have been neglected, abused, or killed. Sometimes there are more lighthearted stories, and hopefully those will increase in amount as happy toddlers make the news.

However, it is important to spread awareness. A description of an abductor, or some light shed on a situation, may help to prevent problems in the future. Instead of, “What should we have done?” It will now be, “We know how to prevent this, we know warning signs.”

And again, sometimes you’ll hear about the new dress Suri Cruise wore!