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Eco Baby Care Ezine>
Eco Baby Care Ezine
July 4, 2006
Welcome to the Eco Baby Care ezine, an ezine dedicated to
informing parents who are trying to naturally raise their
children (while still wishing there were 25 hours in a
day!)
Jul 4, 2006
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Contents
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Feature Article: Protecting children from Poisoning
Tips: Separation Anxiety
Question of the Week: When can a baby eat honey?
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General & Unsubscribe Info
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Feature Article
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Poisoning in Children
The parents of a 2-year-old boy called the Nebraska
Regional Poison Center in Omaha last summer when he
accidentally sprayed cleaning disinfectant into his eye. He
developed a burn in the cornea. Another 2-year-old boy
spent several days in the hospital and survived after
drinking charcoal lighter fluid that had been left by the
barbecue pit. In another case, a 3-year-old girl got into a
bottle containing insecticide and died several days later.
"We see the calls go up every spring and summer," says Joan
McVoy, a nurse at the poison center. Children may
accidentally ingest sunscreens, berries, cleaning solvents,
insect repellents, pesticides, plants and mushrooms, and
hydrocarbons in the form of gasoline, kerosene, and
charcoal fluid.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) no longer
recommends that syrup of ipecac be used routinely to induce
vomiting in poisoning cases.
The main reason that the AAP changed its recommendation in
2003 was that, although it seems to make sense to induce
vomiting to empty the stomach contents after a poisoning,
research hasn't shown that ipecac-induced vomiting is
beneficial in improving the clinical outcome of accidental
poisoning cases.
Other concerns are that the continued vomiting caused by
ingesting ipecac could prevent children from keeping down
the activated charcoal they may be given in the emergency
room. Charcoal binds to poison and keeps it out of the
bloodstream. "There are also some substances that you don't
want coming back up because they do more damage, such as
drain cleaner and other corrosives," says Arlene Solbeck,
an FDA scientist.
The FDA is considering various positions on the safety and
effectiveness of ipecac syrup and whether it should still
be made available over-the-counter or switched to
prescription status.
What You Can Do:
Dangerous substances, including medication, should be kept
out of reach of children. In addition, substances should be
kept in their original containers to avoid confusion or
mistakes. Children who have ingested poisonous substances
may experience difficulty breathing, throat pain, or burns
to the lips and mouth.
If you suspect that a child has ingested a poison, call the
poison center immediately to relay the type of poison
ingested and get advice on what to do. If you dial the
nationwide poison help line--(800) 222-1222--you'll be
connected to your regional poison center. Convulsions, loss
of breathing or loss of consciousness require calling 911
immediately. Take the poison with you to the emergency
room, whether it's a part of a plant or the chemical's
container.
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Tips
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Dealing with Separation Anxiety:
Your baby wants to be with you. You are the person your
baby knows and loves best. He knows when you are not with
him. This creates a fear that you will not return. This
distress is called "separation anxiety." It is an important
part of growing up.
Help your baby separate from you. Avoid leaving when he is
hungry, tired or sick. Ask the caregiver or baby-sitter to
sit nearby and hold an interesting toy. Let the baby warm
up to the new person. Offer your baby a security object
like a stuffed toy or a soft, familiar blanket. This can
help your baby comfort himself while you are away.
Your baby may cry loudly, but don't sneak away. Tell your
baby what will happen while you're gone. Say when you will
return. Tell him, for example, "I need to leave now. Auntie
Meg will play with you and give you lunch.
I'll be back before nap time. I love you." Give your baby a
kiss and leave. His cries will end soon. Over time he will
learn that you always come back.
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Question of the Week
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Q. I seem to remember something about not giving honey to
small children. Can you tell me the age?
A. The general warning is that you should not feed honey to
infants under twelve months of age. It should be fine for a
two year old, and I have heard of using a daily teaspoon of
raw honey as a treatment for allergies. It has something to
do with the pollen and other substances in the raw honey
helping the patient to build up some immunity to whatever
they are allergic to, but you would think that it would
trigger their allergies and make them worse until that
happens. If not, then great, maybe give it a try.
Honey is also being used as a wound dressing in Australia
because of its antimicrobial properties, sometimes working
better than topical antibiotics against difficult to treat
bacteria.
For a child under twelve months of age, there is a risk of
botulism from eating honey and it should be avoided.
The spores of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria can be
found in honey, and when ingested by an infant, the spores
can release a toxin that causes botulism.
Infant Botulism
According to the CDC, infants with botulism 'appear
lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak
cry and poor muscle tone,' which may 'progress to cause
paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory
muscles.'
Although parents often know not to give their infants under
twelve months of age plain honey, they often overlook other
foods that contain honey in them, such as Honey Graham
Crackers, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Wheat Bread, etc.
Although the honey in these foods may be processed, it may
not be pasteurized, and so may still contain botulism
spores in them and should be avoided. If you feel strongly
about giving these foods to your infant, call the
manufacturer to make sure that they are safe.
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General & Unsubscribe Info
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Carie, except where indicated otherwise.
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