I hate taxes as much as the next dad, but taxes are sometimes good. They raise prices and change behavior, such as smoking. And often, legislators best efforts to tie taxes to consumer education (anti-smoking campaigns) or health effects (cancer research) are reversed when new legislatures need the cash to fund other pet projects (remember when lotteries were only to be used to fund education?) Often too, they are regressive, affecting poor people disproportionately. Price elasticity is real however, and anything that gets people off the sugar drink habit has to be good. People are still free to drink a Coke now and then, but are de-motivated to drink Coke for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which is sometimes the case.

PARIS — France’s top constitutional body on Wednesday approved a new tax on sugary drinks that aims to fight obesity while giving a boost to state coffers.

The Constitutional Council approved the new soda tax, announced in August as part of the government’s fight against obesity and within the framework of a broader austerity programme, after it was passed in parliament last week.

The tax, which works out to one euro cent per can of drink, is expected to bring in 120 million euros ($156 million) in state revenues.

[From AFP: France approves soda tax]

Disagree? Let me know!

I received an Earpeace, a pair of noise reducing earplugs a few weeks ago. The Earpeace are an addition to the field of earplugs for adults to cut down the noise while outside or at a loud event such as a concert. They attempt to lower the overall volume while not muffling sound the way foam earplugs do. Independent tests (Michael and Associates) put reduction of sound pressure at 75%. EarPeace delivers 11+ to 17+ decibels of protection. This means that 80% of people will get more than 11 decibels of protection and 20% of people will get more than 17 decibels of protection.

In my tests at a loud concert, I found that they do decrease volume, but to my ear, there was some loss of crispness in the sound though I was still able to enjoy the music and to relax knowing I wasn’t killing what is left of my ears. I wish they made these for smaller kids since we often take our kids to concerts in the parks where the decibel level is just really painful for young ears.

These make a thoughtful gift at $12.95.

I feel guilty every time we take our kids to a loud concert. It’s easy for adults to think it’s not too loud, while actually allowing damage to little ears. For $20-$30 you can protect your ears and theirs as well.

POSTSCRIPT: I went to see Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, last night. It reminded me that earplugs and noise reducers are not just for concerts. I’m going to start carrying them in my jacket so I have them when I go to the movie theater as well.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

So tonight, my kids helped me cut off my mustache and they are glad to have their dad back again. I just turned 54, so the facial hair that gets you into bars when you’re 19, is not what you want to make you look older when you are, in fact, older.

But the family had fun with the process since they can’t remember the last time I grew my beard out, which about 2004. A friend of mind didn’t’ recognize me at my local coffee store, so I guess I know what to do if I ever need to really go incognito. I might opt for Groucho glasses instead though since the scratch/itchy thing is for the bird.

Bald faced plug: the Dad 2.0 team has already reached over $17,000, but it’s not too late if you want to help out the cause. 33,000 men will die of prostate cancer and the nearly 8,300 men who will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year. Several important men in my life have died of cancer in the last few years, at least one because he didn’t go for an exam when he had serious symptoms. I’m doing this to raise awareness of men’s health.

If you can, take a moment to support the cause at  http://mobro.co/GreatDad. Even $5 is helpful!

Philips Norelco is matching $15,000 for our team so they deserve some thanks and credit. They sent me the shaver you’ll see in the video I’ll post tomorrow (gotta do that whole YouTube uploading thing). They did ask us to let everyone know that there is currently a $30 holiday rebate underway for the
SensoTouch shaver: http://www.upgradeyourshave.com/?origin=|mckv|sIL5aiqBI&pcrid=8513465214|plid

It’s usually $199, so that’s a nice saving if you have another Movember sufferer in the house who is keeping the ‘stash until 12/25.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

Too many men I know have died over the last year, most from cancer. Some were because they didn’t heed warning signs and go to see a doctor. I’m supporting Movember mostly to support men’s health awareness and the need for annual checkups for all dads especially.

Please support my growing efforts and the 33,000 men who will die of prostate cancer and the nearly 8,300 men who will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year.

I only have to wear this thing for one more day.

If you can, take a moment to support the cause at  http://mobro.co/GreatDad.

If you can make a donation, that would be great!

http://mobro.co/GreatDad

Thank you!

Young children commonly get about 6 to 8 colds and upper respiratory tract infections each year. And now, bcause the FDA and Pediatricians recommend not giving over the counter cough and cold medicine to children under the age of six, parents need alternative remedies to give to their kids, and studies now say that the dextromethorphan-based cough syrups just don’t work as well as simple home remedies (actually less well than a placebo). These include old-fashioned, but very effective, tricks like honey and lemon in hot water, the trusty vaporizer or humidifier, and a “nose teapot.”

We also like Maty’s All Natural Cough Syrup, which is similar in key ingredients buckwheat and honey. Maty’s also has a lot of other natural “stuff” like cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, marjoram and even cayenne pepper. In our experience, adults like this flavor more than kids, but it does the trick as well. It’s anyone’s guess whether the extra ingredients have an effect, but I’d take Maty’s if you’re not sure you want to add Vitamin C to the mix. Maty’s does also include zinc, an ingredient unproven to stimulate the immune system.

Loosen nasal congestionHumidifiers (and vaporizers) can help to naturally:

·        Ease Dry Coughs
·        Soothe Itchy Dry Skin
·        Moisten Chapped Lips
·        Prevent Nose Bleeds

For cold and flu symptoms the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend a cool mist humidifier, saline nasal solution, and a bulb to suction the nasal mucus. A cool mist humidifier is preferred over a warm mist because the water does not boil. We recently tried the range of cool mist humidifiers from Crane. This is a company that has decided to differentiate itself by using fun or cool designs rather than typical medicinal white and grays. And why not? Especially when you’re sick, it’s fun to look at a penguin or a kitty rather than some strange purely functional object. Cool mist humidifiers are about twice as expensive as vaporizers. Unfortunately, they still have the same frustrations though. You have to clean them daily and the water inevitably spills after you fill them or while loading the water chamber.

The Neti Pot

Ah yes, the Neti Pot. If you’re the kind of adult that suffers from multiple winter colds, you’ve probably tried the Neti Pot. It looks like a tea pot and you use it to gently pour warm water through one nostril and out the other. It does clean the gunk out, and many doctors recommend them as completely natural and safe. We’ve tried the Neti Pot from NeilMed. It’s a simple plastic pot and very lightweight, which isn’t a bad idea if you’re sharing it with kids. You can’t disinfect it in the dishwasher, but you can easily wash it with soap and water since nose gunk isn’t actually going through it.

These are what we’ve found to be simple, natural and helpful during cold seasons. There’s not much you can to do stop a cold one it’s started, but a combination of these three tools can help ease the symptoms without loading a kid up on strange drugs that experts say don’t work any better than simple lemon and honey.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: Manufacturers sent us samples of Maty’s, Zarbee’s and the Crane Humidifier for this review was at no cost for the sole purpose of product testing. We purchased the Neti Pot and Vicks Vaporizer. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.

On the same day a Wall Street Journal headline proclaims, “Are Alpha Males Healthy?” comes a news report on the involved parenting and testosterone.

Testosterone, that most male of hormones, takes a dive after a man becomes a parent. And the more he gets involved in caring for his children — changing diapers, jiggling the boy or girl on his knee, reading “Goodnight Moon” for the umpteenth time — the lower his testosterone drops.

[From In Study, Fatherhood Leads to Drop in Testosterone - NYTimes.com]

It appears that all of our fears, or at least taunts by manly men, have been confirmed: if you spend too much time in the nursery, you might as well put on a dress and hand over your trousers to the missus.

However some researchers are pointing to an opposite conclusion. What if is this is what nature intended? What if men are meant to settle into the role of good parents and caregivers at the point they have kids? What if they are meant to turn over “the hunt” to the childless men in both the psychological and physical interests of their babies? As a similar article in the Wall Street headlined, “Men Biologically Wired to be Nurturing Fathers.” In fact, the data seems to support what many of us “modern men” have been saying for a while: men have been unnaturally distracted from being the active parents they are meant to be.

This study tested 600 men both before and after they had children, and as such can answer the question of whether testosterone is lower among dads because only lower-testosterone men have kids or if having kids lowers testosterone. The study shows that nature intends for men to put down the bow and arrow and help with the kids.

This is both good news and bad news for dads in this story. First, testosterone level fluctuations are highest in the first month of the baby’s life and appear to rebound as the child gets older and more self-sufficient. None of the changes are so far outside the norm that there are noticeable difference in sperm count, chest hair, or voice range. Second, higher levels of testosterone in older men are linked to prostate cancer and the effect of fatherhood and this type of cancer may be linked, hopefully to helping prevent this type of cancer. Third, and more troublesome, is that lower levels of testosterone are linked to plaque in the arteries, heart disease and/or stroke, still the leading cause of death among men (and women).

Overall the good news is that men can feel less guilty or insecure about loving their roles as parents. Lowered testosterone, at least at the decreases shown in the study, shouldn’t really have an effect on energy or libido. If you feel these types of effects you should alert your doctor and find out how much your testosterone has decreased. It may not be related to your role as stay at home dad.

Baby MedBasicsis a cute little book to stick at the bottom of the diaper bag, “just in case.” It covers typical child accidents and illnesses including burns, falls, poisons and fevers. As the book cover proclaims, it’s “emergency action steps at your finger tips.”

It’s 62 pages and covers all the major issues pretty well with actual things to do when you discover the baby is in a threatening condition, with big graphics and plenty of white space. Finding solutions is pretty easy, thanks to big tabs covering 10 major symptoms or problems, including CPR, allergies, bleeding, burns, and choking.

The book also covers at least a page on all conditions on prevention, which may be a little late for most people who consult the book, but is still good to remind busy parents again and again.

Every household should have a book like this, as well as a well-stocked medicine chest with a proper first aid kit, “just in case.”

I did not know this, but tomorrow, a new California state law goes into effect, which requires all existing single family homes to install carbon monoxide alarms. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless poison that can only be detected with proper equipment. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recommends that homeowners install an alarm in each bedroom. Under the new law, owners of all existing single-family homes containing an attached garage or a fossil fuel (fireplaces, natural gas or heating oil) must install at least one carbon monoxide alarm device within the house by July 1, 2011. Previous laws only required newly-constructed homes to have the alarms. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings, have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law. The fine is $200.

Carbon monoxide is avoidable, but it is currently the leading cause of accidental poisoning in the United States.

Surveys show that most families will not comply with the law, with almost half waiting four months or longer. That’s not surprising to me since I hadn’t even heard about it until today. At the same time, I’m now acutely concerned. My kids’ bedroom is directly above a 3-car garage. This is exactly the type of situation that can be dangerous for sleeping kids or adults.

While the number of deaths annually is not huge (450), carbon monoxide poisoning does require more than 20,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. annually. California, where the new law takes place, cites 30 to 40 avoidable deaths annually from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The law requires at least one alarm per inhabitable floor, but guidelines suggest at least one per bedroom.

A wide variety of innovative products are available with an assortment of features to meet different needs. Readily available products range from combination smoke and CO units to basic battery-powered products and are available at the hardware store.

While adding the alarms, dads should also check smoke detectors for good batteries.

I was with my sister-in-law over the weekend. She works in a large high school as an assistant principal. She always has anecdotes to tell about the stresses of modern teens and the trouble they get into. Since my kids are only seven and eleven, most of these are just cautionary tales, but more and more, the advice is hitting closer to home. This weekend, we talked about Facebook and how much trouble kids get into on-line without being aware of it. They post sexy photos, get involved with predators, and say things they may wish they could erase in five years.

Her advice to parents: Don’t let your kids have a Facebook account. Easier said than done, but good advice if you can heed it from someone cleaning up the aftermath.

What do you think is the best age to let kids on Facebook?

Dispose-It-Guard Disposal Guard is the best thing ever and it’s one of those items you can’t believe no one has invented before. Simple, simple tool, blocks disposal drain for everyday use, and when you want to throw stuff down the disposal, you lift it out or move it to the side. You can use the long part to push food into the disposal, rather than getting your fingers into it, or to push down long pieces of melon rind or grapefruits. Other disposal covers we’ve used meant you had to stick your fingers on some gooey handle; this one, though it could be longer, is raised about an inch so it’s not always covered with slime. With other covers, too, you’d have to move them aside to let water in, and inevitably water filled with debris would spray up out of the drain. This tool has holes in the cover, so water doesn’t spray up.

I don’t know if this qualifies as a Fathers Day gift idea or not, but it would sure top my list if I didn’t have one.

Dispose-it-Guard is $13.95 on Amazon.

GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.