Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems

There are a number of skin conditions seen in young children, including Cradle Cap, Fifth disease. and roseola, Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems

Cradle Cap

Cradle cap (also called infantile seborrheic dermatitis) is a rash that begins as scaling and redness on a baby's scalp. This condition is a noninfectious skin condition and is a form of eczema. Seborrheic dermatitis is common in infants, usually beginning in the first weeks of life and slowly disappearing over a period of weeks or months. The condition rarely is uncomfortable or itchy.

What Causes Cradle Cap?
The precise cause of the rash is not known; however, Pityrosporum ovale (a yeast) is believed to play a role in this condition.

How Can Cradle Cap Treated?

Mild cases of cradle cap can be treated with mild shampoo. Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems. You should wash the hair more frequently than before. This, along with soft brushing, will help remove the scales. Medicated shampoos (dandruff shampoos containing sulfur and 2% salicylic acid) may loosen the scales, but these shampoos can cause irritation and should be used only after consulting a pediatrician. Additional medications, such as topical steroids, may be prescribed to treat the scales and redness.


How Can Cradle Cap Be Prevented?
In most cases, frequent shampooing with a mild baby shampoo can prevent cradle cap from coming back once it has cleared up. A stronger medicated shampoo may be needed in some cases, but seek the advice of your doctor regarding the use of these shampoos. Most children outgrow cradle cap by the time they are 6 months old.

Fifth Disease

Fifth disease is a highly contagious condition caused by human parvovirus. The condition results in a facial rash that looks like the cheeks have been slapped. Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems.
Fifth disease usually affects school-aged children.

What Causes Fifth Disease?
The virus that causes Fifth disease is transmitted by sneezing or coughing. The disease is only contagious before the rash appears.

What Are the Symptoms of Fifth Disease?

Symptoms of Fifth disease include:
Flu- and cold-like symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, fever, generalized aches and pains in joints and muscles, loss of appetite, and irritability.
A facial rash that looks as if the cheeks have been slapped; the rash is not painful but is warm to the touch.
Spreading of the rash to the thighs and arms.

How Is Fifth Disease Diagnosed?

In most cases, a doctor can diagnose Fifth disease by seeing the typical rash during a physical exam. To confirm the diagnosis, a blood test may be done to look for antibodies to parvovirus.

How Can Fifth Disease Treated?
There is no treatment for the disease itself, but medications like Tylenol or Advil can treat the symptoms. Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems. Those who have Fifth disease should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Roseola

Roseola is a viral illness that usually affects children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. It is typically marked by several days of high fever, followed by a pinkish-red flat or raised rash that appears on the child's trunk and spreads over the body just as the fever breaks.

What Causes Roseola?
Roseola can be caused by two common and closely related viruses: human herpes virus (HHV) type 6 and type 7. These two viruses belong to the same family as the herpes simplex viruses. However, HHV-6 and HHV-7 do not cause the cold sores and genital herpes infections that HSV can cause. Roseola is contagious and spreads through tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat of infected people. Someone who has not yet developed symptoms often spreads the infection.

What Are the Symptoms of Roseola?

In most cases, a child with roseola develops a mild upper-respiratory illness, followed by a high fever (often higher than 103 degrees Fahrenheit) for three to seven days. Health Tips for Kids - Childhood Skin Problems. The child may be fussy or irritable during this time, may have a weak appetite, and may have swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck.
In many cases, the high fever abruptly stops and a rash appears on the child's body at about the same time. The rash is made up of flat or raised pinkish-red spots and appears on the torso. The spots turn white when touched. Individual spots may have lighter areas or "halos" around them. Usually, the rash spreads to the face, legs, arms, and neck.

How Is Roseola Diagnosed?
To diagnose roseola, a doctor will take a history and do a thorough physical exam. A diagnosis of roseola is often uncertain until the fever goes down and a rash appears. As a result, the doctor may order tests to make sure that the fever is not caused by another type of infection.

How Can Roseola Treated?
In most cases, roseola does not require treatment other than trying to bring down a high fever. Antibiotics cannot treat roseola because it is caused by a virus.
Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin) can help to reduce your child's fever. Avoid giving aspirin to a child because the use of aspirin in such cases has been associated with the development of Reye's syndrome, which can lead to liver failure. A sponge or towel soaked in cool water may help comfort the child until the fever drops. Ice, cold water, alcohol rubs, cold baths, and fans should be avoided.
Encourage your child to drink clear fluids such as water with ice chips, children's electrolyte solutions, flat sodas like ginger ale (stir room-temperature soda until the fizz disappears), or clear broth. Fluids decrease the risk of dehydration.
Call your child's doctor if your child is lethargic, not drinking, or if you cannot keep his fever down. Seek emergency care immediately if your child has a seizure.

Can Roseola Be Prevented?
There is no known way to prevent the spread of roseola. The infection usually affects young children but rarely adults. Therefore, it is thought that exposure to roseola in childhood may provide some lasting immunity to the illness. Repeat cases of roseola may occur, but they are not common.

Please read our previous post Health Tips for Women - Thyroid Symptoms and Solutions
Also some of our related post Health Tips for Kids

Read more »

Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating

It's no surprise that parents might need some help understanding what it means to eat healthy. From the Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating update the latest food fad, it can be awfully confusing.

The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. Following some basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight.

Here are some rules to be imply:

Parents must control the supplies. 

You (parents) decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. The kids will alaways pester their parents for less nutritious foods, as an adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house. Kids won't go hungry. They'll eat what's available in the cupboard and fridge at home. If their favorite snack isn't all that nutritious, you can still buy it once in a while so they don't feel deprived.

Offer kids to choose what they will eat or whether to eat at all.
Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating explained that kids need to have some say in the matter. Schedule regular meal and snack times. From the selections you offer, let them choose what to eat and how much of it they want. This may seem like a little too much freedom. But if you follow step 1, your kids will be choosing only from the foods you buy and serve.

Clean-plate Rule
Let kids stop eating when they feel they've had enough. Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that approach doesn't help kids listen to their own bodies when they feel full. When kids notice and respond to feelings of fullness, they're less likely to overeat.

Don't force it but offer a few bites
Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer many varieties. Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. You may need to serve a new food on several different occasions for a child to accept it. Don't force a child to eat, but offer a few bites. With older kids, ask them to try one bite.

Try something new
Who says kids only want to eat hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese? When eating out, let your kids try new foods and they might surprise you with their willingness to experiment. You can start by letting them try a little of whatever you ordered or ordering an appetizer for them to try.

Best Drinks.

Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when it's 100%, but kids don't need much of it approximately 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for preschoolers.

Occasional sweets.

Occasional sweets are fine, but don't turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. Try to stay neutral about foods.

Different way to show love.
Find better ways to say "I love you." When foods are used to reward kids and show affection, they may start using food to cope with stress or other emotions. Health Tips for Kids - Healthy Eating recommend to offer them hugs, praise, and attention instead of food treats. Kids do as you do. Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals.

Limit TV and computer time.

When you do, you'll avoid mindless snacking and encourage activity. Research has shown that kids who cut down on TV watching also reduced their percentage of body fat. When TV and computer time are limited, they will find more active things to do. And limiting "screen time" means you will have more time to be active together.

Check previous article Health Tips for Teens - Good Nutrition

Read more »