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Then she rolls over on it and kills it, which happens all the time.

No it doesn't. That is total hogwash. In 90% of the world, mothers sleep with their babies. Separate sleeping arrangement are common only in parts of Europe and North America. A baby sleeping with Mom is less than half as likely to die: Research shows that infants who sleep in a crib are twice as likely to suffer a sleep related fatality (including SIDS) than infants who sleep in bed with their parents.

The few "smotherings" that occur are almost always a result of excessive alcohol or drugs. But if you aren't drunk, the kid is safer in bed with you.

See for alternatives,with a section on fever: http://www.amazon.com/Raise-He...
"Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, renowned pediatrician and author advises parents on home treatment and diagnosis of colds and flus, childhood illnesses, vision and hearing problems, allergies, and more. PLUS, a complete section on picking the right doctor for your child, step-by-step instructions for knowing when to call a doctor, and much more."

Dr. Sears on fevers:
http://www.askdrsears.com/topi...
"If your child of any age has one or more of the following symptoms, you should probably call your doctor right away: High fevers of 104 (40 Celcius) or higher that don't come down to 101 or 102 (38.3 to 38.9 Celcius) with the treatment measures below. ...."

Fevers are part of how the body activates parts of the immune response and also makes an environment less hospitable for disease.

I've also found this advice helpful:
https://www.drfuhrman.com/chil...
"Scientific research has demonstrated that humans have a powerful immune system, even stronger than other animals. Our bodies are self-repairing, self-defending organisms, which have the innate ability to defend themselves against microbes and prevent chronic illnesses. This can only happen if we give our bodies the correct raw materials."

Vitamin D deficiency and iodine deficiency are things to look into too. We take that regularly as pills and also dulse seaweed on popcorn -- I've read that iodine forms a protective layer at the edge of cells against some viruses. Elderberry and zinc may also help with a cold or flu; I just stocked upon some of those two as lozenges and other forms for the next time someone in my family gets a cold. See also:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/libra...
"Don't be alarmed if your cold symptoms last longer than you expect. On average, patients report that their common cold symptoms last one and a half to two weeks. In children, earaches tend to last anywhere from less than one day to 9 days, sore throat 2 to 7 days, cough up to 25 days, and the common cold 7 to 15 days.32 In time, the body will clear the virus on its own. Remember, over-the-counter medications merely mask symptoms, and may even impair healing. However, if you experience a sudden worsening of symptoms, especially including labored breathing, or a fever above 103 degrees for three days, then it is time to call the doctor."

Extended breastfeeding also helps reduce illness in young children if the mother is getting adequate nutrition and is in the same environment with the kid, since her immune system will scan the environment for threats and produce antibodies for the nursing child. WHO recommend nursing for up to two years or beyond, even if that is not the norm in the USA:
http://www.who.int/topics/brea...
"Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond."

When I was last in an urgent care facility for a physical injury, the guy ahead of me was there for the flu (he had diabetes and was worried about complications). I remember thinking of that when being asked to sit in the same chair he had sat in for paperwork, and probably handed the same pen he used, and of course breathing the same air in a confined space, etc.. I ended up with the flu, which made the recovery process longer and harder (although I might have gotten the flu elsewhere too, perhaps from my own family). Hospitals are full of a lot of worse stuff than the flu, too, so I guess I got lucky in that sense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.

That pre 1963 Polio vaccine was contaminated with SV40 virus? CDC soon yanked the warning, and it only exists now on the Internet Archive. http://web.archive.org/web/20130522091608/http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/archive/polio_and_cancer_factsheet.htm

Given that vaccines Drs want to give to kids have increased 3x since 1980, and many are for non-lethal diseases like rotavirus or for things like Hep B that a baby is highly unlikely to contract, and given that drug production is imperfect, I think many parents have legitimate concerns and being ordered to unquestionably follow their known-to-be-imperfect doctor's advice feed the backlash against vaccines.

Dr. Sears has good information for parents who want to take an informed, balanced approach:

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/vaccines

If you think fructose is bad, stop eating fruit, cuz it's the sugar you'll find therein. You could just as well call it "fruit sugar" as "corn sugar" -- both are correct.

The ratio of fructose to glucose in the fruit as well as the fiber content determine how much of the sugar is absorbed. -- http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t042600.asp

To the best of my knowledge there are no sodas that contain fiber. There are also very few that contain any vitamins, which fruit has plenty of. Eating foods with HFCS in their current form is absolutely nothing like eating fruit or corn. For one corn and fruit both have fiber and vitamins. It is not in the interest of consumers to mislead people into thinking that HFCS is good for you by changing its name. It is already quite appropriately named.

Saturated fats and Cholesterol clog arteries, unsaturated fats don't and have even been shown to help clean them. Your brain is also about 60% fat, healthy fats like those from nuts, fish, olive oil, etc... are very good for a healthy brain. Refined sugar on the other hand, gets converted to fat and has been shown to be a contributing factor in many things, including heart disease, diabetes, immune deficiencies, and new studies are showing that refined sugars may be a contributing factor in dementia in the elderly. If you want energy, try foods that are high in complex carbs and fiber, and some protein and fruit sugars in there and you'll be fine. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T045000.asp

Also, see Dr. Sears' blog with a lot of current information http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/

The author has spent may years of his practice (he is a pediatrician) to study in detail how each vaccine is made, what variants are available, which ingredients are present, what are the side effects, and when does the vaccine need to be administered. For each vaccine, he summarizes the reasons to take it, reasons to avoid it, and then gives his own recommendation.

Overall, I feel he provides a great overview of the available information to allow parents to make an informed choice.

You obviously don't do much reading on parenting techniques.

Letting a baby cry it out is so... 1980's American.

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/04.09/Chi ldrenNeedTou.html

and its biologically incorrect. A mother's milk lets down when her baby cries because evolution has designed the human parenting system to work that way. Baby cries, mother feeds and comforts.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051200.asp#T0512 04

However, it is often convenient to the parent to let a baby cry. I'm sure we all know how much Americans dislike being interrupted from their pursuit of the American Dream (and watching American Idol, of course!)

But, what the hell would I know. I'm only the mother of 5 kids, 4 months to 15 years.

Most energy drinks are a mixture of the following:
* Caffeine
* Sugar
* B-vitamins (1: Thiamin, 2: Riboflavin, 3:Niacin, 12, )
* 1 more substance (at least in the can I most recently looked at). I can't remember the name, but it's normally produced in the body unless you are an infant (where the normal source is breast milk).

The concentration of B vitamins can be between 50% to 200% of the RDA, depending on the drink.

Check out the Vitamin facts, B-vitamin groups, or check out a nutrition textbook.

Energy drinks are just sugar + caffeine to people on correct diets. Why pay over 2x the price for what is essentially Mountain Dew or sugary coffee?

Eat the normal 4-5 small meals a day with no snacks, and take a multivitamin supplement. Do some exercise. You'll get a much better effect.