Posts Tagged ‘toddlers’
Written by nurse mommy on 09 June 2010
I don’t know if it is because I am the mother of two young, passionate girls who have a flair for the drama, or if all parents experience this; but when does the whining STOP?! It is the #1 childhood characteristic which makes me want to go running for the hills with my husband’s noise canceling headphones suctioned to my ears, join a group of mute meditators who live in tree houses and sleep in hammocks while reading Walt Whitman. Not that I’ve ever thought this through before…
As a mom, I do let my emotions get me sometimes and inform the girls they need to stop whining at that exact moment. It unfortunately is a little louder request than I intend. Actually, the last time I lost it and pleaded for the whining to cease, they both stopped and started laughing. So I guess my loss of control worked in a backwards way. We all laughed and went on with our day.
As a nurse, however, I know better than that. I realize yelling at your child to stop whining does not work. The child is looking for a reaction from the adult and the yelling definitely counts as a reaction – a poor one, but a reaction.
There is a pretty successful way to cut out the majority of whining, but all caretakers need to be consistent with this method. When the child starts whining, calmly look at the child confused and say, “I just can’t understand you when you talk like that.” Treat the whining like they are speaking in Tongues or another language, and ask them to try it again so you can understand them. The only way this works is if you do this EVERY time a teensy whine comes through their lips. When the child changes her/his tone of voice to a more tolerable one, you can answer their question or help them out showing them praise with a smile, pat or hug.
This isn’t easy because it takes MUCH repetition and will-power from the parent, but you can do it. May the “whining poltergeists” in your home be exorcised with these few steps; and the darling, little sweeties return to your dinner table, their car-seats while traveling across town, and when passing the toy section at ANY store. It will make life much more pleasant – I promise!
©2010, Hatton. All rights reserved.
Tags: Parenting, preschoolers, toddlers, whining
Posted in Parenting Tips, Toddlers (1-2), preschoolers | 2 Comments »
Written by nurse mommy on 07 June 2010
I was going to paraphrase the warning of children swallowing Lithium cell batteries after reading this article, but felt Ms. Parker-Pope wrote such a thorough article for the New York Times, I decided to pass on her full story to you all. Terribly sad and dangerous…
The New York Times
May 31, 2010, 5:42 pm
For Very Young, Peril Lurks in Lithium Cell Batteries
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Last fall, 13-month-old Aidan Truett of Hamilton, Ohio, developed what seemed like an upper respiratory infection. He lost interest in food and vomited a few times, but doctors attributed it to a virus. After nine days of severe symptoms and more doctor visits, the hospital finally ordered an X-ray to look for pneumonia.
What they found instead was totally unexpected. The child had ingested a “button” battery, one of those flat silver discs used to power remote controls, toys, musical greeting cards, bathroom scales and other home electronics.
The battery was surgically removed the next day, and Aidan was sent home. But what neither the doctors nor his parents realized was that the damage had been done. The battery’s current had set off a chemical reaction in the child’s esophagus, burning through both the esophageal wall and attacking the aorta. Two days after the battery was removed, Aidan began coughing blood, and soon died from his injuries.
To this day, Aidan’s parents don’t know where the battery came from. “This is something I would never want another parent to live with,” said Michelle Truett, Aidan’s mother. “I was oblivious as to how dangerous they were, and I want more people to know the danger.”
Such deaths are extremely rare. There were fewer than 10 documented during the last six years. But ingestion of lithium cell batteries, which children may mistake for candy and elderly adults for medication, is a surprisingly common problem, documented this week in two reports in the medical journal Pediatrics.
About 3,500 cases of button cell battery ingestion are reported annually to poison control centers. But while swallowing batteries has occurred for years, the development of larger, stronger lithium cell batteries has increased the risk of severe complications.
Data from the National Capital Poison Center in Washington found a sevenfold increase in severe complications from button cell ingestions in recent years. Moderate to severe cases have risen from less than a half percent (about a dozen cases per year) to about 3 percent (nearly 100 cases per year), based on a review of 56,000 cases since 1985.
Among the serious complications, the chemical reaction triggered by the batteries can damage vocal cords, leaving children with a lifelong whisper. Damage to the gastrointestinal tract means some children require feeding tubes and multiple surgeries. “The injuries are so much more serious,” said Dr. Toby Litovitz, director and lead author of both articles in Pediatrics. “It’s like drain opener or lye. It’s not something you want in the esophagus of your child.”
The batteries that pose the greatest risk are those that begin with the number 20, which stands for 20 millimeters. They are newer and stronger than older models. Batteries numbered 2032, 2025 and 2016 are responsible for more than 90 percent of serious injuries.
“Industry has shifted to this battery, and it has very popular appeal,” Dr. Litovitz said. “There are a lot of reasons why we want to use this battery, but the problem is we’ve got to use it in a safer way.” Federal safety rules require toys that use the batteries to have battery compartments that are locked with screws. But devices intended for adults — like bathroom scales and remote controls — often hold the batteries in with a simple plastic cover that can fall off or be removed easily.
That’s what happened when 13-month-old Kaiden Vasquez of Bristow, Va., picked up the remote control to his parent’s iPod docking station. Somehow, he dislodged the battery and swallowed it. But his parents did not notice the missing battery when he began crying hysterically and could not be calmed. Emergency room doctors diagnosed a stomach flu, but a week later the child’s pediatrician took an X-ray and saw what he thought was a quarter. When the round item was removed, doctors discovered the battery and kept Kaiden for observation. The battery had burned a hole in his esophagus and trachea and he required a feeding tube and two months of home nursing care.
Kaiden, who will be 3 in July, has recovered, although severe reflux after the incident damaged his teeth. “I don’t allow any of those disc batteries into my home,” said Kaiden’s mother, Amy Vasquez, who has three other young children. “I never thought a remote would do so much damage to my child.”
Battery ingestion is also a problem among the elderly, who often mistake hearing aid batteries for medication. But in those cases, the battery typically doesn’t get stuck because the digestive tract is larger and the battery used in hearing aids is smaller.
When children ingest batteries, it’s usually not because they found one loose in the home. In 60 percent of the cases involving children under age 6, the child has removed the battery from the electronic device. The problem is that most parents are not even aware when it happens, yet studies show the battery begins to cause severe damage within just two hours of ingestion. “It’s really a tight timeline, because a lot of these cases aren’t witnessed,” Dr. Litovitz said. “Children present with symptoms that are nonspecific, the parent doesn’t know the battery was ingested — that makes it difficult for the doctor to diagnose.”
Dr. Litovitz said the problem needed to be addressed by manufacturers of electronic products, who should secure the battery compartments in all devices, not just toys.
“Children have ready access to remote controls, watches, garage door openers,” she said. “Our major pitch is to get the industry to do something about the battery compartment, but parents also need to know that they need to be dealing with these batteries with a lot more vigilance and keeping them out of reach of the child.”
Cara George of Littleton, Colo., has been working to raise awareness about lithium batteries ever since her 18-month-old daughter, Brenna, died after ingesting one nearly two years ago. “I want to raise awareness for parents, for doctors, for the community,” she said. “I think there should be warnings on every item the batteries are in. They are in greeting cards and children’s books that talk. They’re everywhere.”
Tags: Infants, Lithium Cell batteries, NY Times article, Parenting, toddlers
Posted in Parenting Tips, Toddlers (1-2), Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Written by nurse mommy on 26 April 2010
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy belated Earth Day! Here in Kansas City, there were festivals and tree hugging events and flower plantings galore. The lines at the flower stores were out of control; but people were just so gosh darn pleased to be holding their purchases, no one minded. All customers eyeing other’s carts full of vibrant colors and earthy smells.
While standing in line, smiling people were speaking of when to plant, how to plant, what to plant…I had one gal tell me that if I “didn’t start upping my manure usage, I might not be able to produce.” Now that sounded a tad personal to me, but I let it go, because she was so gosh darn pleased to be educating me.
Now as I write this, I have added a few flowers to the earth, enriched my soil, and am listening to the rain water my new flowers and fill my rain barrels. I love free water!
Actually, I spent some time educating my young children about the difference between free water and the kind you have to pay for. I think they got it and are glad THEY don’t have to pay for it. Educating our children about why Earth Day is so important is a new concept. They didn’t do this when I was a kid. We as adults are teaching ourselves and passing on tips and other gems to our offspring.
Here are my medical words of advice to share with your children:
1) Don’t drink from the rain barrel. The water landed on the roof, came through the gutters and how often do you sterilize your gutters?
2) Worms are fun, but not for eating or feeding to your siblings. Just toss them back into your compost pile and put them back to work!
3) Children, don’t eat the food scraps off the compost pile. There are better choices indoors in the kitchen. Just ask and adult for assistance…
4) When recycling glass, your children shouldn’t break the glass before sending it to the Ripple Glass company bins. It does make a cool noise, but is not fun to pull shards of glass out of any part of your body.
5) How many toddlers does it take to change an incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb? None….keep your kids away from electrical devices!!!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend outdoors! Don’t forget the sunscreen on the kids and keep babies under 6 months out of the sun entirely.
©2010, Hatton. All rights reserved.
Tags: compact fluorescent bulbs, composting, Earth Day, incandescent light bulbs, Ripple Glass company, sunscreeen for infants, toddlers, water barrels
Posted in Environment, Nursing tips, Parenting Tips | 1 Comment »
Written by nurse mommy on 10 March 2010
If the hairs on your arms magically rise at the thought of taking preschoolers to the movie theater, I assume you, too, have experienced those joys.
I would have guessed most parents wait to share the cinematic experience with their kids when they are in grade school, but that would be far off. I saw kids of all ages at a showing of Disney’s latest princess movie and during the previews, I even saw a mother carrying a diaper and wipes as she hauled her 4-month-young infant to the powder room to “freshen up.”
Now as my husband will attest, I am a huge Disney fan. When he married me, he married my complete Disney collection. It is no surprise my children appreciate Disney movies, often when I have to get anything done. Sound familiar? Waiting for the newest rated G princess movie took us four years, but we knew it would be a hit with the girls. We took a break from our financial planning to introduce our children to cinema on the big screen.
My husband decided to drop me off at the door to buy the tickets because we could see from the parking lot that it might be a challenge. Two days later my poor husband found a parking place and trudged our preschool-aged girls in parkas and boots through the snowy lots, dodging drivers who were trying to run over my family in their hunt for a parking space.
By the time everyone got through the doors, my family looked tired, cold, yet excited to experience something big; a new adventure.
I put on my best supportive mommy face, embraced my 3-year-old with my knees while she yelled, “Happy Birthday, Mommy!” — what she says to anyone when she excitedly greets them — and whispered to their little red noses, “It’s sold out.”
This brings me to another topic. Assigned seating at a movie theater? Uh, excuse me? Now since we hadn’t watched a movie in a big cineplex since…well, I think it was when “National Treasure” first hit the screen, we didn’t know seats were actually assigned to you. I guess when you start charging Sprint Center prices for a movie, you need to fancy it up a bit. Watch out. In the near future, they might start charging Arrowhead prices for parking.
Luckily, we were able to get superb seats for an hour later, so we packed up the limo and drove to the nearest library to run off some steam. Thankfully, in Johnson County there are almost as many libraries as drugstores, so we didn’t have to go far. We read some books, played with toys, jumped on furniture and checked out the bathroom several times.
After locating my children’s coats, shoes and socks, we traveled back to the theater just before show time. I now understand how great it is to have assigned seats if you purchase them in advance. No need to get there early. We grabbed our popcorn, which was literally the size of our 4-year-old’s torso, and watched a delightful movie filled with beautiful music and voices. The girls even got up and danced a bit. They were pretty jacked up on pink lemonade. I only missed a small portion of the movie on the bathroom excursions.
Our first movie theater experience was a family bonding moment that won’t soon be forgotten. As we drove away, I turned to see all smiling faces. Of course, we will only be able to afford to take our entire family once a year. Who knew you had to start saving money now for when they are teenagers and want to frequent the movies. I can’t imagine how much a ticket will cost in 10 years. Note to self: Find out if 529B plan considers movie tickets a qualified withdrawal.
Stacey Hatton is an Overland Park pediatric nurse and freelance writer. Her blog, which was recommended by the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop, is at nursemommylaughs.com.
©2010, Hatton. All rights reserved.
Tags: disney, movie theatre, movies, toddlers
Posted in Kansas City Star | Comments Off
Written by NurseMommyLaughs on 16 January 2010
As many of you know…potty training is such a joy. My husband and I decided it would be far less stress to NOT dictate when our kids were to be potty-trained. Our oldest was trained at 3 years without any battles and without the stress I hear from so many parents. Forcing your child to be potty-trained by a certain time is as “out” as spanking is now a days. And if you have independent children (aka stubborn as all get out!), you know forcing just doesn’t work.
Our youngest (she is three) will “peeps” and “poo” (these are the correct medical terms) in the toilet when placed there and needs to go, but would rather “go” in her pull-ups instead of asking to go to the restroom. In the days of cloth only diapers, kids were floating like a buoy atop their wet diapers, which I’m sure wasn’t pleasant. I can’t remember that feeling personally, but can only imagine the discomfort. But with today’s wonderful wicking of the wetness, my kids don’t care if their diaper weighs as much as a small Yorkie. I would think the competition set by the older child would help us with our young one, but she isn’t into competing or even wanting to attend the game.
So today when we were at the library, formerly a tranquil place – that is until my children discovered it, my youngest decides to urinate in her Pull-up in front of the bathroom. She then announces to the patrons that she just went “pee-pee.” OK…fine. Pretty cute. Nevertheless, there are several problems with this scenario: ONE…she keeps repeating this announcement with the energy of a bullhorn and clarity of an operatic soprano. Minutes can feel like hours when it is your child. TWO…after she quits repeating her bodily functions, she decides the next thing to do is to scream comparable to a tornado siren. If you aren’t from the Midwest, just believe me, it is piercing. THREE…now I am always prepared for bathroom emergencies. This time, however, my supplies were in the car in the parking lot. No problem! I’ll just check out the books and return to the car for a quick change. This plan was not sufficient for my child who before this very moment could remain in a wet diaper all day. She decided that since she went “pee-pee” in the Young Adult book section, she needed to take off her clothing right there and change into a fresh pull-up in that same section. So the screaming started and continued while I tried to locate my library card, and then with the nimbleness that only adrenalin can suck away, tried to scan the truckload of books my children insisted on checking out. Of course the computer locked up and I couldn’t scan the last four books, but my child was a trooper and screamed all the way through the ever-patient librarian trying to assist me in a job that truly any sane person can do.
Just so you don’t think my child is a maniac and any different than any other three year old, she pulled it together when I suggested she could press the handicapped button that automatically opens the doors to the exit. She sucked up the tears, wiped them away with her parka sleeve and said, “Great Mommy! That would be fun!!” Tantrum #1 of the day complete.
©2010, Hatton. All rights reserved.
Tags: cloth diapers, librarians, mom chat, potty training, temper tantrums, three year olds, toddlers
Posted in Behavioral Issues, Toddlers (1-2) | 2 Comments »
