Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones on Children

Harmful Effects of Mobile Phones on Children

N number of parents want to make their kids engaged in some activities so that they can do some other kinds of stuff. It might be cooking or household chores or office work or watching tv etc. In order to do that the most easiest way parents adopt is to hand over a phone to their kids. Few know and few donot its side effects on children. They provide mobile phones and make them engaged to spend long hours over mobiles.

But the question is,  did anyone ever thought it might be harmful to give the mobile phone to your child? If yes, then find out what are the possible effects and how to avoid giving mobile phones to your child.

The rate of radiation absorption is higher in children than adults because their brain tissues absorbs quickly, their skulls are soft. Pregnant ladies should be careful, because fetuses are particularly vulnerable, because radiation exposure can lead to degeneration of the protective sheath that surrounds brain neurons.

Children who use mobile phones are likely to suffer from the following:

Disruption of memory: They won’t be able to have the same level of thinking.

The decline of attention: Children get addicted to either social media or video games, hence they find difficult to concentrate your words or lack of healthy communication with parents.

Increased irritability: They get irritated very soon and lead to a behavioural issue.

Sleep Disruption: They may suffer from insufficient sleep by staying up all night texting or playing games which causes fatigue and restlessness.

• They face diminishing learning and cognitive abilities.

• Longer-term hazards include “depressive syndrome”.

Safety Precautions:

  • Devices should be kept away from a pregnant woman’s abdomen.
  • A mother should not use a cell phone while nursing.
  • Cell phones should not be allowed in a child’s bedroom at night, unless a cell phone is turned off, it is always radiating.
  •  When not in use, it should not be kept on the body, the best place for a cell phone is somewhere like a selves or top table.
  • Boy child should not keep a cell phone in their front pants pockets, because there is a potential harm to sperm after puberty.
  • Wi-Fi routers in the home should be placed away from where people, particularly children, spend the most of their time.
  •  Wireless Bluetooth headsets should be avoided.
  •  Use the speakerphone or a plug-in earpiece when you make your child talk to their grandparents or daddy. This helps to protect child from harmful radiation.
  • Most importantly avoid giving mobile phones for children to play games or to watch video. (If possible delete all the games from your phone, games won’t help your child anyway in future.)

  • Change the YouTube settings to restriction mode in order to protect them from watching any inappropriate content.
  • We as a parent use mobile phones almost everytime infront of our little kids which adversely trigger them to use mobiles like mumma and papa. (Children generally follows parents footsteps). Instead, spend quality time with your little wonders and try to give healthy/talented youngsters for our nation.

Dear parents please go through our content and take an immediate step on protecting your kids from mobile phones. 

Many parents cry aloud that they are missing their happy and lovable child once they had, just because of a healthy communication gap.

80 % of parents report that their child no longer communicating with the family, the phone is always beside the child day and night, their homework is pending, their aim in life and achievements no longer exist.

The simple handset can be provided for school going children just to manage missed school buses, sudden school holidays so on, provided monitor their mobile activity and lastly recharged currency for mobile.

Talk with children wisely, carefully and with all your love. Make them engaged in other activities that improve their knowledge.

Last but not the least, it is easier said than done. It might take time for the transition. But, have patience. Now, you know the harmful effects of mobiles on children. In that case, keep motivating yourselves till your kid gives away the phone and gets indulged into some healthy engagement. 

Take care MoMsters
Happy Parenting..

8 Summer Safety tips for kids !

8 Summer Safety tips for kids !

Hey Momsters, are you worried about your kids this summer ?

They might be super excited to go out and play some outdoor games with their friends and you might be concerned about their health. You want to let them go but at the same time want them to stop for the sake of their health.

Take a deep breath and relax 🙂

Let your little ones enjoy this Summer,

Who doesn’t like to enjoy Summer Vacation ? Even when we were kids, didn’t we enjoy? Most of the time we might have ignored our Parents’ warning too… few of us fell sick and few remain fit throughout the summer…

Now, you can relate, right? It is our parents who were behind us to take care of us during those days. Now, it is our turn to let our kids enjoy this season and we shall take care of their health.

Hence, Summer Vacation is directly proportional to the enjoyment of the kids.  Keep your child healthy and safe by taking some basic precautions and let them have beautiful memories during the summer.

1. Do you know how can your kids get vitamin D without sun damage?

During summer make your children engage in the indoor games and activities, in order to avoid scorching heat outdoors. But I know many parents will be wondering how to get Vitamin D without the sun damage. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones.Indoor games in summer The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. A lack of vitamin D can cause bones to become soft and weak which can lead to bone deformities. Most people can make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for short periods with their forearms, hands or lower legs uncovered. If you want to expose to the direct sunlight then the best time is morning 7 to 7.30 AM. Do not allow children’s to expose between 10 AM to 4 PM, because the UV exposure is at its peak. Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements.

All babies from birth to 1 year old should compulsorily take vitamin D supplements.

2.  The choice of the right fabric of clothes will make summer enjoyable for your kids.

  • In summer avoid wearing tight clothes. The cloth should be breathable so that sweat is not trapped inside.
  • Choose cotton fabrics during summer; avoid synthetic fabrics because they do not breathe. Cotton absorbs the sweat from your body and allows it to evaporate into the air.Summer Clothes for Kids
  • Lighter colors are better than dark colored cloths. A lighter color reflects most of the sun’s rays back into the atmosphere. Dark fabrics like black, dark blue absorb sun rays and trap their heat, making you feel hot. Cotton Clothes for kids in Summer
  • During summer select baby wraps which are cotton fabrics and breathable.
  • Avoid additional layers of clothes for your babies in this season; also make sure the clothes of kids are plain without any extra works like frills, buttons that can irritate your baby’s skin.

3. Wear hat/use umbrella that casts a shadow on the face during outdoor. 

4. Keeping cool

  • It is important to keep baby comfortable in summer. In hot weather, babies are at the risk of heat rash, dehydration, sunburn, and heatstroke. Babies become overheated much more quickly than adults.
  • For children, more than 5-year-old, give a bath before bedtime.
  • Keep your child’s bedroom cool during the day by closing the windows with curtains.
  • A fan can help to keep the room cool. But fans should never blow directly on the baby and should be out of the baby’s reach.

 Note: Never leave a baby or child inside a vehicle all alone. 

  5. If your child gets a sunburn:

Aloe gel for kids for Sunburn

  • Place a cool compress on the sunburn.
  • Apply cool aloe gel to the burned skin.
  • Give your child plenty of fluid.

Even though if your child is ill or has boils, it seems like a fever than visit your doctor. 

  6. Body massage tips during summer

  • During summer giving body massage for kids is beneficial.
  • Choose the right oils in the summer.
  • Choose the oil that goes well with your baby’s delicate skin.Olive or coconut oil in Summer for massage
  • I suggest olive oil and coconut oil are best during this season.
  • After massaging the baby, immediately take them to bath in order to allow the skin to breathe. 

 

 7. Maintaining the hygiene of kids during summer is very important.

  • Regular baths and wearing clean clothes are good hygiene practices. Adults and children’s should wash your hair 2 or 3 times a week in summer.
  • Change your child’s clothes 2 times a day. One in the morning and another evening.
  • Do not let your kids exchange things from other kids (like handkerchiefs, shBatch after pool timeoes, socks, spoon, and sipper).
  • If you are sending your child for swimming pools ensure that your child has a proper bath after they come out of the swimming pool.
  • Make sure kids always wash hands and feet after playing. And also make sure children wash their face 2 times a day with water or mild soap to avoid infection, sweat or pimples due to infection.

    8. Avoid using oil-based skin products on children to reduce the risk of clogging their sweat glands.

 

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Summer is here Momsters- Stay 2H- Hydrated and Healthy

Summer is here Momsters- Stay 2H- Hydrated and Healthy

Great summer greetings to all dear MoMsters and their little wonders!

Pregnancy exercise

I know, few might be enjoying the summer season while others might be counting days to welcome the next one. You are enjoying or not but you might be worried about the scorching summer which can make you sweat, get dehydrated and a few heat rashes.

Here are some suggestions to keep you and your kids comfortable in the heat. This is also useful for pregnant ladies.

During summer getting dehydrated is very common.

Symptoms of dehydration.

symptoms of dehydration

  • Thirst
  • Dry lips and mouth
  • Dry skin
  • Tiredness
  • Irritability and cranky babies
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Dark strong smelling urine.

(If urine is light yellow in color and clear, it usually means that you are getting enough to drink. If the urine is dark yellow with strong smell then it is a sign of dehydration) – applies for both adults and babies.

  • For infants no wet diapers in three hours.

It is important to keep baby comfortable in summer. In hot weather, babies are at the risk of heat rash, dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke. Babies become overheated much more quickly than adults.

Hydration:

Hydration is vital to our overall health and well-being. During hot and humid weather you should increase fluid intake, when it’s hot and sunny you will lose more water from sweating. Even when you are not roaming around you will lose water.

Generally hydration controls

  • your body temperature
  • aids digestion
  • carries nutrients around your body
  • flush out wastes
  • cushions organs and joints.

A few tips can help you to stay hydrated and makes you feel cool.

  • Children are less tolerant of high climatic heat stress than adults and also babies are prone to a lot of sweating. A babybaby drinking water is dehydrated if they take less milk. Therefore, keep infants below 6 months hydrated with frequent breastfeeding. Babies older than 6 months can be offered fresh home-made juice to battle the heat.
  • Drink a glass of water when you wake up each morning.
  • kids drinking waterDon’t ignore thirst, drink water or another healthy drink when you feel thirsty.
  • People who are sensitive to refrigerated water can use mud pot fowaterr the storage of water. (Water kept in mud pots quench thirst better than cold water or ice creams.)
  • Don’t wait for your child to tell you he or she is thirsty. Make them drink water at regular mother offering water to kidintervals. Children are too busy playing to know they are thirsty. They will continue to play no matter what. Don’t wait for them to ask you for water, get them to drink regularly.

For babies above 7-month purchase sipper cupbaby drinking water which is non-spill design and free of BPA plastic.

  • Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
  • Instead of making juice eat fruits directly because blending fruits destroy a few % of nutrients that are present in food.baby eating oranges
  • Offer food with high water content, for example, watermelon, muskmelon, soups, cucumber, and tomatoes.
  • If children are traveling outside, squeeze a lemon in water and keep that bottle with you.

These are general tips to stay hydrated and healthy during summer. Now we will proceed towards the main discussion about the diseases which are welcomed by summer season. Pregnant ladies and New Moms and Babies should read these points to get some idea about it. It will help in coping with such diseases or preventing those diseases to ruin your summer season. 

Have a wonderful and healthy Summer days.

 

 

 

Benefits Of Breastfeeding for both Mom and kid

Benefits Of Breastfeeding for both Mom and kid

Great, so you have been through our articles and now you are here to know the “how” part about the benefits of breastfeeding for both Mother and the kid.

Till now, the most common sentence we would have heard is “Breastfeeding is good for kids, Breastfeeding is very important for kids, etc” But, it is very rare to hear that you should breastfeed because it is important and very advantageous for you too, Mommy !!

Go through our article and let us know if you knew these points or not !! 🙂

Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother are: 

  • It decreases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. 
  •  Prevents postpartum depression.
  • Breastfeed can help bond with her child.
  • It helps your body to get back to its pBreastfeedingre-pregnancy state. (I reduced 8 kg). 
  • It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size.
  • Breastfeeding delays the return of normal ovulation & menstrual cycles. 
    (However, for safer side talk to a doctor regarding birth control choices). 
  • Breastfeeding helps to relax at night. You do not have to use formula feed to measure and mix, there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night when your baby cries out of hunger!
    You can soothe your baby immediately by providing your breastmilk.

Benefits of Breastfeeding for the babies are:

  •  Mother’s milk helps in better development of sensory and cognitive abilities, leading to better IQ.
  •  Rich in vitamin and antibiotics, which helps the baby in protection from infection and give them better immunity. Breastfeeding
  • Reduces incidences of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.
  • Formula feed irritates your baby intestines, but breastmilk is easily digested.

                            “Hence breastfeeding is best for the overall health of the baby”

Very precisely all points are covered. I hope you might have got more motivation and positive energy to breastfeed your kid.

Happy Breastfeeding !! 🙂

To know more about breastfeeding refer our articles about Breastfeeding and the natural ways to increase breastmilk (in case you require).

Vaccination-Gift Your Child A Life-Time Protection From Diseases.

Vaccination-Gift Your Child A Life-Time Protection From Diseases.

Dear Momsters, as a parent, you will be wondering, why vaccinating your kiddo is so important !!

Some parents think that their baby’s immune system is immature and cannot handle vaccination at such a young age. But, the fact is, as soon as they are born, babies effectively start dealing with trillions of bacteria and viruses. The challenges to their immune system from vaccines are tiny compared to the everyday challenges of living!

Concept of Vaccination:

The vaccine is a biological preparation that resembles a disease-causing microbe, generally made of dead or weak microbes. When vaccinated our immune system creates a memory of a disease-causing organism (virus, bacteria), and produces antibodies which fights any further attack of microbes.

Getting your child vaccinated on time will help in protecting him or her against several diseases.

There is a saying – “Prevention is better than cure”

Certain diseases have no treatment, such as smallpox, polio, hence vaccination is a boon for us.

Where should I go to have my child vaccinated?

Any Paediatric clinic and also government hospital in India will provide few free vaccinations for your child. For your reference, we are providing the vaccination chart.

Vaccination should be started from birth until 12 years.

Tuberculosis, Polio, Rotavirus, Gastroenteritis, Tetanus, Haemophilus Influenza type B, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal infection, Flu and Measles are the vaccinations that your child will be protected against.

Note: Before deciding which vaccine doses to provide, kindly show to paediatrician your child’s previous immunization status.

Dear MoMsters, we hope, if you are reading this blog, you should be in a position to understand why vaccines are so important to the health and well-being.

BCG Vaccine

The BCG vaccination is given to all the children after birth to prevent Tuberculosis (TB).

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, transmitted by the airborne route (cough/sneeze or dust particles). Commonly affects the lungs.

Rotavirus Vaccine

Rotavirus infects nearly every child before their 5th birthday. Rotavirus in children can lead to severe diarrhoea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and metabolic acidosis. 

Rotavirus transmission is by faecal-oral spread, both through a close person – to – person contact and by fomites (such as toys and other environmental surfaces contaminated by stool). It is also transmitted through faecal, contaminated food /water and respiratory droplets.

Rotavirus vaccination is given to all infants of 6 weeks to  24 weeks in age.

Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)

Polio is a disease caused by the genus Enterovirus from the Picornaviridae family. Polio can paralyze arms, legs and breathing muscles.

Transmission occurs in areas of poor sanitation, where there are contaminated water and food.

You can protect your child from polio with vaccination.

All children should get 3 doses of polio vaccines (starting at 2 months of age) and a booster dose at 4 -6 years old.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that affects the mucous membranes of the throat and nose.

It spreads from one person to another through droplets of moisture coughed into the air.

Diphtheria can be prevented by vaccination. In children, less than 5 years who are not vaccinated, the mortality rate can be as high as 20 %.

Tetanus

Tetanus results from a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium tetani.

C.tetani spores can be found in the soil and in the intestine and faeces of many household and farm animals and humans.

The bacteria usually enter the human body through a puncture in skin/wounds.

Tetanus directly affects the Central nervous system followed by muscles contract and making it rigid, and stiffness of the neck, difficulty in swallowing and stiffness of the abdominal muscles.

There is no cure for tetanus once a person develops symptoms.

Hence prevention through immunization is necessary.

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Pertussis is caused by bacteria. You or your child can get pertussis by breathing in bacteria from an infected person who coughs or sneezes near you.

Pertussis normally starts with symptoms of a cold like a stuffy and runny nose. You might also have a mild fever or cough. Your cough will get much worse after 1 or 2 weeks. Many children have hard and fast coughing that causes a whooping sound.

Pertussis is very serious for babies because they are not always able to fight this infection. Babies less than 1-year-old will have breathing problem and pneumonia (an infection in the lungs).

Most adults do not have severe symptoms of the disease and do not realize their cold is pertussis. Adults can easily pass this infection to a child unknowingly. 

Even pregnant ladies are given a Tdap vaccine to protect their babies. Tdap is a form of tetanus. 

The vaccine that also has the pertussis vaccine is given in the same shot.

[All children,  at the early stage of 2 months, and adults need protection against these three diseases – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – DTap. Routine booster doses are also needed throughout life]

Haemophilus influenza Type B (Hib)

Hib is the common cause of life-threatening bacterial infection in children.

The bacteria are spread by an infected person sneezing or coughing respiratory droplets into the air, which are inhaled by another person.

A person with Hib disease may develop Meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain), pneumonia, epiglottitis, bacteraemia, infects the joints, bones, lungs, skin, neck, urinary tract and other organs.

Vaccines are available for children more than 6 weeks of age. It is important to start the doses on time because infants are particularly vulnerable to this infection.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)

Most of the parents are not aware of pneumococcal vaccines, many tries to skip this particular vaccine, just assuming it is not of much importance.

But dear parents, this disease is easily transmitted to infants and young children.

Pneumococcal disease is caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae. The bacteria are dispersed into the air when infected people cough or sneeze and are inhaled by the person.

Pneumococcus infection includes pneumonia, meningitis, middle ear infection, sinusitis and bacteraemia.

PCV vaccine protects the children against this disease.

Hepatitis B Vaccine (Hep B)

The Hepatitis B virus attacks the liver and causes serious damage. Hepatitis B is a deadly disease but it’s preventable with vaccination.

Babies can get hepatitis B virus from their infected mother at birth and children can get if they live with an infected person or even if they share the water, food contaminated by an infected person.

All newborn should get Hep B vaccine.

Hepatitis A Vaccine (Hep A)

Hepatitis A is a viral disease transmitted through food that comes in contact with contaminated faeces.

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Hep A is caused by the HAV virus (Hepatitis A Virus).

Children are routinely vaccinated between their first and second birthdays. Adults who have not been vaccinated previously and want to get protected against hepatitis A can also get the vaccine.

Typhoid Vaccine

Typhoid is a serious disease. It is caused by bacteria called Salmonella Typhi.

People get typhoid from contaminated food or water.

Typhoid symptoms are high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, loss of appetite, fatigue and sometimes a rash.

Typhoid vaccine can prevent typhoid.

 

Measles

Measles is an acute childhood infectious disease caused by a virus.

The virus is transmitted from person to person through coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms are usually fever, runny nose, cough, loss of appetite, pink eye and a rash.

MMR vaccine is given to prevent.

 

 

Varicella Vaccine

Varicella (Chickenpox) is caused by the Varicella zoster virus.

Chickenpox is usually mild, but it can be serious in infants who are 12 months of age or less.

Symptoms of chickenpox include skin infections, rashes, fever, inflammation of blood vessels, tiredness, loss of appetite, headache.

Generally, 2 doses of varicella vaccine are given at the age of 12th to 15th months and the second at age of 4th to 6th years.

Talk to your paediatrician for more details.

Flu shot

The flu vaccine is available but it does not cover all cough and cold viruses. Since flu is seasonal,  a person has to take it yearly.

Flu is most commonly caused by the influenza virus. It is transmitted when the infected person coughs or sneezes, they spread the flu virus in tiny droplets of saliva over a wide area.

The best time to take flu vaccination is in July and August.

Who should consider having the flu vaccination?

  • Pregnant women benefit from the flu vaccine because it will reduce their risk of serious complications, in the later stages of pregnancy.
  • The flu vaccine is safe for anyone 6 months of age and older.
  • This vaccine is also safe for breastfeeding mother. A breastfeeding mother can pass on antibodies made in response to the flu shot through their breast milk.

Flu shots are usually given once in a year.

 

 

 

 

HPV Vaccine

The HPV vaccine prevents infection from Human papillomavirus types that are associated with many cancers including cervical cancer.

HPV is generally recommended for girl child at 11 or 12 years of age, but it may be given at the beginning of  9 years till the age of 26 (before marriage).

Few points to be noted:

  • Do not get your baby vaccinated if your baby is sick, having an infection or running a high temperature. Once he/she recovers, go for it.
  • Vaccination is safe and well tolerated. Mild side effects are fever, soreness at the injection site, pain. But do not worry MoMsters these generally heal quickly.

Few remedies to heal mild side effects after vaccination (collected by asking many other Momsters) :

  • On swelling part sponge with an ice cube wrapped in a cotton cloth, generally swelling will be there for 1 or 2 days.
  • If the baby is less than 6 month, breastfeeding can make them comfortable.
  • Only if fever crosses 100 F then give crocin or paracetamol drops as per doctor’s suggestion.
  • Few doctors prescribe gel to apply on the swollen area. Kindly consult a doctor regarding this.
  • In addition to vaccination, additional measures to protect children are adequate nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, reducing pollution.

We hope that after going through the post you might have known the importance of each vaccine and felt relaxed. Please consult your paediatrician if your child is not up to date with all recommended vaccines. 

Please feel free to post your query/comment.