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Posts Tagged "Toddlers"

23May2020

Teaching Children About Germs

When your children were infants, they loved to put everything in their mouths and had no qualms about rubbing their eyes every chance they got. Now that they are older, they may still have some of these same bad habits and may frequently come back from school with nasty colds or stomach viruses. By teaching your children about germs, they can understand better how bacteria and viruses are transferred from person to person and can become better stewards of their own health.

Your first inclination may be to sit down and have a talk with your child. However, most children become quickly bored by lengthy discussions. If they have nothing to look at during the discussion, the words you say are highly unlikely to make their way into your children’s memories. Instead, you need to teach them about germs by using something that sticks out to them and engages their senses.

Utilizing the Tools of Technology

One of the easiest options is to show your children a video about germs. There are plenty of free videos about this subject online today. Plus, nearly all children love watching videos. A video can help get across the message that germs are quite powerful even though they are unseen. To ensure that the message of the video has been made clear to your children, ask them to repeat back to you what they were taught.

While engaging one of the senses through watching a video can be powerful, an even more powerful teaching option is to engage at least two of the senses simultaneously through a demonstration. Find something that your children can not only watch but also test out with their hands. One example is putting glitter on your children’s hands and having them watch how the glitter gets on everything they touch.

As your children hear you talk to them about germs while watching you demonstrate germ transfer and getting to test it out for themselves, these new concepts will make their way more fully into their conscious thoughts. 
Although it will not happen overnight, your children will gradually start making smarter decisions about touching their faces, washing their hands frequently, and practicing good hygiene around others when they are ill. Until then, you do not have to feel bad about continuing to remind your children to cover their mouths when coughing or to keep their hands off their faces.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
6May2020

Keeping Your Children Safe from Medications in Your Home

Almost every family has some type of medication at home, and most have multiple medications and supplements in their cupboards. Whether you take a prescription medication, keep acetaminophen on hand, or use supplements daily for good health, the medicines in your house pose distinct dangers to the littlest members of your family. No matter what age your children are, use these tips to protect them from possible overdoses.

Keep Medications out of Sight

If your child does not even know where medications are stored in the home, he will be less tempted to go exploring for them. Whenever you take out a medication bottle for your own use, be sure to put it back in the correct place immediately. Do not leave your children’s medications out where they can see them either.

Store Medications on High Shelves

As you are looking for a spot for stowing medications away safely, search for a spot that is too high for your children to reach. In addition, stay away from shelves next to spots that are easily climbable, such as near countertops or tables.

Only Use Bottles with Child-Proof Lids

Many medications come with child-proof lids. You can also ask for a child-proof bottle at your local pharmacy counter if you need to transfer some medications into safer bottles.

Make Sure to Hear the Lid Click Shut

Of course, child-proof lids are only handy if they are correctly deployed. Be sure that you hear the lid click shut after using it, and try to unscrew the lid yourself to ensure that it is completely closed.

Teach Children About Medication Safety

Instead of being afraid to teach your children about medications and how dangerous they can be, start early by telling your children how medications and supplements are different from candy. Additionally, explain that they should never eat anything they find on the ground, even if it looks like candy.

Keep the Number to Poison Control on Speed Dial

While these tips should decrease any potential for accidental medication ingestion in your home, you may still find yourself faced with the unthinkable someday. Keep the number for the Poison Control Center, which is (800) 222-1222, on your phone’s speed dial. These experts can give you quick advice for how to help your child and whether you need to head to the emergency room.

Kids Staff
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.

Kids Staff
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.

Kids Staff
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.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
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