Friday, August 7, 2009

Recommendations, shmecommendations

Why do we focus so much on recommendations, especially when they change so often?

(also, is it just me or does the American Academy of Pediatrics seem particularly fickle? Or wishy washy? They seem to change their mind a lot.)

Let's take milk, for example.

I don't know much about this parenting thing, but I knew you gave babies whole milk - and only whole milk - after a year. Anything but whole milk was akin to poison and could kill your child.

So, when our pediatrician mentioned at Sabrina's 9 month appointment that when we switched her to milk it didn't necessarily have to be whole milk, I gave him the side eye. "Really, "doctor"?" He must not read the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal. Which I found very concerning considering that is something I feel should be part of his j-o-b.

Since I had diagnosed Sabrina myself in the past and felt we were more colleagues than you know, a doctor-patient kind of relationship, I went home and researched his suggestion. I did feel somewhat obligated to kindly point out his mistake. I'd just drop him a quick email.

To my surprise, he was right! It seemed to go unnoticed, but the American Academy of Pediatrics relaxed that recommendation back in July of 2008.

The whole milk recommendation was based on babies needing fat for their brains to develop well. But then America got fat. Like, really, really fat. Somewhere along the line the AAP had to decide whether we wanted fat and smart kids or skinny and stupid. Currently, skinny and stupid is the preference.

Unless Sabrina has totally jumped the curve with her weight - which is now looking like she's back to her usual 50% self (and thank god for that, I was having a really hard time finding Spanx in her size), we'll probably go with the whole milk. I like whole milk. I'd drink cream if I could. Chris frowns on that, though. Although it explains my preference towards the fat and smart.

Because I am smart, y'all. Must be the milk.

I might also start blaming milk on my lack of weight loss over the last couple weeks. Time for another haircut.

No comments: