Children's physical health and well-being. See also the tag [hygiene] for matters of cleanliness.
7
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2answers
2k views
Recommended method for checking a baby is not too cold
At our antenatal classes we were told that it can be misleading to feel a baby's hands to check if they are too cold, because the extremities can get cold even when the baby is ok. A better method is ...
3
votes
3answers
147 views
How do we ensure that our toddler is getting proper nutrition now that he is eating more solid foods?
My son is 15 months old, and has been eating an increasing variety of solid foods. However, we are having a hard time getting him to eat normal "meals".
His favorite foods are more in the category ...
3
votes
2answers
121 views
What precautions do I need to take in the event that my baby is born with Hemophelia?
My wife and I recently got pregnant with our first child.
My sister-in-law's son is a Hemophiliac (Hemophilia A) She's a carrier. There's no evidence of the disease in the family before them, but ...
6
votes
5answers
627 views
How do I get my toddler to eat fruit?
I have a 2 year old kid who does not like fruits in any form.
We have tried a lot but he would not eat fruits. Even if we make fruit shake with pieces of fruits in it, he would drink the shake and ...
10
votes
5answers
331 views
How do you respond to a teenager who has started to smoke?
How can you best handle this? Coming off as too strong and authoritative might invite "rebellion". Too lenient makes it seem okay.
What is the best response for driving home the dangers and risks ...
13
votes
5answers
733 views
What's the best way to extract baby snot?
Our baby currently has a cold which means her nose is streaming with snot.
She is quite unhappy with us wiping it away with a tissue every few minutes. I can imagine her upper lip is getting quite ...
12
votes
2answers
874 views
Are trace amounts of caffeine through breastmilk safe for babies?
I am a student parent and find that coffee helps me study. I drank coffee while pregnant and kept it well under the daily allowed amount. I am unsure what I can have while breastfeeding though. How ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
What should parents know about “flat feet”?
Our son was flat footed with very little arch. His pediatrician was not concerned.
In preschool, he complained of discomfort when wearing shoes with an arch support. By age 9-10, his condition ...
3
votes
0answers
74 views
What symptoms call for an immediate trip to the doctor? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do you know when it is time to take a child to the Doctor?
As a new mother, I tend to be very worried. I'm always afraid I might be missing something, or not ...
10
votes
2answers
5k views
How much noise does it take to negatively impact an infant's hearing?
In our apartment complex we have fire alarms that are outrageously loud. Last night, we woke at 4:30 am to the alarm going off all through the building. We got out as quickly as possible, but I'm ...
8
votes
5answers
8k views
Are ExerSaucers/walkers/jumpers bad for children or is that simply a misconception?
I have heard my whole life that the above mentioned types of toys delay walking and/or independent sitting (depending on the age they're used). I've even heard that they can hurt the infant's legs. ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Is poor (20/40) eyesight common in 10 year olds?
During my son's last pediatrician visit, we found that he has a 20/40 vision, and that he may need glasses (which was enough for him to voluntarily reduce his TV time). Our pediatrician insisted that ...
8
votes
5answers
6k views
At what age should I enroll my child in dental and vision plans?
Background:
Most insurance coverage in the US has separate policies and payroll withholding for health, dental, and vision insurance plans. One can typically decide who's covered independently for ...
9
votes
3answers
268 views
How can I handle a child that claims medical problems as a bad excuse?
I have 3 kids who seem to use medical reasons for excuses, most often to not go to bed. For instance, my 7 year old periodically "Can't move" at bed time to get to his bed, but when he gets in there, ...
7
votes
5answers
532 views
Should we switch from cloth to disposable diapers?
Our son is 17 months old and has been in cloth diapers since he was 1 month old. About two months ago he got blisters on his penis. The doctor said it was a bacterial infection and to put triple ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
Is cosmic radiation a concern for a pregnant airplane passenger?
I read somewhere that you get exposed to a non-negligible amount of radiation from the sun when you travel by air. Would this affect an unborn child's fragile DNA?!
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Are shaking legs something to be worried about?
My wife has noticed that my 10 month old son sometimes starts to twitch his leg. It only lasts for a couple of seconds, and is infrequent enough that I have yet to witness it. She described it as ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
Is my infant boy's scrotum too large?
Our infant is now 8 weeks old.
When his legs are joined together the scrotum hangs through them and below the legs (can be seen below his bum). The doctor says it's fine but others who've seen him ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Are there things to watch out for after a tongue-tie operation?
My son is going in for a Tongue Tie clip, basically to do a small snip under his tongue to free it up, he fed well when he was young so it never came up until our dentist noticed it with his teeth and ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How do we get rid of our baby's thrush?
Both my partner and our baby have picked up thrush.
The doctor has given us some medicine - a gloopy lotion to rub in the babies mouth and my partner was given a single table which she has taken. ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How much of a sliver can be safely left under the skin?
Our two-year-old just had her first wood sliver. We were able to remove most of the wood with a pair of tweezers.
A small amount of dark matter is still visible under the skin. We would prefer ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
How do I figure out which infant formula is the healthiest?
With so many formulas out there, I am not sure which is the healthiest. Are there any studies that show which formulas are the best? OR what to look for in formula? Are there things that are unhealthy ...
10
votes
3answers
722 views
Are signs of early puberty in a primary-school aged child a cause for concern?
My son is less than 6 years old, and last week we discovered that he has grown a little bit of pubic hair. This seems way too soon for this to happen. My older son, who is 9 years old, only now ...
22
votes
10answers
4k views
What are the pros and cons of a chicken-pox party vs immunization?
Growing up in the US, most kids I knew (myself included) were exposed to Chicken Pox through Chicken-Pox parties where kids were allowed to play with a child who already had the Chicken Pox. Now that ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Is this excess phlegm and throat clearing a sign of lactose intolerance?
My daughter, aged nigh on 8, really gets 'phlegmy' after any dairy, clearing her throat continuously and complains, after a while, that her throat gets sore.
I have done some research, but from what ...
16
votes
3answers
15k views
My child has chickenpox, am I infectious?
My 3-year-old has had chickenpox for about 2-3 days, but a close friend has just had a baby and I want to go and help. Is it possible that I am infectious, despite not having the illness? I had it as ...
41
votes
8answers
2k views
Should we circumcise our son?
My wife and I will be having a son in about a month and we are still deciding if we should have him circumcised.
There does not seem to be a strong medical opinion on the matter but we are ...
12
votes
4answers
182 views
How can we prepare a pre-schooler to manage his asthma?
Given: a 5 year old kid with what is believed to be false spasmodic croup. Once in several months he experiences a sudden asthmatic fit in the middle of the night - specifically he has a mild spasm in ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Is my 15-month old drinking too much fluids?
My 15-month old is Mr. Thirst. He is weened (about 2 months now), but he has ravenous thirst and drinks about 50-60 ounces (ca. 1,6 liters) a day of fluids. We give him soy milk (he might be ...
2
votes
2answers
119 views
Are there certain foods that should be avoided when using Baby Led Weaning?
Aside from the general allergy risk foods (peanuts, cow milk, etc.), are there any foods that should be specifically avoided if you are trying "baby led weaning"?
I'm looking specifically for ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
Is a cold with a very congested nose dangerous for an infant?
Noob parent here. I have a 9-mo who's currently pretty stuffed up: snoring, a little wheezing, constantly runny nose etc. I'm not worried about long-term, since it seems to be "only" a cold. But when ...
9
votes
3answers
3k views
Is it healthy for toddlers to play outside when it is cold?
Assuming the child is dressed properly and it isn't extremely cold (I'm thinking high 50ºF or 10ºC with wind). Their hands and face will be exposed and they may be sweaty from running around, but ...
2
votes
1answer
886 views
Can warm air humidifiers be bad for a child's cough?
We had taken our children to the doctor (2.5 years old and 6.5 months old) and the doctor (not their regular doctor) had mentioned to not use the warm air humidifier because of new research seems to ...
5
votes
9answers
1k views
Is it cruel to deny laughing gas for a teen getting a tooth filled?
My 13 yr old daughter has a cavity. They plan on giving local anesthesia, with an option for laughing gas.
When I had teeth filled, I never recall getting laughing gas.
I'd like for her to learn ...
9
votes
4answers
575 views
At what age is a child able to brush his or her teeth unaided?
At what age is a child able to brush his or her teeth unaided?
I don't necessarily mean what age in years and months, rather the general development process.
I let my child brush his teeth on his ...
8
votes
5answers
353 views
How do you ensure proper nutrition for a child in a vegetarian or vegan household?
I do not yet have children but I am a vegetarian. I am curious to know how vegetarians, and vegans, address the issue of nourishment. If it helps, I am vegetarian more for ethical reasons than health ...
14
votes
5answers
1k views
How long is breastfeeding effective and worthwhile?
I realize that this question can have many personal or subjective viewpoints, so the answer I'm looking for is what the best-known data shows us from two perspectives:
1) Is there an average ...
9
votes
7answers
406 views
When should I introduce different foods to an infant or toddler?
It is often said that you should introduce certain foods in a certain order. These reasons often have to do with allergies, choking hazards, digestive system maturity, etc. What ages should your child ...
15
votes
9answers
18k views
How do you know when it is time to take a child to the Doctor?
Our children have recently been sick and I am wondering when is the right time to take them to the doctor. They both have had runny noses with coughs, diarrhea, and fevers off and on for a week, ...
2
votes
1answer
151 views
What are some good natural remedies for asthma in children?
I'm particularly looking for remedies that would be safe for children between 1 and 5 years old.
3
votes
6answers
2k views
Why would a child hold his breath regularly?
My 3 yo holds his breath throughout the day. He'll breathe in (short), hold it for 3-7 seconds, then breathe out (short) and repeat that frequently. He does this when he's awake, but probably not ...
4
votes
7answers
312 views
What age-appropriate sports allow the whole family to participate?
For a few years now I've been going to the gym three or four times a week, but since I've become a father if had to cut back my visits to the gym.
Since this cutback already shows on the scale, I ...
7
votes
5answers
2k views
How much sun is too much for a child?
My three months old son really likes to sit or lie in the spots where the sun shines through our windows unto the floor. I guess he likes the additional warmth.
Currently it's winter in Germany (from ...
16
votes
12answers
504 views
What is a good strategy for getting our 5 year old to finish dinner before expecting dessert?
More and more lately, I'm finding that our 5-year old daughter starts asking for dessert before she's finished her dinner.
Obviously, I'd like to find a way to manage this without it ending in a ...
5
votes
2answers
6k views
Is my 7-year-old child sleeping too much?
My child gets very tired and sleeps very easily. While parents of babies might find this a nice problem to have, in a 7-year-old it's possibly a concern. She easily sleeps up to 14 hours a night, also ...
