How do parents really feel about playdates? Researchers from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital used data from the National Poll on Children’s Health to find answers.
According to the poll (which included a national sample of parents of kiddos ages four through nine), supervision is the number one concern about playdates. A whopping 75 percent of parents surveyed said they would definitely ask the host who will supervise the children.
Of course, supervision wasn’t the only concern. Fifty-five percent of parents said they’d ask about activities, 46 percent would want to know if the playdate would include older sibs or other adults, 41 percent would inquire about potential injury risks (such as trampolines or pools), 38 percent wanted to know about pets, 34 percent would ask about guns in the home and 24 percent would ask the host about medication storage spots.
The poll also revealed that 22 percent of parents would allow their child to go to a playdate at a home of a family they didn’t know without their own presence. Forty-three percent said that they’d allow their child to go, but would stay with them. Twenty-two percent of parents surveyed said they’d outright decline the playdate.
When it comes to pre-playdate meet-ups, an overwhelming 84 percent of parents were all for it. Along with an in-person meet and greet, parents also admitted they’d do some of their own sleuthing. Forty-five percent would ask friends or neighbors about the playdate hosts, 44 percent would look at social media, 36 percent would check out the neighborhood, 30 percent would search a sex offender registry, 21 percent would look t the web and another 21 percent would talk to school staff.
No one should have to suffer due to the high cost of life-saving medication. The state of Illinois just became the first to require that insurance companies cover the full cost of epinephrine injectors for kids.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker just signed a law requiring companies that provide health insurance within the state to pay for medically-necessary epinephrine injectors for cases of severe allergic reactions in children 18 and under. In the event of an anaphylactic reaction, an epinephrine injection can be a life-saving tool to open airways and minimize inflammation.
I was proud to sign two new laws expanding insurance coverage for children whose allergies require live-saving EpiPens and Illinoisans suffering from Lyme disease.
This legislation takes a big step forward in protecting our children and families. pic.twitter.com/ZQVTies3j3
Governor Pritzker tweeted that the new law is “a big step forward in protecting our children and families.”
Parents are required to provide epinephrine injectors at schools and camps, but they expire within a short period and have to be replaced. That, added to an epinephrine shortage in the past, has added to rising costs for the medication across the country.
“With steady increases in food allergies and other serious allergic conditions, families are relying on EpiPens more than ever before,” Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison said in a statement. “We should be doing everything we can to expand access to affordable lifesaving drugs and medicines. No child with a serious allergy should be without an epinephrine injector because they cannot afford one.”
When you have a sick kiddo at home or you happen to be sick yourself, just making a quick run to get the supplies needed from tissues to medication can be impossible. Now Walgreens new drone delivery service can come to the rescue.
Between sick days and crazy schedules there are some days when moms just wish the items you need could magically appear at your doorstep. Starting next month, Walgreens will be making those wishes come true for customers in Virginia where the company will be testing a new drone delivery service.
photo: Walgreens
Walgreens is rolling out a pilot program in Christiansburg, Virginia which will be the first on-demand drone delivery service in the country. The program is a partnership with dronemaking company Wing, which will also be partnering with other local businesses for delivery during the pilot phase.
“This trial is intended to demonstrate the benefits of drone delivery by improving access to health care products, creating new avenues of growth for local businesses and exploring ways to enhance last-mile delivery service,’’ Wing CEO James Burgess said.
Customers will be able to order items like aspirin, tissues, first aid supplies, allergy medication and more. A drone can be dispatched within minutes of an order being placed and travel up to six miles each way. If the program is successful, perhaps it will expand to more U.S. cities soon.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug that may help to reduce the quantity and severity of peanut allergy reactions. Even though the FDA approved the medication, Palforzia, in a seven to two vote, it won’t become publicly available until after the final approval—which will happen sometime by January.
So what exactly is Palforzia? The medication, which is made for children ages 4 through 17, uses peanut flour to lower the incidences of allergic reactions and potentially reduces the severity in the event of a reaction.
Dr. Ira Finegold, a professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told NPR of the FDA vote, “I voted ‘yes’ because I thought the data was quite clear, and I would actually compliment the sponsor on the extent and caliber of the studies.”
Even though this drug may help to reduce the likelihood of developing a severe reaction to peanuts it won’t take the place of injectable epinephrine, such as the EpiPen. While it did pass this round of FDA approvals, it still has a ways to go before your kiddo’s doctor can prescribe it.
Getting baby fever and dreaming about having a child is a lot more fun than watching your baby come down with a fever. Read on for all the facts on how to recognize and treat a baby or toddler’s fever, plus the baby thermometers you’ll want in your medicine cabinet.
photo: iStock
Why do babies get a fever?
Babies can come down with a fever from an illness, infection and certain vaccinations.
What constitutes a fever for babies, and when should I call the doctor?
According to the Mayo Clinic, here’s when to be concerned and call your doctor:
• Babies under 3 months: rectal temperature of 100.4F or higher.
• Babies between 3 and 6 months: rectal temperature up to 102F and is irritable, lethargic or uncomfortable, or rectal temperature higher than 102F.
• Babies between 6 and 24 months: If the rectal temperature is higher than 102F but there are no other symptoms, you can wait a day before calling. If there are other symptoms, such as a cough, cold or diarrhea, you may want to call sooner.
• If the fever lasts for more than three days, call the doctor again.
But remember, these are only guidelines. When in doubt, or if you have questions or concerns, call your health-care provider for guidance.
What can I expect when my baby has a fever?
Babies with a fever may appear fine, or they may cry and seem uncomfortable. The Mayo Clinic recommends you contact your doctor if your child is unusually fussy or acting abnormally and it doesn’t improve after taking medications to bring down the fever. (Read on for guidelines of what medications to give and when to give them.)
Other symptoms that warrant a call to the doctor include: trouble breathing, rash or signs of dehydration, such as no tears when crying, no wet diapers for 8-10 hours, refusal to drink fluids or a dry mouth.
Starting at 6 months, children can experience something called a febrile seizure, which can cause them to convulse and lose consciousness. If you suspect your child is having a febrile seizure, lay them on their side or stomach on the ground and loosen any tight clothing. Remove nearby sharp objects and hold your child to prevent them from injuring themselves. When the seizure stops, contact your doctor immediately.
Rest and fluids are important for bringing down your child’s fever. Make your child as comfortable as possible by keeping the room temperature cool, dressing them in lightweight layers, and putting a blanket on them only if they appear cold so you don’t overheat them. When bathing your child, do it in lukewarm water.
Do not give any medication to babies under 6 weeks old. Call your doctor before giving any medication to a child under 6 months old. Between 6 weeks and 6 months, acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) is recommended. After 6 months, you can also give your child ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin). Do not ever give aspirin to children under age 18.
Look for products marked “infant formula” and carefully read the label for the proper dose for your child’s age.
If the fever doesn’t respond to medication, it’s time to call the doctor again.
What kind of thermometer should I use?
First of all, if you have an old mercury thermometer lying around, get it to a hazardous waste collection site. They’re not safe for anyone to use.
Instead, for babies and toddlers, you’ll want a digital thermometer, which can be used in the rectum, armpit or mouth, as well as a temporal artery thermometer (also known as a forehead thermometer). There are also digital thermometers you insert into the ear, but they’re not recommended for newborns.
Digital thermometers record body temperature through electronic heat sensors. A rectal reading is considered the most accurate by the American Academy of Pediatrics, especially for younger babies. If you use a thermometer rectally, label it clearly so you don’t later use it in a child’s mouth. Oral readings are tricky for babies because they can’t keep the thermometer in the right spot for the minute it takes to get an accurate reading, so save those for older kids.
Before using a digital thermometer, clean it with warm, soapy water and rinse with cool water so the water temperature doesn’t affect the reading. After using a digital thermometer, clean it with rubbing alcohol or warm, soapy water.
Forehead thermometers record the temperature of the temporal artery through an infrared scanner. Parents love temporal artery thermometers because they give accurate readings with minimal inconvenience to the baby, and can even be used when baby is sleeping.
Thermometers We Love
Smart Baby Thermometer from VAVA Apply the small silicone patch (FDA approved and made with medical-grade adhesive) to your baby’s armpit and this wireless thermometer will beep and blink red LED lights if their temperature rises above 100°F. Thanks to a 24-hour battery life, temps are monitored all night long. The device also notifies you about low battery, disconnection and if the device falls off your baby. The large, backlit temperature reading is easy to see in the dark, or you can move the device to whatever room you’re in to track the readings.
Infrared No-Touch Forehead Thermometer from iHealth Labs
This temporal artery thermometer (shown above) gives a reading in 1 second and vibrates when done (no annoying beep to wake or startle your baby!). Place it against the center of the forehead, one inch above the skin. The large backlit LED screen clearly gives the reading on the back of the device.
iProvèn Digital Thermometer
This digital thermometer measures a fever in 10 seconds, and has a waterproof, flexible tip for easy cleaning and more comfortable readings.
Kinsa Smart Thermometer
This digital thermometer has a large display and gives readings in 8 seconds or less. It connects to a smartphone app so you can track baby’s temperature readings as well as their symptoms and medications you’ve given them.
There have been times in my life when I didn’t know if I would see another day. Seriously. There were days when having an autistic child would nearly kill me. I never knew it could get better. There were times when I wanted to run away and never be a mother again.
I get it. Mothering an autistic child, a “wonder” as we call our sweet son, was horrible. I’m not here to sugar coat it. Whether I was going through a bout of depression, whether it was simply the stage of our family life we were in, or whether it was a combination of the two possibilities, nothing felt easy and everything felt as though it were becoming progressively harder each and every day.
For years.
Years.
Then 10 happened. 10 was a wonderful year. Our sweet boy suddenly started becoming funny. Or funnier I guess I should say. Not just funny but hilarious. He learned joke telling and the art of having good timing. At the same time he learned to stop freaking out about everything and we, one day, found ourselves on the other side of things. We no longer found a need to give him medication. We were having meaningful conversations with him and we were able to go for long bouts with him not needing special treatment or aides. It was amazing.
10 years. 10 long years and I had forgotten what it was like to have a child who didn’t need my every waking moment. Who could have fun and have a willy-nilly schedule. Suddenly everything was okay. I was no longer on pins and needles waiting for an outburst or a flair up or a meltdown. It was okay if I forgot his juice. We could get through lunch if I used the wrong kind of jam.
Since Cal just turned 11 and an entire year of our new carefree life has gone by, I am starting to exhale. I’m no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop or for things to quickly fall apart like they always do. I’m enjoying my family and our life and our love again.
This has been a long time coming. I want to tell you all this message. This is a message of hope in the journey and a message of redemption from the mess of life.
To the Mommas of Autistic babes: Please, hang in there. Did you hear me? To those who are out there, hang in there.
It will get better. I promise. And you are never alone.
I write this because I wish I had known this. As a mother sitting on the floor of the bathroom sobbing, I saw no end in sight. I presumed this ebb and flow of bad days and horrible days was to be the making of all of my days. No one told me that we would have stretches of weeks that we would go without problems. That our only care would become our children fighting and bickering like typical adolescent siblings. I never thought we would come to a day when he would care what his hair cut was much less want to help pick out his clothes based on the current trend and not on whether or not his pants could have an elastic waist. No one understands quite like a parent of an autistic child just how nerve wracking the parenting game can be. Everything is up in the air all of the time. Everything is chaotic and yet somehow must be made orderly in an effort for the chaos to not overtake every day.
But those days have come. And oh, how blissful. I feel like we are prize fighters. We have fought tooth and nail to get to where we are today. I endured days that included eight hour stretches of blood curdling screaming, so I can have a little boy who assembles kiwi crates and tells me the differences between Yoda and Obi Wan. Cal fought tooth and nail to teach himself how to talk…to somehow get his brain to communicate with his mouth to speak the thoughts into words that he had formed in his mind. He endured this so he can tell funny jokes to his family over the dinner table. We still have our hard days, our difficult weeks, our weary moments, don’t get me wrong. But we have won.
We have gone back into our corners as champions. But there are some of you who are just coming into the ring to start your fight. Your battle. Your everyday. Please know this…it will be hard. There will be days you will want to quit, to run away and not face this anymore. There will be days you are tired and battle weary. But you cannot quit. You cannot be done. And it will get better.
I have sat down to write this letter to you so many times. Mommas, please know you are in this to win this. This is not a meaningless battle. The days are long but the years truly are short. And maybe it will be years from where you are, but things will get better. I am here for you. The other mommas who have been through this are here for you.
I am a coffee drinking mom, an advocate for our autistic son, a wife, a crafter who will never finish a project, a planner junkie, a wanna-be naturalist, a lover of baking and avocados who will probably always look the the muppet chef when dancing!
This is the face of postpartum depression and anxiety. Yeah, I’ve got a big smile on my face and the baby and I look cute in our matching shades but this is what it looks like. He’s 3 months old here. In that time so much had changed.
I’d lost all 30 lbs of my baby weight within two weeks of bringing him home. “You look amazing!” Visitors would say when they’d come to see the baby. Sure, I looked like the old me but losing that much weight that fast was far from normal. I cried a lot. Not happy tears. I cried into the pillow in the darkest part of night, as not to wake him during the rare occasion he slept. I cried in the kitchen to my husband, as if I was asking him to find the old me hidden deep inside somewhere.
Already an anxious person, my worries were compounded by the fact that I was given a baby with severe colic. I worried while he was crying. I worried when he suddenly stopped crying. I worried when he would next cry again. I worried about his health and my ability to ease his cries. I worried I wasn’t cut out to be his mom. I didn’t love him at first. I was more distant than my heart wanted to be. Here I was with this baby I’d longed for for years upon years and I honestly wanted nothing to do with him. If you could have read my mind during that time you would have seen a constant pro and con list running on the merits and deficits of leaving my new baby by running away or taking my own life.
People came and went from our home, but nobody truly saw the hidden battle that I was fighting deep inside. My husband knew something was wrong, but years later, when I heard that dads can suffer from their own version of PPD, I swore he had his version of it too. When you have a baby that cries all of the time and you are new parents, it’s impossible not to feel that way. I had lost myself. I had flashbacks of my own mother crying on the couch after my little brother was born because she too was battling this awful disease. One she had also faced previously with her first child.
My mother-in-law moved in with us to help see us through. Yes, I said moved in. It was that bad! She was my saving grace and the one that really identified what was going on with me. With her help, I made it through. I don’t know what we would have done without her, honestly. Medication saved my life. Talking to someone saved my life. Knowing the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety helped me to identify it when I suffered from it again after my second son was born. It came just as fast and brutally as it had the first time. It nearly destroyed my marriage and almost left my children without a mother again.
Postpartum wrecks you. It’s a joy killer. Bond ruiner. Marriage rocker. Mind, body and soul shaker. It makes you think awful things, things you would never have thought about before—like killing yourself. It steals the happiness you feel deep, deep down in your heart that you have with the birth of your new little angel. Postpartum took a sledgehammer to my life not once, but twice. It had whittled me away to almost nothing.
Thankfully, with help of the people in my life, and my own sense that something was not “right” I was able to kick its butt in the end! If you are going through this too mama, know that you aren’t alone and you are not the first one to walk this path. There is help and there are happy stories. You just have to take the extended hand.
Freelance writer from New England, with two children under 10. Married to my husband for 10 years. Human Service field educated. Lover of cats. Special needs parent. Miscarriage survivor. Wanderluster. Opinionated Gemini.
There’s no doubt that the cost of insulin is increasing. According to the Health Care Cost Institute, between the years 2012 and 2016 gross spending on the prescription drug rose by $2,841 per person. Now one state is doing something to lower the often-hefty price tag that comes with a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. And it just might save lives!
Colorado recently became the first state to put a price cap on private insurance copays for insulin. While it’s not unheard of (actually, it’s pretty common) for a diabetic to pay hundreds of dollars a month to get this life-saving medication, Colorado’s new legislation puts a $100 per month limit on out-of-pocket spending.
According to CBS Denver, Governor Jared Polis (who signed the bill into law) said, “We declare that the days of insulin price gouging are over in Colorado.” Even though the law won’t regulate how much drug manufacturers charge for insulin, it will directly keep costs down for patients.
If you’re wondering just how widespread or serious this issue is, take a look at use stats. According to Yale researchers, more than one-quarter of diabetics report using less insulin than needed due to the prohibitively costly price tag.
While it doesn’t look like the cost of insulin will decrease anytime soon, legislation like Colorado’s can help diabetics to get the life-saving medication they need—without having to go into debt to foot the bill.
Editor’s note: Any medical advice presented here is expressly the views of the writer and Red Tricycle cannot verify any claims made. Please consult with your healthcare provider about what works best for you.
Epilepsy is a neurological condition where bursts of electrical activity in the brain cause abnormal behavior symptoms. These include muscle spasms, the sensation of pins and needles, fainting, and seizures. Epilepsy can be a complex and overwhelming diagnosis, especially in children, so here’s a short breakdown of what epilepsy means for young people, so it doesn’t need to be.
Related Conditions
Comorbid conditions, such as ulcers and headaches, may occur with your child’s epilepsy and should be monitored by your child’s health care provider. Evidence also suggests children with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing mood disorders, like anxiety and depression. Regular meetings with a counselor can help assist your child in minimizing these risks.
Triggers to Watch
Most seizures are random with no discernable pattern to help warn us when they’ll strike. So, it’s important to know what triggers to watch for. Triggers include a fever of 102 degrees or more, flashing lights, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, and stress or anxiety. If a seizure does occur it’s important to remain calm while you perform seizure first aid. If you’re unfamiliar with the proper steps, schedule an appointment with their care provider to have one on one instruction.
Treatment Options
When your child is diagnosed with epilepsy, doctors usually prescribe an antiepileptic drug. It’s common to try many different prescriptions before finding the right one. Other treatments such as the keto diet, vagus nerve stimulation or surgery may also work. Many parents choose to try alternative treatments, like using herbs and vitamins. It’s good to remember that each child is unique and what works for one may not work for the other.
Epilepsy in School
For most children, epilepsy does not inhibit them from attending school. Some children may have seizures in class and there’s a strong chance their teachers are not familiar with epilepsy. This is an opportunity to educate them. At the beginning of each school year, you can schedule an appointment with your child’s teacher and school nurse. This is the time to go over their needs and an emergency plan if any seizure does occur. Mention your child’s seizure triggers and warning symptoms so their teacher knows what to look for.
Sports and Activities
Epilepsy is unique for every child and so are their safety boundaries. When deciding what sports and activities are suitable for their needs it’s necessary to first consider a few factors. Seizure frequency, medication side effects, and level of adult supervision will help determine their ability to take part. Activities such as swimming, bicycling, horseback riding and climbing are not off limits, but they pose some risks. Always speak with your child’s health care provider before signing them up for sports.
Find Support
Managing a child’s epilepsy is tough, don’t try and do it alone. One of the most important things you can do for your child and you are building a support system. Establishing a routine with the whole family can keep everyone prepared and on the same page while lightening your load. Making sure your child gets their medication on time with good sleep each night is especially important with epilepsy. When things get overwhelming there are many support groups and other family services available to assist you. Remember, you can’t effectively care for anyone else without first caring for yourself.
My name's Vicky and I have a beautiful four-year-old son named Paul who just started preschool. When I'm not being a mother, I practice tennis and play with my corgi, Milo.
The number of American kids diagnosed with ADHD has grown 30 percent in less than ten years. For parents looking to treat ADHD without medication, here’s some groundbreaking news. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first non-drug treatment for ADHD.
The new treatment is a medical device designed for use among kids seven to 12 who are not currently taking any ADHD prescription medication. About the size of a cell phone, the device dubbed the Monarch System “delivers low-level electrical stimulation via an external conductive patch on the patient’s forehead to the branches of the trigeminal nerve, which sends therapeutic signals to the parts of the brain thought to be involved in ADHD.”
Neuroimaging studies have shown that the device increases activity in the brain regions that are known to be important in regulating attention, emotion and behavior. It’s used primarily while sleeping and feels like a tingling sensation on the skin while in use. A prescription is required and clinical trails show it could take up to four weeks to see the effects. The common side effects include drowsiness, an increase in appetite, trouble sleeping, teeth clenching, headache and fatigue.
“This new device offers a safe, non-drug option for treatment of ADHD in pediatric patients through the use of mild nerve stimulation, a first of its kind,” said Carlos Peña, Ph.D., director of the Division of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Today’s action reflects our deep commitment to working with device manufacturers to advance the development of pediatric medical devices so that children have access to innovative, safe and effective medical devices that meet their unique needs.”
