What Are Pin Worms?
Pin worms are another parasite. These parasites live in the digestive system of humans. Adult pin worms can grow up to about half an inch but their eggs are too small to see with the naked eye.
You get these worms from other people who have pin worms. The eggs can live on a variety of items throughout the home and can live for 2 to 3 weeks outside the body. The worms can get stuck in between your finger nails and then while you're eating can be transferred to your mouth and into the digestive system where the eggs hatch. The adult females will come out of the opposite end and lay eggs on or around the anus.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Pin Worms?
Symptoms for this include itching around the anus, which is usually worse at night because the worms are more active at this time. These worms pose no serious health threat. You may get a skin infection due to the scratching. You may also be able to see the worms in the toilet after a bowel movement. They are white and look like pieces of thread.
What Can I Do?
If you suspect your child has these pin worms take them to the doctor. Pin worms carry no diseases but are really annoying and can spread easily throughout the house if it is not treated. The doctor will prescribe you a medication and may have the whole family take just to be safe. Also you may want to wash sheets clothes and any other thing the infected person has come into contact with.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Teething
Teething! Probably one of the few things that EVERY parent will have to endure at some point in time. And dealing with it takes patience. What we can we do to make the crying stop though??
What Is Teething?
Teeth start coming in at about 6 months and will be done by 18 months. Everybody is different. So some may come sooner, some later. These teeth come from somewhere right? What happens is these teeth start pushing and cutting trough your baby's gums.
How Do I Know If My Baby Is Teething?
When babies are teething they tend to be more drooly and a lot more fussier. This is because their gums are sore and swollen. These will happen 3 to 5 days before you can actually see a tooth. Babies will bite on everything to help relieve the pressure and they may also refuse to eat or drink anything due to the pain. Back to the drooly part, some babies will develop a rash on their chins to their chests because of the dribbles.
What Can I Do?
Use a cold teething ring or a clean finger to rub your baby's gums for a couple minutes. Provide safe things for the baby to chew on. You can also use an over the counter pain reliever, use only as directed.
There are other remedies parents use such as gels to help relieve the pain.
What Is Teething?
Teeth start coming in at about 6 months and will be done by 18 months. Everybody is different. So some may come sooner, some later. These teeth come from somewhere right? What happens is these teeth start pushing and cutting trough your baby's gums.
How Do I Know If My Baby Is Teething?
 |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teething |
What Can I Do?
Use a cold teething ring or a clean finger to rub your baby's gums for a couple minutes. Provide safe things for the baby to chew on. You can also use an over the counter pain reliever, use only as directed.
There are other remedies parents use such as gels to help relieve the pain.
Head Lice
Head Lice are another common mishap during many children's adventures in life. Let's see what they are and what we can do about them.
What Are Head Lice?
A head louse (singular for lice) is a tiny parasite that can't fly. It lives among human hair and feeds on small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. They are contagious and sometimes very tough to get rid of.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Head Lice?
Even with their tiny size lice can be seen by the human eye. Look for lice eggs, called nits. Tiny yellow to brown dots on or near the scalp. They look like dandruff but cant be brushed or shaken off. It is more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling around. It's easiest to spot these nits after the louse has already hatched from it. It is white or clear in color and remains attached to the hair shaft.
Your child will also be itching. The lice bite the scalp to feed on blood. and the reaction to their saliva is the itchy part.
What Can I Do?
There are a few things you can do to get rid of these bugs. One solution involves a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion that all work to kill the lice. These should be used as directed because they contain insecticides. using it too much can increase the risk of causing harm and not using enough will not properly kill and get rid of the lice.
BUT, if your child is under 2 years of age it is not recommended to use the above mentioned treatments. Instead you can use a method called wet combing. Use a fine tooth comb on your child's wet, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for two weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair temporarily paralyzes the lice and the conditioner allows for the comb to move through the hair more easily. Other popular treatments such as saturating the hair and scalp in petroleum jelly , mayonnaise, or olive oil are not as effective as the previous methods.
Lice do not survive for very long after they fall off the person so you don't need to spend a lot of time and money ridding the house of any lice.
Pictures from
http://www.macon.k12.mo.us/useful_links/health_page/headlice_101
http://ragingrootsstudio.com/rrs/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/nits_in_hair.jpg
What Are Head Lice?
A head louse (singular for lice) is a tiny parasite that can't fly. It lives among human hair and feeds on small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. They are contagious and sometimes very tough to get rid of.How Do I Know If My Child Has Head Lice?
Even with their tiny size lice can be seen by the human eye. Look for lice eggs, called nits. Tiny yellow to brown dots on or near the scalp. They look like dandruff but cant be brushed or shaken off. It is more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling around. It's easiest to spot these nits after the louse has already hatched from it. It is white or clear in color and remains attached to the hair shaft.Your child will also be itching. The lice bite the scalp to feed on blood. and the reaction to their saliva is the itchy part.
What Can I Do?
There are a few things you can do to get rid of these bugs. One solution involves a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion that all work to kill the lice. These should be used as directed because they contain insecticides. using it too much can increase the risk of causing harm and not using enough will not properly kill and get rid of the lice.
BUT, if your child is under 2 years of age it is not recommended to use the above mentioned treatments. Instead you can use a method called wet combing. Use a fine tooth comb on your child's wet, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for two weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair temporarily paralyzes the lice and the conditioner allows for the comb to move through the hair more easily. Other popular treatments such as saturating the hair and scalp in petroleum jelly , mayonnaise, or olive oil are not as effective as the previous methods.
Lice do not survive for very long after they fall off the person so you don't need to spend a lot of time and money ridding the house of any lice.
Pictures from
http://www.macon.k12.mo.us/useful_links/health_page/headlice_101
http://ragingrootsstudio.com/rrs/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/nits_in_hair.jpg
Cradle Cap
One common condition found in children is cradle cap. There were a few inquiries about this on my survey so I'll discuss it now.
What Is Cradle Cap?
Cradle cap, from WebMD, is an oily, yellow scaling or crusting on a baby's scalp. It is common in babies and is easily treated. It is not part of any other illness and does not imply that the baby is not being well cared for. It is a buildup of sticky skin oils, scales, and sloughed skin cells.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Cradle Cap?
To know for sure you can always talk to a doctor but it is not necessary for your child to see a doctor in this instance. Other wise looking at a few pictures can help you determine what it is.
What Is Cradle Cap?
Cradle cap, from WebMD, is an oily, yellow scaling or crusting on a baby's scalp. It is common in babies and is easily treated. It is not part of any other illness and does not imply that the baby is not being well cared for. It is a buildup of sticky skin oils, scales, and sloughed skin cells.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Cradle Cap?
To know for sure you can always talk to a doctor but it is not necessary for your child to see a doctor in this instance. Other wise looking at a few pictures can help you determine what it is.
What Can I Do?
About an hour before rub your baby's head with baby oil or petroleum jelly to loosen up the crust and scales. Then while shampooing gently brush your baby's head with a toothbrush to remove the scales, then wash with baby shampoo. If this doesn't work you can talk to your doctor and he or she can recommend an anti dandruff shamppo or other medications to help the cause.
Pictures from
| http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/picture-of-cradle-cap |
http://www.dermatalk.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cradle-cap.jpg
Conjuctivitis (Pink Eye)
I have had a lot of requests to discuss pink eye. A lot of children do end up with pink eye because their hands are dirty and when they are tired they rub their eyes.
What Is Pink Eye (Conjuctivitis)?
Pink eye is the inflammation of the conjuctiva, or the membrane that covers the white part of your eye. This is caused by many different things. It could be a viral infection, bacterial infection, or even an allergic reaction. Or it could just be irritated due to getting soap dirt or other irritants in your eyes. Bacterial and viral pink eye can spread easily from person to person but is not a serious health risk. It is however in newborn babies as it could pose a risk to their eyesight.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Pink Eye?
Symptoms may differ depending on the cause but generally include the following; redness of the eye, increased tear production, thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes, usually after sleeping, itchy eyes, burning eyes, blurred vision, and increased sensitivity to light.
What Can I Do?
Treatment is dependent on the cause bacterial pink eye is treated with antibiotic ointments and eye drops and sometimes pill form. Viral pink eye will just run its course and usually no treatment is necessary. For pink eye cause by an irritant use plenty of water to rinse the eye. And for allergies, as soon as the allergen is removed or the allergy is treated the eyes should start returning to normal.
What Is Pink Eye (Conjuctivitis)?
Pink eye is the inflammation of the conjuctiva, or the membrane that covers the white part of your eye. This is caused by many different things. It could be a viral infection, bacterial infection, or even an allergic reaction. Or it could just be irritated due to getting soap dirt or other irritants in your eyes. Bacterial and viral pink eye can spread easily from person to person but is not a serious health risk. It is however in newborn babies as it could pose a risk to their eyesight.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Pink Eye?
.jpg) |
| http://www.westshoreeyecare.com/new-page-2/ |
What Can I Do?
Treatment is dependent on the cause bacterial pink eye is treated with antibiotic ointments and eye drops and sometimes pill form. Viral pink eye will just run its course and usually no treatment is necessary. For pink eye cause by an irritant use plenty of water to rinse the eye. And for allergies, as soon as the allergen is removed or the allergy is treated the eyes should start returning to normal.
Chicken Pox (Varicella)
Throughout your child's life they will develop multiple rashes. But how can you tell which rash is what and should you be worried about it? Well this post will describe one of those rashes to help you narrow down what your little one has.
What Is Chicken Pox (Varicella)?
Chicken pox is a highly contagious virus that is most common amongst school age children specifically under the age of 12. It is caused by the varicella virus and can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, or even breathing. This virus usually causes a spotty rash with small round itchy blisters. Many people who contract the chicken pox virus will almost always develop a lifetime immunity to the virus. Usually the most contagious stage of chicken pox is 1 to two days prior to the spotty rash developing.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Chicken Pox?
There are only a few symptoms that are associated with chicken pox but the rash is what gives it away. Your child may develop a fever ranging from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to around 103 degrees Fahrenheit. They may feel sick, tired, or sluggish, may have little to no appetite and can also develop a headache or sore throat. The rash, as previously mentioned, is the tell tale sign of chicken pox in most younger children. These symptoms usually show up 10 to 21 days after coming into contact with the virus. The picture is the same spot over a progression of time.
What Can I Do?
Chicken pox is extremely contagious. If you think our child has chicken pox you can always take him or her to the doctor to confirm but your child should stay home from school or day care until all of the blisters have burst and healed back up. This is another virus so much of the treatment consists of managing symptoms until your baby is feeling better. Pregnant women should stay away from children with chicken pox because of the effects chicken pox can have on the unborn child. If you are pregnant and have been exposed it is best to visit your doctor as soon as you can.
What Is Chicken Pox (Varicella)?
Chicken pox is a highly contagious virus that is most common amongst school age children specifically under the age of 12. It is caused by the varicella virus and can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, or even breathing. This virus usually causes a spotty rash with small round itchy blisters. Many people who contract the chicken pox virus will almost always develop a lifetime immunity to the virus. Usually the most contagious stage of chicken pox is 1 to two days prior to the spotty rash developing.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Chicken Pox?
 |
| http://www.chicken-pox.info/chickenpox/symptoms |
What Can I Do?
Chicken pox is extremely contagious. If you think our child has chicken pox you can always take him or her to the doctor to confirm but your child should stay home from school or day care until all of the blisters have burst and healed back up. This is another virus so much of the treatment consists of managing symptoms until your baby is feeling better. Pregnant women should stay away from children with chicken pox because of the effects chicken pox can have on the unborn child. If you are pregnant and have been exposed it is best to visit your doctor as soon as you can.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Fifth Disease
The next condition at the top of the list that parents may be most worried about is fifth disease or erythema infectiosum. This is more common in school age children and rare in infants and adults.
What Is Fifth Disease?
The disease gets its name from being number five out of a list of six childhood rash-forming illnesses. It is a contagious virus spread in droplets from the respiratory system by coughing or sneezing and usually shows a more mild reaction. It is caused by the parvovirus B19. It is characterized by having a rash that looks like the child has been slapped. Although this virus is contagious, it stops being so by the time the rash forms.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Fifth Disease?
Symptoms of fifth disease usually include a low fever, bright red cheeks, a flat or raised red rash on the arms or legs, and these next symptoms are less common; headache, sore throat, and joint pain. The rash does not always show up in children infected with the virus. The rash though, can last any where from two days to three weeks.
What Can I Do?
Again, this is a virus and is hardly severe. With that being said nothing can usually be done to automatically get rid of it. Treat the symptoms, if the rash itches you can use an antihistamine such as Benadryl to help stop the itch.
What Is Fifth Disease?
The disease gets its name from being number five out of a list of six childhood rash-forming illnesses. It is a contagious virus spread in droplets from the respiratory system by coughing or sneezing and usually shows a more mild reaction. It is caused by the parvovirus B19. It is characterized by having a rash that looks like the child has been slapped. Although this virus is contagious, it stops being so by the time the rash forms.
How Do I Know If My Child Has Fifth Disease?
Symptoms of fifth disease usually include a low fever, bright red cheeks, a flat or raised red rash on the arms or legs, and these next symptoms are less common; headache, sore throat, and joint pain. The rash does not always show up in children infected with the virus. The rash though, can last any where from two days to three weeks.
What Can I Do?
Again, this is a virus and is hardly severe. With that being said nothing can usually be done to automatically get rid of it. Treat the symptoms, if the rash itches you can use an antihistamine such as Benadryl to help stop the itch.
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