Hey Dads and Moms: Relax! Today's parents are more anxious than ever about their kids safety, but they don't have to be (with a few major exceptions). In this episode Daddy Clay interviews Cara Natterson, pediatrician and author of Dangerous or Safe. Quick quiz: which is more dangerous for you or your child: eating fish or using cell phones? Watch this video, read the book, and find out. DadLabs Ep. 579 is brought to you by BabyBjorn.

Daddy Clay: Hey there. Welcome back to another episode of The Lab. I'm Daddy Clay and this show is brough to you by Baby Bjorn. We're here today on the grounds of the beautiful state capitol of Texas at the Texas book festival.

Shortly we're going to be joined by the author Dr. Cara Natterson, author of Dangerous or Safe. Dr. Natterson is going to help show us those things that we need to be worried about as parents but even more, a lot of things that you don't.

So we're here with Cara Natterson, thank you so much for being here with us at the Texas book festival.

Dr. Natterson: Thank you for having me.

Daddy Clay: So tell us - Dangerous or Safe? I see this book and I'm almost scared to open it because it seems like this is a compendium of all the things that make parents nervous. Should I be scared to open this book?

Dr. Natterson: You should open this book and realize that almost everything in there, the answer is safe. Everything in moderation is ok for you. You know, the truth is parents search the internet for answers about what's going to harm their kid and here's a book where I put it together for you and I say here are the studies and this is why you can take a breath. You don't have to worry about every detail. You're ok.

Daddy Clay: And you know this how? How do you have all this great information?

Dr. Natterson: I am a general pediatrician and I've been in practice for many years. I have two young children, a four year old and a six year old.

Daddy Clay: Talk to me about the things that you find people are most worried about and that their anxiety is not necessarily warranted.

Dr. Natterson: Well, the book is divided into four categories. In the food category parents are really worried about fish. They've heard a lot about don't eat fish, don't eat fish, don't eat fish. It's bad for you. It's bad for kids. It's bad for pregnant women.

Daddy Clay: My kids actually cite those things a lot when I tell them to eat fish.

Dr. Natterson: Yes, and you should tell them to eat fish, actually, because we really need the omega-3 fatty acids in fish. They're important for brain development for children. They are important to prevent heart disease in adults. We just need to learn how to eat fish safely. In the drink category there is a lot of controversy over milk and the answer is milk does a body good. That ad was actually correct back in the day. Basically the drinks you want your kids to have are milk and water. That's really it.

Daddy Clay: Is there anything in the book that describes something that we should be a little bit worried about?

Dr. Natterson: I worry about cell phones. When you hold that antenna up to your head the electro magnetic radiation from the phone is going right into your brain and my advice is to learn to use a cell phone safely. Use a wired ear piece. You can still use a cell phone just hold the cell phone here, let the wire go to your ear. That way the antenna is away from your head. At home use corded phones. Good old fashioned corded phones.

Daddy Clay: Overall do you think parents are just a little too anxious?

Dr. Natterson: They're not just a little too anxious. They're a lot too anxious and it's not fair. Let's relieve the burden from them. Let's focus on bigger things that are more important. So hopefully this will help parents take a deep breath and recognize that they don't have to be afraid of everything in the world.

Daddy Clay: Thanks a lot for talking with us, Cara. This is a great book. Dangerous or Safe? This is Dr. Cara Natterson. Please pick up her book. It's all about the things that you can relax about. Wouldn't that be great? A book that makes you worry less. We'll see you next time on DadLabs.