Towels, floaties, a picnic lunch and sunscreen -- there's one more thing you might want to add to your beach packing list: Hand sanitizer. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that kids who play in the sand -- and especially those who like to bury themselves -- are significantly more likely to go home with a stomach virus.

Researchers followed 27,000 people over a four-year period -- 2003 to 2007. They noted beach visits and activity at the beach. Then, 10 to 12 days following a visit to the shore, researchers phoned families to see who had developed any symptoms of illness. What they discovered was that kids age 10 and younger who played and dug in the sand were 44 percent more likely to develop diarrhea.

Before you cancel those vacation plans, keep this in mind: Only six percent of kids fell ill, and all of those recovered on their own at home.

Experts say the problem lies in two major germs, E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria, both of which have to be ingested to cause illness. A simple solution is to keep an eye on the littlest beachgoers -- those who don't think twice about eating sand. And keep a bottle of hand sanitizer around to use after playing and before eating real food.

When choosing a hand sanitizer, look for one that's alcohol-based, rather than an antibacterial brand. These have been found to be nearly as effective as using soap and water, but don't create resistant bacteria.

Any mother who's ever hovered nearby during a clumsy toddler's first swim will know what this seal mom is going through. Cute! -- Lemondrop

Summer fun: The Brooklyn Cyclones hosted a "baseball and bellies" night, inviting pregnant women to a pre-game Lamaze class and serving pickles, ice cream and pizza. -- LilSugar

As if food labels weren't confusing enough, now there's a food rating system. Not sure how to decipher all the numbers on your kids' favorite cereal box? That's Fit has some tips.

Momversation wants to know: Should teens work to "earn their keep" or get employment experience, or does an after school/summer job interfere with school work and extracurricular activities?

A contraception study finds that the withdrawal method is just as reliable as condoms for birth control. Would you risk it? -- Motherlode

Parents need to squeeze every minute they can out of a day. What's your preferred method -- get up early or stay up late? -- Work It, Mom!

They share a marriage, a home, a child ... and a girlfriend. Jenny Block talks about how opening up her marriage also saved it. -- AOL Health

Going green starts early -- immediately after birth, even, with these green baby tips. -- The Cradle

Warner Brothers new movie "Orphan" might be a horror flick, but it's scaring adoptive parents for an entirely different reason. The film, about a charming child who turns evil after being adopted by a loving family, has received criticism from the adoption community.

In fact, the outcry was so strong that Warner Brothers removed one particularly hurtful line from the movie's trailer: "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own."

Katie Page Sander, Domestic Adoption Programs Coordinator for Hands Across the Water in Ann Arbor, MI, tells ParentDish that the damaging language isn't just limited to ticket buyers. "Orphan is kind of a loaded word," says Sander. It has "negative connotations."

Sander worries that the movie will enforce false stereotypes about adopted children, an issue she confronts every day.

"I think that there's already so many myths and misunderstandings about adoption -- especially adopting older children -- and this [movie] just perpetuates those myths," she said from her office. "I get calls every day from families with outrageous concerns about children and birth families. And those are just the families who are still interested in adoption despite the myths. How many good families never make a call because the myths scare them off?"

As Melissa Fay Greene points out at The Daily Beast, the movie -- just like those myths -- has no basis in reality.

"The trailer gives the impression that any couple with a yen for 'a replacement child' (as this psychologically unhealthy practice is known) can stroll into an orphanage, pick one out, and take her home," writes Greene. Greene, who is herself an adoptive parent, is incensed by this portrayal: "Even civic groups who want to 'Adopt a Highway' fill out a few forms first."

But as we learned from the movie "Jaws," it only takes a myth to scare people out of the water, and, in this case, away from adopting the world's most vulnerable kids.

For most adults, home is the one place where you can let it all hang out, within reason. Young kids, who don't pay attention to social norms, or completely disregard them, have a different set of clothing-optional standards. So, at what point is it appropriate for parents to set some ground rules about nudity?

Parents often don't notice their own kids' nudity, especially if they're laid back about it themselves. There's nothing cuter than a baby's chubby bottom, and breastfeeding moms quickly become comfortable with sharing their body with their babies. But as birthdays come and go, nudity becomes an issue in some homes.

"My mother, it used to drive her crazy how naked Ava was," Aly Mandel, mom of five, recently told The New York Times. "My mother-in-law also, they both felt it crossed the line of what was appropriate. My mother-in-law would come in and automatically say, 'Ava, put on your clothes. Put on your underwear.'" Mandel, however, saw nothing wrong with her six-year-old daughter's desire to be naked.

Neither do many parents. A poll taken at LilSugar last year found that readers overwhelmingly thought they'd never make rules about nudity in their house. But, as Jezebel points out, there are plenty of reasons to at least have a few boundaries when it comes to nudity: Only in the house, for instance, or never in front of company. Or as Magda at Ask Moxie says, "No bare butts on the couch."

Boundaries aside, are today's parents too worried about what their kids aren't wearing? At The Mommy Files, Amy Graff wonders, "Whatever happened to naked summers?" As soon as they start stripping down en masse, we all get a little uneasy.

It comes down to personal comfort. Kids usually develop modesty all by themselves, in time, and once they do, that needs to be respected. But until then, is it a parents' job to teach modesty or to let them enjoy those few short years of childhood innocence?

It might be summer, but in the northern states, there hasn't been a lot of beach weather this year. Here's how to handle a summer birthday party that gets rained out. -- Alpha Mom

Most grandparents look forward to the arrival of the next generation, but what happens when they don't? Read more about absentee grandparents. -- Babble

Minnie Driver, talking about her son Henry, 10 months: "I'm a single mom, [but] his dad is amazing and in his life. I don't feel alone. Babies attract love...They attract people who love them."

One dad wonders how to handle his kids' whining, especially their use of the word "hate." How do you deal with complaining kids? -- MomLogic

Euna Lee, currently in captivity in a North Korean labor camp, sent an urgent message to her husband: Remember to sign (their daughter) up for summer camp! It's a poignant reminder that a mom is a mom, no matter her circumstances. -- Motherlode

Priscilla and Katie Churcher are sisters married to the same man. So are they considered sisters? Or sisters-in-law? -- Lemondrop

A teacher is fired after being accused of caring about her own kids more than her students. Teachers are supposed to be dedicated, but this school district seems to be asking too much. What do you think? -- Whoa, Momma!

Oh no, it's raining again. Don't pop another movie into the DVD player, check out one of these cool rainy day crafts instead. -- Cool Mom Picks

Babyproofers beware: Drowning isn't the only hazard to be aware of in the bathtub -- 43,000 kids a year are treated in emergency rooms after slipping or falling an a tub or shower. And a new study shows that half of those kids are four years old or younger.

"That is because young children, the ones typically injured in bathtubs and showers, they tend to topple forward," Dr. Gary Smith study author and director of Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio tells MSNBC. "They have a high center of gravity, and they tend to strike their head and their face, and that ends up with injures such as lacerations."

Lacerations account for 60 percent of injuries, with the head most commonly involved. In fact, the study -- which will be published in the August issue of Pediatrics -- found that these kinds of injuries are more common than those from scalding water or being submerged.

What's in a name? As it turns out, a lot. A study of 15,000 names given to boys born between 1987 and 1991 turned up an interesting finding: The more unusual, feminine or offbeat a name, the more likely the boy is to end up a committing a crime.

How does a name affect a boys future success, or criminal record, as the case may be? Researchers aren't sure, but they think that a lifetime of merciless teasing may prime an oddly-named boy to be an outcast, or to have low self-esteem.

But a look at the top 10 list of names likely to land a boy in jail is confounding, because while some of these names might be awkward, they aren't really that odd or unusual: Alec, Ernest, Garland, Ivan, Kareem, Luke, Malcom. Preston, Tyrell, and Walter.

Luke? Really?

Register for baby, win a Wii for yourself! Between now and September 15th, parents who register for baby gifts at Babies 'R Us or Toys 'R Us -- and include select Wii or Nintendo products on that registry -- will be entered to win one of 10 Wii or Nintendo DS prizes. -- Toys.com

Pregnancy is definitely different the second time around -- just as special, but different. Veteran moms share the lessons the learned during their first pregnancy, and how it affected their second. -- The Cradle

Taking care of kids is challenging enough. Taking care of kids while also taking care of your parents, well, that deserves a reward. Parentgiving.com is recognizing six selfless caregivers with a new contest. To nominate your favorite caregiver, visit their website before October 15th.

Shh ... don't tell the kids. But some people think we should actually do away with summer vacation and send the kids to school all year long. What would your kids think? -- Motherlode

Do you have any Momfinitions -- you know, words that catchy words that describe a parenting moment (like booty call: when a toddler calls you from the bathroom to tell you that they need help wiping). If you can write five, you've got a chance to win cash in ParentConnect's Momfinitions contest. -- The Mommy Blog

Thumb sucking -- can it be defeated? Here's the bigger question: Does it really need to be? Where do you stand on the thumb sucking/pacifier issue? -- On Parenting

For every mom who's ever caught vomit in her bare hands ... because it's better than cleaning it up off the rug, this is for you: Things that make you go eww. -- Work It, Mom!

Parents at a local park got tired of the paps hounding Heidi Klum and her kids, so they told their kids to attack the photographers with water balloons. It worked -- the crowd and the Klum family left. -- Strollerderby

The dangers of teen texting: High cell phone bills, provocative pictures, car accidents and now ... falling into open manholes? It was bound to happen.

Proving that walking and texting don't mix, Staten Island 15-year-old Alexa Longueira recently found herself four feet under -- in a manhole. The teen had been sending a text message when she walked right into an uncovered manhole.

"It was four or five feet, it was very painful," Longueria told the Staten Island Advance. "I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me. They were just, like, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'"

Longueira was taken to a local hospital and treated for cuts and scrapes, while the Department of Environmental Protection was left scrambling for an explanation. Local workers had turned their backs to get orange cones to mark the manhole when Longueira fell in.

Staying home and skipping that vacation to save money this summer? Here's a new clever name for your staycation (and some tips): Non Voyage! -- Lil Sugar

Remember that summertime favorite, Magic Shell? You pour it on ice cream and it instantly hardens, making that treat even sweeter. Now you can make your own at home -- and maybe even share a little with the kids. -- Alpha Mom

Do you dress your little girl in the latest fashions ... only to slip yourself into yoga pants and sneakers? One blogger asks mom to to take a closer look at why we put so much energy into dressing our daughters, but not ourselves. -- Babble

Summer's long days make it difficult to stick to the school day sleep schedule, but kids still need a good night's sleep. Find out if your child is catching enough zzzz's at BabyCenter.

Mira Sorvino and husband Backus welcome a son, Holden Paul Terry, their third child. -- Celebrity Baby Blog

Do you post your vacation plans on Twitter or Facebook? One Arizona man learned the hard way that not all followers are friends -- he got robbed. Is it safe to Tweet your trip away? -- MomLogic

Young kids notice everything, and they aren't afraid to point out what they see. But when a child starts pointing out personal info, like "You've got a big butt," where do you draw the line? -- Divine Caroline

We're halfway through the summer -- have you pulled out your copy of "Siblings Without Rivalry" yet? Risa Green is ready to. How do you handle bickering kids? -- Mommy Track'd