Friday, May 23, 2008
Gever Tulley: 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Are the under-5’s being under-fed?
Seven medicines you shouldn't give your child
| (from Babycenter.com) Children are much more likely than adults to have adverse drug reactions, so giving your child prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication is serious business. Here are some medicines you shouldn't give your preschooler: Aspirin Never give your child aspirin or any medication containing aspirin. Aspirin can make a child susceptible to Reye's syndrome — a rare but potentially fatal illness. Don't assume that the children's medicines found in drugstores will be aspirin-free. Aspirin is sometimes referred to as "salicylate" or "acetylsalicylic acid." Read labels carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you're not sure whether a product contains aspirin. Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines In October 2007 a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted to recommend that these medicines not be given to children under 6 years old. Little or no testing has been done to determine how effective they are in young children (although studies have shown them to be no better than a placebo in kids under age 2) and what dosages are safe. And an overdose can cause dangerous side effects. So if your preschooler is miserable with a cold, try other options, like a humidifier and plenty of liquids. Anti-nausea medications Don't give your child an anti-nausea medication (prescription or OTC) unless his doctor specifically recommends it. Most bouts of vomiting are pretty short-lived, and children usually handle them just fine without any medication. In addition, anti-nausea medications have risks and possible complications. (If your child is vomiting and begins to get dehydrated, contact his doctor for advice on what to do.) Adult medications Giving your child a smaller dose of medicine meant for an adult is dangerous. If the label doesn't indicate an appropriate dose for a child, don't give that medication to your preschooler. Any medication prescribed for someone else or for another reason Prescription drugs intended for other people (like a sibling) or to treat other illnesses may be ineffective or even dangerous when given to your child. Give him only medicine prescribed for him and his specific condition. Anything expired Toss out medicines, prescription and OTC alike, as soon as they expire. Also get rid of discolored or crumbly medicines — basically anything that doesn't look the way it did when you first bought it. After the use-by date, medications may no longer be effective and can even be harmful. Don't flush old drugs down the toilet, as they can contaminate groundwater and end up in the drinking water supply. See what our expert says about how to safely dispose of expired medication. Extra acetaminophen Some medicines contain acetaminophen to help ease fever and pain, so be careful not to give your preschooler an additional separate dose of acetaminophen. If you're not sure what's in a particular medicine, don't give her acetaminophen or ibuprofen until you've first gotten the okay from your doctor or pharmacist. A cautionary note These two types of medications aren't 100 percent off-limits, but you should carefully consider whether and how to give them to your child: Chewables Most preschoolers can handle chewable tablets, especially those that are fast-melting. But keep an eye on your child when you give him a chewable, especially if he isn't proficiently chewing solids yet. If you think chewables might be a choking hazard for your child, crush the tablet and put it in a spoonful of soft food, like yogurt or applesauce. (Of course, you need to make sure your child eats the entire spoonful in order to get the complete dose.) Some herbal remedies Many herbal remedies are gentle and safe, but just because something is natural, or derived from a plant, doesn't mean that it's safe for your preschooler. Herbal products can cause allergic reactions, liver damage, and high blood pressure. In certain doses or when combined with the wrong medications, they can be fatal. Check with your child's doctor or an alternative medicine practitioner before giving your child any herbal products. And always let the doctor know about herbal remedies your child's taking before she prescribes a medication. |
Friday, March 7, 2008
together now
| it's exactly 1 month and 1 week now since the boys moved to their own room and their own beds. the baby cot is still there, we haven't found time (and storage space) to pack it up yet but we're hoping to wrap it up soon-ish (the -ish thing i picked-up from AI7 contestant Danny - I enjoy watching him too bad he got voted off this week, he reminds me of a childstar back home in the Phils.)! anyways, we re-arranged their room so the two beds will stay together in one corner, we don't have a bed guard/barrier/fence that's why simon will need to stay near the wall and franco on the other bed with the hope that because he is bigger now, he will not be falling off the bed while sleeping. so far, he's managed only two falls since (my poor baby!). here's how they're enjoying their beds, there would be a lot of times come morning, franco is already in simon's territory and the little one is near the foot of the bed. they seem to still be playing even in their sleep! i couldn't find a decent angle so bear with me on the shots :) by the way, we did try to convince franco to move to that room before, but he kept coming back to our bed in the middle of the night. and it wasn't easy because he moves a lot in his sleep, would kick our faces, keep moving towards my direction so i would be on the edge of the bed, and i am a light sleeper, sooo..... it was only when he had company that he finally settled to sleep on his own bed, but not without a time or two that he would again go to our bed in the middle of the night... hopefully, he will graduate from that habit soon! :) Labels: at home, kids, swiss life, the boys |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
All About Kids' Learning and Playing
| I got this wonderful article from one of my egroups, about how children play and another article on the advantage of your child being a bit more "matured" than the others in his class, and it gave me peace as to having Franco start the long journey of schooling this year, instead of last year - when most of his batchmates started. if it was my choice, i would have "forced" him to attend schooling last year, probably because of pressure from friends whose kids - about franco's age - were already attending a-5-day-a-week schooling. Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514&sc=emaf Taking Play Seriously http://www.nytimes. When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten http://www.nytimes. They're quite long reads (i haven't read them all yet, as of writing), but I'm sure if you're on the same boat that I am, you'd find this very interesting. Enjoy!  Labels: kids, parenthood, schooling |
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
7 Signs that your child loves you
It's been soooo long since my last entry, have lots to blog about, really but I guess the mood is just not set. So, for now, here's a little something I got from Babycenter. Signs that your child loves you
Labels: at home, kids, parenthood |
Sunday, May 6, 2007
my real mom meme
this blog has been sitting on "draft" since april 10th.. i forgot about this already, but i think it's really nice to share this.i was surfing one day and was actually surprised to discover that there were so many real-mom-related sites with contributor-moms. one of the sites i chanced upon is this site made by moms for moms. you might want to share your own real mom experience, they have a contest going on right now :) anyway, Real Moms meme is based on being there for the icky-ness and not batting an eye. and here are mine... * real moms will bare-handedly hold a child's nose so he can blow out those things you have in it when you have a runny nose and does the cleaning-up afterwards. (i'm lucky the little one has his dad as his idol that he learned to do the blowing at an early age :)) * real moms will get up in the middle of a sumptuous dinner, be it in a restaurant or a big family meal when her little one announces "mommy, i need to poo-poo", take him to the toilet, clean up the little angel and go back to the table, as if nothing happened... of course you thoroughly clean up your hands first! :) * real moms will un-embarrassed-ly announce that the reason they were late for a get-together is because the tiny one decided to poop and the whole family needs to drop everything so we can clean up the mess - and that will usually take another 15 minutes. ok, i think those previews will do... now i'm tagging kiten, ana, jody, dang, mich, jigi, maan and haydee. come on and join the fun, show them what you've got!!! enjoy! |