Pregnancy Nutrition

DRESSING A GIRL

Your little girl will try to dress herself now, so choose clothes that she can manage easily. She’s growing fast, too, so don’t spend a lot on clothes that she’ll quickly outgrow.

• Buy dresses with fasteners at the front; ones that close at the back are too difficult for her to manage.

• Show her how to get her tights the right way around, and how to roll each leg down to the ankle before she tries to put them on.

• It’s best to avoid tight or close-fitting clothes; they don’t leave much room for growth.

DRESSING A BOY

Help your little boy dress himself by making sure that his clothes don’t have tricky fasteners. Although it may take him quite a long time, allow him his independence, and don’t step in to help unless you’re really needed.

• Most boys are usually slower than girls at learning to use the potty, so it is very important to avoid awkward fasteners on your little boy’s pants.

• Pants with elasticized waists are easiest but, if he has pants with zippers, show him how to pull the zipper away from himself as he closes it to prevent it from catching.

• A zipper is easier to grasp if a ring is attached to the tab.

• Show your little boy how to sit down to put his feet into his pant legs, then stand up to pull them up.

• Look for adjustable straps on overalls, or add buttons so that straps can be lengthened.

You don’t need any special skills or medical knowledge to look after your sick child. It helps if you relax the rules and keep whatever anxiety you may have to yourself.

IN BED OR NOT?

At the beginning of an illness when your child is feeling quite uncomfortable, he will probably want to stay in bed and he may sleep a lot. As he starts to feel better he will still need bed rest, but he will want to be around you and he may want intervals of playing. The best way to accommodate this is to make up a bed on a sofa or cot in a room near where you are working so that he can lie down when he wants to. Don’t insist that your child go to bed just because he is sick. Children with a fever, for instance, don’t recover faster if they stay in bed. When your child is tired however, it is time to put him to bed. But don’t just leave him alone. Make sure that you visit him at regular intervals (every half an hour), and find the time to stay and playa game or read a book.

GIVING DRINKS

It is essential that your child drink a lot when he’s sick – when he has a fever, diarrhea, or is vomiting-because he will be dehydrated and need to replace lost fluids. The recommended fluid intake for a child with a fever is 1 ½ – 21/2 fluid ounces per pound (100-150 milliliters per kilogram) of body weight per day, which is the equivalent of 2 pints (liter) per day for a child who weighs 20 pounds (9 kilograms).

Encourage your child to drink by leaving his favorite drink at his bedside (preferably not sugary, carbonated drinks such as cola), by putting drinks in glasses that are appealing, and by giving him straws that bend to drink with.

KEEPING YOUR CHILD OCCUPIED

Illness is an occasion when you can completely indulge your child. When he is not resting, spend time playing games and talking to him. Relax all the rules and let him play whatever games he wants to, even if previously you have not allowed them in bed. If your child wants to do something messy like painting, just spread an old sheet or a sheet of polyethylene over the bed. If you can, move a television into his room temporarily – this will keep him entertained and make him feel special as well.

Let him do some painting, read aloud to him, get out some of his old toys and play with them together, buy him small presents to unwrap, sing songs or make up a story together, ask him to draw a picture of what he is going to do when he feels better, and, unless he has an infectious illness, let some friends visit him for a brief period during the day. As your child gets better let him play outside, but if he has a fever discourage him from running around too much.

VOMITING

Your child will probably find vomiting a distressing experience and you should try to make him as comfortable as possible. Get him to sit up in bed and make sure there is a bowl or a bucket within easy reach, so that he doesn’t have to run to the toilet. When he’s throwing up, hold his head and comfort him; with girls, tie back long hair. Afterward help your child clean his teeth, or give him a mint to suck to take the taste away.

When your child hasn’t vomited for a few hours and he’s feeling hungry, offer him bland foods, like mashed potato, but don’t encourage him to eat if he doesn’t want to. More important than eating is maintaining a constant level of fluids. Provide lots of water. (As you may know, infants are encouraged to drink rehydration solution, available from a doctor or pharmacist, to replace lost salts and minerals.) Avoid drinks such as milk, and give him plenty of fruit juice diluted with water.

TREATING A HIGH TEMPERATURE

Call your doctor if the fever lasts more than 24 hours or if there are any accompanying symptoms like vomiting or a rash. (Temperatures over 100.4°F (38°C) should be taken seriously in all children.)

Cool your child down by taking his clothes off and getting him to lie on the bed. Sponge him all over with tepid water and keep taking his temperature every minute until it has stabilized at 100.4°F (38°C). Never use cold water to sponge him, since this causes the blood vessels to constrict and the temperature to increase. Cover him with a light cotton bedsheet and take his temperature every five minutes to make sure that it doesn’t go up again. Changing the sheets on your child’s bed regularly will help to keep him comfortable. It’s still important for your child to drink lots of fluids, since he will be perspiring a lot.

You should call an ambulance or take your child to the nearest emergency room by car should any of the following potentially life-threatening situations happen:

•  A bone fracture or suspected fracture.

• A severe reaction (such as red blotchy skin or wheezing) to a sting or bite from an insect or animal.

• Pale blue or gray skin around the lips and under the fingernails.

• A burn or scald (from a wet or dry source) that is larger than the area of your child’s hand.

•  Poisoning or suspected poisoning.

•  Unconsciousness.

•  Severe bleeding from a wound.

• Contact with a corrosive chemical (such as bleach or weed killer), especially involving the eyes.

•  Labored breathing or choking.

•  Any injuries to the ears or eyes.

•  An electric shock.

•  Inhalation of toxic fumes such as smoke or gas.

TAKING YOUR CHILD’S PULSE

The average pulse rate for a one-year-old child is 100-120 beats per minute. This slows to 80-90 for a seven-year-old child.

In a child over one year, it should be relatively easy to find the pulse on his wrist. Use your middle and index fingers, not your thumb, since it contains a pulse of its own. Place your two fingers on the spot on your child’s wrist immediately below his thumb. Count the number of beats over a 15-second period and then multiply this figure by four to get the pulse rate per minute.

THERMOMETERS

Mercury thermometers, in which a narrow column of mercury expands in response to heat and moves up to a point on a calibrated scale, are the most accurate.

Take the reading under the armpit. Place the thermometer bulb in your child’s armpit and fold his arm over his chest; hold in place for about three minutes. Bear in mind that the temperature reading in the armpit is 1o F (0. 6°C) below actual body temperature.

Other types of thermometers include liquid crystal (strip) and digital thermometers.

Strip thermometers are less accurate than others, but simple to use. You just hold the thermometer against your child’s forehead for a minute or so; a glowing panel indicates the temperature reading.

Digital thermometers show the temperature reading in a window. They’re accurate and unbreakable, but more expensive than other kinds.

Don’t put a mercury thermometer in your child’s mouth until he’s at least seven.