Bronchiolitis or “Wheezy Bronchitis” and Kids
Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 04:03 pm
One of the more common illnesses that is encountered during the winter months in infants and young children is a respiratory problem referred to as Bronchiolitis or “wheezy bronchitis”. This is a condition caused by a viral infection that attacks the respiratory tree, both upper (nose and throat) and lower (the smaller airways leading to the air sacks in the lungs). It is most commonly caused by RSV or Respiratory Syncitial Virus. It can also be caused by other winter time viral infections but the exact cause is relatively unimportant as the symptoms are nearly the same.
Your child will usually develop signs and symptoms of a regular cold with sneezing, runny nose, mild cough, and sometimes a low grade fever. At this stage it will be impossible to tell if this will progress to bronchiolitis, but most of the time this will remain a cold and your “cures” are limited as your doctor will tell you. In a certain number of infants and young children, after a few days of the cold, the cough might progress to a more significant stage and the infant or young child may show some signs of having difficulty breathing; more rapid breathing rate than normal will usually be the first of such signs, but fever alone can raise an infant’s rate of breathing, and if you are unsure call your baby’s Doctor and he/she will help you figure that out.
Because the primary problem with bronchiolitis is swelling in the respiratory passages (lower and upper), air might have to begin to squeeze through narrower passages in the lungs and similar to what we have presented about asthma in the past, this may lead to wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling (musical) type of noise when your child breathes out versus noisy breathing in noticed in those infants with the upper airway cold. Admittedly this may be difficult to see by non- medical parents, but you can ask your Doctor how to do this in a reliable and repeatable manner.
Most infants and young children will remain in this stage and, as long as he/she is feeding well , does not have fever over 103, and seems fairly cheerful with his/her usual skin color, you do not need to worry, and all the symptoms will resolve as the cold goes away.
Occasionally, the situation can worsen with more difficulty breathing, now showing itself by your child using more muscles of his/her body to help force the air through the small airways in the chest: those muscles might include the abdominal, neck and intercostals (muscles between the ribs). At this stage your child should certainly be under the care of a physician, who might, depending on the appearance of your child admit him/her to the hospital so that more intensive care can be used to help him/her breathe.
The illness is self limited in that between 3 and 7 days normal resolution will take place. The worsening progression that I outlined above will generally not happen very fast and you will have time to see that your child is getting worse. Anywhere along the way, should you have doubts about your ability to adequately monitor your child’s status you should be talking to his/her Doctor.
I would like to stress once again that most bronchiolitis illnesses in infants and young adults remains mild and in fact may be indistinguishable from a normal cold.
Got a Couch Kid? 6 Easy Ways to Motivate an Inactive Child
Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 04:03 pm
Has your child, who is sitting on the couch in the next room, ever used his cell phone to text you to bring him a snack?
Hopefully, you can answer this with a laugh and a simple no. Unfortunately, for our family, this is a reality we stared in the face a few weeks ago. It was a normal day, we had just returned home from school and our boys immediately found their designated spots on the couch and resumed their gaming. Within minutes, I received the infamous text asking for their snack. Unfortunately, the issue of couch potato children isn’t an isolated problem we are noticing in only our household.
In fact, as a nation we are noticing a rise in child obesity and inactivity. To put this into perspective, it is believed that only one out of three children are engaging in some form of physical activity on a daily basis. If this path should continue, experts warn that by 2030 half of all American adults will be obese. While these are hard numbers to digest, we need to look at the fact that today’s average kid spends over seven and a half hours everyday parked in front of a screen of some kind.
6 Surefire Tips For Getting Children Off The Couch
Whether it is a computer, Smartphone, or television, our sons and daughters are spending more and more time seated on the couch looking at their devices. This can present many problems for parents, but a major one is our children’s health and well-being. We obviously know that exercise or active play is good for a developing body’s muscles, bones, and coordination. However, getting our children pried away from their favorite technology can be difficult.
Undoubtedly, we probably will hear whining, pouting, crying, and an occasional slamming door when we bring up the subject of powering down to get up and moving.
Listed below are 6 ways to motivate our most obstinate inactive children:
1. Bridge technology with physical activity. Appeal to a child’s love of gaming by trying to hunt for Pokemon in your neighborhood or tapping into their inner adventurist by giving geocaching a try. If a child is competitive, try using a fitness tracker to count steps and make it a competition.
2. Let children “earn” their couch time. If a child completes certain chores, walks the dog, or shoots hoops for an allotted amount of time, allow them to be paid in screen time. For example, if a child walks the dog for one hour, he can earn 15 minutes of television or gaming. Adjust the reward to fit your schedule and family values.
3. Get hooping. If a kid balks at the idea of traditional exercises like running, little leagues, or push-ups, seek out activities that are exciting and engaging. Embrace fun and introduce the entire family to hula hooping. Hula hooping is different and will offer countless opportunities for children to develop new skills without knowing that they are actually exercising. Teach them the traditional hip movements, but expand to use their necks, arms, and legs. For added fun, encourage children to roll the hoops across the floor and put their arm inside or their foot in while the hoops are rolling. The possibilities are endless and will help restless children burn off a little “cabin fever”.
4. Look for community programs to try. Sign up children or the family for a sports league, buy a season pass to the local swimming pool, or register for an activity program (hiking, bird watching, kayaking, sledding, snowshoeing, etc.) at the nearest nature recreational park. Many cities and towns are now offering a variety free or low cost opportunities for children and their families to promote physical activity. Plus, these opportunities offer a social aspect for children and might peak their interest in a future hobby or career.
5. Get crafty. Arts and crafts offer our kids the perfect opportunities to get off the couch. Tap into the frozen winter wonderland for inspiration and the kids won’t even miss sitting on the couch. Try adding food coloring or Koolaid packets to water in spray bottles and let kids graffiti the snow for a fun winter afternoon activity. You can also fill balloons with colored water and freeze them outside. When the orbs are frozen, remove the outer shell to expose colorful balls or frozen marbles to decorate the yard.
6. Play. It sounds simple, but encourage children to play. Think back to your favorite youthful pastimes and introduce them to your sons or daughters. Teach them how to fly a kite, construct the perfect snow fort, go ice fishing, try ice skating, build the perfect snowman, or assemble an amazing fort inside. Channel your inner child and join in on the fun to seek precious opportunities for bonding with your kids.
Looking Forward
Motivating inactive children can be daunting, but with a little effort and enthusiasm we can get our children up and moving. After all, we want the best for our kids and know in the long run that increasing physical activity can drastically cut their odds of developing a variety of health conditions. If we make one or two adjustments to our child’s habits today, we can improve their outlook for tomorrow.
What techniques do you have for motivating children?
Kids’ Cold Medications and Tooth Decay
Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 02:28 pm
As the winter season comes quickly upon us, so does cold and flu season. For parents, that usually means caring for kids with runny noses and coughs. When your child comes down with an illness, you want to do everything you can to help them get better. Over-the-counter medicines are usually a go-to for easing their symptoms. While they help in suppressing coughs and colds, these medications can have a side effect you may have never considered before: tooth decay.
If your child is like most, he or she probably prefers sweet-tasting liquid medicine as opposed to pills. And this is understandable, as pills can be difficult for young children to swallow. But those sweet cough syrups are sweet for a reason. They contain a high amount of sugar, which bacteria in the mouth feed on. This breaks down the enamel of your child’s teeth, which then leads to decay. Citric acid is another ingredient that is commonly found in liquid medicines. This can also wear down tooth enamel and increase the risk of cavities. Additionally, the ingredients in liquid medicine can dry out your child’s mouth. Saliva helps rinse away cavity-causing sugars and acids. But a dry mouth means less saliva to fight off decay.
The good news is that there are several things you can do to reduce your child’s risk for tooth decay when taking medication:
- Give your child medicine before breakfast, lunch or dinner as opposed to bedtime. When medicine is taken at bedtime, the sugars will remain in contact with your child’s teeth longer while they are sleeping, which can be very destructive. Eating also helps produce more saliva, so meal time is the perfect time to take medicine.
- Be sure that your child brushes his or her teeth and rinses thoroughly after taking medicine. This will help get rid of any remaining sugars in the mouth.
- As your child gets older and is able to swallow pills, start weaning them off liquid medicines and choose the pill form instead.
Help your child stay healthy this season by monitoring not only their immune system, but their dental health as well. By following these tips, you can help reduce your child’s risk of tooth decay when taking cough syrups and other liquid medications.
The Other Gifts We Give Our Kids
Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 02:28 pm
There are many traditions at this time of year that involve parents giving their children presents – whether obviously or through Santa subterfuge! But there are many gifts we give our kids throughout the year that have a much more lasting impact than the latest hot video game or toy, even if our little people don’t yet realize it or always appreciate our efforts. Below is a selection of some of these gifts of love.
Vaccinations
The WHO cites a detailed history of vaccination that demonstrates how only clean water has done more for the health and wellness of mankind. Historical books, movies and TV shows detail just how frightening the diseases we vaccinate against once were. The shots we get for our children are a gift that provides a lifetime of protection – for them and those around us.
Safe Home
Every time parents install a cabinet lock to hide chemical cleaners, secure heavy furniture and TVs against tipping, or reduce the setting of their water heater they are providing invaluable gifts to their children – reduction in the risk of preventable poisoning, injury, burns. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that almost 1,800 kids are seen in Emergency Departments each year due to injuries from furniture and TV tip-overs – and 119 kids between 1 and 3 years old die annually from these incidents.
Safe Transport
Around 400-500 child deaths are prevented in the US every year due to use of car seats and other child restraints – and that’s not counting the reduction in severe injuries from use of safety seats for kids. Every time we strap them into a car seat we are giving them a precious gift and teaching them good car safety habits for when they become drivers.
Healthy Eating Appreciation
Obesity is one of the greatest health crises of our age, given its link to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, and even several cancers. Helping our children appreciate food for its support of health is a gift that keeps giving over a lifetime.
Active Lifestyle Encouragement
As parents, we all want our children to live a long and happy life. Physical activity is a important contributor to this goal, given how it reduces risk for chronic diseases and even improves mental health, sleep and mood.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, “only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”
Getting our kids to be active – and, more importantly, being a role model for physical activity is literally a gift of life.
Protection from Excessive/Inappropriate Online Exposure
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their guidelines for “screen time” to better reflect how entrenched online usage now is at all ages, they still make recommendations – such as developing personalized media use plans for your kids that takes into account each child’s age, health, personality and developmental stage – to ensure a valuable online experience. Putting limits in place for when our kids can access the internet and what they can see is an important gift for protecting their online reputation and preventing inappropriate connections.
So while you are savoring your kids squeals of delight when they open their presents during the holidays, remember to pat yourself on the back for all the other gifts you labor to give them year-round – gifts that protect them for a lifetime.
Quick Feel-Good Cold Remedies for Kids
Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 02:28 pm
As you probably know, there’s no cure for the common cold. And it’s hard to prevent, especially in children who are in school or daycare. Keeping your home’s germ hotspots clean and boosting your child’s immune system with plenty of sleep helps. Even so, few moms get through the sneezin’ season without having to deal with at least one bout of sniffles and a sore throat.
So what home remedies can you use to help a sick child feel better?
1. Offer an ice pop.
Water, juice, warm broth or lemon water with honey can help loosen congestion and keep your sick one hydrated. (Just don’t give honey to infants.) If your child’s throat hurts so much you can’t convince him to drink, offer an ice pop instead.
2. Create a steam room.
Cold viruses thrive in dry conditions, which is part of the reason why colds are more common in winter. Mucus membranes will dry in dry air conditions, which can cause a nose to be stuffy and throat to be scratchy. To help loosen mucus, have your child sit in a steamy bathroom for 10 minutes before bedtime. A humidifier can also help; just be sure to keep it clean, otherwise it can make mold spores spread, doing more harm than good. Change the water every day and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions carefully.
3. Get them to gargle.
This can be hard to do with a younger child, but if you have a tween or teen, suggest she gargle twice a day with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt mixed into 1 cup warm water).
4. Heed Grandma’s advice.
As for her famous chicken soup remedy, good news: It’s a valid meal choice for a child with a cold. Studies have shown that both the homemade and canned varieties have anti-inflammatory properties, easing swollen nasal membranes. Plus, it’s another (tasty) way of helping your child get valuable fluids, and it can replace lost sodium if your child is vomiting or has diarrhea.
5. Try saline nasal drops and sprays.
Combat stuffiness and congestion with over-the-counter saline nasal sprays and drops. For a baby, squirt a few drops of saline solution in your baby’s nasal passages, then gently suction with a rubber bulb syringe. This is important, as babies are “obligate nose breathers,” meaning they have not yet learned to open their mouths to breathe when their nose is stuffed.
6. Watch for signs of strep.
If your child’s sore throat is accompanied by a fever, headache or chills, or her discomfort seems extreme, give her pediatrician a call. It might be strep throat, a bacterial infection that you’ll need antibiotics to treat.
Food Allergies Ruining Your Holiday Plans? Fork It!
Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 02:28 pm
The holidays are upon us- creeping up around the corner and taunting us, reminding us that food shall be everywhere soon. If your kids have food allergies, do you hide? Do you stay home and make your own safe feast? Or, do you accept someone else’s invitation and imagine that it could be just that simple. Before you gasp and start to list the reasons of why you should not do this, let’s go over the reasons of why you should.
Spreading knowledge I know most of us are up to our eyeballs with how many times we have tried to educate others on living with food allergies. I still stand by my word- knowledge is power. The more that you help others learn about the foods that you can have and the recipes that they can also make easily and safely, the more they will feel empowered to do so. What you do need to remember is that this requires a lot of patience and courage on your part to make sure that all of the safety details are passed on as well.
Bonding time What better way to have an excuse to spend extra time with friends and family than to grab a bunch of food?! Because having food allergies often means extra preparation for those who don’t normally handle food allergies, this is the perfect way to finally catch up and make some edible items. By doing so in a social situation rather than the actual day of a holiday, there is less tension in the air, less worry of serving a meal on time and more chance that the food allergy-free lesson will be remembered.
Eating Because, let’s face it, we all love to eat. Nobody can tell me that the smell of good cooking and great conversation leading to a full belly is a bad thing (as long as it’s done safely). Rather than thinking of all of the reasons not to eat, think of all of the reasons that we should eat. Don’t fear the food- be cautious, be prepared but don’t feel that your life should be limited by a diet that is different. Even with food allergies, you have the ability to indulge.
Learn to enjoy the holidays again Even if you are not at ease with having someone else cooking for you; remember that the holidays are meant to be a time full of joy. Obviously, how you decide to do this is up to you but looking back, do you most remember the bad things or do you cherish the good things? Use your favorite recipes and cook. Plan your menus ahead of time to make it easier on yourself. Start new memories of your own and see how others also begin using your recipes in the coming years.
Recreate a food that you always wanted to try but didn’t. Who says that stuffing has to be made from bread? Why does pie have to have milk when there are so many dairy free options to try? Research recipes and products that you can use, add and tweak ingredients and just go for it. The best part if tasting- for you, for your family and you get to lick the spoon.
Celebrate yourself too because you deserve a pat on the back for everything that you do on a daily basis. It’s ok to acknowledge that your life is different from people who do not have food allergies. It’s ok to tell everyone how you had a horrible recipe experience and the food was just awful. This happens to everyone, every day and it’s not just with food allergies- it’s with every single person that cooks anything. Being honest about what you accomplish is a great way to boost your own morale. It’s also another way to encourage others to try some of the foods that can be offered to you at a future gathering.
Enjoy the holidays, eat well and be happy with all that you have been given over the past year. When you invite positive thoughts, more are sure to follow. Don’t put the fork down- pick it up.
Need a new holiday recipe? I am sharing one of my favorite recipes with all of you-
Mahogany Rice & Quinoa Stuffing
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil- 2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
- 4-5 Apple Chicken Sausage (cut into pieces)
- Baking Spray
- 1 1/2 Cups cooked Lundberg Family Farms Black Japonica Rice
- (cooked in organic chicken broth)
- 1 1/2 Cups Cooked Quinoa
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Rosemary
- 1/2 – 1 Cup Already Roasted Brussels sprouts*
- Sea Salt to Taste
*To roast Brussels Sprouts, heat the oven to 400°, chop clean Brussels Sprouts in half and toss with oil, garlic and sea salt. Stir to prevent burning on one side.
- Using a medium frying pan, heat the oil using medium heat. Add the onion and sauté. Add the sausage and stir until sausage is browned. Set aside.
- Lightly oil a large casserole dish with baking spray. Combine the cooked rice, quinoa and rosemary.
- Using a mini chopper, chop the Brussels sprouts until it is in small pieces. Mix into the casserole dish. Next, add the chicken sausage either as bite sized pieces or ground in the mini chopper. Add sea salt to taste. Use this to stuff the turkey or bake at 350° and serve as a side dish.
Makes approximately 6 servings
