Adults have hygiene kits then kids too should have one. At an early start, you must teach your toddlers the importance of being clean. It has numerous benefits for their health and relationship with others.

This kit must have the cleaning and bathroom essentials your child needs. This includes a small soap, a comb, a washcloth, hand towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, a nail cutter, and sometimes a band aid. Make sure that the hygiene kit is packed all together in a small bag so they can easily get everything by the time that they need to be cleaned. At the same time, a small and handy hygiene kit allows your kids to stay clean and germ-free even if they are at school or in camp.

Here are some tips that would guide you in taking proper care of your little one’s teeth.

• Don’t use toothbrush just yet when the first tooth appears. Instead, use water and a soft cloth to clean it.
• There are toothbrushes that are made specially for kids. Choose the brush that has soft bristles and let your child choose the design he likes most. This kind of toothbrush can be used as soon as the child already has 8 teeth.
• Use only non-flouride toothpaste if your child does not know how to spit yet.
• To make it fun and to teach your child the proper way of brushing teeth, do this together everyday. Brushing teeth can be a family activity too!
• Take advantage of the reading materials that teaches child proper brushing and mouth hygiene.

When your child vomits or has diarrhea, there’s no need to have him confined at the hospital so that doctors could check on him every now and then. Unless the vomiting and the diarrhea is not severe, there are several treatments that you can do at home without spending so much for the medical bill.

Instead of making your child drink juice, water, or sometimes Gatorade, let him have an Oral Rehydration Solution instead. The most popular child-friendly ORS is Pedialyte. But you can also give your child Enfalyte or Liquilyte as well.

Don’t give your child too much water if he frequently vomits. Instead, let your child drink when he wants. Increase the amount gradually as his condition improves.

Continue feeding them breastmilk or formula milk. Stop giving them drinks with too much sugar such as fruit drinks or carbonated drinks.

Every time a company calls for a product recall, the main reason who be the high amount of lead content found in the commodities. More often than not, it includes toys, slippers, and other products for kids that use lead to decorate or paint the items. But what is it with lead that makes it very dangerous to one’s health especially your child’s?

One of the most common dangers when a child is exposed to lead is anemia. But this can also affect adults and can be very risky for the unborn child of a pregnant woman as well. In severe cases, exposure to high lead content may also be a threat to the kidneys.

If you think that your child has been exposed to lead (due to the products that you bought or because of the chemicals in your house such as paint) look at the following symptoms and seek medical health immediately.

• abdominal pain
• sleeplessness
• constipation
• headache
• appetite loss

One of the most commonly found critters at home is the spider. Although most of it are friendly, there are spiders that can be dangerous to kids like the brown recluse spider and the black widow.

If your kid has been bitten by a spider (not the two spiders mentioned above), here are some of the things that you can do to treat your child at home.

• Wash the area several times with water and soap
• Put an ice cube and let it sit for about 20 minutes
• Use an anti-biotic ointment and apply it topically on the affected area
• If your child can’t handle the pain, give him Tylenol or other pain medicine for kids
• Do these steps until the swelling goes away (about 2-4 days)

But if your child was bitten by the said spiders, seek medical attention immediately.

Unless you have proven that your child is allergic to peanuts, let them have a serving of P&J (peanut butter and jelly) at least every other day. Why? There are so many reasons why you should let them enjoy eating the most favorite sandwich around the world.

It is right that peanut butter is rich in fat. However, it is one of the good fats called mono-unsaturated fats. Some peanut butters also have poly-saturated fats as well. These are the fats that are not like the ones you find in greasy foods.

Aside from the healthy fats, peanut butter is also a great source of various vitamins including A, E, and B6.  Other nutritions that you can find in peanut butter are copper, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and of course, protein.

Usually, if a schooling child gets apple for his/her snack, they would frown and feel frustrated. They were hoping that something greasy and fat-filled food would touch their mouth. Yummy isn’t? If you are having a hard time with your child who seems to hate apples, maybe you should give these reasons why an apple usually appears on his/her lunchbox.

1. It is healthier than any other snack!
2. Apples are low in calories.
3. This fruit is naturally sweet.
4. It is high in fibers.

See to it that you preserve the nutrients of the apple by serving it right. Don’t peel the apples because it will lose the essential fibers.  The same goes for the applesauce. Moreover, you must not give too much ready-made applesauce or apple juice because of the sugar content.

More often than not, infants up to preschoolers can’t seem to get enough of their milk during these ages. However, as they grow older, their craving for milk starts to dwindle.  Experts said that this is not because these kids are starting to hate the taste of milk. It is because they opt to drink other beverages instead such as fruit juice, fruit drinks, and of course soda.

As the parent, it is your job to make sure that your child would still drink milk even if they think they are already old enough to drink beer (is 16 the legal age?). Anyway, nobody is too old to drink milk!

Milk is the best source not only of calcium but protein and Vitamin D as well. These are all essential for the development of the child. Unless your child is allergic to milk, let them drink as much as 4 glasses everyday.  Try getting the carton that says “low-fat milk” so you too can enjoy the benefits of this healthy drink.

As parents, we know for a fact that one of the healthiest treats that your child can get is fruit juice.  But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are also different disadvantages if you give your child too much fruit juice.

Because of the sugar content of the fruit juice, drinking too much of it may lead to obesity. It may be one of the major factors that would lead your child to become obese especially if it runs in your family.

And again, because of the sugar content of these beverages, fruit juices may also carry dental cavities and would ruin your child’s teeth early. Therefore, letting your teething toddler have too much of the good thing is actually bad for their teeth and their fragile gum’s health.

Your child’s health and safety is definitely one of your major concerns as a parent. But sometimes, a mother’s loving touch or a father’s hand that gives security is not enough to keep your baby healthy. Before choosing the doctor or pediatrician that would examine your child’s well-being from time to time, here are some of the questions that you must first ask yourself.

1. Is your child’s doctor honor your insurance policies?
2. How much do you have to pay for every visit?
3. Can you call for an appointment and schedule it the same day?
4. Is the pediatrician available even after clinic hours?
5. Where are the pediatrician’s affiliated hospitals?
6. Is his/her office has a separate waiting room for those who have sick babies?

These are just some questions that may help in finding that perfect pediatrician.  Have you already found yours?