Video: Dealing with Burns and Scalds in Young Children

Last updated on August 22nd, 2016 at 04:31 pm

In this short video, health visitor Melissa Green talks about the things you can do to deal with burns and scalds.

https://youtu.be/qDM1HeJ8Mk4

Editor’s Note: Video Highlights

  • Children’s skin is much thinner than adult skin, so it’s very important to treat their burns and scalds quickly for the best chance of healing
  • Most important is to run cold water over the burn for no more than 10 minutes
  • Water should be cold, but not ice-cold
  • The next step is to place something clean over your child’s burn to protect from risk of infection – like cling film or a clean linen tea towel
  • If your child has something stuck to their burn, don’t try to remove it – leave it there and go to the hospital for treatment
  • risk of burns and scaldsAlso don’t put anything on the burn, such as creams or lotions
  • If your child has a burn larger than a postage stamp, take them to get medical advice from the hospital
  • If your child complains of pain after their burn, you can give them something like paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen – don’t give them any aspirin
  • If the burn has a blister, don’t tamper with it – it should be left to burst naturally
  • Blisters that have burst may be raw and need a dressing – you may want to see your doctor or nurse for this





August 10, 2016 | Filed Under Community | Leave a Comment 

Child Health & Safety News Roundup: 08-01-2016 to 08-07-2016

Last updated on August 22nd, 2016 at 04:32 pm

twitter thumbIn this week’s Children’s Safety News: N.Y. to restrict ‘Pokemon Go’ from sex offenders https://t.co/YKzQC0vMci

Welcome to Pediatric Safety’s weekly “Child Health & Safety News Roundup”- a recap of the past week’s child health and safety news headlines from around the world. Each day we use Twitter and Facebook to communicate relevant and timely health and safety information to the parents, medical professionals and other caregivers who follow us. Occasionally we may miss something, but we think overall we’re doing a pretty good job of keeping you informed. But for our friends and colleagues not on Twitter or FB (or who are but may have missed something), we offer you a recap of the past week’s top 15 events & stories.

PedSafe Child Health & Safety Headline of the Week:
How to Choose a School Backpack That Fits Your Kid https://t.co/kipUxSlqfL

August 9, 2016 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment 

Suicide Squad is Sensory Friendly Tomorrow Night at AMC

Last updated on August 10th, 2016 at 05:12 pm

New sensory friendly logoAMC Entertainment (AMC) has expanded their Sensory Friendly Films program in partnership with the Autism Society! This Tuesday evening, families affected by autism or other special needs have the opportunity to view a sensory friendly screening of Suicide Squad, a film that may appeal to older audiences on the autism spectrum. 

As always, the movie auditoriums will have their lights turned up and the sound turned down. Families will be able to bring in snacks to match their child’s dietary needs (i.e. gluten-free, casein-free, etc.), there are no advertisements or previews before the movie and it’s totally acceptable to get up and dance, walk, shout, talk to each other…and even sing – in other words, AMC’s “Silence is Golden®” policy will not be enforced during movie screenings unless the safety of the audience is questioned.

Suicide SquadDoes it make a difference? Absolutely! Imagine …no need to shhhhh your child. No angry stares from other movie goers. Many parents think twice before bringing a child to a movie theater. Add to that your child’s special needs and it can easily become cause for parental panic. But on this one day a month, for this one screening, everyone is there to relax and have a good time, everyone expects to be surrounded by kids – with and without special needs – and the movie theater policy becomes “Tolerance is Golden“.

AMC and the Autism Society will be showing Suicide Squad tomorrow, Tuesday, August 9th at 7pm (local time). Tickets are $4 to $6 depending on the location. To find a theatre near you, here is a list of AMC theatres nationwide participating in this fabulous program (note: to access full list, please scroll to the bottom of the page).

Coming Soon: Pete’s Dragon (Sat, 8/13 & 8/27); War Dogs (Tues, 8/23)

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Editor’s note: Although Suicide Squad has been chosen by the Autism Society for a Tuesday Sensory Friendly screening, we do want parents to know that it is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language. As always, please check the IMDB Parents Guide for a more detailed description of this film to determine if it is right for you and your family.

August 8, 2016 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment 

An Online Physical Education Course…No Kidding!

Last updated on August 10th, 2016 at 05:13 pm

As strange as this sounds, I’m not joking when I say that my 14 year-old son just completed his ninth grade Physical Education course….online!

Our state of Indiana requires two Physical Education credits for a High School diploma – PE 1 and PE 2 (normally taken in 9th and 10th grade, respectively). However, many incoming students who wish to participate in certain extracurricular activities are allowed to take PE 1 over the summer before ninth grade, as an online course.

Online-phys-ed-courseThis allows greater time in their schedule during the school year for their activities and, thankfully, this exemption is reserved for kids who are doing athletic-like activities. A large number of the students who do the online course are in the Marching Band, like my son. And after a summer of long practice days, I can attest that this is a very physically-demanding pursuit – especially when playing a large instrument, like the baritone saxophone.

But still….online Phys Ed?? Come on??!

Online Course Challenges

Everyone I’ve mentioned this to has had the same – “I don’t believe you..that’s crazy!” – reaction. And after having gone through the process, I tend to agree. Here’s why…

The content of the online course seemed sensible and useful to me – covering aspects of weight management, cardiovascular fitness, nutrition, flexibility and preventing injuries, and fitness plans. But a key aim of the course – based on the academic standards – appeared to be promoting fitness and physical activity to the kids throughout their life. Sorry, but I just don’t think an online phys ed class is likely to achieve this.

There were weekly physical activity logs the kids had to submit. Did they get out and shoot hoops or play tag or go to a dance class? They needed to do an hour a day for at least 3 days each week to meet the course requirements. But how can anyone really know they did it? They could have been couch potatoes lifting snacks to their mouths and calling them arm curls…. And they missed out on trying new types of activities or getting better at ones they may have only just started in middle school.

Information Not Enough for Healthy Behaviors

But more than that, my concern about this online approach to Physical Education is that it seems to imply that all people need to change their behavior and set them on a path to lifetime fitness success… is information. My recent public health studies (along with a lifetime of my own challenges) have shown this is not the case. There are many guiding theories and frameworks in health promotion that show how what we do regarding our health – like how active we are or how healthy we eat – is influenced by many factors, including our beliefs about the importance of these actions, our self-confidence in doing these actions well, the barriers we encounter around us, how our role models think and behave, and what our “circle” or society expects of us. For example, if in a certain culture playing tennis is considered “unmanly” – and a boy’s circle of friends all aspire to manly activities – then reading that tennis is a good lifelong physical activity probably won’t induce him to pick up a racquet.  On the other hand, my husband and I had great success getting our young (Star Wars-crazy) son to eat flank steak for the first time when we told him it was Luke Skywalkers’ favorite meat!

The course was clearly trying to influence student behavior, since a parent survey near the end of the course asked if your child had changed their eating or exercise habits. But, since most of the online course was geared toward learning information, doing small research exercises and writing quizzes, there really weren’t great opportunities to impact the other behavior influences – such as peer pressure and role modeling.  These are probably best done through conversation and interaction. Some online courses can have these elements. I took one in my public health program which required a lot of online forum work involving all the students in the class – but this took a lot of time and effort, which most teens are unlikely to commit to for a summer phys ed course!

Why the Concern?

In the end I’m glad my son will have a lighter load in ninth grade and I know he will continue to get lots of physical activity in the fall through Marching Band. But I also believe that Physical Education should be taught in schools – and is there for an important reason:  as a recent study (discussed in this New York Times article) has shown, physical activity (especially aerobic activity) is one of the most critical factors for a long and healthy life. If we think Phys Ed is needed, we shouldn’t kid ourselves that children are getting the desired benefits when we sub-optimize the teaching method. So, in the end, it’s once again up to parents to ensure that our kids are well set for a lifetime of healthy exercise habits – and we should try to address the behavior change drivers beyond information.

August 5, 2016 | Filed Under Community | 1 Comment 

What Happens to Teen Smokers?

Last updated on March 2nd, 2018 at 12:23 pm

If you start smoking when you’re in your teens, get ready for stained teeth, wrinkly skin and a one-in-two chance of dying early.

Teen-girl-smoker-lighting-upAge 20

Nobody smokes their first fag (*cigarette) thinking they’ll be a smoker, but if you’re experimenting it’s easy to become hooked. Most adult smokers start in their teens, and half of them will be killed by their habit – coughing, spluttering and having heart seizures (on average, they’ll have paid £40,000 each for the privilege).

Right now, smoking means that you’re becoming unfit, you’re getting tiny wrinkles all round your mouth, and you’re losing lots of cash. If your boyfriend smokes too, sex probably doesn’t feel as good as it could: cigarettes affect his erections and your sensitivity.

Age 30

Still puffing? Shame. As a smoker you’re now looking older than your years. Your skin, which has been starved of oxygen, is grey and lined. Your teeth are stained and your hair is dull and smelly. If that’s not enough, all the smoke toxins in your body have given you cellulite.

When you want to have kids, things will be trickier for you than for non-smokers: female smokers reduce their fertility and increase their chances of miscarriage, cervical cancer and complications during pregnancy and delivery. Smokers’ babies are also more at risk of cot death.

40-plus

The length of time that you’ve smoked is important. If you’ve smoked 20 a day for 40 years, your risk of lung cancer is about eight times more than if you’ve smoked 40 a day for 20 years.

Editor’s Note: *clarification provided for our US readers.

NHS Choices logo


From www.nhs.uk

August 3, 2016 | Filed Under Community | Leave a Comment 

Child Health & Safety News Roundup: 07-25-2016 to 07-31-2016

Last updated on August 8th, 2016 at 09:59 am

twitter thumbIn this week’s Children’s Safety News: 9 Things Your Teen Should Never Post on Social Media http://ow.ly/dykT302Oswb

Welcome to Pediatric Safety’s weekly “Child Health & Safety News Roundup”- a recap of the past week’s child health and safety news headlines from around the world. Each day we use Twitter and Facebook to communicate relevant and timely health and safety information to the parents, medical professionals and other caregivers who follow us. Occasionally we may miss something, but we think overall we’re doing a pretty good job of keeping you informed. But for our friends and colleagues not on Twitter or FB (or who are but may have missed something), we offer you a recap of the past week’s top 15 events & stories.

PedSafe Child Health & Safety Headline of the Week:
Cases surge across the country this yr of kids dying in hot cars https://t.co/eaCeucyj8C almost 2x as many as last year!

August 2, 2016 | Filed Under Awareness | Leave a Comment