children health Archives - Page 8 of 10

Our Latest Pedia Visit

March 21, 2013 2 Comments

My little man has just turned three-and-a-half and it is time again to visit his pedia for his regular check-up. It was also time for him to get his DPT/Polio booster shot.

This is not something Jared looks forward to, in fact, he’s telling me that he did not like to go earlier on, but surprisingly, he was excited to visit his pedia and cannot wait for his turn when we arrived to the medical center. He cannot wait to play with all the toys in the clinic and was very delighted to find a metallic Lightning McQueen in his pedia’s pile of toys.

When it is time for his DPT/Polio shot, he was only fussing for a little while and agreed to have it done when I told him that it will only hurt for a bit and will be finished sooner than he expects. He was also looking forward to the McQueen bandage strip that his pedia put on his arm afterwards.

After his flu shot in June, we are done with our pedia visits for this year. Vaccines may not come cheap but I am really glad that we managed to keep up-to-date with Jared’s shots. I must say they sure are effective in boosting my son’s immune system and protecting him from different types of diseases.

So how are you with your little one’s vaccines?

Jared, mum's thoughts

Caring For My Sick Child

March 12, 2013 1 Comment

It is one of those days again when my little man is down with something and what I wouldn’t give to be the one feeling sick and taking all the inhalers instead of him. It is true that for the most part, my little man is such a healthy little boy, teeming with boundless energy and always up and on the move. But there are one of those days, and I am really thankful that they seldom happen, when he fell ill and lose the energy and his usual jovial mood. He had various allergies and they get worse because of the hot humid weather condition.

Yesterday, he was not being himself lying quietly on the sofa while watching his favorite Disney movies on the telly, instead of making a mess of his toys and just being one big energetic toddler. I was observing him and asking him if he is okay and all I get is a reassuring nod, as if telling me not to worry and that he was fine. I noticed that he was also coughing bad. One big problem with my son is that you cannot make him drink any medicine, no matter how good tasting they might be. So to say that I hate for him to be sick is really such an understatement.

I had the scare of my life during nighttime when the little one finally fell asleep {he had a couple of naps in the afternoon, which certainly wasn’t the usual, but would wake every too often because of his nasty cough}. I noticed that he was having labored breaths, as if he was catching them. And his breath has an unusual wheezing sound. I got so scared thinking that the little man was struggling to breathe and it scared the living daylights out of me. It was too late to bring him to his pedia by the time, so I decided to bring him the next day.

Our pedia, knowing Jared’s track record with taking meds, prescribed that he take two brands of inhalers for his pseudo-asthma attack {I refuse to acknowledge it as a full-blown asthma, given the fact that they do not usually occur too often, this is just his second attack in 2 years and I pray it will be the last}, since we will really struggle in letting him drink even half a spoonful of his anti-asthma cough syrup. Apart from the 2 inhalers, our pedia also prescribed two brands of cough syrup for the little man. We were told to go home immediately so that we can start giving Jared the nebulizers to relieve him of his labored breath.

Getting my son to take the inhalers is no easy feat, either. He simply dislikes the whooshing sound the machine makes and fusses about the white smoke that comes out of the tube inhalers. It actually breaks my heart to see him cry and beg me to stop giving him the meds! 😥 If only I could take those medicines for him, I would. If only I can take his pain and sickness away, it will definitely be most ideal.

Just like what our pedia said, I’ve seen quite a noticeable improvement and the little man’s breathing was back to normal just after taking one nebule. He must’ve felt very relieved that he was back to his usual playful self in no time and although he still coughs, his appetite is back and is taking his usual round of milk in bottles and is no longer throwing up after every feeding. Thank goodness!

Giving him inhalers is such a nightmare, but after a few tries, I guess, he was getting used to it and would only give just a little fuss. Hopefully, before the 3-day prescribed period ends, he would have grown accustomed to it in time. None of my siblings nor my parents had to take inhalers and this is really quite foreign to me. Even when i was diagnosed with respiratory problems when I was a young girl, I am certain it wasn’t asthma but just a number of allergies.

I am missing sleep more than ever and feeling rather frustrated when the little man refused to take the nebulizers and I really hope he gets better really soon. I hope that he outgrows this condition sooner, too!

Parenting 101, Tips and Tricks

Tips On Caring For Your Little One’s Pearly Whites

March 7, 2013 No Comments

Caring for our little ones pearly whites starts long before their first tooth erupts. As early as possible, parents ought to introduce them to good oral hygiene, yes, even when they’re still so tiny that they cannot hold a toothbrush in their hands for a second or two. Babies healthy gums, after all, paved the way for healthy milk teeth, which later on yield healthy and strong permanent teeth onto our little one’s adult life.

You might think a little baby will put up such a fuss whenever you try cleaning their mouth after every feeding time, but mums should not give up and carry on cleaning our babies gums and teeth as long as we could. We must instill in them a good oral hygiene to prevent toothaches and scary dental visits in the future.

Here are a few tips on how to protect your child’s teeth:

Always clean your baby’s mouth after feeding and before going to bed ~ With or without those pearly whites, it is of utmost importance that we clean our babies’ mouth before they turn in at night. For infants, simply dampen a piece of soft cloth and wipe their tongues and along the gum lines, too. For bigger babies, there are various gum brush available in the market which you can use to clean your baby’s mouth.
Visit the dentist when the baby turns 1 ~ This is most ideal as the dentist can guide you on how to properly care for your little one’s teeth. You can also do your visit as soon as your child’s first tooth erupts so that the dentist can give you instructions on how to keep your child’s tooth in the pink of health
Introduce toothbrush as soon as the first tooth erupts ~ As I’ve mentioned, even if the little ones will only chew on it or play with it, get them accustomed to using toothbrush soon by introducing it to them as soon as possible. Make sure you buy dentist-approved Extra soft toothbrush that will protect your little one’s delicate gums.
Go easy on the sugary drinks ~ these drinks contain acid that will make your child’s teeth susceptible to decay. Instead of sweet juices, fill his bottles with water.
Improve mum and dad’s oral hygiene, too ~ tooth decay is contagious and if the parents are not careful they can pass this on to their children, too. So parents must book for dental appointments, as well, and brush as religiously as they can.

image from www.freedigitalphotos.net