(760) 946-9600 Contact UsPatient Portal

Posts Tagged "Routine"

2May2023

The Importance of Routine Pediatric Check-Ups

You want the best for your offspring as a parent. Schedule routine pediatric checkups as one of the most essential things you can do to ensure their overall health and well-being. Regular visits to the pediatrician are necessary for maintaining your child’s health and can help detect and prevent health problems before they become severe.

Here are a few reasons why routine pediatric examinations are so crucial

Early diagnosis of health problems

Pediatric checkups enable the doctor to track your child’s growth and development over time. This can aid in the early detection of potential health problems, when they are typically simpler to treat. For instance, if your child is not growing as anticipated, your physician may recommend additional testing to determine the cause and prompt treatment.

Immunizations

Immunizations are essential to maintaining your child’s health. Routine pediatric examinations afford your child the opportunity to receive necessary vaccinations on time. These vaccinations safeguard your infant against a variety of serious and potentially fatal diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox.

Developmental screening

During routine pediatric examinations, your child’s doctor will conduct developmental assessments to evaluate their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional growth. These examinations can aid in the early identification of any developmental delays or disabilities, allowing for prompt intervention and treatment.

Preventive care

Preventive care is an integral component of routine pediatric examinations. Your child’s doctor will offer advice on healthy habits, such as proper nutrition and exercise, as well as methods to prevent common childhood health problems, such as ear infections, allergies, and asthma.

Developing a rapport with your child’s pediatrician

Routine pediatric examinations afford you and your child the chance to develop a rapport with their physician. This relationship can be an invaluable source of guidance and support for your child as he or she grows and matures. By developing a rapport with your child’s physician, you can feel more confident in their care and have someone to turn to with any questions or concerns.

How frequently should you schedule routine pediatric examinations? The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests well-child visits for children at the following ages:

  • Within the first 2-5 days of life
  • At 1 month
  • At 2 months
  • At 4 months
  • At 6 months
  • At 9 months
  • At 12 months
  • At 15 months
  • At 18 months
  • At 24 months
  • Yearly visits for ages 3-21

Obviously, these are only general guidelines; your child’s doctor may recommend more frequent examinations based on his or her specific requirements.

In conclusion, routine pediatric examinations are a crucial component of ensuring your child’s health. They allow for the early detection and treatment of health problems, provide essential immunizations, and provide guidance on preventive care and healthy behaviors. By scheduling regular checkups for your child, you can help ensure their current and future health and well-being.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
31Oct2022

Developing Children’s Sleep Habits

In order to give them the energy they need for vigorous play and good health, children must get adequate sleep so they grow and develop at a quick rate. Your child can sleep better if you practice proper sleep hygiene, such as setting regular bedtimes and creating a calm, secure sleeping environment.

A good sleeping habit is a set of behaviors and practices that promote restful sleep. It is frequently called good sleep hygiene.

How Much Sleep Should a Child Get?

Sleep patterns of newborns vary greatly. Most infants sleep 14 to 17 hours throughout the day after about a month. Your infant will gradually sleep longer at night and shorter during the day.

Preschoolers and toddlers require 11 to 14 hours of sleep every day. The majority of it need to happen at night, but they frequently also want rest during the day.

Attempt to limit daytime naps to one to two hours in order to prevent extending nighttime bedtimes, although each child’s needs will differ. Children in primary school need 9 to 11 hours of sleep every night.

Understanding Internal Timers and Sleep Cycles

Our body’s internal clock regulates our sleep habits by keeping us awake during the day and encouraging sleep at night. The hormone melatonin, which alerts our bodies that it is time to sleep, is released in accordance with the body clock.

Most kids are asleep in 20 minutes or less after going to bed. It’s crucial to set regular intervals for your youngster to nap during the day and sleep at night. This enables the release of melatonin by their biological clock, hastening the process of falling asleep. We alternate between phases of deeper and lighter sleep after falling asleep.

If your child gets deep sleep, they won’t wake up too frequently. Most children have their deepest sleep before midnight, so putting them to bed early will allow them to benefit from this time for restful sleep.

Forming the Best Sleeping Patterns for Children

Exercise and Nutrition

Your youngster will sleep soundly with the aid of a healthy diet and regular exercise. If at all possible, try to plan meals so that your child doesn’t feel uncomfortable or unable to go asleep by going to bed either hungry or full.

Play and physical exercise during the day will also help your child burn off energy, reducing the likelihood that they will be restless when it is time for bed. Encourage your children to play outside so that they can synchronize their body clocks, which will help them sleep more soundly.

If your child is older than 5, avoid naps throughout the day. Make sure your child doesn’t consume any caffeine, including that found in chocolate and soft beverages.

Time to Wind Down Before Bed

Your youngster can more easily transition from playtime to sleep if there is a wind-down phase right before bed. Playing some calming music, reading a book, or telling your child a story are all peaceful activities that can put your child to sleep. If your child is having trouble falling asleep for a daytime nap, wind-down times may be especially helpful. For at least an hour prior to going to bed, refrain from utilizing electronic devices such as television, laptops, and cell phones.

Routines Before Bedtime

You may help your youngster associate showering and brushing their teeth with going to sleep by having a consistent bedtime routine that includes these actions. Additionally, it’s critical that kids feel secure and at ease in their sleeping surroundings. If left alone in a dark room to sleep, some kids may feel upset. It could be reassuring to use a night light or leave the door open. If your youngster is checking the time frequently, make sure they can’t see a clock.

If you need to tend to your kid after they are in bed to help them settle, try keeping the lights low and the room quiet to avoid upsetting the peaceful atmosphere of bedtime.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
27Apr2020

How Routines Soothe the Brain

If you have been a parent for very many years, you certainly know how well your child does with routines. Knowing what to expect helps him remain calm and in control of his emotions. It lets him know what to expect each day and can even decrease temper tantrums and meltdowns. However, did you know that routines and structure can actually soothe your child’s brain?

How Adults Deal with Decisions Differently than Children

The ability that you have as an adult to remain calm in the face of difficulties and to resist certain impulses while retaining a sense of control over your emotions comes from the working of what is known as your external frontal executive network. Your child does not have this inner working yet and will not fully gain control over his impulses until later in his teenage years. Your ability to create a routine can actually soothe your child’s brain and help him make the right decisions when it comes to academics, bedtime, food choices, and much more.

Routines can also help your child stay away from anxiety. Set schedules create important habits, helping children get through certain parts of their days more quickly while ensuring that they complete their tasks well. They may even be able to sleep better and find more enjoyment in the little things of life.

Structure Reduces Anxiety

All routines add structure to the day. They take away the need to make thousands of little decisions and help your child decrease stress by adding predictability to any given situation. When children do not have to expend valuable energy and emotions on smaller decisions, they will feel more in control of themselves when making larger decisions, such as whether they should go over to a friend’s house.

Even if you know very little about executive function, you have surely noted how much better you are able to resist your impulses when compared to your elementary-aged child. By putting routines and daily structures into place, you are providing the firm foundation your child needs to remain in control of his own actions. In turn, you are providing a soothing environment in which your child can grow and thrive. Once your child reaches adulthood, he will be able to put some of these same routines to work for him and will discover that they help to decrease his stress and anxiety at work and in social situations.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
11Jun2019

Summer Routines for Children

Now that summer is in full swing, you may be wondering how you are going to deal with having your children home with you for the next two to three months. What seemed like a great way to bond and to enjoy family fun may now seem like an overwhelming task of keeping your children happy and busy when it seems as if they have nothing to do. The benefit of the school months is that children have routines that they follow at least five days each week. They go to bed and wake up at the same time. Meals are normally at the same time, and extracurriculars usually happen on a schedule.

Summer Activities and Routines

During the summer, most of these activities are on a break. While children can certainly benefit from a little downtime that gives them a chance to use their imaginations and engage in social play, they may not benefit from the lack of routine in their lives. Therefore, it is up to you to build the right amount routine to give your children the security and self-control they need.

  • Create new sleep times. While your bedtimes and wake-up times may be different than they were during the school year, they should still be regular.
  • Create time for your children to be by themselves. Playtime is important, but children still need time to be quiet and to think. This gives them time to let their imaginations run free.
  • Create new weekly activities. Perhaps you can go to the library or the park on a certain day each week. The good news for you is that you may now be able to add in more regular weekly chores for your children to help you out around the house.
  • Create time for learning. Depending on your child, you may be able to keep up their learning with bookwork from a simple textbook. However, learning can happen outdoors, in the kitchen, in the garage, or nearly anywhere you go.

The benefits of routines for children cannot be overstated. Young children, in particular, feel much safer and more secure with a routine. Children do not have to fear the unknown when they know exactly what to expect. Routines also aid in creating a calmer household, giving children self-confidence, building healthy habits, bringing siblings and parents together, helping children look forward to favorite activities, and creating realistic expectations for everyone.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
11May2019

Healthy Sleep Habits for Children

Sleep is incredibly important for people of all ages but is especially vital for children who need sleep to grow and stay healthy. In infancy, children spend more time asleep than they do awake, but this changes by the age of two. Still, sleep remains incredibly important, and children of all ages require more sleep each night than adults do. If you are concerned that your child may not be sleeping as he should or that your child is not getting enough sleep, put these healthy sleep tips to work for you.

Create a Bedtime Routine

Nearly every child loves routines and thrives on days when things go much the same as they always do. A bedtime routine can help children know what to expect, can give them a sense of calm and can help them quiet down before the lights go out. What you choose to be a part of your bedtime routine is up to you. Just be sure that it is something that you can maintain longterm. For example, you may want to use bath time, reading time, singing or rocking as part of your child’s nightly routine.

Know How Much Sleep Your Child Needs

Sleep needs for children change as they grow. At a very young age, sleep needs are met through bedtime and one or more naps. By school age, children should be getting all of their necessary sleep at night.

  • Infants younger than three months need 14 to 17 hours of sleep daily.
  • Infants from 4 to 11 months require 12 to 15 hours of sleep.
  • Toddlers to the age of two need 11 to 14 hours.
  • Preschoolers under the age of five need 10 to 13 hours.
  • School-age children need 9 to 11 hours
  • Teenagers to the age of 17 need 8 to 10 hours.

Focus on Foods and Exercise

High quality sleep is about more than the time your child spends in bed. The foods and drinks he consumes and the activities he participates in during the day determine the quality of his sleep. Be sure to avoid products containing caffeine, including chocolate, in the afternoon and evening. In addition, daily exercise can help tire children out for bedtime.

Your child will be able to take these healthy sleeping habits into adulthood. Quality sleep can help with playtime, school time and work as your child grows.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
Copyright ©2022 Kids1stpediatrics.net