Two Types of Health Insurance Coverage

(source: The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia vol. III)

In general, private health insurance coverage is one of two kinds: group and individual. Employers, unions, and other kinds of organization typically provide group insurance as an employee or membership benefit. An individual can buy individual insurance whether or not he or she is covered under a group policy. But a good group policy usually covers all the major health problems or contingencies that a person could face under normal circumstances.

Group insurance has a number of specific advantages over individual coverage, among them are the following:

• Because a number of people can be included under a single contract, with consequent savings to the insurer in sales, administrative, and claims costs, the insurer can charge less per individual covered.

• In most cases the company, union or organization holding the group contract pays part or all of the individual premiums.

• With group insurance the health of the individual insured person is usually not a major factor in determining eligibility. The insurance company is more interested in the average age and overall health status of the group. The health of individuals may become a selection factor, however, where small groups, 10 or fewer persons, are involved.

• Unless an individual leaves a job or gives up a membership, his or her group coverage cannot be canceled. Termination of the group plan itself would, of course, terminate coverage.

Despite such advantages, individual and family policies fulfill at least two fundamental needs. First, they provide coverage for persons who are not members of the insured group. Such policies may also cover those who cannot, for whatever reason, obtain group coverage. Second, the individual or family policy can provide supplementary coverage where a group plan does not meet all basic health insurance needs

Group and individual plans differ in basic ways. Where a group policy establishes the level of benefits for all group members, the individual policy can more easily be tailored to specific requirements. With the individual policy, too, each person or family is enrolled separately. The cost of individual insurance is usually substantially higher because the insurer considers the age, health status of the insured, and other factors when setting premium rates.

Initial and Later Stages of Cancer

Initial Stages

The cancer may start with just one or a few cells somewhere in the body that undergo a change and become malignant, or cancerous. The cells divide and reproduce themselves, and the cancer grows.

Most cancers arise on the surface of a tissue, such as the skin, the lining of the uterus, mouth, stomach, bowel, bladder, or bronchial tube in the lung, or inside a duct in the breast, prostate gland, or other site. Eventually, they grow from a microscopic clump to a visible mass, then begin to invade underlying tissues. As long as the cells remain in one mass, however, the cancer is localized.

Later Stages

At some later phase, in a process called metastasis, some of the cancer cells split off and are swept into the lymph channels or bloodstream to other parts of the body. They may be captured for a while in a nearby lymph node ( a stage called regional involvement), but unless the disease is arrested, it will rapidly invade the rest of the body, with death the almost certain result. Some cancers grow with a malevolent rapidity; some are dormant by comparison. Some respond to various therapies, such as radiation therapy; others do not.

CANCER CAUSES CLICK HERE

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Person with healthy lifestyle is far from illnesses. Living a healthy lifestyle means enjoying life without worries, stress, depression, and less disease. Balance your life to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Some Tips to Healthy Lifestyle

- Good personal hygiene
- Quit smoking
- Balance your life
- Eating healthy breakfast
- Live simply
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Love yourself
- Laugh often


Now a day, it’s really hard to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle because of busy schedules and world is become complicated. But if we want to prolong our life we will be responsible for our health.

Tips to Parent to Prevent Drug Abuse

Any problem that confronts the member of the family specially if it is the problem of the children should be the concern of the adults or parents. Following are the suggestions to parents, to prevent drug abuse:

1. Create a warm and friendly atmosphere at home.
2. Develop more effective means of communication by being open, honest, frank about things that matter between them and their children.
3. Understand and accept their children for what they are and not for what the want them to be.
4. Develop and maintain mutual respect by showing faith and confidence in their children’s ability to think and reason clearly.
5. Always remember that they exert a profound influence in their children’s lives by service as models. Their children can see how they meet the stresses of everyday life which will be their basis in meeting future problems.
   

Psychologists and Psychiatrists agree that a happy family is the only solution to drug addiction.

Warning Signs for Mentally Ill Person

Just how can a determination be made as to who is mentally ill? No temperature reading, no acute pain, no abnormal growth can be looked for as evidence of a serious problem. Yet there are warning signs, and among the common ones are the following:

• Anxiety that is severe, prolonged, and unrelated to any identifiable reason or cause.
• Depression, especially when it is followed by withdrawal from loved ones, from friends, or from the usual occupations or hobbies that ordinarily afford one pleasure.
• Loss of confidence in oneself.
• Undue pessimism.
• A feeling of constant helplessness.
• Uncalled for or unexplainable mood changes – for example, an abrupt switch from happiness to unhappiness when nothing has happened to warrant it.
• Rudeness or aggression that is without apparent cause or which is occasioned by some trivial incident.
• An unreasonable demand for perfectionism, not only in oneself but in one’s loved ones, friends, business associates, and even from things or situations.
• Habitual underachievement, especially if one is adequately equipped to do the work one is called upon to perform.
• The inability to accept responsibility, often manifested by a recurrent loss of employment.
• Phobias.
• Unreasonable feelings of persecution.
• Self-destructive acts.
• Sexual deviation.
• A sudden and dramatic change in sleeping habits.
• Physical ailments and complaints for which there are no organic causes.
  

If one or more of these warning signs occur frequently or in severe form, a mental illness may be present, and professional help should be sought to evaluate the underlying problem.

Some Tips to Help Avoid Backache / Back Pain

As we grow older, the back muscle – weakened by inactivity, poor posture, and almost unavoidable wear and tear – start to complain.

Other causes of back problem are muscle and joint strain, changes in the spine, psychological tension, and internal diseases.

Here are some tips to help avoid backache:

• Learn to lift correctly. Use your legs muscles, which are stronger than back muscles, by placing your feet closer to the base of the object, bending your knees outward, and pushing up with your legs.

• Avoid subjecting your back to any sudden, erratic motion.

• Try to improve your posture when sitting and walking.

• Sleep on a firm bed; a bed board may be helpful.

• Get regular exercise of a type that stimulates all your muscles rather than just a few.

• If you sit for a long period, get up and stretch occasionally.

• Beware of excess weight. Extra weight on the abdomen pulls on the vertebrae at the small of the back, increasing the spine’s normal curve and causing pain.

• Try never to become over fatigued or exhausted, either physically or mentally. Emotional pressure from work or personal problems causes muscle tension.

Reference: The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia

Vitamins and Its Function

Vitamin A
Maintain normal vision, skin health, bone and tooth growth reproduction and immune function.

Thiamine
Help release energy from nutrients; support normal appetite and nerve function.

Riboflavin
Helps releases energy from nutrients, support skin health, prevent deficiency manifested by cracks and redness at corners of mouth; inflammation of the tongue and dermatitis.

Niacin
Help release energy from nutrients; support skin, nervous and digestive system, prevents pellagra.

Biotin
Help in energy and amino acid metabolism; help in the synthesis of fat glycogen

Pantothenic
Help in energy metabolism

Folic Acid
Help in the formation of DNA and new blood cells including red blood cells

Vitamin B 12
Help in the formation of the new cells; maintain nerve cells, assist in the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids.

Vitamin C
Help in the formation of protein, collagen, bone teeth cartilage, skin and scar tissue; facilitate in the absorption of iron from the gastrointestinal tract; involve in amino acid metabolism; increase resistance to infection, prevent scurvy

Vitamin D
Help in the mineralization of bones by enhancing absorption of calcium.

Vitamin E
Strong anti-oxidant; help prevent arteriosclerosis; protect neuron-muscular system; important for normal immune function.

Vitamin K
Involve in the synthesis of blood clotting proteins and a bone protein that regulates blood calcium level.

What is Hives?

Hives are indications of allergic sensitivity to various foods, drugs, furs, fabrics, cosmetics, or a reaction to emotional stress. It is not solely blamed to sting bites of insects.

Hives appears as red or white welts on the skin which may disappear a suddenly as they come, or may last for several days.

The development of hives (urticaria) occurs when the body releases histamine, an organic compound of the human tissues that is produced during allergic reactions. The process would cause a widening of the blood capillaries, then the plasma escapes, producing swelling on the skin surface.

The food causing allergies are strawberries, peaches, nuts, shellfish, pork and some wheat products. Feathers, woolen fabrics, and animal furs could cause surface irritants. Cosmetics containing chemical dyes, serums in the form of vaccines for immunization, and various drugs, chiefly penicillin and some medicine for hypertension, could cause hives to appear.

Brain Capacity

Fallacy:

The brain can get tired by reading to much information.

Fact:
The statement seems to assume that the brain is the same as the mind. The brain has many parts, made up of tissues just as the rest of the body is. It controls bodily movements and is also concerned with the different senses. All the knowledge that we have, first comes to us through the sense organs. The mind, however, is not a physical thing; it cannot be seen or weighed. It is the part of our being with which we learn, remember, think, and feel. Nevertheless, it is through the brain that the mind works. The mind cannot function without a brain to gather all the impressions relayed by the senses.

These sense impressions automatically go to specific areas in the brain. Everytime we absorb or recall them, a deeper track of impression occurs in the brain nerves that is made by the incoming impression. The brain by nature will continually allow us to remember sets of impressions that we had in the past. Unless the brain becomes diseased or injured, it can go on receiving impressions and connecting new ones. Usually, the more connections or experiences we have, the easier it will be to recall these impressions.

What is true: the brain does not get tired. It is the muscles of the sense organs, such as the eye, that tire and need rest.

Milk Stops Bone Loss

A study done to women who passed the menopausal stage showed that drinking milk fights bone loss. According to this study, women should drink milk during their adult’s lives. This will help fight the bone-thinning effects of a lifetime of coffee drinking

Women who do not drink milk but drink coffee containing caffeine can suffer bone weakening as they get older. This is according to a study conducted by Elizabeth Barret-Cannor and colleagues at the University of California at San Diego. This can place them at risk of suffering weakening and life threatening fractures. Previous studies have linked coffee drinking to an increased rate of hip fracture.

An intake of calcium or vitamin, later in life, is not enough to fight the bone loss caused by a lifetime of coffee drinking. Rather, it must be countered by enough calcium intake throughout one’s life.

Benefits of B- Carotene and Vegetables in our Body

Experts from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that if you want to be healthy, you must eat a lot of vegetables. Good Advice.

Good eyesight, glowing skin, and glossy hair come from eating green and leafy and yellow vegetables. These vegetables contain B-carotene. This is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is important for growth and for healthy eyes, skin and hair. These vegetables also contain minerals, like iron and calcium. Iron and calcium are very important to the body. They help in the bone formation and the functioning of the circulatory and digestive systems. They are also rich in dietary fiber This helps in the removal of wastes from the body. It also reduces the risk of having common diseases, like heart diseases, cancer and diabetes.

B- carotene can be found in the leaves of camote, cassava, pepper, saluyot, malunggay, kangkong, mustard, and squash. Carrots, yellow camote, squash fruit, and tiesa are also high in B-carotene. These vegetables also contain vitamin C when eaten raw or slightly cooked. An adult needs ¾ cup of green leafy and yellow vegetables everyday.

(S & T Media Service)

Baby’s Hair and Hair Cut

Some believes that it is not good to have a child’s hair cut before the age of one year but nowhere in the scientific literature can one find a medical basis for this belief. Cutting the hair of a child who is below one year old has no effect whatsoever to his physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The growth of hair is normal in all individuals. It begins as early as the third month of fetal life. Each hair grows in a follicle which is composed of epidermal cells.

Hair follicles are distributed throughout the skin, except in the palms, soles, lips and glans penis. The hair on the head has an almost continuous rate of follicle activity; each hair being replaced almost as soon as it reaches its full length. Scalp hair usually grows on the average of .35 mm a day. It takes about four years for a hair to reach its average length about 28 centimeters.

For babies, it is a must that the hair be kept short and clean always. Otherwise, it will cause so much irritation to them, especially to their eyes. Mothers may certainly not entertain second thought on whether or not to have their babies hair cut.

(Source: Bato Balani , For Science and Technology)

Fact and Fallacy : Food Allergy

Fallacy:
Everybody has an allergy to certain foods.

Fact:
Most of us believe that we have some kind of allergy to certain foods. But real foods allergies are rare. Most of what we think as allergies are really food intolerances that have little or nothing to do with the immune system. People sometimes mistake food intolerances for allergy, because both have the same symptoms.

A food allergy is defined as an overreaction of the body’s immune system, which includes the white blood cells, lymph tissues, thymus gland, and bone marrow. Substances, usually proteins, trigger the immune system of someone with allergy to release antibodies. These antibodies fight the unwanted proteins. Their immune systems release chemicals such as histamine that irritate body tissue. The most commonly affected tissues are the gastrointestinal tract, skin and respiratory system.

Otherwise, food intolerances are reactions to food that are not related to the immune system. It is difficult to know when a physical problem is a result of food allergy or simply intolerance. Consult a physician if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms.

(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, August. 1991)

Additional Tips from Nutritionists to Lose Weight

Is there any magic way to reduce? The only sure way is to eat less, and to continue this practice all the time. It will not help if you go on a crash diet and then resume your normal eating habits. And while exercise will help control weight and burp up excess calories, probably the best exercise is to push yourself away from the table before you’ve overeaten.

Here are some additional tips from nutritionists to help you lose weight:

• Cut down on quantity. Eat just enough to satisfy your appetite – not as much as you can. Even low calorie foods will add weight if you eat enough of them.

• Eat less more often. Spread your food intake over several meals or snacks. Some hospitals have been experimenting with five meals a day, spreading the recommended total food intake over two full meals a day (brunch and dinner) and three snacks (continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, and before – bedtime). They find that the stomach handles small amounts of food better, that metabolism keeps working at a good pace all day, and that blood sugar levels (your energy reserve) do not drop between meals. Also, the process of digestion burns up calories.

• Avoid high-calorie foods. Cut out breads, rolls, jellies, jams, sauces, gravies, dressings, creams, and rich desserts. These are the villains that add calories and are not as rich in nutrients.

• Look for natural flavors. Cultivate an interest in the natural flavor of what you eat. Try vegetables without butter, coffee and tea without cream and sugar. You might want to substitute a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon on your vegetables or noncaloric sweeteners in your beverages, but chances are you will find the natural flavors new and interesting.

• Serve only just enough. Keep portions small and put serving dishes with leftovers out of sight. Taking seconds is often just a habit. Cultivate the idea of just one serving, and you will find it satisfies the appetite. Another idea: serve meals on smaller plates, the portion will look big if only in relationship to the size of the plate.
  

In order to maintain a healthy body and a youthful appearance while dieting, you must make sure you eat the necessary proteins and nutrients. This can be done by selecting foods from the basic food groups.

(Source: The New Complete MEDICAL and HEALTH Encyclopedia edited by Richard J. Wagman, M.D.)

Some Money Saving Tips

It is the money you save but not the money you earned. As far it is concerned one must know how to budget money. If someone is earning a big amount of money, but he spends it too much on something that it is not needed. Like for example, after payday, he plan to go to department store to buy the latest watch, phones, or high tech gadget instead of going to bank. Be sure to have deposit slip all the time and as much as possible and deposit your salary just left allowance for the month so that you are not tempted to buy something.

• Live a simple life. Some people think that living simply means living in misery. Living simply doesn’t mean living in deprivation. It doesn’t mean eating only two meals a day, cutting off electricity bill at home or making do with candles and charcoal. It is just cutting back on the other items that don’t appear in our top values such as clothes, accessories, appliances and gadget.

• Budget your money. Track your all spending. Before you’re leaving in work, you can keep a small notebook where you can jot down expenses every time you purchase something. Each new day should have own page. This notebook will serve as diagnosis of all your expenses and use as your analysis because you can trace where your money goes. At the end of each month, check your notebook and make a spreadsheet. Create categories: Foods, House Maintenance, Medical, Clothing, Tuition, Etc. After 2 to 3 months, you can now create a “spending plan” based on your diagnosis. One guy realized that he can save up to $1,500 each month if he gave up his after office snack before returning home and went straight home and feed himself in their kitchen.
  

• Make Irregular Expenses Account. There are expenses that don’t come each month such as tuition fees, maintenance expenses (appliances repair), insurance, etc. Part of your budgeting knows out what these irregular expenses in your life and how much they cost in total each year. Divide this figure by twelve, and that’s why what you should set aside in another account called “Irregular Expense”. This is not your saving account.

• Pay all your debts first. Before starting a saving account, pay off all your debts because you are paying more interest on your loans than earning interest from your savings. Savings account can give you an average 3% monthly interest and time deposit can give up to 8% while credit card loans can go up to 24% a year so it is better to put your savings into paying your debts. You can list down all your debts from those with the highest interests down to the lowest ones. If you are paying off credit card loans, shop for credit cards that charge lower interests and transfer loans there. Make a payment scheme plan and calculate when you will reach zero debt and have stick to your plan.

• Never buy things on credit. Do you have something you want to buy right now and are tempted to buy on credit? Don’t and save up for it every month. If you something you want, save for it and buy it later. We should always live below our earning capacity.
  

• Stop impressing others. When you are too busy impressing others, paying your bills or debts, or protecting your properties, it makes your life complicated. Are you comparing yourself with your richer neighbors and friends? Don’t try to appear wealthy.

• Invest wisely. Never get into something you don’t understand. Some people lost their whole life savings and retirement money fund because they got into things they didn’t understand. Also, never put your life savings into high-risk investments. If the firm crashes, you were ready for it and thankful it wasn’t life savings you put into it.

• Eat more vegetables. Decrease intake of junk food like candy, potato chips, sodas, soft drinks, fatty foods, etc. By simplifying your eating habits, you could save up to $25 a week, $100 a month.

• Give up expensive habits. Imagine what you will save if you give up your smoking habits, buying lotto tickets, eating extra sweet snack and junk foods.
  

• Sell unused assets. You can sell all the clutter in your home – stuff that you no longer use. These stuffs can be converted into cash.

• Hold on to unexpected cash. Example of this unexpected cash is your yearly bonus or reimbursement from your office. You could keep this unexpected cash to your savings account not in your wallet because all your wallets have invisible holes.
  

Due to economic crisis today, I decided to post here a money saving tips. I hope that these tips will help you. If you have suggestions, don’t hesitate to share. Thanks!

How to Have a Happy Family

A happy family life emerges through the cooperation of the members of the home. Each member loves the other members of his family, appreciates what the other family members do for him, and accepts responsibilities cheerfully. Good family membership results in successful home life.

In every family, however, there are problems that arise from time to time. Problems are part of the process of living together. Some families are able to find ways to solve their problems, so they stay happy. This is a sign of maturity on the part of the individuals concerned. Other families fail the task of trying to have a happy family because of several reasons. Conflicts and misunderstanding arise in some families when the children are maturing. Some parents find it hard to realize that their children are growing up. At this stage of life it is necessary that a son or daughter feel that he is included in the decision-making of the family; that his/her ideas and suggestions are respected and considered. There is a need for young people and parents to try to understand each other. The families who can talk together over their problems and differences of viewpoint will find that they can avoid misunderstanding.

Some Basic Principles which are the backbone of a stable and happy family.

1. Give Yourself to Your Family. Most parents never have time for their children. They are always too busy doing the things they want to do. They simply don’t take time for their children.
2. Private Family Activities: a Must. Spend more time with your family. There are many activities in which the whole family can participate. Group activities such as picnics, swimming, hiking and fishing can be great fun. Take your children with you.
3. Communicate with your Family. In too many homes there is simply no communication. So many parents seem have no time to communicate with their children.
   

In this generation, especially our children exposed to immoral influences. Many of their friends will look on anyone who doesn’t succumb to those influences as a square. They desperately need all the help parents can give them. The only way to give them this help is by communicating with them.

(sources: Population Education by Custodiosa Sanchez)

Obesity and Overweight among Children: Causes, Prevention and Effects

I decided to post obesity among children because I noticed that one of the common problems of children today is becoming overweight. Maybe because of today’s generation, modern technology including internet gaming can be one factor that cause obesity. I observed that children are lack of physical activities such as exercise, running, jogging, playing outside, and involve in sports, they become addicted in internet gaming.

Some Causes of Overweight

- Unhealthy eating habit

In today’s generation, time is so fast that everyone is on the hurry. Some parents usually prepare prepackaged meal or foods from fast food. These foods are far higher in calories, fats, sugars, and salt that cause weight gain

- Lack of Physical Activity

Due to increasing popularity of television, computers and video games, children are tending to spend time in front of tube instead of doing some sport or other physical activity. Children who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. There’s also a scenario that a child may eat a junk food while watching their favorite show.

- Genetic Factors

Genes help determine body type and how your body stores and burns fat just like they help determine other traits. But we cannot blame genes alone as contributing factor to obesity, family habits such as eating and activity habits are also to be considered.

Some Prevention of Obesity and Overweight

• Get your child involved more on physical activity

• Be a model to your family. If your child sees that you are physically active and fun, they are likely to be active. Remember that your child is a great imitator.
• Provide a family activities which involves exercise and enjoyment such as swimming, biking, walking, running and dancing.

• Encourage your children to eat proper foods by offering a variety of healthy foods from Food Guide Pyramid. Teach your kids to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, limit sugar-sweetened beverages, and eat breakfast every day.

• Reduce the amount of viewing time in television and gaming time with computer games and video games.

• Don’t maintain clean plate policy. Don’t force your child to continue eating even if they are already satisfied. Tell them that they should only eat when they’re hungry.

• Don’t reward with sweet for good behavior and try to eliminate sweets from kid’s diet.

• Discourage eating meals or snack while watching television.
  

Some Effects of Obesity

• Obesity is often link to several diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol and abnormal blood lipid

• Obese kids may also be prone to low self-esteem because they are being that being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. They often feel isolated and lonely which could lead to depression

• Overweight girls may have irregular menstrual cycle and fertility problem in adulthood

• Liver and gall bladder disease

• Obese children are more likely to be adult obese.
  

All family members must participate in the increased activity. Parents should be a good model to their children and accompany for bike rides, walks or swim and it should be fun and feel good for their children. Parents should promote healthy eating among their children. If parents eat healthy foods, they are modeling a healthy lifestyle habits to their children that will last.

Always remember that the most important is to let your children know that they love them no matter what.

Is your Child is Overweight

If you think that your child is overweight, contact your pediatrician. Your doctor will measure your child’s weight and height if your child is within the healthy range. He can also assess your child’s eating and activity habits and make suggestion on how to make positive changes.

Common Cold among Children : Cause, Symptoms, Remedies and Prevention

As a parent, we must aware of the most common illness for our toddler in order to avoid it and know how to treat it.

One of the very most common illnesses among toddler is common cold. According to studies, children catch 8 to nine colds a year. Colds are unavoidable and not serious, but the proper precautions should be taken to prevent complications such as ear infection or a sore throat.

The immune system of our toddlers are still immature that’s why they catch lot of colds and vulnerable to many illnesses. While they are growing, they exploring a lot of things so it’s possible to touch everything and pick up cold virus in their hands. Then put his finger in his mouth or nose or rub in his eyes and the virus now has the chance to come in.

Symptoms of common cold

• Soreness of throat
• Congestion of nasal passages
• Running nose
• Sneezing
• Headache
• Chill
• Rise in temperature
• Aches and pain in the body
• Itchy and watery eyes
  

Treating Common Cold

• Plenty of liquids. Drinking a lot of water and other liquids can help especially calamansi juice or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and avoid dehydration.- Use saline nasal drops to relief the nasal congestion. Tip his head back and squeeze over the counter saline (salt water) drops into his nostrils to loosen up the mucus, suction out the liquid and mucus a few minutes later with a rubber bulb syringe.

• Use a humidifier or a cool-mist vaporizer to moisten the air in his room. Dry air also dries the mucous membranes, causing a stuffy nose and scratchy throat.

• Take your toddler a bath with hot water, close the door and sit in the steamy room for about 15 minutes.

• Get your toddler a plenty of rest and sleep. Elevate the head of your toddler’s mattress by placing a couple of towels between the head of the mattress while sleeping so that he may not have difficulty in breathing.

• Over the counter cold medicine. It is a good idea to ask the suggestion of your pediatrician when your child really needs the medicine especially during the night when you’re child not getting any rest.
  

When to call a doctor

• Ear infection
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe headache
• Fever reaches to 102 F or higher
• Symptoms got worse instead of improving or last for about 10 days or more
• High fever with fatigue and achiness, sweating, chills or colored phlegm
• Vomiting or abdominal pain
  

Prevention of Common Colds

• Always wash hands. Most cold and flu virus are spread by direct contact. Teach your child the importance of washing hands.
• Keep your stuff clean. Wash children’s toy after play especially when someone in the family has colds.
• Don’t share glass or drinking utensils among members of the family. Use own glass or disposable cup when someone is sick.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who has cold.
• Always use tissue when sneeze or cough coming then throw it away immediately.
• Drink plenty of liquids. Water and other liquids flushes our system and washing out the poison in our system
  

Some tips for picky eater toddler

I have 2 years old and 8 months old daughter, she just likes to eat fried chicken as her meal. When she is 1 year old, I don’t have any problem regarding foods because she always has the appetite to eat anything that is ready in the table. But when she is turning 2, he begins to choose the food she eats. She refuses to eat fruits and vegetables. I realize that feeding toddler is a challenging job. It requires lot of effort and patience for your toddler.

Here are some tips to prepare food for your picky eater toddler

• If your toddler is hesitant to eat new foods, you should still serve small amounts of them once or thrice a week. You can put that food aside for a couple of weeks, then try again. Don’t force a child to eat something
• Provides your toddler a variety of healthy foods to eat each meal
• Always include one thing that your toddler likes in a meal and try to schedule new food if you know that your toddler is hungry – a snack of slice papaya or mango for example
• Makes meal and snack fun by putting toppings on pizza or greeted cheese in the casserole
• Make sandwich that appealing in the eyes of the toddler
• Just serve a toddler-size portion. Serving for a 1 year old is only ¼ slice of bread and a serving of rice, potatoes; pasta is only about 2 tablespoons
• Stay calm; don’t make a food an issue. If your child feels that you are unhappy with his or her eating habits, it may become a battle of wills.
  

Children eating habits may not change overnight but small steps you take each day can encourage a lifetime of healthy eating.

Some Tips to Promote Healthy Eating among Toddler

Food is define as the thing intake that supplies the nutrients needed as a source of energy for activity of the body, and as structural materials for every cell of the body while nutrition might be defined as the science of food and the way the body uses them. Your toddler must achieve nutrition found in various foods with nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. Good nutrition and balanced diet help your toddler to grow up healthy.

Providing healthy foods for the family is one of a tough job as parents because of the busy schedules. Parents must spend a time for preparing healthy food than to have sick children. Some tips to promote healthy eating among toddler.

• Makes family meal is fun and exciting to improve nutrition and encourage healthy eating habits. For your toddler, you can prepare foods such as dried fruits or vegetable like peas, cube carrots, or corn and make it fun by allowing his or her to count those foods. This can be use as part of fun learning activities. Your toddler will eat a healthy food while playing the fun learning game with the food.
• Be sure to serve fruit or vegetable every meal for the whole family and serve lean meats and other good source of protein such as fish, beans, eggs or nuts.
  
• Make yourself an example. One of the best ways to encourage your child to eat healthy food is to be a role model for them. Eat with them healthy and nutritious foods. Children usually follow what the adult eat everyday. If you eat unhealthy foods such as candy, potato chips, and soda or drinking soft drink every snack, it might possible for them to imitate what you eat. What you should do is, eat fruits and vegetables and explain them the important of these foods in our body. Children notice your food choices and follow you as an example.
• Have regular family meals pleasant and positive by eating together as family.
  
• Avoid making comments on the type of foods about the amounts or type of foods your child intake. It actually reduces children’s acceptance of a new or different foods. Never use food as a reward or bribe.
  
• Gets your children involve in preparing food while teaching them the nutritional values of different foods. Let them decide what to make for dinner and selects food for their lunch box. Some may even want to shop the ingredient and prepare the meal. Also, teach them how to read the foods label and understand what to look for.
  

How much TV your kid needs?

Television can be good to our kids. It can be a source of learning. There are programs that teach them the alphabet and number, learn about plants and animals from nature shows and creative learning from art shows. Also, it can be source of entertainment and laughter such as music shows, comedies and game shows. Watching Television with kids can be fun wherein each member will enjoy discussing and enjoying the show.

However, too much television can have negative effect especially when our children watch the wrong shows such as shows that depict violence, which lead our children to be aggressive. Children don’t know the difference between reality and fantasy, fear can be developed and believe that the world is scary and something will happen to them.

Some pointers to remember when watching television with your children

• Be a good example. Aware what programmes your watching when children around and the amount of time spent in watching television.
• Aware with the kind of programmes watched by your kids. Watch the preview so that you will know the content.
• Enforce rules regarding watching television. Limit the watching television hours. One to two hour a day is the upper limit, no television during meal time and while doing home works, etc.
• Watch television with your children. In this case you can assess the programmes if it is violence especially when your child is watching a new show.
• Check the TV listing. Know the educational shows, kid-friendly show or family programmes.
  
• Explain to your child about what he or she sees in television. Discuss to them what they have learned from the show. Tell your children if the some act on television is not appropriate.
• Offer fun choices to television. Encourage your children to play with their playmates, read books, pursue art, board games and perform outdoor activities instead of watching television. Spent time with them when engaged in these activities and make fun for both of you.
• Make your children aware the cause of too much television viewing can be having negative effects in their attitudes. Tell them not to watch violence show because they can develop aggressive behavior and give them less time for their family and friends.
  

Always remember that anything that too much is not good. What really important is balance everything. Television can be helpful if you are able to monitor your children with the kind of programmes they’re watching.

Tips to Keep your Toddler Safe

Toddler is not aware things that are harmful or bad to them. They don’t know what is right or wrong. During toddler stage, a child is very busy in exploring the things around them. They tried to do things such as walking, climbing, and running. Sometimes they get trouble because they don’t know the potential danger is coming out so it’s up to the parents or caregivers to watch out. It is essential to provide them safe environment because nobody know when or where accident might happen. The more you warn your toddler, they even more interesting in the forbidden place or object. Toddler is curios by nature. Childproofing the entire room or house is not difficult to do. It reduces the chances of toddler’s injury.

There are some ways to prevent possible danger.

• Accompany your toddler while walking, running or climbing to avoid fall and other potential danger
• Take away all small items that can easily block in a toddler’s throat. In the blink of eye, toddler might shallow something that makes him choke.
• Use harness properly when seated to a high chair
• Keep electrical cords that are connected to appliances out of reach
• Lock cabinets containing knives, scissor and any other small items
• Keep away household cleaners, chemicals and medicines
• Use electrical covers for electrical outlet and latches
• Move breakable items to higher grounds
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach
• Don’t put hot fluid in the table or in the tablecloth or near your toddler in case the toddler pull it
• Have locked the door to prevent the toddler from going out
• Never leave your toddler near the container of water
• Do not allow your toddler near the stove and other hot appliances such as iron
• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers
• Close the room that is not child proof

Children and Tantrums

Temper tantrums usually increase if the child is hungry, tired or ill so parents must help them to cope up with these situations. A lot of patience is requires in dealing temper tantrums.

Infants may cry a lot not because they have tantrums but because they are hungry, wet, cold or lonely. Crying is the only way of letting know that they need something. By giving the needs of infant quickly, they feel secured and may actually cry much less later on.

Most toddlers have tantrums because they are easily frustrated since they don’t talk so much. They have trouble asking for things and expressing their feeling. If you can see that your child is getting frustrated, you can try to distract him or divert his interest to other things. When a toddler is exhausted, hungry and overexcited, tantrums is likely to happen.

Preschoolers are less likely to thrown their tantrums because they have more coping skills and able to communicate better. Some children may learn that a tantrum is getting what they want as parents give in to demands.

Older children are more tolerate of frustrating situation since they learn to deal with anger. Also, they learn the acceptable ways to deal with their feelings and recognize the feeling of upset or frustrated.

Parents must know how to deal with tantrums. Avoid shaking, spanking or yelling at your child, it tends tantrums getting worse. If your toddler is screaming because you take away unsafe object, divert his attention by offering him something else. Also, you can move your child in a quiet and private place to calm down. Avoid talking to a child while screaming. Wait until your child calm down before talking about the situation.

Some children throw tantrums to get attention. Try to ignore attention-seeking tantrums and avoid situation that will lead to tantrums. Make your child realize that temper tantrums won’t work and not going to help them get out of doing what they need.

Don’t ignore frustration tantrums because it needs understanding. Instead, offers a helping hand and tell them that is it okay. Help him out where he feels frustrated and not able to accomplish a task. Always remember to praise your child when he learns to control his temper and be a good example to them by staying cool and calm.

Some ways to prevent Public Tantrums

Children throw tantrums anytime whether at home or public place such as department store, grocery, park, church or mall. Anyone who has toddlers experience public tantrum because it is natural and part of growing up. The following are some ways to prevent public tantrums.

• Remain cool and calm. You’re teaching him self-control
• If you’re going to grocery, make it sure to bring snacks for the child to keep occupied
• Make sure that a child is well-rested and fed. Some cause of tantrums is hungry, sick, or tired
• Divert child’s attention if you feel that tantrum is coming out
• Don’t reward, bribe or punish your child
• Avoid yelling, spanking or screaming at your child
• Emphasize expected behavior before going to public place
• Finally, make apology at some people around you
  

Temper Tantrums

Every young child has tantrums. It is a way of expressing their feelings and frustrations. Don’t panic it is a part of their growing up. It is often occurs in children between one to fours years old and frequently after the second birthday. It may happen anytime such as during bedtime, getting dress, getting up, bath time, meal time, watching TV, visitors at home, interaction with peers, car rides and playtime.

As parents we must know how to deal with tantrums. We must know what cause of tantrums is so that we can cope up with it. The following are tips to prevent temper tantrums.

• Know the situation that triggers your child tantrums. Tantrum usually increases if the child is hungry, upset, frustrated, tired or ill.
• Remain cool and calm. Remember that we are teaching our child to have self-control.
• Ignore the attention-seeking tantrums. Once he is calm down, give the attention that he is desired. It makes them realize that it is not work out and they may choose to behave.
• Avoid shouting or yelling at your child. It can make things even worse.
• Don’t bribe, reward or punish your children.
  
• Discuss tantrums afterwards. Don’t talk to your child while he is screaming and wait until he is calm down.
• Distract your child. Divert child’s attention by offering other things.
• Hold the child who is out of control to ensure that he may not get hurt. Reassure that everything is all right and help the child to calm down.
  

Importance of Child Discipline

One of the main jobs of being a parent is to enforce proper discipline and guidance. Effective discipline helps our child developed self-control. It is more on teaching rather than punishment. It involve the teaching the concept of right or wrong, how to respect the right of other and what behavior is acceptable or expected. Parents often worry about child’s misbehavior and how to handle it. An emotional and behavioral problem takes place if parents may not implement proper behavior.

Tips on how to enforce discipline

• Be a role model. Children is a great imitators so parents must act properly If a parent is honest, industrious, patient, kind, thoughtful, eat fruits and veggies, read bible and pray, it is likely adopt the values and habits of their parents. Children learn many things by observing the person closest to them. Parents must practice traits they wish for their children.
  
• Make sure the child understand what behavior is expected. Make explanation is simple, short and age-appropriate so that children understand what you are trying to say easily.
  
• Don’t make too much criticism. Make sure that a child understands that it is misbehavior and teach them the expected behavior and show them how much you love them.
• Avoid negatives all the time. You can tell instructions in a nice way such as “It is better to put your clothes here” instead of saying “Put your clothes here without my asking”
• Stay cool and calm. Avoid yelling and screaming because it teaches a child that it is okay to lose control. Just take a break few minutes break until you regain your composure.
• Don’t use bribery. Some parents make a habit of promising a reward if the child is good. In this case, the child is good because of the tangible reward not because it is the right thing to do. Also, he learns to manipulate adults. It is okay to give a reward occasionally and unexpectedly to show your appreciation. Reward is different from bribery.
• Give simple rewards and praise for the good behavior. It lets the child knows that you appreciated his efforts.
• Avoid physical punishment. Spanking your child and other form of punishment may trigger aggressiveness. A child may feel angry. Parents who find themselves swatting their children constantly, are not disciplining them but doing them harm.
• Promote good behavior. Give your child an opportunity to make decisions or choices such as food to eat, shirt to wear. He sees that he has control over his world. Offer him two choices in decision making and explain what is acceptable. It is important for the toddler to become independent.
  
• Give your child a warm and loving environment at home. Makes them feel loved and secured.
  

If you are having difficulty of disciplining your child, don’t be upset because children have different temperament and other ways of discipline may work on some children but not work with you. Also the best way is know your child so that you can enforce the right way to encourage proper behavior. Just do the best you can do and don’t give up.

Emotional Development of Toddler

12-15 months

• Imitate actions such as covering eyes while playing Peekaboo.
• Make use of gesture words to express desires such as: Raising arms to be picked up, or saying “ball” or pointing a certain object.

15-18 months

• Know how to respond to others.
• Address other with greetings.
• Imitate activities such as cleaning up or talking on a phone, sweeping the floor.
  

18-24 months

• Learn to be separate with their parents.
• Use words to label his or her emotions.
• Develop social behavior such as hugging a teddy bear or feeding a doll.
• Self-recognition, self reference.
  
• Can play turn-taking games.
• Display attachment such as giving a hug to a parent, sharing toys with playmates, and showing empathy to others.
• Separation anxiety.
  

24-36 months

• Make choices in terms of clothes and entertainment.
• Knows the difference between the boys and the girls.

Mental Development of the Toddler

12-15 months

• Imitate the sound around him
• May use four to six letter words such as “doll” or “ball”
• Understand simple command such as bringing a cup to you when you point at and say “Please bring me the cup”, throwing the garbage” by saying “Please throw away the garbage by pointing the trash can.
• Remembers things still exist when they are out of sight, such as a ball or doll placed into a closed box.
  

15-18 months

• May use 10–20 words.
• Follow a command without a gesture.
• Stack two blocks.
  

18-24 months

• May speaks 20–50 words; understands many more
• Stack six blocks
• Able to know non-physical relationships such as turning off the radio or TV or pressing the buttons
  
• Knows how to sort toys.
• Able to search for hidden objects.
• Problem solving through experimentation.
  

24-36 months

• Practice voice modulation by yelling or whispering word.
• May string nouns and verbs to form complete but simple sentences.
• May be able learn new words, place and people’ names easily.
• Anticipates routines.
• Plays with toys in imaginative ways.
• Singing simple songs
  

Physical Development of a Toddler

12-15 months

• Having gross motor skills
• Standing alone well
  
• Walking well
• Drinking from cup (poorly)
• Turning pages of the book
• Learning to walk backwards and up steps
• Playing ball by rolling or tossing it
  

15-18 months

• Placing block in a cup
• Bending down and standing up without help
• Walking well alone.
• Holding a crayon well enough to scribble.
• Lifting a cup to mouth for drinking
• Climbing onto furniture
  

18-24 months

• Feeding self with a spoon
• Running
• Climbing into small chair
• Walking up steps
• Throwing ball over hand
• Jumping in place
  

24-36 months

• Advanced mobility and climbing skills.
• Increased dexterity with small objects, puzzles.
• Able to dress oneself.

Exploring the World around Him

Toddler is usually between the stage of infancy and childhood. Also, it is a time that a child begins to walk. The toddler is discovering that they are a separate being from their mother or caregiver and are testing their boundaries in learning the way the world around them works.

The toddler wants to explore and investigate all the things around him. He stays very busy. He has things to do and places to go. Take him outdoors as much as possible for order for him to meet children of his own age so that he can play and learn the beginnings of social contact.

You must have a lot of patient with your toddler; this is the period that your child is intrinsically curious. Curiosity often gets the toddler into trouble. He doesn’t recognize potential danger so it is the mother or child’s caregivers to watch out for him. It is important for parents to provide safe, secure setting for the child to investigate and to encourage his exploration.

Obviously, you must set limits on your child’s behavior – on what is acceptable and what is not, while still giving him the freedom to express his emotions and energies in vigorous physical play. Make the regulations easy to understand so that the child will not become confused about what is expected of him and never set up impossible standards.

Lot of patience and wisdom is required for caring a busy toddler. Understanding the learning process and knowing what is normal and age-appropriate help equip parents to assist their child to grow in the most effective manner.

Relationships with Mother and Father

It is important that mother provides a warm and loving environment as the child’s need. During the toddler stage, wherein the child develops the real relationship with his mother. In most cases, the mother is the loving, warm, secure comforter in child’s life, the giver of rewards and disciplinarian of his activities, the center of his life. During this time, it is imperative that the child’s father spend as much time with his son or daughter as possible, so that the child starts to recognize the difference between his relationship to his mother and father.

In most cases, the father is the provider of financial needs. He is responsible for the financial obligation of the family, may it impossible to spend enough time with his family. This is an unfortunate fact, but one can be dealt positively, it is the quality of the time a father spends with his child rather than the quantity that is most important.

Second Year: Toddler Stage

At the age of 2, child begins to develop independence and separateness from his mother. He explore everything around him more actively. He experiments with greater and greater distances and increasing independence from his mother. At the end of second year, children frequently become quite independent, trying to do many things for themselves, and resenting their parents or other adults doing things for them. They tend to perform the adult's task, he should be encouraged in these early moves toward independence, It is also the time when the child develop his speech skills. The child may probably hum and sing and make three word sentences like "bird fly high" at the end of second year.

Suspicion of Strangers

At the age of eight months, an infant who has in the past without complaint allowed anyone to pick her up begins to distinguish her mother from other individuals. When picked up by another the infant usually cries, acts frightened, and, in general, looks unhappy. The infant recognize her mother from other individual, this is one of the milestone of infant's development.

Usually around the age of one year, the infant starts to become fearful upon separation from her mother. The child may respond with crying, fear and anger when he realize that her mother is away or walks out of the room or leaves the baby with a sitter. Although the response is normal and usually subsides within 3 to 4 months, parents should learn to leave the child in the hands of a sitter, and walk out without guilt or anger. The child must learn that separations are temporary and that parents do return.

Social Responses

As the baby matures, one of the tasks is to begin to see himself as separate from the world around her. During early infancy, the infant does not see himself as an individual who is separate from his mother, from other adults, and from the rest of the world. One of the gratifying events in the early months of a child's life is the smiling responses. An infant can respond in a social way to other human for the first time. The smile could be considered one of the infant's first social communications.

Fondling and Sucking

Most of the infant's satisfaction and gratifications are through the skin's perception of being touched - through physical contact with her mother and other caring adults - and through the mouth, especially sucking. Infants have a great need to suck even when they are not hungry, and this sucking should be both allowed and encouraged.

Parents frequently worry that if they respond to a baby's crying by picking her up they will spoil her, and the baby will cry often in order to get attention. It could be said that during its first year and infant cannot be spoiled. When a infant cries she usually does so because she is uncomfortable, hungry, sick or needs some physical attention.

Behavioral Development During Infancy

During a child's first year she needs a warm and loving emotional environment in the home. Trust must be established in child's first year. That is, he learns to be a trusting individual who feels that her important needs - those of being cared for, fed, and comforted - will be met by other human beings, initially by her mother.

Holding and cuddling the infant, talking to her, and playing with her in an affectionate, relaxed way are important for her emotional growth. It shown that infants growing up in a environment lacking warm, loving, close physical and emotional contact with a mother often failed to thrive and may even die.

Emotional Development of the Newborn

Emotional development is noticed as the child learns to express feelings. The first emotion a child will display is excitement. A child may show the emotions of fear, pleasure, anger and joy for the first few months. A child is capable of expressing affection at about 9 months. The first hug and kiss are one of the most precious moments treasured by parents.

Infant's total dependency forces him to interact with others in order to fulfill his needs. Social interaction begins almost immediately. Evidence of social development is seen as the baby responds to the people around him. At 4 to 6 weeks the child's face lights up as his mother or father approaches. At about 6 months the baby wants to play interactive game such as "pat-a-cake" and "peek-a-boo". At about 9 or 10 months the child learns that things continue to exist even when they are out-of-sight. Prior to this, the child assumes things become nonexistent when they vanish from sight. The child begins to show signs of curiosity about things happening outside his vision. He knows to look for lost toys or forbidden objects.

Learning is enhanced by routine. The child learns to associate being bathe, dressed in pajamas, and listening stories in bedtime. The child learns from interaction with others.

The First Months

The first months following the birth of a child are filled with new developments and major adjustments. Sleep patterns well established over the years are often disturbed by a cry in the night. Not all the changes will not be inconveniences. Your home will be enriched by your child's first smile, the gentle sounds of a baby's coo, and the joy of holding your baby close.

It will be necessary that the baby have regular health supervision. Your baby's physician - whether pediatrician or general practitioner - will check the baby's height and weight on each visit, and make certain she is growing or gaining at a satisfactory rate.

Developmental changes

At birth, a baby's vision is limited. Bright colors are more noticeable than pastels. For the first few weeks, the baby's range of vision is from 8 to 12 inches. It is interesting that this is the approximate distance from the newborn's face to his mother's and father' s eyes when she is being held. Vision improves quickly. In the fourth month, a baby's vision is almost as good as a young adults.

A newborn's hearing is quite good at the time of birth. The sense of hearing is one the baby practiced while still in the womb. The senses of taste and smell are less developed. However, it only takes a few days for them to become more sensitive. A 10-day-old baby responds to his mother more on the basis of smell than sight or sound.

Preparing for your Newborn

The parent-relationship provides feelings of satisfaction, pride and joy. At other times, the parent-child relationship results in feelings of frustration and inadequacy. Preparations must be made to greet the new arrival.

A good place to sleep a baby is a must because baby may sleep from 12 to 20 hours a day the few first few weeks. Either a crib or a bassinet with a firm mattress provide a suitable resting place. The child should sleep in a room of its own if possible. Soundproofing the sleeping area is not necessary. The infant needs to learn to sleep through normal household noises. Be sure the room is free of drafts which can chill the baby.

Feeding a Baby

Another decision to be made before the baby's arrival concerns feeding. Mother must ask herself on how to feed her baby. Its either breast-feeding or bottle-feeding.

Breast-feeding is certainly the simplest method, and many women believe that a both mother and child get more emotional satisfaction from it than from bottle-feeding. It is also less expensive. But formula feeding can also be nutritious and satisfying. Parents may prop bottles on pillows or other objects so the infant can eat while the parent carries other activities.

Child Care

Many parents agree it would be desirable for the child to stay home with a loving parent for the first few years. Unfortunately, societal conditions make this difficult, if not possible. Many couples believe they need two incomes to get by, and most single parents have to work outside the home. Some couples make the necessary sacrifice in lifestyle so Mom or Dad can stay home with the baby. Many feel full-time parent provides the most advantages for the child, and the whole family.

In some cases, parents may find a child care. Options for the child care may include family members, neighbors, those who provide care in their homes, caregivers who come to your home, and day-care centers. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Your primary concern as a parent is to provide for your child's safety and well-being. The caregiver you select needs to supply a loving environment to stimulate the child's growth and development.

Before the Baby Arrives

When a husband and wife decide to have a baby they should be aware of responsibilities of having a child. They must know how to take care of the baby. In addition, they should both undergo complete physical examinations to ensure the safety of the baby. This will make it possible to detect and treat abnormalities like diabetes and anemia that might affect the future pregnancy.

Advice to a New Mother

New Father and Mother are need to prepare for the arrival of the newborn baby. They must prepared to change some of the conditioned patterns of their relationship, both can be in for a very difficult time. The father suddenly finds himself taking second place in his wife's attentions and affections. The new mother is tired physically and mentally.

Some Guidelines to a New Mother

• The new baby is a shared responsibility. Make your husband feel just as important to the baby as you are, and just as important to you as he was before the baby was born. Let him learn to feed the baby, diaper her, hold her, get acquainted with her. Do not shut your husband out of the experience of parenthood.
  
• Make some arrangement regarding assistance in your home, and don't wait until the day you bring the baby home to do it. Plan ahead You will be tired after childbirth, no matter how marvelous you may feel when you leave the hospital. If you cannot get your mother or another relative to stay with you, engage a housekeeper or some other trained person.
  
• If possible have a separate area for the baby. It is best for a baby not to be kept in the parent's room. Parents must have privacy.
• Don't make the baby focus of attention for 24 hours a day. If she fidgets and fusses at times, try not to get nervous. Just relax, the baby will be very sensitive to your emotional responses, particularly when you hold her.
  
• As important as it is for you and your husband to avoid overhandling the baby, it is more important that family and friends be made to follow a "hands off" policy except at your discretion. A new baby should not be subjected to excessive stimulation.