Category Archives: Toddlers (1-2)

Name Your Poison – I’ll Pass, Thanks!

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SIMPLYkc Magazine November 2012 issue
by Stacey Hatton

What produces more fear than scanning a full cart of groceries, then remembering you left your wallet at home? Having to make a call to Poison Control! The adrenaline surges, your heart pounds, and your mouth becomes dryer than a Sahara mirage as your “Parent of the Year” crown is stripped away as you push speed dial…

Who is at Risk?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Each year, approximately 2.4 million people – more than half under age 6 – swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance.”

The Kansas City metro’s Poison Control is run by the University of Kansas Hospital. They receive approximately 30,000 calls/year, and have been taking these calls since 1982. Dr. Tama Sawyer, Director of the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital says, “Poisoning has overtaken motor vehicle accidents as the number one cause of deaths in the U.S. last year. The numbers keep increasing. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, old or young; it can happen to anyone.”

The center’s busiest hours are near the end of the day. “The biggest time for calls to our center is at 4:00pm. When moms are getting dinner ready and ask the older kids to watch out for the toddlers,” Sawyer says.

She also warns that when kids travel to their grandparents’ houses for babysitting or family get-togethers, “Daily pill reminders are great for grandparents, but NOT for kids.” These containers are usually kept easily visible for the grandparent so they won’t forget to take their medications – which are terribly dangerous for children –it is like opening up a toxic candy store for young kids with all the small pretty colored pills.

Common Calls to Poison Control
The American Association of Poison Control Centers say the majority of these calls occur when someone is home with the child, but just not paying attention. Make sure to lock up these items, or keep them out of reach:
• Medicines (vitamins, herbals, pain medications, diaper rash creams)
• Foreign objects (silica gel packages, glow products, batteries)
• Cleaning products (laundry detergent, floor cleaners, furniture polish)
• Cosmetics (makeup, perfume, nail polish, nail polish remover)
• Personal care products (deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap)
• Garage items (antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil)

Treatment
The AAP states if a child is “unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.”

If your child has contact with a poison, and the child has either no symptoms or mild symptoms, first aid should be performed first and THEN poison control should be called immediately at 1-800-222-1222.

If your child has…
Swallowed poison: Take leftover poison away from child and have her spit out any remainder from her mouth. Do NOT have her vomit!! Do NOT use syrup of ipecac.
Poison on the skin: Remove child’s clothing and rinse his skin directly with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes.
Poison in the eye: Wash child’s eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a continuous flow of body temperature water into the inner corner for 15 minutes.
Poison fumes: Take child into fresh air immediately. If the child isn’t breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and continue until the child breathes on his own, or until someone can take over. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics)

What is the benefit of calling the poison center?
Poison centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year staffed with poison experts. The conversations are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. Since many poison exposures, may not require medical attention and can be dealt with in your own home, it is best to find this out over the phone without having an ambulance or emergency room bill to pay for the same answer. Remember to act swiftly and always have the number readily available!
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© 2012, Stacey Hatton. All rights reserved.

Any other good tips for protecting our kids? Or stories of what NOT to do?

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Top 4 Toddler Choking Hazards in the Car

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So you have your toddler perfectly strapped into their 5-point-harness Britax or whatever the Consumer Reports choice car seat of the month du jour happens to be. The harness is aligned midway on the sternum of the child and is has only one finger width space from the harness to the chest. You are parent extraordinaire!  You know how to read a manual, Dagnabit!!

Cruising down the highway, you hear a strange wheeze/whistle coming from the back middle seat. You stretch your neck to peer into the rear view mirror, which is perfectly angled to catch the other mirror reflecting your backward facing two year-old straining to cough – changing from a red faced child to purple to…

SCREECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Crossing three lanes of traffic, veering to the highway shoulder while coming to a complete stop in a record 2.5 seconds, you unlatch your seat belt and hurdle the driver’s seat to find your precious child choking!  You didn’t leave any choking hazards for your youngster. You are “Super Parent” – able to scale minivan consoles in a single bound!

Nonetheless, there are five common choking hazards for restrained toddlers while their parent is driving. Most of us don’t think of these.  Lord knows, I know I didn’t!

Ready? Now place your forehead on the screen to begin the osmosis process…

1)      Pacifiers – Normally these suckers are what help your little one nod off to sleep on the open road; but if you have an inexpensive paci, or one your child has been able to pull at with their teeth, the nipple can pull away from the base and become a choking hazard. Sca-reeey!

2)      Hair bows and barrettes – Parents of boys (you get a freebie on this one), unless you like to pin up your son’s Bieber bangs in the car. When kids are strapped in the car seat without anything to do, pulling on hair accessories and putting them in their mouths can be all fun and games until the airway is blocked!  These little pretties cause many a minivan to swerve to the roadside. Luckily, parents usually hit the brakes so hard, the bows pop on out; but trust me – don’t chance it!

3)      Snacks – I know giving your kid some Goldfish crackers in the shopping cart at the market is a lifesaver at any time of the day. Seven am? Goldfish snack in the produce aisle is a thing of beauty. But if baby is hollerin’ in the back seat on the way to the store, don’t give in and toss him a Ziploc of those delish cheddary, yet salty bait bites. Those are trachea plugs just waiting to happen and you don’t want that happening when you are in the drive-thru ordering your Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte, now do you?!

4)      Chewing gum –Thankfully, I never had kids who were completely bald, and since I didn’t want to have to remove gum from their hair, I never gave them gum until they turned five years of age. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of them swallowing the stuff. (Just a personal choice, not the standard.)  However, there are many parents who give their young kids gum and my medical advice is, “STOP IT, FOOL!” And please don’t give gum to kiddos in their car seat. Reclined. Toddlers. Will. Choke. On. Gum. Or maybe not…but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

So there you have it!  Four little tips which might help you from having palpitations on the roadways. Now you only have 56 additional baby vehicular dramas which can occur while hauling your most precious cargo around!  Today, however, we are only tackling four.

Have a safe day; enjoy those toddlers and your Pumpkin Latte!

Need to know what to do if your child is choking? Check out the American Red Cross for answers.

Want to follow my blog? Scroll to the top right side of the page to “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” add your email address, then click on “SUBSCRIBE.” New blogs will be sent to your inbox as they are posted.

© 2012, Stacey Hatton.  All rights reserved.

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AAP, Childhood Sleep Disorders, Snoring: New Report at Five

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(Press Release: August 27, 2012)

Yesterday the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement that childhood sleep disorders, if they remain untreated may develop health additional issues down the line.  The main sleep disturbance they referred to was obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

A research journal in September 2012’s issue of Pediatrics, “Diagnosis and Management of Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome,” suggests any child or teen who routinely snores, should be checked for OSAS.

Symptoms of OSAS:

  • “Labored” breathing while sleeping
  • Awaking gasping for air, snorting for air, or paused breathing
  • Extreme sleepiness or learning problems during the day

The AAP recommends a complete sleep study performed in an overnight facility for an accurate diagnosis. “If left untreated,” reports the AAP, “OSAS can result in problems such as behavioral issues, cardiovascular problems, poor growth and developmental delays.”

Treatments are suggested in the journal, but of course each child’s condition needs to be assessed by a professional to determine what is best suited for their symptoms and lifestyle.

 

Source:

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Recommendations-for-Childhood-Sleep-Disorders.aspx

Full guidelines in Pediatrics journal: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/08/22/peds.2012-1671.full.pdf

Want to follow my blog?  Don’t cost nuthin’!  Scroll to the top right side of the page to “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” add your email address, then click on “SUBSCRIBE.”My blogs will be sent to your inbox as they are posted.

 

© 2012, Stacey Hatton.  All rights reserved.

 

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