[author image=”http://hunzanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Dr-Sadia.jpg” ]Dr.Saadia khan Department of paeds medicine Children hospital and institute of child health Multan. [/author]
Do’s And Don’t For Kids In Winters
Being a resident of Multan, the city of saints, dust and hot weather the mini winter package brings a lot of troubles, stress and worries for mothers and bulk of children coming to hospitals increases with winter. I always think if winter is so much troublesome for Multani mothers (city notorious for its hot weather) than how stress ful it will be for mothers living at very high attitudes and dealing temperatures in minus will be? So it’s some sort of chit chat what to do and not to do in winter for children.
1-Warm enviourment.Its fine to keep your home warm with heaters warmers or others ways but if you have children at home please do take safety measures ,I saw number of cases of child burn in winters with heater do to their improper placement so keep home warm but keep heater out of reach of your babies. It’s a big no by me for giving steam to babies and using warm water bottles to keep them warm, as have seen number of cases where child burn by getting water steam or sibling open the cork of warm water bottle lying side of a infant to provide warm environment. Except specific indications and monitoring never do that at home. Just keep nostrils clear with water and make breathing easier for your child. Sunlight is must when there are sunny day take your babies outside and enjoys sun as Rickets is common in our children.
2- Cover the baby properly, selection of clothing.
I have seen children stuffed with 4-5 warm clothing but their abdomen ,ribs exposed with movements as we are often used to wear our child a small size inners .Here, number of clothing not matters in winters rather proper clothing matters ,my advice to all mother coming to us is always that kindly cover baby with long high neck as inner and put it inside trouser or use rompers as inners and now you are free to select what you want your child to wear as upper properly covers baby head with cap and feet with socks. Maintain warm dry environment for your baby by frequently changing baby wet clothings, and pampers as there wet pampers and nappies are source of cold for children especially infants. Key message is it’s not the number of clothes it’s the way clothes are carrying matters in winters.
3-Provide Proper food; provide calories to your children.
Most of the mothers have firm belief that rice, banana, yogurt ,citrus fruits and mill causes chest congestion and pneumonia in children so quit these nutritious food stuff from diet during winters especially and keep baby on diluted tea even I have seen neonates taking tea or qahwas in winters during visits to postnatal rounds.
Mother feed is safe and only feed requires for babies up to 4-6 months even in winters too, and babies after that can be given rice, banana and yogurt safely in winters. Kindly note pneumonia is cause by bugs (bacteria, viruses and fungi) not by food. Your child needs extra calories to cope with winter so do not omit this nutritious food. To cope with winter give homemade soups ,green tea, honey in Luke water, eggs ,home made halwas to our babies (according to age).To boost immunity of your child give citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables along with fish. I had experienced to work at Rawalpindi and number of patients from hilly areas landed in emergency who given qahwas, herbal medicines and I swear even burgundy to combats with cold and pneumonia. We had resuscitated a neonate who has given brandy as a treatment of pneumonias. All these are dangerous for children especially for infants kindly avoid.
Dry fruits parties in winter is our tradition, keep care of your child while eating dry fruits as cases of foreign body inhalation increases in winters especially with peanuts. Give nuts to child under your supervision and never during play or running.
Prevent your child from winter diseases and seek urgent medical care.
Winters brings Cold, cough flu, URTIs, pneumonia, meningitis, exacerbation of asthma, eczema and viral diarrhea with it. All of these cause by bugs that grows rapidly and happily in winter.
High grade fever with cough and rash, reluctant to feed, feeding or breathing difficulties, nasal flaring, cyanosis, fits are all danger signs that should seek immediate medical attention.
Vaccinate your child according to EPI schedule that has vaccines against pneumonia, measles, meningitis too Problem of dry flaks and itchy are always there with winter, keep good hydration of child / moisturize skin with cream and lotions and olive oil is the best. Avoid hot water bath, give Luke water to have bath, and most important is ‘’ TO give bath in winters” as seen mothers who did not bath babies for the whole winter, bath your baby on alternate day in safe warm environment.
So, there is no need to get worried this winter, be a wise mother, take simple basic steps and measures to provide best health care for your child, as no one can do this job better than you.
HAPPY WINTER TO YOU AND YOUR CHILD, STAY SAFE AND BLESSED.
