Top Health Tips on Caring for Infants (0-1 yrs)

Many children all over the world are affected by urinary tract infections or UTIs that can be resolved with simple antibiotics, but might also lead to complications at times. Most often, kids under 2 years of age are affected by it, and either the bladder or the kidney might be infected leading to cystitis or pyelonephritis.

Causes of UTIs
Though bacterial infections are the most common cause, viral or fungal infections might occur in some cases as well. Uncircumcised male infants, children with poor toilet habits, or female children with poor toilet hygiene are most susceptible to this disease. That is why; females must always wipe from front to back to avoid infecting the urethra. Children suffering from a weak immune system might also be at a risk.

Symptoms and signs
UTIs come with different signs including pain during urinating (dysuria), frequent urination, abnormal urge for urination, or bedwetting. Sometimes, fever, abdominal pain, blood in urine or vomiting might be signs as well.

Which doctor to consult?
In most cases, UTIs in children are treated by pediatricians, but if kidney function is troubled then a pediatric nephrologist needs to be contacted.

Tests carried out: To understand the underlying cause of the infection and any anatomical or functional risk factors, several examinations or tests are carried out. Vital signs like blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing rate are checked. The abdomen is palpated to find tenderness near the kidneys. Genital areas are also examined for signs of trauma, redness, discharge and such. Urine cultures are essential for diagnosing UTIs finally and this helps in assessing the antibiotic sensitivity profile too.
Good to know: Right after an antibiotic is administered, UTI in children starts getting resolved. But recurrent UTIs might lead to urinary tract abnormalities like kidney malformation. Also note that UTI is not contagious, and cannot be passed on if children share a bath or if you sit on an infected toilet seat.
Treatment
In most cases, UTIs respond well to oral antibiotics, though Pyelonephritis may require hospitalization and intravenous drip. Some studies are also carried out to check if the child is susceptible to renal scarring or kidney failure. These are as below:

Renal ultrasound: Defines the location of the kidneys and their size and shape clearly.
Voiding cysto-urethrogram: The bladder is filled with a dye through a catheter in this method. Then the catheter is removed to study if the bladder is getting emptied without any reflux or obstruction.
Renal scan: To test the functioning of the kidneys and the risk of renal scarring, a bit of radioactive material is used.
Intravenous pyelogram: Though rarely used, in this method, a dye is injected into the bloodstream and X-ray images are obtained.
Prevention

Maintaining proper hygiene: Girls should wipe from front to back and uncircumcised boys should be able to gently retract the foreskin to reveal the urethral opening.
Complete voiding of bladder: Encourage kids to urinate every two to three hours, since they often ignore a full bladder to carry on playing.
Avoid foods: Keep kids away from caffeine, carbonated drinks, excess chocolates, and too much citrus.

Sleep is the most important aspect for a healthy beign, but for kids it is of utmost priority. Lack of sleep can often have a negative impact on the brain funtioning of kids along with accidents. Listed below are the major sleep disorders in children along with their causative factors:
1. Sleepwalking: It is not uncommon for children under the age of 10 to sleep walk. Despite being harmless on its own, the effects of sleep walking can be dangerous such as stepping outdoors or hurting themselves during sleep. If the child runs into objects while sleep walking, they might wake up and hence further worsen the situation.
2. Nightmares: They might be general or result from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nightmares, if frequent, can make falling asleep a tedious task. Nightmares in children are common and they usually begin to reduce in frequency by 9 years of age.
3. Obstructive sleep apnea: Snoring might be the result of improper respiration while sleeping and while it isn t a cause of worry, regular snoring might lead to insufficient oxygen during sleep, thus making shut eye a challenge. It might be hereditary or the result of a deviated nasal septum or blocked nose. The snoring might hamper the quality of sleep.
4. Bedwetting: This is something most children experience, but usually grow out of by the time they turn six. It doesn t need to be a cause of concern unless the frequency doesn t reduce over time and more than two instances of bedwetting take place in a week.
5. Insomnia in children: It can be due to a host of factors and coping with changes to their normal lifestyle is one of the biggest triggers. Mental disorders such as anxiety and stress due to a variety of reasons (like the death of a loved one) may also be the cause of distress and lead to troubled or incomplete sleep.
6. Excessive daytime sleepiness: Excess naps throughout the day, always feeling lethargic or experiencing trouble waking up in the morning may be symptomatic of EDS. It isn t uncommon in adults either wherein despite apparent proper sleep; energy levels seem to be low throughout the day.

Children may run around having fun and growing in the process. Some children may be more active than the others and some may be more attentive at school. All children go through some sort of trouble while growing up. This is because of the drastic changes that the bodies of little children constantly go through. One such problem commonly faced by the children is bedwetting. This problem may be a common one, but it should be brought under control as soon as possible so that the children do not have to face social embarrassment as they grow older. Learn more to improve child's immunity system.

Apart from providing a healthy and happy living to the children, it may be essential to find a way of treatment that may not leave the child affected by the harmful ingredients of the regular allopathic medication. One of the safest and the most effective ways to be able to treat bedwetting is homeopathy. Homeopathy is a branch of medicine and treatment that works on the body of the user with the most natural ways. The medicines in homeopathy are made using basic ingredients from plants and other organic materials.

Homeopathy for children:
The use of homeopathy for problems that affect the children in particular is essential because of the fact that they have growing systems and the growth may get adversely affect with the strong and highly potent allopathic drugs. It is also important to understand the nuances of controlling the bedwetting issue in children and also know what the causes of the problem may be:

When the children are highly fatigued, they may wet the bed due to the deep sleep that they may be experiencing after a tiring time.
In times of winter when the cold is uncontrollable or much more than usual, it may be natural for some children to not be able to control their bladder.
In a lot of cases, the children may also wet the bed when they have had a scary or traumatic experience.
Just as the causes of the problem are varied, it must be realized that the medications are also supposed to be administered according to the issue.

Homepathic medication for betwetting:
Homeopathy is a stream of medicine that treats the body in the most delicate manner, which is why it is a safe alternative for children. However, it must also be ensured that proper medical intervention is attained to start a course of homeopathic medication as well, so that bedwetting may be treated within a desired amount of time and the child may feel free from the embarrassment of wetting the bed.

Bed-Wetting is a phenomenon in which a child urinates, involuntarily, on bed when fast asleep at night.

A. The Secret Problem

A child gains bladder control at night, but it varies with age. After attaining the age of five, 15% of the children continue bed wetting and after the age of 10, only 5% are found to be still bed wetting. The incidences of bed wetting in boys are twice as compared to girls. Bed wetting can often lead to extreme embarrassment and social awkwardness for the parents. For parents to deal with such inevitable child problems, they must know the causes that lead to bed wetting.

B. The Bed-wetting Gene

Your own DNA may be the chief contributor to your child s bed-wetting; research states that in 75 percent of the cases, this problem is found to be hereditary. However, parents should deal with this problem with sensibility and sensitivity, so as not to alienate their children in any way.

C. Causes

Delayed Bladder Maturation: In such cases, the communication between the bladder and the brain is delayed.

Lower Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH): Inadequate secretion of such hormones causes the kidneys to produce lesser urine during the day, thus increasing chances of bed wetting at night.

Deep Sleeping: With deep sleeping, the brain fails to get the signal that the bladder may be full.

Constipation: With constipation, the problem is that there may be uncontrolled contraction of bladder due to the bowels being full all the time.

Psychological stress

When is it a concern?

There is nothing wrong with bedwetting during childhood, especially when the child is less than 2 years of age. However, it might be a concern if the child happens to gain bladder control at night but the condition relapses. Also, if psychological stress happens to be at the root of the child s bedwetting, it could be considered to be a cause for concern.

Homeopathic treatment for bedwetting in children

Homeopathy is a very effective natural treatment for enuresis. The homeopathic remedies for bedwetting are perfectly safe. These natural homeopathic remedies do not have any side effects at all. Safety of the medicines is a major issue when you are to give any medicine to your child. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the medicines should be completely safe. Homeopathic remedies are known to be perfectly safe and have been tried by millions of patients all over the world over the last 2 centuries.

5 Homeopathic Treatment for bedwetting in children

Homeopathy has been found to be very successful in treating bedwetting. The aim of Homeopathy is to strengthen the nervous system of the body. This allows the child to gain control over the urinary bladder. The same child who had been urinating in the bed for years may be able to keep the bed dry within a matter of a couple of weeks. The duration of treatment depends upon the cause & depth of the case. Homeopathy offers the best way of treating bedwetting. The embarrassment of the child as well as the parents vanishes quickly like magic.

The exact selection of the right medicine depends upon the detailed symptoms of each individual patient. So, it always recommended to consult a specialized homeopath before going for any medication.

Quick tips

Ensure that your child urinates right before hitting the bed.

Limit your child s fluid intake few hours before bed, after having a thorough discussion with the doctor.

Set an alarm for the child to wake up and go to the toilet in the middle of the night.

Bladder-stretching exercises increase the bladder s capacity and thus the quantum of urine that can be held by the child s bladder.

Medications, as would be prescribed by a doctor.

Use a plastic sheet over the bed.

And finally, don t panic. Usually, the problem resolves on its own.

Children achieve control of urine around 2-5 years of age initially in the day then at night, bowel or toilet training is usually accomplished prior to it. Any child bed wetting after five years of age should consult their pediatrician for it can affect the well being of the child.

This is of paramount importance because bed wetting may reduce the child's self esteem, prevent sleep overs with friends, fear harsh disciplining by the caregivers.

Around 6-12 % above six-year-old children are bed-wetters many of them are humiliated, beaten, teased or even punished after bed wetting. This increases their stress and cause more bed wetting, so it should not be done. Parents should understand that bed wetting is not the child's mistake and completely curable which should be expressed to the child also.

Bed wetting is commonly found as isolated problem in the night due to immaturity of brain-kidney-bladder-urine pathway leading to more urine production in night and deep sleep with difficult arousal, whereas day time wetting or urgency may denote other kidney/urinary bladder/spine problem.

Some times a child who was dry at night previously may again start bed wetting due to emotional stress, urinary tract infections, adenoids, diabetes, etc. Stressors range from simple things like arrival of younger sibling or beginning new school to serious issues like learning disability, poor academic performance, abuse, etc. So, let's seek medical help for bed wetting and help your child to be dry for a bright future!

Bedwetting is a common problem among children who are yet to learn how to control their bladder but bedwetting can also be a problem for adults. Adult bedwetting is known as secondary enuresis. It is a condition that develops at least six months or much later after a person has learnt to control over their bladder.

Adult bedwetting can happen due to several reasons that are listed below:

Sleeping problems can be a major reason for bedwetting at night. Sometimes one might be in a deep slumber to and wakes up to the sensation of a full bladder and the urge to urinate. Also, many suffer from another sleeping disorder- night terror. One wakes up partially from their sleep frightened which may cause them to lose control on of their nerves and wet the bed.
Stress and anxiety is another major cause of adult bedwetting. Adults have busy schedules these days and the stress and anxiety levels are high in them. Extreme stress and frustration can make one nervous as a result the person may find it difficult to control his nerves and thus lose control over the bladder.
Medical conditions in a person or a person who suffers from neurological disorders are prone to lose control over their bladder. Patients who have suffered a stroke often face difficulties in responding to signals send sent by the body and the sensation of a full bladder is one of them. Often as a side effect of medication one may face this problem.
One may have a small bladder that may not be able to hold the large volume of urine that the body produces. Maybe during the day, the person may not face a problem but at night this can be a reason for bedwetting. A person's bladder can also become hyperactive during the night which leads to the inability to hold the urine in during sleep.
Diabetes is a very common reason for bedwetting among adults, especially among elderly people. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the extra glucose that is stored in the liver and muscle tissues are released between meals or during exercise or at night during sleep.
Urinary tract infection caused by microbes can cause one to lose control over the infection bladder. Infection in the bladder or the kidneys or ureters and the urethra are termed as UTI.
An obstruction in part of the urinary tract, such as from a bladder stone or kidney stone can cause a person to face this the problem of bedwetting.
Other than these major reasons, a few others can be an enlarged prostate, obstructive sleep apnea, hormonal problems or genetics can contribute to the problem of bedwetting. Bedwetting may not stay the entire life but in adults, it causes other problems like such as embarrassment or lack of confidence. Bedwetting, however, should not be neglected and one should visit a doctor lest it should lead to other health problems.

Children may run around having fun and growing in the process. Some children may be more active than the others and some may be more attentive at school. All children go through some sort of trouble while growing up. This is because of the drastic changes that the bodies of little children constantly go through. One such problem commonly faced by the children is bedwetting. This problem may be a common one, but it should be brought under control as soon as possible so that the children do not have to face social embarrassment as they grow older.

Apart from providing a healthy and happy living to the children, it may be essential to find a way of treatment that may not leave the child affected by the harmful ingredients of the regular allopathic medication. One of the safest and the most effective ways to be able to treat bedwetting is homeopathy. Homeopathy is a branch of medicine and treatment that works on the body of the user with the most natural ways. The medicines in homeopathy are made using basic ingredients from plants and other organic materials.

Homeopathy for children:
The use of homeopathy for problems that affect the children in particular is essential because of the fact that they have growing systems and the growth may get adversely affect with the strong and highly potent allopathic drugs. It is also important to understand the nuances of controlling the bedwetting issue in children and also know what the causes of the problem may be:

When the children are highly fatigued, they may wet the bed due to the deep sleep that they may be experiencing after a tiring time.
In times of winter when the cold is uncontrollable or much more than usual, it may be natural for some children to not be able to control their bladder.
In a lot of cases, the children may also wet the bed when they have had a scary or traumatic experience.
Just as the causes of the problem are varied, it must be realized that the medications are also supposed to be administered according to the issue.

Homepathic medication for betwetting
Homeopathy is a stream of medicine that treats the body in the most delicate manner, which is why it is a safe alternative for children. However, it must also be ensured that proper medical intervention is attained to start a course of homeopathic medication as well, so that bedwetting may be treated within a desired amount of time and the child may feel free from the embarrassment of wetting the bed. Here are the 5 best homeopathic medicines for bedwetting that help in working this magic-

Causticum
Kreosote
Cina
Acid Phos
Equisetum

Bed-Wetting is a phenomenon in which a child urinates, involuntarily, on the bed when fast asleep at night.

A. The Secret Problem

A child gains bladder control at night, but it varies with age. After attaining the age of five, 15% of the children continue bed wetting and after the age of 10, only 5% are found to be still bed wetting. The incidences of bed wetting in boys are twice as compared to girls. Bed wetting can often lead to extreme embarrassment and social awkwardness for the parents. For parents to deal with such inevitable child problems, they must know the causes that lead to bed wetting.

B. The Bed-wetting Gene

Your own DNA may be the chief contributor to your child s bed-wetting; research states that in 75 percent of the cases, this problem is found to be hereditary. However, parents should deal with this problem with sensibility and sensitivity, so as not to alienate their children in any way.

C. Causes

Delayed Bladder Maturation: In such cases, the communication between the bladder and the brain is delayed.

Lower Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH): Inadequate secretion of such hormones causes the kidneys to produce lesser urine during the day, thus increasing chances of bed wetting at night.

Deep Sleeping: With deep sleeping, the brain fails to get the signal that the bladder may be full.

Constipation: With constipation, the problem is that there may be uncontrolled contraction of bladder due to the bowels being full all the time.

Psychological stress

When is it a concern?

There is nothing wrong with bedwetting during childhood, especially when the child is less than 2 years of age. However, it might be a concern if the child happens to gain bladder control at night but the condition relapses. Also, if psychological stress happens to be at the root of the child s bedwetting, it could be considered to be a cause for concern.

Homeopathic treatment for bedwetting in children

Homeopathy is a very effective natural treatment for enuresis. The homeopathic remedies for bedwetting are perfectly safe. These natural homeopathic remedies do not have any side effects at all. Safety of the medicines is a major issue when you are to give any medicine to your child. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the medicines should be completely safe. Homeopathic remedies are known to be perfectly safe and have been tried by millions of patients all over the world over the last 2 centuries.

5 Homeopathic Treatment for bedwetting in children

Homeopathy has been found to be very successful in treating bedwetting. The aim of Homeopathy is to strengthen the nervous system of the body. This allows the child to gain control over the urinary bladder. The same child who had been urinating in the bed for years may be able to keep the bed dry within a matter of a couple of weeks. The duration of treatment depends upon the cause & depth of the case. Homeopathy offers the best way of treating bedwetting. The embarrassment of the child as well as the parents vanishes quickly like magic.

The exact selection of the right medicine depends upon the detailed symptoms of each individual patient. So, it always recommended consulting a specialized homeopath before going for any medication.

Quick tips

Ensure that your child urinates right before hitting the bed.

Limit your child s fluid intake few hours before bed, after having a thorough discussion with the doctor.

Set an alarm for the child to wake up and go to the toilet in the middle of the night.

Bladder-stretching exercises increase the bladder s capacity and thus the quantum of urine that can be held by the child s bladder.

Medications, as would be prescribed by a doctor.

Use a plastic sheet over the bed.

And finally, don t panic. Usually, the problem resolves on its own.

Bedwetting or nocturnal enuresis, refers to the unintentional passage of urine during sleep. Enuresis is the medical term for wetting, whether in the clothing during the day or in bed at night. Another name for enuresis is urinary incontinence. For infants and young children, urination is involuntary. Wetting is normal for them. Most children achieve some degree of bladder control by 4 years of age. Daytime control is usually achieved first, while nighttime control comes later.

The age at which bladder control is expected varies considerably. Some parents expect dryness at a very early age, while others not until much later. Such a time line may reflect the culture and attitudes of the parents and caregivers.

Factors that affect the age at which wetting is considered a problem include the following:

The child's gender: Bedwetting is more common in boys.
The child's development and maturity
The child's overall physical and emotional health. Chronic illness and/or emotional and physical abuse may predispose to bedwetting.
Causes

No one knows for sure what causes bed-wetting, but various factors may play a role:

A small bladder: Your child's bladder may not be developed enough to hold urine produced during the night.
Inability to recognize a full bladder: If the nerves that control the bladder are slow to mature, a full bladder may not wake your child, especially if your child is a deep sleeper.
A hormone imbalance: During childhood, some kids don't produce enough anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) to slow nighttime urine production.
Stress: Stressful events, such as becoming a big brother or sister, starting a new school, or sleeping away from home, may trigger bed-wetting.
Urinary tract infection: This infection can make it difficult for your child to control urination.
Sleep apnea: Sometimes bed-wetting is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the child's breathing is interrupted during sleep.
Diabetes: For a child who's usually dry at night, bed-wetting may be the first sign of diabetes.
A structural problem in the urinary tract or nervous system. Rarely, bed-wetting is related to a defect in the child's neurological system or urinary system.

Symptoms

Wetting during the day
Frequency, urgency, or burning on urination
Straining, dribbling, or other unusual symptoms with urination
Cloudy or pinkish urine, or blood stains on underpants or pajamas
Soiling, being unable to control bowel movements
Constipation
Most kids are fully toilet trained by age 5, but there's really no target date for developing complete bladder control. Between the ages of 5 and 7, bed-wetting remains a problem for some children. After 7 years of age, a small number of children still wet the bed.

When to see a doctor: Most children outgrow bed-wetting on their own, but some need a little help. In other cases, bed-wetting may be a sign of an underlying condition that needs medical attention.

Consult your child's doctor if:

Your child still wets the bed after age 7
Your child starts to wet the bed after a few months or more of being dry at night
Bed-wetting is accompanied by painful urination, unusual thirst, pink or red urine, hard stools, or snoring
Self-Care at Home-
Here are some tips for helping your child stop wetting the bed. These are techniques that are most often successful

Reduce evening fluid intake.
The child should urinate in the toilet before bedtime.
A system of sticker charts and rewards works for some children.
Make sure the child has safe and easy access to the toilet.
Some believe that you should avoid using diapers or pull-ups at home because they can interfere with the motivation to wake up and use the toilet.

Bedwetting or nocturnal enuresis, refers to the unintentional passage of urine during sleep. Enuresis is the medical term for wetting, whether in the clothing during the day or in bed at night. Another name for enuresis is urinary incontinence. For infants and young children, urination is involuntary. Wetting is normal for them. Most children achieve some degree of bladder control by 4 years of age. Daytime control is usually achieved first, while nighttime control comes later.

The age at which bladder control is expected varies considerably. Some parents expect dryness at a very early age, while others not until much later. Such a time line may reflect the culture and attitudes of the parents and caregivers.

Factors that affect the age at which wetting is considered a problem include the following:

The child's gender: Bedwetting is more common in boys.
The child's development and maturity
The child's overall physical and emotional health. Chronic illness and/or emotional and physical abuse may predispose to bedwetting.
Causes

No one knows for sure what causes bed-wetting, but various factors may play a role:

A small bladder: Your child's bladder may not be developed enough to hold urine produced during the night.
Inability to recognize a full bladder: If the nerves that control the bladder are slow to mature, a full bladder may not wake your child, especially if your child is a deep sleeper.
A hormone imbalance: During childhood, some kids don't produce enough anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) to slow nighttime urine production.
Stress: Stressful events, such as becoming a big brother or sister, starting a new school, or sleeping away from home, may trigger bed-wetting.
Urinary tract infection: This infection can make it difficult for your child to control urination.
Sleep apnea: Sometimes bed-wetting is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the child's breathing is interrupted during sleep.
Diabetes: For a child who's usually dry at night, bed-wetting may be the first sign of diabetes.
A structural problem in the urinary tract or nervous system. Rarely, bed-wetting is related to a defect in the child's neurological system or urinary system.

Symptoms

Wetting during the day
Frequency, urgency, or burning on urination
Straining, dribbling, or other unusual symptoms with urination
Cloudy or pinkish urine, or blood stains on underpants or pajamas
Soiling, being unable to control bowel movements
Constipation
Most kids are fully toilet trained by age 5, but there's really no target date for developing complete bladder control. Between the ages of 5 and 7, bed-wetting remains a problem for some children. After 7 years of age, a small number of children still wet the bed.

When to see a doctor: Most children outgrow bed-wetting on their own, but some need a little help. In other cases, bed-wetting may be a sign of an underlying condition that needs medical attention.

Consult your child's doctor if:

Your child still wets the bed after age 7
Your child starts to wet the bed after a few months or more of being dry at night
Bed-wetting is accompanied by painful urination, unusual thirst, pink or red urine, hard stools, or snoring
Self-Care at Home-
Here are some tips for helping your child stop wetting the bed. These are techniques that are most often successful

Reduce evening fluid intake.
The child should urinate in the toilet before bedtime.
A system of sticker charts and rewards works for some children.
Make sure the child has safe and easy access to the toilet.
Some believe that you should avoid using diapers or pull-ups at home because they can interfere with the motivation to wake up and use the toilet.