If you’ve just had a baby, you might not be focusing much on things you’ve been “meaning to get to.” After all, with a newborn around you have lots to do. But if taking up a yoga practice is on your “want to” list, this could be the perfect time.

“A woman who has just had a baby is very much in her body,” explains Sari Heifetz, an L.A.-based yoga instructor (www.sariyoga.net) who teaches private classes in her students’ homes. “You just sort of direct that attention.” And there are dozens of yoga teachers and studios in SoCal ready to help you begin.

Read on …

Just in time for Halloween, a truly creepy way to deal with your child’s cuts and scrapes.

Scabs Bandages come in packs of 40 pretty disgusting but absolutely sterile adhesive strips. They’re all the same size, with five different designs that are likely to distract you from your cut by turning over your stomach. (Kids will love them, but you won’t want to leave the box sitting in view at mealtimes.)

“Would you like the creepy spiders, the crawly worms, or maybe just a few eyeballs to cover your skinned knee, Dear? Oh, you’d rather have the stitches and the bleeding zipper? That’ll make it all better.”

They retail for $6.95 per box, including shipping. Get yours online at http://scabsbandages.com.

Dial Down the Stress, Crank Up the Tunes

OK, so we’re not talking heavy metal here, but Taiwanese researchers did find that pregnant women who listened to classical and children’s music, nature sounds or lullabies for 30 minutes per day over two weeks reported significantly fewer symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression than did women who didn’t listen. The researchers, reporting in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing suggest that music could impact the nervous and hormonal systems and calm the response to daily stress. For other stress-busting tips, check out this video from the March of Dimes.

Don’t Forget Your Mammo

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, it isn’t too late to schedule your annual mammogram. The American Cancer Society says that it’s still the best way to find breast cancer early, and catches 80-90% of breast cancers in women without symptoms. Women 40 and older should get a mammogram yearly. Those ages 20 to 39 should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years, and all women should be familiar with their breasts and report changes to their doctors. Learn more …

Canada Bans Baby Bottles With BPA

The Canadian government said on Friday that it will ban plastic baby bottles that contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to harden plastic. Canada is the first country to officially classify BPA as unsafe, with Health Minister Tony Clement telling the press that the chemical endangers both people and the environment. The European Union and the FDA in the U.S. say BPA is safe, but the FDA is waiting for a risk assessment from a scientific panel due later this month. Learn more …

Add an extra dose of joy to your holiday cards this season with the 2008 Holiday Card and Gift Tag collections from Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. The collection includes 10 cards and tags designed by patients at the hospital, plus custom digital photo cards. Inside the cards, you can choose a pre-written message or create your own.

Proceeds (cards and tags come in sets of 10; cards $20, tags $5) benefit the hospital’s Child Life/Child Development program, where specialists work to ease the fears of hospitalized children. Order yours … 

… and I can perform CPR to it! Yes, medical students and doctors trained to perform CPR chest compressions while listening to the disco hit “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees stayed close to the ideal rhythm of 100 compressions per minute – even weeks later. In a study from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, 10 doctors and five med students practiced CPR and listened to the hit from the movie Saturday Night Fever, which has 103 beats per minute. Five weeks later, they performed CPR without listening to the music and stayed at an average of 113 beats per minute, well within the acceptable range.

“Properly performed, CPR can triple survival rates for cardiac arrest, but many people hesitate to jump in because they don’t feel confident about maintaining the proper rhythm,” said researcher David Matlock, M.D. “A number of pop songs have the right rhythm for CPR, but of course the meaning of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is pretty powerful when you are trying to save someone’s life.”

The research is scheduled to be reported Oct. 27 at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians in Chicago, but you can start practicing now. Just fire up the disco ball and boogie!

Mommy Calls, Dr. Tanya Answers

When can you take your newborn out? Avoid crowds of people until your baby is 6 to 8 weeks old, says Tanya Remer Altmann, M.D., author of Mommy Calls. In this book from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Tanya answers this and 100 other questions about babies and toddlers. She’ll be meeting parents and signing her book at 2 p.m. Oct. 19 at Book Soup (8818 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A.) and 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Borders Century City (10250 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.). See her on the Today Show above.

A Double D Recommendation

The American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled, as of Monday, the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. They now suggest that all children receive 400 IU of the vitamin each day beginning in the first few days of life. Experts now say that adequate vitamin D throughout childhood could reduce the risk of osteoporosis, and that in adults evidence suggests it plays a role in the immune system and could help prevent infections, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer and diabetes. Because most children won’t get enough vitamin D through diet alone, doctors are now calling supplementation important. Learn more …

A Halloween Allergy Scare

If your child is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs or soy, you probably already know that these are common ingredients in candy bars and other sweet treats likely to be handed out this Halloween. You likely also know which brands of candy bar are safe for your child to eat. But the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology warns that “fun size” candy bars passed out during trick-or-treat can have different ingredients than their full-size counterparts – so be sure to check labels or manufacturer’s Web sites. Read other Halloween safety tips from the AAAAI … 

Healthcare to the Left and Right

Wondering how our next President might impact your healthcare … or at least how he wants to? The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine asked candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to share their views in their October issue. Their positions are certainly worth a look. On the Web site, the publication has also posted a video of a roundtable policy discussion including senior health policy advisors David Cutler for Senator Obama and Gail Wilensky for Senator McCain.  Learn more …

Many Kids’ Cereals Half Sugar

Pour a bowl of 11 popular children’s breakfast cereals and you’re pouring out as much sugar as a glazed doughnut, according to a new study from Consumer Reports. Two of those brands are more than 50% sugar by weight, while 9 are 40% sugar, the study found. Adding sweet to the sweetened, when children in the study poured their own servings of cereal, they put at least 50% more into the bowl than the average suggested serving. But there were some healthier brands: Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Kix, and Life. Learn more …

Parents’ Expectations Impact Children’s Asthma

If your child has asthma, and you expect that they’ll do just fine, they actually have fewer symptoms that asthmatic children whose parents have a different view. Researchers from the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Medical School talked with more than 700 parents whose kids, ages 2 to 12, have asthma. Those children were more likely to have trouble with asthma symptoms if their parents had low expectations about how their kids’ asthma could be controlled. The study appears in the October issue of Pediatrics. Learn more …

No Cold Meds For Kids Under 4

Days after the FDA decided to gather more data regarding banning over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under age 6, drug manufacturers voluntarily decided to re-label their products and warn parents against their use in kids younger than 4. The FDA earlier this year advised against giving these same medications to children under age 2. Some 7,000 kids each year end up in hospital emergency rooms due to problems with OTC cough and cold drugs, many of them due to overdose. Learn more …

Got a Baby? Use a Fan

Babies who sleep in rooms ventilated by fans have up to a 72% lower risk of SIDS than those who sleep in rooms without a fan, according to a study in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. The same study found that opening a window in the room reduced SIDS risk by 36%. Researchers believe that sleep environment – especially as it relates to breathing and ventilation – is important in SIDS prevention. Other measures parents can take: Place infants to sleep on their backs, on firm mattresses. Avoid soft bedding like comforters and quilts, and don’t smoke around your baby. Learn more … 

Learn About Medical Research in Kids

Around 70% of medications prescribed for children have never been clinically tested in children – largely because clinical research in kids is a complicated process that’s frightening for parents. The National Institutes of Health has launched a new Web site to offer up information and hopefully reduce that fear. “Children and Clinical Studies” explains how clinical studies in kids are conducted, why research in children is important, and what is done to protect participants safety and privacy. In a video on the site, kids, parents and healthcare providers discuss things parents need to know and questions they should ask if they’re considering enrolling their child in a trial. Learn more …