Know the signs of childhood asthma  

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Uzma Muneer, D.O. with a specialty in Pediatrics wrote for Edward-Elmhurst Health that it’s upsetting to see your child coughing, wheezing or, even worse, struggling to breathe.Pediatric asthma is the most common serious chronic disease in infants and children, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

In children with asthma, the lungs and airways become inflamed when exposed to certain triggers. Asthma symptoms can interfere with school, sports, sleep, and daily life. Unmanaged asthma can lead to dangerous asthma attacks and damage to growing lungs.

Many children with asthma also have food allergies, skin allergies (e.g., eczema), or hay fever. Children with a family history of allergies and/or asthma and frequent respiratory infections are also at greater risk for pediatric asthma. Also, low birth weight and exposure to secondhand smoke before and/or after birth can increase risk.

While symptoms can begin at any age, most children with asthma have their first symptoms by age 5. Not all children wheeze; sometimes the only symptom is a chronic cough. Other children have symptoms only when exercising.

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How to Get Your Kids Outside and Active this Summer  

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Writer Sierra Powell asks, “Have you ever wondered what to do with the kids after a long day in school?”   Some actives can either be fun, recreational, or educational to keep your children occupied. Some of these activities help your kids develop spatial, science, reading, Math, and writing skills every day. The advantage of some activities after school can be so much fun they won’t know they are learning.

DIY Creations

Since schools can be a whole day of sports and academia, students might come home tired and mentally exhausted. A little fun won’t be wrong to break the dullness. For you to make sure children stay proactive, it’s essential to keep them on a schedule of activities this Summer. It’s vital to find fun activities and chores to instill discipline through duties and activities.

It’s good you provide them with random recycled materials, scissors, glue and tell them to create a bridge or a different idea that you might have.

Chalk Drawing on the Sidewalk

After children have spent their day indoors in rigorous academic learning, there is nothing wrong with spending some time outdoors. A good game you can introduce to your children Is drawing objects on the sidewalk and let them guess.

After spending all day inside and focus, it is great to spend some time outside after school. We like to play one game to guess the picture with the sidewalk and let the others think about what the images stand for. Chalk Drawing boosts the children’s creativity to turn a word into a picture and be an “outside the box thinker.”

Chalk Drawing helps kids learn to think creatively to turn a word into a picture and think out of the box and think of ways to enable their team to attempt to know the word. If you happen to have enough kids, you can vary the game and play it in groups. You can even introduce spelling words and vocabulary in a fun way.

Make a Snack!

Children, in general, love treats. The evening hours can be a great time to instill kids with skills to create snack recipes and follow them keenly. You win as a caregiver if you label anything as a treat since it gets them exciting. Snack preparation serves as a double duty to teach your kids basic cooking skills and follow instructions and cook.

A good snack recipe I would suggest is peanut butter energy balls. Read more 

Sleeping for two  

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Edward-Elmhurst Healthy shared in its Healthy Driven Bog that We’ve all heard of the saying “eating for two” when you’re pregnant. Now health professionals are highlighting the importance of “sleeping for two.”

For moms-to-be, the effects of poor sleep go beyond irritability, exhaustion, and poor concentration. Research suggests insufficient and low-quality sleep during pregnancy can disrupt normal immune function and lead to birth-related complications.

One study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that expectant moms who slept less than six hours a night had longer labors and were 4.5 times more likely to have a cesarean section compared with women who slept seven hours or more.

Another study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found a link between poor sleep during pregnancy and complications at birth, including low birth weight and preterm birth. The study also found that women with depression were more likely to suffer from disturbed sleep, and vice versa; and the combination of the two increased the risk for birth complications.

Even knowing the importance of sleeping well during pregnancy, it’s easier said than done. Hormonal changes, discomfort, frequent bathroom trips, indigestion, and anxiety can all disrupt the quality and quantity of sleep. Read more 

Maintaining a Healthy Pregnancy  

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College of DuPage Nursing Student  Ana Dedescu wrote for Healthy Lombard that whether it’s a “surprise” or a planned pregnancy when the decision to have a baby becomes final, congratulations are in order! The first step is to schedule a prenatal visit with a healthcare provider. This is the longest visit so adequate time for it is necessary; it includes an interview, a physical examination, and laboratory tests. It is probably a good idea to write down questions or concerns to ask the doctor. Some questions that are relevant for a prenatal visit include:

  • What medicines can I take during pregnancy?
  • When should I start taking a prenatal vitamin? What kind is best?
  • What foods to avoid eating?
  • How much folic acid do I need to take each day?
  • How can I prevent or reduce swelling?
  • How much weight should I gain while pregnant?” (familydoctor.org)

After the first visit, the health care provider will set a regular schedule for visits to occur monthly before 28 weeks; every 2 weeks between weeks 28 and 36, and weekly from weeks 36 to delivery (www.nichd.nih.gov). Read more 

GRANDMA GOT HER COVID VACCINE, CAN WE VISIT HER?  

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Xiaoyan Song, PhD, MBBS, MSc, is the Director of the Infection Control/Epidemiology at Children’s National Hospital and an Investigator in the Children’s National Research Institute.  She asked in the “Rise and Shine” Blog, “Grandma got her COVID vaccine, can we visit her without masks and give her hugs? If not, what precautions should we take?”

It is wonderful that grandma has received her coronavirus vaccine. The vaccination will boost grandma’s strength to fight against the viruses if she comes across them. With the vaccine, grandma is at a much lower risk of becoming sick with COVID-19 and having a serious infection. All of this is great news for the family.

What’s even better news is that grandma doesn’t have to wear a mask when you visit her, as long as everyone visiting is from the same household. If you can ensure that, then you can enjoy a visit to grandma’s house without a mask. Read more 

Understanding the Bully  

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Sarah Mattie, the Content Production Editor at MSWDegrees.org shared with Healthy Lombard that bullying is an idea that strikes anger in parents’ hearts and exasperation in the minds of teachers and others who work with kids.

If you’re a parent and your child tells you they’re being bullied, your immediate response is likely to defend your kid. Perhaps you even thought—or said—the bully is a “bad kid.” That’s a totally reasonable reaction. You don’t want your child to hurt.

If you work in a school, chances are you’ve sat through countless professional development sessions being told about the effects of bullying and learning about your school’s “zero-tolerance policy.”

But in both cases, it’s possible you still felt a bit helpless. If you work with kids, you may know zero-tolerance policies don’t work, posters saying “be a friend, not a bully!” do nothing, and punishments are often disproportionately used against students with special needs and who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQ+. If you’re a parent, you aren’t there to help at school, and you can’t hover over a smartphone 24/7.

Often, the talk about bullying focuses on “victims.” But what if some of the focus was shifted to the “bullies” themselves? When we talk about other dangerous situations, like criminality, we care about the victims’ welfare—but we know interventions are needed for the perpetrators. Only they can truly stop their own behaviors.

This article explores the nature of bullying, why kids engage in bullying behaviors, the long-term consequences if the underlying issues aren’t addressed, and steps you can take to help those who bully before it’s too late. Read more 

Announcing the NEW (Pandemic EBT SNAP Benefits (P-EBT) Program for Kids  

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Did you know that P-EBT is a temporary food benefits program operating during the COVID-19 pandemic and that P-EBT provides benefits to all eligible children without needing to apply?  This is because, due to schools going remote/hybrid, the children didn’t receive their school meals.

The P-EBT Program will reimburse families who qualify for Free/reduced meals.

And Beginning in March 2021, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will issue P-EBT benefits to families with eligible children for the 2020-2021 school year. So, families receiving the regular SNAP and non-SNAP households can qualify for P-EBT benefits.

The P-EBT cards being issued to families will be initially loaded, for meals missed from the beginning of the 2020 school year (Aug /Sept) to December 2020, and reloaded periodically until after the school year ends in May/June 2021.  So once a family receives this card, they need to hang on to it and access the funds as they are deposited.

Along with the DuPage Federation, the Northern Illinois Food Bank put together an easy Flow chart for the families to see if they qualify and what their next step should be (available in English, Spanish, Arabic Polish, Urdu & Zho).  There is also a FAQ sheet that goes into details of the program—in an easily understandable way.  The FAQ is available in English & Spanish.   There is also a Flyer more Specific to SNAP (bilingual).

Please click on the links above to access these documents.

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What’s on Your Hands?  

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College of DuPage Nursing Student Ashley Gilpin wrote for Healthy Lombard that children are told from a young age to wash their hands. But why is this necessary? Is this because they are dirty or have germs on them and if so, aren’t germs good for building a healthy immune system? Washing hands is such a simple task that is performed countless times a day without actually knowing what is on them. The reality is that there is usually all sort of good and bad things on the hands of an individual.

Certain bacteria that collect on the hands each day are actually considered vital for healing open wounds and cuts. Any scratch that impairs skin integrity initiates an inflammatory response, and the presence of microbes modulates the inflammatory response (Geddes, 2009). Without these normal bacteria on the hands, the body is not able to heal properly. Bacteria may be harmful, however, when an open wound occurs on the body.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing was a common practice, but it has increased since it began. According to Courtney (2019), however, 92% of individuals claim they wash their hands after using the restroom, yet only about 66% of them actually do. On average, the typical individual touches an estimated 60,000 germs a day, with about one to two percent of these germs considered dangerous to the immune system. The most common harmful bacteria and viruses that we encounter include ‘staph’, E. Coli, salmonella, types of fungi, and certain parasites (Courtney, 2019), and those that cause the cold and flu. The most common locations of these harmful bacteria are door handles, ATMs, shopping carts, keys, money, purses, wallets, remote controls, bathrooms, restaurant menus, and most importantly, cellphones (Brownstein & Chitale, 2008) and many of these bacteria may live on surfaces for up to 24 hours. Read more 

3 EXPERT TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CHILD’S TEETH HEALTHY  

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Mitali Y. Patel, DDS, a board-certified pediatric dentist and program director of the pediatric dentistry residency at Children’s National share in the “Rise and Shine” Newsletter that cavities are preventable and, for National Children’s Dental Health Month, Dr. Mitali Patel, a pediatric dentist at Children’s National Hospital, is sharing some tips for keeping your child’s teeth healthy.

“Dental health is an important part of a child’s overall health and oral health is important because it’s more than preventing cavities,” says Dr. Patel. “It includes a range of health and disease prevention, including alignment of facial bones, jaws, and teeth. Maintaining nutrition, communication, growth, and development are also important.”

Dental visits

It is recommended that children see the dentist around age 1 or at the time of the first tooth eruption. After the first dental visit, children should continue to see their dentist every six months for a dental cleaning and an oral health exam. An oral health exam includes checking the teeth for cavities, checking the tissues of the head, face, and mouth for disease as well as evaluating growth and development. Each visit also includes education of the child and parent on how to maintain good oral health and prevent potential oral health issues.

Sometimes, children can be nervous about going to the dentist. It can be helpful to read a book about going to the dentist or visiting your dentist’s office beforehand. Bring younger siblings to observe older siblings, which can help them become comfortable too. Read more 

FINDING THE RIGHT CARDIOLOGIST FOR YOUR CHILD  

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Jeffrey A. Becker, MD,  the Medical Director of Outpatient Cardiology at Children’s National wrote in the “Rise and Shine Blog” that finding a cardiologist for your child may seem like a daunting task, especially when your child needs immediate care. Here are four tips to make finding a pediatric cardiologist less stressful.

  1. Do your research

Pediatric cardiologists go through specific training to learn everything there is to know about the hearts of growing kids. This includes medical school, specialty training, and sometimes additional subspecialty training, depending on the type of cardiology care that they provide.

Take a look at what different doctors have focused on during their medical training to see if they are a good fit for your child. You also can look at their practice history and specific interests. In some cases, hospitals and practices post physician ratings and patient satisfaction scores on their websites.

  1. Consider a specialist

Most of the time, visits to the cardiologist will be pretty straight-forward, but occasionally cardiac issues may require a little more expertise in a specific area, such as interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, or cardiac surgery.

Take the time to research the cardiac specialties offered and narrow down your search according to your child’s needs. Choose someone who can provide access to the care you need, when you need it; whether that means that they have the expertise your child needs or that they can connect you with other specialists who do.

  1. Get in the conversation

Parents should feel included in the care process. Take the time to talk to providers and make sure your voice is heard. After all, you know your child best.

A family-centered cardiologist will consider the concerns of family members and provide adequate instruction on how to care for their children throughout the process. Read more