Childhood Pneumonia is the leading disease responsible for killing young children, aged even below 5 years. If it was any other disease like AIDS or malaria or the poxes, then the shock would have been a little laid back. But at the news of pneumonia being such a brutal disease, even the doctors are amazed. And the worst part is that pneumonia in children is a preventable and curable disease. There are vaccinations available that can be used to prevent the sole causes of pneumonia in children. And these treatments for childhood pneumonia are very cost- beneficial. The misery is that these vaccines are not availed by the developing countries. If this could be possible then over a million pneumonic children could be saved every year. November 12 is the celebrated as the World Pneumonia Day, promoted jointly by the numerous health and humanitarian organizations, like Save the Children. Several awareness programs are conducted on this day to spread knowledge and wakefulness regarding the fatalness  [...]

An infant or child who is not conscious or breathing requires CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation that involves compressions to the chest region and rescue breathing. Recue breathing involves getting air into the child’s lungs which is doable since there is ample oxygen in the breaths one exhales for keeping another individual alive. Chest compressions are then done for pumping the oxygen-filled blood all through the body. CPR For Below 1 Year old Infants Opening the Airway In case you find that respiration has halted in the child then ensuring he/she is placed on a firm surface and tilting head backwards. Checking the infant’s mouth. In case one notices any apparent obstacle then picking it out manually, however avoid poking a finger down the infant’s throat. Using single finger for lifting chin up for opening the child’s airway. Administering Rescue Breaths 5 Times Initially Taking a deep breath, putting one’s lips on the infant’s mouth & nostrils and completely sealing  [...]

Autism spectrum disorder or ASD is an array of composite neuro-developmental disorders, typified by being socially impaired, problems in communicational skills and limited, recurring and typecast behavioural pattern. Autistic disorder, at times known as classical ASD or autism is a vastly acute ASD type. ASD fluctuates in disposition and how severe it is, occurring across all races, socio-economic sets and in any age. Specialists assess that 3-6 kids from every one thousand would have ASD. The male gender is four folds more prone to having ASD as compared to the female gender. Common autism signs in children The characteristic feature out of all the identified autism signs in children is social impairment. The main caretakers of the kid are generally the foremost ones to spot ASD signs. Even in infanthood, a child having ASD would exhibit non-responsiveness to individuals around or would be focussing fixedly on a particular object while excluding all other aspects around for lengthy  [...]

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  [...]