ChildrensOmaha.org
winter 2013
JustKids
Pick the Perfect Toy p4 CRITICAL CARE
PICKY EATERS
SPORTS SAFETY
New “Kids 2” Ambulance 2
Tips for Introducing New Foods 7
What You Should Know 9
Contents ➍ Educational Toys: The Right Stuff for Kids
➏ Challenging the
Cinnamon Challenge
➐ Picky Eaters Need to
See Foods More Often
➑ Look Out for Lead ➒ Children’s Sports Safety: What You Should Know
➓ Leave Your Child in Good Hands
Is My Child Ready to Be the Babysitter? Stop Germs: Teach Children to Wash Their Hands
Your Online Source for Health Info For the latest information and news, support groups, events, patient stories, recipes and perspectives from our physicians, check out these online resources: Facebook.com/ ChildrensOmaha YouTube.com/ ChildrensOmaha Twitter.com/ChildrensOmaha Pinterest.com/ChildrensOmaha
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JustKids
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Gary A. Perkins President and CEO Martin W. Beerman Vice President, Marketing & Community Relations David G.J. Kaufman, MD Medical Advisor Dannee Schroeder Senior Editor
JustKids is published by Children’s Hospital & Medical Center to provide general health information. It is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a physician. © 2013. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
What’sNew? New Ambulance Allows Transport Team to Help More kids Children’s Hospital & Medical Center has expanded its critical care transport fleet. A second, customized ambulance is now in service, designed specifically to transport critically ill newborns, infants and children to Children’s from anywhere in the region. “Our new ambulance means we can provide early intervention to even more critically ill children who require the expertise and experience of the specialists at Children’s,” said Megan Connelly, manager of Children’s Emergency Services. “Our transport program continues to experience significant growth, and we are thankful to have a second ambulance ready to go whenever there’s a child in need.” The new ambulance, “Kids 2,” is uniquely larger than most ambulances. It measures 29 feet, seven feet longer than the average ambulance. The extra space means more room for medical equipment and provides the medical team with better access to the patient. Additional features of “Kids 2” include: • Patient DVD player and onboard DVD library • Self-contained backup generator • Air ride suspension for a more comfortable ride • Automatic exterior flood light for night transports • Stryker Auto Loader for virtually hands-free loading and unloading of patients
Children’s Critical Care Transport Program completed 1,325 transports in 2012. Ground transportation is the team’s primary mode of travel. The hospital also travels by helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. • Onboard GPS navigation system • Four factory-mounted cameras to increase driver awareness/ minimize blind spots • Crew cab to accommodate the medical team on the first leg of the journey and patient parents on the ride to Omaha The “Kids 2” patient compartment was custom designed by a team of Children’s transport nurses and nurse practitioners to meet specific needs of pediatric and neonatal patients. The ambulance, owned and operated by Children’s, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The process begins with a priority phone call from a physician or another health care facility identifying a child who is in need of specialized care at Children’s. Depending on the child’s age, the Newborn or Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team is dispatched. Both teams serve Nebraska, western Iowa, northern Missouri, northern Kansas, eastern Colorado and South Dakota – anywhere in the region where there’s a child in need. The new ambulance received significant support through fundraising efforts at Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations throughout the state of Nebraska. “Thank you to our friends at Walmart and Sam’s Club for this priceless gift to the patients and families we serve. We are humbled by their generosity and long-term support,” shared Gary A. Perkins, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
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feature story
Educational Toys:
The Right Stuff for Kids Each year during the holidays, store shelves are stocked with an array of toys for children. Each year, parents struggle over how to purchase the right toys for their child among these crammed shelves. By keeping your own child’s interest and personality in mind, parents can make successful and educational purchases. “In today’s high tech world, we tend to forget about books and music,” says Frances Smith, M.D., a pediatrician with Children’s Physicians. “Books can stimulate imagination, expand the mind and create an excellent opportunity for family bonding. Music can be very soothing to children and adults alike. These types of gifts give us an opportunity to turn off the television and spend some quality time with our children.”
Buying the Right Toy The right toys given during the right stages of childhood can help a child develop physically, mentally and emotionally. To choose a toy that will be well-loved for a long
time, take into account each child’s personality, preferences and special skills. “It’s often the simple things that we have at home, like cardboard boxes, that make the best toys,” says Dr. Smith. “They’re inexpensive and keep kids busy for hours because they engage the child’s imagination.” The following is a smart shopper’s guide of do’s and don’ts to assist parents. DO use the age ranges on toy boxes as a guide; however, remember that they are only a guide and are used mainly for safety precautions. The real test is how the toy is suited for each individual child. DO consider how the child will benefit from the toy. Toys build visual, auditory, tactile, gross motor, fine motor, sensory and intellectual skills. DO think about safety, especially when buying for a young child. Avoid materials that might splinter or shatter. Also, avoid anything with small, removable parts that could be swallowed. Look for items that can be washed or sterilized, and make sure art supplies and painted toys are non-toxic. DO keep in mind what toys the child already has and seek balance. Make sure the child has large-scale and small-scale activities, things for solitary and group play, quiet toys and active toys.
DON’T be sexist. Boys love dolls and homecare toys, and girls love cars and trucks. DON’T buy a toy just because it is “in” because it will just as quickly be “out.” DON’T overbuy. Smart shopping teaches a child important lessons about making do, alternative uses for items, and how to develop imagination or creativity.
Preventing Toy Injuries Even though safety standards exist in the toy industry, protecting children from injury is largely up to parents and caregivers. Once your child receives a toy, follow a few strategies to help prevent toy-related injuries: • Inspect toys regularly for damage that could cause injuries. • Remove strings and cords to prevent strangulation. • Don’t let children younger than age 8 play with toys that must be plugged into electric sockets. • Closely watch children who are playing with riding toys or toys with small parts, magnets, balloons, small balls or other parts that could become a choking hazard. • Store toys for older children separately from those for smaller children.
Frances Smith, M.D.
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Find the Right Doctor Selecting a physician who’s a good fit for your family is important. You—and your child—should feel comfortable with the physician. To find the right one for your family, call Children’s Find-ADoctor service at 1-800-833-3100.
Safety First! To learn more about toy safety and recalls, visit ChildrensOmaha.org/Alerts.
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Have a Health Question? If you have questions about children’s health topics, you’ll find a variety of information on our website. Visit ChildrensOmaha.org/HealthAndSafety.
Challenging the Cinnamon Challenge Start with some young people and their need to conform, compete and take risks. Then add peer pressure and social media spreading the word about the latest fad. Finally, add in a kitchen stocked with baking supplies in preparation for the holidays. What do you get? The Cinnamon Challenge. Looking to spice things up, young people, mainly ranging from ages 13 to 24, try to swallow a whole tablespoon of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds. But what begins as a dare can end up seriously damaging a person’s health.
The Body Takes a Beating Powdered cinnamon is abrasive. When it coats and dries the mouth and throat, it creates a burning sensation there and in the nose. It also triggers a severe gag reflex, causing coughing and choking. For many people, the trouble ends there. But others experience nastier symptoms, including vomiting, a bloody nose, a tight chest or worse. If cinnamon is inhaled into the airways, it can cause pneumonia. The dry, dusty seasoning can also damage the lungs, where it can’t dissolve or biodegrade. Inhaling too much cinnamon can also cause inflammation of the lungs. This can lead to lesions and scarring. The Cinnamon Challenge has even caused some adolescents’ lungs to collapse, requiring ventilator support. The risks are greater for someone who’s allergic to cinnamon or who has asthma or some other lung disease. Dozens of Cinnamon Challenge-related phone calls
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to poison control centers or local emergency services have been reported. So have trips to the emergency room.
The Internet Plays a Role Unaware of the dangers, too many young people fall for the Cinnamon Challenge. It doesn’t help that it’s plastered all over the Internet. There are currently more than 900,000 YouTube videos showing someone coughing and choking from cinnamon. Many of the clips (one was viewed 33 million times!) include groups of adolescents watching. There are also tens of thousands of Twitter mentions every day.
Parents Can Step Up to the Challenge As much as you can, know what your kids are up to online and with their friends. Talk to them about the health risks of the Cinnamon Challenge. Ask your child’s teachers and pediatrician to join in the conversation. If you think or know that your child has given in to harmful peer pressure of any kind, counseling could help him or her learn new behaviors. Also, be a positive role model for your child and set expectations for his or her behavior. Encourage your child to take on a different sort of challenge—one that replaces risky activities with truly rewarding achievements.
Healthy Kohl’s Kids
Picky Eaters Need to See Foods More Often Do you want your finicky toddlers to eat their peas and carrots as well as other foods? Keep serving them up, says a study that followed 118 families over one year. The number of times children are exposed to a food may influence whether they will eat it. Mothers normally expose their children to new foods only 2.5 times on average before deciding that their toddlers did not like these
foods. Past studies have shown that children need to be exposed to a food up to 10 times before they will accept it. Other strategies to follow when dealing with picky eaters: • Avoid rewarding a child with dessert for eating a new food. This only causes most toddlers to dislike that food even more. • Praise the child for eating a new food.
• Set a good example by eating a variety of foods and trying new dishes. • Let your child decide how much and when to eat. Studies show that children will naturally eat enough calories for their energy needs. If your child doesn’t eat at mealtime, offer a nutritious snack a few hours later.
Healthy Kohl’s Kids is a partnership between Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and Kohl’s Department Stores focused on educating children and families on the importance of good nutrition and fitness. The program’s website, ChildrensOmaha .org/HKK, features up-to-date fitness and nutrition info and advice for children and parents. The site also has a library of healthy recipes with how-to videos of young chefs making nutritious meals and snacks. Healthy Kohl’s Kids invites parents to engage via social media on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter (@HealthyKohlsKid). Share your own healthy recipes, activity ideas and fitness- and nutritionrelated links, and receive updates about future Healthy Kohl’s Kids events.
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Look Out for
Lead
Although lead paint is banned today, most houses built before 1978 used it.
If you live in an older house or apartment, you might have a problem on your hands that you haven’t even realized: lead. Lead is highly toxic. It is especially dangerous to young children and infants. Even low levels can affect a child’s brain and nervous system development. This can cause learning disabilities, as well as developmental and behavior problems. Sadly, lead poisoning is very common. It especially affects kids growing up in neighborhoods where there are many older homes. The problem with lead poisoning is that it causes no obvious symptoms at lower levels. Often, parents don’t know and don’t seek treatment for kids.
Sources of Lead Although lead paint is banned today, most houses built before 1978 used it. When lead paint in older homes begins to peel, it leaves contaminated paint chips and dust. This is dangerous because young children might eat paint chips or put something in their mouths that touched lead-contaminated dust.
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Lead can also be found in: • Soil around a home • Older furniture • Toys and play jewelry • Certain Mexican candy • Drinking water from contaminated plumbing • Vinyl blinds made in China, Taiwan, Mexico or Indonesia
Prevent Poisoning If you live in a home that was built before 1978: • Keep kids away from peeling paint. • Wash your child’s hands and toys often. • Wash floors, window sills and other flat surfaces every two to three weeks. • Don’t let kids play in bare soil. • Use only cold water to prepare food and drinks. If it needs to be hot, heat it in the microwave or on the stove. At regular well-check visits, your child’s physician will screen for risk factors for lead exposure. If your child is at risk, your pediatrician will check for lead exposure with a quick finger prick.
Children’s Sports Safety: What You Should Know Young athletes look to adults for help preventing injuries. In fact, about a third of children said good players shouldn’t stop when they’re hurt unless a coach or parent tells them to, according to a survey from the nonprofit organization Safe Kids Worldwide. But other survey results suggest adults often don’t know all the facts about injury prevention, which could lead to trouble for kids. For instance: • Most parents underestimate the amount of time children should take off any given sport per year. Children should take a two-month break from a specific sport each year to prevent overuse injuries, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Half of coaches wrongly think minor head injuries can’t cause serious brain damage. • Most parents allow their kids to play on more than one team at the same time. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association advises against this if practices and games occur on more than five days per week.
Parents Have a Job to Do Most parents trust coaches to keep young athletes safe. Yet less than half know how much injury prevention training coaches have received. Coaches, meanwhile, are stretched too thin. Many say other responsibilities prevent them from focusing on safety. And although most believe it’s important to be
Children’s Sport Medicine Clinic
educated on sports injury prevention, only half describe themselves as well-trained.
Smart Steps Keep Young Athletes Safe Almost all coaches knew one important fact: About half of youth sports injuries are preventable. Parents can help by: • Knowing the safety basics for their child’s sports • Watching for the symptoms of a concussion. These include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, head pressure, headache, difficulty thinking, sensitivity to light or noise, and fatigue • Asking coaches about their training and emergency action plans
More than 3.5 million Americans age 14 and younger are treated for sports injuries every year. To meet this need, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center launched a new Sports Medicine Clinic. Intended for young athletes who participate in competitive and recreational programs, the clinic provides specialized care for sports-related injuries ranging from concussion to sprains, strains and overuse. Families can contact the Children’s Sports Medicine Clinic directly to make an appointment. The number to call is 402-955-PLAY (7529). A physician referral is not required. You can find more information about the Sports Medicine Clinic at ChildrensOmaha.org/ Sports.
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babysitting basics
Leave Your Child in Good Hands How do you make sure your child is safe and well-cared for when you’re not around? Whether you need a babysitter for date night with your spouse or you need to attend the annual office holiday party, choosing carefully and providing clear instructions will help your child stay healthy and happy – and give you peace of mind.
Choosing a Babysitter Parents naturally want the best for their children. So it makes sense that when you trust someone else to watch your children, you want to ensure that they are being cared for in a safe and responsible manner. To help you pick the right babysitter, here are some tips: • Meet potential sitters in advance. Interview them about their background and experience and check references. If you plan to hire a teenager, also talk with his or her parents. • Pay prospects for an hour of child care while you’re at home. Watch how the sitter interacts with your child. If your child is old enough, ask for opinions afterward— and listen to them. • Inform the sitter of your child’s allergies or other special needs. Go over basic safety information, such as where fire extinguishers and the first aid kit are kept. Tell the sitter how to reach emergency services such as fire, ambulance and poison control.
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• After selecting a sitter, give him or her a tour of your home and discuss your rules and your child’s routines. Leave a list of phone numbers where you can be reached. Also provide contact information for neighbors, relatives and your child’s doctor.
Plan Ahead Don’t wait until the last minute to find a babysitter. Choosing one qualified to care for your child may take time. To help you get started in your search for the right sitter, ask your trusted friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations.
Have Fun! Go ahead and enjoy those front-row theater tickets or the fancy restaurant celebrating a special occasion. After taking the right steps to choose and prepare your babysitter, you’ll know that you’re leaving your child in good hands.
Is My Child Ready to Be the Babysitter? It’s not always easy to know if your child is ready to stay home alone. It’s even tougher to know when your child might be ready to start babysitting. The age when a child is ready to babysit can vary. Some children are ready at age 11, and some aren’t responsible enough even when they’re 15. Here are some tips to help you know when your child might be ready to babysit: • Is your child generally responsible? • Is your child capable of recognizing and avoiding danger? • Would your child feel confident and enjoy caring for children? • Has your child taken and passed a babysitting class? If you find that you’ve been answering “yes” to these questions, your child could be ready to babysit. To learn more about the online babysitting training course presented by the American Red Cross, visit www.redcross.org/take-a-class/ Learn-About-Our-Programs and click “Caregiving & Babysitting.”
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Stop Germs:
Teach Children to Wash Their Hands Consider all the things that your child touches in a day—door handles, playground equipment, toys and more. Then consider all the other people who touch these same objects and may have a contagious illness.
When to Wash Teaching your children to wash their hands is a key to preventing infection. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing your hands is the single most important way you can prevent the spread of germs. Teach your children to wash their hands frequently, including: • Before eating or preparing food • Before treating a cut or scrape • After using the restroom • After blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing, handling garbage, playing outside or touching anything that’s dirty
How to Wash In order for hand-washing to be effective in controlling the spread of germs or
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viruses, your child needs to do it properly. Children should: • Wet their hands with warm water and add soap. Using antibacterial soap is fine, but studies have found regular soap works just as well. • Rub their hands together as they scrub all areas of their hands and wrists. • Scrub for at least 20 seconds—as long as it takes them to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. • Rinse their hands with warm water and dry them with a clean towel or air dryer.
The Best Protection Having children wash their hands helps prevent the flu. Still, getting a flu vaccine every year remains the best way to protect your family against the flu. Adults and children ages 6 months and older should get the yearly flu vaccine as soon as it’s available.
Subscribe Now To subscribe to health-e kids, our free monthly e-newsletter, visit ChildrensOmaha.org and click on the e-newsletter icon located on the right side of the home page.