Children's Health For Dummies

by Holland, Katy; Jarvis, Sarah

• ISBN13: 9780470027356
• ISBN10: 0470027355
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-06
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Your children's good health is central to their happiness - and yours! For a parent, coping with a sick child is worrying and the amount of information you need to know can be overwhelming. But help is at hand with this practical, jargon free guide - packed full of information - providing advice on every aspect of your child's health. Outlining all the basics from vaccinations to visiting your doctor, it also provides expert advice on keeping your child healthy and how to spot what is wrong if they do become poorly. Helpful to both first time parents and those with more than one little angel, explanations of key symptoms and typical illnesses, along with first aid advice, provide you with the ideal complete reference to your child's health, from new-born to pre-teen.

Author Biography

Katy Holland is Deputy Editor of Mother & Baby magazine and a childcare columnist for the Independent on Sunday.

Dr Sarah Jarvis is the co-author of Pregnancy For Dummies and Diabetes For Dummies.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 7
About This Book	p. 1
Conventions Used in This Book	p. 1
How This Book Is Organised	p. 2
Children's Health: The Basics	p. 2
The First Year of Life	p. 2
Raising Healthy Children	p. 2
Symptoms, Illnesses, and Treatments	p. 2
Playing Doctors and Nurses: Looking After a Sick Child	p. 3
The Part of Tens	p. 3
Icons Used in This Book	p. 3
Where to Go from Here	p. 4
Children's Health: The Basics	p. 5
Your Child's Health in a Nutshell	p. 7
Keeping Your Child Healthy	p. 7
Eat, drink, and be healthy	p. 7
A moving story	p. 9
Breathing easy	p. 9
Getting good sleep	p. 10
Staying safe	p. 10
All protected	p. 11
All you need is	p. 11
Spotting the Signs That Something's Wrong	p. 11
Knowing When to Call a Doctor	p. 13
Who You Gonna Call?	p. 13
Trying a bit of DIY	p. 13
Going to your doctor or casualty	p. 14
Your Child's Body and Development	p. 15
Meeting Developmental Milestones	p. 15
Understanding Physical Development	p. 20
From birth to 24 months	p. 21
From 2 to 3 years	p. 23
From 4 to 5 years	p. 23
Considering Cognitive Development	p. 23
From birth to 24 months	p. 24
From 2 to 4 years	p. 24
From 4 to 7 years	p. 25
Looking at Social Development	p. 25
From birth to 24 months	p. 26
From 2 to 4 years	p. 26
From 5 to 7 years	p. 27
Watching Your Child Grow	p. 27
What's normal growth?	p. 28
Growth spurts	p. 29
Playing your role in your child's growth	p. 29
Checking Out Growth, Height, and Weight Charts	p. 30
Measuring body mass index (BMI)	p. 31
Grappling with growth disturbances	p. 31
The Immune System and Immunisation	p. 35
Finding Out How Your Child Fights Infections	p. 35
Do not enter: keeping the invaders out	p. 36
Looking for troublemakers	p. 36
Taking a systematic approach	p. 36
Like an elephant, the immune system never forgets	p. 37
Living Examples: Seeing the Immune System in Action	p. 38
A helping hand: antibiotics	p. 39
Looking at disorders of the immune system	p. 40
Boosting Your Child's Immune System	p. 40
Turbo-charging your child's defences	p. 40
Appreciating the role of nutrition	p. 42
Pricking the Surface: The Low-Down on Vaccinations	p. 44
Available vaccines and the vaccination schedule	p. 45
Explaining how jabs work	p. 47
What to expect on the day	p. 48
Dealing with side effects	p. 49
Answering commonly asked questions	p. 50
Considering alternatives to vaccinations	p. 51
Who's Who? The Roles of Healthcare Professionals	p. 53
Getting to Know Your Child's Doctor	p. 53
Finding a doctor	p. 54
Scheduling standard doctor visits	p. 55
Getting the Most Out of Your Health Visitor	p. 55
Making Friends with Your Pharmacist	p. 56
Dealing with the Dentist	p. 58
Understanding what the dentist does	p. 58
Overcoming fear of the dentist	p. 58
A Final Word and a Gentle Reminder	p. 59
The First Year of Life	p. 61
Is My Baby Okay? Health and Development Checks in the First Year	p. 63
Checking the Basics	p. 64
Making the Most of Your Clinic Appointments	p. 64
Finding Out About Your New Baby	p. 65
Testing, testing: Checks at birth	p. 65
Your baby's first full examination	p. 66
Catching Up with Your Baby at 6-8 Weeks	p. 70
Looking at what your baby can do at 6-8 weeks	p. 70
Muscling in or flopping out	p. 71
Helping your baby make sense of the world at 6-8 weeks	p. 71
That's Progress! Check-ups at 7-8 Months	p. 72
Looking at what your baby can do at 7-8 months	p. 73
Helping your baby develop at 7-8 months	p. 73
Weighing It Up: The Big Picture	p. 74
Monitoring your baby's weight	p. 74
'Light' babies	p. 75
'Heavy' babies	p. 75
Focusing on Your Baby's Eye Checks: Squints	p. 76
Listening In: Your Baby's Hearing Tests	p. 76
Making Exceptions: Your Premature Baby	p. 77
Feeding Your Baby	p. 79
Choosing to Breastfeed	p. 79
Spouting on about the health benefits of breast milk	p. 80
Getting started	p. 81
Expressing milk	p. 83
Overcoming common breastfeeding problems	p. 84
Considering Bottle-feeding	p. 86
Finding out about formula	p. 87
Bottle-feeding the healthy way	p. 88
Feeding baby	p. 89
Moving from breast to bottle	p. 89
Working Out When to Wean	p. 90
Spotting the telltale signs that your baby's ready for solids	p. 91
Getting started	p. 91
Moving on up: step-by-step weaning	p. 92
Introducing lumps and textures	p. 92
Harnessing health hazards	p. 93
Avoiding foods that could be harmful	p. 94
Making the transition from formula to cows' milk	p. 95
Introducing drinks with meals	p. 95
Troubleshooting: When Food and Your Baby Don't Agree	p. 96
Diagnosing food reactions in babies	p. 96
Getting geared up on gluten	p. 97
The truth about milk intolerance	p. 97
Spotting the Signs that Something's Wrong	p. 99
Finding Out Why Your Baby's Crying	p. 99
Reading the signs that your baby's in pain	p. 101
Comforting your crying baby	p. 102
Coping with persistent crying	p. 102
Getting to the Bottom of Tummy Troubles	p. 103
Contemplating causes of stomach complaints	p. 103
Preventing dehydration	p. 105
What's That in Her Nappy?	p. 106
Getting all blocked up about constipation	p. 106
Having a wee look at your baby's waterworks	p. 108
Weighing Things Up: Failure to Thrive	p. 108
Finding out what causes failure to thrive	p. 109
Diagnosing and treating failure to thrive	p. 109
Teething Times: Nothing but the Tooth	p. 110
Spotting the signs of teething	p. 110
Nipping teething pain in the bud	p. 112
Hello World! Common Newborn Health Niggles	p. 113
Baby Basics: Holding, Bathing, and Keeping Warm	p. 114
This way up: Picking up your baby	p. 114
Making sure he's not too hot or cold	p. 114
Keeping your baby clean	p. 115
Blotches, Spots, and All: Caring for Your Baby's Brand New Skin	p. 115
Seeing spots	p. 116
Regarding rashes	p. 116
Focusing on birthmarks	p. 117
Dealing with dry areas	p. 118
Tackling cradle cap head-on	p. 119
Jaundice, Colic, and Other Early Worries: Adapting to Life Outside the Womb	p. 120
Making sense of newborn jaundice	p. 120
Combating colic: Every parent's nightmare	p. 121
Reflecting on reflux	p. 123
Dealing with Delicate Areas	p. 124
Caring for your baby's umbilical cord	p. 124
Homing in on hernias	p. 125
Getting to the bottom of nappy rash	p. 125
Going gooey eyed	p. 126
Thrashing out thrush	p. 127
Diagnosing urinary tract infections	p. 127
Raising Healthy Children	p. 129
The Importance of Nutrition	p. 131
Meeting Your Child's Nutritional Needs	p. 131
Making sense of food groups	p. 132
Playing a vital role: Vitamins	p. 132
Ruling out mineral deficiencies	p. 133
Putting it all on a plate	p. 134
Establishing Healthy Eating Habits	p. 135
Getting up for breakfast	p. 135
Stocking up on healthy foods	p. 136
Making food interesting	p. 136
Eating together	p. 137
Ditching the junk food	p. 138
Sussing out salt	p. 139
Feeding fussy eaters	p. 140
Fat-finding: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	p. 141
Getting the best from fats	p. 141
Keeping the bad guys under control	p. 142
Exposing the Bitter Truth about Sugar	p. 142
Seeing how sugar can affect your child's health	p. 143
Hunting for hidden sugars	p. 143
Cutting down on the sweet stuff	p. 144
A word about fizzy drinks	p. 145
Raising a Healthy Vegetarian	p. 145
Pondering possible deficiencies	p. 146
Doing dairy-free and vegan diets	p. 146
Exercise, Activity, and Play	p. 149
Looking at the Benefits of Exercise	p. 149
Inspiring Your Child to Get off the Sofa	p. 150
Family fun	p. 150
Organised sports	p. 152
Finding activities to suit your child	p. 152
Maximising your chances for success	p. 153
Exercising an overweight child	p. 154
Working out how much is enough	p. 155
Taking Sensible Precautions	p. 155
Minimising the risk of injury	p. 155
Eating and resting	p. 156
Understanding the Impact of Television on Your Child	p. 157
TV or not TV: The adverse affects of too much telly	p. 158
Television-watching for children under 2 years	p. 159
Keeping control of the small screen	p. 159
Dozing Off: The Importance of Sleep	p. 161
Uncovering the Mysteries of Sleep	p. 161
Looking at sleep stages	p. 162
Working out how much sleep your child needs	p. 163
Establishing Healthy Sleeping Habits	p. 164
Fixing broken nights	p. 164
Getting into a routine	p. 165
Solving Common Sleep Problems	p. 166
Helping your unwell child sleep	p. 166
Working through wee problems: bedwetting	p. 167
Sleepwalking and Monster-spotting: Nightmare Scenarios	p. 169
Dealing with night terrors	p. 170
Looking after your sleepwalking child	p. 170
Getting rid of monsters under the bed	p. 170
To sleep, perchance to snore	p. 171
Making Sure That Your Baby Sleeps Safely	p. 171
Sleeping in a cot	p. 172
Bed sharing	p. 172
Reducing the risk of cot death	p. 172
Monitoring your baby's breathing	p. 173
Basic Hygiene and the War on Germs	p. 175
Hygiene How-Tos	p. 175
Dishing the dirt on hand-washing	p. 176
Understanding sterilising	p. 176
Preventing food poisoning	p. 178
Treating food poisoning and tummy upsets	p. 179
Talking about your pet subject	p. 180
Nursery Nasties	p. 181
Nitpicking	p. 181
Worrying about worms	p. 182
Dealing with sticky eyes	p. 183
Tackling Teeth	p. 183
Getting protective	p. 183
Keeping teeth clean	p. 184
Visiting the dentist	p. 185
Symptoms, Illnesses, and Treatments	p. 187
Symptoms and What They May Mean	p. 189
Tackling Headaches Head-on	p. 189
Finding and solving the problem	p. 190
Managing migraine	p. 191
Sussing out sinusitis	p. 191
When a headache's an emergency	p. 192
Mum, I've Got Earache!	p. 192
Spotting the symptoms	p. 193
Treating the infection	p. 194
Getting All Gummed Up about Glue Ear	p. 195
Spotting signs of glue ear	p. 195
Working out what to do	p. 196
Coping with glue ear	p. 197
Getting to the Bottom of Tummy Ache	p. 197
Helping to soothe away the pain	p. 198
Diagnosing constipation	p. 199
Beating tummy bugs	p. 200
Checking for appendicitis	p. 202
Soothing a Sore Throat	p. 203
Common Childhood Illnesses	p. 205
Chickenpox	p. 205
Colds	p. 207
Cold Sores	p. 207
Croup	p. 209
Ear Infections	p. 210
Encephalitis	p. 210
Flu (Influenza)	p. 210
German Measles (Rubella)	p. 211
Glandular Fever	p. 212
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease	p. 213
Impetigo	p. 213
Measles	p. 214
Meningitis	p. 215
Mumps	p. 216
Nettle Rash (Urticaria)	p. 217
Pneumonia	p. 217
Psoriasis	p. 218
Ringworm	p. 219
Roseola	p. 220
Scarlet Fever	p. 220
Slapped-Cheek Syndrome (Fifth Disease)	p. 221
Sore Throat	p. 221
Tonsillitis	p. 222
Tuberculosis (TB)	p. 222
Whooping Cough	p. 223
Allergies, Asthma, and Eczema	p. 225
Understanding Allergies	p. 225
Floating around: Common airborne allergens	p. 226
Digesting the facts about food allergies and intolerance	p. 227
Looking at other common allergens	p. 229
A word about anaphylaxis	p. 230
Diagnosing and Treating Allergies	p. 231
Uncovering the culprits	p. 231
Controlling your child's allergy	p. 232
Reducing your child's symptoms	p. 233
Considering complementary therapies	p. 233
Taking a Closer Look at Asthma	p. 234
Sussing out the symptoms and triggers	p. 234
Treating asthma	p. 235
Dealing with an asthma attack	p. 236
Making sure that you don't make it worse	p. 236
Itching to Find Out About Eczema	p. 237
Spotting the symptoms of eczema	p. 237
Treating eczema	p. 237
Keeping eczema under control	p. 239
Behavioural Problems and Emotional Health	p. 241
Exploring Emotional Development	p. 242
Recognising signs of anxiety and phobias	p. 242
Helping your child deal with fear and anxiety	p. 244
Building Healthy Self-Esteem	p. 245
Identifying low self-esteem	p. 246
Helping your child develop self-esteem	p. 246
Developing Social Skills	p. 247
Homing in on Hyperactivity	p. 249
Identifying a hyperactive child	p. 249
Coping with hyperactivity	p. 250
Behaving badly: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)	p. 251
Diagnosing ADHD	p. 252
Treating your child with ADHD	p. 253
Diagnosing Dyslexia and Dyspraxia	p. 256
Understanding Autism	p. 257
Playing Doctors and Nurses: Looking After a Sick Child	p. 259
Caring for an Ill Child	p. 261
Looking After Your Child at Home	p. 262
Taking your child's temperature	p. 262
Nursing care 101	p. 263
Surviving at night	p. 265
Get thee to a doctor! Emergency situations	p. 266
Fighting a Fever	p. 267
Cooling down	p. 267
Dealing with febrile convulsions	p. 268
Taking Your Child to Hospital	p. 269
Going to A&E	p. 270
Planned admissions	p. 270
Staying Sane	p. 273
Knowing Something about Medicines	p. 275
Giving Medicines Safely	p. 275
Measuring up	p. 276
Getting your child to take the medicine	p. 276
Giving drops	p. 277
Abiding by the golden rules	p. 279
Understanding Commonly Used Medications	p. 280
Painkillers	p. 280
Antibiotics	p. 281
Steroids	p. 282
Looking at Complementary Medicines	p. 284
Considering homeopathy for your child	p. 284
Using herbal medicine for your child	p. 286
Osteopathy and chiropractic	p. 287
Aromatherapy	p. 287
Knowing Something about First Aid	p. 289
Staying Calm in an Emergency	p. 289
Some Common First Aid Emergencies	p. 290
A knocked-out tooth	p. 290
A nosebleed	p. 291
Trapped fingers	p. 291
Splinters	p. 292
Blisters	p. 293
The ABC of Resuscitation	p. 293
Resuscitating your baby or child	p. 293
Putting your child in the recovery position	p. 295
Performing CPR on Your Baby or Child	p. 296
Giving CPR to your baby	p. 296
Giving CPR to your child	p. 297
Treating Your Child for Shock	p. 298
Coping with Bleeding	p. 298
Minor cuts and grazes	p. 299
Severe bleeding	p. 299
Dealing with Your Choking Child	p. 300
Treating your choking baby	p. 301
Treating your choking child	p. 302
Treating Burns and Scalds	p. 302
Electrical burns and shocks	p. 303
Chemical burns	p. 304
Handling Poisoning	p. 304
Looking After Bites and Stings	p. 305
The Part of Tens	p. 307
Ten Ways to Stay Healthy on Holiday	p. 309
Ensure You're Insured	p. 309
Have the Jabs	p. 310
Take Care in the Sun	p. 310
Don't Let the Bugs (or Other Animals) Bite	p. 312
Pack Up Your Troubles: The Medical Kit	p. 312
Water, Water, Everywhere...	p. 312
Food, Glorious Food...	p. 313
Fly in Comfort	p. 313
Nip Travel Sickness in the Bud	p. 314
Watch Out! Children About!	p. 314
Ten Health Web Sites You Can Trust	p. 315
Asthma UK	p. 315
British Nutrition Foundation	p. 316
British Red Cross	p. 316
Child Accident Prevention Trust	p. 316
Children First for Health	p. 317
Complementary Healthcare Information Service, UK	p. 317
NetDoctor	p. 317
NHS Direct Online	p. 318
Patient UK	p. 318
WellChild	p. 319
Ten Ways to Keep Your Child Safe at Home	p. 321
Let the Alarm Bells Ring	p. 321
If You Can't Stand the Heat...	p. 322
Don't Go Stair-crazy	p. 323
Brush Away Toilet Troubles	p. 324
Watch Out for Windows	p. 325
Go Get the Gadgets	p. 325
Try Not To Be Shocked	p. 325
Play it Safe	p. 326
How Does Your Garden Grow?	p. 327
Take Care in the Car	p. 327
Index	p. 329
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