HowToDoThings.com Babies' & Children's Health

How To Relieve Asthma Using Earth-Friendly Products

Sommer — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:46:54 -0500

How To Use Infant Massage to Relieve Reflux

IMIS — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:34:23 -0600

Massage on any part of the body causes increased activity or stimulation to a nerve in the brain called the vagus nerve. This nerve branches out to control various regions of the respiratory and digestive systems, including the esophagus and the stomach. To use massage successfully for an infant with reflux, follow the steps below:

How To Keep Your Baby Safe from Recalled Products

sarahchusid — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:13:57 -0600

Do you know if the products you use for your baby are safe?

Well, it’s sort of a trick question. Like most concerned parents, you’ve probably had your baby’s safety on your mind since day one. But what if you found out that the very items you purchased to keep baby safe and comfortable could end up seriously injuring your child, or worse?

Unfortunately, and contrary to many consumers’ beliefs, there is no requirement that children’s products be tested for safety before they are sold. With recalls in 2007 reaching a record high - over 25 million units - and high-profile recalls of everything from drug-tainted Aqua Dots to lead-laced Barbie dolls to collapsing cribs, parents are understandably anxious about protecting children under their care.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to keep dangerous products out of homes and the hands of children.

How To Help Your Children Stop Nail Biting

bronwyn — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:17:33 -0600

All parents worry about their children's bad habits. Nailbiting, although not one of the worst things a child can do by any means, can be unattractive, annoying, and damage their teeth. Parents often punish or reprimand their children for biting their nails, but there are much more effective ways to help your children stop biting their nails.

Teach your child to crochet or knit. Even children of a young age can learn to knit, crochet, or fingerknit. When they are occupied with creating things out of yarn, they will not remember to bite their fingernails, and their hands would be too occupied to do so anyway!
Give children toys to play with. Play-Doh and clay are wonderful ways to keep children's hands occupied, as are pipe cleaners and twist ties. Children are very creative, so harness their nervous energy.

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How To Have a Positive Birth Experience

robin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:58:15 -0600

‘I can do this’ is the best way to approach labor. It’s also a great way to step into parenting. The fact is, your body is designed to grow, give birth to and nurture healthy babies. And the fact is that labor is an act of love, physically and hormonally speaking. The contractions of labor massage your baby for a most responsive and alert beginning. The hormone that stimulates these contractions, oxytocin, is called ‘the love hormone’. It also stimulates the area in your brain that has to do with bonding, love, social connection. So when you love yourself, love your baby and have loving, patient people around you, you are helping with the positive work of oxytocin and labor.

During pregnancy:

How To Use the Power of Touch in Your Yoga Practice

melbeau — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:15:02 -0600

When we suffer from anxiety, our minds can become scattered and our bodies riddled with tension. Yoga has the ability to pull us out of a state of anxiety and place us into an environment of physical and mental solitude. Practicing yoga enables us to use all of our physical senses to help pull us back to calmness. One powerful sense we can learn to apply and cultivate in our asana (pose) is touch. By shifting our attention into pressing our hands and feet to the earth and grounding our asana, we've established a stable environment that can be calming and healing.

How To Understand What Living With Autism Means

teacher — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:46:06 -0500

Since my son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in December 2003, my husband and I have learned a lot about our child's Autism. By the time our daughter received the same diagnosis in March 2006, we felt like experts in the field. In fact, that is what our children's specialists called us. We are living with Autism, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Both my husband and I have sadly witnessed on several occasions how our children's autistic behavior is misjudged by other people due to their ignorance about Autism.

How To Identify the Symptoms of Autism in Your Child

teacher — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:59:33 -0500

Autism officially entered our family life 4 years ago, when our son turned 3 years old. Our daughter was also diagnosed with autism a year later, when she turned 2. In a way, it has seemed to us that autism crept up on us by surprise but in fact, it actually happened gradually, and began 2 years prior to our son's diagnosis, when he was only 1 year old. We were oblivious to the symptoms, running away from the truth that later confronted us.

Follow the period of shock and denial, like all parents, we went looking for causes and possible cures. Then, remorse and guilt haunted our minds with questions such as: "What if we would have seen it earlier? What if we would have had a list of symptoms to compare to?" There was so many "What if...?" questions that we could torture ourselves eternally. What we should have done was to look for the common symptoms of autism. Here are the symptoms, which I share with you, dear parents.

How To Choose Healthy Foods for Your Family

Elizabeth69 — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 10:18:38 -0500

Parents who choose healthy meals for their families are helping their children to establish sound habits that they will take with them throughout their lives. Eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated (in spite of all the magazine articles that give contrary and ever-changing information!) or difficult; it just requires a bit of common sense.

Become a Label Reader: Nutrition labels offer a wealth of information, as does the list of ingredients posted on packaged foods. Many companies design their packaging to make foods appear healthier than they really are, with pictures of fruits, vegetables and natural grains prominently displayed. While these pictures may give the impression that the contents of the package are healthful, the nutrition label will tell the complete truth.

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How To Eliminate Lice

Kem517 — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:27:00 -0600

The word "lice" strikes fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. Lice are small wingless parasites that feed on the blood supply of a host. Lice attach themselves to hair follicles. Once attached, the lice lay eggs called nits. Nits usually hatch within 2 weeks after they are laid. Although the lice parasite is an equal opportunity offender, lice infestation is most commonly spread amongst school-age children. Having lice can be embarrassing for children: It is important for children to be reassured that lice infestation is not a sign of poor hygiene.

Lice is very contagious and is passed through direct contact with the parasite or through shared contact with infested belongings. Items such as combs, brushes, towels, pillows and hats become ready carriers for lice.

Lice are small but can be seen with the naked eye. Lice are usually no larger than a sesame seed. Nits resemble dandruff and can range in color.