Healthy Baby Home Party

A while ago I applied to host a Healthy Baby Home Party, sponsored by Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and Seventh Generation. It was supposed to be last month, but since I was out of town all month, we had to have our party in August.

First, I invited a bunch of moms with babies (some were also pregnant). I think we had 8 moms and 18 kids - a great crowd!

As per the party kit: we watched a video, played a Bingo game, and wrote postcards to congress about the importance of establishing safety standards for chemicals marketed for household use. We had 4 moms win prizes (free products!) and everyone went home with coupons and samples! I have a few left, so a few lucky neighbors will get some too.
To give it my own flavor, I decided to do a waffle brunch. We had lots of yummy food. My favorite toppings are still strawberries and ice cream, but we tried some new ones : peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter! Yogurt is yummy too!

And of course we let the kids cool off! (water is a must for summer parties in Texas!)

Thanks to all of you who came!

Follow the link if you would like to see what else you can do to take action against toxic chemicals.

FYI : Ringworm

My children's school has several confirmed cases of ringworm. Thought I'd share with you what I've learned.

Counterintuitively, Ringworm is not an actual worm infection like pinworms. Ringworm is actually the name of a highly contagious fungal infection.

It is spread by contact with an infected person or something they touched. It is a red, itchy rash that usually manifests in a circular shape, with normal-colored skin in the middle. It often becomes crusty.

It is related to athlete's foot and jock itch and is treated with the same type of over-the-counter creams such as Lotramin or Tinactin. To treat, twice a day wash the area with soap and water, pat dry, apply the cream, and cover with a bandage (to avoid spreading the infection to others). This must be done for 3-4 weeks while the infection heals. Keep the as area clean and dry as possible.

Damaged skin that becomes cracked and irritated can also develop a secondary bacterial infection, which will need to be treated.

Read more about ringworm here

FYI: Pinworms

For all you parents out who, like me, had no experience with parasites. I present to you the infamous PINWORM:This is probably the most common human parasite, especially among small children. They are tiny little worms that live in the digestive tract.

About a month or two after infection, they come to maturity and you may start to see symptoms. This basically consists of intense itching of the anus, particularly at bedtime. Irritation can develop into a bacterial infection. It starts when the fully grown female worms (pictured above) crawl out at night and lay eggs on the skin. The eggs are then spread from the hands, clothing, bedding, etc. of infected persons. They can even become airborn. The eggs can survive up to about 2 weeks outside a host. After ingesting the eggs, the child may become reinfected, or infect others (particularly those they come in close contact with at home or at school).

Diagnosis is made by seeing a pinworm, or eggs collected on scotch tape (viewed under a microscope). Although thoroughly disgusting, they are not considered a serious infection since they do not cause any other problems besides itching. The itching can keep your child up at night. Fortunately, they are easy to treat. One pill will kill the worms (some doctors will treat twice, a second dose 2 weeks after the first).

Then you have to wash everything regularly to get rid of the eggs:
- daily laundering clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water
- wash toilet seats twice a day
- at treatment, thoroughly clean rugs, floors, furniture
- shower child first thing each morning
- keep child's fingernails short and clean
- do not share towels, sheets, etc.
- enforce rigorous hygiene!


You can learn more about pinworms here.

FLU?? - TO DO

When a flu hits, the most important things to do are keep temperature in check, and re-hydrate.

Lower Temperature:

• Unwrap/undress,


• cool with damp washcloths or lukewarm bath


• alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 2 hours as needed

When your child first gets sick, do not try to give them food or drink right away, wait until they want something. OR if your child is visibly dehydrated (i.e. no wet diapers in 12 hours, no tears, sunken eyes)

Then start with re-hydrating!

To Re-Hydrate:

• start with 1/4 tsp. water or Pedialyte every 10-15 minutes*


• if the child vomits, start over again


• when the child tolerates this for one hour, increase to 1/2 tsp. every 10-15 min.


• when the child tolerates this for one hour, increase to 1 tsp. every 10-15 min.


• gradually increase with small amounts of liquid and foods from BRAT diet when desired

*If the child is not tolerating 1/4 tsp. liquid, try starting with 1/8 tsp.

When to call the Dr:

• if you are unable to control the fever with Tylenol and Ibuprofen


• if Fever lasts longer than 48 hours


• if your child is dehydrated and will not tolerate 1/8 tsp. liquid after 2 hours of trying every 10-15 min.

BRAT diet

Bananas

Rice

Applesauce

Toast

These bland and starchy foods will help sensitive tummies recovering from vomiting and/or diarrhea. You may have to use them for a few days. If you introduce other foods too early, symptoms may return.

Avoid: dairy, sugar, fruit juice, sodas, sport drinks, greasy foods, etc.

Is your Baby Constipated?

I ran into a friend the other day who was worried about her baby being constipated. There is a wide variety in normal bowel patterns among infants. If your baby's pattern suddenly changes, it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. As long as the baby is behaving normally, they could go as long as a week with no bowel movement. (If, on the other hand, the stool is hard or pellet-like, you definitely have a constipated baby).

If it has been a few days and you are worried, here are a few methods you can try to help things along. *

- use a rectal thermometer (use as normal), with a liberal amount of Vaseline - and be ready!

- give an older baby prune juice (or apple juice) or even pureed prunes

- mix 1 tsp. corn syrup with a little water (2-4 oz) and feed to your baby

*if your child's abdomen is hard or your baby is obviously suffering call your pediatrician immediately!