Asthma is a condition that can flare up anytime; be it at your child's soccer practice or during the middle of the night. Whenever the condition sets in, it leads to your child struggling for breath. For a parent to witness this situation can be hard; but you should know the techniques to keep the situation under control.

Here are a few tips on how to manage the situation:

1. Find out the triggers in your home: Asthma is triggered due to substances that your child may be allergic to. Examples are cigarette smoke, fur of pets and dust. If possible, keep your child away from the known triggers so that the condition does not flare up again.

2. Keep records of the following: It is good to have an action plan ready for your child when the bouts of asthma strike. When you visit the doctor to discuss about your child's condition then make sure that you have these records at hand.

The triggers that caused the bout of asthma
How many times did your child have wheezing episodes?
The number of times your child has been admitted for the same reason
The medications that your child is currently taking, dosage and/or whether they have been changed
How often does he/she need medications if he/she has acute symptoms?
3. Knowledge of the test your child may require: Asthma control test is a type of test that allows parents and children to grade asthma symptoms without a doctor. A pulmonary function test is used to detect the capacity of the lungs and flow of air.

4. See how your child responds to the treatments: You should consider changing the treatments for your child if he/she has recurrent symptoms of asthma attack and require frequent visits to the Emergency Room even after taking medications for an extended duration.

5. Long term treatment plans require patience: Any asthma treatment plan requires patience as they might not immediately cure symptoms.

How to Manage if Your Child Is Suffering From Asthma

Tooth eruption is not only a sign that your child is acquiring the ability to tear, bite, and chew food but it also effects the baby's weight gain, immunity strengthening and development of the brain indirectly.
It is observed that most babies get their first tooth at around 6 months after birth, but they may start gnawing as early as 3 months or as late as 14, and may vary from child to child.  This depends on many factors, one of them being as when the parents started sprouting teeth and whether or not your baby was a preemie. In case of premature and low birth weight babies there may be a delay in their first tooth eruption. Children should have a full set of primary teeth by the time they are almost three.
Babies generally undergo the following Teething Timeline:
6 months: lower central incisors
8 months: upper central incisors
10 months: lower and upper lateral incisors
14 months: first molars
18 months: canines
24 months: second molars
 Symptoms of Teething:
Babies start gnawing to relieve the pain of an emerging tooth.
Puffy and red gums
Excessive drooling
Irritation, especially at night
Tugging Ear
A change in eating habits
Methods to Soothe the Pain:
Teething is a physiological process, no major intervention is needed.
Distraction: You can often soothe your child simply by diverting their minds off the pain by any new toy.
You shouldn't use teethers and topical teething gels to soothe the pain as they might be toxic to babies.
Symptoms of teething usually disappear when the tooth breaks through the gum. In case your baby is teething and the pain prevails , the following signs and symptoms are seen - high fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, highly inflamed gums or blue gum (Cysts) or any kind of lesion or bumps on the gums. In such case you should consult the pediatrician for further guidance

When Will My Newborn Start Teething?

An infant is usually called a bundle of joy and with good reason. There are simple and carefree, and bring a smile to your face with their antics. However, the mood and health of an infant can be tarnished due to an issue which is known as galactosemia.

What is Galactosemia?
When a baby has galactosemia, he or she will have a problem when it comes to digesting galactose, which is something that is present not only in milk but in all milk products. Galactose is a sort of sugar, just like fructose and glucose is. As a matter of fact, lactose, which is what milk has, is, in fact, a combination of glucose and galactose. Also, when lactose is processed, it is broken down by the human body into its constituents.

The condition is something that is passed down through the genes of the parents of the baby. The condition would occur if the gene which causes a tendency for a baby to have galactosemia is present not only in one parent but both of them. A baby who has the condition will be lacking an enzyme which is known as the GALT enzyme. The enzyme could also not be functioning as it should be under normal circumstances.

When it comes to the problem, it is very important, to say the least, to detect it sooner rather than later as if there is a build-up of unprocessed galactose which is allowed to occur, it can affect the baby adversely and in some cases, it can also be threatening to the life of the baby!

How does it affect a baby?
The problems which can erupt due to galactosemia include issues which affect organs such as the brain, eyes, liver and kidneys. It is interesting to take note of the fact that these are all organs which either have something to do either processing the blood or are heavily dependent on it. While a baby is not in the position in which he or she can communicate the issues that are being faced, when keeping an eye out for galactosemia, the signs which are displayed include an irritability of the baby as well as lacking consumption of the milk of the mother.

Even though galactosemia may not be the case, a doctor should be consulted as the exacerbated issue can include seizures and jaundice. It is to be kept in mind that galactose is something that can be found not only in the milk of the cow but also human milk as well as the milk of other animals such as goats.

Galactosemia In Infants - Know the Reasons Behind It!

Children generally tend to be fairly over active and have lesser attention spans. However, when this tends to get into their performance at school and in general with getting along with other children it may be a sign of ADD or attention deficit disorder. Let's look at some of the common symptoms of this disorder.

Symptoms of ADD

1. Problems in staying focused: One of the very basic symptom is that children will often be very inattentive even during classes and will be easily distracted by small things.

2. Problems in trying to remember things or difficulty in following instructions: Children with attention deficit disorder tend to have issues with remembering things and if given tasks, being unable to complete as they can't remember instructions properly.

3. Issues with organizing, planning and trying to finish tasks: Due to the lack of attention, kids have problems retaining information and cannot plan or finish tasks given to them on a daily basis.

4. Easily bored or loses interest: Even if a child with ADD starts with something they like, interest may wane off quickly. Thus it is difficult to make them stick to a specific work schedule which may require regular practice.

5. Lack of attention to details and making careless mistakes: This is another trait of children with attention deficit disorder. They may be able to complete a task, but it will be fraught with mistakes as they wouldn't have much attention to detail.

6. Has a tendency to not listen when someone is speaking to them: This is also very common and is usually tied to being easily distracted and thus will drift off or not listen to when someone is speaking to them.

Some Myths about ADD

a. All kids with ADD are hyperactive
b. They will eventually grow out of it
c. Medication is the only option to treat ADD
d. ADD is not really a disorder and kids need to be trained better

Most of these are half truths and the extent of the problems varies from child to child. Only proper counseling will be able to diagnose the extent of the problem and what needs to be done.

How to spot ADD in Children

ADD can be spotted in children aged below 7 years via certain symptoms. Apart from the ones mentioned above, children generally tend be abrasive towards others and can make embarrassing comments quite often. They also change tasks very quickly without completing any of them. Any distraction would force them to change their track. It is best to go to a child specialist to get your child checked out for possible symptoms.

Symptoms and Myths About Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and How to Spot Them in Children

Is your child getting exhausted after a bout of cough? Does he or she suffer from constant wheezing and tightness of the chest? Does your child feel drained out after climbing a flight of stairs? Do you know a child who always seems to run out of breath and cannot participate in school sports tournaments or play outside for a long time? The child could be suffering from asthma, which is a serious breathing problem. Most children are affected by asthma. Staying in a polluted city just makes the condition worse.

Asthma - Know the disease

Asthma is a condition that causes inflammation of the airways, known as trachea and bronchioles.
The muscles around the airways constrict and prevent the smooth flow of air.
The lining of the bronchioles swell and block the airways.
Asthma is mostly triggered by an allergic reaction.
There is a difficulty in breathing out. Exhalation of air is often accompanied by a wheezing, that is, a whistling sound.
There is a constant shortness of breath, feeling out of breath and gasping for air.
There is an uncomfortable tightness in the chest, the feeling of not breathing in enough air.
Coughing bouts in the middle of the night, that leave the child feeling exhausted and completely out of breath.
Causes of Asthma 

Asthma is mostly triggered by asthma allergens. These allergens are mostly pollens and animal fur.

Exposure to pollution, such as dust and smoke
Heredity
Obesity
History of heartburn, GERD and acid reflux
Inflammation of sinus and airways
History of bronchial disorders and pneumonia
Viral infections
Chronic rhinitis
Low immunity causing constant cold and blockage of nose
Treatments of asthma

A nebulizer that turns asthma medicine into a mist can then be inhaled easily
An inhaler can be used to take in inhaled steroids into the lungs or a bronchodilutor
Try and avoid asthma triggers and allergens as much as possible
Avoid physical stress and heat
Get sufficient rest of about 7-8 hours every day

Troubled Breathing - Can It Be a Sign of Asthma?

A nutritional disorder, the problem of rickets occurs if your child suffers from a deficiency of calcium, phosphate or Vitamin D. It causes softened and damaged bones, skeletal deformities, impaired development of the bone's growth plate (a spot of growing tissue found near the end of a long bone in adolescents and children) and stunted growth.

Here are few very simple ways you can prevent your child from getting it:

1. Having Vitamin D and calcium rich foods - One of the best ways to prevent this nutritional disorder from affecting your child is by making sure he or she have foods that are high in Vitamin D and calcium. Egg yolks, fish oil or fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are some of the Vitamin D foods that your child can have to strengthen his bones. Even foods that have Vitamin D added to it such as cereals, orange juice, milk and infant formula can also be given to your child. Sources of calcium can be soyabeans, nuts, broccoli, cabbage, cheese and yoghurt.

2. Going out in the sun - Considered to be an excellent source of Vitamin D, getting your child exposed to sunlight is another excellent way of getting most of this nutrient, as well as preventing him or her from developing rickets. Although the exposure time may vary from individual to individual, about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen can help.

3. Having Vitamin D supplements - Even the consumption of Vitamin D supplements can reduce your child's risk of getting rickets. Since mother's milk contains less than the recommended Vitamin D amount, infants too need to be put on Vitamin D supplements of 400 IU each day. For teenagers and young children, the recommended dosage is 600 IU of Vitamin D every day.




What is Rickets? How to Prevent Your CHILD From the Disorder?

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