Old Days Child Labour

Shoe Shine Boy

Based on yesterday's OPOD, I could have made this either "Chicken Week" or "Shoeshine Week". I have decided to go with Shoeshine Boys. I reserve the right to switch back to chickens if I run out of good pictures of shoeshine boys. Anyway, this picture was taken in 1908 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The boy is Greek.

Shoe shining is pretty much a thing of the past, which is too bad. Back when I was growing up, you could always make a little money by shining your parents shoes, and if you were a little more energetic, you could take your little box to a public place. I rarely see shoe shine stands any more.

Making Lace

This picture was taken in 1911, and it shows a poor mother and daughter making lace inside their tenement apartment. The picture was taken in New York City. One wonders whether the current economic downturn will lead to such cottage industries again. Now, things imported from China are so cheap, most things could not be made is such a way (certainly a person could not make lace and sell lace). I think eBay has for many become a cottage industry. How about you all . . . do any of you have a little cottage industry going to try and supplement income, or just to have fun?

Factory Workers

This photograph was taken in 1909, and shows children working in a factory in Tampa, Florida. The factory makes cigar boxes.

Cotton Pickers

This photograph was taken in the 1910's, and shows children picking cotton in a field. Cotton picking was very hard work, and some of these children look like they are no older that 6 or 7, and are working in the field barefoot.

Cotton Workers

This photograph shows a group of young girls that work in a cotton mill. The picture was taken in about 1909 in Georgia. Work in a cotton mill would have amounted to little more than a sweatshop at this time. It is amazing how several of these girls manage a smile for the camera.

Newspaper Boy

This picture was taken in 1910, and shows a newspaper boy in Wilmington, Delaware. The boy is 12 years old, and makes 20 cents a day. He has a second job on some days, working in a candy shop.

Children Workers

This picture was taken in 1911, and shows children who work in a Virginia Cotton Mill. It is nice how far we have come in the United States in overcoming poverty, and protecting children. Unfortunately, this picture would reflect conditions that still remain in lots of places in the world.

Child Coal Miner

This picture was taken in 1908, and shows a young boy working at the Turkey Knob Coal Mine near Macdonald, West Virginia. I am really captivated by these old pictures of children in such dire circumstances. The really sad thing to consider is that child labor remains a serious problem in many parts of the world. Sometimes when I buy cheap products at large discount chains I wonder how many times child labor was involved in their production.

Cotton Mill Workers

This picture shows children who work in a Cotton Mill in Pell City, Alabama. The photograph was taken in 1910. Notice the cotton fibers on the children's hats. Cotton fiber is very dangerous to breath, and the health effects were probably as bad as working in a coal mine.

There is such a look of hopelessness on these faces. Children robbed of their childhood.

Young Coal Miners

This photograph was taken in 1911, and shows young boys who work in the Pennsylvania Coal Company coal mine. They were called "Breaker Boys", and they were from the Hughestown Borough in Pennsylvania. You wonder if any of these young boys were ever able to overcome such adversity.

How to Educate My Child

Overview

Education is essential in that it teaches people about the world around them. Most parents want to see their child succeed. The key to educating your child is laying the proper foundation by starting early. Although a good education is not a guarantee to being wealthy, it will increase the chances that your child will be more confident in herself, and have a bright future. There are many ways that you can fuel your child's brain, so that she can get the education that will equip her to be all that she can be.

Step 1

Read stories to your child. Not only will this increase imagination, but it will help her with her language skills and vocabulary. Reading stories also allows your child to create a fantasy life that she can disappear into to which is very important. An excellent time to read stories to your child is at bedtime. You can also read to her during bath time.

Step 2

Watch the news with your child. This will increase his awareness of the business world, politics, current events and the weather. You can use this time to talk with him, about things going on in the news, or relate the topics to things he's learned.

Step 3

Give books as gifts. This is a great way to encourage your child to read. Instead of giving toys or video games, give her something that she can truly benefit from. She may develop a love for reading, and want to purchase books more often.

Step 4

Play board games with your child. Board games are excellent for teaching children how to read and count. They can also teach your child about following rules and taking turns. When playing board games, he will be required to make decisions, which can increase his critical thinking skills.

Step 5

Role play with your child. This is an excellent way to teach him about everyday life, and get him to begin thinking about possible career choices. Some examples are role-playing games that involve the grocery store or a doctor's office.

Step 6

Teach your child about fractions and decimals while preparing dinner. Setting the timer, measuring ingredients and setting the table are all great ways to implement math during dinner time.

Step 7

Ask your child questions when you are reading stories, to get her thinking. This is also a good time to teach math skills by asking her things, such as how many cats were on the page.

Tips to Educate Your Toddler

Make Your Child A Good Listener
Before you give the instruction or talk to your child, it is best to reduce the distraction from her. Before you talk to her, you can call her name to get her attention. Only begin to talk when she has eye contact with you. Remain eye contact all the times when you speak to her. While you are reading to her, you can ask simple questions such as "Where did the boy go to?", or "When are they coming back?"

Develop your child's basic knowledge and expression skills

You can help your child learning colors, numbers, concept of sizes, concept of space and place through games, actions or talking. You can try the following methods:

Use blocks to teach your child to learn colors
Get her to speak out the colors of different blocks. Or, find the block with the specified color. You can also ask her "What color is this block"

Establish the foundation on numbering
You can get her to give you one object. When she understand the concept of 'one', you can continue to get her to give you more things. You can encourage her to count her five senses, arms or legs, toys or even the cars on the road.

Teach your child the concept of size
You can let your child use the crayon to draw on the paper with different length of lines or different size of circles. Or you can use the
clay to make different sizes of balls. You discuss the size of objects such as "Giraffe has a long neck and tortoise has short leg", "Get me that long rope", "where is your short pants?".

Teach your child the concept of space
To teach the concept of space, you can design some activities to be participated by her. For example, prepare a big box, let your child stand inside and outside the box or walk around the box. You can play the bubble with your child, while your child is playing the bubble, ask her to observe which bubbles are falling in front and which are falling behind. Which bubbles are close to you and which bubbles are far from you. Which bubbles are flying high and which bubbles are flying low.

Develop your child's memory skills
You can improve your child's memory skills by teaching your child about a rhythm, a short poem or a song. After repeating few times, you skip the last word without saying it out. Encourage your child to speak out that missing word. Slowing increase the number of skipped words. Finally, see if your child can say out the whole sentence. After repeating this exercise several times, you child can quickly memorize all the contents. This is a good way to learn a language and pronunciation.

Reinforce your child's newly learned words and concept
When your child just learn a new concept or word from the story, you can reinforce using natural way. For example, after reading a book about the bread. Next time when you pass by a bakery shop, you can bring your child into the bakery shop and if possible, let her look at the process of making the bread.

Educate a Child and You Educate a Nation

One man’s attempt to change
If you educate a child in an African village you have educated the whole village. This was very true for me and I am sure many others as we were growing up and had to write or read mail for our parents or the neighbors. I would sit by the paraffin lamp at night and, like a trained secretary, pen a letter to my father as my mother dictated. Needless to say sometimes I paraphrased her words or made them up. I would be called over to the neighbors to read a letter from their long gone son living in the city. This was all possible because my parents made sure that I would receive some education at whatever cost to them. This sometimes meant selling the only remaining cow to pay my and my siblings’ school fees.

 Occasionally my father would bring a book whenever he made it to the village especially on Christmas or Easter holidays. It was a treasure. I would read thru it and read again and again and again. I couldn’t wait for the next semester so I could show off with my book. By then probably it would have a few pages missing or soiled from over reading. Ah! So much for nostalgia.
The main thing that these occasional read,s including Jehovah’s witnesses material which the local members occasionally dropped at our house regardless of whether we liked or not, was that my grammar, spelling, reading and general knowledge improved. When I later enrolled at a city school with a library facility, I enjoyed spending time in there reading. I even got a summer volunteer job labeling and restacking books in our school library. In return I had special access to a locked glass cabinet with the Jennings series and the Biggles series; the most-sort after teenage books at that time.
And when I came over to the United States and saw the abundance of books that in most cases are left on trains, buses and thrown in trash cans or sent for recycle, my heart bled and still bleeds for the one child in a village of Zimbabwe that I know would forever be grateful if he could get his hands on that book. Just imagining a little girl or boy in elementary school standing in front of the class reading from a children’s book that I could provide, motivated me to want to do something about it; to see this not as a dream but reality. I shared this idea with a few of the people who have always allowed me to dream and they saw the vision too.
But things were slow, too slow for my liking. So I started collecting books wherever I could find them including my kids’ books which were under the beds, in closets and everywhere else when they were not being used. I also made some rounds in thrift shops ferreting thru the 50 cents-a-book piles. Before I knew it I had a substantial amount (over 300) children’s books for Pre-K and Kindergarten. I paid a fortune to get them fedexed to Zimbabwe and to a local school in my locale where I own a house.

A quick call to an old lost friend got the project started. Ideally I was going to give the local school have books but I would employ the librarian and pay the librarian (whom I was going to make sure that he/she would be trained to run the library efficiently). All I needed was for the school to be a benefactor as the students at that school and from the township would benefit from the free books.
This (if it had succeeded) would have been the first ever library in Ruwa and Zimre Park 30 kms East of Harare. I could envision how this small step in the right direction was going to change the educational landscape in this area one child at a time. However this was the beginning of the end for the project as my contact ran into bureaucratic hurdles that are typical of our African culture and politics. The local councilor had to be involved, and the Member of Parliament for the whole district, the Education Ministry officials all the way down to the Zanu Pf youth league. It saddened me to know that although none of these people were paying a dime for the project they denied every poor child in the area a life long chance to read a book and improve themselves in their educational pursuit. Needless to say even their kids were going to benefit. These fat cats wanted to be associated with the project obviously for political gain. The books are now sitting at my friend’s house, and I hope his kids and their friends are reading them.
I am not giving up. I am more motivated now, than ever to make it a success this time around. Perhaps it is because of the new political dispensation now prevailing in the country that I can be in contact with the new education Minister and his officials and hopefully they will support the project. In the same spirit I hope those who had wanted to support this project before are still willing to do so.

Vaccines - Myths And Facts

Many reports and articles are published in newspapers and magazines from time to time that ‘reveal’ the great risks and fatal facts about vaccines and how they can harm our child. They give statistics, data and case studies that prove that vaccination and immunization are actually pushing our children to their doom rather than giving them a healthy and disease-free life. MMR vaccines are alleged to cause autism and inflammation in bowel movements. These reports confuse parents and they worry about whether to give vaccines to their children or not. In this article, we will discuss some facts, tips and glimpses from the past that will help you to decide whether vaccines are good or bad.

In the pre-vaccine era, at least one child in each neighborhood suffered from polio and used to crawl or had a fitted iron leg. In pediatrics, in the whooping-cough ward, the doctors still cannot forget the sounds of children coughing and choking because of pneumonia. Incidents of brain damage from encephalitis caused by measles and the birth defects in babies whose mothers had German measles during pregnancy were very common. Meningitis and chicken pox were not only common but also fatal to little children. Due to the false alarm of reaction to DTP vaccine, Great Britain once temporarily stopped the routine use of the vaccine and the rise of whooping cough was quite alarming.

Thus, we can say that vaccines are a necessary public health measure and the vaccine schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics is one of the most followed one. Immunizations and vaccines help to stimulate child's immune defenses and produce antibodies against particular illnesses by introducing dead or weakened germs in the body. This helps the immune system to fight real germs so that they result in no or only mild symptoms of the disease. Doctors and vaccine policy makers give license only to those vaccines, which have more benefits the potential risks posed by them and the goal of worldwide vaccination policy is to eventually eliminate or at least reduce the prevalence and severity of diseases.

Smallpox was once considered a fatal or serious illness and hence the benefits of smallpox vaccine outweighed the risks associated with the vaccine. Later, when the disease was eradicated, routine smallpox vaccination is no more a part of the worldwide vaccination policy. Similarly, the decreasing cases of polio may result in the discontinuation of routine polio vaccinations after sometime. Most of the bad news or reports about vaccine reactions are greatly hyped up, have no substantial proofs to support them or are about vaccines that are no longer used. The DTaP or the acellular DTP vaccine that has a significantly lower risk of reaction has long replaced the old DTP vaccine, which such reports often criticize.

Similarly, according to researches by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases, that there are no evidences available to substantially prove the alleged link between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or the MMR vaccine and inflammatory-bowel disease. Similarly, it was also found that separate administrations of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to children are not at all beneficial and may also result in delayed or missed immunizations. Though, an overall vaccine policy is a good guide to follow, perhaps, concerned parents may like to discuss the child’s vaccination schedule with their doctors and get it tailored according to the medical history and lifestyle and circumstances of the family for still better results.

Urinary Tract Infections in Children

Urinary tract infection (UTI), as the name suggests, is an infection that begins in the urinary tract consisting of kidneys, bladder and urethra. Kidneys remove the waste products from the blood, bladder stores them as urine and urethra is a tube that carries the urine from the bladder to outside the body. Bacteria that enter the urinary tract through the urethra and bladder usually cause UTI. The bacteria can come from the skin around the genital area and anus. Some children may be prone to UTI, just as some are prone to colds or ear infections. If the urine flow is blocked, the urinary tract can be infected. Reason could be, kidney stones or by a narrow urethra or ureters. Girls are more likely to get UTI, because they have shorter urethras than boys. Here is a list of symptoms that indicate that the child may be suffering from a UTI:

Symptoms Of UTI In Kids

• The person suffers from a high fever, usually more than 101 degrees F.
• Sometimes, a low-grade fever, less than 100 degrees F are also a symptom of UTI.
• In the case of UTI, children suffer from irritability, nausea and vomiting sensation.
• One of the most common symptoms of urinary tract infection is the loss of appetite.
• UTI makes child less active, lost in his own world and particularly a daydreamer.
• One experiences pain in the abdomen or pelvis, under the side of the rib cage and lower back
• Those suffering from urinary tract infection can complain of pain or burning sensation while urinating.
• Those suffering from urinary tract infection also have a problem of urinating more frequently than usual and wetting the underpants.
• Those who pass urine that comes with blood or a pink tinge to it should get themselves checked.

Treatment

• Antibiotics are given to treat urinary tract infections. The antibiotics should be prescribed by a doctor.
• It is very important to finish the full course of antibiotics. If kidney abnormalities are found, further treatment may be needed.
• If a child is extremely ill, or is unable to keep down liquids or take antibiotics, then he/she should be hospitalized immediately.
• If the child doesn't find relief by oral antibiotics, he/she would need an intravenous antibiotic.
• Children should drink plenty of fluids during the day, especially water.
• Children should empty their bladders at least once in every 3 to 4 hours.
• Boys should be taught to wash the foreskin on his penis regularly.
• Both girls and boys should be taught to clean their genital parts every time after defecation.
• Cleanliness and personal hygiene should be maintained in order to avoid such infections.

Urinary Reflux in Children

Urinary reflux means urine from the bladder flows back up into the kidneys and thus, germs get a way to reach kidneys and cause Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). Repeated infections may lead to scarring of the kidneys. Reflux may happen in about one-third of the children and does not necessarily mean the child does not have a normal urinary tract. However, if a child is very young at the time of first infection or has repeated UTI then he or she may have something wrong with his or her urinary tract. To determine whether the urinary tract is normal or not, doctors have to conduct several special tests, such as:

 

• An ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder, which is quite painless.
• Kidney scan may also be performed on some children with infections and already diagnosed with reflux. A small amount of radioactive medicine is put into child's blood stream using an IV line and then a special camera is used to take the pictures of the kidneys. It is best to find scarring in the kidneys.
• Similar to kidney scan, Intravenous Pyelogram is performed to look at the kidneys and urinary tract.
• Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG) or Bladder X-ray, in which a small tube is put into the child’s bladder and a liquid is passed through it that shows up on x-ray. X-rays show how the bladder and urethra functions as it fills and while the child urinates to determine whether the child has reflux.

The type of tests conducted on the child depends on his or her age, gender, number and severity of infections. Most of the time, reflux disappears automatically and only regular checkup by the doctor suffices sometimes, children may need to use prescribed antibiotics every day to prevent infections. Only children who continue to get infected even after taking antibiotics, develop new scarring of the kidney and suffer from serious reflux or who can't take antibiotics may need surgery.

Treatment of Proteinuria

Normally, there is a small amount of protein present in the urine. However, when the amount of protein present in the urine, rises to higher than normal amounts, the condition is termed as proteinuria. The protein present often, causes the urine to become foamy. Talking about Orthostatic Proteinuria', it is generally a term given to Proteinuria, due to upright position. It usually occurs in older children, because some proteins get into the urine of the child, when he or she is standing up or is in the upright position and is quite active. These children generally have no kidney damage. However, doctor do assess the condition by checking 2 urine samples in separate containers - one collected in the morning just after the child gets up (which normally should have no proteins) and the second collected throughout the day (which can have small amount of proteins). The treatment of proteinuria depends upon the amount of protein excreted and also on the cause of occurrence. Given below are some ways to treat orthostatic Proteinuria.

Treating Orthostatic Proteinuria in Children

• Usually, no treatment is needed as orthostatic proteinuria's effects are just too small to be taken as a risk
• In case of orthostatic proteinuria, no treatment is needed. However, exercise can let little protein in the urine and also it will not hurt child's kidneys. Nonetheless, do not restrict your toddlers activities.
• It is advisable to give less salt to the child in case he or she has some kidney problem or swelling in the kidneys.
• Increasing water consumption and healthy meals may effectively prevent some cases of Orthostatic Proteinuria.
• Your child may be referred to nephrologists or a kidney specialist, who may perform a kidney biopsy and treat the problem, after the doctor confirms again by checking child's urine again to see whether the amount of protein in the urine has gone down. If the amount remains the same or increases,
• Proteins passing into the urine cause inflammation in kidneys that can be controlled by giving prescribed medicines to the child. The medicine is generally prescribed are at higher dose in the beginning. However, with time, the dose reduces, along with the swelling in kidneys.
• The low dose for the child may be required to be continued for months or even years, according to the severity of the condition.
• Since bacteria can grow in urine at room temperature, it is advisable to keep the urine container in a refrigerator, during the collection and before you deliver it to the lab.
• It is very important to follow doctor's instructions carefully and get regular checkups done to treat this medical condition.

Treating ADHD

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are difficult to handle, as they do not seem to understand what is being told to them easily and are always active, which can be quite challenging. Children suffering from ADHD can be helped only with support and coordinated efforts of parents, teachers, caregivers and doctors. Structured therapy where the child is give an environment with greater structure and counseling with clarity of instructions that tell the child what is expected from him is the best way to tend to ADHD victims. Specialists and experts related to ADHD and learning problems can be of great help.

Treatments for the children may also include medicines such as methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, pemoline atomoxetine and a combination drug called Adderall that are helpful in improving attention and concentration and curbing impulsiveness and hyperactivity. It is a misconception that children outgrow ADHD. While some children may learn to adjust with their problems with age and stop being hyperactive in the late teenage years, about 50% of them are easily distracted, aggressive, have frequent mood swings and are unable to complete many tasks. However, love and support at home and school and medical supervision may help them to become well-adjusted adults. Here are some tips for handling ADHD kids:

• ADHD children are more impulsive, active and aggressive, so they need more adult supervision than other kids.
• Appreciate and reward your child for completing each step of the task by playing with him, taking him to a trip or just making him or her happy.
• Children with ADHD may be a slacker in social skills, so you need to observe them and explain them what they should or shouldn’t do. Reward for good behavior and manners when others are around.
• Daily or weekly progress notes by the teacher about child's performance in class and his or her behavior during lunch or playtime can help you too.
• Fixed schedules and timetabled can really help ADHD children. Post it in the kids’ room where he can always see it and mention time for waking up, eating, playing, doing homework and chores, taking breaks and going to bed. Inform the child about any changes in their routine well in advance and note them down too.
• It is the effort of the child that matters and not grades, so reward him for that. You may do something special for him for earning better grades too.
• Mark a fixed place for homework of the child, where there is no distraction such as other people, TV and video games. Since the child cannot remain still for long, it is better to break homework time into small parts and make time for small breaks.
• Post the rules and the results for obeying or breaking them and explain them to children too.
• While giving directions to the child, try to get his attention, look directly into his or her eyes, keep your voice clear and calm and keep the directions short and simple. Ask the child to repeat the directions to you.

Tics and Tourette's Syndrome in Children

Tics are repetitive rapid movements or sounds that occur involuntarily for no reason and a person has no control over them. Some of the common tics include eye blinking and throat clearing. Tics are worse when a person is stressed, tired or anxious; some medicines may also make tics worse. Tourette's syndrome is a kind of tic disorder, in which the affected person will repeat both movements and sounds. Some different tics can occur at the same time, but may not always happen together. Talking about Tics and Tourette's syndrome in Children, the tics generally start when the child is between 3 and 10 years of age.

Is It A Serious Problem?
The movements and sounds may occur and set off; it may not be a serious problem. Remember, it is not essential that your child has both Tic and Tourette's syndrome. Probably he/ she has only Tic problem. If you have any doubts of Tourette's syndrome, you should talk to your doctor. Usually tics go away after a few months; but in few cases, 1 or 2 tics persist for many years. Children with Tourette's syndrome, typically, reveal their worst symptoms when they're between 9 and 13 years of age. More than 50% of these children get a lot better during the teen years and in early adulthood. However, less than 50% affected children have moderate to severe tics as adults.

Is There Any Treatment?
If tics do not affect daily life, a child may not need the treatment but medicines can help to reduce specific symptoms in him/her. However, these medicines have their side effects and one medicine does not take care of all the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome and Tics completely. Since, child has little control over tics, trying to stop them or focusing too much on tic may just make it worse.

How To Handle Affected Child?
Parents should learn and understand about Tics and Tourette's syndrome, and explain them to relatives, teachers and caregivers of the child. Understand that your child has very little control over tics caused by Tourette's syndrome. If you focus too much on the tics, they may get worse. In most cases, it's not helpful to make your child to try to stop a tic. Your child can suppress tics for some time, but eventually the tics will come out. Many children with these medical conditions may also suffer from ADHD, learning disabilities or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Tics and Tourette's syndrome may run in families and it is better to get help from the doctor.

Stool Soiling in Children

Stool soiling in children is mainly caused by constipation, but might be the result of sickness as well. It can be described as the condition in which a child, who has already been toilet trained, accidentally leaks feces into his/her underwear. Also known as Encopresis, the condition is involuntary and in majority of the cases, the amount of soiling is quite small. The stools are often soft or liquid in form and have a very bad smell leak. The problem can occur from once a day to several times in a day. Children with constipation may have painful bowel movements or incomplete emptying of stool. The stool that is not emptied and is left in the rectum may leak out of the anus and result in stool soiling. Go through the following lines to know more about stools and bowel movement problems in child as well as their solutions.

Causes
The main causes behind stool soiling have been listed below.

• Constipation
• Need of more toilet training
• Toilet "phobia" (child being scared of using the bathroom)
• Seen by the child as a way of "manipulating" the environment
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Certain Sickness

Treating Encopresis in Kids

• Maintain a toilet diary of the child for a week prior to doctor's visit. This will help your doctor see the patterns in your child's bathroom habits, such as when, where and what kind of bowel movements the child has, and help him correct the problem.
• Teach your child to use the toilet and even ask for help every time he/she needs to urinate or pass stools.
• Make your child sit on the toilet seat 3-4 times in a day, usually after meals, for at least 10 minutes. This will help him/her develop proper toilet habits and clear his bowel completely.
• If your child is suffering from 'toilet phobia', play with him/her in the bathroom for a few days, so that his/her fear gets removed. You can also read to him/her when he/she is in the toilet or keep talking to him/her, from outside the door.
• High fiber foods and less dairy products in your child's diet will ensure that his/her bowel movements are soft and well formed.
• Doctors may also prescribe fiber supplements or mild laxatives, for a short time, for constipated children, so that they do not suffer from stool soiling.
• When a child has soiling accidents, be calm and never ever scold him/her. The soiling is involuntary and the child should not be made to feel responsible or guilty for it.
• If your child does not have a bowel movement for 3 to 4 days in a row, consult a doctor. If it is necessary, he will remove the stool collected in the lower bowel, using an enema or a suppository, preventing stool soiling.
• In the initial days of toilet training, especially the first time, praise your child when he has a bowel movement in the toilet. He will be encouraged to make this a habit.

Proteinuria in Children

Proteins help our body to carry food, hormones and medicine through blood to all parts of the body and to keep water inside blood vessels. Kidneys filter the blood for waste products, excess fluid and salts and pass them out as urine and stools. However, normally, kidneys don't filter out proteins as most of them are too big to pass through the kidneys and thus, our urine has no proteins. In case of Proteinuria, proteins creep into the child's urine, which indicates malfunctioning of kidneys, mainly due to the swelling or inflammation, infection or damage in kidneys due to toxic chemicals.

Proteinuria can be of two types:

• Orthostatic proteinuria, which is harmless and lets only a little protein in the urine.
• Other form of Proteinuria, in which a lot of protein is found in child's urine, is more serious and is indicative of serious kidney disease.

This medical condition doesn't hurt but may cause the level of protein in the blood to go down causing swelling in child's eyelids, ankles and legs and high blood pressure. Proteinuria is diagnosed by dipping a special strip of paper into a 24-hour sample of child's urine to show whether it contains proteins. Some blood tests may also be needed. To collect the 24-hour urine sample of the child, you can follow these tips:

• You will need to take the children who are still not potty-trained to the hospital to get the collection done.
• For potty-trained child, let the child pass the first urine in the toilet, as it is not needed but note the time of urination.
• Then, throughout the day, make the child urinated in the special container given by the doctor or the laboratory.
• For girls, collect the urine first in urine 'hat' and then pour it into the special container.
• Keep the child urine in the refrigerator until you hand it to the lab and between the collections, so that there are no bacterial infections in the sample.
• Next morning, take the first urine in the container and thus, sample collection is completed.
• Be sure to wash your hands after handling the container.
• Write the date and the time on the container label and give it to the lab.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may affect children and adults alike. Those who suffer from this medical condition have trouble paying attention to one thing or focusing on one thing for longer periods of time, whether at school, home or work. They may also be hyperactive and over-impulsive for their age. Thus, this type of behavior can pose serious troubles in learning, behavior and relationships of a person. Parents often misunderstand children with ADHD as the ‘difficult’ ones or ones with behavior problems. ADHD affects about 4 to 12% of school-age children and is more frequent in boys than in girls. Besides being inattentive, other symptoms of ADHD are:

• Appearing unwilling to listen,
• Being disorganized,
• Difficulty in following instructions,
• Difficulty in planning ahead and then executing the tasks,
• Easy distraction,
• Inability to pay close attention to details,
• Keep forgetting things to do, and
• Keep losing things or misplacing them.
•  

Brains of children who suffer from ADHD actually do not produce enough chemicals in key areas that are responsible for organizing thoughts and hence, there is malfunction in this area of the brain. Such children may also have other close relatives with the same disorder and it may run through the families Moms who smoke or indulge in substance abuse during pregnancy may give birth to children with ADHD. Hyperactive and/or impulsive children with ADHD usually:

• Fidget a lot and cannot sit still at one place,
• Have a habit of interrupting people,
• Just cannot wait for their turn,
• Make loud noises while playing,
• Run or climb weirdly and always seem to be on the go,
• Talk too much, and
• Try to answer so quickly that they almost blurt them out.

Though, there are many myths about what may cause ADHD and what may not, here are the things that don't cause ADHD:

• While family or school problems may make ADHD worse, bad parenting does not cause it,
• Too much or too little sugar or Aspartame,
• Food additives or colorings,
• Allergies such as food allergies,
• Vitamin Deficiency, and
• Fluorescent lights or watching too much TV, playing video games or sitting too much in front of computer.

Health Problems In Kids

Although the parents would make sure that the children are nourished in a hygienic atmosphere, right from their birth, the little ones are often affected by one health problem or the other. Today, more and more are kids are affected by a number of health problems, from the mild to the chronic ones. Whether it is an inborn ailment or the disease that has affected the child in the growing stage, any kind of health problem needs to be treated as soon as possible, because they might hamper the development of the child, if left untreated. Hence, it becomes important for the parents to know about the prevalent health problems in kids. Given below are the most common health problems seen in kids.

 

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): ADHD is a neurobehavioral and developmental disorder seen in kids. The affected children generally start showing the symptoms of this disorder before they are seven years old. The affected child may find it difficult to concentrate on one thing for longer time, whether at school or home.
• Proteinuria: Proteinuria, as the name suggests, is a health problem that is caused due to the presence of excess amount of serum protein in the urine of the children. This condition is primarily caused by the malfunctioning of kidneys, which leads to swelling, infection or damage in kidneys.
• Stool Soiling In Children: a common problem faced by children, stool soiling occurs primarily due to constipation. It can also be an inborn ailment in the child. The child suffering from this ailment involuntarily stains his/her underwear. The stool may also be stuck in the rectum.
• Tics And Tourette's Syndrome: The affected child might not have control on tics, which are known as repetitive or rapid movements or sounds that occur involuntarily. This child may seem to blink eyes or clear throat without any reason. Tourette's Syndrome is characterized by the discrepancies in the movement or sound of the affected child.
• Urinary Reflux: Urinary reflex is characterized by the reverse flow of urine. The urine tends to flow from the bladder back to the kidneys. This may lead to urinary tract infection.
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): Urinary Tract Infection is a bacterial infection, affecting the urinary tract consisting of the kidneys, bladder and urethra. Frequent urination, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, burning sensation during urination are some of the common symptoms of urinary tract infection.
• Weight Gain: Lack of weight gain is a common problem faced by the kids. They tend to grow leaner, without being chubby. Parents are often worried if their children do not gain considerable weight. They might think that the children are suffering from some kind of ailment.
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ADHD
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may affect children and adults alike. Those who suffer from this medical condition have trouble paying attention to one thing or focusing on one thing for longer periods of time, whether at school, home or work. They may also be hyperactive and over-impulsive for their age.

Proteinuria in Children
Proteins help our body to carry food, hormones and medicine through blood to all parts of the body and to keep water inside blood vessels. Kidneys filter the blood for waste products, excess fluid and salts and pass them out as urine and stools. However, normally, kidneys don't filter out proteins as most of them are too big to pass through the kidneys and thus, our urine has no proteins.

Stool Soiling in Children
Stool soiling in children is mainly caused by constipation, but might be the result of sickness as well. It can be described as the condition in which a child, who has already been toilet trained, accidentally leaks feces into his/her underwear. Also known as Encopresis, the condition is involuntary and in majority of the cases

Tics & Tourette's Syndrome in Children
Tics are repetitive rapid movements or sounds that occur involuntarily for no reason and a person has no control over them. Some of the common tics include eye blinking and throat clearing. Tics are worse when a person is stressed, tired or anxious; some medicines may also make tics worse.

Treating ADHD
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are difficult to handle, as they do not seem to understand what is being told to them easily and are always active, which can be quite challenging. Children suffering from ADHD can be helped only with support and coordinated efforts of parents, teachers, caregivers and doctors.

Treatment of Proteinuria
Normally, there is a small amount of protein present in the urine. However, when the amount of protein present in the urine, rises to higher than normal amounts, the condition is termed as proteinuria. The protein present often, causes the urine to become foamy. Talking about Orthostatic Proteinuria

Urinary Reflux in Children
Urinary reflux means urine from the bladder flows back up into the kidneys and thus, germs get a way to reach kidneys and cause Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). Repeated infections may lead to scarring of the kidneys. Reflux may happen in about one-third of the children

Urinary Tract Infections in Children
Urinary tract infection (UTI), as the name suggests, is an infection that begins in the urinary tract consisting of kidneys, bladder and urethra. Kidneys remove the waste products from the blood, bladder stores them as urine and urethra is a tube that carries the urine from the bladder to outside the body. Bacteria that enter the urinary tract through the urethra and bladder usually cause UTI.

Vaccines - Myths And Facts
Many reports and articles are published in newspapers and magazines from time to time that ‘reveal’ the great risks and fatal facts about vaccines and how they can harm our child. They give statistics, data and case studies that prove that vaccination and immunization are actually pushing our children to their doom rather than giving them a healthy and disease-free life.

Weight Gain In Long and Lean Babies
Parent often worry about their kids who do not seem to gain weight, even as they continue to grow normally in height. This makes the babies look leaner, far removed from the chubby look that we all love in infants. Parents are also worried whether their infants are healthy or are they suffering from some illness or not getting enough nourishment from the diet they are feeding to the child.

Weaning Strategies for Babies

Weaning or stop breastfeeding and nursing a baby who is one months or older or the transition from bottle to cup is a hard decision. Breast or bottle feeding is usually the best and sure shot way to soothe or comfort a child and weaning the child from these sources of comfort can distress parents as much as the child. However, even doctors recommend that bottles should be eliminated as a feeding tool by the time babies are one year old to prevent tooth decay and improper alignment of teeth. Here are some gentle weaning strategies, ways and tips that can help the child to drink with cups more cheerfully and happily and without much stress:

 

• Be very supportive to your child during the transition period and giver her extra support including hugging, playing with her to comfort her or help her soothe herself with her favorite toy or blanket.
• Children who can already handle sippy cups well may love to drink from a cup, just like 'big people'.
• Early morning and late night nursing sessions are special for baby and mom and means 'bonding time'. So, keep them until last and start eliminating one feeding at a time from sometime in between. You can gradually start from eliminating one feeding a week and then move on gradually by dropping one more feeding per week.
• Get your baby used to changes in routines first and learn how to break habits. You can change rooms, reschedule bath times or exchange the chores with your spouse.
• Make sure that your baby doesn't get too hungry or she will become irritable and will refuse to accept any changes. Give her about six ounces of water or juice daily using a sippy cup and favorite snacks to soothe her.
• Postpone a feeding by just 15 minutes a day and shorten the duration of the feedings and you will soon find that the number of feedings will soon dwindle down.
• Whenever a child insists on being nursed or feeding on a bottle, you may want to distract her with errands and excursions by first taking her for a walk or reading her favorite storybook to her and she may forget her request and take to the cup easily.
• You can also consider making bottles less tasty for the baby by watering down the milk or just give them water in bottles and milk only in sippy cups.

Diapering Fidgeting Babies

Most new parents how to make their growing babies keep still while tying a diaper to them. Babies squirm, cry and wail, push their diapers with legs and try to hold your hands and make cleaning and diapering them challenging for the parents. But here are some tips on how parents can overcome their tiny strugglers:

 

Changing on the floor is a good idea for babies who are too active and difficult to keep still, so that they don’t fall from the changing table.

• Decorate the diapering area with interesting things that will hold the attention of the baby such as a music box, wind chimes, silk flowers, beach ball, an unbreakable mirror on the wall or a collage of baby faces. 
• Give something your baby to hold to keep him interested and his hands busy such as a fresh diaper, the diaper cream with the lid on tight or even the wipes box.
• Learn to diaper baby, while he is standing for less crying and wailing.
• Older babies love to chew on or wash their face with a warm washcloth or to play with a small toothbrush or hairbrush. They may also love to rub lotion on their bellies and arms.
• Sing to and along with your baby or give him bubble envelopes to pop or paper that make sound when your crinkle them.
• Some babies get absorbed in reading their special board books or in seeing small photo albums. They love junk mail and toy catalogs too.
• Switch the diapering area, if the need be. Diapering near a window will allow the baby to watch birds while in the laundry room; baby can watch clothes spinning around in the dryer.
• You may also try disposables that can be easily pulled on and off like underpants to get over with changing diapers quickly.
• You may want to keep your baby busy with TV, remote control, calculator, a hair scrunchie, small flashlight, sticker on baby’s hand, opening and shutting an empty plastic container or pulling toys out of an empty wipes box, while you change his diapers.

Carrying the Growing Baby

It's a big problem for parents if their toddler, who has learnt to walk, insists for being held and carried by them. It is more irritating to see that the child refuses to walk with a moving adult, yet runs happily around a seated person. Though such behavior may give the impression of laziness or defiance, it's rarely anything of the kind. Early walking in toddlers isn't about reaching from point A to point B, but usually a pattern of going and coming to an adult base. If the base moves, the pattern is disturbed and the child may plop himself down on the ground and growl. If you're moving slowly, the baby won't follow as he can't. In case you go back and hold his hand, the baby might walk a few steps, but couldn't maintain that pace of walking beside you. Parents must understand that there could be some reasons as why toddlers want to be carried by parents.

Why Toddlers Want To Be Carried

• One of the main reasons is that, children like the view they get when their heads are at the same height at ours. During toddler hood, kids are very small and they seem to miss most of the things that happen or exist above their level of sight.
• For sure, all children feel comforted when being held. They feel soothed when they are held close to the heart.
• Kids tend to be more alert or afraid of new places or strangers. They feel safer and more secure in your arms. You are the world to them and they feel that no harm can come to them as long as you are with them.
• Babies demand to be carried because, until they're around 3 years old, that's the only way they can stay with you.
• Children feel that no attention is paid to them. When they're at your level and close to your ears, they can easily talk to you and you will easily listen to whatever they say.

Handling The Babies Who Want To Be Held
It may not be easy to convince a child for walking on his own. But you may relieve yourself of the load of carrying a child constantly by:

• Offering to hold the hand of the child.
• Setting limits, like you'll carry the child for five minutes, but then he will walk for ten minutes on his own, or you will carry the child to the store but the child will have to walk inside it.
• If you're at home and the child just wants to be held to see what you're doing, you may make him sit on a high chair while you cook, so that he can watch you while he can be busy trying to pull the lid of a container, or doing something else to keep his hands busy.
• While walking, if the child feels that he's not able to see what you're seeing and thus, wants to be carried, you may try showing him interesting things at his level, such as flowers, dogs and other children.

Baby Massage Tips

Baby massage has been a tradition in many communities for centuries. It is believed that regular massage help preemies to gain weight; reduce colic in infants and strengthen immune systems of babies. Besides all these benefits, it a pleasure for moms to caress the delicate, soft and tender skin of their newborns and cuddle them. Massage should be given to newborns midway between feedings. Older babies can be given massage a little more than an hour after meals. Here are some tips to give right baby massage from head to toe:

 

• Wash your hands well before giving massage to the baby and apply baby cream and oil to soften the skin of your hands so that they glide smoothly on baby’s skin.
• Remove jewellery in hands such as rings, trim the nails or use balls of fingers to massage the baby, so his tender skin doesn’t get scratched.
• If the weather is cold, turn up the heat enough to keep the baby warm.
• A full-body massage from the baby can start from head or feet, depending on what feels more comfortable to your baby.
• Don’t use baby oil on infant's face.
• Babies less than four months old need only 10 minutes of massage while older babies can be given 20 minutes of massage depending on their development.
• Do not tickle the baby while you massage.
• Keep the pressure light but firm.
• Use fingertips of both hands in gentle small circular strokes starting at the center of the baby's forehead to outside and move on to the cheeks, nose and jaw of the baby.
• To massage the ears of the baby, rub the lobe to the top of the ear using your forefinger and thumb.
• For babies less than 4 months old, cup the head of the baby in one hand and gently massage the scalp and the back of the head using circular motions with your index and middle fingers.
• Do not massage on the soft spots at the top of the head and the temples.
• Babies older than four months can control their heads and necks better, so you can your both hands to massage them.
• A back massage can make you baby sleep in just a matter of minutes.
• Put the baby on her stomach and then gently massage from the shoulders to the entire length of the back using your fingertips.
• Don’t touch the spine of the baby, while giving her the back massage.
• Massage the baby’s ankle with both hands by rubbing their soles and making the mark of ‘X’ on their soles using your thumbs.
• Massage the palm of the baby up to the base of the fingers in circular motions.
• Massage the tiny fingers of the baby by gently pressing them between your forefinger and thumb.
• Make sure that you rub very gently on baby’s elbow and knee joints.
• Gently squeeze the muscles on baby's legs and arms but be sure that baby does not get hurt.
• Keep one hand over other hand and use them like a paddle just below the belly button of the baby to relieve any gas pains and improve her digestion.

Child Care Tips

Every parents want to nourish their children in a loving, caring and secured atmosphere. The parents would want to give proper care and attention to the little ones, especially during their initial stages of development. As far as child care is concerned, everything, starting from their health, hygiene to safety at home and outside the home needs to be considered. We are here to help you with some child care tips. In this section, you will learn about how to give baby massage, car seat safety tips for babies and young children, facing challenges of diapering babies, weaning babies from breast or bottle, soothe a colic baby and to deal with insisting cries of a toddler to be always held.

Baby Massage
Baby massage is a good old tradition of nurturing the infants, followed by people since centuries. The conventional method of massaging the body parts of the baby with oil helps strengthen the immune system of the infants. The moms take immense pleasure in massaging the soft and delicate skin Apart from being a therapy for strengthening the muscles; baby massage is a nice way to bond with the child. of the infants. However, they should know how to give proper massage, so that the baby gets all the benefits
Car safety seats
Car safety seats, as the name suggests, are primarily designed to protect the children from the impact of an accident in a car. Such seats shield the child during an accident and reduce injuries on a sudden jerk. Child car safety seats are available in a variety of types, designs and with unique features. It is important to purchase the right type of car seats, so that the children can enjoy a safe ride, every time they get into the vehicle. This is because children placed in the wrong type of seat are more prone to accidents.

Colic Soothers
Generally, an infant cries when he/she is hungry or unable to sleep. However, if the baby cries for longer hours continuously, probably he/she is suffering from some ailment. One of the most common health problems suffered by babies is colic. It generally occurs in a baby aged between 3 weeks and 3 months. Immature nervous system in the little ones is the prime reason for the occurrence of colic. Learning how to deal with colic babies is very important, because the baby whimpers all the time, which causes frustration, deprivation of sleep and exhaustion in parents.

Carrying The Growing Baby
Many toddlers, who already know how to walk well, often insist on being carried by their parents. The babies, perhaps, like to view the world at the same height of the elder ones. They might be eager to enjoy a trip to explore the world around them, by resting on the shoulder of their parents. Other factors prompting the babies to be carried by the parents may include insecurity in the presence of strangers. While carrying the growing baby, the parent should make sure that he/she is held comfortably.

Diapering Fidgeting Babies
Diapering a baby is one of the intimidating tasks for the parents, especially when the little ones fidget. While many parents know how to hold their babies in the correct position and tie the diaper, others are not adept at doing the job effortlessly. It becomes even more challenging for the parents, when the baby wobbles and tires to push the diaper with his/her legs. Simple techniques can help the parents to diaper the baby without making the little one cry or become restless.

Weaning Strategies for Babies
Many parents find the transition period of switching from breastfeeding to bottle feeding, called weaning, quite hard to cope with. By the time the babies are one year old, most of the parents stop nursing their children. During the process of transition, it is important to consider the gentle weaning strategies that are recommended by the doctors, so that the baby drinks in bottle and cups happily, without showing any discomfort.

Parenting Tips for Children With Special Needs

Parenting is even more challenging to parents of special needs children. Whatever the disability may be: autism, ADHD, physically or developmentally challenged, and other disorders, parents sometimes fear in including them in typical classroom or recreational activities. They may opt in enrolling them in activities specifically for children with disabilities. If parents choose to include their child in typical community programs, below are tips for successful community inclusion: Your starting point is to find an activity that interests your child. Friendships are formed based on common interests.
Look for a provider that has a welcoming attitude and encourages family participation. They should also be open to suggestions.
Find a program that promotes cooperation rather than competition; allows children to progress at their own speed; offers a wide range of activities; and develops variety of skills.
Find someone within the program who is willing to work with you and is open to the idea of inclusion. Be sure to highlight your child’s strength and abilities.
Be ready to observe the program so that you can suggest modifications if there are any.
Prepare your child ahead of time if the activities/skills allow it.
Always remember that including your child to regular programs is not always easy. But being open and cooperative creates friendships and connections in the community that is very important to all children.

Be the Best Parents in the Whole Wide World!

You probably heard your parents a couple of times before that it’s pretty hard taking care of you when you were young. You might have taken that thought for granted since you’re not really the one struggling. But when you finally grew up, romantic relationships were built, commitments and responsibilities were tied down, reality bites and then in a snap of a finger, you’re on your parents’ shoes already.
How can you be great parents or be the best parents in the whole wide world if having a child/children require so many demands? Well all you have to think and bear in mind is three things: First, give your child the best love and care you could offer. It wouldn’t really cost you that much to just hold your child and make it a point that you express your love to him/her/them every second everyday.
Second, give your child enough time and attention.  Trust me, your child needs it. You shouldn’t disregard giving simple efforts and time to him/her. Especially when growing up, your child should feel that you’re always there for him/her no matter how busy you are with work and that you always acknowledge the things that your child does.
Third, discipline your child but not to the extent that you’d verbally and physically abuse him/her. It’s important that your child sees you as someone who he/she could look up to and not someone who he/she would hate and be afraid of for the rest of his/her life. You wouldn’t want that right?
To add, I would want to say that resolve in your heart to give the much needed time, efforts, love, care, appreciation and attention over and over again to your little ones. They might be a pain in the ass for some moments but you can never really deny the fact that they are the best things that had happened to you and nothing more.

Baby Care Basics – Some Handy Tips

Bringing home your newborn can present a hectic, stressful experience for any parent. Knowing a few baby care basics and preparing for the homecoming can make the transition much easier for you and baby.
Proper Clothing
A baby’s metabolism is much slower than ours. Since the first year of their lives will be a sedentary one, with very little movement, they have the potential to get cold even on the warmest days. Also, with messy feeding times and frequent bowel movements, you’ll need to have several sets of clothing available to keep them clean and comfortable. Cotton provides a comfy, non-allergic fabric that is breathable and easily cleaned (don’t get fancy and stick to your baby care basics). While cheaper fabrics like polyester can be used for warm top layers, cotton and/or fleece should be used underneath to keep your baby’s skin from becoming irritated.
Diaper Changes
Diaper changes will make up the majority of your time and this is an important consideration for any parent. There are a variety of great brands that are all suitable in disposable form. Consider “going green” with your diaper choice. Stocking up on cotton, reusable diapers will make you feel great about the environment and save your money on garbage tag. Washable diaper is also more breathable and comfortable for your newborn.
Feeding Time
Set up scheduled feeding times. This is done within the first few weeks of your baby’s life. Try to feed them at the same time every day and don’t over feed them. Feeding on a schedule is baby care basics 101, along with frequent burping to prevent excess gas.
Talk time
While it may come naturally to some parents; make sure you always talk to your baby. Not will it provide a calming, soothing effect for them — it’s also crucial to their development. The more you talk with your baby, the faster they themselves will start to form words and communicate

Baby Care Tips to Boost up Baby Health

However, following some simple baby care tips for parents on various facts correlated to the growth and development of their born toddlers;

Feeding: Breast feeding is considered the preeminent source for nutrients supply to the body of the new born baby. The breast milk plays a vital role in building up the immune system of the baby.
Sleeping Care: Sleep is very influential for babies. Maximum growth if the body among babies takes place during sleep. Sleep ought to be comfortable and you should ensure that the baby gets flawless comfort with regards to the bedding, blanket covers and covering for protection form mosquitoes and flies.
Clothing: Proper clothing for the babies is of supreme importance. In summer season the babies should be given light cotton clothes, whereas in the winter season, adequate woolen clothing should be provided to keep baby healthier. Changing baby diapers at regular intervals is also important.
Bathing Necessities: Maintaining cleanliness is very imperative for the babies. Soap and shampoos specially made for the baby care should be used to bathe the baby. Mild and moisturizing soaps should be used for bathing baby. Even the babies’ shampoos are specially made and are less irritating for their eyes. After the bathing session, the baby cream, oil, and powder also needs to be applied to make baby skin healthier.