17 minute read
Good to Know
What Does Dad REALLY want for Father’s Day?
• A Nap • To do something Dad wants to do with the kids,
NOT what the kids want to do. • Time to work on his hobbies. • Someone else to handle the chores. • His favorite meal brought to him. • A clean car. • Peace and quite. A day to enjoy a little solitude. • To control the remote.
1910
As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day this year, keep in mind that it was the governor of Washington State that first declared the celebration on July 19, 1910. All of the hard-working papas in the country had to wait until 1972 for Father’s Day to actually become a nationally celebrated holiday in the United States (that’s 58 years after Mother’s Day was made official by President Woodrow Wilson). It was Richard Nixon who signed the proclamation into action.
1938 We bet you didn’t know that National Doughnut Day, taking place on June 7, has origins dating back to 1938! That’s the year The Salvation Army created the sweet holiday to honor the folks who served the deep-fried treats to soldiers during World War I (they were affectionately referred to as Doughnut Dollies). For the record, National Doughnut Day always takes place on the first Friday in June. Delicious!
$172 According to a National Retail Federation study, that’s how much the average consumer will spend on their Papa this Father’s Day, although we all know that nothing is better than sweet hugs, burnt toast in bed and a school-made craft to celebrate.
Celebrate Flag Day
This Flag Day (June 14), bust out some facts about the American flag to impress your kids. For example, only Pennsylvania observes Flag Day as an official holiday. Each color of the flag has a special meaning. White signifies purity and innocence, red stands for hardiness and valor, and blue is for vigilance, perseverance and justice.
Say Cheese
June is National Dairy Month so there’s no better time to pay homage to fromage. Did you know there are more than 2,000 varieties of cheese? Despite the many impressive offerings, the International Dairy Foods Association says the United States consumes more Italianstyle cheeses than any other (pizza anyone?), with American varieties coming in second. In 2021, the U.S. per capita consumption of natural cheese reached a record 39 pounds.
QUALITY Over Quantity
If you’re feeling guilt over not spending enough time with your kids, a recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family may put you at ease. The research finds no correlation between the amount of time children ages 3 to 11 spend with their parents and their academic achievement, behavior or emotional well-being. Instead, the focus should be aimed at how you spend time together, not how much.
Water Safety and Drowning Prevention
Cassandra Slater, Injury Prevention Specialist
Annually, eight hundred children drown in the United States, more than half of whom are under the age of five. Home swimming pools are the most common site for drowning to occur for toddlers aged one to four years old, while bath tubs and large buckets are the most common place for infant drowning deaths. Preventing drowning tragedies in and out of the home takes planning and supervision, but is absolutely possible. Home Drowning Prevention: Child-proofing is the key to home drowning prevention. As your child becomes more mobile, you will want peace of mind knowing that childresistant materials will keep them away from water sources, such as bath tubs, home pools, and toilet bowls. Safety equipment such as door knob covers, sliding door locks, toilet latches, and cabinet locks create safe barriers between your curious toddlers and hazards in and around the home.
If you are the lucky owner of a home pool or hot tub, consider multiple barriers to keep kids out of the water without supervision. Some common safety measures include pool fencing, door alarms, and pool covers. Pool covers should be strong enough to hold the weight of an adult to prevent drowning from fall-ins. Open-water swimming:
Near any open body of water, younger children should wear a Coast-Guard-approved life vest at all times in case they wander towards the water and are knocked off balance by waves. Older children may be tempted to swim in open water without a life vest because they feel comfortable swimming in swimming pools. Remind them that swimming in the ocean is much more challenging than swimming in a pool, and that they should wear a life vest in any amount of water that hits above their waist while standing, in case they are swept further away from shore. Common pool toys such as pool noodles and inner tubes cannot be used instead of a life vest.
As always, make sure there is at least one alert adult present while children are swimming. Adults should be attentive to the swimmers and not distracted by cell phones or head phones. Learn CPR
Bystanders who know CPR are often the difference between life and death for drowning victims. Become an empowered citizen by learning CPR from the American Red Cross or a program at a local hospital.
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You may be eligible for no-cost nutrition advice, breastfeeding You may be eligible for no-cost nutrition advice, breastfeeding support, community referrals, and EBT to buy healthy foods!support, community referrals, and EBT to buy healthy foods! Working families may be eligible for WIC! Working families may be eligible for WIC! We are providing services over the phone during COVID-19, call 510-981-5360
For more information and to For more information and to see if you qualify, contact: see if you qualify, contact:City of Berkeley WIC Program City of Berkeley WIC Program 830 University Ave 830 University AveBerkeley, CA 94710 Berkeley, CA 94710 510.981.5360 Migrant families are welcome! 510.981.5360 Migrant families are welcome! wicprogram@cityofberkeley.info Visit us at www.cityofberkeley.info/publichealth wicprogram@cityofberkeley.info Visit us at www.cityofberkeley.info/publichealth Do you need help with health care? Do you need care while you are pregnant? Please call Berkeley Public Health at 510-981-5300. We can help with community programs for low and middle income families. Do you need help with health care? Do you need care while you are pregnant? Please call Berkeley Public Health at 510-981-5300. We can help with programs for low and middle income families. (Medi-Cal, Healthy Do you need help with health care? Do you need care while you are pregnant? Please call Berkeley Public Health at 510-981-5300. Do you need help with health care? Do you need care while you are pregnant? Please call Berkeley Public Health at 510-981-5300. (Medi-Cal and CHDP) Families, CHDP and other community programs) This institution is an equal opportunity provider. We can help with community programs for low and middle income families. We can help with programs for low and middle income families. (Medi-Cal, Healthy (Medi-Cal and CHDP) Families, CHDP and other community programs) This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Renie Ikeda, DDS, MS • Straty Righellis, DDS
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Drs. Ikeda and Righellis take pride in our detailoriented diagnostic process that carefully evaluates Call Today 510-465-0941Call Today 510-465-0941 each patient’s facial balance, bite function, airway, jaw growth, and jaw joint health. Orthodontics should be more than just about straightening your teeth.Are you concerned about the safety of your son or daughter? • Is your teen no longer listening to you? Have you tried therapy or other avenues of support that haven’t worked? A Group for Parents of Struggling Teens Are you concerned about the safety of your son or daughter? • Is your teen no longer listening to you? Have you tried therapy or other avenues of support that haven’t worked? Is your son or daughter already in an out-of-home placement and are you looking to connect with other parents in the same situation? A Group for Parents of Struggling Teens
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For additional information about the group and to schedule a free introductory meeting Cindy Rasicot, MFT | cindy.rasicot@gmail.com | 510.332.0463 March 2014 | East Bay | Parents’ Press 11
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PP EB MAR 2014_1-16.26rm.indd 11 March 2014 | East Bay | Parents’ Press 11 2/25/14 11:27 AM
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t’s summer! You’ve got your kids’ sunblock, goggles, hats, towels and floaties, plus a lounge chair in a coveted location near the pool. You are the picture of summer perfection … almost.
While we offer you kudos for hauling all of that gear around in style and protecting your family’s skin and eyes, there’s one thing you may have missed on the summer safety checklist – their ears. Often disregarded until it’s too late, proper ear health is especially important during the summer months as kids are swimming up a storm weekly, if not daily.
“Our ears serve an important role and if they’re not healthy, that can lead to conditions that have a significant impact on our lives,” says Jocelyn Joseph, M.D., M.P.H., chief of pediatrics at MIT Medical, Cambridge. “For example, fluid in our ears can cause hearing loss and, as a result, a child’s speech and language development may be delayed. Also, if fluid is persistent, it may lead to chronic ear infections and continued need for antibiotics.”
What Is Swimmer’s Ear?
No one wants to be sidelined at camp because of swimmer’s ear, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 2.4 million health care visits are attributed to the infection annually in the United States, resulting in almost half a billion dollars in health care costs.
Swimmer’s ear (or otitis externa if you want to get fancy), specifically, is an infection of the outer ear canal and rears its ugly head when water stays in the ear canal for an extended period of time, offering germs a play area to grow and infect the skin. Common in children who love to swim, symptoms can include itchiness inside the ear, redness and swelling, pain when the ear is tugged and puss drainage. The moral of the story? You want to avoid this at all costs. Joseph advises parents to prevent swimmer’s ear by wearing a swimming cap or ear plugs, but if your little one simply isn’t having it, drying the ears as best you can after swimming is helpful.
“Use a towel, washcloth or even a blow dryer on the lowest setting,” she says. “Hold the blow dryer about a foot away from the ear.”
Another option, Joseph says, is to use a 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol before and after swimming. Pour a teaspoon of the mixture in each ear and let it drain out if, and only if, the eardrum is not ruptured.
In the event your child starts to complain of ear pain, Michael Cohen, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, encourages parents to visit an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor as soon as possible.
“Swimmer’s ear is treated with ear drops; usually antibiotic or a combination of antibiotic and steroid drops are used,” he explains. “Sometimes the swelling can be so severe that drops cannot get into the ear canal, in which case an ENT doctor can put a small sponge, called a wick, into the canal to help the drops get in further. Several ear cleanings may be necessary to remove infected debris and to facilitate healing.”
Is Your Child Prone to Ear Infections?
ear infection, but there are other factors to consider as well.
Joseph cites children with small ear canals as an example of kids who are more susceptible to this kind of illness, as well as those who use hearing aids or wear headphones. Even irritants like hairsprays can put a child at increased risk for infection.
When possible, ask pool operators if disinfectant and pH levels are checked twice a day. If the levels are within a normal range (which is 7.0 – 7.6 for pH), the water is less likely to spread germs.
Middle ear infections (otitis media with effusion is the technical term) is when fluid builds up in the middle ear and doesn’t offer any signs of acute infection like pain, pus or fever. According to the CDC, these infections can be caused by viral upper respiratory infections, allergies or exposure to irritants such as cigarette smoke.
“Due to [children’s] anatomy, they may have more dysfunction of their Eustachian tube,” says Joseph as to why children may be more susceptible to middle ear infections. “As they grow, this tube changes its position and allows for better drainage of the fluid that naturally collects into the ear tube to drain into the nose.”
Ear Cleaning 101
Those cotton swabs sure do look inviting to little ones, so first and foremost, keep them out of their reach. The only person who should be in charge of cleaning ears is a grown-up, and even then it should be done gently and not as often as you might think.
“The ears are generally self-cleaning,” says Cohen. “Wax produced within the ear canal is normal and serves a protective purpose as it has both moisturizing and antimicrobial properties. Wax gradually comes out on its own as the skin of the ear canal grows outward.”
So how can you safely and effectively clean a child’s ears? With great care and caution.
“Any visible wax can be gently wiped away with a washcloth, but parents should not try to clean within the ear canal using cotton swabs or other implements as this often pushes wax in further and can damage the delicate skin of the ear canal,” he explains.
Joseph concurs, encouraging parents to avoid sticking anything into the ear, even those seemingly innocent cotton swabs. It’s easy to mistakenly dive too far into the ear, which is delicate and may cause the rupture of the tympanic membrane (the eardrum). And don’t even think about trying to get creative. It should go without saying that pen caps, hair pins and the like shouldn’t go anywhere near the ears.
“Avoid cleaning the ear canal,” she says. “If a parent suspects it needs to be cleaned, please call and make arrangements for your child’s ear to be cleaned at their provider’s office.”
If your child is complaining of ear discomfort or pain, Joseph advises not to ignore it. Also, take note if they are speaking loudly or listening to the TV or radio louder than what you think is normal. These can be signs that their ears should be checked by an ENT.
So as you pack up for the pool this summer and round up all of that gear to keep your children safe for the duration of the season, don’t forget about the ears. Ear plugs and swim caps may not be the most glamorous of accessories, but your kids (and their ears) will thank you.
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Product Roundup
SPLASH
Perfectly sized for infants and toddlers to splish and splash their way into summer. Just pour water, using the foldable bucket and get ready to splash! $29.99, ages 6m+, https://bbluvgroup.com/product/splashbaby-paddling-pool/
3D GLOW SPIN ART STATION
Capture your little artist’s imagination with this unique swirl art machine that includes fun 3D-glasses to make your painting come to life! $24.99, ages 6+, https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-4898625/ discovery-kids-3d-glow-spin-art-station.jsp
SNAPSIES MIX AND MATCH SURPRISE
These adorable collectibles are perfect for road trips. Unicorns, llamas, goats, and dragons — each with their own distinct personalities, looks, and accessories that you can customize for endless combinations. $9.99, ages 6+, https://www.funko.com/shop/details/funko-toysvinyl-figures-snapsies-surprise-series-one
SUNKITO
Designed to protect your child from the sun, sand, wind and mosquitoes on family outings. $49.99, ages: 0-36 months, https://bbluvgroup.com/product/sunkito-antiuv-pop-up-play-tent-with-mosquito-net/
KIRA DOLL, BOOK & ACCESSORIES
Go on a summer adventure to an Australian wildlife sanctuary where you learn the importance of protecting animals and the planet with this American Girl of the Year. $170, ages 8+, https:// www.americangirl. com/shop/p/ Kira-doll-andbook-and-kirasaccessories05bun51
WRAP
Even the warmest pool water can feel cold to a young baby’s skin. This neoprene super soft wetsuit is designed to keep babies and toddlers warm in water and comfortable out of water..$25.99, ages birth-6 months or 6-18 months, https://bbluvgroup. com/product/neoprene-wetsuit/
Product Roundup
SKIMBE®
A fun new toy for your favorite pool or water playground. It skips, skims, slides and jumps across any water or slick surface up to 100 feet. $19.99, ages 3+, http:// www.waterlinetoys.com
ZURU GLOVEA-BUBBLES
Make 1000s of bubbles with these adorable animal, Rainbocorns or Paw Patrol themed gloves that come with re-sealable bubble solution bags. $1.99, ages 4+, https:// zuru.com/brands/bubble-wow
SOLAR
A cool pair of shades for your little one offering optimal protection against UV rays. Safe, stylish, durable and reversible. $19.99, ages 12 months+, https://bbluvgroup. com/product/solar-baby-and-toddler-sunglasses/
