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Common Sleep Problems In Kids

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My 7 year old daughter is always sleepy and her night time sleep habits are less than ideal.  It’s not unusual for her to visit me in the middle of the night when I’m feeding the baby or to hop in bed with me when my husband leaves for work at 4:00 a.m.  This has always been her pattern.  But now I’m beginning to worry a bit because she’s been increasingly cranky during the day and is prone to emotional upset.  This situation has led me to do some research, which I’d like to share with you.

There are various reasons for sleep disturbance in children.  According to WebMD, some common causes may be trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep walking, restless legs syndrome, nightmares, or night terrors. There may be a number of reasons for these sleep issues such as lack of nighttime routine or stress and anxiety about daily events.  It’s also possible the cause could be a medical condition.

The average recommended amount of sleep for elementary-aged children is between 10 and 11 hours a night.  Pre-schoolers should get between 11 and 13 hours of sleep each night.  My darling daughter rarely sleeps 10 hours straight.

If you are concerned about your child’s sleep routine, talk to your pediatrician.  He or she may suggest that you observe your child’s sleep patterns for signs of breathing issues or sleep disturbance.  If you suspect that your child’s lack of sleep could be caused by an emotional issue, find a quiet time to talk about the problem and to work together to brainstorm solutions.  You may also need to begin a regular bedtime routine, including a regular bedtime and nightly rituals such as story time, snack, or quiet time.  Finally, your physician may request that your child undergo a sleep study to diagnose or rule out physical causes such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. I know I will be calling my children’s doctor first thing Monday morning to schedule an appointment.

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What’s Eating Your Kids?

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in our society.  Children are consuming less healthy foods and maintaining sedentary lifestyles.  According to the Mayo Clinic’s web site, complications of excess weight in our children can include the following problems, among others:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Asthma and other respiratory problems
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders

Physical ramifications are discussed often in the news and among clinicians; however, the emotional side of overeating in children is often ignored.   Being overweight can lead to such emotional issues as insecurity, depression, and behavior problems.  On the flip side, stress and worry can actually lead to the overindulgence that causes weight gain in kids.

My home state of Pennsylvania has launched a new campaign called “All About Weight” to over 1000 middle schools across the commonwealth.  The program focuses on the all too often overlooked emotional roots of issues related eating.  Students can go to the web site TeenCentral.net to learn about health eating, nutrition, lifestyle changes, as well as the emotional factors that lead to weight problems.

We, as parents, can help our kids identify and deal with weight-related problems by:

• Encouraging them to openly discuss feelings
  
• Shopping for mostly healthy foods and beverages
  
• Seeking help from your pediatrician if you are concerned about obesity
• Making efforts to improve diet and exercise as a family

There are many factors to consider when trying to determine if your child is at a healthy weight.  Take a look at your child’s body frame, your family history of obesity and related health problems, your child’s eating habits, as well as his or her activity level and overall health.  Most importantly, don’t forget to address the impact emotional issues can play in your children’s physical health.

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Home Remedies That Work

Home remedies are often the stuff of old wives’ tales or crazy concoctions that aren’t really effective.  However, sometimes grandma’s cure-all can do the trick to help ease common ailments.  Let’s take a look at some health-related problems and the home remedies that can lessen their symptoms.

Bee Stings – Meat tenderizer really will do the trick.  It contains a substance that breaks down the proteins in insect venom.  Remove the stinger, then apply meat tenderizer.  An ice pack can help to reduce swelling.

Burns/Sunburns – Calamine lotion or aloe vera can help with the pain of sunburn and heat burns, but be certain the burn has not blistered.

Cuts and Scrapes - Avoid infection by covering cuts and scraps with petroleum jelly.  This will create a barrier to dirt and germs and will help to alleviate pain.

Diaper Rash – Try vitamin E oil on baby’s bottom if your OTC diaper cream isn’t working.

Headaches – Taking 100 milligrams of vitamin B6 has been documented in reducing the occurrence of migraines.

Indigestion - A nice, soothing cup of mint tea will surely do the trick in ending indigestion fast.

Mosquito Bites - A simple remedy for the itching and swelling caused by these pesky insects is to place ice on the bite.

Sore Throat - Try a tea made with hot water, honey, lemon, and red pepper to alleviate minor sore throat pain.

Tooth Ache - Clove oil or vanilla extra applied directly to the sore tooth can help immensely.  You can also soak a cotton ball with either liquid and bite down on it gently.

Yeast Infections - Eat yogurt containing live cultures.  It’s the bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus that cuts down on the yeast.  You can also buy acidophilus pills at health food stores.

Give these household cures a try, but as always, see your physician or pediatrician if you have serious concerns or symptoms do not subside.

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Children and Cough Medicine

Moms everywhere have heard the warnings about the use of cough medicine in children under six.  The FDA has acknowledged the fact that pediatricians see no benefit its use in young children and that countless ER visits in relation to children and cough meds have been documented; however, there is still no official ban on these over-the-counter cough medicines formulated for young children.

With the cold and flu season right around the corner, many parents may be wondering what to do for their sniffling, hacking little ones.  Here are some suggestions.

• Use a cool mist humidifier in the child’s room to lessen dry, hacking coughs.
• For a barking cough, sitting in a steamy bathroom can ease symptoms.
• A warm bath can be effective.
  
• Cold beverages can soothe a sore throat – avoid carbonated drinks and citrus juices.
• Give children older than one a half teaspoon of honey before bed.

See your pediatrician if the cough persists for more than a week or is worrisome.  If you do choose to administer OTC cold medicine, avoid antihistamines that make children sleepy and always follow the dosage instructions on the label.  Do not give over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to children under the age of two.

It’s tough to see your child so miserable.  But the dangers to young children do exist when using over-the-counter drugs for cold symptoms, and their effectiveness has yet to be proven.  Using these tried and true methods, in combination with some love from mommy, will ensure the safety of your child and lessen the discomfort associated with the common cold.

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The Importance of Early Detection

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Did you know that the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month organization has been promoting the visibility of breast cancer issues and highlighting the importance of early detection for more than 20 years?

During menstruation, the breasts go through various changes.  Sometimes a lump may form, and in most of these instances, the lump is harmless.  However, any lump detected should be examined by your doctor.  Breast cancer usually begins with a small tumor.  Sometimes these tumors are benign and do not affect other cells.  Other tumors may be malignant with the potential to spread or metastasize.  Early detection is so important because once a tumor grows, it is more likely to shed cells and spread to other parts of the body.

Here are some signs to look for, according to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website.

• Any new, hard lump or thickening of any part of the breast
• Change in breast size or shape
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin
• Swelling, redness, or warmth that does not go away
• Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle
• Pulling in of the nipple
• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and only appears in one breast
• An itchy, sore, or scaling area on one nipple

If treated early, the odds of successful treatment are high.  It’s when the cancer begins to spread that things become more difficult.  According to WebMD, thanks to improved screening and treatment options, at least 7 out of 10 women with breast cancer will survive more than five years after the initial diagnosis, and half will survive more than ten years.  Annual mammograms after age 40 can also increase the odds of early detection.  So be aware of the signs and encourage the women you love to also perform self breast exams.

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Meet Mary!

Hello!  I’m Mary Davis, the new health and wellness writer for Moms In a Blog.  I’m a freelance writer who lives in western Pennsylvania with my husband and three children.  My kids range in age from 6 months to 9 years.  They’re constantly teaching me something new.  When not caring for my brood, you’ll usually find me with my nose in a book or magazine.  Though I enjoy a good story, the books I read are usually non-fiction.  I love learning new things and consider myself to be a perpetual student.

I’ve always been interested in health-related topics.  There were various health issues in my family growing up, from the everday illness to some rather unusual ailments.  Though I must admit that I could improve my own personal habits in regard to diet and exercise, I am continually fascinated by the overall life improvements brought about by the way we treat our bodies.  I’m striving to make make lifestyle changes related to my physical health and will share with you the great information I find.

I’ll be writing on a variety of topics, including those on mental health.  I have a professional background in mental health counseling and know that the way in which we deal with stress directly affects our physical health.  I’ll also be contributing articles geared toward all members of your family.  I know that, all too often, we moms worry about taking care of others and forget to take care of ourselves!  So look for articles on taking care of your needs as well as those of your family.

I’m thrilled to be a part of Moms in a Blog!  What a wonderful place to get information about all aspects of a mom’s busy life.  Please feel free to comment or to contact me; I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions.

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How to Teach Your Children about Heart Health

Have you looked around you lately? It is all around on us. It is mentioned on the media on a daily basis and we see it but are we aware of it? What am I talking about? It is childhood obesity, and epidemic that is growing and the statistics are grim. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of obesity in children ages 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 25 years. That is from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006. The rate of obesity among adolescents ages 12 to 19 has more than tripled, increasing from 5 to 17.6 percent.

Many may think that going to your family physician and asking for medication is the answer, but it is not. Not all children are predisposed to high cholesterol as some would think because of obesity, it can all be monitored with changes to lifestyles. According to Jennifer Li, a pediatric cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center, there are ways to help your kids improve their heart health and avoid the harm of high cholesterol. She suggests the following:

• Exercise as a family – Kids need motivation to exercise so as parents we can do just that. Take out your sneakers and start playing catch, kicking the soccer ball or just go for a brisk walk.
• Don’t eat and run – Try to avoid fast food restaurants and drive-throughs, eat as a family as much as possible. Have healthy snacks available such as fruits and vegetable for the midday hunger pangs, if they see you eating healthy snacks, they will do the same.
• Shop and cook healthy – Throw out junk food and sweetened beverages. Add more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein such as chicken and fish.
• Limit TV time – Did you know that a child watches an average of 6 hours of television a day? They are literally staring at a screen for 6 hours and probably eating unhealthy snacks while doing it. Video games and TV time should be a reward for eating right and exercising and not a daily ritual.
• Do you know your numbers? – Not just any numbers, your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The entire family should be tested periodically. Knowing your numbers will help you handle situations before they become larger problems.
• Get organized – If you have a child who is overweight or obese, consider getting them into a formal weight management program. Nutritional counseling and supervised exercise sessions can give a child the support and motivation needed to lose weight.

Dr. Daisy (aka Dr. Mommy) is a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, wife to a loving and supporting husband and home school mom to 5 beautiful children. She is a speaker, blogger and freelance writer that devotes her time to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and their health.

For more insight on her love of health and nutrition you can visit her Healthy Nutrition Hints Blog. http://healthynutritionhints.com

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Tips for Sleepy Teens

Do you have a teen that stays up all night and has difficulties getting up for school? Who doesn’t right? A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation found that only 20 percent of teens actually got the recommended amount of sleep per night. The recommended amount they were studying was nine hours per night and with our teens that stay up after midnight, it is no wonder they are having difficulties in the mornings.

More than a quarter of the teens surveyed confessed to falling asleep in class and more than half reported driving while drowsy. Lack of sleep also affected the academic performance of the teens studied. Those who did not get enough sleep were more likely to get poorer grades when compared to those peers who got the optimal amount of sleep.

Now is the time to train your teen to avoid the problems they will face in college when you are not around. These tips will help your college-bound teens get the adequate amount of sleep:

• Become a morning person – seems odd, but the best way to retrain your body to a better sleep is to schedule yourself and be more alert earlier in the day. Starting at least three weeks before the school year begins, begin waking yourself up progressively earlier several days in a row. To further wake yourself up, go out in the sunlight. The sunlight helps your internal body clock reset itself to your new schedule.

• Be consistent – this is very important when retraining your body. As tempting as it may be to sleep in on weekends, try to keep a regular schedule as much as possible. Sleep researchers suggest a bedtime of 11pm and midnight, but if you find yourself getting up later once college begins, try and keep to that schedule.

• Schedule Classes Carefully – If you are one that likes to stay up late, do not schedule classes at 8 am. You now have the opportunity to schedule classes unlike high school where you had to take classes that were assigned.

• Compensate – if you are absolutely not a morning person, but you still get stuck with an 8am statistics class, try to schedule your study time in the afternoons. Try not to put in all nighters of studying, because you will surely pay the price in the morning.

Dr. Daisy (aka Dr. Mommy) is a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, wife to a loving and supporting husband and home school mom to 5 beautiful children. She is a speaker, blogger and freelance writer that devotes her time to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and their health.

For more insight on her love of health and nutrition you can visit her Healthy Nutrition Hints Blog. http://healthynutritionhints.com

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Nutrition Labels Show and Tell

If you can’t pronounce the name of an ingredient, do you really want your child to eat it? Some words, even if you can pronounce them are intentionally designed to confuse. For instance, any word ending in “ose” is a sugar.

It can be very challenging to get your children to eat the foods needed for healthy bodies and strong bones. To ensure that your child is eating the correct foods at lunchtime, parents often send along a pre-packed lunch. Good intentions, however, can easily go awry if the fat, sodium and sugar content of the foods selected are not closely monitored. Parents should do their homework which begins at the next trip to the grocery store. Study the ingredients lists and nutritional labels and make sure to compare them with the serving sizes.

Researchers have shown that poor eating habits during childhood lead to chemical and anatomical changes which can then lead to heart disease later in life. Scientists agree that no more than half of a food’s calories should come from fat and saturated fats should be completely avoided.

Here are some examples that we as parents have included in our child’s lunch sacks not knowing the true values.

• Jif Creamy Peanut Butter – two tablespoons, 190 calories (130 from fat); 16g fat (3g saturated); 150mg of sodium; and 3 g of sugar.
• Sargento String Cheese – one piece , 70 calories (40 from fat); 4.5 g fat (3g saturated); 200 mg sodium and 0 sugar.
• Dannon Yogurt – strawberry fruit on bottom. 210 calories (15 from fat); 2 g fat (1 g saturated); 140 mg sodium; and 38g sugar.
• Dole Fruit Gel Bowls – peaches and strawberry. 80 calories ( 0 fat); 90 mg sodium; and 20 g sugar.
• Little Debbie Swiss Rolls – two cakes, 270 calories (110 from fat); 12g fat (3 g saturated); 140 mg sodium; and 25 g sugar.

For some healthy options, you must focus on natural, whole foods. It is important to avoid the refined sugars and white flours as well as processed items with chemical additives. Explore your health food store or the health food section in your local grocery store and experiment with the extensive array of treats your little ones will enjoy.

Some healthy suggestions:

• Pack bottled water instead of soda
• Choose raw veggies and nuts instead of other sweet snacks
• Whole grain breads make the sandwiches more nutritious
• Apple slices with almond butter is a healthy treat
• Pretzles are great but watch the sodium intake
• Raisins and dried fruits are great alternatives, but be sure to watch the sugar intake (too much sugar weakens the immune system)
• Instead of the usual bread try using pita bread or tortilla wraps for a unique change
• Leftovers make a yummy lunch treat

There are many creative ways to pack a lunch for your little ones. It is important to read lables and monitor their sugar intake. Make bringing a sack lunch fun again with unique and different ways, yet nutritious for your little ones. Try implementing storage containers for their lunches which will keep the sandwich from getting soggy. Try carrot chips instead of carrot sticks, the ideas are endless. Make your child’s lunch nutritious and fun, it can be accomplished with little effort and loads of creativity.

Dr. Daisy (aka Dr. Mommy) is a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, wife to a loving and supporting husband and home school mom to 5 beautiful children. She is a speaker, blogger and freelance writer that devotes her time to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and their health.

For more insight on her love of health and nutrition you can visit her Healthy Nutrition Hints Blog. http://healthynutritionhints.com

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How Much Sleep Is Needed For Your Child

Amazing as we get older we want to go to bed earlier, since our days seem to be longer. However, our children would rather stay up all night long. They seem to think they will miss out on something of importance if they go to sleep.

Trying to get your children to bed at a somewhat decent hour can be a struggle and not to mention the whining that will ensue when you try. Many children think they can use their negotiation skills to extend their bedtimes, but that only leads to more battles and crying fits.

Research has shown that children need sleep in order to function and do well in school. In a study of 74 six-to-twelve year old children, researchers found that children had difficulties with their schoolwork and attention span when they stayed up late each night. It is quite normal to feel overtired and with lack of energy without the appropriate amount of sleep and this is much more evident in children. Research has shown that children need a minimum of 10 hours of sleep per night.

Let’s see how this works out in a scheduled time frame. Your child begins school at 8:45am. The school bus picks up the child normally at 8:15am. A child will need at least an hour to fully wake-up, eat breakfast and get dressed. In order to accomplish this without rushing you would have to wake your child up at 7:00am. If this is the time you will be waking your child every morning than the appropriate bedtime should be 9:00pm. This will give your child the proper amount of sleep time in order to wake up refreshed.

Some children require more sleep especially if they have extra-curricular activities after school. It is important to remember that a child needs at least 10 hours of sleep an evening to function during the day. There are lots of stresses that their little bodies go through on a daily basis and the body requires sleep in order to recuperate.

So, the next time your little one asks to stay up late on a school night, you’ll know what to say. Although they may protest and say that they are not tired, you know that regardless of how they feel, their little bodies need to be in bed.

Dr. Daisy (aka Dr. Mommy) is a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, wife to a loving and supporting husband and home school mom to 5 beautiful children. She is a speaker, blogger and freelance writer that devotes her time to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and their health.

For more insight on her love of health and nutrition you can visit her Healthy Nutrition Hints Blog. http://healthynutritionhints.com

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