Kids Health

I almost had a nervous breakdown recently trying to get my 3 1/2 year old to take her first dose of antibiotics. For an easygoing kid, I have never seen her get so hysterical about something. It was awful! I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do or how I was going to get her to take it so I reached out to my Facebook followers for real mom tips on how to get kids to take medicine. 

If you don’t already, please follow Tiny Oranges on Facebook, readers are seriously the best. Total wealth of mom to mom info on our Facebook page.  Your tips worked and you all saved me from my breakdown. Thank you.

Here is what tips our moms had on how to get kids to take medicine.  If you have more ideas, please comment below…

1. Mix with apple juice.

2. Mix with yogurt or applesauce.

3. Use oral syringe and bribe with a treat.

4. Try to reason with them and tell them it will help make them feel better.

5. Mix with fruit Hi-C.

6. Negotiate with M&Ms. Two before, two after.

7. Use an oral syringe and place in back side of cheek to not get as much of the taste.

8. Mix with Gatorade.

9. Ask pharmacy if they can add flavor.

10. Syringe to back of cheek, shock and awe, follow with an Oreo chaser.

11. Ask about chewable tablets vs. liquid.

12. Cherry popsicle.

13. Ask doctor to prescribe pills you can smash up and add to yogurt or applesauce.

14. Flavor added is called flavor x. They have a zillion flavors they can add…fruit punch even masked the flavor of oral iron for my 18 month old! All big pharmacies carry it but never advertise. Then use a syringe placed in back of cheek pocket (not back of throat, they could choke), follow with a chaser of whatever “treat” she likes.

15. Mix with something very sweet, like chocolate syrup or maple syrup.

16. Syringe with shot of Diet Coke or Sprite.

17. Bribery.

18. Room temp antibiotics, not chilled. Try letting them do syringe themselves.

19. Had to ask a nurse to show me how to administer the med, seems harsh but totally worked – squeeze her cheeks tight and put the syringe at back of cheek, then lift her chin to swallow. Follow with two M&Ms.

20. At 3.5 I was able to talk to my daughter and tell her, “I know you don’t like it and it tastes yucky to you, but I need you to be a big brave girl and drink it to make the infection go away.” It was followed by a hug and me telling how great she is and a treat.

21. Mix in blueberry applesauce.

22. Syringe, water chaser, and candy.  Syringe a little at a time, water, repeat, then 4 Junior Mints. My pediatrician says root beer chaser works, but haven’t tried. Oh yeah, stay calm.

23. Parents Magazine suggests injecting the meds in a spoonful of yogurt.

24. Plug her nose – she will have to swallow.

25. Maybe try a thicker juice or smoothie like Naked Juices Green or Blue Machine. I only put like an inch or so in a cup mixed with the meds and let my son sip it with a straw so I know he took it all. He thinks it’s a treat!

26. A straw can help get it as far back in her mouth as possible, then follow with a juice or cookie. I’m all in favor of bribery.

So, this is what ended up working for us:

The syringe was definitely better than making her drink it in a cup.  I told her I was going to put it far back on her cheek so she couldn’t taste  as much. Then I asked her to pick the yummiest thing in our house. She chose ice cream with sprinkles so I got a spoon full of ice cream with sprinkles, a cup of water, and the medicine in a syringe.  I put it in the back of her cheek, she swallowed, and immediately got a big bite of ice cream, water and lots of hugs and attention for taking it so nicely.

Thank you for all the suggestions mamas! Anyone have any others to share…?

[Disclaimer: All the above are tips from moms; check with your pediatrician on the best way to administer your child's medicine.]

Last week our house got hit with the flu. Bad. When my inaccurate thermometer was to blame for an unnecessary trip in to see the doctor, I realized I have GOT to find the best thermometer for kids. Stat.

Having the most accurate thermometer for kids might just be the most important tool in Dr. Mommy’s medicine cabinet. Make sure to enter to WIN one in our giveaway below!

By a brilliant stroke of luck, that same week, a representative from Exergen TemporalScanner contacted me to see if I would be interested in doing a review on their temple scanner thermometer, which is supposed to be the easiest way to take your kid’s temperature.

I wrote back YES as fast as I could.

First the story of what happened when my six-year-old daughter got the stomach flu. It was horrendous, she was so sick, and feverish. So I searched for our old digital thermometer, and not knowing where it had been in the past (ahem, we had it since she was a baby), I thought it best to take it under her arm.

The number kept climbing and climbing til it reached 103.5. Then I erroneously ADDED a degree, as I thought the arm pit was the one where you added a degree, so I thought she had temperature of 104.5, which freaked me out a little.

Since she couldn’t keep anything down, including a fever reducer, I took her into the doctor’s where her temperature there was 101. Yes, a fever, but not a 104.5 fever. And I cursed that stupid thermometer!

When my Exergen TemporalScanner arrived this week I think I  heard the angels sing, because this product is seriously the answer to Dr. Mommy’s prayers.

It is so easy to use, which is exactly what a mom needs in the throes of dealing with a sick little one.

I popped the battery in, put the TemporalScanner on her forehead, pressed the scan button and then moved it from the center of her forehead across to her hairline for 2 seconds and voila! I was done and had a digital readout of her temperature in 2 seconds!

The Exergen TemporalScanner infrared thermometer is able to gauge body temperature by capturing the naturally emitted heat from skin over the temporal artery, which runs across the forehead and is directly connected to the heart.

Accordingly to the company, research proves this is amongst the most accurate way to test for fever in all ages and is certainly the least invasive.  

Tests show it is accurate to within + 0.2° F - which is more accurate than taking the temperature any other way.

If ONLY this had existed when my kids were babies. It truly is a must-have for any mom. In fact, this is going to be my gift for when a new baby arrives. Forget another darn outfit, a kinder, gentler thermometer is what a mommy needs!

If you couldn’t tell, so I will say it again, I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. They are available at stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Costco, Babies R Us, Toys R Us and Sam’s Club nationwide.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway! Enter to win your chance to win a Exergen TemporalScanner. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary TemporalScanner to facilitate this review. LUCKY ME.]

Recently I was sent a tube of Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock for Kids for review. When I got the email asking if I was interested in learning more, the answer was a quick yes!  

Skin cancer runs in my family and we live in Orange County where the sun shines year round so protecting my girls’ skin with daily sunscreen is not an option, it’s a necessity.

Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock for kids was created by actress Anne Heche who wanted to create a sunscreen for her kids that was fun, but not irritating, and could be applied without the typical protests common when applying lotions, creams or sprays.

Do your kids protest sunscreen application? Sunscreen application used to be full on warfare in this household, that’s why this product has me tickled pink!  

Why I Love Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock for Kids

1. It is easy to apply each morning before school.
2. They LIKE putting it on.  We yell, “Tickle Time!” and it makes it fun! No more screaming protests.
3. It is a powder, so it almost goes on like a light makeup.
4. It’s fast and you don’t have to worry about it going in their eyes.
5. It is perfect to carry in your purse for impromptu park outings, etc.

Things you should know about Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock for Kids

1. It’s made with 100% all-natural minerals
2. It offers Complete UVA-UVB protection
3. It lasts all day
4. Each tube contains over 300 applications
5. It is water-resistant
6. It is soothing and calming and can be used on rash or eczema-prone skin.

Buy Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock now through October 31st, 2012 and receive free ground shipping! I guarantee you will be tickled pink too.

www.tickletimesunblock.com

[Disclosure: I was sent a free Tickle Time Mineral Powder Sunblock for kids to facilitate this review. 100% of my opinions are my own and I only write about products I am passionate about - this being one of them. Images courtesy of Tickle Time.]

Kaiser Permanente encourages you and your family to “Find Your Thing” and discover healthy activities you love at the 2012 Get Fit Festival taking place this Sunday, September 16th from 7am – 5pm at Angel Stadium. Admission is free.

This family fun day will include…

~ Prizes! Pick up your Passport to Health at the entrance and learn about healthy lifestyles. When you visit a booth with a Passport flag you’ll receive 1 punch for each booth, and 2 for participating in a fitness class. Receive a raffle ticket per punch (up to 20) and be eligible to win dozens of awesome prizes!

~ Meet Sports & Personal Training Celebrities

~ Experience Kaiser Permanente and learn more about their programs.

~ Rev Up and jump into Zumba or other creative dancing workouts

~ Ease In and explore relaxing yoga and mini-exercises to try at home

~ Sign Up for the 5K Family Fun Run/Walk/Bike Tour.  Start time is 7:30am for the run/walk and 7am for the bike tour. All fitness levels welcome. All participants will receive a t-shirt and Angels ticket. Entry fees are $20/adult and $10/kids 12 and under. Click here for more info.

~ Team Up and register for the Get Fit Relay Team Challenge. A 50-mile relay-style run/walk for teams of 6 through the beautiful neighborhoods of Orange County. Click here for more info.

~ Bring the Kids! Kids can enjoy rock climbing, a bounce house, obstacle courses, coloring area and a 1K for 10 year olds and under.

~ Eat! Visit the farmer’s market produce tents then follow your nose to the healthy food truck roundup.

~ Shop! Come shop the latest health and fitness gear, eyewear and skin care.

~ Watch! Check out the main stage showcases including dance routines, performances and celebrities.

For more information on this event, you can visit www.getfitsocal.org/festival. Gotta love an event focused on health and wellness. What a great experience for our kiddos to see just how FUN healthy can be!

What if I told you a candy company existed that took the “junk” out of junk food?  UNREAL is a new generation food company with an outrageous mission: to “unjunk” the world. And they started with the worst offender ~ candy.

Many candies we are familiar with are filled with corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and GMOs.  Ingredients that are in there to make the candy cheaper to manufacture, not taste better. But were our bodies meant to ingest these ingredients? I have to think absolutely not! 

UNREAL has developed a line of candies that has taken out all that junk and replaced it with double the cacao, more peanuts, real milk, cane sugar and organic palm fruit oil. They also have substantially less sugar, more fiber, protein and less calories. Now that is unreal.

And I happen to LOVE this part ~ instead of targeting natural food retailers, they are competing head to head (at the same price) at stores like CVS, Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid, Kroger, with new major retailers being added every day.

I was invited to attend an UNREAL luncheon this week, and sampled all the different candies, and it tastes just as good, and in my opinion BETTER than the candy we grew up with. I was not expecting them to taste that good, not gonna lie, but the taste blew me away!

As did some of the sad facts I learned at the luncheon:

Did you know that today approximately 1 in 5 children in the U.S. are obese? This figure has tripled in the last 30 years.  And more children are getting sick.

Accordingly to Healthy Child Healthy World, in the last 20 years, there has been a direct correlation with disease and the introduction of artificial ingredients in our diets.

When you read ingredients on packaged foods that look like they are written in a foreign languages and see all the artificial dyes, preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, fats, etc., I have to wonder ~ is the health of our children at risk because of these?

I don’t know the answer, but as a parent, I sure as heck would rather be safe than sorry.

And please, do not misinterpret this post as I am not here to advocate eating candy as a healthy choice! But on the occasions where you are looking for a special treat or sweet for you or your kids, I am here to tell you that there is now a better choice.  

And I hear the minis should be available by HALLOWEEN! In fact, they should already be in CVS and Michaels, with more stores being added by the Fall! You better believe this household is going to be an UNJUNKED stop on the candy trail. The mom bloggers were even talking about how cool it would be to have a sign out front stating that our household is an “UNJUNKED” stop!

The UNREAL goal as a company is to serve as a spark and ignite a movement to encourage the other candy manufacturers to get rid of the junk too. In five years, their vision is to see an entire aisle of unjunked candy – no matter who gets the sale. How COOL is that?

But the change has to start with us – moms – who want better ingredients and better choices for our families when making packaged food purchases!!! Please help join the movement and share UNREAL with your mommy friends!

Visit www.GetUnreal.com for more FAQs ~ UNREAL on Facebook ~ Follow @GetUnreal on Twitter

[Disclosure: I attended an UNREAL luncheon to learn more about the brand and received free samples of the yummy candies.]