If you have a child with asthma, you might already know that fitness is especially important -- it can help improve childhood asthma. And with summer approaching, you might be thinking about swimming. It's a great physical activity, and kids love it, so you're set, right?

Not so fast. A recent article by Claire McCarthy, M.D., of Harvard Medical School urges parents to take caution with their asthmatic children when it comes to swimming. While the activity itself helps to strengthen their lungs -- and swimming is one form of fitness that's less likely to cause asthma symptoms -- there is one problem. The chlorine.

The article cites a study done in Belgium, where "children who swam as infants in chlorinated swimming pools were more likely to have asthma later in childhood. It appeared that the chlorine may have damaged the lining of the lungs."

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Vitamin D is critical for bone health and also plays a role in immunity. But many US infants and toddlers aren't getting enough vitamin D. According to research from the Children's Hospital in Boston, a full 40% aren't getting the appropriate amount of vitamin D.

Breast milk doesn't contain high quantities of vitamin D, so if you're breastfeeding your infant ask your doctor if supplementing the vitamin is a good idea. Toddlers can benefit from vitamin D-fortified milk. Perhaps the best source of vitamin D is sunlight. While it's, of course, important to protect your child's skin, some exposure to sunlight is healthful as it triggers the production of vitamin D in the body.

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Water is good for everyone, right? Not quite. Doctors at John Hopkins Children Center are spreading the word that for babies under six months, water can be dangerous. That's because these tiniest kiddos have a strong instinct to drink. They can take in too much water, which leads to water intoxication. This affects sodium levels in the body, which can lead to mental changes, puffiness, low body temperature, and seizures.

With summer's heat on its way, it may be tempting to give your young infant water. But experts urge parents to stick with breastmilk or formula instead. Older babies can have small amounts of water, but doctors still say to stick to one to two ounces at a time and to check with your doctor first.

For tips on how to keep your baby cool this summer, check out the gallery below.

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According to a recent study, babies who were breastfed exclusively for at least the first three months of life scored higher on IQ tests at age six than children who weren't breastfed exclusively. Previous research has shown that breastfed babies had enhanced thinking, learning, and memory abilities.

Researchers aren't exactly sure what the link between breastfeeding and IQ is. It could be a nutrient in breast milk -- perhaps the amino acids or cholesterol that's found in breast milk but not in formula. Or it could be the attachment-inducing act of breastfeeding.

The researchers of this study recommend breastfeeding exclusively for at least three months, though six months to one year may have added benefits.

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Exercising with strollers is the new fitness craze in Sydney, Australia. It can be difficult for new moms to find time to exercise. Many don't want to leave their child with a sitter so they can get a work out in and it's a bit difficult to tend to your baby while exercising. Stroller work outs are a win-win situation -- they give new moms a great way to work out and have their baby safely with them. Plus, the classes are a good opportunity to get outside and meet other new moms.

Strollercize classes are held all over the US and Canada. If you're a new mom and you're looking for a fun way to get back to your pre-baby weight, try to find a class near you. It's a fun, safe, and entertaining way to get fit.

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The title of this post sounds like the title of made-for-TV movie. But it's fact. A baby boy was mistakenly sent home with the wrong family. The mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in southern Illinois. Upon realizing the error, hospital workers immediately contacted the families. Though they were not required to do so, the hospital reported the incident to state authorities.

I don't know how, in today's day and age, an error like this could occur. When people I know have given birth recently there are alarms on the maternity ward, infants and their parents wear matching bracelets, and photo IDs are taken of the children. In addition, unless there are medical issues, infants usually stay with their parents more now than in the past. At the time of writing, Heartland Regional Medical Center's web site isn't responding, so I'm not sure what their internal policies are.

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Canadian researchers have found that babies who are considered "difficult" or anxious at 5 months or later could develop nightmares during preschool. Their characteristics at infancy were good indicators about whether or not they could have consistently bad dreams as preschoolers.

Psychiatrists explain how they predicted children to have these consistent nightmares based on this data. Bad dreams were then shown to occur as early as two and a half years old. Researchers say if parents comfort them after it could lower the chances of recurring nightmares later.

Are there any parents out there who can attest to this study? All children have nightmares at one point or another. This seems like a valid connection between infant temperament and preschool sleeping patterns. But parents know their kids better than men in lab coats, so maybe this provides a little insight if anything.

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When most people think of health foods, they often think of soy-based products like soy milk and tofu. But is soy really healthy? Did anybody check the facts before labelling soy as healthy? Dr. Mercola did and he has some pretty strong things to say about soy. Check out his thoughts on soy by clicking here and here.

Dr. Mercola wants everyone who thinks soy is healthy to check out The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food by Dr. Kaayla Daniel. In it, she reveals some startling things about soy. Like? It apparently impedes sexual maturation in boys and speeds it up in girls. It also supposedly can cause thyroid problems and endocrine disruption in adults. And if it's given to infants, it's hormonal effects can be irreversible.

Hm. These are some pretty strong allegations. What do you think?

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Do you know what it takes to raise a smart baby? Whether you're preparing that special child for being a future Rhodes Scholar or for a Presidential bid, nothing can take the place of ... you.

Sure, the discussion around how to raise the smartest child has been around, well, forever,. The intense focus some parents put on this now is happening in more cases, as intellectual stimulation and brain development experts are coming out of the woodwork in the form of parents.

It's been said that the first five years of life are where the essential brain building occurs for lifelong learning, so nurturing in those years is especially important. Do you agree? One thing is clear -- it sure beats trying to teach many of them when those teenage years arrive.

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Being a new parent is scary. Even if you're been reading all the books, and trying to prepare yourself emotionally, all that new responsibility can come as quite a shock.

So much so, apparently, that most women experience disturbing dreams after giving birth.

A new survey found that 75 percent of new moms were plagued by often horrifying nightmares involving their new infant. This number is enormous, especially when you consider that only 59 percent of pregnant women experience this phenomenon, and anxiety-ridden dreams only effect 42 percent of women who've never had a child.

However, according to psychiatrists, it's nothing to worry about -- in fact, it's completely normal. People routinely work through their problems and adapt to new circumstances using their dreams.

Researchers aren't sure how long these nightmares last -- as after 3 months, many involved in the study were still experiencing them. Fortunately, in addition to the knowledge that you're body is working through a normal process, you can also take comfort by remembering that, after all, it's only a dream.

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The FDA has recently revealed that nursing mothers who are taking codeine may be putting their children at risk. Subsequently, moms who are taking the drug should be on the lookout for increased sleepiness and other signs of overdose in their children.

Fortunately the chances of a serious side effect are low, but the recommendations come in light of a 2006 incident, in which an infant whose mother had been prescribed the drug for episiotomy pain overdosed and died.

Side effects only occur in mothers whose bodies rapidly convert the the prescribed medication into morphine -- which can be deadly if it's consumed by babies via their mother's breast milk.

At first glance this may seem alarming, as codeine is commonly prescribed to new mothers -- but it's also important to remember that the condition causing the this rapid conversion of codeine appears in a very small percentage of the population.

As stated by one FDA official: "Our point is to pay attention."

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In order to help their infants learns, many parents turn to DVDs and videos, such as the popular Baby Einstein series. However, a recent study finds that not only are these videos ineffective in helping children learn, they might actually be harmful to their language development.

And the more they watch, the worse it gets. Researchers found that for every hour a baby watched of these "educational" DVDs and videos, they understand 6 to 8 fewer words than those infants who weren't exposed to Baby Einstein, or other similar material.

While the study doesn't prove conclusively that the videos are harmful, it does show that they're not helping your baby learn. Experts say this is a reminder that a child's parents are far more engaging, stimulating and helpful teachers than any attention-grabbing DVD.

I have to agree. We tried a few of the Baby Einstein videos when my daughter was younger, and -- while she's turned out just fine -- it always made me uncomfortable that she'd stare off into the TV like a zombie whenever the DVDs were playing. We eventually stopped letting her watch them, figuring there was no way that could actually be good for her.

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The first few paragraphs of this recent article in The New York Times are interesting, and after that it gets really scary. The interesting part has to do with how science is discovering that seemingly minuscule environmental and physical issues can have permanent affects on infants, some good and some bad. Like did you know that the temperature of your home can affect how many sweat glands your baby develops? And appetite and metabolism are affected in similar ways by how and what the baby is exposed to in terms of hormones and nutrients?

So here's the scary part: Having discovered that things can be changed and manipulated like this, scientists are working on creating an "anti-obesity baby formula." The idea is that a baby's eating habits, metabolism, and propensity to gain weight could be modified in the developmental stages, thereby creating an adult who could essentially eat whatever they wanted and not end up overweight.

Wow, seriously? This is taking things too far people -- get a grip.

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Every new parent shares a fear of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). I remember when my daughter was born, it seemed like a mysterious affliction that could come and take my baby without reason or warning.

But while it is true that doctors don't always know what causes SIDS, it's also true that the vast majority of cases are due to babies suffocating during sleep.

Subsequently, it was no surprise when the number of infant deaths dropped dramatically when parents were encouraged to avoid placing infants face down to sleep. In fact, SIDS rates fell by 50% between the mid-80s and 1993.

Now researchers estimate that the number has dropped even further (an additional 63%), thanks to parents changing infants sleeping position from the side to the back.

For more tips on how to protect your newborn, see this article from MSNBC.

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Waiting just two minutes to cut the umbilical cord of a newborn baby might have dramatic health benefits. A recent study found that even this short delay can reduce the risk of anemia (a shortage of oxygen in the blood) by half, and low iron levels by a third. Even more important, is that the these health benefits continue throughout infancy.

However, doctors are still divided on the issue -- with some supporting delayed clamping, and others more comfortable with the current practice of clamping the cord immediately after birth. The study didn't find any health risks associated with the 2 minute delay, but anemia -- while dangerous -- is fairly uncommon, and delayed clamping of the umbilical could potentially lead to jaundice, which can harm the baby. In short, many doctors feel the benefits simply aren't worth it.

Because of debate, there's no guidelines for doctors on which practice is best. Therefore, if you have a preference, be sure to address this with your obstetrician well in advance your baby's arrival.

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