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Posts Tagged "Pediatrics"

20Jan2020

Dealing with Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nearly every parent has had the experience of comforting a child after a distressing dream. However, if these episodes occur too frequently or seem to be leading to daytime anxiety in your child, you may be wondering if there is something that you should do. It is important to understand the differences between nightmares and night terrors and to know when you should seek help from your child’s physician.

How Do Nightmares Happen?

Nightmares are scary dreams that awaken children. Sometimes they occur after your child has watched or read something scary. Other times, they occur for no apparent reason. These dreams typically occur during the REM portion of sleep, and your child will probably be able to tell you what happened during the dream.

On the other hand, night terrors usually result in only partial wakening even though your child may sit straight up in bed and scream. Other symptoms could include sweating and faster breathing. Your child will probably go back to sleep in a few minutes. Most of the time, your child will have no remembrance of this episode in the morning and will not be able to say what scared him.

Your child will need you to comfort him if he is going through either of these issues. Talking through what happened, staying with your child while he is awake, and leaving the bedroom door open can help your child calm down enough to go back to sleep after a nightmare. However, because a night terror can result in a great panic, you will need to protect your child from bodily harm while resisting the urge to wake him up in the middle of the episode.

Handling Night Terrors

Nightmares are usually not harmful. Most children outgrow them or find that they become less problematic if they avoid certain television shows, books, or video games. However, if the nightmares are intruding on your child’s daytime life or causing him undue anxiety, you should contact his pediatrician.

Similarly, night terrors are typically not harmful as long as they are not regularly interrupting your child’s sleep. If the episodes last longer than half an hour or if your child becomes stiff or starts to drool during an episode, you should immediately reach out to his pediatrician because this could indicate an underlying problem.

Contact Kids 1st Pediatrics if you have any further questions about healthy childhood sleep.
Pediatrics
28Dec2019

What Is a Primary Care Physician?

A primary care physician, or PCP, is a medical practitioner who provides the everyday health care that you or your child needs. He or she will have worked with you extensively and will be able to provide well-patient care, immunizations, urgent checkups, acute care, and referrals to specialists when necessary. It is always beneficial for your child to have a primary care physician.

Why Should Your Child Have a Primary Care Physician?

The most important reason to choose a PCP for your child is so that she can enjoy thorough preventative care. Preventative care is basic health care designed to help your child stay healthy throughout life. It could include well-child visits, immunizations, and regular checks for growth and development.

While preventative care is certainly important, it is not the only reason for choosing a PCP. Your child will also be able to enjoy great continuity of care. Instead of bouncing back and forth between providers, your child will be able to get used to seeing the same physician and will be able to develop a trusting relationship with the doctor. This can create a solid benefit for great health care throughout the rest of your child’s life. In addition, the PCP will already know your child’s medical history and will be able to notice any new health concerns rapidly.

What Are the Benefits of Choosing a Pediatrician as Your Child’s PCP?

While family practitioners and internists often see children, they may not see infants. In addition, they do not have the extensive education in health care for children that a pediatrician has. This is particularly important if your child has any health concerns or chronic conditions that require regular visits.

If you have not yet set up care for your child with a primary care physician or you have moved from a different area and are looking for a trustworthy primary care physician in the Apple Valley area, look no further than Kid’s 1st Pediatrics. Here you will find compassionate nurses and medical staff, a knowledgeable pediatrician, and plenty of support for all of the little medical dilemmas that your child may find herself in over the years. Set up care with us today so that you have a place to turn when your child requires urgent care, a school physical, or any other type of pediatric health care.

Pediatrics
21Dec2019

’Tis the Season for…

With winter right around the corner, it is time for parents across the community to prepare for wintertime illnesses. When your child suddenly comes home from school with a sore throat, muscle aches, or stomach pain, you want to know what he is fighting so that you can treat it properly.

Common Cold

It is nearly a given that your child will come down with a cold this winter as most children get up to 10 colds every year. Because this is a virus with typically mild symptoms, your child will most likely not need to see a doctor unless the illness worsens. However, he will need plenty of liquids and may need medication to bring down a fever.

Influenza

Although influenza is less common than a cold, almost half of children contract it each year. It is set apart from colds by the high fever, chills, and body aches that accompany it. Children over the age of 6 months should have the influenza vaccination every year. Most children who catch this illness can get over it on their own.

Stomach Flu

This illness may be called the flu but is correctly labeled as gastroenteritis. Most children with gastroenteritis have a stomachache along with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 to 48 hours. Hydration is vital.

Strep Throat

If your child has strep throat, he will have a very sore throat along with a fever, stomach pain, and difficulty swallowing. However, he will not have a runny nose. A simple throat swab from your pediatrician ensures that the illness is correctly diagnosed and treated with antibiotics.

Ear Infection

Many very young children end up with ear infections and spend time rubbing or pulling at their ears. If your child has a fever along with these symptoms, some acetaminophen or ibuprofen should limit the discomfort. If symptoms do not resolve in a few days, you should visit your pediatrician for professional help.

Whooping Cough

Although less common these days than it once was, whooping cough seems to be making a bit of a comeback in recent years. Initially, symptoms feel like a common cold but will progress to a terrible cough during which your child makes a whooping sound.

Be sure to contact Kids 1st Pediatrics to set up an appointment time for the influenza vaccine or to request a same-day or next-day appointment for your child.

Pediatrics
16Nov2019

Urgent Care versus ER for Kids

Dealing with a sick child can be stressful at best and downright harrowing at worst. While you can probably keep a cool head when thinking about the health needs of children from other families, you may instantly find yourself turning to worst-case scenarios when the health of your child is at stake. Of course, quick health care is important, but you may struggle to know where to turn for the best care for your child’s ailment. Is urgent care or the emergency room the right spot for your child to be treated?

How Serious Is the Health Need?

This is the most important question that you must ask yourself as you determine where to take your child. Medical emergencies, such as severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, seizures, very high fevers, and major rashes or allergic reactions to the face, all warrant immediate care in the emergency room or possibly an ambulance ride depending on the severity of the situation. However, urgent care doctors and nurses can take care of other less urgent and severe matters, such as broken bones and sprains, other types of rashes, influenza, earaches, pinkeye, diarrhea, vomiting, minor burns, and sports injuries.

Do You Have Access to a Pediatric Urgent Care?

If possible, try to find a pediatric urgent care facility close to your house. Not only will these professionals be able to provide you with fast care for mild health concerns, but also they will be highly trained in dealing with common health problems associated with childhood. These people care solely for infants, children, and teenagers and will have the equipment and knowledge for treating problems quickly yet accurately.

Does Your Pediatrician Offer Same-Day Appointments?

If you are considering heading to the urgent care, first find out if your pediatrician can squeeze your child in for a quick appointment. The benefits of this approach include money savings and a great rapport between your child and the physician. Plus, the pediatrician will already have your child’s medical history in front of her.

Pediatrics
13Nov2019

Flu Vaccine: Yea or Nay?

Vaccines have become a hot topic for many parents, with some fighting vigorously for their cause while fiercely opposed to the other side. As flu season rolls around again this year, parents find themselves faced with the question of whether or not the flu or influenza vaccine is safe, necessary, and the right choice for their children. While this vaccine may not raise the same questions that other common vaccines, such as the MMR shot, raise, it still deserves your consideration.

Is the Flu Vaccine Safe?

One of the biggest questions for parents is whether the flu vaccine is even safe. You should know that this vaccine cannot actually cause the flu, although it may cause some initial symptoms of soreness or fatigue for the first day or two. Getting this vaccine is far safer than testing your luck and hoping that your child does not get influenza, which could lead to days of fierce illness and could even land him in the hospital.

Should Children Get the Flu Vaccine?

You may think that the flu vaccine is only important for elderly adults who have weakened immune systems. However, keep in mind that your child’s immune system is not nearly as strong as yours is and that children who come down with influenza often have serious symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people over the age of 6 months get the flu vaccine yearly. You may want to opt for the nasal spray flu vaccine if your child is afraid of needles. Although the nasal spray has not been as effective as the shot in past years, the CDC states that it should be just as effective for the 2019-2020 flu season. If your child is under the age of 9 and has never had the flu vaccine in the past, he will most likely need two doses.

Is There Anyone Who Should Not Get the Flu Vaccine?

Almost all children should and will be able to get the flu vaccine this year. However, you should always have an open conversation with your pediatrician regarding any concerns you may have about the shot. There are a few sub-groups of children who may not be able to have this vaccine, including those who have had severe reactions to the flu vaccine in the past and those who are actively ill.

Pediatrics
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