The number one (non-medical) job of a parent when a child is ill can be distilled into one word: comfort.  Comfort foot, comforting words, comfortable arrangements.

Comfort Food – We all have a favorite comfort food that we crave when we get sick.  I like noodles with butter.  My wife is partial to “Jewish penicillin,” aka chicken soup.  My son craves french fries.  Salt seems to be the common denominator for most of the common comfort foods out there (why is that?).  Whatever it is, you’ll need to have plenty on hand for flu season.

Comforting Words – Nothing is as soothing to a sick child as his mother’s voice cooing words of solace.  Dads need to get in on the act, too, although it doesn’t come quite so naturally to most of us.  It may not do anything to actually speed up the healing, but it certainly makes the convalescence period more bearable for everyone involved.

Comfortable Arrangements – If your child is going to be laid up in bed for a few days, they’ll need a comfortable set up.  Getting antsy and trying to get up and about too soon is the leading cause of relapse, according to statistics that I just made up but am sure are true.

Bear in mind these three Comforts next time your child is ill and you’ll be ready for the first steps on the road to recovery.

You are not alone when it comes to helping your toddler control their allergies. Along with your doctor’s advice, seek out a support group to help you cope with the diagnosis and get information on what other parents are doing to cope with their children’s allergies. Oftentimes, you can find up-to-date information, tips, recipes, and more from these support groups.

Inform family, friends, caregivers, the parents of play dates, and anyone else who may look after you toddler about their allergies. Don’t expect people to remember exactly what to do in case of accidental exposure. Instead, write down the allergies, emergency instructions, and any emergency numbers. Make copies for everyone. If you have an Epi-Pen or an inhaler, demonstrate how it should be used prior to leaving your toddler in their care.

If your toddler is attending daycare or preschool, talk directly to the teachers. Provide them with written instructions as well. Make certain they know exactly what do if your  toddler experiences a reaction. You want their teacher to know in addition to the principal and the nurse’s office. Your toddler’s teacher will be the first person who has to deal with the problem before they even get to the nurse’s office. Don’t be afraid to make certain their teacher knows how to use an Epi-pen.

In addition, inform the other parents about your toddler’s food allergies. Preschool parents will avoid bringing snacks that contain the offensive ingredients. You may want to pack your child’s own snacks for the teachers to give them during snack time. If you can, match it as closely as possible to the snack that the rest of the class is having so your child doesn’t feel singled out because they happen to be allergic.

Finally, teach your toddler about their allergies. Use pictures to demonstrate the things that they should avoid along with the things that they can have. Get them involved. This way, they know what to avoid even if you aren’t there.

It is always difficult when your toddler is diagnosed with allergies. Once you get the diagnosis, take a proactive stance on your toddler’s allergies. While you can’t control every situation, you need to keep everyone who is involved with your child informed. You will need all the support you can get to deal with the allergies that plague your toddler.

Cutting in teeth can be very painful for an infant. Unfortunately, the only way an infant can relate that something hurts is through crying. So, determining that they are cutting in teeth as the source of their crying can be difficult to determine. But if the usual methods to soothe your child don’t work as well as they did, it might be  time to look in their mouths.

You should always consult your pediatrician for prolonged periods of crying or if your infant develops a fever or unusual swelling in the mouth. If your infant appears to be in an unusual amount of pain, definitely contact your pediatrician immediately. Any doubt about your infant’s teeth development should be discussed with your pediatrician first.

One thing most teething remedies have in common is the use of a cold compress. Cold is used to numb the area and provide a temporary relief in their mouths. It is best if you keep spare teething devices in the freezer for when they are needed. The type of teething device is entirely up to you and your child’s preference. You can use a washcloth or any number of teething toys that are available on the market. The key is to keep them cold.

Tylenol can also help with temporary pain relief. Always follow your pediatrician’s advice and the directions on the bottle when administering this medication. It is meant for temporary, not long term use.

Even though it is your infant that is in pain, you will have a measure of anxiety resulting from taking care of your teething child. First and foremost, give yourself a break. Don’t be too hard on yourself if the dishes are still sitting in the sink or the laundry hasn’t been folded. It is fine to let some things go to deal with your infant’s teeth.

Don’t be afraid to take that fifteen minutes in the shower while your infant is being watched in another room by someone you trust. It will do wonders for you and help you deal with the next round of crying. You need a break for yourself every once in awhile.

As partners, don’t be too critical when you return home from work and nothing appears to be done. Dealing with a teething infant is akin to sitting in rush hour traffic right after a big accident. It certainly has all the drama of dealing with coworkers who won’t cooperate on anything.

Your infant is going through a painful stage with teeth. There is bound to be some pain, a lot of frustration, and grating on the nerves. All you can do is comfort them as much as possible. However, it is just as important to take care of yourself.

Mosquito bites, ant bites, poison ivy, and other allergens can be soothed by an oatmeal bath. Unlike soaps or bubble baths, it soothes the skin. By providing a temporary relief, kids are less prone to scratch the spot until it bleeds. As parents know, children will continue to scratch until that spot becomes an open sore.

It also works well with a diagnosis of eczema in children. Oatmeal helps calm the breakouts that occur and aids in moisturizing the skin. Many doctors suggest using an oatmeal bath in conjunction with other eczema products to keep the condition under control.

An oatmeal bath is a very affordable bath product which you can easily make yourself. The main ingredient is colloidal oatmeal. The colloidal simply means that the oatmeal will not fall to the bottom of the tub. It actually stays suspended in the water where it can do the most good for your child’s skin. Basically, all you need to make it is a blender that can grind things into a fine powder.

If you elect to buy an oatmeal bath mixture, check the ingredients. Make certain that the product does actually contain colloidal oatmeal and that it is listed as the first ingredient. Stay away from products that say they contain oatmeal but do not or have oatmeal listed at the bottom of the ingredients.

There are a few tips when using it in the bathtub. Use warm water instead of hot water. Hot water can cause unnecessary irritation of the skin. Mix it up in the bath water to ensure that it is evenly dispersed into the entire bathtub.  Make certain that the child soaks for a few minutes before washing hair or anything else.

This natural product is often forgotten as a bath product. It is overshadowed by the bubble baths and kid soaps. But it is a natural option to those shelf products. It is also a more affordable option which can you make for yourself with very little trouble.

The dangers are real. For example, a large dose of prescription painkillers or central nervous system (CNS) depressants can cause breathing problems and even lead to death. Ingesting stimulants can lead to heart failure and even seizures. The negative effects of these drugs only worsen when mixed with alcohol. As you can see, when teens engage in this risky behavior, they are literally risking their lives.

You may be asking yourself, where do teens get these drugs? They get them from friends and relatives. In fact, 70% of people age 12 and older who abuse prescription painkillers say they obtain them from those sources (ONDCP).

So, what can you do? You already educate your child about the dangers of smoking, alcohol, and marijuana, but with this new trend, you need to teach them about the dangers of illegal prescription drug use. Studies have shown that children who may not have thought of trying smoking or drinking may try prescription drugs because they are so readily available. If your son or daughter doesn’t know you disapprove of this practice, he or she might assume that doing it won’t harm them.

The following information can assist you in your effort to prevent this problem in your home.

1.  Learn the names of the most commonly abused prescription drugs.  Some of them are: Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet, Klonopin, Valium, Xanax, Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine.

2.  Safeguard your own prescription drugs. This is easy, as you can monitor quantities and control access.

3.  Teach your child about the importance of using all prescribed drugs correctly, and of never sharing prescription medications with others.

4.  Properly dispose of unused or outdated medications. Find an RX disposal site near you by calling your local health department. If no drop-off events are scheduled, the health department can give you information on how to dispose of the medication safely.

5.  Be a good role model. Your child is always watching you.

6. Ask family and friends to safeguard their prescription drugs as well.

7.  Watch for signs of drug use in your teen. Some common signs are: constricted pupils, changes in personality, slurred speech, excessive energy, forgetfulness, and flushing. Even being secretive can hint at drug use.

It is never easy to discuss hard issues with a teenager. They many times don’t seem receptive, yet they ARE listening. Time and time again, studies show that teens report that parent disapproval is effective in keeping them away from drugs (ONDCP).

For more information on the abuse of prescription drugs, visit www.TheAntiDrug.com or call 1-800-788-2800 to request free materials.

When the phrase is being said for the former explanation, I do not think it is good advice. The positive lesson it taught me was to be careful about how much I served myself. I also commonly heard my mother scold me for having eyes bigger than my stomach. However, I also developed the bad habit of basing how much I ate off of what was in front of me. I have never ordered a dish at a restaurant and left edible food on my plate. Never. I didn’t even realize that wrapping up extra food to take home was an option until halfway through high school: I went out to eat with a few friends and I was abhorred to see one of my friends only eat a third of his plate. He said he was full. What a waste! I thought. However, when he asked for a doggie bag, I realized he was simply being smart.

There’s no reason to stuff yourself just to finish your plate. The portions at restaurants are, more often than not, larger than they should be. Just because we paid for it doesn’t mean we have to consume every last bite. Many of us have grown up with idea that we need to finish our plates. However, this mindset is wrong, and probably a contributing factor to American overweight. If what is on our plates is too much for us, there is nothing forcing us to finish it, and we shouldn’t. Ideally, we would be served the perfect amount, but this is not always the case. We should not let our plates determine how much we eat.

Of course, the second reason my mother told me to finish my plate was so that I would eat some food I had been avoiding. She taught me to eat different types of food, even if I didn’t like it. This is a good habit to learn. It’s ridiculous to be picking a plate apart, looking to set aside those pesky mushrooms or beets.

Tell your children to finish their plates, but let it not be solely for the purpose of emptying one’s plate.

Several schools – public, taxpayer funded schools – have implemented a policy banning bag lunches. Apparently you are not to be trusted to provide your child with a nutritionally sound lunch. If left to your own devices, the school board reasons, you will send your child to school with an extra-caffeinated cola, two pounds of sugar, a lump of dry poison, and a vial of crack. Only the school district, known for decades for serving SOS and other nigh-inedible swill, is wise enough to determine what foods are right for your child.

This is a bad thing for Chicago. It is a terrible precedent for the rest of the country. If this succeeds in Chicago, other cities will follow. We, as parents, simply cannot abdicate our responsibilities to the government. The school system exists to supplement our guidance to our children, not to override it.

Even if a giant corporation could mass produce processed meals to be reconstituted, reheated, and served by minimum wage employees on plastic trays that are better for my son than my wife’s hand-made meals, I would still resist the notion that we can be forced to accept the school’s standards over our own. Not to go all Constitutionalist on you, but the Federal government has no business telling us that we cannot feed our own children as we see fit.

This is the start of a slippery slope that, if left unchecked, will not end well.

This would be an unreasonable intrusion even if it were really a misguided effort to preserve the health and safety of our children, which it isn’t. Behind the thin façade of serving the public good is the obvious fact that forcing you to shell out your hard-earned dollars for school lunches instead of packing your own funnels money to the Chicago school district’s sole provider of meals. Not that anyone would ever accuse the school board in the most notoriously corrupt city in the country of taking kick-backs in exchange for sending extra business their way, right?

After educating myself about this tiny insect, I wasn’t nearly as upset. I found out that anyone can end up with a case of head lice. It affects both sexes, all ages, and it cuts across all economic levels. Even parents who keep their children squeaky clean may end up with a child infested with those pesky bugs.

So, if your child comes home with a case of head lice, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that pediculosis is merely a very common inconvenience, and your child will be fine in no time.

How common is head lice?
As many as 1 in 10 children will catch it, most commonly between the ages of 3 – 10 years.

How is head lice spread?
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services explains that, “it is spread with direct head-to-head contact with an infested person or indirect contact with lice-carrying objects such as combs, brushes, hats or scarves. Since nits (louse eggs) must be laid by adult lice, the chances of nits being spread from person-to-person are minimal.” Children in day care or in elementary school are most at risk because of the close nature of their play.

What are the symptoms of head lice?
Pediculosis is usually diagnosed when the infected child complains that his or her head itches, especially behind the ears and just above the neck. Upon close inspection, the eggs (nits) can be seen. They look like small pieces of rice attached to the hair a little bit above the scalp. Unlike flaking skin, nits are difficult to remove. Adult lice are hard to spot, as they shy away from light. If you do see one, it will appear dark brown or black.

How is head lice treated?
The health department states that “there are several medicated shampoos commonly used to treat head lice. Shampoos or creme rinses that contain 1% permethrin have the fastest killing time against adult lice and the highest nit-killing capability. Permethrin has a residual effect that will continue to kill nits for several days after the first application. While one application should be sufficient to kill lice and nits, some experts suggest a second treatment one week after the first.” A special comb must also be used to remove all nits. This needs to be done so a child can return to school.
The home must be treated as well. All bedding and clothing that the child has used must be washed in hot water and placed in a hot dryer. Favorite stuffed animals must be bagged in plastic and kept out of reach for at least 10 days. Finally, all furniture and rugs must be thoroughly vacuumed and the bag discarded.

Researchers came to this startling conclusion after they followed 800 babies for a period of three years. They found that those that were given formula and solid food before the four month mark tended to be heavier. This is significant, as other studies have shown that if a child is overweight when he or she is pre-school age, it is highly likely that he or she will remain that way into adulthood.

Sometimes well-meaning friends and relatives can push a new parent into introducing solid foods too early. This is because there is a common misconception that solid food will help the baby sleep for longer periods at night. Others think that babies need more “substantial” nourishment to grow properly. But, as the study suggests, it’s best to wait until the child is four months of age before adding cereal, fruit, and/or vegetables to his or her diet.

If you are confused about introducing your child to solid food, you are not alone. When deciding whether to introduce your baby to cereal, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Can my baby hold his or her head up?
2. Does my baby sit without support?
3. Is my baby curious about what I eat?

If you can honestly answer yes to all three questions, and your baby is four-months-old, it may be time to introduce solids. Your doctor can be a great resource during this process. Also, you can find information online at healthychildren.org, a website sponsored by the American Association of Pediatrics.

Breast milk, however, should still be given to your baby even after solids are introduced. The National Women’s Health Foundation asserts that the longer a baby is breastfed, the lower the odds that he or she will become overweight. In fact, they state that there is a 30 percent decrease in the odds of becoming overweight for a child breastfed for nine months than in a child who has never been breastfed. (Many doctors recommend that babies continue receiving breast milk until the age of one).

What lessons can be learned from this study? Basically that breast milk is the best choice for an infant, and that it is important to wait until a baby is four months or older to introduce solids, such as cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Additional Benefits of Breast Milk (National Women’s Health Information Center)

• Breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma.
• Breastfed babies are protected from certain infections.
• Breastfed babies have less of a chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome.
• Moms who breastfed have a decreased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.

Fast forward thirty plus years, and I’m a dad with a nine year-old son of my own. He is currently entering his third week of being down with double pneumonia. The same son, for those who’ve been reading for awhile, who had his appendix removed in January. It’s been a rough year for the little guy.

The pneumonia symptoms are awful; the drug side-effects may be worse. Two weeks bedridden. Four trips to the doctor. Two sets of chest X-rays. Four different medicines. And an expensive nebulizer machine that I hope we will never EVER need to use again.

Looking back on my own childhood illness I realize that I thought it was bad to suffer through the physical pain. Now I get it. Now I understand what mom meant all those years ago. I think it takes a parent to know what it really means to wish it all on ourselves, to be willing to do anything to spare someone else the suffering.

Now I know that it is so much worse to see your child going through it. It’s more than a nice sentiment; it is absolutely genuine. And in my own self interest, too. It would be infinitely preferable to suffer through walking pneumonia myself than to see my young son do it and to be absolutely unable to make it better.

It took three decades and a son of my own, but I get it now. Thanks, mom.