When do I give my child Tempra?

It’s the big day: my son is getting circumcised. My mother calls and says “don’t forget your tempra, the baby will need it.” After we get to the doctors office and I ask the doctor how much tempra should I give to the baby before the procedure starts. His answer was, surprisingly, none. Ok, how much do I give him after the procedure? This is when the doctor explains to my husband and I that since our son is only 7 days old he doesn’t have any feelings in that region right now, therefore we don’t need to give him pain medication any unless he show signs of discomfort. We watched the baby very closely for days and he never seemed to be having any pain.

When I went to my pediatrician for baby’s first shots I asked if I should give him some tempra before the needles. The doctor explained that he doesn’t believe in giving children any medication before their shots because we would not be able to tell if he was having a reaction to the shots. If I saw that he was having any reaction (pain or otherwise) I was to come back to the office immediately anyway so there was no point in giving him the tempra. As I sat there watching the nurse getting the needles ready I started second guessing my decision to give him tempra but he was already sleeping and I didn’t want to wake him up.

I watched the nurse give the baby his shots and he didn’t even wake up! He was sleeping so peacefully, oblivious that he had just received 2 needles (one in each leg).

Whether or not you give your child tempra or Advil, Tylenol is something that must always be left to the discretion of the mother and the doctor. One baby at our playgroup receives a dose of tempra before and after his needle; his mother is comfortable with that and he is none the worse for it. My own opinion on the matter is unless the child is sick don’t give them medication. Giving medication to children for every little thing may sometimes provide more comfort to the parents than to the child.

Never too Early to Teach Children About Money

With the continuing decline in economic fortunes, adults the world over find themselves “tightening the belt” and setting budgets to get through the tough times. Rather than sheltering our children from the monetary world, now is the perfect time to teach them about the value of money, living frugally, and spending wisely.

1. Talk About Money as Soon as Possible

Since money and finance is such a huge part of successfully navigating the “real world”, we would be remiss not to start talking about money the minute our children begin to count.

2. Maintain a Weekly Allowance

There are a lot of conflicting views about whether or not an allowance should be directly tied to work done around the house. I don’t like the idea of paying my children to help around the house – chores and cleaning come with the territory of being contributing members of the household, which are lessons I believe linking with an allowance would detract from.

Remember: An allowance should never be a tool used to punish since it is so important to teach children about planning and managing their money. By making it something that can be taken away when the child misbehaves, we lower it to the objective level of a video game or favourite toy – sending the message that money is no more important than other possessions.

3. Respect Money

Children learn best by imitation. You don’t have to share details of your financial situation with your children in order for them to pick up on your habits – if you save your money and don’t buy items you can’t afford, your children will pick up on it; likewise if you are prone to buy the latest goods using your credit card, that will come to be ingrained in the minds of your children.

Weight Loss and Parenting

The world (particularly here in North America) is hyper-obsessed with image and weight. Too many people who are overweight believe that the key to finding self-worth is through weight loss, as though being thinner will somehow make them a better person.

By this time most people will agree that one’s health is more important than their weight. We’re starting to hear experts call for “nutrition” more than “diet”, for “life style improvements” more than “weight loss”. Someone may be at their “ideal weight” and have more health problems than someone classified as “overweight”. Excess weight certainly leads to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and many other complications; however, many people (who fail) start their dieting with the aim of “looking better” rather than being healthier.

I will always hold that you need to take care of yourself first if you are going to have any hope of being there 100% for your child. Lifestyle changes and improvements to eating habits don’t happen overnight “because they must” – they are learned through determination and trial. Don’t wait for your infant to start eating solid foods before cooking healthy – it won’t last and your child will learn to eat the same junky food that you do.

There are so many reasons to seek to become a fit parent.  Here is my own list, perhaps others will find some similarities with their own ideals:

• I want to have more energy so I can play with my child longer
• I want to have enough strength that carrying my child won’t tire me out so fast
• I want to lead by example and show my child how to make proper eating choices
• I want to help prevent disease so I might be healthy enough to enjoy my grandchildren one day

Where to Find Product Recalls

We hear about new recalls every day – products of all kinds are found to be unsafe or flawed in some way are called back for repairs by their manufacturers.  Anyone who has ever bought a new car has certainly encountered this – the dealer phones you one morning to bring your vehicle in to fix a flaw that was discovered in [insert part here!].

Not all recalls are life-threatening, nor do they affect all items that were produced by the manufacturer.  Our car was called in once because the seal around the windshield on our model was found to wear too quickly.  Although we never had any problems with it, we were still able to have it replaced free of charge.

When the product recall is for family safety equipment, it is important to pay attention.  But how can a busy parent keep track of everything that may put their family in danger?  Fortunately there are many government-backed online sources that can help.

There are a few that we like:

CSA International – CSA tests products for conformance to and above national and international standards, and issues certification to qualified products.  When it comes to any safety equipment – bicycle helmets, electrical outlets, car seats – I will only buy products with the CSA label.  CSA also includes a useful RSS feed to keep abreast of new recalls.

Health Canada – The Canadian government is (generally) fanatical about safety, particularly for products relating to children and infants.  Canada has some of the strictest standards in the world when it comes to products for children and newborns.

Parents of Newborns: Take Care Of Yourself First

It’s 6:00am. You just woke up because the baby is crying. You’re starving. You have to pee. You have to get the bottle ready. The baby is still crying.

This is a time of new demands and responsibilities. That cry is incessant – you don’t want your baby to cry because you know it can lead to feelings of abandonment and increase the risk of SIDS.  But if you have to go to the bathroom, go.

If your bladder is empty, you are going to be more attentive to your child’s needs than if you have the bathroom on your mind.  It can take less than a minute, but have huge effects on your relationship with your baby.

Take the time to eat a meal, even if it involves running back and forth to settle baby.  If you are hungry you are not operating at the top of your game.  If mommy/daddy are over exhausted and hungry they quite simply cannot be 100% there for the baby.

Don’t let your baby cry.  But don’t be afraid to take 15 seconds to take care of your own needs.  We naturally put our children’s needs ahead of our own, and we should, but we have to remember that we’re still people and we can better take care of our children if we ourselves are taken care of.