For the safety of the children some points should not be forgotten –

1. CAR SEAT SAFETY – It consists those arrangemments and measures that should be practised in order to avoid major injuries to the child in the case of an accident. First of all always try to give your child backseat if your car does not have the latest safety equipements to avoid a head injury to the frontseaters. Regardless to the seat given to the child, seat belt is a must. A special three point seat belt is used for smaller children. The child must always be fastened with a seat belt in a running car. If the seat belt is not perfectly fit according to the child’s measurements, it will not serve any purpose and the child will be harmed badly in an accident even after using the belt.
2. CHILD SAFETY SEATS -  Some specially designed seats are available for children in order to provide them a perfect restraint according to their size. These seats are more comfortable for him because of the proper size. It fixes him in a immovable hence more safe position. The child’s seat should be placed to the front passenger seat facing backward and the seat should be moved back as much as possible to maintain a safe distance from the dash- board.
3. SAFETY TIPS FOR KIDS – Child’s complete body should be propery fit into the child seat, not even his head should spring out. A child should not be placed in a child seat more than half an hour in a day due to his back muscles that are underdeveloped and could be harmed. If the child is younger than 12 years, disable the air bag if he sits on the front seat. The reason is that the air bags are very hard and strong when inflated and can harm the child’s head severly. An air bag is placed so low that it can suffocate the child if opens. If a  child over 12 year is using the front seat, move that seat back in order to provide a safe distance which will prevent him from choking by air bag.

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Their is a big difference between food allergy and food intolerance and if you are not able to identify between them it could turn into a serious concern for your child one day. Food allergy is an unusual and abnormal response to a particular food which is triggered by the adverse effets of that food on your immune system. These allergies are showed by specific symptoms. However, a food intolerance is also resulted by the reaction of the body to a food and it also has many symptoms but these symptoms are not caused by the immunological system. Food poisoning and toxic reactions also falls under food intolerances. Food intolerances are more prevalent than allergies and happens in a large variety of diseases unlike allergies.

HOW AN ALLERGIC REACTION STARTS –

When the child eats any food in which some allergen components are present he feels uneasyness and allergic symptoms. It is because the allergen component manages to reach the bloodstream and then targets specific body parts which make noticeable changes. The reason behind food allergies to your child is either immune system or heridity.

IMMUNE SYSTEM –

Two components of the immune system are involved in the process. One is an allergy antibody IMMUNOGLOBULIN E which circulates through the blood and the other is called MAST CELL. Mast cell is particularly found in the places which usually reflects any allergy more considerably like nose, throat, lungs, skin etc.

HEREDITY –

The tendency of a child to react to a such an innocuous thing like food is inherited most of the times. A child with two parents having allergic history is more likeky to catch food allergies as compared to a child with a single parent with a allergic history. Parent’s history of allergies does not contain only food allergies but others too.

The symptoms of food allergies may differ with the type of allergy and the targeted body part. Lighter allergies may cause itching or little sensation at some parts but in severe cases inflammation, increased itching and sensation or red coloured spots with rashes apppear on the skin.

HOW TO TREAT FOOD ALLERGIES –

1. Dietary avoidance – If the food that causes allergy to your child is known, avoid it.
2. Safety – Wear a inscribed bracelet about your food allergies so that you will not eat an accidentaly served harmful food.
3. Carry instant relief medicines etc.

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METHODS OF SUN PROTECTION FOR YOUR KIDS –

1. For very small children its better not to expose the child directly to the sun light. You should follow some sun protection methods to avoid the direct skin exposure if it is necessary to take him outside, but if not its suggested to keep him in when the sun is high.
2. For school going kids sun protection hats can be used to avoid direct sunlight.
3. At the time of the year when sun is brightest parents must use long clothes to cover the skin of the child while going out. These sort of clothes cover the entire hands and legs.
4. Apart from long clothes, there are some clothes with a special fabric that is able to block the UV rays of the sunlight. They are called sun protection clothing.
5. Sun protective swimwears are also available.
6. Whatever protection we take to block sunrays, there are some parts of the body that can not be covered like face, neck and the fingers of the hand. For these parts of the body sunscreen lotions should be used. These are the lotions with a UV blocking formulae which saves the skin from harsh effects of the sun.
7. UV blocking sunglasses should also be used to protect the eyes.

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HOW TO CHECK YOUR CHILD’S TEMPERATURE –

When your child’s body shows an increased temparature than normal it is a sign of fever. Preliminarily, you can judge by touching the forehead, neck and chest of your child whether he is in normal temperature or not. If he is warmer you can use an thermometer to confirm your doubt.

Use a thermometer to take the temperature of your small child, rectally. A rectal thermometer is used for the children less than 3 months. For the children over 6 months, an oral or an ear thermometer can be used easily. It is suggested not to use a mercury thermometer for smaller children as mercury is a toxic element and its exposure could be harmful to the child.

Thermometers should be used properly after the use otherwise they will be a source to spread infections. A child can take a rectal thermometer in his mouth or a thermometer can choke his throat, so never neglect the cleaning and safety aspects.

TREATMENT OF FEVER IN CHILDREN –

Human body shows its internal problems as some deseases or defects on the upper surface. Fever is a sign that the body is fighting from any virus or external agent. If your child is between 3 months to 3 years of age and he has a low grade fever (100.2F) than it is not compulsory to give him any medicine. If the fever exceeds more than this temperature or the child’s body is aching, you should give him medicines but strictly after consulting to the doctor.

If the child is younger than 3 months and he is having a higher temperature than 100.2 F, directly go to the nearby good doctor and take some instant actions as the child is surely suffering from a serious infection.

TIPS ON GIVING MEDICINES –

1. A child aged less than 2 months should not be given medicines without talking to the doctor.
2. Make sure you are giving right amount of the medicine to your child.
3. Dont give more than 5 doses a day.
4. Use a special liquid measuring device in case of liquid medicines.

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Baby thermometers are little different to the thermometers for the adults. There is no single baby thermometer which you can say best and instantly pick for your child. Best thermometer is the one which is most suitable for the age of your child and the needs of your child.

For a smaller child, less than 3 months old, a rectal baby thermometer is recommended. It is the most accurate for small babies and when your child has fever, the most important thing is to provide the accurate details ( temperature) to the doctor about the baby’s problem.

For a baby over 6 months an ear thermometer is chosed over the others. An ear thermometer is one which is used at the point of ear canal. The ear canal is grown sufficiently large to accomodate this thermometer upto this age and in this way a correct reading is obtained.

For a child of 4-5 years a normal thermometer, which is used by the adults, can be used.

The most important thing while chosing a thermometer for you child is how he reacts to different ones. The one most comfotable for him should be chosed and the one fidgeting him should be avoided.

There are most famously two types of thermometer available in the market –

1. The old glass (mercury) thermometer
2. Digital thermometer.

Glass thermometers are the very first commercialy made thermometers. They are still being used widely as they deliver a surity of accurate reading because of the transparent wall, direct method and the well known process of comparison to every one. Glass thermometers take some time to give final reading after contacting them to a body part. The readings have to be taken by comparing the height of the mercury column and the mathematical number at the similar height. That number is the body temperature of the child.

In a digital thermometer, the process is very much easier than the glass thermometer. Just switch on the thermometer, put it into the mouth or any other proper body part of the baby and leave it. After a while a beep sound will indicate that the final reading has been taken and you can read that reading directly on a digital screen on the thermometer. Only good quality digital thermometers should be used for the perfection of calculation.

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Constipation is very common in children and even in grown – ups and it is not at all a  serious concern. It also does not last for very long and could be cured without any synthetic medicine or treatment, by domestic cures only. Though it is not a serious problem but a continuous or frequent constipation problem sometimes leads to physical derogation or mental problems or both.

CAUSES OF CONSTIPATION IN CHILDREN –

Children often develope this problem when they delay the excretion for a long time. Stool withholding is a chief cause of the problem. A child can do this for many reasons –

1. He is tensed about the potty training and manners he is being taught
2. He feels embarrased to use a public toilet
3. He is facing any inflammation during the excretion process
4. Due to the absence of a proper time-table, his playing time or some other time clashes to his time of excretion etc.

Delay in bowel movement hardens the stool and hence the process of excretion is very painful for the child. Dry stool also causes inflammation and rashes in the anus. Sometime a large mass of stool is collected in the rectum that unexpectedly leaks soiling the child’s underwear and parents misunderstand this as diarrhea.

Some other reasons for constipation are –

1. Some birth defects
2. An incomplete diet. Low fiber diet causes constipation.
3. Over using synthetic medicines or some specific medicines like antiacids, antidepressants.
4. Some deseases like diabetes and doen syndrome.

SYMPTOMS OF CONSTIPATION IN CHILDREN –

1. Dry or hard stools. Larger stools also indicate towards the problem.
2. Painful bowel movements or / and inflammation during excretion.
3. Cramping or abdominal pain.
4. Fewer ( less frequent) bowel movements.

       Treatment of constipation –

1. 1.      Dietary problems are also a cause of constipation so by taking healthy diet and following a proper time schedule for your diet can help you to treat constipation. Take more high-fibre foods, vegetables, fruits and whole grain etc.
2. 2.      Taking laxatives and adopting some healthy habits for good bowel performance. Laxatives should be taken after consulting a doctor.
3. 3.      Follow a time- table for giving food to your child and fix his timings to visit lavatory for excretion.

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EAR INFECTIONS SYMPTOMS – Common symptoms of ear infections are ear pain and fever. A small child who is unable to speak, cries a lot and may indicate towards his ear. If no sign of the reason behind the child’s crying parents can get his ears checked by their own.

EARACHE TREATMENT – If the earache is because of bacterial infection the doctor can give antibiotics. However, antibiotics can not help in the earaches caused by viruses. Pain relievers can be used to give him relief in pain along with any drug to reduce fever. But aspirin should not be given to children less than 18 years of age because it is linked to reye’s syndrome, a desease which could lead the child to death. Warm water or any warm heating pad can be used over the ear to relieve pain. Ear drops can also be used with the consultation of the doctor. It is true that the child feels unbearable pain during an ear infection still it is suggested that the parents must wait a while before giving antibiotics to their child. Antibiotics sometime harm the child more than curing him. Antibiotics also kill the normal bacterias usually found in skin, mouth, intestine, throat etc. and as a result of that other harmfull bacterias start developing in the child’s body.

HOME REMEDIES FOR EARACHES IN CHILDREN – Earaches and ear infections of lower degree can be treated by the home remedies only. These domestic non synthetic medicines are very popular among the parents while treating non severe infections due to the high risk of side effects embedded in the synthetic medicinal treatment process.

1. Fry 2-3 pieces of garlic in 3-4 tablespoon of mustard oil. cool that oil till it is lukewarm and now this oil can be used as a ear drop for earaches.
2. There are some medicinal plants whose leaves can be used to cure earache. The juice of their leaves can be used as ear drop. Those plants can be found on the internet by searching for herbal plants for earache treatment.

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CHEST PAIN CAUSES –

1. Musculo- skeletal chest pain – One most common reason of chest pain in children is musculo- skeletal chest pain. There are many ribs in the chest wall and all those ribs are attached to a breast- bone which is situated in front. Three sets of muscles are also connected to each rib. The most probable cause of a chest pain lies in the movement of the rib- breastbone joint and the stretch in the muscles associated to them. It happens when the child performs any wrong movement during the excersise or because of any accident. A very sharp pain is experienced in this which worsens with breathing in and out.
2. ESOPHAGUS TUBE PAIN – The ESOPHAGUS tube is found between the mouth and the stomach. There are many acidic agents present in the stomach which helps to digest the food. Sometimes these acidic contents rise up and enters inside the esophagus tube. This causes a burning or inflammation and sometimes chest pain too. This can be treated simply by taking antiacidic drugs.
3. CARDIAC CHEST PAIN – A cardiac problem can also  cause chest pain. The highest number of cardiac problems start with a sharp pain in the chest. This pain may or may not be at a place nearby or at the location of the heart in the chest. Narrowing of the arotic valve, mitral valve prolapse are some problems of this type. Inadequate circulation of the blood to the coronary arteries also causes chest pain.
4. There are many other reasons behind a chest pain that are non- cardiac. Sickle cell, pneumothorax, pneumonia, asthma are some non- cardiac reasons. Some times chest tumors are also there. These problems can be found by their other appearances that confirms the presence of a particular problem. As in pneumonia, a chronic cough happens with the presence of mucus and in asthma mucus is not present but there are episodic cough series.

In approximately 85-90% cases of child chest pain there is no relation of the problem to a heart desease. If a chest pain problem prolongs for a longer duration, it is better to go to the doctor than giving home treatments.

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Night terror is a condition in which the child is partially awake from sleep and shows abrupt behaviour like screaming, kicking, panick, mumbling, sleepwalking etc. Mostly these incidents of night terror occur after two hours of sleep. If a child less than 7 years suffers night terror, it is not a serious concern. These night terror episodes mostly end with a deep sleep.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF NIGHT TERROR –

1. The child is frightened a lot but still in sleep. His sleep is not broken in the case of night terror.
2. He seems to be awake because his eyes are wide open like a waken-up child but he is in sleep actually.
3. The child may react to people and the things present in the room in a very strange manner, as if they are looking scary to him.
4. Childen usually dont remember the sequences of night terror.
5. The duration of these episodes are upto 20 to 30 minutes at maximum.

HOW TO HELP THE CHILD –

1. The very first thing is to prevent your child from night terror. A child is more likely to get night terror attacks if he is very tired. So ensure that your child goes to  sleep at the right time and and he is able to complete a full sleep.
2. When the child gets night terror try to normalise him calmly by relaxing him. Dont try to awake him since he wont for sure. Turn off the lights because shadows may confuse him more. Relax him by holding and caressing him slowly if he does not gets back to normal easily.
3. If somebody else is going to handle the child for a specific time, first of all explain him what is a night terror and then teach him how to handle the child during a night terror.

NIGHTMARE –

A nightmare is a scary dream which frightens the child greatly and he feels restless and unable to go back to sleep. There is no concrete reason behind the phenomena of nightmares but it is believed that all those things we see or hear in real life could effect our dreams. Younger children see the nightmares mostly about monsters, demons, new places whereas toddlers usually dream about their seperation from their parents in nightmares.

To save your child from nightmares try not to tell him monster stories, tell him good and pleasing sort of stories instead. You can also give him a soft toy to give him company in his bed.

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There are two common eye deseases and conditions which usually spread among the people and children. Though they can not be placed in deseases normally, it is better to call them a condition of eye defects –

1. MYOPIA – Myopia is a condition of a defective eye in which the patient needs to use glasses to see clearly for a far vision.
2. HYPERMETROPIA – This is a condition just opposite to that in myopia. In this, the patient uses glasses to see clearly a near view or for a clear near vision.                    Apart from glasses, wearing lenses or lasik surgery are also some options to enhance the vision.

Here are some eye care information for children –

1. A healthy and balanced diet comprising fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruits should be given to child. Use red vegetables like carrots, beetroot and green leafy vegetables like spinach etc. All of them are rich in carotene and vitamin A.
2. Children should watch T.V. always from a distance and a continuous watching for a long time should not be permitted.
3. While using computer, children must take a break after every 1 hour atleast. Continuous watching or work on T.V. or computer harms the eyes very much.
4. While reading anything or studying, there should be suffcient lighting on child’s study table. Improper lighting causes unnecessary strain on his eyes which may ultimately result in a weak eyesight.
5. Certain eye health excercises should also be taught to the children. Children must practise these excersises during the breaks from watching T.V.  or working on computer. Eyes must be washed properly with clear and cool water daily and regularly. The method of washing should be splashing the  water in the eyes directly and gently for about 10-15 mnts.
6. Protective goggles should be used to ban the sunrays to harm the eyes.

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