Cellphones/Cordless Phones-How close is too close for baby?(xpost family safety)

[gracemamma]

I remember reading an article in cookie magazine where a prominent ped was saying she didnt worry about BPA or contamination of toys but she was petrified of cancer risks of cell phones near babies. Yikes! I worry about those other things too!

Does anyone know how far to keep cellphones from babies and children? What is safe? I tend to let our 6 month old near the cordless phone but not the cells- she LOVES phones and sometimes DH turns off his cell or blackberry and gives it to her to play with-probably not a good thing. We also dont have a home long dist. plan so all calls to family. friends etc is on the cell.

We're about to get a couple of those sprint Hero PDAs so there will be even more colors and fascintion with the phones now.

Thanks for your help/insight!

[Penny4Them]

Here is an article that stirred lots of conversation about cell phone safety.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08205/898803-114.stm
and a link to the original msg sent from the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute Chief with recommendations:
http://www.post-gazette.com/download...phone_memo.pdf

For my children, they rarely use the cell phone and if they do they use my corded ear bud, and I much prefer our regular home phone for calls. (We only have one cordless in the house and the others have the old fashioned coil cords.) I am concerned about the safety of all devices (TV games, MP3 players, hand-held games) b/c there have been no studies into any possible long-term implications of these devises and children (or humans of any age). I don't know for sure that these conveniences could be harmful but I'm not willing to put my kids at possible risk in the name of amusement.

[tzs]

i remember that quote too. i think her message was not that we should also freak out about cell phones (although i'm sure they're not so great for babes) but rather that when thinking about bpa's you have to realize that there are way worse things out there that we regularly expose ourselves to and never bat an eye. and that bpa's are just the danger of the moment.

like, we won't take a sip of wine during pregnancy but we'll have medically unnecessary ultrasounds just for fun.

[gracemamma]

Thanks tzs & penny4them! Good points & interesting links. Sometimes parenting can be such a muddle because of the lack of clearcut answers to important questions. Like today, was DD up tons the past few nights and suffering from diarrhea because I need to eliminate more from my diet or bc of teething? We want to do the best by our precious babes- but sometimes figuring out what this is is so confusing! (especially on precious little sleep!)

[littlegreenlady]

I read a few articles on the subject when I got pregnant because we were considering getting wireless internet and decided to replace the cordless phones with the old fashioned kind and the old computer monitor with one that is safer (flat screen). I guess in England they won't allow wireless internet is schools because young children have thiner skulls then adults. here is a link to one of the articles I read.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...xt=va&aid=7025

That being said I also think it's important to not get overly stressed because that doesn't help (makes it worse really). Having a cell phone is not necessary in my household because my husband I both work at home. It's important to be realistic when making changes like these!

[Lacrymosa]

I have NEVER heard that cell phone thing. That is scary, Asia chews on mine all the time. Never again.