Asthma and Exercise can Go Hand in Hand

Asthma and exercise can go hand in hand. Parents misconceptions that exercise can be risky for their asthmatic children may be partly to blame for levels of physical activity among children with the disease, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

The study, found that 20 percent of children with asthma do not get enough exercise, even though research has shown that running, swimming and other kinds of physical activity decrease the severity of asthma symptoms.

Researchers conducted a telephone survey of 137 parents of children with asthma and 106 parents of healthy children. About 20 percent of all parents indicated they believed that exercise is dangerous for children with asthma.

About 25 percent of the parents of asthmatic children said they were afraid that exercise would make their child sick, and that their child gets upset with strenuous activity. The children of parents who expressed such views were more likely than other children to be inactive.

"These results are troubling" study lead author Dr. David Lang said in a prepared statement.

"Despite medical advances and a better understanding of asthma, we found that beliefs still exist that exercise is dangerous for asthmatic children and that children with asthma should not exercise. In reality, physical activity has important benefits for all children, including those with asthma," Lang said.

It's essential that pediatrician educate asthmatic children adn their parents about the benefits of exercise, he said.

Why Does A Baby Thump his Head on the Bed when She's Trying to go to Sleep?

Have you seen you baby thump his head while trying to go to sleep? Don't be alarmed. It's simply his way of lulling himself to sleep. The thumping may be scary to you, but it's usually nothing to worry about. Studies show that up to 15 percent of healthy children do it, and it's three times more common in boys. It typically starts when babies are around eight months old. Only fie percent of children continue to do it for more than a few months. If a child head bangs after his first birthday, experienced a language delay, and avoids eye contact, talk to your pediatrician.

Really Need Some Sleep

Keona has been late in sleeping this past few days, to be exact she sleeps at night like either 10:30pm, 11pm, Midnight sometimes 1am in the morning. Whoaaa, and I'm suppose to wake up, 5am in the morning for work. I'm really sleepy this past few days, hopefully with next week's Monday and Tuesday already declared no work. So that will be a great time to catch my sleep and be able to update most or all of my sites.

5 Ways to Help You Sleep Faster

Here's the latest thinking on how to get that rest and just as important, how to get the very best sleep you can in the time you have, so you wake up refreshed, healthy and happy.

1. Take an evening stroll. Walking around the neighborhood after dinner aids digestion, so your slumber won't be interrupted by stomach gurgling or heartburn. Do it before the sun sets: Insomniacs who were exposed to natural light at dusk tacked on an extra hour of sleep. Evening light helps reset our internal clock, sending a signal to our body that it's time for bed.
2. Minimize midnight worrying. Every evening, write down a few nagging issues that are on your mind, as well as what you plan to do about them. You don't have to have all the answers, just a few ideas. Mapping out possible solutions will quiet your mind and help you rest easier literally.
3. Make your bedroom a blackout zone. Shut the blinds, turn off your computer, keep the TV out of the room, buy a sleep mask. Do whatever it takes to put yourself in total darkness. Even the dim light from a digital alarm clock can affect the body's production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you stay asleep.
4. Establish a sleep ritual. Creating a presleep that's rhythmic and ritualized conditions your body and brain to realize it is indeed sleep time, helping you unwind and fall asleep faster.
5. Let in the a.m. light. Morning light has the most potent effect on helping our body get in sync with the day. So open the blinds the moment you awaken and let the sun shine in.

Your Baby Like to Tiptoe Walking

If your toddler constantly tiptoes, you might think she's got a future as a ballerina, but this walking style is another leftover from life in utero. Babies feet are usually pressed up against their buttocks with their toes pointed downward, which shortens the Achilles tendons. This may make it hard for a young child to put her heels down, and it can take a few months of walking and standing to stretch out her Achilles tendons and calf muscles. If your child never puts her whole foot down or her toes seem stuck pointing down, talk to your pediatrician, these may be signs of cerebral palsy. Also consult your doctor if your child frequently tiptoes after age two. Although some children with autism do walk on their tiptoes, tiptoe walking alone isn't a red flag for autism in toddlers who are otherwise developing normally.

Early to Bed, give Excellent benefits to your Kid

I know it can be sometimes hard for this energetic bundle of joy to mellow down and get ready to sleep. They almost always beg to stay a little longer, play more, ask for an extra hour to stay on a computer, but all this has to stop, and you have to say "forget it".

There was a study conducted on fourth and sixth grade children that up to one extra hour of sleep markedly improved their performance on tests assessing attention span and memory, both of which are necessary for optimum school performance.

If fourth graders gets an extra hour of sleep, they can function on tests as if they were two or more years older.

Mercury Containing Glass Thermometer

I don't know why, some nurses( well student nurses use these types of thermometer) before when Keona was admitted to the hospital student nurses who go on their rounds to check on Keona, uses the Glass thermometer to check her temperature. I always stop them when they want to check her temp, and would lend them my digital thermometer, because I know its safe and fast in getting the result. My brother who is a nursing graduate would tell me that its part of the training for a student nurse to use that type of thermometer (but common, its the modern times now, and using that primitive device can cause more injury, I have found on a magazine that recent study in Pediatric Emergency Care found out that 84% had broken glass on their mouth or rectum, which is caused by using this thermometer). So if your still using the Mercury Containing Glass Thermometer better change to digital, it may be a little expensive, but what is additional expense compared to the safety of your child.

Sleeping Guide For Your Baby

• Newborns require 16 to 20 hours of sleep per day and typically sleep in two to four hour periods separated by one to two hour intervals of wakefulness.

• Infants at four months old generally require 14 to 15 hours of sleep per day.

• Most infants between six and twelve months of age require 13 to 14 hours of sleep per day. They nap between two and four hours divided into two naps per day.

• Toddlers aged 12 to 36 months require about 12 hours of sleep per day.
  

Reasons to Become a Parent

I know some of you really want to be a parent, while some don't. But if you're not decided yet, or is planning to become one. The reasons for having children can be grouped into 4 categories.

Reasons People Want to Become Parents.

1. To build up one's ego

• To have a child who looks like me
• To have a child who will carry on the family name
• To have a child who will inherit the family business, money and property

2. To compensate for something that is missing in one's life

• To try to save one's marriage
• To make up for one's unhappy childhood
• To help one feel more secure as a male or female

3. To conform to what peers are doing or what others expect

• To please one's parent or guardian
• To do what one's peer's are doing
• To keep from being criticized for being childless

4. To love and to guide someone

• To have the satisfaction of loving a child
• To help a child grow and develop
• To teach a child how to be responsible

Now if you're a person who chooses one or more of the first three reasons, then your focus is on your own or his/her needs and not on the child's needs. Being ready for parenthood means being ready to focus on needs in addition to one's personal needs.

The fourth reason, the desire to love and guide a child, is the best reason to become a parent.