It had to be devastating -- to learn that their son had a deadly genetic disease destined to cut his life short after just a decade. But then science reared its helpful head and offered a solution. Andres, suffering from a rare hereditary disease called Beta Thalassaemia major, could have a brother who was not only free of the genetic malady, but could save Andres' life.

And so, Javier was born, free of the disease, and an immunological match for his brother -- meaning he could donate bone marrow to his brother and quite possibly cure Andres' condition. Andres' body does not produce enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells but his brother's umbilical cord blood will be used in a bone marrow transplant. Doctors say that "the possibility of healing the boy after the transplant is very high."

The parents used in vitro fertilization to conceive Javier and, prior to implantation, were able to verify that the embryo was genetically healthy. After he was born, doctors determined that Javier was indeed the ideal donor for his brother. I'd say that's one boy that better be nice to his kid brother!

Pacifiers are both a godsend and a major pain in the you-know-what. They magically soothe babies and put them to sleep, but when it comes time for a toddler to say goodbye to their beloved "nukie," it's torture for everyone.

We're going through that right now. Though many experts recommend waiting for kids to give up the pacifier on their own, our pediatric dentist has told us we really can't wait much longer or we'll risk permanent damage to her teeth. And so we've chosen this week to buckle down and do it ... which may explain why I tried to go the grocery store yesterday with two different shoes on. Sleep is definitely at a shortage around here right now.

If it's time for your toddler or preschooler to say goodbye to her beloved pacifier, here are a few things I've learned:

The spanking debate has been duked out repeatedly and will probably continue to be waged so long as people keep having kids. There was the California lawmaker who tried to ban it, but it seems that folks around here see it overwhelmingly as discipline rather than abuse. Me, I'm against it, but that's mostly because I'm very anti-violence.

Cathy Sorbo, a Seattle, Washington stand-up comedienne and mother, is on the non-spanking side as well and has written a column for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the matter after a woman was arrested for abandoning her newborn baby near a church in the middle of the night. More than just opposing spanking, Sorbo offers an alternative: tickling.

"You can carefully and skillfully overpower your child and inflict torture in a dominant fashion," she explains, "but instead of crying and fear, you will elicit shrieks of laughter." She notes, also, that there are disciplinary advantages too -- "you'll find your child to be more receptive to your concerns after you have both had a good giggle."

I don't know how effective a method of discipline tickling would turn out to be, but it sure seems a lot healthier and happier than spanking. As Sorbo says, "Laughter is healing. Spanking is not."

When my older daughter was five months old, she started rolling over in her crib at night. Only, instead of rolling over and snuggling in with that cute butt-in-the-air pose that all parents know and love, she'd roll over, then fall back to sleep ... face down in the mattress. I'd lie in my own bed, watching anxiously on the video monitor. My mind would tell me that she was fine, while my heart would fantasize about worst case scenarios until I had enough. I'd go in to gently turn her head to the side. She'd thank me by either waking up, furious, or by being back in the face down position by the time I hit my pillow. At her six month checkup, her doctor told me to leave her alone and let her sleep.

I've never met a new parent who didn't worry about SIDS, who didn't fret about sleep positions. But the same study that found that running a fan in baby's room may reduce the risk of SIDS also found that up to 26% of parents don't heed the advice that babies should sleep on their backs. Babies seem to sleep better on their bellies, so I'm guessing a large chunk of that percentage are parents off poor sleepers. Still, over one quarter of parents don't follow the single most important piece of advice when it comes to preventing SIDS? That's amazing to me

I had one child would only nap during the day if I put her on her side, so I can relate. But I was never brave enough to let them sleep on their bellies until they were old enough to get there themselves. What about you? Did you let your babies sleep on their bellies?

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl find out they are related.

Lifetime Movie Network or just your average Australian romance?

Australian laws are forcing gays and lesbians to seek "unregulated" sperm donors in order to have children, worrying state officials who say a generation of half-siblings could commit "accident incest" if the trend continues.

One man is thought to have impregnated at least 30 lesbians, while another man's sperm may have been used to father 29 babies.

According to FOXNews, sperm donation in South Australia is limited to heterosexual couples experiencing infertility and other reproductive hurdles, forcing same-sex couples to seek "donations" from willing parties online, or from casual sex. The same laws also require sperm donors to reveal their identities, putting off many men from donating at legitimate clinics.

Authorities fear that the children could grow up, meet and form sexual relationships with one another -- they are particularly worried because 29 half-siblings may all reside in Adelaide, one "big county town." Doctors fault the laws, which they say push gays and lesbians outside the system to have children of their own, and called for the South Australian laws to be repealed.

Ambitious entrepreneurs take note -- the DNA analysis business is going to be HUGE down under.

I receive many emails and letters every week asking for my advice on parenting issues. Well, this week, I'm asking readers to give me advice on my current parenting dilemma -- kids sleeping in our bed!

Here's the lowdown: as many of you know, I have five kids. The youngest, Paloma, is five months old and sleeps in a co-sleeper next to my side of the bed. She still gets up five times a night to nurse and/or use my breast as a pacifier. Upon hearing this, a good friend recommended I buy a pacifier. Though I never used one with my other kids, I bought one and Paloma likes it and uses it. Unfortunately, she often loses it during the night which results in her waking up and my having to wake up to find it or nurse her back to sleep. My two year-old, John-Paul, sleeps most of the night in a crib in his room. However, he wakes up every morning at 4:30 am screaming at the top of his lungs to be taken out of his crib. He's stubborn and loud so we end up getting up and bringing him to our bed because we don't want his screams to wake up the baby. Our four year-old, Lucia, and six year-old, Jack, will also come into our bed, though the days and times vary. There are mornings when we wake up to all three kids in the bed. Recently, we purchased bunk beds and instead of storing the old toddler bed in the basement, we put it in our room in hopes that at least one of them would sleep in it. Occasionally, Lucia will, but inevitably, she ends up in our bed before the night is over.

Having kids in the bed disrupts our sleep and God knows that parents with five kids need their sleep. On the other hand, we know that this stage is limited (our nine year-old no longer comes to our bed at night ) and that we will one day pine for the days when our kids loved to crawl in our bed and cuddle. What should we do?

Thinking of adding to your family zoo? If your kids are under 5, you might want to read this. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently sent out a warning to parents that certain pets and young children don't mix, especially exotic pets like hedgehogs, baby chicks, hamsters, lizards, and turtles.

The doctor's group is concerned because young children have undeveloped immune systems and many animals carry germs. In fact, they say, 11% of all salmonella cases involving young children are thought to stem from exposure to certain types of pets and other animals. And even when germs aren't a concern, biting is.

The best thing you can do as a parent and a pet owner is to do your research. Rather than caving in to a child's pleas or an animal's cuteness, make pet ownership a family decision that involves learning all about an animal before acquiring it. That way, you'll be sure to choose an animal that's appropriate for every member of the family, even the smallest.

As a college student, I learned about the various stages of grief outlined by Dr. Elisbeth Kübler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

I've done a bit of air travel over the summer and one thing I noticed is how parents' reactions to their child wailing during a flight mirrors Kübler-Ross' list. I saw saw parents who:

tried to be oblivious and didn't acknowledge the noise or crying (Denial)

told their kids (through gritted teeth) everything was FINE and to STOP. SCREAMING. NOW. (Anger)

offered cookies, crayons, new toys, an extra week at Disney and the sport car of their choice to babies in exchange for silence (Bargaining)

bought mini booze bottles from the flight attendant and rested their foreheads in their hands (Depression)

made eye contact and ruefully smiled in a "Kids!" sort of way (Acceptance)

In a way, it makes a lot of sense. Being forced to play the role of Person with Annoying Crying Kid that every flight is apparently required by law to have, is a death of sorts. You might drive a minivan and know all the rules to Pee Wee soccer, but you never thought you'd have the kid who deafens an entire cabin and causes people do birth control shots and book vasectomies upon landing.

In spite of being sandwiched in a row between not one but two infants quite vocal regarding their displeasure at being delayed on the tarmac while the plane's "computer system" was being worked on (I always suspect that is code for "engine fell out and we need more duct tape"), I was understanding and stink-eye free to the parents of the wailing wee ones.

You see, it wasn't all that long ago that my husband and I were horrified when our normally good-natured firstborn screamed his tiny throat raw on a flight to visit my in-laws. In spite of bouncing, feeding, burping, changing, cajoling, and walking (judging from the looks we were given by fellow passengers, you'd have thought we were also pinching, stabbing, and torturing) the child was inconsolable. Nearly fifteen years later, I still wish I could send everyone on that flight a doctors note explaining the baby had a double ear infection and the screaming was the result of pain from take-off and landings.

No, there will never be an evil glance from me due to a crying baby on a plane. However, the preschooler who kicks the back of my seat the entire trip is another story........

Okay, so maybe the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator wasn't of interest to you. Maybe your politics make you more interested in her opponent, the charismatic senator from Illinois. So how do you support Obama and get your fledgling democrat involved in the 2008 presidential election at the same time? Easy! Just ship him or her off to get a kiss from the candidate.

Kissing babies is a longstanding tradition in American politics and, even in this era of modern campaigning, Obama is not one to ignore the past. The only thing is, he can't be everywhere. So, if you've got a baby and you want Obama's blessing, just go to the Send Barack your baby website for instructions on how to pack up the little one and send him on over to campaign headquarters.

Upon arrival, your baby will be unpacked, given your choice of a hug, a kiss, or hope, and then packed up again to be sent home. And as if that weren't enough, there's also a slideshow of adorable little Obama supporters. Too bad they're not old enough to vote!

The number one recommendation for avoiding sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS is to have babies sleep on their backs. In addition, get a firm mattress and avoid soft bedding. According to new research coming from doctors at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, there's an additional measure you can take: turn on a fan.

This does not replace the existing recommendations, of course, but adds to them. "If parents want to take an extra measure, they should consider using a fan," says Dr. De-Kun Li, the lead researcher in the study. Dr. Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist, found that using a fan reduced the incidence of SIDS by 72%. If the temperature in the baby's room was sixty-nine degrees or higher, the fan helped even more -- cutting the risk by 94% versus not using a fan.

It seems to me that putting a fan on is a simple enough thing to do and if it makes that big a difference, I can't see any reason not to. I think we'll be running out for a fan this weekend for sure.

Presidential nominee John McCain allegedly had a date set with actress Jenny McCarthy. The topic of their discussion? Not love but, rather autism, and specifically the link between the condition and the use of thimerosal in the vaccines McCarthy believes cause autism.

McCarthy was eager to meet with McCain after learning he believes there may be a link as well, and apparently flew herself out for a meeting with the Republican senator to try to make autism a major part of the presidential campaign.

According to reports, however, McCain backed out after his flack decided the subject matter was too controversial. Right, like presidential nominees should avoid discussing anything controversial! If they did all they'd end up doing at debates was drinking Yoohoos! Although not attributed anywhere, the post on IMDB claims McCain also bailed after learning there is no hard evidence linking vaccines with thimerosal and autism. Either way, McCain declined to meet with the former Playboy centerfold (huge mistake, dude!) and McCarthy has now set her sites on meeting with Senator Obama.

Are you having a baby but haven't yet figured out what to call the little bundle of joy? (Hey, I understand -- despite having the best names ever, our son Tuolumne Ezra was several days old before he had a name.) Could it be that you just don't think the name you've picked out does your little one justice? Are you a big fan of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her unusually named children? Well, why not let Palin choose a name for your baby?

Yep, coming all the way from Alaska via that well-known series of tubes, it's the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Just put in the name you were thinking of and get back Sarah's suggestion for a better name. In fact, to show your support for the future veep, you could even put in your own name and change it to Sarah's suggestion. Just call me Geese Whalebone Sinasohn from now on.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF last week urged Asian mothers to return to breastfeeding in the wake of a series of infant deaths caused by melamine-contaminated powdered baby formula in China.

An update issued by WHO states that more than 40,000 children have sought medical attention after eating the formula, and nearly 13,000 more are receiving treatment in hospitals. So far, three deaths have been confirmed.

The organizations stress that breast is best for babies.

According to an article on Rueters.com, "no infant formula contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to enhance infant growth and brain development as breast milk does." Breast milk also contains antibodies that protect children against stomach upsets like diarrhea.

Experts say more and more Asian women have turned away from breastfeeding and adopted formula as the preferred food for their children.

However, medical experts warn that, on top of risking their infants' health, mothers in China are also putting themselves at risk by consuming more and more dairy products.

Right now, only 1 percent of the Chinese population is diagnosed with breast cancer, but occurrences of breast cancer-and also osteoporosis- will increase doctors say, if Asians continue to adopt a more Western-style diet.

Breastfeeding advocates advise women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their lives.

Baby powder smells good and feels good too, that's why it's been used on babies' bottoms for decades. But for the last several years, pediatricians have been telling parents to resist the urge. Not only is there little evidence that talcum powder prevents diaper rash, it's easily inhaled and can irritate the lungs.

A new study, however, gives one more solid reason to avoid using talcum powder. Researchers found that when women used talcum powder every day in their genital area, their risk of developing ovarian cancer rose as much as 40%. Experts believe that the talc travels up to the ovaries, causing inflammation that can develop into cancer. It's important to note that most women who use talc will not develop cancer, but even so, they're recommending that women either stop using powder altogether or switch to a cornstarch based formula.

I think that based on previous recommendations regarding lung health, combined with these new studies, it's probably time to put baby powder to bed for good. What do you think? Do these studies cause you concern, or are you reluctant to give up this diapering tradition?

Just how dangerous are shopping carts to kids? It depends on who you ask.

Shopping carts have become the next battleground in the war on germs. Grocery stores now offer antibacterial wipes and disposable covers for shopping cart handles, while parents can also lug in cotton covers that prevent their baby from ever actually having contact with the shopping cart their riding in.

New technology offers retailers another option -- a sort of car wash for carts. For a mere(!) $700 a month, retailers can lease a system that sanitizes the whole cart.

But is all this flurry and worry really necessary? One study found that infants who ride in a cart next to packages of raw poultry and meat are at an increased risk of developing salmonella. But other pediatricians say that all this fear over germs can actually backfire. Kids need to be exposed to germs and bacteria to build up a healthy immune system.

Because both of my girls are healthy and don't have any chronic health issues, I've never given shopping carts a second thought. We wash our hands on a regular basis, but we don't use any anti-bacterial products or shopping cart covers. But I see plenty of moms who do. Where do you stand on this issue?