When I was a child, I had difficulty breathing and after a visit to the doctor, I found out that I have asthma. It was not much of a surprise actually because my mother had asthma as well. I guess it runs in the blood.

Asthma among children can bring in different physical and behavioral symptoms. You have to pay close attention to your child so that you can spot the early signs of asthma. I found a list of the most common symptoms from the American Lung Association. Here is the list:

1. Coughing at night. Usually, this is not related to an illness.
2. Frequent clearing of the throat.
3. Irregularities in breathing.
4. Wheezing sound.
5. Very loud breathing.
6. In some children, the notch slightly above the Adam’s apple sinks in as they breathe.
7. Usual paleness or sweating

Even the smallest people get thirsty. Are you kidding me? We all need water when we get thirsty. However, water seems to be the worst enemy for a baby. Babies under 6 months of age can suffer water intoxication if they have more than enough H2O in their system according to a research conducted by physicians at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.

The physicians urged that parents should not give water to babies 6 months old and below because giving them too much water causes their bodies to release sodium along with the excess water. This happens because their kidney’s are not mature yet. Early water intoxication include irritability, drowsiness and other mental state changes. Seizures, low body temperature and swelling in the face are the other symptoms to look out for.

If you think that they are thirsty, the only thing that you should give them is breast milk or their formula. If you are suspecting that your kid has acquired water intoxication, then it is best that you contact your baby’s physician immediately.

As the summer heat strikes, it is unavoidable for your child to not have sunburn. Summer is always the most active time for kids and they spend most of the time outside playing under the extreme heat of the sun.

Eventually, the sun will take its toll. Sunburn will soon follow and your child will come running to you in pain. If this happens, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has given a few tips of the trade.

1. Give your child a cool bath.
2. Apply cold compress.
3. Put moisturizer, aloe or hydrocortisone cream. Avoid Benadryl or bezocaine because they have a risk of reaction.
4. Give your kid acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain
5. Leave any of the blisters alone to reduce the risk of infection. Do not attempt to pop or drain them.
6. Keep your kid out of the sun while the sunburn is still in the healing process.

Getting a urine sample from children can be a very frustrating process. As we all know, samples of urine is very important to check for diseases. However, there was a new device, the vibrating bladder stimulator that has a goal of making a young child urinate faster.

According to doctors, however, this device will not make the process a lot easier. There is currently no ideal solution that addresses the problems of speed, convenience, effect on the child, accuracy and risk of complications.

Researchers have observed the stimulator on children between 2 weeks and 35 months old. The parents were given instructions on how to use them. The device was used for 1 minute every 5 minutes. Five parents reported that the child became pretty upset while using the device and some said that there was a red mark on their skin.

The conclusion of the researchers is that there is still no solution to the urinary collection problem. The natural way of urinating is still the best bet that can be employed by parents and carers.

According to recent observations, there is an alarming increase of birth defect risk when a baby is born pre-term. Researchers have tracked nearly 7 million babies born between 1995 and 2000 to get a better understanding about birth defects. About 8 percent of babies that are born prematurely have birth defects as compared to full term babies who are just 3 percent in rating.

The normal pregnancy lasts roughly 40 weeks and those born before 37 weeks are considered premature. Those who are born between 24 and 31 weeks are at the highest risk for birth defects. Some of the most common defects include central nervous system defects like spina bifida and heart problems.

As a suggestion, expecting mothers should avoid smoking during the period of pregnancy and watch their weight carefully. These are major causes of premature births and birth defects.

Safety should be number one on the list of every pregnant woman. Why? because there are two lives that are at stake here - the mom and the baby. If you need to take a trip or at least if you are planning to take a trip while pregnant, you have to check with your doctor first to be sure that it is safe for you to travel. Most women can travel safely but if there are a couple of complications with your pregnancy, then you may not be able to go on that trip.

Here are a few of the travel tips that the American Pregnancy Association have suggested:

1. If possible try to travel during the second trimester. It is usually most comfortable since the morning sickness has passed and the fatigue of the third trimester is still up ahead.

2. Wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes always.

3. Take things that will make you feel more comfortable such as pillows and some snacks to satisfy you.

4. If you will be driving, stop once in a while to get up and stretch. Take plenty of bathroom breaks as well.

5. Always take your parental records wherever you may go.

The thought of surgery scares me. Hey, I’m a grown man. What more for a child? If your kid is going to undergo surgery, it is important to fully prepare your child before even getting dressed to go to the hospital.

To prepare your kid, you must prepare yourself as well. Find out as much as you can about the surgery. This way, if he asks you about it, you can easily answer his questions and give him an honest opinion about things. Being honest does not mean that you will tell him things that might make him get even more scared. Tell him things that are appropriate for a child to hear but make sure that it is true. Read books with your kid while preparing for a trip to the hospital. This will relax him and ease some tension. When you reach the hospital, take a tour of the hospital and to the place where your child will undergo surgery. Lastly, be strong for your child. You should give him the strength and courage to move on and undergo the surgery.

There were studies that urge women to be stress free during pregnancy. According to research, babies who are born to mothers experiencing high levels of stress become more involved in allergic and asthmatic reactions. The babies become more reactive to allergens even if they are just exposed to low levels.

An author of the study Junnette Peters said that stress may make women more susceptible to allergens because it makes the cells more permeable.

This study is very interesting because it states the things that happen before birth can have long lasting effects. For women who are about to become mothers, it will be good to lower the stress levels and generally live a healthy lifestyle physically and emotionally.

Sometimes, a child goes astray. There are many things or experiences that can trigger a child to go astray and turn into alcohol, drugs or anything that can satisfy his defiance.

We may not have the guts as parents to bring our child into a rehab facility. Most of us wants to simply take care of our kids in the comfort of our homes instead of bringing them in a home where they may feel that they are locked up.

But then, we have to be strong for our kid who went astray. If not, where else can they find the strength to move on and turn their backs away from addiction? The least that we can do for now is to have them realize that we accept them even if things did not go well and to look for a place that is the best for them.

I was watching Criminal Minds with my 11 year old kid. The show was pretty tough for a young guy like him but he wants to have a crack at the old guy’s shows so I had to let him watch a couple. I was there of course to explain things and to distract him if there are scenes that are not appropriate for his age.

Sooner or later there will come a time that he has to watch the TV on his own. So I am actually training him at a young age to choose which programs to watch and to cope up and be mature enough to think that it is just simply a television show that has hidden lessons and facts that he could somehow use when the right time comes.

Parental guidance is highly important for kids especially when they are watching movies or TV shows. Why? Because if nobody explains the scenes that appear to be vague in their understanding then chances are, he will find the answers on his own through friends or any other media that he can think of. You do not want this to happen of course especially if the scenes pertain to sex. So be there for your child when he watches parental guidance shows.