average monthly weight gain for babies

Average Daily Weight Gain for baby

Herbal medicines may hurt children

The eight of the most commonly used herbal supplements — echinacea, ephedra, garlic, gingko, ginseng, kava, valerian andSt. John’swort — which can interfere with or increase the effects of some drugs, affect blood pressure or heart rhythm, or cause increased bleeding. Herbal medicines may be risky for kids

Eye Exercises for Children

Spending time on eye exercises can be extremely beneficial. Through simple eye movement exercises, your child can improve the strength of his eyes.

 Eye Exercises Eye-Strengthening Exercises for Children

Basic Eye Exercises

Before asking a child to do more advanced eye exercises, you may want to warm his eyes up with some basic stretches. These exercises will strengthen the eye muscles and help the child focus. First, have the child move his eyes upwards as far as he can, and then downwards as far as he can. Repeat this three or four times, then have him blink quickly several times to relax the eyes.

Next, do the same thing but to the right and left. Hold one pencil to your left, and one to your right, at eye level. Adjust the distance so that the child can see the pencils clearly without straining when looking to the right or left. Have the child focus on the left pencil for one to two seconds, and then the right pencil for one to two seconds. Repeat a few times, then have him blink quickly and close the eyes to relax.

Finish by relaxing the eyes. Have the child sit at a table and rest his elbows on the table. Have the child rub the palms of his hands together, and then place his cupped palms over his eyes. Let the child rest in this position for about 30 seconds.

Exercises for Inattentiveness

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Tips for Keeping Your Kid’s Vision Healthy

Protecting Your Kid’s Vision

In the last 30 years near-sightedness (myopia) has increased from 25% to 42% in theUnited States. It has been indicated that these rising numbers are directly connected to spending more time in front of screens.

As our kids spend more time in from of digital screens, it is imperative that we teach our children and ourselves to take care of our eyes.

Tips for Keeping Your Kid’s Vision Healthy

Here are a few tips that will keep your kid’s vision healthy.

regular eye exercises 眼保健操

·Limit Kid’s Access to Screens: Easier said then done, but you can do your best to limit screen time as much as possible. One way to do this is to only allow your child to use the computer or phone for quick things like texting (this doesn’t include schoolwork). Make sure that the screen (especially a handheld device) is at least a forearms distance from their face, and don’t allow them to play games or watch videos on the device.

·Make the computer area ergonomic for your child: If you sit at your desk all day then your chair and desk are designed for you. When your child has to do homework assignments (which take longer then the rule mentioned above) adjust your chair to accomedate them. You can also get a computer desk that can be easily adjusted to their height.

Having a work environment that you child is comfortable in will reduce strain on their body (especially the back, shoulders and neck). This in turn will also help reduce visual stress.

·Teach Your Kids How to Rest Their Eyes and How to do Eye Exercises: Teach your kids how to use the power of 10 to relax their eyes. There are a number of other exercises you can teach them. InChinaregular eye exercises are part of the day of every Chinese schoolchild. At set intervals throughout the day they will all stop what they’re doing and exercise their eyes.

Protecting your child’s vision for sports

Of the thousands of eye injuries that occur daily , 90% are preventable. Sports – Youngsters are involved in as many as 170,000 sport-related injuries yearly. Coaches and parents in saving sight work together to improve conditions and to prevent sport-related eye injuries. Eye protection is a must for numerous sports and games.

Each day, your child likely participates in some physical activity, whether it is kicking a ball at recess or participating in a formal sports league. Seeing well ensures that they are always playing at their best. Protecting the eyes is important as well, since injuries can happen at any age.

Parents should ensure that protective eyewear be used for high-risk activities, such as hockey. Visors to protect the eyes and face are always a good idea.  Protective sports glasses are useful for racquet sports, like squash.

Some children do need glasses to see properly. For certain sports, wearing regular glasses may be a challenge though and other alternatives could be considered. Sports glasses can be used for sports like bicycling and basketball. For water sports, prescription swim goggles may be appropriate. Contact lenses are also a consideration for children who are active in competitive sports. While there is no specific age requirement for when children can start wearing contact lenses, the child should be mature enough to insert and remove the contact lenses themselves. As well, they need to be responsible enough to keep the lenses clean and disinfected.

If your child is injured, it is important to assess the risk of eye damage to determine whether further attention is required. Whenever that has been a direct blow to the eye or the adjacent region, an immediate visit to your optometrist is warranted.  They will determine if there is any internal damage to the eye, such as retinal detachments or bleeding inside the eye. Sometimes, the impact can even cause a “blow-out fracture” where the bony structure that protects the eye gets damaged. Certain head injuries may also affect the eye. If your child suffers a fall or blow to the head, a visit to your optometrist may be important, particularly if there is any change to their vision.

Winter Sports and Activities Safety for Kids

While the change of seasons brings fun winter activities, it’s important to remember that safety should be an essential part of your plans. Set reasonable time limits on outdoor play to prevent frostbite.  Have children come inside periodically to warm up.

Sledding

Find a good hill. A good sledding hill is clear of all obstacles and is not icy. Make sure the sledding hill does not lead to a street, a body of water or a crowded gathering place.

Sit up straight. It is much safer to sit up with feet forward while sledding and tubing; lying down increases the chance of head and back injuries. Always make sure an adult is supervising.

Skiing & Snowboarding

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Winter safety tips for kids

The American Academy of  Pediatrics (AAP) has some valuable tips on how to keep your children safe and warm. Make sure children follow these winter safety tips while they exercise and play outdoors.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia develops when a child’s temperature falls below normal due to exposure to cold. It often happens when a youngster is playing outdoors in extremely cold weather without wearing proper clothing.

As hypothermia sets in, the child may shiver and become lethargic and clumsy.  His speech may become slurred and his body temperature will decline.

If you suspect your child is hypothermic, call 911 at once. Until help arrives, take the child indoors, remove any wet clothing, and wrap him in blankets or warm clothes.

Frostbite

Frostbite happens when the skin and outer tissues become frozen.  This condition tends to happen on extremities like the fingers, toes, ears and nose.  They may become pale, gray and blistered. At the same time, the child may complain that her skin burns or has become numb.

If frostbite occurs, bring the child indoors and place the frostbitten parts of her body in warm (not hot) water.  104° Fahrenheit (about the temperature of most hot tubs) is recommended. Warm washcloths may be applied to frostbitten nose, ears and lips.

Do not rub the frozen areas.

After a few minutes, dry and cover him with clothing or blankets. Give him something warm to drink.

If the numbness continues for more than a few minutes, call your doctor.

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Winter Health Tips for Children

Winter Health

To keep Children healthy throughout the winter, parents can take several steps to promote healthy habits and prevent illness:

If your child suffers from winter nosebleeds, try using a cold air humidifier in the child’s room at night. Saline nose drops may help keep tissues moist. If bleeding is severe or recurrent, consult your pediatrician.

Many pediatricians feel that bathing two or three times a week is enough for an infant’s first year.

More frequent baths may dry out the skin, especially during the winter.

Cold weather does not cause colds or flu.  But the viruses that cause colds and flu tend to be more common in the winter, when children are in school and are in closer contact with each other.  Frequent hand washing and teaching your child to sneeze or cough into the bend of her elbow may help reduce the spread of colds and flu.

Children between the ages of 6 and 59 months should get the influenza vaccine to reduce their risk of catching the flu.

Hand washing is a must. Teach your children to wash their hands before eating and after playing outside. Have them carry hand sanitizer for those occasions when a sink and soap are not available. Teach them to sing Happy Birthday to themselves as they wash their hands, or another tune that will help them measure the full 15-20 seconds that it takes to ensure hands are properly washed.

Healthy Sexuality in Children

Sexuality is a part of every human regardless of age.   Below is just a partial list of healthy sexual behaviors in children, courtesy of STOP IT NOW

Preschool (0 – 5 yrs.)

Common: Sexual language relating to differences in body parts, bathroom talk, pregnancy and birth. Masturbation at home and in public. Showing and looking at private body parts.

Uncommon: Discussion of sexual acts. Contact experiences with other children.

School Age (6-12 yrs.)

Common: Questions about menstruation, pregnancy, sexual behavior. “Experimenting” with same-age children, including kissing, fondling, exhibitionism, and role-playing. Masturbation at home or other private places.

Uncommon: Use of sexual words and discussing sexual acts.

Adolescence (13-16 yrs.)

Common: Questions about decision-making, social relationships, and sexual customs. Masturbation in private. Experimenting between adolescents of the same age, including open-mouth kissing, fondling, and body rubbing.  Also, voyeuristic behaviors. Sexual intercourse occurs in approximately one third of this age group.