Archive for the Category »Be a Fit Kid «

Five Common Kids’ Health Issues

As parents, all of us are very concerned about the health of our kids and we try to take the best care of them. However, despite all our efforts and precautionary measures, there are some common kids health issues that cannot be prevented. As parents we need to accept the fact that kids will be sick and that we need to deal with that more often. Most of the common kids health issues are not serious in nature but as parents it is always good to have some basic awareness about them.

There are several common kids health issues. But today we will be discussing only five of these that are more common in nature and usually affect almost all kids.

  • Fever: If the body temperature is more than 100.4 º F and higher, it is known as fever. Fever is apparently not dangerous as it is the body’s normal reaction to invasion of foreign germs. But if the fever doesn’t subside by itself and develops some additional symptoms like lethargy, low appetites and vomiting tendencies then take the kids to the pediatric doctors for consultation.
  • Coughs and Colds: Coughs and colds are mostly caused by viruses that infect the nose and throat. Apart from sneezing, running nose and bouts of cough there may be additional symptoms like fevers, sore throats, headaches, fatigue and low appetite. Usually there are no immediate cures for coughs and colds. Most kids get better in two-three days without complications but there can be possibilities of some “secondary bacterial infections”. These may include ear infections, pneumonia etc. If the kids have constant cough and colds for more than four weeks, drowsiness, chest pains, fast or noisy breathings and persistent high fever, then consult pediatric doctors immediately.
  • Diarrhea and Vomiting: Diarrhea and vomiting are common kids health issues that happen mostly due to irregularities in bowels or stomach such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis. Only vomiting can also happen due to fever or mental anxiety. These usually get cured automatically with little or no medical help. But if the kids show symptoms of only diarrhea followed by a high temperature, then the possibility of urinary infections cannot be ruled out. Then you have to take advice of the pediatric doctors.
  • Rashes or Common Skin Infections: Rashes are mostly caused by viral infections. Usually rashes are not harmful themselves; rather they can be symptoms of chicken pox or measles. However, sometimes rashes can be caused due to life threatening diseases like meningitis. Immediate medical interventions are required in such cases. Some other common skin infections in kids are diaper rashes, sunburns, blisters, acnes, bites and stings by animals and insects etc. None of these are serious and can be easily treated by the pediatric doctors.
  • Obesity: One of the most common kids health issues in recent years is obesity. Kids who are overweight have high risk of contracting number of health problems. These include high cholesterol level, high blood pressures, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleeping disorders etc. Also, kids suffering from obesity are prone to various psychological disorders like low self esteem, depression, fear of being disliked and bullied by others etc. All these can eventually have disastrous effects on the physical and mental developments of the kids. If your kids are suffering from obesity then it is very important to have timely medical interventions.

We are now aware of five most common kids health issues that may affect them in their formative years. However, it is very important that regular health checkups and timely medical interventions from pediatric doctors are continued for the kids. After all, which parents would want to endanger the life of their kids because of ignorance?

Precautions For Kids’ Health Problems

A great deal has been written about how to build a healthy kid by giving him the right kind of diet and supplements. However, there are other aspects to consider as well when talking about a kid’s health problem. And that starts with the basics of parenting and then goes forward. Let us see how:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Baby_sleeping2.jpg

Isn't It Great To See Your Baby Sleeping Happily!

  • Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy may cause the fetus to develop a syndrome called Fetal alcohol syndrome, in which there may be physical, mental and behavioral problems.
  • Always place the child on his back when sleeping. This is a precautionary step to avoid suffocation of the child.
  • Breast feeding a baby, if viable, ensures that it is receiving all the essential nutrients. It protects the child from acquiring any form of bacterial infections.
  • Growing children need lots of encouragement from you. Give the kid compliments on doing an activity that is difficult for him. This will give him a moral boost and help him to achieve new goals.
  • Physical exercise is a must for growing kids. Encourage him to play outside for sometime daily. Doing this will build character, and will not leave him an introvert. It also allows him to show off his skills as a sportsman.
  • To avoid concussion, or any such major damages, make sure that your child wears a helmet and his protection gear at all times while riding or skate boarding.
  • Impart the importance of brushing and maintaining healthy gums at all times. Bring him into a routine of brushing at least twice daily. A regular visit to a dentist is important, to ensure your child’s dental health.
  • Unclean hands often lead to illness. Therefore, make it a daily habit to check on the cleanliness of your child’s hands. Washing his hands after coming from outside, or before and after food is important. Your child needs to be explained about its importance.
  • The next point is about food habits. It is important that you follow a healthy eating pattern at home. In doing so you train your child to eat healthy and stay fit. Help him choose the right kind of nutritious food and prepare a special meal for him few times a week. That way, your child will not be bored of eating the mundane foods daily.
  • http://health.more4kids.info/uploads/Image/April/pediatrician-and-baby.jpg

    Regular Medical Check Up Can Save Your Baby From Many Diseases

  • Be aware of the allergies or illnesses that your child is prone to. Overlooking such matters may be hazardous. Discuss with your pediatrician for solutions to these problems.
  • Be aware of his external environment. Get to know about how he connects with his friends and teachers. It is important that you do this because, any abnormal behavioral activities will be brought to your notice immediately, and you will be able to address them faster.
  • And last but not the least, if your child is eager for a pet, and you have the convenience, then let him have one. A pet can not only be a companion for your child, but also teach him responsibilities. This is also an important part of character building.

Buy Cheap Generic Viagra Online – Looking to purchase Generic Sildenafil Viagra, Tadalafil or Verdanafil to treat Erectile dysfunction ? Look no further, Buy quality generic drugs from our pharmacy with Guaranteed Lowest Price on Internet

The Importance Of A Pediatric Eyecare

With the advent of electronic devices like televisions, computers, gaming stations and other gadgets, today’s kids are more hooked to the monitors like never before. And when you add normal daily activities like reading, writing, painting etc. with these, the amount of stress that the kids’ eyes have to bear is immense. The need of pediatric eyecare has always been there, but somehow it has acquired more significance in recent years.

We usually do not feel the need of taking our kids for an eye check-up, until they start showing some eye disorders. But that should not be the case. Most of the kids are born with healthy, normal eyes with perfect eyesight. But there are few kids who are born with some serious eye diseases or disorders. Most cases of such infant eye problems can be treated with the help of early medical intervention. But if these eye disorders are left untreated, it can lead to some serious or even permanent vision loss.

To avoid such a scenario, it is very important to follow a structured process of pediatric eyecare. Usually, there are basic eye examinations done for every newborn by the pediatrician. However, it is suggested that the first detailed eye examination for the kids should be done at the age of 6 months, followed by another at the age of 2 years. This should be followed up by annual eye examination to ensure that even if there are any possibilities of eye disorders, your proactive approach on pediatric eyecare will detect them.

Another very strong reason that you should continue with the annual eye examination is because until your kids reach a certain age, most often they cannot express problems associated with their bodies which includes eyes as well. But a pediatric eye doctor or an ophthalmologist can easily detect if there are any eye diseases in your kids.

On the contrary, as parents, it is usually us who have more possibility to detect the signs of eye problems in our kids. Constant redness in the eyes or the kids rubbing them frequently, are generally the tell tale signs that your kids must be having some discomfort with the eyes. If such thing happens, there shouldn’t be any delay on your part to take your kids to a pediatric eye doctor.

Even if your kids’ eyes looks normal, but you suspect that there are some problems, do not hesitate to consult an ophthalmologist for proper examinations. Sometimes things like family history of eye problems (including high powered glasses worn from an early age or loss of vision during childhood) can be a strong reason for an early pediatric eyecare. Post screening of your kids’ eyes, the pediatric eye doctor may suggest if there are any further diagnoses required or not.

Again, there are many cases in which the kids do not have visual clarity in one of the eyes. In simple words, the kids do not see clearly with one of the eyes because of refractive errors (spectacle number). Human brains are conditioned in such a way that if it does not receive visual images from the defective eye for a long time, eventually the brain completely “shuts off” that eye. This can lead to permanent vision loss. Often, these kinds of eye disorders go undetected as the kids learn to read and see with one eye. An early eye examination can prevent this from happening as each eye is checked separately and this problem can be easily diagnosed by the ophthalmologist.

Now we know the importance of a pediatric eye care. Even if you think that your kids’ eyes are absolutely perfect and do not have any disorders, as a precautionary measure eye examination should be routinely done. After all, your kids’ eyes are most precious to you as through these eyes they see this beautiful world. Most importantly, they see you. So why not take proper care of them?

How To Take Care Of Children Eye Problems?

In today’s world children eye problems have become increasingly common. Many pediatric eye doctors believe that this increasing eye disorders are partially because of the lifestyles of today’s children. Obviously the amount of time the children spend on computers doing their homework or chatting with friends, watching televisions or playing video games are partly to be blamed. But that’s not the only reason for children eye problems. There are some other reasons as well.

Regular Eye Check up is Vital for Kids

If your children are suffering from eye disorders then you will definitely require pediatric eye doctors or ophthalmologists who can diagnose the problems and cure them. But as parents, if you follow these steps then the chances of your children eye problems can be reduced significantly.

  • Healthy Diets for Eyecare: Healthy balanced diets that include green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, carrots, broccoli, beetroots, green peas, tomatoes etc are good for children’s eyes. Consumption of fruits like oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, papayas etc. can also keep children eye problems at bay. Apart from these, eggs and fishes should also be a part of your children’s diet plan.
  • Fruits are Key Ingredients to Keep A Kid Healthy

  • Use of Proper Lightings: There should be adequate light behind your children’s study table. There shouldn’t be any direct glaring light. Improper lighting arrangements can put a lot of stress on the children’s eyes and can be responsible for eye disorders. Also, parents need to ensure that the reading materials are placed at least twelve to fourteen inches away from the child.
  • Watching Televisions: Ensure that the room in which the children are watching televisions should be well lit and preferably have white lights (tube lights). Television sets should be at least 4 meters away from the children. Prevent children from watching televisions at a stretch for long hours. Even though most of the television sets nowadays are engineered not to remit harmful rays, still long hours of watching can put significant stress on the eyes. That can very well translate into eye problems like burning sensation, watering, blurring visions, double visions etc.
  • Working on Computers: The eye problems that children may have from prolonged working on computers are the same as that of watching televisions for long hours. To prevent that, the monitor of the computer should be placed at the eye level or slightly lower and placed at least eighteen to twenty eight inches from the children. This will minimize the reflection and glare. Ensure that the monitor has the optimum brightness and contrast. Most importantly, encourage them to take a short break after every twenty minutes of continuous work to avoid fatigue.
  • Allergies and Common Colds: It is not abnormal for children to have allergies and common colds but do not let the children rub their eyes continuously. This can lead to certain corneal abnormalities like “keratoconus” which is a degenerative eye disorder. If required, seek immediate medical intervention from pediatric eye doctors.
  • Swimming Keeps Not Only The Kids Fit But Eyes Good Too

  • Swimming and Outdoor Sports: If your children are into swimming then ensure that they are wearing water tight swimming goggles that prevent the eyes from getting irritated because of the chlorine used in the swimming pools. Also, the chances of children eye problems like infections and allergies reduce significantly. Same applies for outdoor sports. Protective eye wears made of polycarbonate is recommended for all those kids who participate in ball games or contact sports.
  • Harmful Ultra-violet Rays: Sunlight is essential source of Vitamin D to the body. But too much exposure to bright sunlight can be harmful for the children’s eyes. To prevent the Ultra-violet rays radiated from the sun, wide brimmed hats and good quality sun glasses are highly recommended for children.

You are now aware of the basic measures that can be taken to minimize children eye problems. These are highly recommended to be followed along with the regular eye checkups for your children. Once you do that, your little ones will have healthy eyes and will be ready to take on the world!

The Health Benefits of Fruits in Children

“An apple…err…a fruit a day keeps the doctor away.” Wondering when this oft repeated saying got altered? Well, studies show that it’s not just apples, but almost all fruits are rich in natural vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals that are essential for growth and development of our bodies. And that makes it essential for your children diet plans to compulsorily contain fruits. Fruits are easily digestible, are low in sodium content and have numerous fruit health benefits for the children.

Road to Fitness

Let’s discuss some of the common fruit health benefits for your children that will also provide you some ideas of healthy eating guidelines.

  • Apples: Apples are rich in flavonoids and polyphenols that are powerful antioxidants and have the abilities to fight several germs including growth of cancerous cells. Apples strengthen the blood cells in your children, prevent liver disturbances and indigestion due to its high content of malic and tartaric acids.
  • Pears: Pears are rich in Vitamin C and have high fiber contents in them that prevent constipation and also ensure regularity of bowel movements. If your children are having high fever or other inflammatory conditions, consumption of pears juice is believed to be highly effective.
  • Berries: Almost all forms of berries have certain fruit health benefits that are essential for your children. Raspberries and loganberries have high concentration of phytochemicals that help fighting growth of cancerous cells. Dark berries like blueberries, blackberries and raspberries contain powerful antioxidants. Cranberries help to fight urinary infections in your children. Strawberries are rich in Vitamin C and help fighting viruses that attack your children’s bodies, prevent gouts and rheumatism.
  • Peaches and Nectarines: Peaches and nectarines contain carotenes, potassium, flavonoids, and natural sugars. They are also rich in phytochemicals like lycopene and lutein that prevents heart diseases and fights growth of cancer in your children.
  • Cherries: Cherries are high in Vitamin A and have multiple fruit health benefits. Consumptions of cherries reduce pain and inflammation in your children, boost the heart system, help stimulate the secretion of digestive juices and act as cleansers for livers and kidneys. Cherries are also effective in common children health issues like colds, obesity, cramps, intestinal worms etc.
  • Grapes: Grapes are rich in flavonoids and are good source of instant energy for your children. Some fruit health benefits of grapes include prevention of constipation, gouts, skin and liver disorders, reduction of blood clots, fight against polio virus and herpes simplex virus etc.
  • Bananas: Bananas are rich source of Vitamin B6 and folic acids. They provide slow releasing energy and instant boosts to your children. High iron content in bananas help in hemoglobin function and prevent your children from getting anemic. Bananas are extremely high in potassium and have the abilities to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke. Some other fruit health benefits of bananas are development of healthy bones and protection of eyesight.
  • Pineapples: Pineapples are loaded with calcium, potassium; fiber and Vitamin C. Eating pineapples help in strengthening of bones, are good for coughs and colds and help in clotting of bloods for your children.
  • Mangoes: Mangoes contain phenols that are powerful antioxidants and fight against cancers. High iron content and Vitamin A in mangoes protect the children from heart diseases and are effective in indigestion or acidity.
  • Citrus Fruits: Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are high in Vitamin C, acidic content, fibers and are very good in fighting off heart diseases and reducing risk of cancer in your children. They help in protecting the children from various common infections and diseases, are good for skins and gums as well.

Now you have a handful of information on some of the common fruit health benefits for your children. Armed with these you can now chalk out healthy diet plans for your children that will be rich in fruits content. So, go ahead and ensure that you derive the most of the fruit health benefits that will make your children healthy, happy and hearty.