Kids Archive

What my kids are like, and how to raise your child/children in this day and age.

Common Mistakes Moms Do In Taking Care Of Their Baby’s Skin

My youngest is not so young anymore. She’ll be in school this coming June!! Ayayay! We’re all excited for her. And so as I try to remember common mistakes we had in taking care of our baby’s skin, I can only name a few. First thing that comes into my mind is bathing. We used to bath them everyday when they were babies, but later learned that babies do not need bathing everyday. Bathing the baby, specially new born babies can actually dry the skin. Of course, as they grow bigger and messier, the bathing becomes more frequent.

Another one was treating cradle crap. I was told to use baby oil in removing the flakes and try to remove it by force (sometimes!) Yikes! It’s a no no pala on cradle cap. You just need to massage it gently to loosen the flakes. Baby Acne has been a problem too (with my 2nd born) and one of the baby sitter tried to remove it by force. Baby Acne would go away naman pala without any special care.. at matagal ko ng pinaalis ang baby sitter na nagkutkot sa acne ni baby haha

Diaper Rash was one of worries back then, specially during my first few weeks of being a mom. Good thing, my pedia told me all about I need to know to prevent diaper rash:

Change diaper often
Wash the baby’s bottom after each change
If the diaper is soiled, remove it immediately
Always use products that are specially formulated for baby’s skin
Use a diaper that can protect the baby from wetness

Because of that, we never experienced diaper rash and you can prevent it from happening too, Pampers has 5- Star Skin Protection for Baby’s Sensitive Skin:

12 Hours Dryness. Pampers Active keeps baby’s skin touchably dry for up t 12 hours.
Baby Lotion. Pampers Active diaper is infused with aloe lotion to help prevent diaper rash.
Cottony Softness. Keep baby’s skin free from imitation with cotton-like softness.
Breathable Cover. Air circulates so baby’s skin can breathe easily and stay wonderfully fresh.
Comfortable Fit. A flexible, side stretch design keeps it snug and comfy whether baby is at rest or play.

How about you? What are the common mistakes you did in taking care of your baby’s skin?

The Top Leading Causes of Death Among Filipino Children: Pneumonia and Diarrhea

Do you know that the top leading causes of death among Filipino children less than 5 years of age is Pneumonia and Diarrhea? Everyday, 37 Filipino children die of Pneumonia and more than 13 children dying due to diarrhea.

What is Pneumonia and Diarrhea? Why it is one of the top 2 leading causes of mortalty and morbidity here in our country? What are the symptoms? treatments? Can Pneumonia and Diarrhea be prevented?

During the launch of GSK’s “No Lost Hope” `campaign, Dr Sally Gatchailan, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination Director, discuss these two top leading causes of death among Filipino children less than 5 years of age and how it can be prevented.

PNEUMONIA

What is Pneumonia? It is an infection of the lungs which is primarily characterized by inflammation of the microscopic air sacs known as alveoli. These tiny air sacs are responsible for the oxygen exchange in our body during breathing. If there is pneumonia, these tiny sacs are inflamed and is filled with pus, thus making it hard for oxygen to reach our blood. If there is little oxygen in our blood, the cells won’t function well and that is how deadly Pneumonia can be.

What are the causes of Pneumonia? Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium S. pneumoniae (also known as pneumococcus). It can also result to acute otitis media (AOM), an ear infection, a common and highly prevalent disease. It also includes severe diseases such as meningitis, complicated pneumonia, and sepsis (blood poisoning), which occur when the pneumococcus “invades” the blood. The invasive forms of the pneumococcal disease are a category called Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD).

What are the symptoms of Pneumonia? Symptoms of Pneumonia includes cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty in breathing. Pneumonia can be diagnosed through physical exam and diagnostic tests such as X Ray and Blood Test.

Can Pneumonia be prevented? Yes, Pneumonia can be prevented through hand washing, preventing air pollution, and adequate nutrition and through vaccination. Ask your pediatrician about pneumococcal disease and the vaccine to prevent it.

DIARRHEA

What is Diarrhea? Diarrhea is characterized by loose bowel movement and when left untreated it can lead to dehydration. We know that our body is 70% water, so just imagine if we lose water in our body, that can be very deadly. Diarrhea is most severe and frequent in infants aged 3-24 months.

What are the causes of Diarrhea? Rotavirus Gastroentitis (RVGE) is the most common cause of diarrhea. RVGE is contagious and the most common way of transmission is fecal-oral route. It is when an infected stool is passed to a mouth of another child, also touching a surface that has been contaminated by the virus and touching the mouth can lead to infection.

What are the symptoms of Diarrhea? The symptoms of this deadly disease includes watery stool, vomiting, fever and sometimes abdominal pain. Diarrhea if left untreated can lead to dehydration and symptoms of dehydration includes dry mouth, absence of tears when crying, sunken eyes and extreme thirst.

Can Diarrhea be prevented? Prevention will always be better than treatment, no doubt about that. As how diarrhea can be prevented, frequent proper hand washing is necessary. A vaccine is also available to protect children from Rotavirus, ask your pediatrician about it.

GSK’s SUPPORT IN THIS CRUSADE

GSK’s “NO HOPE LOST” is an awareness campaign on the heavy burden of pneumonia and diarrhea as the top leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines, specifically among children 5 years old and below, and if left unchecked can potentially lead to devastating consequences.

“With the help of our dear pediatricians, and the Department of Health, we are committed to the reduction of pneumonia and diarrhea cases nationwide by supplying high quality vaccines. These diseases account for an alarming almost 50 mortalities per day in the Philippines. GSK is here to support the Filipino medical community and the government’s drive to make health services accessible to everyone,” said Philip Cruz, GSK medical director.

THE GOVERNMENT’S ROLE IN FIGHTING THESE KILLER DISEASES

In 2012, the Philippine government acknowledged this burden and addressed it by introducing rotavirus vaccine (RV) in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) where 700,000 Filipino children aged six weeks to six months were given free rotavirus vaccines.

In 2013, the Department of Health (DOH) leveled up the fight against the top killer of Filipino children by including another novel vaccine called pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the EPI.

This combined effort to protect Filipino children against pneumonia and diarrhea contributes to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 of reducing infant and child mortality by 2/3 by 2015.

Now that you know about Pneumonia and Diarrhea, will you let your child be one of the 37 or 13? Help us spread the word about these two deadly disease so that those numbers will decrease.

Understanding the Baby’s Delicate Skin

We all know the reason why baby’s skin is sensitive and delicate and we have learned a few tried and tested baby’s skin care tips from mommy bloggers.. but let’s be more scientific this time..I admit, part me is still hungry for knowledge.. me and my curious cat!

A few readings here and there (salamat Mr G!), I have learned that the baby’s skin is almost the same with adult’s skin in terms of structure: epidermis, dermis and hypo-dermis. What makes the baby’s skin different from that of the adult is the stratum corneum, the outer most layer of epidermis. This layer is mostly dead cells, it protects the skin from infection and dehydration. The stratum corneum of the baby’s skin is thinner, thus the protection is less.

We can say that the most sensitive part of the baby’s skin is the diaper area. Why? because it is exposed to poop and pee everyday, making it the most prone to rashes and infections.

They say prevention is always better than treatment and I know all of you will agree.. so to prevent infections and rashes, here’s a tip from P&G Grooming and Science:

Methods of prevention include keeping the skin dry with frequent diaper changes, or the use of highly absorbent diapers that pull moisture away from the skin so that it is not softened by being damp for long periods.

When it comes to highly absorbent diaper, there’s only one diaper brand that comes in mind, Pampers! (Trust me, this diaper is the driest diaper you can encounter.. don’t tell anyone ha, but I tried it myself). And it’s just about dryness since Pampers has 5- Star Skin Protection for Baby’s Sensitive Skin:

12 Hours Dryness. Pampers Active keeps baby’s skin touchably dry for up t 12 hours.
Baby Lotion. Pampers Active diaper is infused with aloe lotion to help prevent diaper rash.
Cottony Softness. Keep baby’s skin free from imitation with cotton-like softness.
Breathable Cover. Air circulates so baby’s skin can breathe easily and stay wonderfully fresh.
Comfortable Fit. A flexible, side stretch design keeps it snug and comfy whether baby is at rest or play.

Pampers Active is available in sizes Newborn to XL: