Simple Tips To Care For Your Child's Laryngitis and Hoarseness

When there is not enough air passing through your child's vocal cords, his voice will sound hoarse or husky or may disappear altogether. Hoarseness is not a disease. It is a signal that his vocal cords are not working normally.

Hoarseness can be caused by overuse of the vocal cords. Cheering at a sporting event, shouting, singing, speaking or whispering for long periods can all cause temporary hoarseness or loss of voice. Constantly clearing the throat can also cause hoarseness. A cold, sore throat or other upper respiratory infection can rob your child of his voice if the infection spreads to his voice box. This is called laryngitis.

Here are some simple tips for caring a child's Laryngitis and Hoarseness:

• Make your child rest his vocal cords. Instruct him to avoid talking and whispering as much as possible. (Whispering strains vocal cords as much as talking does.) Have him use a pencil and paper and hand gestures to communicate

• Give him plenty of fluids. Water is best to keep vocal cords hydrated

• Protect him from smoke and air pollution. Both can dry out and irritate vocal cords.

• If you live in an area with low humidity, humidify your home.

• If you have to go out in extremely cold weather, have him wear a scarf or mask over his mouth

• If he is old enough, he can suck on cough lozenges if his throat feels scratchy

• Discourage him from constantly clearing his throat.

Factors That Trigger Bad Mood in Your Child

All of us has experienced this, you little bundle of joy starts of being cheerful then suddenly changes his moods in an instant. A young child's mood hinge on a complex interaction between environmental influences, his psychological state and life events. Here are some factors so you can avert the next crisis.

• HUNGER: A toddler who's feeling out of sorts may not realize he's hungry. It's up to you to make the connection. Always carry healthy snacks, and stop to refuel when out and about for several hours.

• FATIGUE: Lack of sleep can make young children moody.

• PERCEIVED INJUSTICES: If your child thinks you're being nicer to his sibling, his mood may take a nosedive.

• GROWTH SPURTS: Subtle progress in brain development or psychological growth can cause your child to feel cranky.

• OVER-STIMULATION: Some kids become hyper or irritable, or simply shut down after rushing from one activity to another.

• CHANGES IN ROUTINE: Any shift can throw their mood out of whack.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Name for Your Child

Parents adopt various "rules" when it comes to naming babies. The more practical ones include giving your child a name that..

• is easy to pronounce in most languages
• others can easily spell
• is short and singular (for someone with long surnames)
• is not owned by an infamous character
• hasn't already been "coveted" by a relative
• has a meaning you like
• goes well phonetically with your surname
• doesn't form monikers or initials that might be made fun of (like P.O.O. or R.I.P.)

FaceBook Safety for You and your Kids

Here are some safety measure to follow when using Social Networking Sites especially the most popular of all FaceBook.

• Avoid being too specific with the information you post or share online (do not give details of your whereabouts, do not post your birthday or contact numbers, etc).

• Avoid posting solo pictures of you child. If possible, post only group photos.

• Avoid directly tagging your child's face online. Randomly tag something else to shroud your child's face from stranger's online. People who know you child will already recognize him.

• Need to discuss something sensitive? Avoid posting a message on someone;s wall. Use private messaging instead.

• Set your privacy settings so that only those close to you or the people you know can view your profile pictures, activity stream, and wall posting.

• Avoid being too 'real time' when it comes to posting items on your profile. Try to delay them for at least an hour to avoid being pinpointed.
  

TV watching should be discourage for Tots

• Some cartoons made for the whole family contains the words "idiot," "moron," "crap," "ass," and "stupid." Hardly words you want to hear your child utter.

• Explosions, car chases, guns, and violent weapons abound in many cartoons today. Studies have shown that children who witness violence in TV shows tend to exhibit aggressive behavior more.

• Every minute spent lounging in front of the TV is a minute lost in trying to develop fine motor skills, such as drawing and writing, and gross motor skills, such as running and jumping.

• Although studies have not shown a causal relationship between television viewing and obesity, most researchers agree that children who watch television for longer hours end to have more problems with obesity.
  

Warning Signs For Your Baby

I read once in an article about alarming behaviors that your baby might display. It is advise that you contact your physician if your baby is displaying the following alarming behaviors.

BY 3 MONTHS:

• Does not seem to respond to loud noises
• Does not smile at people
• Begins babbling, but does not try to imitate any of your sounds
• Crosses eyes most of the time
• Does not pay attention to new faces, or seems very frightened by new faces or surroundings
  
• Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he once had.

BY 7 MONTHS:

• Refuses to cuddle
• Shows no affection for his caregiver
• Doesn't seem to enjoy being around people
• Does not turn head to locate sounds
• Seems impossible to comfort at night
• Does not smile on his own
• Does not laugh or make squealing sounds
• Does not actively reach for objects
• Does not follow object with both eyes at near and far ranges
• Does not try to attract attention through actions
• Shows no interest in games of peek a boo
• Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he once had

BY 12 MONTHS:

• Does not play with toys or caregivers
• Does not vocalize to meet needs
• Does not search for objects that are hidden while he watches
• Say no single words ("mama" or "dada")
• Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
• Does not point to objects or pictures
• Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he once had.