KEEPING YOUR CHILD HEALTHY
Give your child the right foods for her to grow and thrive. Fresh air and exercise are important–a sedentary childhood based around home, television and the computer does not make strong bones. Keep your youngster clean and teach her good hygiene habits from an early age, such as washing her hands before meals and after using the toilet. Protect but don’t over-protect your child; seek appropriate help when she is ill. Take her to all her routine health check-ups and ensure you get her immunizations done on time (see opposite).
Where can I get advice?
You can speak to your health visitor or doctor if you need advice. Health visitors and doctors are often available for telephone consultations, and many run baby or child clinics you can attend without an appointment.
Does my child need vitamin supplements?
It depends. A child who eats a well-balanced diet and isn’t from a group of people at high risk of vitamin deficiency does not need vitamin supplements. Unfortunately, many children do not eat well, so it’s a good idea to give vitamin A, C and D drops from about four to six weeks until five years of age. Avoid iron-based supplements.
Should I keep my child away from People with Colds?
No. Unless your child has a serious immunity problem, you needn’t keep her away from colds or other everyday viruses. She may get a lot of colds in childhood. but it’s all part of building up valuable immunity. Each time your child is exposed to a particular virus or bacteria, she develops permanent antibodies against it so that she can fight it off the next time she comes into contact with it.
How often should I take my child to the dentist?
Your child must visit the dentist regularly—at least every six months—for checkups, even if his/her teeth look perfect. It’s important for her to get used to sitting in the chair without fear. Ask your friends, neighbours or health visitor for a dentist who is good with young children.
When should I start taking her to the dentist?
I think the earlier you start, the better. You can leave it until the age of two. Better still, you can take her as soon as she has teeth, even if it’s just to watch you staining the chair (if going to the dentist usually worries you, it’s true to hide the fact!). At first, your child will probably want to sit on your lap to be “examined”— in reality, these visits will be little more than a social call because there aren’t many teeth to examine. As she grows older, she’ll be able to sit in the chair independently.
Will my child need a filling?
Most children’s milk teeth never need a filling, but it’s important to treat any cavity before it enlarges and becomes painful (if it isn’t already), and the tooth must be removed. A child shouldn’t have to lose a milk tooth prematurely as these teeth affect speech development. Loss of milk teeth too early can also cause poor positioning of the permanent teeth.
What if my child does need treatment?
Try to be calm, but don’t pretend it won’t hurt. Many new techniques reduce pain and avoid the noise of the drills, but some treatments can hurt. If a cavity is shallow, she may need no injection, but a deeper one may demand an injection of local anaesthetic—the gum can be numbed first with a cream. The dentist may recommend a sedative or even a general anaesthetic, in which case, ask for the treatment to be carried out at a hospital where a fully qualified anaesthetist can do it.