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Category "Pediatrics"

28Dec2020

Teaching Your Children About Hand Washing

Hand washing may be a simple chore, but it can be a difficult habit for children to build. In fact, a close examination of some adults’ handwashing habits might reveal that even those who have cleansed their hands for years may not know the correct steps.

Teaching Handwashing Habits for Children

It is vital to learn how to wash your hands correctly and how to teach your child to do the same because this can literally be a life-saving task. Hand washing removes germs from the hands and prevents them from being transferred to other surfaces, to other people’s hands, to food, and even into one’s eyes, nose, or mouth. This season of COVID-19 has especially shown how much hand washing can help. Even the CDC has made this a major recommendation for preventing the spread of the virus.

You can easily teach your children how to wash their hands with these five quick steps.

  1. Turn on warm water, and wet the hands.
  2. Use bar soap or soft soap to create a lather.
  3. Scrub all areas of the hands and fingernails for at least 20 seconds.
  4. Rinse hands under warm water.
  5. Dry hands with a clean towel or paper towel.

In addition to these five steps, follow these additional tips to make the experience as fun and as effective as possible.

  • Help your children know how to get warm water out of the faucet. Children who are scared of getting hot water may turn on only the cold water, decreasing the effectiveness of handwashing.
  • You can make handwashing fun and get your children to scrub their hands long enough by asking them to sing the happy birthday song or the A, B, C song while they scrub.
  • Make sure that children are scrubbing all areas of their hands, including their palms, the backs of their hands, between their fingers, and around their fingernails, during each washing.
  • Show children how to use a paper towel to turn off the faucet in a public restroom to avoid recontamination.

Knowing how to wash your hands is one of the simplest ways to prevent the spread of many illnesses. By teaching your children effective hand washing methods now, you can set them up for improved health for the rest of their lives.

Pediatrics
21Dec2020

Is It Influenza, a Cold, or COVID?

This time of the year has always been known for bringing its own share of fevers, sniffles, and sore throats into your home. However, what may have been no cause for alarm in years past may now strike fear into your heart. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic is no easy matter, and it is even more stressful for parents who are worried not only about their own health but also about the health of the youngest members of their family. Instead of spending several sleepless nights worrying about whether your child has a common cold, influenza or COVID-19, read our helpful guide to get some of your questions answered.

The Symptoms of Influenza, Cold, and COVID-19

  • The symptoms of a common cold are usually far milder than those of either influenza or COVID-19. Your child may have a runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, or even headaches for approximately a week. Some children may continue on with their typical daily plans without any changes, while others may slow down for a few days and prefer to get some extra rest.
  • Compared to the common cold, influenza is usually much more uncomfortable. Not only may your child feel very tired and have a sore throat, but also he may have a mild to high fever, chills, and muscle aches. Some children even have digestive complaints, such as diarrhea or vomiting. Symptoms usually come on quickly but may not last as long as those of a cold. However, influenza is at least partly preventable with a readily available vaccine.
  • COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus, has many of the same symptoms as influenza. However, it can often be differentiated by additional symptoms, such as changes in taste and smell and shortness of breath. Symptoms may also last much longer. While a vaccination has been approved for adults, there is not yet a COVID-19 vaccination approved for children.

Although we hope that this guide has pointed you in the right direction when it comes to taking the best care of your child this winter, we know that you may still have several questions. Let us do the worrying for you. We invite you to contact our office or to make an appointment to bring your child into Kids 1st Pediatrics in Apple Valley at your earliest convenience. We offer a variety of appointment times designed to fit into your busy schedule.

Pediatrics
30Nov2020

All About Pediatric Fevers

Fevers can be scary symptoms for parents because they could signify a huge range of possible illnesses. They can be particularly concerning during this period of COVID-19 because they could point to a highly problematic sickness. By learning more about the causes of fevers and potential fever treatments, you can feel more confident in knowing when to keep your child home and when to take him to the doctor for treatment.

What Are Fevers?

Although you almost certainly know that a fever is a higher-than-normal body temperature, you may not know the specifics of when a fever is diagnosed. Normal body temperature is defined as 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. However, normal body temperature actually ranges from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. A fever is technically defined as any body temperature over 100.4 degrees.

Causes of Fevers

A temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher can indicate an acute infection that the body is trying to fight off. Many scientists believe that the body naturally raises its internal temperature to make surroundings less hospitable for a host of germs.

However, not all fevers are related to illness. Instead, they should be seen as a symptom of a different problem. For example, your child’s temperature may be raised because he was just playing vigorously outdoors or because he is wearing too many layers of clothing. This could even be a natural reaction to a vaccination.

Treatment for Fevers

If your child develops a fever, you should consider treating it or talking to your child’s pediatrician if his temperature is over 102 degrees. However, any temperature of 100.4 or higher in infants younger than three months old should be seen as requiring urgent care.

Many fevers will come down naturally within the next day or two. If your child still seems to be eating, drinking, and playing normally, he may not need any treatment. If the fever keeps climbing higher or your child is acting abnormally or has a significant change in his skin color, you should immediately schedule an appointment with the pediatrician.

Get All Your Questions Answered at Kids 1st Pediatrics

At Kids 1st Pediatrics, we specialize in caring for ill children of all ages. If you are concerned about your child’s fever or have questions about if or how you should treat his fever at home, give our office a call today.

Pediatrics
20Oct2020

Protecting Your Child from Influenza This Year

Protecting your child from influenza is important every year but is even more important this year with the added concerns of COVID-19 still swirling across the United States. Those who are already sick with influenza may find it even more difficult to fend off a COVID-19 infection and could end up with more serious health concerns. Additionally, it is important to decrease as much work for medical teams around the country as possible to free up resources for fighting the novel coronavirus. Here are a few ways that you can protect your child this fall and winter.

First and most importantly, be sure that your child receives an influenza vaccine.

October is an excellent month to get this shot as it should last through the rest of the influenza season. However, even if your child does not get the shot this month, your doctor will still be able to give it in later months. According to the CDC, very young children, especially those younger than 5, are at high risk of developing serious complications should they develop influenza. Your child can receive an immunization as long as he is at least six months old.

Second, you can still take numerous steps to prevent an outbreak of influenza in your family even after family members get the influenza vaccine.

Stay away from sick family members and friends, and stay at home yourself if you are feeling under the weather.

Teach your child to cover his coughs and sneezes with a tissue or his arm. Tell him to wash his hands for at least 30 seconds after blowing his nose. Singing Happy Birthday while washing up can be an easy way to measure the correct amount of time.

Although it can be difficult for children to keep their hands away from their faces, it is vitally important for reducing the spread of germs. In particular, encourage them to stop rubbing their eyes.

Finally, be sure to keep frequently touched surfaces in your home clean and disinfected at all times.

This is particularly important if someone in your family is sick, but it should be done regularly even when you all are healthy. Use disinfecting wipes or sprays to clean doorknobs, light switches, countertops, and faucet handles.

If your child still needs an influenza vaccine this season, contact Kids 1st Pediatrics to set up an appointment time.

Pediatrics
13Oct2020

What You Need to Know About Pink Eye

Although not a terrible health risk in most cases, pink eye is still something that most parents will gladly avoid. It is highly contagious and can create much discomfort and eye drainage. Because of this, if your child is diagnosed with pink eye, he will likely need to spend time on his own at home recuperating before heading back out to school or sports.

If you are not sure whether your child actually has pink eye, there are a few common signs you can look for before getting your pediatrician’s opinion. The eye will most likely appear pink or reddened. Your child may spend a lot of time rubbing his eye or may complain that it feels as if something is in his eye. Another clear indicator of pink eye is a watery discharge along with a yellow or green-tinged discharge that can crust the eye shut during sleep.

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should bring your child into Kids 1st Pediatrics as soon as possible to get an official diagnosis. With treatment, pink eye can clear up quickly. Without treatment, however, your child may remain contagious for two weeks.

Treatment for Pink Eye

Many cases of pink eye are caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotic eyedrops. It can be difficult to put eyedrops in your child’s eyes. However, even if his eyes are closed, you can drop the ointment into the corners of his eyes, where it will flow into the correct spot as soon as he blinks his eyes open. After using antibiotics for 24 hours, your child will not be contagious any longer and will be able to return to school and his other usual activities.

In addition, you will want to keep his eyes clean. Use a warm, wet, soap-free cloth to remove drainage. Your child may find this warmth soothing to his symptoms as well. If your child wears contacts, you will want to switch to glasses for the time being so that the eye does not become reinfected.

In most cases, pink eye should clear up within three days after initiating treatment. If your child is still dealing with the same symptoms, make another appointment with his pediatrician at Kids 1st Pediatrics. In some cases, the infection can spread even further into the eye and may need a different type of treatment.

Pediatrics
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