Healthy Children

You can be a cool parent by knowing what to do if your child wants a tattoo or piercing.Tattoos and body piercing are gaining popularity as a form of personal expression. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommendations for your child’s safety with these body modifications. Fight colds and flu with Hydralyte. Rapid and complete hydration, suitable for all ages and doctor recommended. Use code “hydrakid” to save 30% - sponsor Basic Guidelines Know that each state has a set of rules and regulations for minimum age. Proper identification is needed and so is parental accompaniment in some cases. Look for a clean and sanitary establishment. Watch someone else undergo a tattoo or piercing at your chosen establishment. Meticulous guidelines for care of the wound is important. It’s expensive to get a laser tattoo removal and it isn’t covered by insurance. Consider long and hard before getting a tattoo. A temporary or henna tattoo is a smart first step. No tattoo artist or piercer will do a procedure on someone under the influence. Make sure tetanus, hepatitis and other immunizations are up to date. If the procedure site is red, hurts more than the initial needling, red streaking above or below, pus or fever, contact your doctor immediately. Speak with your child’s pediatrician if he is considering a body modification. She can share risks and complications if your child is passionate about getting a tattoo or piercing. Listen as Dr. Cora Breuner joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share how to make sure your child is safe when getting a body modification. Read the AAP report here. Sponsor: Fight colds and flu with Hydralyte. Rapid and complete hydration, suitable for all ages and doctor recommended. Use code “hydrakid” to save 30%

Winter is here! Keep your child safe and warm.Winter is here. Make sure your child stays warm and healthy during these frigid times. Fight colds and flu with Hydralyte. Rapid and complete hydration, suitable for all ages and doctor recommended. Use code “hydrakid” to save 30%- sponsor Infants Dress baby in thin layers before putting him in a car seat. Strap him in and cover him with blankets for warmth. It’s safer than strapping in a baby in a puffy coat. Babies should be in one more layer than an adult requires for warmth. Your baby should wear warm pajamas in the crib. Don’t leave spare blankets in the crib. School-Age Children Drive your kids to school if it’s really cold. Dress them in several thin layers. Add a warm coat, mittens, hats and scarves. Helmets are best for winter sports. Don’t forget sunscreen. Wet clothes draw heat from the body. Make sure your children change clothes if they get wet or excessively sweaty outside. Hypothermia happens when the body temperature drops below normal because of cold weather. Watch for shivering, tiredness and behavior changes. It’s best to schedule breaks to warm-up inside during the outdoor playtime. Frostbite affects extremities and smaller body parts like the ears, nose and fingertips. Watch for pale or gray skin. Your child may complain that the area hurts. Apply warm water to the area and watch for recovery. Wrap your child in blankets and feed her some soup. If you see blistering or hear complaints of numbness after gently warming the area with water, contact your pediatrician or visit the hospital. Dry Skin Winter wreaks havoc on skin. These tips will help: Stick to warm baths— not too hot. Pat dry after the bath and apply moisturizer and any balms or ointments. Remind your children not to lick their lips and chap them. Heating Watch out for carbon monoxide poisoning from a wood burning stove. Don’t operate a space heater unattended. Use cold water on burns, not ice. Don’t pop blisters, because they protect the sensitive skin beneath. Listen as Dr. Jaime Friedman joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share winter safety tips. Sponsor: Fight colds and flu with Hydralyte. Rapid and complete hydration, suitable for all ages and doctor recommended. Use code “hydrakid” to save 30%

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is at risk. Find out what you can do to help.Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is an insurance program for children whose parents make too much money for publicly-funded insurance but don’t have access to employer-based insurance. It fills the gap and provides insurance for children of working families.  While implemented in every state nationwide, it is called by different names in many states. CHIP is sometimes a stand-alone program for independent enrollment. Some states combine it with Medicaid to increase eligibility. Contact your primary care provider or financial service advisor to see if you are eligible. CHIP covers EPSDT (early periodic screening for diagnosis and treatment) services. This includes well visits, vaccinations, chronic illnesses and urgent care. These are important benefits for which children need access to stay healthy. CHIP has been introduced and reauthorized annually by both political parties. It has wide acceptance and appreciation. It’s always been reauthorized in the past but hasn’t been reauthorized by the Federal government this year. Your voice as a citizen can help save CHIP. Call your representatives in Congress and express the value of this program. Speak with friends and neighbors. Inform people who don’t know about it. Write letters to the newspaper. If your children are assisted by CHIP, express how it benefits your family. You can learn more about CHIP here. Listen as Dr. Lee Beers joins Melanie Cole, MS to discuss the importance of CHIP.

Share a love of reading with your entire family.It’s imperative to encourage reading in your family. Reading to your young child can boost vocabulary and reading skills before entering school. Cultivating a love of reading in your older children can open up a world of imagination and opportunity. Time spent reading with your infant is actually conversation time. You can still read the words in the board book, but interact with your child by talking about the pictures. Make time to read as a family. Younger children will enjoy the tale. Look up information about topics with older children to learn more about the story. Build excitement for reading by taking your child to get a library card. Encourage older children to belong to a book club. Share books that are meaningful to you so you can discuss them. Make reading important in your home. Listen as Dr. Corinn Cross joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share how you can create lifelong readers. Book recommendations from Dr. Cross: Picture books The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (teenager from Malawi who makes a windmill and helps save his village) Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews (famous musician as a child) The Little Piano Girl by Mary Lou Williams (Jazz legend as a child) Salt in His Shoes (Michael Jordan as a child ) Goodnight Gorilla Sam’s Sandwich Young Readers The Rickshaw Girl  Anne of Green Gables  Little Women  Little House in the Big Woods (the Little House on the Prairie series) Fudge series and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers Pippi Longstocking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda by Roald Dahl Chronicles of Narnia A Wrinkle in Time Secret Garden Wolves of Willougby Chase The Little Princess Harry Potter series  Rebecca Wonder by RJ Palacio (about a boy with facial anomalies -- going to be a movie soon)

Is it okay to share breast milk?Human milk has been shared since the olden days. Informal milk sharing takes place when one mother has a surplus of breast milk and another has a need. These moms get together so their babies both receive sufficient nourishment. Formal milk sharing or milk banking takes place when moms donate their surplus breast milk to a profit or non-profit agency. That agency then screens, pasteurizes and distributes the milk. With informal milk sharing, there are some risks. The health of the donors is the primary concern. Moms should be in good health after a healthy pregnancy. Blood testing is valuable to prevent the passing of hepatitis B or C or HIV. Current eating habits, smoking and alcohol consumption are also concerns. Toxin exposure, regular medications and supplements are good to know. How is the milk expressed and stored? The milk should contain no additives (like cow’s milk) or be watered down. You want your baby to have the safest, best possible sustenance. If you are considering informal milk sharing, an in-person conversation with the donor mother should help you assess her fit as a donor for you child. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a policy statement for pre-term infants in a hospital setting, strongly endorsing the use of pasteurized donor milk. There isn't currently a policy statement regarding informal milk sharing for healthy infants in the home setting. The AAP doesn’t currently endorse the practice, but it is common. You should discuss it with your pediatrician if you are considering participation in informal milk sharing. High-risk infants have an immature immune system and are at high risk for infection. Pre-term infants should stick to pasteurized donor milk from a milk bank where donors are screened. Listen as Dr. Margaret Parker and Dr. Michelle Brenner join Melanie Cole, MS, to share their best advice for milk sharing.

Is your picky eater driving you crazy? Learn how to develop good eating habits and work through the selective eating without another fight.Do you have a picky eater? Pickiness and selective eating are fairly common. They develop around age two. The duration of the habit depends on the parental response. You can’t control everything that goes into your child’s mouth, but you can control your approach to mealtimes. Be a good role model. Your behavior will influence how your child responds to foods. Siblings are very influential. Serve one meal for the entire family. Establish this is what’s for dinner, and do not make something else for you picky child. You aren’t a restaurant. Let your child determine from the dinner available what he’s going to eat and how much. Involve your child in the process. Let your child help shop for meal components and assist in the preparation. Make sure every meal includes at least one item your child likes. A hungry child will eat. If you want your child to eat more veggies, put out a veggie tray after school. Introduce foods you really want him to eat when you know he’s hungry. Forcing a child to eat something creates a negative reaction. You’re establishing good eating habits for life. Some foods take 15 exposures for an appreciation of that food to land. To encourage healthy eating at home, you can develop good eating habits. Reduce the junk food in your house and have plenty of healthy foods available. Let your child experiment with cooking under adult supervision. Sneaking healthy foods into favorite foods doesn’t foster smart eating choices and can damage your child’s trust. Listen as Dr. Natalie Muth joins Melanie Cole, MS, to get your picky eater to expand his horizons. Visit Healthy Children for recipe ideas.

Have a happier holiday with these tips for your family.Holidays are joyful for many. There are a few things to keep in mind to keep your family happy and safe. Safety Don’t let your tree dry out. Don’t leave your tree lights on when you aren’t home. Don’t overload outlets and extension cords. Be sure outdoor lights and power cords are intended for outdoor use. Stash guest belongings out of your child’s reach so no one gets into personal pill boxes. Hire a sitter if you have lots of toddlers at your large party. Make sure gifts are age appropriate and not flagged as dangerous. Fireplace embers can stay hot for days so put ashes in an ash bucket. Know that other people may not have the same safety practices when you go to visit. Managing Expectations It’s a tough balance to give your child the best gifts you can while instilling a sense of gratitude. Discussing the significance of the holidays in your family leading up to festivities can help. Focus on family traditions like cooking, games, singing and celebrating. This is time you can build traditions to carry you throughout the year. Talk about gratefulness and giving with your children. It’s important for your children to realize that things cost money. Your family may not be able to afford the latest cell phone technology for the kids. Sometimes Santa leaves notes to redirect unrealistic requests, leaving a hand-selected gift instead. Listen as Dr. Corinn Cross joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share how to enjoy this time with your children safely and happily.

Do you know a little one who isn't as talkative as you'd expected?Have you noticed a three-year old who isn’t as talkative as other little ones you’ve known? He could have a speech delay. Speech delay may be the sign of a medical issue. Watch for important milestones.  2-3 months: cooing in response to you 3-4 months: random babbling 5-6 months: babbling in a pattern 12 months: starting to say one or two words 18 months: saying 10-15 words 24 months: saying two-word sentences If your child isn’t achieving this, it’s a red flag. Early intervention is key to get your child on target. Things to Check if Milestones Aren’t Met Hearing. Is she receiving the signal to process sound? Communication. Is it just a speech delay? Is she communicating with facial expressions and emotions? Speech delay is either a receptive or expressive issue. If he receives and understands everything okay, the expression may come with time. Both kinds should still be addressed. Speech therapy teaches the skills of getting the child to talk. It’s typically a 30-minute class a few times a week, based on the child’s need. The child and family learn how to get the chatting started, and the family continues the techniques outside of class. Children with speech delay may have social-emotional issues or development difficulty if the problem isn’t addressed as early as possible. Don’t justify it because a relative spoke late. You want to be sure it’s an isolated speech delay and not another condition. Screen time and handheld devices don’t teach children how to communicate properly with other humans. Give your child a chance to interact with you to help language development. Address any missed milestones with your pediatrician. You are the best advocate for your child. Don’t shy away from bringing up developmental questions with your child’s doctor. Get the proper treatment so your child can get up to speed. Listen as Dr. Naveen Mehrotra joins Melanie Cole, MS, to explain speech delay.

What's the scoop on flu shots this season?While many elements of your youth have gone away over time, the flu has stuck it out. The best way to try to avoid a flu outbreak in your home is by getting everyone vaccinated. Supercharge your brain and reverse memory loss, pick up a copy of Memory Rescue today. - sponsor This season’s vaccine is only available through injection. This year’s strains are the most likely candidates based on last flu season and world health trends. Your vaccine will contain three or four strains. Everyone over age six should receive the vaccine. This protects you and those around you who may be at higher risk, like the elderly, children five and under, and those with chronic illness. It’s best to get your flu shot in October because flu season usually runs from December to February. It’s not too late to get your vaccine now. Children between six months and eight years of age are recommended to have two doses for their first flu vaccination. The first dose primes the body to create antibodies. The booster is administered about 20 days later. Flu symptoms leave you feeling crummy. Sore muscles, tiredness, diarrhea and fever are signs it’s more than a cold. Listen as Dr. H. Dele Davies joins Melanie Cole, MS, to share what you need to know about flu shots and other booster vaccinations. Sponsor: Supercharge your brain and reverse memory loss, pick up a copy of Memory Rescue today.

Should you enroll your child in martial arts classes?Martial arts teach body control and discipline. Studio classes often have kids teaching other kids. Advancing belts encourage achievement and moving to the next level. Supercharge your brain and reverse memory loss, pick up a copy of Memory Rescue today. - sponsor Injury risk doesn’t vary by gender. There is less chance for injury in the martial arts that don’t involve contact. Kicking is cool. Kids need to learn safety, avoiding kicks to the head. Proper form is important for physical benefit and sparring security. Protective equipment does not mean invulnerability to injury. Before enrolling your child, be sure the studio trains children. Ask about the rate of progression. Blows to the head should be discouraged in the technique. Talk to other parents. See if the older kids help instruct the younger kids because they may be protective of the young ones. Most importantly, your child needs to be happy and experience benefit from the form of martial arts you select. Listen as Dr. Chris Koutures and Dr. Rebecca Demorest join Melanie Cole, MS, to share what you need to know about enrolling your child in martial arts. Sponsor: Supercharge your brain and reverse memory loss, pick up a copy of Memory Rescue today.