Expert advice on preventing the common cold infecting your child
September 25, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
Kenneth Haller, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri, has given some advice for parents wanting to reduce the risk of their children catching the “common cold”.
“The common cold is practically impossible to cure because more than 200 viruses can cause it,” he said. “Since it’s equally impossible to avoid exposure to all those viruses, the best course of action is to limit your risk for becoming infected.”
His eight common-sense tips are:
- Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Good nutrition is the foundation for a strong immune system.
- Drink lots of water, which helps to keep your body hydrated. Water also helps distribute nutrients throughout your body and flushes away toxins.
- In the winter months, dry air can cause nasal membranes to become thinner and less effective at fighting off viruses. Use a saline nasal spray like OCEAN(R) Nasal Spray to keep membranes in the nose moist during cold, dry weather.
- A cool mist humidifier in the bedroom during colder weather can also help keep nasal membranes well-hydrated.
- Plenty of good sleep is vital, as is regular exercise, both of which help strengthen your immune system.
- Be aware of your hands. Keep them away from eyes, nose and mouth — the most common portals for germs to enter into your body. Also, wash your hands throughout the day — before eating, after sneezing or coughing; after using the bathroom and touching high-use facilities such as cafeteria tables, doorknobs and playground equipment. Pack hand sanitizers in your children’s backpacks so they can use them at school.
- Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze and cough to avoid spreading viruses through the air. Ideally, use a tissue. If a tissue isn’t available, sneeze into the elbow of your sleeve, not your hand, or turn your head away from people near you.
- Stay home. The average child catches five to eight colds every year, largely because cold germs spread so easily through schools and day cares. Consider keeping a sick child home from school during the most contagious stage of the disease to avoid infecting others.
Of course that’s all easier said than done. September can be a nightmare month as children return to school and we move from summer to autumn.
Swarovski shows off celeb-designed denim jackets, supports World Orphan Week 1-7 Oct
September 24, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
In support of World Orphan Week (1st-7th October), Swarovksi has unveiled a collection of celebrity-designed denim jackets which will benefit SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest charity for orphaned and abandoned children.
Celebrities including Jessica Alba, Laila Ali, Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Angie Harmon, Finola Hughes, Stacy London, Reba McEntire, Katharine McPhee, Sara Ramirez, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood and Vanessa Williams took part in this worthwhile endeavour.
Beginning September 25, each of the fashionable creations will be featured on eBay Giving Works and can be found at www.ebay.com/swarovski. The charity auction will end on October 5.
“By 2010 there will be more than 25 million orphaned and abandoned children around the world. SOS Children’s Villages and Swarovski believe in providing the vital care these children need to grow and flourish in their communities. During World Orphan Week, I hope everyone will take a minute to make a difference in the life of a child,” says Finola Hughes, General Hospital’s” Anna Devane and host of The Style Network’s popular makeover series “How Do I Look.”
Each of the jackets was designed using a combination of Swarovski brooches and iron-crystal transfers, ranging from a celestial theme from Reba McEntire to a floral theme from Carrie Underwood.
The partnership between SOS and Swarovski dates back to the founding of SOS in the Tyrol region of Austria (also home of Swarovski’s world manufacturing headquarters) in 1949. The company’s founder, Daniel Swarovski I, was a humanitarian who personally supported the charity and the crystal maker is happy to have continued the relationship through today.
September 24: Family Day - A Day To Eat Together With Your Children
September 22, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
I’ve written before about the importance of families eating together whenever they can. It can bond the family together, aid communication, and could help teens avoid social problems, amongst many other benefits.
The Kroger Company has partnered with The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse to encourage families to share a meal together this coming Monday, 24th September, to celebrate Family Day: A Day To Eat Together With Your Children.
Their research consistently suggests that the more children eat together with their parents, the less likely they are to take drugs, drink, or smoke. Of course, it takes more than eating together to achieve that, but it’s a great reason to start.
They offer six tips for encouraging and keeping shared mealtimes:
- Start the pattern of family meals when children are young.
- Encourage children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.
- Talk about what happened in everyone’s day: school, work, extracurricular activities and current events.
- Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.
- Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer calls during family meals.
- After the meal, serve dessert or play a board game to encourage the family to continue the conversation.
“Sharing meals together as a family is a simple, powerful and effective tool to help children and teens avoid risky behaviors. Family meals are an ideal time to talk with your children and listen to what’s on their mind. We support Family Day because building strong, healthy families is at the core of our business,” said David B. Dillon, Kroger chairman and chief executive officer.
In related news, TV Land will “go dark” between 6pm and 7pm (ET/PT) on the day, to encourage families to dine together.
Viewers tuning in to The Family Day Dinner Hour will see photos submitted to TVLand.com of various families sharing meals and spending time together. Packaged like a scrapbook, the hour will display montages of the photos along with Family Day graphics, all set to easy-listening Americana and Jazz music.
Toddlers’ TV favourites to feature on new interactive web site for preschoolers
September 17, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
A new website — ClickAndPlay.com — has launched to encourage computer literacy amongst preschoolers, helping to boost their self-confidence at increasingly IT-centric schools.
To add to the fun, various hit TV characters, including Bob the Builder, feature on the site.
Users can sign up for a free subscription to the site, though it does require a PC-only piece of software to be downloaded and installed.
According to British Education Communication and Technology Agency (BECTA), the UK is ranked fourth in Europe for the highest number of internet connected computers in schools.
Alastair Gregory, MD of ClickandPlay, said that children shouldn’t spend hours in front of a computer, at the detriment of physical exercise and social skills, but that it’s as vital for preschoolers to learn how to use a computer mouse as it is how to hold a pencil.
“Parents can help prepare their child for school by adding computer time into their day-to-day play,” he said.
ClickandPlay features a range of interactive games that teach a child how to move a mouse around a screen, how to move forward and back to new pages, how to use a keyboard and how to send emails. Children love the email application as they can send a letter, with their parents help, to their favourite character, and then receive a personalised e-mail in return, written in the character’s tone of voice.
Other features include an art package that allows children to draw and paint in ClickandPlay. They receive backgrounds, stamps and animated stickers at the beginning of their subscription and can earn more as they do the activities and win stars. These can be used to make art that can be printed out or sent to the characters.
Baking: the latest craze for kids?
September 17, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
According to a recent press release, there’s a foolproof way to keep their kids away from the computer and TV over Christmas.
Baking.
Sure, it’s an advert for “Whimsical Decoratifs”, a fancy brand name for American sprinkles, but statistics show that sales of baking ingredients — flour, icing sugar, decorative sprinkles, and baking powder — grew by 25% in the UK over the past year.
The press release is also keen to point out the educational benefits of baking, as well as pointing to celebrity chefs, including Tana Ramsey and Nigella Lawson, who extol the virtues of home baking.
Baking is not just a fun activity, but it can also be educational. Reading recipes aloud, and choosing and weighing ingredients help to develop reading and mathematical skills. Younger children can learn to tell the time to find out when the food is ready, and all children learn about patience in waiting for their cake or biscuits to bake in the oven. Most important of all, the act of cooking with a child bonds the family together and gives a powerful boost to your child’s self-confidence. Even very young children can get involved with baking, mixing ingredients or greasing trays.
So there you have it. Put away the Playstation and get baking. It’s what parents and kids have been doing for years.
Daily Mail columnist tirades against environmentally unfriendly mothers
Though many of us expect nothing less than grossly stereotypical, sweeping generalisations from the writers at The Daily Mail tabloid paper, Liz Jones has pushed the boat out by having a real go a mothers, and children, for being environmentally and socially unfriendly.
Based upon a few negative images she has of parenting, every mother is now somehow in the wrong.
Granted, I am sure there are some disturbed or misguided people who see children as some kind of “status symbol”. They’re sick, but they’re not the majority (at least, I hope not).
She has a rather old-fashioned view of working mothers:
No one is allowed to complain when they are left to pick up the slack as every mum in the office hares out of the door at six on the dot, millions of plastic carrier bags in tow, hell-bent on creating a nappy mountain.
Heaven forbid that she ever meet a conscientious mother who successfully juggles the demands of both work and family life, as well as doing her bit for the environment.
Six ways to make your child’s school safer: enter the security experts
September 3, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
Experts from ADT, the security firm, say that parents can be as influential as school board members, superintendents, principals and teachers in helping prevent violence in schools, and have offered up six tips for helping parents get more involved in security issues:
- Talk to your children about school security. Kids are very tuned into what happens on their ampuses. They know where there are weak spots in the security plans. Ask them about the security drills or other emergency procedures in place at their school. Also talk to them about resolving conflicts in a peaceful, nonviolent manner and about immediately reporting to school officials any threatening talk or behaviour from other students.
- Visit your child’s campus and talk with an administrator about the security plan. Among other things, find out how visitors can enter the campus. Ask if the doors are regularly locked. Check to see if the campus has cameras monitoring entries, hallways and common areas. Ask if the school has a plan in place for handling an armed person on campus.
- Educate yourself on the plans, procedures and technologies working well at other schools. Contact the National Crime Prevention Council (www.ncpc.org) for a copy of the Caregivers’ Guide to Safety and Security and School Safety and Security Toolkit: A Guide for Parents, Schools and Communities.
- Get to know the law enforcement officials assigned to your child’s school. Find out when they are on campus and what their responsibilities include. If your child’s school does not have a regularly assigned law enforcement official, work with the school to make that happen.
- Join other parents who may also be concerned about the security of their children. Become involved in the PTA or PTO and start a security committee if one does not already exist. Ask school officials to meet regularly with the group and report on security/safety incidents and continuing plans to keep the campus safe. Be an active participant by asking questions.
- Do not keep firearms easily accessible in your home. If you have weapons in your house make sure that they are kept locked and secured. Report a missing or stolen firearm to police immediately. Teach children respect for the devastation that can occur when weapons get into the wrong hands or are used improperly.
Child safety dependent on carers’ ability to hear
September 3, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
The Better Hearing Institute has implored parents to ensure that more elderly relatives who look after their children can hear well to ensure that their children remain safe.
“If your child’s babysitter is one of the 24 million people who need hearing aids and don’t have them, there could be serious problems,” warned Dr Sergei Kochkin, Executive Director of the BHI. “The risks of not hearing a smoke or carbon monoxide detector could be fatal, as they have been for some. Not hearing weather warnings could expose them, and your children, to a flood, tornado, or hurricane. Spending too much time speech reading while driving can cause a crash, as can failing to hear a siren.”
Five tips for keeping kids safe and healthy on way to school
September 3, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
The American Planning Association has come up with five things which parents can do as their kids return to school, to keep them both healthy and safe on the journey to and from school.
- Conduct a “Neighbourhood Walk Audit” to inventory your neighbourhood’s sidewalks and bicycle routes and determine if they are safe.
- Map out “Best Walking Routes” for your and other neighbourhood children to get to school.
- Organize “Walking School Buses” in your neighbourhood so children can make the journey to school together with an adult.
- Form a “Parent Eyes Group” enlisting parents along walking and biking routes to take turns being “eyes on the street.
- Create a “Safe Routes to School Team” by bringing in all the interest groups that have a stake in encouraging kids to walk.
More information from the APA web site.
