ML Interest Tag: throat

My Daughter’s Anxiety Kept Her from Speaking

By Shannon Bennett

I always knew Audrey was reserved. When I would take her to story time at the library, she loved to watch, but rarely wanted to join in. She struggled to talk with extended family, especially if we, heaven forbid, asked her to say, “thank you.” Greeting new friends? Forget it. I assumed it would resolve once she entered preschool. It wasn’t until the end of her first year of preschool that it even occurred to me that she had not spoken a word to her teacher or her peers. We had a nanny at the time and the preschool teacher was a bit spacy, so the feedback on her two days per week of class time was limited. So, I did what any concerned parent would do, and I signed her up for a million camps that summer to force her to socialize. Did it work? Big nope.  

We started to struggle more as I viewed her lack of speech as defiant and became so frustrated with her. She never stopped talking at home, why couldn’t she just be the same kid out of the house? I made sure to sign her up for the four-day-a-week pre-K because I figured, she can’t possibly spend that much time with a teacher and classmates and not use her voice. Wrong again. I became so consumed with her speech because of how I thought it reflected on us that I would cry and sometimes, even yell out of frustration. Why was this so hard for her? Why couldn’t she just say something, anything, when I asked her?

The light bulb finally went off in a very bizarre way. Our nanny told me that one of the other moms at school had said, “Oh. She’s a selective mute.” I instantly became defensive. How dare she call my daughter a mute. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I found myself googling ‘selective mute.’ Oh my gosh. This was Audrey exactly. I felt horrible guilt for battling with her over this instead of trying to support her. You see, selective mutism is a product of anxiety. The child feels anxious in a moment or in a setting and the words simply will not come out. Parents or others feel so uncomfortable for the child that they ‘rescue’ them by answering for them or just moving on. The child feels relieved to not have to speak and therein begins the cycle of reinforcing the non-speech. I never thought of my daughter as anxious. 

I walked into Audrey’s room that night and asked her, “Do you not want to talk, or can you not make yourself?” She said, “Mom, it feels like I have a pipe in my throat and the words are too big to fit through it.” The insightfulness of this statement coming from my five-year-old crushed me. I had been so concerned about how others viewed her not speaking, that I had completely overlooked trying to understand how she really felt in these situations. I started to research the condition and happened upon a speech pathologist in our area. Selective mutism (SM) is treated between a speech and psychology team collectively. Audrey was fairly quickly diagnosed with selective mutism and we were fortunate enough to take part in an eight-week group that started as Audrey entered kindergarten. This group helped Audrey immensely. It also taught my husband and me how to support her in these tough situations so that we could move away from the ‘rescuing’ and could help her to actually verbalize. 

Audrey is now in first grade, and though she still struggles a bit in certain situations, she is leaps and bounds ahead of where she used to be. She will raise her hand in class, answer teacher questions, socialize with peers and even order for herself at restaurants. All things that were out of the question before. Though I still hold some animosity towards the mom who called my daughter a selective mute (why not actually reach out if you thought this was a concern?), I am so very glad she did. I am fairly confident we would have continued to battle it out thus increasing my daughter’s anxiety.  

We learned so much through Audrey’s diagnosis. We watched a hundred people try and fail at getting Audrey to speak to them. For some reason, many people took it as some sort of challenge that they surely would be the one to win. We also had family and friends take it personally that she wouldn’t speak to them as if it was something they needed to fix with her. We learned that because Audrey is a happy and pleasant girl, many just don’t see her condition as a concern. Most people, myself included, initially thought that Audrey just needed to start kindergarten and she would get there. She would surely outgrow it. The problem is, the longer you wait to get help for SM the harder it can be to overcome. Particularly if a child has started school because once they are non-verbal in a setting for a period of time, it is much, much harder to get them to be verbal. 

I never knew that SM was a thing and I wish I had. I could have been supportive of Audrey so much sooner. Of course, I could have been supportive of her regardless, and that’s on me. But I hope that if you have any of these concerns for your child or your friend’s child, that this is of some help to you. Anxiety can manifest in many different ways and selective mutism is only one of them. 

Hi! I'm Shannon. I am a blessed wife and mama who gets to stay at home to care for three babes, 7, 4, and 7 months. I am always looking to learn and I love to write! 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

10+ Tweets about Surviving Sick Days with Kids

by Karly Wood

 

1. It took 4 weeks? Lucky…

https://twitter.com/JannaKilimnik/status/1176106381218340864?s=20

2. Containment breach!

3. Must…stay…well…

4. See ya in a few weeks.

5. Every.Time.

6. Perfect score!

7. Tis a good day.

https://twitter.com/MilkmanDanimal/status/570977913752948738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E570977913752948738&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedad.com%2Ftweet-roundup-the-13-funniest-tweets-about-parenting-a-sick-kid%2F

8. So very sorry.

9. The second part of your life begins.

10. If only.

11. Let me just put in another load.

12. Generally speaking, it’s a free for all.

––Karly Wood

 

RELATED STORIES

20+ Funny Tweets About Traveling with Kids

10+ Hilarious Yet True Tweets about Toddlers

20 Hilarious Tweets on Surviving Summer Break with Kids

Flamingo Witches, Cat Pools & Wet Drops of Sad: Weird Ways Kids Describe Common Things

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

I Was 8 When My Dad Died and I Finally Found a Way to Heal

By Carey Reilly

Photo: Lynn Dougherty

My name is Carey Reilly. I am a comedian, wife, mother and tv host. And every year I dread the anniversary of when my father died 38 years ago. For the past nine years, I’ve been posting the same picture of him on Facebook with a line or two or sometimes nothing at all. And each year, I think about switching out a different picture and writing something meaningful but it seemed too scary to show my vulnerability. I was too afraid to be judged, to be seen as weak. I didn’t want anyone to know how much I’ve struggled day to day from losing my father. I’d rather make people laugh and after all these years, I should just be over it, right?

My father was only 53 when he suddenly died of a heart attack, after leaving the dinner table, when I was just 8 years old, my brother 10, my sister 12 and my mother a young 37. He wasn’t sick, it wasn’t expected, it happened in an instant. I watched him die. We all did. I wish I could unsee what I saw that night September 23rd, 1981—38 years ago. It was like a sad tragic scene out of a horrible movie. The flashbacks I endure today are terrifying—as if they’re happening in real-time. With just a flash of an image, my body can become paralyzed except my hands which tremor shaking back and forth lasting sometimes up to 15 minutes.

I was young and it was confusing: the screaming, the uncertainty, the EMTs rushing in, the ambulance, the helplessness. It was like meandering hysterically through a house of horrors, I couldn’t think straight and then, when the night was over, he was gone. I remember saying to my mother, “But who is going to play Santa Clause and smoke the rest of these cigars?” At just 8 years old, 53 seemed old but now that I’m 46, I know how young he really was. My brother, sister and I ended the evening with a pillow and a blanket in front of the tv watching Johnny Carson. Little did we know that not only would we never speak of the details of that night ever again, but our childhood was over. The next morning we became THAT family that everyone in our community talked about…just how sad it all was.

Through the years I’ve suffered from depression, PTSD and anxiety. When my daughter turned 8, the memories were so powerful that I was literally stuck.  I cried in the morning, during the day and at bedtime. If I wasn’t sleeping, I was crying.

One day, sobbing to my mother on the phone she said to me, “I’m so sorry your father died. I never wanted my children to grow up without their father but you need to find a way to stop being sad. Do it for your children. It’s their TURN to have a happy mother and childhood. You don’t want your daughter and son’s childhood memories to be of their mother crying over HER childhood. It’s THEIR TURN now, not yours.”

Her words hit me like a gong. It was like a switch inside me flipped on, her words freed me. From that moment on when I started to cry I’d say, “It’s not MY turn anymore.” I’d repeat my new mantra over and over until the tears finally dried up.  With a friend’s encouragement, I found a therapist and a great doctor and made the decision that I needed to move on for MY children. My therapist explained to me how getting out of a depression is like a four-legged stool with each leg representing an action you must take; therapy, medicine, exercise, and meditation or prayer. If you neglect to do one then the stool falls over. I did them all religiously, and in time, I got better. I still have my moments but now I have a purpose and the tools to move forward.

I wish I could’ve told my 8-year-old self, crying in her bed, asking God to take her too because the pain was too much, “You will get through this. You will understand a new normal. You will learn how to live and be happy. It will take a lot of work and but you will do it.”

I’m sharing this hoping my vulnerability could help someone reading this who’s suffering. If you’ve lost someone dear and you’re in pain and feeling hopeless, just know that if I can come out of this alive, so can you.

After 38 years, looking at my father’s picture still takes my breath away, forms a lump in my throat and makes me tear up. But now more than anything it’s most important to me that my kids know their mother as someone who survived not someone who suffered.

 

Carey Reilly is mom of 2 kids and a writer for Today.com and Family Traveller. She was named a Top 50 Influencer and Brand Ambassador for O Magazine. She co-hosted The Daily Glow. She’s been seen on Today Show, Fox and Friends, Cheddar News, CNN, Food Network, HLN and Wendy Williams Show.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

One Day We Will Give Our Kids the World

By Alana Green

When I told people we were going to Colombia, the reactions ranged from a joking “South Carolina?” to serious-toned “South America?”, followed by a slightly insulting, “Are you nuts?” The people who asked the latter question knew that I meant the collective we, as in my ever-agreeable husband, always energetic four-year-old son, and easygoing four-month-old baby boy. “I know it won’t be easy”, I would say, “but my childhood friend is getting married, and I really want to see if we can make this happen.”

I was determined to see this family travel challenge through, if not to prove the naysayers wrong, to prove myself right. So, after doing my due diligence of surveying family and friends and even a handful of random parents at the playground, we decided to move forward with our plan. We got the kiddos passports, booked our rooms, and went down an inevitable rabbit hole of travel blogs and colorful Google images of the beautiful port city, Cartagena.

I closed my eyes and before I knew it, we were there.

Meeting friendly locals at the open market. Wearing our smiling baby and walking hand-in-hand down cobblestone streets. Teaching our preschooler how to say clever expressions in Spanish. Introducing the entire family to new and exotic foods. Swimming in the sparkling Caribbean Sea. Dancing Samba in the street way past our usual 7:30pm bedtime. It was magical. We had become lifelike versions of the Google images we had admired for so many weeks leading up the trip.

And then I opened my eyes.

I cleared my throat and called the bride. I told her about our valiant effort to make the trip a reality; yet it was a dream we could not realize. Long flights with inconvenient layovers. Ten plus hours of travel. Vaccines and health concerns for a baby under six months. Work conflicts. Timing. It just wasn’t in the cards.

I know that despite all the potential challenges, Cartagena would have been a wonderful experience. In addition to being there for my friend on her special day, I really wanted to make the statement that having a new baby who is also our second child would not deter us from seeing the world. I wanted to prove that our passport stamping days BC (before children) were not lost. That going to Target without children in tow or going a whole thirty minutes without getting spit-up on are not the extent of our current day adventures. But the reality of having two small kids and going on a big international trip simply cannot be reconciled. Not for us and not right now, and that’s okay.

For now, Cartagena exists solely in my mind, but I know when the time is right, we will make a big trip happen as a family of four. We will explore, walk, eat, swim and dance our way through a new and beautiful place. One day, we will give our kids the world. Our day for adventure will surely come.

I am a passionate non-profit professional who believes that the power of individual stories can lead to more cohesive and compassionate communities. When I'm not advocating for boards or fundraising as a consultant, I'm busy exploring the Bay Area with my family of four. I love libraries, parks, food trucks, music, travel, photography and family. 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Your Toddler Just Had a Tonsillectomy & Refuses to Drink Anything. Now What?

By Ashley Walker

If you’ve had a toddler go through a tonsillectomy, then you know it’s not easy. Nothing hurts a parent like seeing their child in pain, even if that pain can’t be avoided. We feel so bad for our child, but if we’re being honest, it’s hard on us too! The most difficult thing for me by FAR was getting my three-year-old to drink anything during her recovery. Liquids are so important after a tonsillectomy, more so than anything else!

My daughter cried every time she had to drink, saying it hurt her and she couldn’t do it. I was adamantly against taking her back to the hospital for an iv and fluids, so I pushed liquids like crazy. I felt bad for her of course, but I was NOT putting her through more pain. I knew that having a needle poked in her arm for the iv would be much worse than the pain she felt from drinking, so getting her to drink became my main focus.

The pity I felt for her helped me be extremely patient for the first week and then I started to get more and more frustrated. I had to learn some ways to get her to drink-and fast! Things I had done the first few days after surgery, like bribing her with ice cream or popsicles just weren’t working anymore. There was a lot of trial and error involved, but the following tricks seemed to work every time she needed to drink.

1. Make a game out of it.

There are lots of ways to do this: sometimes we would actually play a game and she would have to drink a sip after every move she took. Memory seemed to work particularly well. Other times I would get out my water bottle and we would race to see who could finish first. We would even play where I taught her a word in a different language for every sip—it takes all kinds, right? The important thing is to figure out what works for your child and make a game out of it.

2. Give your child incentives to drink.

If your child is anything like mine, popsicles and ice cream might not work too well after the first week. Then again, every kid is different, so maybe it will! I had to get creative with my incentives, doing anything from a small toy at the dollar store to making a cool craft afterwards. I didn’t like offering toys so much, so I tried to find random stuff I had lying around the house that she hadn’t seen before. Stuff like my old bracelets or necklaces worked well as she’s very girly.

3. Give her the drink while she’s distracted.

This worked probably the best, because she wasn’t focusing so much on the pain in her throat. I would give it to her while she was watching a show, intently coloring or doing a puzzle. There were times she would drink it down with minimal to no crying, taking a big weight off my shoulders. Watch for her to be involved in something else—and pounce!

4. Offer the drink right after her medicine.

If it’s close to time for medication, no trick in the world is going to get her to drink. She’s in pain and won’t even consider it! Giving the drink 20 minutes after her dose makes it much easier. As long as she has medication in her system it should be okay, but the last half hour to an hour before her next dose is due is a big no-no.

If you’re frustrated with your toddler refusing to drink, try these tips. A toddler recovering from a tonsillectomy is extremely hard on the parent too and sometimes we just need help. You don’t need the guilt that will come with losing your temper and yelling at your child to just drink the dang water! Trust me, I know.

Try these tips when you feel the frustration starting to take over—you’ll be glad you did.

Ashley is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives in Colorado, is a mother to two beautiful girls and is addicted to Japanese ramen. She enjoys traveling and writing up case studies in her free time. 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

When You Know It’s Time to Hit the Road & Bike 4,000 Miles with Your Kid

By Leah Day

There has been an early snow and a drastic drop in temperature here on Peaks Island. Peaks is a bucolic island, two miles off the coast of Portland, Maine. It is populated by 1,000 hardy souls three seasons of the year and balloons up to 4,000 in the summer. It is an ideal place to raise a family. A ferry runs hourly back and forth to the city and it provides the best of urban and rural living. Our family works and goes to school in the city and then we come home to a yard full of beehives, gardens and fruit trees with beaches and forests just a block or two away. Most everybody on the island knows each other and for the most part, get along. Not many secrets, tons of gossip and a cozy small-town feel. How can I complain?

Well, one can feel a bit stuck here. There is a four-mile shore road that circumnavigates the island and I walk or run it just about every day. It is beautiful, but after the 10th time in a week, it can begin to feel like running on a hamster wheel. Going to town as an alternative can sometimes feel like an insurmountable effort. We ride the ferry six or seven times a week and everything in Portland costs money. To entertain myself at home, I have baked, played the piano, eaten and drank to a gluttonous level with my family (it was Thanksgiving break), exercised and read.

Yet, here it is, Nov. 25, 2018 and already, I feel a bit of small house madness. No surprise right? My son Oakley is bouncing off the walls, finding no purchase for his boundless energy. The trampoline is covered with snow, the unicycles have been put in the basement and there is a moratorium on screen time in our house. This leaves him at a loss. He runs up and down the stairs like a galloping colt in a too small pen. He begs for snacks, begs for screen time, begs for snacks, etc. We make him go outside.

He runs around finding friends then they all come back here and continue the running and begging routine. Last night I dreamt I looked up at the living room ceiling and found it pockmarked with chunks of broken plaster and lathe. I asked my husband what happened and he said “It is from Oakley’s stomping.” This bike trip can’t happen soon enough. If it doesn’t the walls of our house will collapse and Oakley and I might combust.

Suddenly, there is so much to do. Now that this commitment has been made, a lot has to fall into place. I am really excited, but also have some major concerns…

Oakley getting hit by a truck. Really. I fear that long, exhausting, boring afternoon peddling behind Oakley and seeing him wander across the white line into traffic over and over. My heart in my throat. Tension throughout my body, yelling at him repeatedly to “Move over!” until I just can’t say it again and a distracted truck driver coming up behind us..

Leaving my husband, Twain, for three months. I have never been apart from him for more than 10 days over the last 22 years and I am pretty used to him. I am lucky, I really love him. I worry about either of us changing while apart and having a hard time fitting together again.

Leaving Cricket, my dog. She is really important to me. She comes to work with me very day. Will she remember me? Twain and I can FaceTime but…Cricket.

Money. Money. Money. This is going to cost a ton. We are doing our best to get funding, but life is expensive. I won’t be working. We have three kids in college and Twain and I have our own student debt. We have a house, car, loans…yadda, yadda. Twain is really supportive and believes that it will work out, but I have my doubts. Oaks and I will be building our bikes from recycled parts, we will beg and borrow as much gear as we can. I hope to get sponsorships and maybe even write a book. We will camp and cook our own food but I believe the trip will cost us close to $8,000 and I will lose about $10,000 by not working for three months.

It is a fantasy that we can afford this. But, here’s the thing: how can we not go?

Life is happening now. This world is not terribly full of hope these days and I want to commit to engaging life and all its wonders. I want to trust in the goodness of people and not succumb to that idea that I should play it safe until my clock runs out.

My other children are doing great and they fully support this adventure (especially because they don’t have to go). Now is the time.

Beginning in August 2019, my son Oakley and I will cycle across America over the course of three months. Oakley is a spirited 15-year-old boy who has always struggled to fit into the confines of mainstream culture. I am Leah, his mother—and we are ready for adventure.

 

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Get Rid of a Bad Cough Once & For All—with Chocolate, Study Finds

by Shahrzad Warkentin

Getting kids to take their medicine isn’t always easy, unless it happens to be a spoonful of chocolate. Your kids will think you’re Mary Poppins when you bust out the chocolate as a cough remedy and, according to experts, it can do more good for their throat than codeine.

Professor Alyn Morice is the head of cardiovascular and respiratory studies at the University of Hull and a founding member of the International Society for the Study of Cough. In a recent column for the Daily Mail, Morice says when a cough strikes, ditch the cough drops and honey in favor of chocolate instead.

 

Photo: Rawpixel 

Morice noted that a real-world study of an over-the-counter medicine containing cocoa has proven that the substance works better than a cough syrup with codeine. The cocoa is “stickier and more viscose than standard cough medicines, so it forms a coating which protects nerve endings in the throat which trigger the urge to cough,” Morice explained.

Unfortunately this over-the-counter remedy, named Unicough, is currently only available in the United Kingdom, but the next time a cough comes on and your tots refuse to take their medicine, it certainly couldn’t hurt to try a square of Hershey’s.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

RELATED STORIES:

Mom-Tested Home Remedies Because It’s Cold & Flu Season

When It’s Not “Just” a Cold: What Parents Need to Know about RSV

Can That Viral “Potatoes in Socks” Home Remedy REALLY Cure a Cold?

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

3 Ways to Stop Beating Yourself Up and Be a Better Parent

By Michelle Gale

Most parents struggle with feelings of guilt over thoughts they are not doing a good enough job for their kids. One study from the UK found parents feel guilty at least 23 times a week!

From feeling guilty for putting our work before our kids to feeling guilty for giving in too easily to their demands because we’re exhausted, these feelings are hard to escape. When they boil over and we yell at our kids, we end up feeling even more guilty.

Yelling at my children makes me feel like the worst mom on the planet. Energy builds. I snap, raise my voice, and immediately I feel ashamed. Our connection to each other is lost and I pine to find my way back to myself and to them.

That’s why I enlisted my little guy’s help.

At the tender age of 4, Tyler had a far greater ability to see when I was about to lose her cool than I did! So I asked him if he would let me know whenever he noticed me becoming upset, suggesting he tell me I needed to stop and take a breath.

We made an agreement that whenever he uttered the words “Breathe, Momma” I would immediately stop. There would be no overriding what he was asking, no matter how powerfully the tide of emotion rose within me.

Hearing his little voice remind me to “Breathe, Momma” was precisely what I needed to hear.  This simple practice of getting Tyler to help me check in with myself became a powerful tool for change. By stopping me in my tracks before I raised my voice, Tyler enabled me to begin to notice what was happening inside me that triggered my outbursts.

This is an example of how mindfulness can help us become more self-aware and increase our self-control and connection with our families.

The word mindfulness is often misused in popular culture, so I think it’s important to understand what it does not mean. Being mindful does not mean that you are calm all the time. It’s just as easy to be aware of your anxiety, anger or fear as it is to be all Zen-like and relaxed.

I define mindfulness as simply compassionate, non-judgmental awareness of our inner and outer moment-to-moment experience. As such, mindfulness encompasses all of our experiences — the good and the bad, the anxious moments as well as the calm ones.

Here are some steps you can take to help you become more mindful in those messy moments of parental angst:

1. Pay Attention to Your Body: When you feel under stress, take a deep breath, exhale slowly and focus on what your body is feeling. You might notice how you clench your jaw, or how your throat or muscles feel tight, or feel your heart pounding. Noticing and naming the tension you feel may not make it go away, but it puts you back in control and allows you to:

2. Interrupt Your Pattern: Staying aware of your feelings can be hard. Maybe, like me, you need to enlist the help of your child or your spouse to gently tell you when you need to take a breather. It helps if you start taking intentional breaths on a regular basis throughout your day. Repetition is the key. Focus as you inhale, as well as when you exhale. Another idea: join me in welcoming frustration. Next time you are annoyed, smile if you can and say, “Oh, there you are again frustration! What are you here to teach me today?” I’ve developed quite a relationship with my anger and frustration, however, I have learned to avoid letting them lead whenever possible.

3. You Still Blow It. Now What? Have some compassion for yourself. Instead of feeling forever horrible about needing to apologize over and over again, I took the step of accepting myself as someone who yelled sometimes. In this acceptance of reality, real change began.

For me, acceptance meant that whenever I yelled, I did my best to pause and take a breath as soon as possible while also getting a grip on my tendency to feel awful about myself. I practiced not thinking of myself as a “bad mother.”

I don’t wish to imply that I let myself off the hook when my energy manifested itself in bad behavior. Accepting myself, including my crummy behavior, meant that these things were no longer moral issues, but a chance for me to learn to respond more productively.

When you do this, you may be surprised by how your family responds. It takes courage and daring to embrace your icky parts. One awesome side effect is your children will learn to do the same. For a child to grow up in a household where everyone is willing to embrace these baffling parts of themselves is an incredible gift.

Mindful Parenting Educator Michelle Gale, MA, is a former head of learning and leadership development for Twitter who teaches parents to better connect with their kids by first connecting with themselves. She is the author of the new book “Mindful Parenting in a Messy World.” 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Treating Your Child’s Sinus Drainage

By Brian Wu

Every day, each person’s respiratory tract produces mucus to protect itself from unwanted viruses, bacteria, and other potential health threats. But as WebMD reports, if your child has a cold, the flu, allergies, or other respiratory problems, the mucus can become excessive and cause pain in the sinus passages, ears, or throat.

Children with these problems often suffer from sinus drainage, either in the form of a runny nose or in the form of a post-nasal drip where the mucous travels down their throat and into their stomach, frequently causing problems with nausea or even vomiting.  This can be distressing for your child and frustrating for you to deal with. However, there are a number of ways that you can help your child’s sinus problems right at home, mostly using techniques and ingredients you probably already have around the house.

Use OTC Medications

The Web MD site notes that there are a variety of OTC medications that can help treat this pain and pressure of sinus problems. Among these are antihistamines (such as Benedryl or Zyrtec) to control allergic reactions if that is the cause of your child’s problems. If you suspect that your child might have allergies (especially environmental allergies such as dust, dander, or pollen), it is a good idea to have them tested to find out if this is the problem.

Other medications that can also help include nasal decongestants (like Sudafed) and medications that break up and thin out excess mucous (like Mucinex). However, it is recommended that parents talk to their child’s doctor beforehand about what medications are best for their particular child’s needs.

If, however, the problem is a bacterial sinus infection, the doctor might need to prescribe antibiotics in order to clear the sinuses up.  However, in most cases, these problems are caused by a viral infection and antibiotics will not do your child any good.

Keep the Respiratory Tract Moist

When treating your child’s sinus problems, it is also important to keep the respiratory tract moist.  According to Healthline, there are a number of ways to accomplish this.  These include:

Staying hydrated. Encourage your child as much as possible to drink plenty of water or other clear liquids (as long as they don’t have any caffeine). Staying hydrated will keep the mucous thinner and easier to get out of the sinus tract – and also helps all the body’s systems work better, including its immune system.

Steaming it up. Having a vaporizer or humidifier in the room or going into the bathroom and turning on the shower to get the room steamy. Keeping the air moist will also help to loosen excess mucous and make it easier to get rid of. If your child can tolerate it, adding a few drops of essential oil like eucalyptus or camphor oil can also help to open the respiratory tract and make it easier for your child to breathe.

Applying warm compresses. Laying warm compresses across the forehead or nose and cheeks is also a good way to gently open the sinus passages and keep the tract moisturized as well. Sometimes it is helpful to alternate this with 30 seconds of a cold compress to every three minutes of a warm compress.

Nasal irrigation. There are different methods of nasal irrigation to help moisturize the respiratory tract: a neti pot, bulb syringe, squeeze bottle or even just nasal spray can be used for this purpose. However, if using the pot, syringe, or bottle it is very important that only sterile water be used to avoid the risk of serious sinus infections. You can buy a saline solution at the store or make it yourself at home.

Eat the Right Foods

Diet can also play an important role in keeping your child comfortable during a cold or flu or allergy attack. Healthline reports that the old standby, chicken soup, has actually been proven to help relieve chest congestion, probably because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  The Search Home Remedy site also notes that the use of certain spices, either in the soup or in other foods, can also help to open up the sinus passages and help to clear them out. In particular, black pepper, hot peppers, and hot peppers like jalapenos can help get the nasal passages flowing. However, some children tolerate spicy foods better than others and this may or may not be the right choice for your own child.

In short, postnasal drainage can be a real problem for kids when they come down with a cold or flu or are having problems with their allergies.  However, the good news is that there are a whole variety of ways that parents have at their disposal to help treat this condition and keep their children comfortable during an infection or bad round of allergies.

Brian Wu, PhD is a current medical student at the Keck School of Medicine and a proud parent. He founded Health Stories For Kids to educate and entertain kids and their families about different health topics. Check out more at www.healthstoriesforkids.com

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Dr. Google’s New Algorithm Aims to Improve Self-Diagnosis

by Red Tricycle

Photo: Google

We’ve all been there: It’s midnight and you’re Googling “small bumps on baby’s arm” or “round itchy rash.” Next thing you know, you’re trying to figure out whether you should rush to the emergency room immediately. After all, it might be “dermatitis” but it could be a flesh-eating bacteria.

Fortunately Google is improving its algorithm, so we can perform a better self-diagnosis (and hopefully stop worrying about throat cancer when all we have is a cold).

This new algorithm will give users a list of related conditions when they search their symptoms. It will also give an overview description for individual symptoms and include self-treatment options. Additionally, the medical terminology will be translated into simpler terms for us, non-health professionals, to understand.

So the next time you’re worried about your “child with ankle pain” a Google search will be a more helpful place to start.

Are you a frequent patient of Dr. Google? Tell us in the comments below!

H/T: Mental Floss

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement