Archive Posts

The World Health Organization says breast-feeding is key to saving children's lives. During this year's World Breast-feeding Week.

WHO and other health agencies are highlighting 10 steps to successful breast-feeding. The Week, which runs from August 1 to 7, is celebrated in more than 170 countries.

The World Health Organization describes breast milk as the ideal food for newborns and infants. It says breast milk is safe, gives babies the nutrients they need for health development and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses.

Bernadette Daelmans, a Medical Officer in WHO's Division for Newborn and Child Health and Development, says breast-feeding has many benefits, not only in the short-term, but also in the long-term for children's health.

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School nurses might have to review their head lice policies after a new report recommends that children not be sent home when the tiny bugs show up on their students' heads. The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday released a study which urges schools not to send children home when head lice, or nits, are present.

"Most researchers agree that no-nit policies should be abandoned," the report reads. "No healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice." Nits are lice eggs. It is the first time AAP has updated its lice report since 2002.

The report was undertaken to take a look at some of the new medical treatments that have been developed since the 2002 report. And while some new chemical treatments are available to parents, the bottom line, the authors say, is that lice is not enough of a medical threat to warrant missing class time.

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School nurses might have to review their head lice policies after a new report recommends that children not be sent home when the tiny bugs show up on their students’ heads. The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday released a study which urges schools not to send children home when head lice, or nits, are present.

"Most researchers agree that no-nit policies should be abandoned," the report reads. "No healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice." Nits are lice eggs. It is the first time AAP has updated its lice report since 2002. The report was undertaken to take a look at some of the new medical treatments that have been developed since the 2002 report.

And while some new chemical treatments are available to parents, the bottom line, the authors say, is that lice is not enough of a medical threat to warrant missing class time. "Head lice are not happy to live with, but they are not the public health problem they were once though to be," Windham Northeast Superintendent Johanna Harpster said.

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Dance Dance revolution is the latest dance craze that is a fun and addictive way to lose weight and get into shape. Are you concerned about the lack of exercise your child is getting? Would you like to see them up and moving instead of sitting around so much?

Dance Dance revolution is the latest dance craze that is a fun and addictive way to help your child get get up and move without realizes they are even exercising. Our kids health and fitness is more important today than ever before since video games, TV and computers are turning our kids into couch potatoes. This new dance craze called Dance Dance revolution is a video game played on a gaming system but it is not your typical video game. This fun and exciting Dance pad is hooked up to any play station or Xbox then the player chooses one of  their favorite songs  from the DDR video game.

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As babies grow into toddlers, it's time to take away the bottle and transition to a cup. The Nemours Foundation suggests how to wean babies of their bottles: Instead of a bottle, offer baby a ""sippy cup"" to drink from. Praise your child for using the cup, saying that it's for big kids. Gradually replace the milk in the bottle with water by slowly diluting it over a number of days. This should cause your child to lose interest in the bottle. Hide bottles where your child can't see them.

Raising children who value and take responsibility for their health develop into individuals who are healthy and productive members of society. As parents, it is our responsibility to enstill into our kids the importance of taking care of their bodies and appreciating the gift our bodies give us day in and day out.

Below are some tips to remember when teaching your kids how to stay healthy. Some are obvious and some can be overlooked. Take a look at the list below and see what you can include in educating your child about keeping themselves health.

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A coalition of mental health advocates is calling for greater funding for services for children, as a national debate into overall support for people with mental illnesses continues. Convenor of the Children's Mental Health Coalition Professor Louise Newman said on Thursday there should be a greater funding for early intervention programs for children aged up to 12 years.

"They (children) are pretty much ignored in any of the discussions going on about mental health funding," Prof Newman, who is also the president of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, told AAP.
Advertisement: Story continues below "There is increasing evidence about the importance of early childhood intervention and not waiting until adolescence or adulthood to then try to do something about the problem.

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Very high cholesterol levels in kids may decline over time even without intervention, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found. The findings add to an ongoing debate over the importance of high cholesterol in children, and whether cholesterol-lowering drugs are appropriate when changes in diet and physical activity don't cut it.

Such drugs, including statins, are used in adults to reduce the risk of heart disease, a major killer in Western countries. But it isn't clear if they also work for kids. The new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, shows that after a few years, some youngsters with high cholesterol would no longer be considered for drug treatment according to guidelines.

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In the first case of its kind, food giant Nestle has been forced to stop making health claims about a children's probiotic product. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission found Nestle's advertising for Boost Kid Essentials was deceptive when it claimed the product would prevent upper respiratory tract infections in children, protect against cold and flu, and reduce absences in schools and daycares.

As part of a settlement with the FTC, Nestle has agreed to stop making those claims. Probiotics are a hot item for health-conscious consumers. They're live beneficial bacteria known to aid digestion and fight harmful bacteria. The FTC found Nestle went too far in its advertising claims.

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Does a Nestlé drink that tastes delicious and boosts your kid's immunity sound too good to be true? Yeah, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission thought so too. TIME's Tiffany O'Callaghan wrote today about the FTC's announcement that Nestlé will have to withdraw its' claims that BOOST Kid Essentials has “friendly bacteria”—bacteria so friendly, that it was said to boost your children's immunity. The truth is those marketing claims were completely unsupported.