Posts for: June, 2021
Climate change has certainly caused the temperatures to climb here in the US, especially during the summer. While we know that kids love to play outdoors, when temperatures are high this could increase your child’s risk for heat exhaustion and heatstroke. While we certainly don’t want to wreck your child’s fun, you must be keeping your child safe from the heat. If you do have any concerns about symptoms, don’t hesitate to call your pediatrician right away.Any temperature over 90F poses a serious health risk, especially to kids. When temperatures are at or above 90F here’s what you can do to keep your little ones safe:
Find an air-conditioned environment: If you don’t have AC in your home, it’s important to find a space that does. Make an action plan for where you can go if the temperatures become so high that you cannot safely stay in your home. You may need to stay with someone who does have AC or find free spaces such as a public library, which should also have AC.
Drink (lots of) water: You and your children must be also drinking enough water, especially on those super-hot days. While kids should normally get eight 8-oz glasses of water if a child is particularly active or it’s hot out, they must be drinking even more water to replenish what’s being lost.
Wear the appropriate clothes: Just as you need a coat and gloves to protect your skin during the cold winter months, you also need to wear the appropriate clothes for those brutally hot days. Make sure your child is wearing light-colored clothes made from lightweight, absorbent materials that will wick away sweat. Since kids are less likely to sweat than adults, it’s important to keep them in the coolest and lightest clothes possible.
Stay cool: Whether jumping through the sprinkler system or simply hopping in a cold shower, there are easy steps you can take to help your child cool down when they complain of being too hot! If there is a swimming pool nearby, this is also a great and fun way to keep cool.
Whether you have questions about keeping your child safe during the summer months or you simply need to schedule their next well-child visit, a pediatrician is going to be the first doctor you turn to for your child’s health and wellbeing. Keeping your child safe this summer doesn’t have to be difficult, but if you have questions or concerns don’t hesitate to call.
While children under 3 years old will not have control over their bladders, older kids that still have issues with bladder control may have something known as urinary incontinence or enuresis. As a pediatrician, we understand that this issue can be distressing for kids and their parents. Here’s what you should know if your child is dealing with daytime or bedtime enuresis.Accidents happen, but if bedwetting or daytime enuresis is becoming quite frequent in older children then it’s worth seeing your pediatrician for a closer evaluation. Girls happen to gain bladder control a little faster than boys. Girls are often diagnosed with enuresis if they continue to have bladder control issues past the age of 5, while it’s often diagnosed in boys after age 6.
There are many reasons why your child might be dealing with enuresis, which is another reason to see a pediatrician for answers. Whether your child is dealing with nighttime or daytime enuresis, or both, gives us some idea of what the cause might be. Common causes of nighttime or daytime enuresis include:
- Overactive bladder
- Small bladder
- Intense deep sleep
- Urinary tract infection
- Caffeine
- Anxiety
- Sleep disorders (often obstructive sleep apnea)
- Structural issues within the urinary tract
- Constipation
- Diabetes
Sometimes enuresis goes away on its own without treatment, while other causes may require treatment. For example, a urinary tract infection will require medication to treat the infection and alleviate the enuresis. Underlying health problems such as diabetes will also require proper treatment and long-term maintenance and care.
Autism spectrum disorder is usually characterized by social interaction and communication deficiencies and shows up in different ways in different people. Your child’s pediatricians at ABC Pediatrics in McKinney, TX, can help you to understand autism and how it may appear in your child as well as how you can help make your child’s life more comfortable.
Understand Your Child and Autism
Autism is more likely to occur in boys rather than girls but is stigmatized no matter what sex your child is. There is no true understanding of what causes autism, although it’s found to be mostly genetic.
Autism can manifest itself in different ways and can come with a variety of different behavioral symptoms. Your child’s pediatrician in McKinney, TX, can help you identify any symptoms in your child and the best way to help your child manage these symptoms. You may notice a failure to develop relationships with peers, a delay or lack of spoken language, or a delay or lack of ability to sustain a conversation.
Other symptoms you may notice in your child include:
- Hyperactivity
- Short attention span
- Aggressiveness
- Impulsivity
- Temper tantrums
The best thing that you can do for your child when they may be struggling with autism is to have patience, develop an understanding of how they may be feeling, and work with your pediatrician to develop non-verbal communication skills. Autism is a life-long condition and with support, your child should be able to be comfortable in their own understanding of autism and how they may feel in certain situations.
Contact Your Child’s Pediatrician Today!
It’s important that you take the time to understand how your child’s autism manifests in them and how you can give your child the support they need to be their best self! Contact your pediatrician at ABC Pediatrics in McKinney, TX, today at (972) 569-9904.