by Jennifer Shakeel
As nurse I my first reaction is yes, this is a vaccine that I believe all young females should get. As a mother, I can understand the hesitation that many mothers have over getting their daughter vaccinated. I will say for the record that my oldest daughter did get the vaccination, and it was a decision that she and I made together.
I am going to address this issue as a both a nurse and a mother, why, because it is important. First, let’s start with what the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil does. The vaccine will help protect women from a variety of ailments, ranging from minor to serious. The most talked about is cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV. Understand that there are 100’s of different HPV strands, and they are responsible for everything from cold sores, to warts to yes cervical cancer.
The vaccine is designed for adolescent girls, and what is causing many parents to pause is the fact that what the vaccine protects them against is a sexually transmitted disease. There it is… sex. That is the name of the battle that goes on in every parents head. We don’t want our children to have sex until they are an adult, many parents don’t know how to talk to their children about sex, and many believe that if you talk about it then they are encouraging their children to do it.
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Filed under Health by More4kids
How do our kids know that food is good for them? It seems that they can uncannily pick out the most nutritious item on their plates to turn up their noses at. That is especially true at our house! Whatever it is that gives them the inside scoop, as parents we need to find ways to counteract it.
While their may be kids who love their veggies, they seem to be few and far between… at least, none of them live at my house. Instead, we try to make things interesting enough so the kids will eat more of what is good for them and less of what isn't.
After many years of fighting with our kids about eating, sneaking vegetables into something where they wouldn't be noticed, and just about pulling my hair out, I have come to a couple of conclusions. Are you ready? Presentation is important. Yes, it's true. Kids like to see something nice on their plates. I don't mean to arrange food like you'd get at a high end restaurant… I mean it should be colorful and preferably bite size. This is why the original concept of fruit cocktail got the reputation of being great for kids… it was bite size and full of color and different shapes.
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by Jennifer Shakeel
MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is a newly resistant strain of the staph infection. Specifically, this strain is resistant to methicillin, the conventional antibiotic used to treat the most common Staphylococcus disease: the staph infection. Therefore, MRSA is now one of the newest “superbugs” that are resistant against traditional medications. For that reason, they should be taken with utmost caution.
As a parent, you are probably concerned that your child may come into contact with MRSA. The first thing to know about MRSA is that it is usually contracted in medical centers, especially hospitals, dialysis centers, and nursing homes. That is because people whose immune systems have been compromised—such as through chemotherapy and surgeries—are particularly vulnerable to MRSA. Fortunately, it is rare for children to become infected with MRSA because their immune systems are more robust. However, if a child has a weak immune system due to another illness or condition, he may be more prone to MRSA. READ More on MRS - What Parents Should Know
Filed under Health by More4kids
By Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LDREAD More on Doc, Can You Give My Special Needs Child Nutritional Help?
Filed under ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Nutrition by More4kids
by Jennifer Shakeel
It wasn’t until I became a parent of a child with Attention Deficit Disorder that I ever thought about whether or not my son was gifted or not. I knew that he was incredibly intelligent, and I remember in first grade telling his teacher that it wasn’t that he couldn’t focus, but rather that he was board with what was going on in class.
Many people, including teachers and medical professionals do not realize that giftedness is associated with feelings of anger and frustration, underachievement, fidgeting, impulsive behaviors, intensity, high energy, stubbornness, nonconforming, individualistic, sloppiness, poor handwriting, disorganization, absentmindedness, forgetfulness, daydreaming, moodiness and a low interest in details. Now if you are sitting there thinking that this sounds like your child when they are not on their pills, read on.
I want to explain to you what “gifted” means and this is why if you child has not gone through a psychological evaluation by a psychologist you may want to consider having it done now. You may be medicating your child when he or she really doesn’t need the medication.
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If your child is overweight or obese, it’s not just your child’s problem but your whole family’s. There are many reasons a child develops a weight problem, but genetics and family environment definitely plays a factor. In fact, if a child has one parent who is obese, that child has a 50 percent chance of also being obese; the risk increases to 80 percent if both parents are obese.The key to helping your child beat obesity is to develop healthier habits for your whole family. Your child will not succeed at losing weight if he is munching carrot sticks while everyone else slurps chocolate milk shakes! In addition, change your habits slowly so that everyone has time to adjust to the new routines. Specific areas to focus on include better eating habits and more physical activity, as the only way to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories eaten and to increase physical activity.
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Finding out that your child has Attention Deficit Disorder is not easy for you or your child. Dealing with it isn’t easy either. The frustration that you feel when dealing with family members, teachers, care givers, doctors and yes even your child can be overwhelming. The success of your child and how well they deal with ADD will depend greatly on you and how well you handle it. The good news is that you don’t have to go at it alone. There are support groups you can join.
I am going to go over a couple of the different support groups that are out there on a national level and on the internet. For some parents being able to chat online is enough, just knowing that they aren’t alone and being able to read other people’s stories will help. That is part of the reason that I write these articles. I want you to know that you aren’t alone, I want you to know that there is another parent out there that is going through or has gone through what you are and see how I handled it. Not that my way is the best way all the time, but it is what has worked for our family. It’s important when you feel stuck, frustrated and overwhelmed that you know there are options… there are ways out.
Here is a list of a few online ADHD support groups that you can join via email.
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Filed under ADHD by More4kids
Make it a New Years resolution for healthier family meals! Here are some tips and recipes to help get kids to eat their veggies
Eating plenty of veggies is important to a healthy diet. However, getting kids to eat vegetables is often difficult. Kids that are growing especially need to get the nutrition that are in vegetables and fruits, and even little toddlers need to get plenty of veggies in their diet. It can definitely be hard to get kids to eat their vegetables. The best time to introduce newer foods is while children are younger. Once they get beyond the age of four, it can be more difficult to introduce new foods. So, if you are trying to make sure that your kids eat a healthy diet and that they get plenty of vegetables, here are some top tips to help and some ideas for adding veggies into other recipes.
Tip #1 - Eat Veggies Yourself - First of all, if you really want your kids to eat their veggies, you are going to have to make sure that you eat some veggies yourself. After all, you'll that your kids aren't going to want to eat something that you are not going to eat. So, when you sit down to dinner, make sure that you don't push away the veggies or your kids are going to do the very same thing. If they see you eating the veggies, they will be more likely to eat the veggies too.
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Creating a family first aid kit is an essential to ensuring that in the event of any type of emergency, you can have the supplies that are necessary to treat injuries and any type of sickness that may occur. There are many devastating events that may occur in an unexpected manner when it comes to you, your spouse, and your children. These events may include mild to serious burns, falls, slips, cuts, and even an assortment of sicknesses that are viral or bacterial in basis. There are certain types of situations that simply do not require the attention of a doctor, but do require immediate attention to prevent future complications. This is where a first aid kit comes in handy. In this how-to manual, I will share with you how to go about creating a family first aid kit that can come in handy in the event of these situations.
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If you are a parent looking for an in-depth look at PANDAS in children, you have come to the right place. If you are reading this material, it is quite likely that you either suspect that your child has this, or you have recently been informed by your child’s pediatrician that they have this condition. It is likely that you are confused, fearful, and emotionally distraught over this. It is normal to feel this way. This is especially true when it comes to PANDAS. There is a relatively new condition that has emerged, and there is not a lot of information surrounding the condition. However, in this helpful and informative guide, I will provide you with that in-depth look at PANDAS that you have so desperately been searching for.
What is PANDAS?
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