In an appalling revelation, experts have cautioned that three out of four parents are putting their children’s eyesight in jeopardy by exposing them to bright sunlight without the use of apposite eye protective gear. In a survey undertaken by the College of Optometrists on two thousand people, it was found that close to a third of British-origin parents didn’t invest in sun-protective glasses for their children. Even in those that did buy them, close to half of them laid greater emphasis on costing rather than adequate protection and merely a quarter of them bought sun-protective eyewear from reputed brands. The College of Optometrists advocates the choice of dark coloured glasses bearing the CE quality trademark. Experts have counselled that those with light eyes are at greater risk from sun damage, with those having blue coloured eyes must constantly use sunglasses. The ultra-violet rays emitted from the sunrays can harm the retinal area and lens of the eyes that can cause  [...]

Gardening can be justly therapeutic not only for you but also for the children. One can create a space for the child to play and nurture plants in. If the children like to hang out in the garden, one can opt for sand pits, tyre-made swings, outdoors children’s toys depending on the age bracket of the child. Providing a toddler sized watering can and tools can be a very explorative and enlightening process for the child. Most definitely, the delight lies in the process and not in making something perfect. One can keep the child engrossed by helping them sow plants that germinate quickly like beans, marigold or lettuce. Plant varieties that have varied colors and shapes namely yellow, green and red capsicum, broccoli and cabbage are also viable options, with the fresh produce being used in daily meals. Fruits that can be grown in pots are lemon, guava and pomegranate. Children must be kept away from trees like apple, cherry, Horse Chestnut, Laburnum, Oak and Peach that cause poisoning  [...]

On many occasions one does wind up buying one of those numerous sunscreens in the markets for children with their attractive casing and branding, feeling content that we made the right choice. But there are several pointers that one needs to be vigilant about before dabbing on that innocent looking sunblock on. There have several concerns been raised regarding the chemical component Oxybenzone , the commonly used ingredient in hundreds of sunscreen and other cosmetic products. It assists in ready absorption of the product into the skin. About 97% Americans have been diagnosed with high Oxybenzone levels in their body that has shown to have a strong link to allergic reactions, hormone level imbalance and cell damage. The skin of infants has a surface area that in comparison to their body weight is much greater than in adults which results in their skin exposure being 1.4 times more than in adults. Also, the child’s body is more responsive to low doses of hormonally active components.  [...]

Cold sores have no connection with cold with the only commonality being high temperature. The culprit being the herpes simplex virus that remains in a quiescent state in the nerve roots of those children who get infected by direct contact. The affected areas are usually around the nose, lips, cheeks or chin which in many cases is passed through adults who kiss them. If the body gets heated up due to reasons like cold or viral infection, sunlight, the heat activates the otherwise dormant virus which leads to symptoms like itching, tenderness, soreness in skin which aggravates to a swelling and later on into blisters in a duration period of 24-36 hours. The blisters take 10-14 days to clear up with alternating weeping and scabbing. Herbs like Echinacea, wild indigo, St John’s wort, Melissa help clear inflammation while alternative herbs like burdock, calendula, peppermint, nettles, cleavers, red clover, dandelion root help speed the elimination of toxins from the body. Liquorice  [...]

Whoever said that children are too small to know about the birds and bees stories. Yoga is great way to make the child have a feel of the particular animal, insect or bird form while at the same time improving attentiveness, taut and supple muscle tone and a flexible spine. Yoga Positions The Owl pose can be accomplished by making the child sit down with his feet crossed with hands close by to the body and the palms of the hand touching the floor. The head is to be then turned from one side to the other stopping when the chin is just above the each shoulder. Effort can be made to turn the body around once in a slow thrusting-propelling way with the help of the hands as one moves from one shoulder to the other. The bird pose can be exacted by making the child sit erect with the soles of feet touching each other and hands clutched together behind the back. One can start by drawing the blades of the shoulders together in slow fluid motion while keeping the head pulled back, staying  [...]

Whether one is making the infant’s foods at home or preferring to buy ready made foods is basically a matter of personal choice. Bought foods are surely convenient if one is traveling in a jiffy, but the drawback is that they are more expensive and are not always nutritionally sound. If the use of bought foods is going to be on a regular basis, one needs to adhere to key guidelines. Always checking the list of ingredients on the jar or tin is quite essential. The listing is always mentioned in the order of concentration. One should steer clear of those food items in which water is listed first. If buying canned items, watching out for dents, leakage or seal on jars are unbroken is important. One must keep a watch for sell-by dates and avoid cut price items that are close to their expiry date. It is better to stay away from buying anything that states ‘mixed dinners’ as they mostly contain loads of thickener. If home made preparations need to be thickened, one can use ground,  [...]

What is hay fever ? Hay fever is an ailment that occurs during the spring and summer season and usually due to a reaction to pollen from flowers, grasses and trees. Though it has no serious consequence, it does become periodically troublesome with the allergic reaction occurring in the mucous membrane of the eyelids and nose. The condition is also referred to as allergic rhinitis and causes sneezing, a runny nose with clear discharge and itchy, watery, red rimmed eyes. Hay Fever Symptoms If the child is sneezing a lot, one needs to check his temperature to make sure that he isn’t ill with an infection like influenza or a common cold. One must discourage the child from rubbing his eyes as it will only worsen the situation. The eyes and nostrils can be bathed with cool water to ease the irritation. This will help wash out any deposits of pollen particles or dust. Warm saline water can be splashed on the eyes to relieve the itchiness. Vitamin C taken on a daily basis has a visible  [...]

Children are at a higher risk of being infected by worms many of whom live in the intestinal tract and some in the rectum. The classic symptoms include itching which worsens especially at night, bad breath, abdominal distension, gas, cramps, diarrhoea, decrease in weight, mucusy stools which sometimes turn bloody. Ginger and garlic have been proved very effective in wiping out the parasite. These can be administered in novel ways to the child. One can blend garlic cloves, about four in number to 330ml of apple cider vinegar and let the blend remain enclosed in a closed storage box at normal temperature for a period of two to three weeks. The blend can be filtered to remove the garlic pieces and then mixed with honey and given 3-4 teaspoons to the child with weight not less than about 23 kgs and the age above 2 yrs. A tablespoon of one part of the mixture apple cider vinegar with two parts of fresh apple extract is just as helpful. If garlic is a put off for your child, crushed garlic  [...]

Many children with active metabolisms tend to eat frequently through the day as their bodies require them to eat more often to make up for the frequent burn. The key factor being their stomachs can’t cope with three heavy or adult-sized meals a day. One must not force or impose an adult eating pattern on children. A child under the age of four or five might eat meals varying from three to even fourteen times per day with average of around five to six times. The size of the meal consumed will vary through the day with the thumb rule being that the more close placed the meals are, the smaller the meals will be. On an average, children consume the same amounts of nutrients, irrespective of the number of times they eat in the day. What is of prime importance is paying less attention on the number of times and more on what the child eats. Sensible snacks are thus important as they provide adequate calories in nutritious form contributing little to tooth decay. One can introduce fresh  [...]

Though many dread the very thought of their child being admitted to a hospital due to some unforeseen mishaps, one has to learn to take it in one’s stride believing that such situations are many a times inevitable and doing the best one can to tide over such times. * If hospital stay is needed, a host of hospitals offer parents the facility to stay alongside their children to reduce the trauma both face. One should avoid portraying a false picture to the child about what will happen during the stay in the hospital and explain why he must go in and reassuring him of your continued presence there. * One must go with the child to the hospital. Efficiently run wards allow the parents to undress the child and even provide extra bedding facility for the time of the stay. * Be sure to pack the child’s comforter , favoured toys and games to help keep him happy and occupied as the change from normal routine and known, trusted people is bound to fray his nerves. * There is bound to be changes  [...]

Early hair greying is many times a genetic predisposition with many cases of occasional grey strands noticed in children of eight years also. There are several cases when there is a discreet link between hair discoloration and a systemic disease which needs to be probed in detail. What causes grey hair? Many exposed to second hand smoke, low haemoglobin, thyroid disorders-hyperthyroid or hypothyroid or other genetic disorder diseases develop early hair greying. Greying of hair is nothing but pigment or melanin production inhibition in the root of the hair. A big farce is that fad-diets or protein-vitamin mineral nutritional supplements can affect the rate of greying. Greying of hair, be it due to the normal ageing process or untimely greying has been known to have a genetic basis. Once the melanin pigment dies out at the particular hair root, the new hairs that grow are inevitably greyish or white in colour. Children suffering from blood cancer, HIV, undergoing chemotherapy, protein  [...]