Awesome Parents Blogs

If you have a child that needs help overcoming the fear of the dentist, and then trust that you are not alone as many children have the same fear as well as some adults. The dentist can be an intimidating place for a little one if you put yourself in their frame of mind for just a minute. For example, a child enters the dentist’s office and to begin with they typically are not as welcoming with toys spread out and books for little ones to read. Secondly, a child sits in the reception area and can hear noises from drills and other types of dental equipment that are loud and can be quite frightening to a child. By the time the child sits in the dental chair to be examined they are already a bit scared and are being told to open their mouth so the doctor can poke around in it with pointy-looking utensils…all in all most children have many reasons to be intimidated about going to the dentist.

The first step to overcoming the fear of the dentist is to explain to your child realistically why they are there. Getting your teeth cleaned is typically not a painful process whatsoever, show your little one at home what the dentist will do with flossing and cleaning their teeth with a “special dentist toothbrush” and remind them of the mouth rinse options they will be given at the end of their visit as most dentists possess washes for kids that are flavored and even colored.

Next you should always expect the worst possible scenario when taking your child to the dentist to not be disappointed as their parent and also to be prepared. If the child is small and under the age of seven or so, you can always take along a small toy or comfort item for the child such as a small stuffed animal for them to embrace while sitting in the chair. If the child is of preschool age this can be a truly fun activity for the little ones to get their “teddy bear’s teeth cleaned” as well. The child results in focusing their empathy for the teddy bear and forgets about their own fear of the dentist which is essentially the perfect situation.

Find a pediatric dentist in your area if you have one available as those ones are more prone to adapting to children with such fears and they also usually have more child-friendly rooms and décor to soothe their smaller patients. If the child is older, even a teenager you may want to speak to them more directly about the issue as shortly they will be adults and have to endure such treatments on their own. Ask your teen what their fear may be and even have them consult with a dentist prior to the appointment in an office setting to address their concerns and have a relationship started with the dentist prior to the treatments. Going to the dentist is a part of life that everyone has to accept eventually to maintain healthy teeth, continue to work with your child to set their fears at ease and the more visits they get under their belt the easier it will be for them to adapt to attending such medical treatments without any fears at all.

Most people will suffer from constipation at some time in their lives and children are no exception. Few people in developed countries eat enough roughage to keep their bowels emptying regularly throughout their lives. As well as roughage we need plenty of fluid to allow the fibre to swell and so stimulate the bowel to empty. The normal pattern varies from 2-3 times per day to once every two days. The pattern for breastfed babies can differ from those who are bottle-fed. Breastfed babies may dirty every nappy or may open their bowels very infrequently. They are less likely to develop constipation than babies fed on formula milk.

What you can do…

This article is a guide only – please seek advice from your medical advisor in all cases.

Once you or your doctor have decided that your child needs to have medicine it is important that your child takes it. Many children don’t like medicine even though pharmaceutical companies try to make children’s medicines taste as nice as possible. If you find that your child does not like paracetamol syrup try every brand and if all else fails buy dissolving tablets and dissolve them in a small amount of her favourite drink.

Special syringes are available to make it easier to measure and administer medicine to babies and children. With one hand cuddle your child towards your chest and with the other place the end of the syringe in the child’s mouth. Wait until your child opens her mouth and tip the medicine on to her tongue or down the side of her mouth between her cheek and her gum. You may need to tip her chin up slightly with the same hand to make sure that she doesn’t spit it out.

Eye and ear drops
If your child has conjunctivitis you will need to administer eye drops or ointment. Children do not like having drops put in their eyes so you will need to have patience! It is easier if there is another adult to help you. It is easier than it sounds because it only takes a tiny amount of the drops to dissolve in the tears to enable the drop to spread all over the eyeball. It may seem that most of the dose has come out again especially when the child blinks but don’t worry about this. It is trickier if you are on your own and I have in the past resorted to giving drops to a child who is asleep!

Ear drops are fairly straightforward and do not usually cause discomfort. Again if you give your child a firm cuddle keeping the arms in with one arm you will find it easy to give the drops with the other hand.

This article is a guide only – please seek advice from your medical advisor in all cases.

Cerebral palsy results from damage to the parts of the brain which control the body’s movements and posture. This damage may occur before birth, during birth or during the first two years of life. The amount of damage caused may be slight or severe. The developing brain can be damaged by lack of oxygen, infections in the mother during pregnancy or a placenta which is not functioning properly. In many cases doctors are unable to find the exact cause. The blood vessels in the brain of premature babies are very fragile and are relatively easily damaged during labour and in the first few weeks of life, depending on the degree of prematurity. It follows that cerebral palsy is more common in very premature babies.

The damage may not always be evident at birth but may become obvious as the baby grows. Some of the tests done at the eight week screen check for cerebral palsy. However if parents are worried that their baby has not achieved any of the developmental milestones they should seek reassurance from their doctor.

Children with cerebral palsy may need treatment throughout their childhood but parents should always be involved in the programme and in most cases will be able to help with exercises at home. Some sufferers of cerebral palsy may also have a mental handicap – another result of brain damage – but equally there may be no mental handicap whatsoever and the problem is purely a physical inability to control muscle movement.

This article is a guide only – please seek advice from your medical advisor in all cases.

When your child is obese, life can become somewhat of a struggle for that child as well as the parents. Childhood obesity is increasing everyday and there are many reasons for this rapid climb in today’s youth gaining weight. The first is the most obvious, with every child having at least five electronic devices to entertain themselves with at home every day they no longer have the desire to go outside and play. When the physical activities of a child are drastically decreased, they have a higher chance of gaining weight and they become lazier people overall, but while it’s certainly up to the parents’ discretion to limit their child’s video game playing engaging in these activities on occasion is fine in moderation.

Keep your children motivated to stay active by suggesting they play outside, go for a walk with a neighborhood friend or simply by playing a game of basketball with them in your own driveway. Much like anything in life, children without a doubt learn from examples their parents display in front of them. If you are involved in sports and exercise frequently, chances are so is your child. Make time to stay active together as it can not only keep you and your child healthy, but it can also be a great time to bond with your children as well.

Having an obese child often results in many other health ailments other than excessive weight gain. Children can obtain asthma, back pains, knee pains, joint problems, sleep apnea, diabetes and depression all from gaining a few extra pounds. These ailments and the additional weight gain can all be diminished with a few simple lifestyle changes.

The first step a parent needs to take when your child is obese is to consult with your child’s pediatrician, and the reason for this is to ensure there are no other health issues with your child that are enabling the weight gain. If no outside issues are found, then you must take action and formulate a plan to stop the cycle so your child can be healthy again. Evaluate their eating patterns, if they eat when they are bored or home alone then provide healthy snack choices and encourage them to engage in other activities that don’t involve sitting on the couch or in front of the computer. Get your child on a schedule that displays when they should be eating, what they should be eating and when they should be doing physical activities. If your child enjoys a particular sport then perhaps you should encourage them to join a team for their school as this will not only help them lose weight, but it will help them excel socially and maybe even gain a few new friendships in the process. If the child is older and in their teen years there may very well be an issue that is emotionally bothering the child and causing them to reach for the snacks as a form of comfort. In those cases, sit down and speak with your child openly and compassionately advise them to come to you with any concerns with their friends or at school. After a few weeks of eating healthy and getting more activity your child will become more energetic, have better sleeping patterns and gain more self-esteem which are all traits every parent wants for their child.

All children will go through a phase of having permanently bruised knees or shins! Parents often discover these at bath time when it is really too late to do anything about it. However, if you are presented with a bump soon after it has happened gentle pressure and/or an ice pack can reduce the swelling and subsequent bruising. Smoothing on a little arnica cream (available from most pharmacies) can also help. If bruising occurs frequently without known injury make an appointment to see your doctor.

Knocks on the head or face cause local swelling which develops at an alarming rate into a bump which can be the size of a plum. This is frightening if you haven’t seen it happen before. Check for head injury symptoms and apply an ice pack (either ice cubes in a polythene bag placed in a tea towel or a packet of frozen peas in a tea towel!). The bump will slowly subside and leave a large bruise which will disappear over ten days or so.

Burns

Action plan…

• Always treat a burn or scald with cold water.
• If possible immerse the burned area in cold water for at least ten minutes.
• Never apply any creams or greases.
• If hot liquid has spilt on to clothing remove the clothing immediately if possible. If not, wet it with cool or cold water then try to remove it. You must act quickly to avoid severe burns.
• If hands are affected do the same but then put the child’s hand in a clean polythene bag while you contact the doctor.
• Apply clean wet wraps such as towels or even clingwrap to the burn while you transport the child to the surgery or casualty.
• You should contact your doctor, practice nurse or casualty department immediately for all but the most minor scalds.

This article is a guide only – please seek advice from your medical advisor in all cases.

Action plan…

• With cuts and other injuries which cause bleeding there are two words to remember – pressure and elevation.
• You can stop virtually any bleeding by raising the affected part of the body (above the level of the heart, if possible) and applying pressure with a pad made out of cloth – a piece of clothing or a tea towel.
• In any case of severe bleeding or haemorrhage keep pressing firmly on the bleeding area if
  necessary until you can get help from a doctor or ambulance staff.

Small cuts and grazes
Thoroughly clean the wound and apply a dressing such as Elastoplast. Continue to apply some pressure to stop the bleeding as long as there is no glass in the cut. The face, scalp and hands have a very good blood supply so you may need to apply pressure for 15 minutes or more.

Larger cuts
If you think the wound will need stitching take the child to your nearest casualty department or, in the case of rural areas, to your doctor’s surgery. Casualty staff may use stitches, steristrips (paper stitches) or surgical glue, but may avoid stitching fingers if they think the injury will continue to swell whereupon the stitches would hamper the blood supply. In cases where a sharp object has punctured the skin don’t attempt to remove it. This will be done in hospital where severe bleeding can be properly treated.

This article is a guide only – please seek advice from your medical advisor in all cases.