Healthy life

An update on first aid treatments
Summer is on the way and soon kids will be running barefoot and bare-legged across the land. Keep the first aid kit on hand to tend to the inevitable cuts, scrapes and abrasions. For the most part cuts and abrasions are a fact of life that will be...
Asthma - take a deep breath
Asthma is on the increase all over the world – and in Australia the prevalence is high by international standards. With two million sufferers (or approximately 10 percent of the population), asthma is Australia’s most widespread chronic...
Austism spectrum disorders
There are many disabilities affecting children and adults that are notobvious. Autism, which affects up to 31,500 children and 100,000 adults in Australia*, is one of them. Laudie Miate remembers clearly how it felt to be told her child had autism...
Bug catchers - things kids catch
Head lice are the most common insect infestation of humans. They are tiny blood-sucking parasites that live on the human scalp and hair, feeding every 4-6 hours by piercing the skin and causing itching and irritation. They do not hop, jump or fly...
Diabetes – a modern epidemic
‘Mum, I think there’s something wrong with me.’ These were 15-year-old Steven’s words to his parents when they returned from a three-week overseas trip. In that short time, their strapping son lost five kilos, was excessively...
Did you hear me?
What should a parent do when they suspect that their child’s hearing is not perfect? Helen Woods outlines how hearing impairment in children is diagnosed. Clear hearing and early diagnosis of hearing impairment is vital when it comes to...
Eat smart, play smart
According to the most recent available statistics available from the ABS, over 15 percent of Australia’s school children aged 5 -11 years now attend Out of School Hours Care (OSHC). The Heart Foundation recognised that it was timely to turn...
Family food facts
Late last year the most recent survey on the state of Australian children’s nutrition and physical activity was released. The survey*, conducted jointly by the Australian Government and the Australian Food and Grocery Council,  collected...
Feet first
Feet need to be tough. We walk on them. We jump on them. We run on them. They have to carry all our weight. So how do we make sure that our kids don’t wear theirs out? ‘One of the best things parents can do to care for their children...
First aid for children - with St John
It’s a fact of life that children will, at some time or another, have an accident and suffer an injury. Workers in formal child care services are required to hold current first aid qualifications, but it is also important for parents and...
First visit to the dentist
Mention the word ‘dentist’ these days and most kids smile! Jennifer Kernahan reports. There’s an apocryphal story in our family about the little brother, the dentist, the tooth extraction and the blood…! Many of today’...
Fun equals fitness!
Little children are playful, fun-loving and adventurous by nature.  We want our children to be fit and healthy, without always feeling they’re being forced into regimented activities. Children’s physical development should be built...
Good book - What to do when your child gets sick
What to do when your child gets sick is the essential emergency manual for parents and carers - Associate Professor Paul Middleton, Dr Andrew Ratchford, Dr John Mackenzie, Dr Jason Smith Every day children present to emergency departments, many...
Headlice
On any given day in schools, kindergartens, or indeed anywhere little people gather in numbers, you can count on an outbreak of these pesky critters. What are they? Headlice occur in three forms – nits(the eggs), baby lice and the black crawly...
Intolerance or allergy
Many of us have allergic reactions to food or other substances. These reactions can range from mild to very severe – some are even life-threatening. However, true allergies are relatively rare and what many people consider to be...
Keep well this winter
Parents are often made to feel inadequate if they don’t administer some sort of medication to prevent, treat or alleviate their children’s illnesses. Annette Binger asks the experts for their advice on maintaining family health...
Kid's and physical activity
Our children are learning keyboard control at an increasingly early age, but is their ball control suffering? Times have changed.  Children growing up in the 60s and 70s spent a great deal of their lives outdoors engaged in intensely...
Latest health news
Calcium for healthy bones The most recent available national survey on chidlren’s health was conducted in 2007. The Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey is a report into the eating and exercise habits of...
Living with peanut allergy
Just how prevalent is peanut allergy? The tabloids claim as many as 30 Australian children in every 1,000 are at risk of a severe allergic reaction – anaphylaxis, of which peanuts as the trigger top the list. Anaphylaxis Australia states that...
Mummy, what’s hostable?
It’s a telephone call that is made several times a week from school to parent – Johnny has hurt himself in the schoolyard scrum. When Kelly’s mother took the call she wasn’t too concerned, recalling guiltily, ‘I didn...
No more scabs – treating cuts and scrapes
To quote a well known child psychologist, ‘kids do stuff’. And active little people doing stuff are bound to acquire a few cuts, scrapes, bruises and bits that bleed along the way. In fact, according to the Wound Foundation of Australia...
Private health cover and young children
While parents are likely to hold private health insurance for the baby stage of their family life, some times there is a temptation to reduce or drop private cover once the family is complete and the budget squeezed. According to Medibank Private,...
Sleep
According to parenting expert, Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution, a child aged between 18 months to two years requires an average night time sleep of between 11-12 hours. They also should have one or two daytime naps of up to an...
Sniffles, snot and sneezes
Coughing, sneezing, wheezing and a runny nose – these are the common symptoms lumped under the generic term of ‘the flu’. However the difference between real ‘flu’ and a common cold is information that all parents...
Summer survival
The little Aussie Mozzie Mozzies are a fact of life in Australia. They whine in your ear at night, sting with gusto and produce an itch that can send you troppo. If that were not enough, they are also disease carriers, most particularly of the Ross...
Teeth – they’re a lifetime investment
Growing pains don’t just happen in the legs of children and the hearts of parents. They also occur in the mouth. By simply growing, many children have to deal with tooth problems for no other reason than the jaw and teeth don’t match in...
The eczema enigma
Kylie Carberry reports that Australia has one of the highest incidences of eczema worldwide, and managing eczema to prevent contstant flare ups can cost up to $2,000 a year. But because eczema is not considered to be life threatening it is easy to...
The Eyes Have It
Rosie Hoban talks to an ophthalmologist and a behavioural optometrist about common eyesight problems in young children. Dr James Elder’s career as an ophthalmologist (medical eye specialist) at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital...
Top 10 travel safety tips for kids
It’s a sign of the times that children from this generation are travelling overseas more than ever before – with parents, schools or sporting clubs. Dr Deborah Mills, travel medicine specialist and author of The Travel Doctor, sees one...
Watering your children
Fluid is often the forgotten nutrient. Dietitians and nutritionists frequently talk about the best foods for children to eat for growth, development and good health. But what are the best fluids? How much do children need? How do we know if they...
What you should know about pools and poos this summer!
Local councils are vigilant in maintaining high levels of pool hygiene, especially during the warm summer months and there are some things parents can do to help. Swimming pool contamination is the result of a highly infectious parasite called...