FAMILY VACATION HEALTH TIPS

Parenting is a juggle between risk and benefit: minimizing danger without removing all experiences and opportunities. Taking a vacation is no exception: you don’t want to put the kids at risk, but you don’t want them to miss the thrill of getting away either. 

With a little planning, travelling with kids is easy and fun, and most risks can be reduced to just about zero. How much planning you have to do depends on where are you going, how you are getting there, what you plan on doing, your kids' ages, and any special needs they may have.  

Start with a checklist

Depending on your family’s circumstances, making a pre-travel checklist may seem a bit much. But using a checklist puts you in good company: along with engineers, pilots, and military commanders, surgeons use them. They all do so because making a mistake can be catastrophic with no opportunity for a ‘do-over’. With travel, it may not be life or death, but do you really want to miss your flight because you forgot your child’s passport? Or get ill because you didn’t get the recommended vaccinations for a country you are visiting? 

Use these pages to figure out what applies to your family travel plans and create the checklist from the relevant information. 

Find out about your destination

Consult your government’s travel advisory website for up-to-date travel safety and security information and other advice you may not have thought of. For example, if you are travelling with your child but not your spouse or ex-spouse, you might want to complete a travel consent form so no-one thinks you are kidnapping your own child!

Hot climes

If you are going to somewhere hot, you should be thinking about the sun. What is the right kind of sunscreen for your child and how often should you apply it? You need to think about how to avoidsunburn and what to do if your child gets it.  Avoiding sunburn is also your child’s responsibility. They can learn all about it on the sun safety for kids page. 

Even when you are covered up, the sun – and heat – can cause other issues. To protect yourself and your family, learn the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. And don’t forget about beingsafe in the water as you cool off and have fun.

Cold climes

If you are headed for a winter destination, you should think about all the extra clothing you should pack to be properly dressed for the cold. You should also know the signs of common cold weather injuries and how to avoid them. Winter destinations usually mean being on the slopes, on the ice, or in the wilderness. Here are some tips about staying safe while having fun doing your winter activities.

Vaccinations and infectious diseases

Depending on where you are going, you and your children may need vaccinations in addition to the shots your child should already get at home.  To find out if this is necessary, and to see if there are other health precautions you should take on your holiday, visit your government’s foreign travel health website.

If your destination is out of the ordinary or perhaps on the wild side, you may also wish to visit a travel medicine clinic. There, you can get medical advice, health insurance, and any neccessary vaccinations. There is also a wealth of books offering great advice on taking children to both near and far-flung places.

You should also remember that when you return home, you are not necessarily out of the woods. If you or your child get a fever days or even weeks after your vacation, tell your doctor about your travels: there is a possibility you might have brought a bug back with you. 

Pack a first-aid kit for common ailments

Although at most destinations you will be able to buy pain relievers and medicines for diarrhea, it's a good idea to bring these things anyway. Put together a small first aid kit​ with these items and any other medication your family needs. Remember to bring the paper presecription with you as well. 

Keep your kids happy and safe in transit

Depending on the length of your journey, you may want to preemptively deal with boredom and bad behaviour by bringing lots of games and toys to keep kids occupied during the trip. 

Travelling by air

Dr Pat has great advice about travelling with children on airplanes – even if the kids aren’t yours. And in this new world of security and its intrusions, the good doctor also has some suggestions about how to explain measure such as ‘pat-downs’ and body scanners.

Travelling by car

Most kids and parents are more familiar with car travel. At this point, everyone should know that kids big and small need to be in a car or booster seat. If you are renting a car, make sure you can rent a child safety seat as well.

If your kids are prone to car sickness, they can read all about it on our Just for Kids motion sickness page. There, they can learn tips on how to avoid getting sick and giggle at the word "barf," which features prominently on the page. 

Keep food safety in mind

Food poisoning is a great way to ruin a vacation. Find out how to protect your family from food-borne illness. 

Travel advice for kids with special needs  

A health condition shouldn't prevent your family from having a great time on vacation. For advice on some specific conditions:

• Food allergies and travel
• Diabetes and vacations
• Epilepsy and travel

Tailor your activities to your kids' age and abilities

Depending on how old your kids are, their level of maturity, and their interests, you may wish to adjust your plans to suit. You know your kids best. Some general advice:

• Make sure they stay active.
• Let them know what the rules are.
• Plan for rest breaks and a reasonable pace, given their ages and abilities.
• Make sure they are supervised as necessary.

Have fun!

Wherever you go and whatever you do, a vacation is a special time when you and your family can enjoy each other's company in a new and different setting. Make the most of it. Bon voyage!

Diets high in processed foods at the age of three years is associated with lower IQ at age eight and a half years.

Diet high in fat, sugar and processed foods lowers the IQ of children, formula one study. The report said eating habits at the age of three years form the performance of the brain when it becomes old. Diet is a lot of food has been processed at the age of three years directly associated with a lower IQ at age eight and a half years, according to a Bristol-based study of thousands of children British children. The Avon longitudinal Study of Parents and Children has made ​​observations on health and long-term well-being of about 14,000 children. food especially rich in vitamins and nutrients have helped improve the performance of the brain when the child grows, the real report of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health . The researchers said the diet of small children may alter levels of IQ in later childhood, even eating habits improved with age. "This suggests that any impact of cognitive / behavior related to eating habits in early childhood may persist up to the age of children, although there are subsequent changes in food intake, "the real writing. During the study, parents answered questionnaires detailing the types and frequency of meals and drinks provided to children their children when they were three, four, seven and eight and a half years. Each increase of one point in the study of dietary pattern scores (a record of processed fat intake) is associated with a 1.67 point decline in IQ. brain grows most rapidly at the first three years of life. "It is possible that good nutrition during this period may encourage optimal brain growth," added the report.director of research The School Food Trust, Michael Nelson, said: "With about 23 percent of children who start school overweight or obese, it is very clear that healthy choices in their early development is to their benefit, not only to maintain a healthy weight as they grow up, but as the evidence suggests, it is also to enhance their ability to achieve good results at school . "These findings also demonstrate the importance of helping all those involved with early childhood development for information and advice they need on good nutrition." The definition of processed food: food that has been specially treated (eg, drying, freezing, canning) to make it last longer, improve appearance or to make it easier to use.

Babies fed solid foods before 4 months at risk of obesity

Babies fed solid foods before 4 months at risk of OBESITY

formula-fed babies who start eating solid foods before they reach the age of 4 months is likely to be obese than those started later, the results of a study. This finding supports guidelines that say parents waiting their babies up should be between the ages of 4 to 6 months to start giving them solid food, said Dr. Susanna Huh, one of the main researchers from Children's Hospital Boston. "Complying with these guidelines can reduce the risk of childhood obesity," he said. Previous studies have shown either the opposite result when the baby starts eating solid foods associated with the opportunity to become obese when she grew older. This is especially for babies fed on formula milk, the transition to solid food could mean a significant increase in the number of calories you take them. In this study, Huh and colleagues observed the 850 infants and their parents for 3 years. When babies aged 6 months, the researchers asked parents whether they had been breastfed - and if so, for how long - and when they start giving their babies solid foods, like cereals, fruits and dairy products. When the baby is 3 years old, the researchers said their height and weight to determine which children are obese, defined as being among the top 5 percent of ideal body weight (BMI) for age and gender. For infants be exclusively breastfed for at least four months, before they start eating solid food, do not show them to be obese age 3 years. Irrespective of when they start eating solid food, baby milk mothers in the study only probable one of the 14 only to be obese as children pre-school. But the discovery, which was published in the journal Pediatrics , showed differences in babies fed milk formula starting from the very beginning, or who stop breastfeeding before the age of 4 months. these babies have the possibility of one of four being obese at age 3 years if they are eating solid foods before age 4 months. If waiting their parents until 4 or 5 months, possibly into one of 20 only. Likelihood of being obese increased again if babies do not start eating solid foods until they are at least 6 months, but only very few of these infants to researchers to make a clear decision about the risk to wait longer to give baby solid food. Throughout the world, doctors have been promoting the importance of breastfeeding in the first 4 to 6 month baby. However, in the U.S. about half of all babies were breast fed less than 4 months, or not breastfed at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Breast milk is in itself reduce baby's risk of being obese.For babies who grew up with formula milk, it is important for parents to wait until the baby was at least four months before feeding them solid food, the researchers said. "While parents may have difficulty determining the correct amount to to feed a baby who is breast fed, it may also 'how babies eat and learn to eat affects their risk of obesity,' "said Huh. Dr. David McCormick, a pediatrician at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said the most common problem he sees is parents adding cereal to formula milk without thinking about the extra calories that they give to their babies. "I think it is What many people do without realizing it, think the baby will become sick or grow faster, "said McCormick, who was not involved in the study. "That's how (adults) become overweight," he said. "They eat less than they should every day." The study showed that talking with parents about when to add solid food for a baby's diet is something that pediatricians should do on a regular basis, McCormick said. Given solids too early, either in combination with formula or separate, "is like preparing your child for obesity." Again, he said, "We know from other studies that if you're overweight or obese at age 3 years, you are likely to remain obese. "

2month

3month

3month

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!

If you continue to find what you think are nits without ever seeing a louse, be
sure that you are not confusing nits with common hair debris.
Please note the difference between a nit and two types of dandruff often
mistaken for nits:


Nits (lice eggs of the
head louse) are
small yellowish or
grayish­white oval­
shaped eggs that
are "glued" at an
angle to the side of a
hair shaft.

DEC Plugs are
bright white,
irregularly­shaped
clumps of fat cells
(dandruff) stuck to
the hair shaft.
Images are actual
size.

Hair Casts are thin,
elongated cylinder­
shaped segments of
dandruff which
encircle the hair shaft
and slide off easily.Critter CardTM
Head lice are often first diagnosed by seeing their nits (lice eggs). Do not
confuse nits with hair debris (see back of card).
Human Head Louse  Nit
actual size  actual size

·  Head lice are clear in color
when hatched, then quickly
develop a reddish­brown
color after feeding.

·  Head lice have six legs
equipped with claws to
grasp the hair.

·  Head lice are crawling
insects. They cannot hop,
jump, or fly.

·  Head lice need human
blood in order to survive.

·  Head lice can survive up to
24 hours off the human
host.

·  Head lice live for about 30
days on a host and a
female louse may lay up to
100 nits.

·  Nits are small yellowish or
grayish­white, oval­
shaped eggs that are
"glued" at an angle to the
side of a hair shaft.

·  Nits must be laid by live
female lice. You cannot
"catch nits."

·  Once laid, it takes 7 ­ 10
days for a nit to hatch,
and another 7­ 10 days
for the female to mature
and begin laying her own
eggs.

·  Nits are always the same
shape; they are not
irregular or fuzzy.

·  All nits must be removed to
control head lice.

Head Lice Information and Prevention

What Are Head Lice?


Head lice are annoying parasites that live in human hair and feed about 5 times a day.
Head lice do not hop, jump, fly or swim. Lice cannot be caught from pets. They are
human parasites and the only place they can survive is on the human head.   Although the
bite itself does not hurt, the louse excretes a substance to prevent clotting. That substance
can cause itching and scratching and sometimes can cause reddened areas on the scalp
and nape of the neck. Lice do not transmit diseases or cause permanent health problems.
Lice live close to the scalp and attach their eggs (called nits) with very strong “glue”. The
eggs are very hard to remove and hatch about 5 mm (1/4 inch) from the scalp.
Lice are not removed by normal washing with every day shampoo; they cling to the hair
with their 6 legs.  It seems they prefer clean hair so even daily washing does not
necessarily protect us from catching head lice.
Head lice can survive for approximately 30 to 40 days on the head but cannot survive
more than about 24 hours off the host. A female lays about 200 eggs, each of which takes
7 to 10 days to hatch and another 7 to 10 days for it to mature and lay eggs. The large
number of eggs and the long gestation period make lice difficult to control. Once the head
is shampooed the lice may not die immediately but for several hours may be seen moving
more slowly.

What do Head Lice Look Like? 

Mature lice are 2 to 4 mm long, shun light and move swiftly in all lateral directions,
clinging to and crawling through the hair with their 6 legs. Otherwise transparent, head
lice camouflage themselves by darkening, after feeding, to the color of the skin and hair
of the host, in a range of colors from blond to black.
Eggs are sesame seed sized, waxy ovals attached to the hair shaft, usually near the scalp
often at the nape of neck and behind ears.

PROCEDURES


1.  A Simple Guide to Checking Hair.
*  Wet hair, do not shampoo.
*  Apply conditioner, which will slow lice movement down.
*  Comb the hair with a very fine toothcomb.
*  Wipe the comb on tissue paper to remove lice or eggs.
*  Inspect the comb for lice and /or eggs.OR
1  Check dry hair thoroughly, section by section under a bright light
2  Look for adult lice and eggs.
Removing the eggs (nits) with a comb or by hand is time consuming but is the most
effective way to get rid of them.
A weekly head check at home, by the parent, is a good way to combat the problem. Your
child may complain of an itchy head but this may not always happen.

2.  Treatment:
There are special head lice shampoos available at local pharmacies. These should be used
with caution and instructions followed. Remember that some of these shampoos
contain pesticides.
Lice can be difficult to treat; a second application will be required 7 days after the first to
destroy eggs that have hatched since the first application.
Some but not all shampoos will destroy the eggs.

3.  Caution:
Because of use and over use of head lice shampoos, head lice have become resistant to
the products that would once kill them, so no product is 100% effective even if you
follow the directions. That is why combing and nit (egg) removal is important.
Never treat or re treat “just incase”. Remember, some head lice products are pesticides,
which are toxic if over used and can be absorbed through the skin. Follow directions
carefully.
There are herbal products available but often these are not as effective.
How Head Lice Spread?
They spread by direct contact of the head or hair with an infested person or through the
sharing of brushes, combs, hats, towels, helmets and so on.
If your child has head lice all members of the household should be checked and treated if
necessary. It is not necessary to treat a person if no lice or eggs are found. Remember
to wash all hairbrushes and combs weekly.
Normal vacuuming of the home is the safest and best way to remove fallen hairs, with
attached eggs, from furniture, rugs etc. All clothing, towels and bed linen should be
washed in hot soapy water and dried in a dyer if possible or left in direct sunlight for
several hours. Some information will say general vacuuming and washing of clothes and
bed linen is all that is necessary as lice will not survive for long off the head.
It is not necessary to spray furniture or carpets with pesticides. These can be harmful.Remember that lice can only survive off the head for approximately 24 hours
It is most likely that if eggs are present and the hair has not been treated there will be live
lice. They move quickly and are difficult to see.

4. School Practices:
If your child has head lice or eggs (nits) please notify the school nurse or your child’s
teacher.
The easiest way to cope with the problem of head lice is to let the school know so parents
can be notified and children checked.
Please remind your children not to share combs, hats and towels.
The elementary school nurse will continue to do periodic checks of children for head lice.
If lice are found you will receive a phone call and will be asked to collect your child from
school. Once your child’s hair has been treated with the appropriate shampoo he/she can
return to school.
You cannot catch head lice from animals, they survive only on the human head.

Students and Families in Transition

Students and Families in Transition

Ideas for Parents

Provide your children with information about the whole process of transition; the typical phases and common experiences associated with each. Help them prepare for their transition by consciously participating in their leave-taking. Remember: leave-taking impacts not only the person leaving but also those staying behind. Expect mobility to impact your child's development. Young children, for example, may regress in their speech after a move and may need extra nurturing. Adolescents, typically in the process of moving away from their families and out into the world with their peers, may regress to a new familial closeness after losing peer group through moving. Separate in your own mind the inevitable difficulties of childhood development (such as puberty) from those of an international move. Don't blame every problem on their international-mobile lives. Remember that your children learn from you. If you try to take away their pain or sense of loss, to hide your own sadness at someone's departure, they will try to do so too. Symptoms of unresolved grief and stress may be headaches, stomach aches, disturbed sleep patterns and sense of paralysis. Older children may express a lot of anger towards others in their environment. Help to work the energy out through physical exercise, art work, creative writing. Children will often try to protect their parents and not say what is going on with them. Trusted teachers or other school personnel may have more success than parents in drawing out and addressing fears, hopes and concerns. Talk to your child about the fact that as they disengage from their various activities and loosen ties with friends, those friends will also be disengaging from them. Whether your child is departing or staying, help them to work through feelings of rejection, resentment, sadness or guilt. Acknowledging such feelings is more effective than ignoring them. Be aware that children may create conflict with their friends in an attempt to lessen the pain of loss when one of them is about to move. Support both the departing child and the staying-behind child in building healthier leave-taking skills. Remind them to build a RAFT: Reconciling conflict with others; Affirming the relationships they have had; saying Farewell to people, places, pets and possessions; and Thinking ahead by gathering information about their new host country. Be sure to give your child concrete information about the events preceding the move -- why the family is moving, when the movers are coming, whether the family will stay in a hotel pre-departure or post-arrival, the actual date of departure, when the family is expected in the new place, whether they will wear uniforms at the new school, etc. Remind departing children to identify their "sacred objects"...those few items, which remind them of home, family and friendship wherever they are. Suggest that they take those objects with them on the plane instead of including them in the household shipment. Having these "portable roots" with them when they first arrive in their new country can ease the chaos of transition. Create "goodbye rituals." Making memory books, painting and a signing t-shirt, compiling photograph albums, taping video memoirs, planting a tree...these are all tools for acknowledging relationships and for helping children to say goodbye consciously. Encourage your child to mend all relationships before leaving. The baggage of unfinished business and unresolved conflicts will slow down the smooth transitions in to the new setting. Transition Transition: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another: CHANGE: Movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another. Transition and change are constant, natural and unavoidable elements of life. We all experience transition. How and to what degree they affect us is a matter of choice. Choice of perception is ours...resistance creates problems and acceptance creates harmony. Give new experience a chance, make the best of new situations and always emphasize the positive. RAFT : A structure for support to help transport from one place to another. (General definition) R.A.F.T. (Acronym) A R.A.F.T. can be a structure to help people in experiencing change move through a period of transition. R. Reconciliation: unfinished interpersonal business. To restore to friendship or harmony. To check with another for accuracy. To make closure. To bring disagreements to an end and patch up an ongoing or long-term feud. A. Affirmations: positive statements regarding upcoming change or transition. Make positive statements that express the way you would like things to be in all areas of your new life. Say what you want, not what you don't want. F. Farewells: saying good-bye. Make sure you take the time to say an official good-bye to people, places, pets, possessions or anything that has been an important part of your life. Start early so omissions are not made. T. Think Home: Start thinking about your new home. What positive expectations do you have? Start getting yourself excited. Task: taking care of tasks is also part of thinking about your new home. Do the work of moving. Take care of the tasks. Packing, cleaning, organizing and many other tasks are an integral part of moving. Building your R.A.F.T. is also one of your tasks. Like anything else in your life....the more you put into something, the more that you get out of it.

Keeping Kids Safe Online

How To (Realistically) Set TV, Internet Limits for Kids : Dory Devlin : Yahoo! Tech

Tips for parents on kids and media are not always realistic. Here's a real-world approach.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin/8360/how-to-realistically-set-tv-internet-limits-for-kids

 

 

Industrious Kid

Industrious Kid builds a family of Internet destinations for children between the ages of 8 and 14.
http://www.industriouskid.com/pr-ik-20060928.html

 

Welcome to imbee - imbee.com

imbee is the first free social network designed for young people!
http://www.imbee.com/

Keeping Kids Safe Online - The Police Notebook

The Police Notebook - Law Enforcement Internet site to promote safety and crime prevention information.
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidtool.htm

Kids Rules for Online Safety
http://safekids.com/kids-rules-for-online-safety/

Guidelines for Parents
http://safekids.com/guidelines-for-parents/

What you don't know can hurt kids - Security - MSNBC.com 

The real trouble for your kids online begins not with information coming into your computer but with what goes out of your computer. Parents need to understand the technology and the possibilities to protect their children. By Bob Sullivan.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078811/

Keeping Kids Safe Online, Tips From AOL's Regina Lewis On Saturday Early Show - CBS News

Now that school is out and kids are logging on in record numbers, AOL's Regina Lewis offers advice on what to do to keep your kids safe online, especially when they know more about computers than you do.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/12/earlyshow/contributors/reginalewis/main511975.shtml

Living with Technology: Keep your kids safe online - CNET.com

The Web can help kids learn, communicate and socialize, but it also exposes them to risks. CNET's guide to keeping kids safe online explores the threats and explains how to help your children surf safely.
http://www.cnet.com/2001-13384_1-0.html

Internet Safety: Information for parents

Information for parents.
http://www.wiredsafety.org/parent.html

WiredSafety - the world's largest Internet safety and help group

All-inclusive, free resource focusing on Internet safety, help and education for Internet users of all ages; providing information and solutions to online safety issues such as identity theft, scams, fraud, child pornography, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, hacking, phishing, spyware and viruses.
http://www.wiredsafety.org/

keeping kids safe online - Google Search
http://www.google.com/

search term: keeping kids safe online