Developmental Milestone For A Three Year Old Child

We have learned some of the general developmental milestones for 2 years old child in my previous post, today we will look into the milestones of a three year old child. While rearing a child at any age is no snap, things should get easier during the third year. Most 3-year-old can be reasoned with. They will take turns and may even share toys. A child in this age group will help the parents get him or her dressed. Most are toilet trained during the day, although it is common for an occasional "accident" while busy playing. In previous generations, moms and dads learned what to expect of their child from their mother, grandmother or another family member. Today, most families are so scattered that parents do not have this help available. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have about your child's growth and development during the three year checkup. This is the reason for regular well-child exams.

Parenting and Behavioural

• The 3-year-old will ask more questions than a district attorney. Nothing is sacred and some questions will throw you for a loop!
• Continue reading books to your child.
• Arrange times for safe running and exploring outdoors.
• Playmates are important. Allow your child to experience interaction with peers. Three-year-olds are usually quite social and enjoy being with other 3-year-olds. This can be accomplished in a preschool, play group or just having another child over for a few hours.
• It is normal for children this age to have imaginary friends. Parents can sometimes use the youngster's imaginary "playmate" to their advantage (like getting your 3-year-old to do something you want them to do.)
• Limit television viewing. Do not use the TV as a baby sitter or as a substitute for interaction with your child. Watch children's programs with your child when possible.
• Do not worry if the child becomes curious about body parts. This is normal at this age. Always use the correct terms for genitals.
• Children this age begin to recognize gender differences and will correctly say "I am a girl" or "I am a boy."
• Discipline should be firm and consistent, but loving and understanding. Praise your child for his or her good behavior and accomplishments.
• Three-year-olds like to do things for themselves.
• The 3-year-old does not understand "tongue-in-cheek" comments and can not always tell when a parent is joking. For example, never threaten to leave a child at the store when he or she misbehaves.
• Your child may continue to use a security object (such as a blanket, favorite stuffed toy, etc.). This is normal and the youngster will give up the item when he or she is ready.
• Keep family outings short and simple. Children have a short attention span at this age and lengthy activities will cause them to become irritable and tired.
• The question of preschool usually comes up now. Daycare has already been established for a family when both parents work outside the home. Even for moms who stay at home with their child, preschool a few mornings a week can be helpful. It gives mom a welcome break and provides the child an opportunity to meet new friends.The success or failure of preschool will depend upon the child's maturity and the quality of the preschool. For example, if your child seems anxious and dependent away from home, perhaps he or she is not ready for preschool.
• If you are expecting another baby, discuss with your child's physician how to prepare your 3-year-old.

Discipline

• Encourage your 3-year-old to make choices whenever possible, but the choices should be limited to those you can live with ("red shirt or green shirt.") Never ask a toddler an open question ("Do you want to take a bath") unless you are willing to accept the answer.
• Use the two "I's" of discipline (ignore or isolate) rather than the two "S's" (shouting or spanking). When disciplining, try to separate the child and his or her behavior ("I love you, but I do not like it when you touch the VCR.")
• Provide alternatives. "No, you cannot play with the telephone, but you can play with these blocks."
• Avoid power struggles. No one wins! The 3-year-old still uses temper tantrums as a weapon. Respond to this behavior with the two I's of discipline - ignore or isolate (time out!).
• Discipline should be consistent. Do not make threats that you can not carry out. If you say you are going to do something, do it!

Development

• Can name pictures in a book
• Names at least one color.
• Knows his or her own name, age and sex.
• Begins to use pronouns.
• Able to put on his or her own shirt, but will need help with shoes and buttons.
• May be able to ride a tricycle.
• Can jump in place and stand briefly on one foot.
• Can (unfortunately!) open doors.
• More than 50 percent of the child's speech is intelligible. There may be temporary episodes of stuttering during this time.
• Understands such words as "cold," "tired," "hungry." Comprehends the meaning of "on or under", and "bigger or smaller."

Oral Health

• Supervise brushing twice a day with a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
• Take your 3-year-old to the dentist, if you have not already done so.
• Limit juice and sweets.
• Continue giving a fluoride supplement if your drinking water is not fluoridated. Some dentists recommend fluoride be continued through age 8; others recommend continuing through age 12 or 16. Check with your pediatrician and dentist.
• Stop pacifier use

Feeding

• Appetite is perhaps a shade better than it was a few months ago, but it is still not what most parents (or grandparents) think it should be. "My child will not eat," is a familiar complaint heard at the three year checkup. Remember, feeding problems may arise if parents make their child eat more than the child needs to, or shows too much concern in what the youngster eats.
• The 3-year-old should pretty much be able to feed himself or herself.
• During meal time, the 3-year-old is sometimes very demanding of parent's attention and may also dawdle!
• Avoid nuts, hard candy, uncut grapes, hot dogs or raw vegetables. Control sweets and avoid junk food.
• Eat dinner together as a family whenever possible.
• Begin to teach proper table manners and encourage conversation during family meals.
• Turn the TV off during meals.
• Make sure your child's caregiver is following your feeding instructions.
• Sleeping
• An afternoon nap is usually still needed by the 3-year-old.
• Fears of the dark, thunder, lightning, etc. are quite common at this age.
• Maintain a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine. Using a night light, security blanket or toy are all ways to help lessen nighttime fears.
• Read to your child when possible before "lights out."
• Nightmares can wake a child up from sleep. The nightmares can be triggered by changes or stress. Reassure your child and put him or her back to bed.

Toilet Training

• Many 3-year-olds are trained during the day but still do not stay dry at night. Others are completely trained. Remember, the age a child uses the bathroom by himself or herself varies and it is based only on a child's readiness to be trained and the positive attitude of the parents.
• Avoid putting too many demands on the child or shaming him about wearing diapers. Instead, let your child no how proud and happy you are about any potty successes.
• Some children may postpone having a bowel movement as a way to manipulate their parents or because they are busy doing something else. Try not to make an issue of this

Illness

• Your 3-year-old may continue to experience respiratory infections, such as colds, ear infections and sinus infections. These frequent ailments often become frustrating for parents. Unfortunately, most illnesses are unavoidable, especially if your child is in preschool or has older siblings who bring the colds home from school.
• When your child is ill, the pediatrician will determine whether antibiotics are needed. Remember, most illnesses at this age are viral, which means antibiotics will not shorten the course of the illness

Immunization

Since immunization schedules vary from doctor to doctor, and new vaccines may have been introduced,it is always best to seek the advice of your child's health care provider concerning your child's vaccine schedule.

• Normally, no immunizations are given at this checkup unless your child is behind in the immunization schedule.
• Hepatitis A (HepA) may be administered at this visit for children living in selected states.
• Annual flu vaccines may be recommended for children with chronic illnesses like asthma and heart defects. Check with your doctor.
• Some physicians at 3years do a hemoglobin or hematocrit determination to check for anemia ("low blood"). This requires a small poke on the finger to obtain a drop of blood. A urinalysis will also be done if the child is toilet trained to check for kidney and bladder problems.
• By this age, most children have received the following immunizations:
  

• 3 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
• 4 doses of DTaP vaccine
• 4 doses of HIB vaccine
• 1 dose of the MMR vaccine
• 1 dose of the Chickenpox vaccine
• 4 doses of the Pneumococcal vaccine
• 3 doses of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine
• 3 doses of the rotavirus vaccine

MERRY CHISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!

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General Developmental Milestones For Toddlers

My daughter, Alisha is now 2 years old. She can speak few clear words in a sentence and is also picking up words quite faster lately from her favorite cartoon movies. Though she was a bit slow in her language development but now she is catching up.

Observing the developmental milestones of our children is an amazing feeling of fulfillment for a mother. You just imagine when you first hold your child in your arms those delicate and small body can now walk and eat by themselves and speak for themselves. Such a great accomplishment! However, children develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when yours will learn a given skill. Below are the developmental milestones that will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect as your child gets older, but don't be alarmed if your child takes a slightly different course.

For Years Old

Social and Emotional

* Imitates behavior of others, especially adults and older children
* More aware of herself as separate from others
* More excited about company of other children

Emotional

* Begins to show defiant behavior
* Separation anxiety increases toward midyear then fades

Cognitive


* Finds objects even when hidden under two or three covers
* Begins to sort by shapes and colors
* Begins make-believe play

Language

* Points to object or picture when it's named for him
* Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
* Says several single words (by 15 to 18 months)
* Uses simple phrases (by 18 to 24 months)
* Uses 2- to 4-word sentences
* Follows simple instructions
* Repeats words overheard in conversation

Movement

* Walks alone
* Pulls toys behind her while walking
* Carries large toy or several toys while walking
* Begins to run
* Stands on tiptoe
* Kicks a ball
* Climbs onto and down from furniture unassisted
* Walks up and down stairs holding on to support

Hand and Finger Skills

* Scribbles on his or her own
* Turns over container to pour out contents
* Builds tower of four blocks or more
* Might use one hand more often than the other

For 3 years old onwards next posting...

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Teen Who Cries Blood Gets Help From Experts

Hello guys its been a month since i have not updated my blog as you know am schooling now and quite busy between my school and family. But i was so touched when i opened up my dashboard and found out that i have 24 comments to be moderated. Wow! you really amazed me guys and thank you very much for constantly reading my blog.

So today, i would like to share this rare story of a young boy who cries blood.

(CNN) -- Calvino Inman had just stepped out of the shower one evening in May when a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror caused him to panic. "I looked up and saw myself, and I thought I was going to die," says the 15-year-old from Rockwood, Tennessee. His eyes were streaming tears of blood.

Inman's mother, Tammy Mynatt, says she immediately rushed him to the emergency room, but by the time they arrived, the bleeding had stopped. Doctors couldn't see what the family was trying to explain. They returned home completely perplexed. When the bloody tears returned a few days later while Inman was on a camping trip, he was rushed back to the hospital.

Mynatt hoped that once doctors finally witnessed the phenomenon, there would be answers. But that wasn't the case. "The people at the hospital said they had never seen anything like it," Mynatt recalls. She says her son underwent an MRI, a CT scan and an ultrasound, but none of the tests had abnormal results. "'We don't know how to stop it,'" Mynatt remembers being told by doctors. "It just has to run its course."

Dr. Barrett G. Haik, director of the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute, says there is an answer, sort of. He says "crying blood," a condition called haemolacria, is common in people who have experienced extreme trauma or who have recently had a serious head injury. But a case such as Inman's is still a medical mystery. "What's really rare is to have a child like this," Haik says. "Only once every several years do you see someone with no obvious cause."

Haik and a team of researchers published a 2004 study in the Journal of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery looking specifically at children who developed unexplained, spontaneous episodes of bloody tears between February 1992 and January 2003. Only four cases were recorded.

Because of the rarity of the condition, experts anticipate Inman will have multiple tests from a variety of specialists, including hematologists (blood specialists), ophthalmologists (eye specialists) and otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat specialists).

Dr. James C. Flemming, also an ophthalmologist at the Hamilton Eye Institute, has been in touch with Mynatt and her son. He is reviewing Inman's medical records for possible treatment.

Flemming says complications to look for include blood clots, a growth or tumor near the eye, or even a simple infection. He also says the culprit could be something so tiny that none of the standard tests would pick it up. "It's a very hard thing to estimate," Flemming says. "You may have to watch expectedly for other symptoms to show up."

Inman's analysis would also include a psychological evaluation to rule out the possibility that the bloody tears were faked. "When you can't find an origin, you can't eliminate any of the possibilities" Haik explains. He says there have been cases where children seeking attention have found creative ways to simulate haemolacriatic symptoms.

Still, Mynatt and her son are relieved to at least have more guidance. In an interview with CNN affiliate WATE, Mynatt was near tears herself explaining her frustration: "I just truly want somebody to say they've seen this and they can help us."

And that's at least one reassurance Flemming and his team of experts at the Hamilton Eye Institute can offer. "We get more positive talk now than negative. It really feels like there's hope," Mynatt says, relieved.

But still, the possibility remains that after endless tests, the underlying cause may never be found. In all four cases Haik examined previously, the bleeding stopped on its own.

"As physicians, that's disconcerting, because we like to have the answers," Haik admits. Moreover, he says he knows from previous experience that the toll of not knowing is much worse for patients. "I could always see the fear in their faces because no matter what we studied, we couldn't find an answer."

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Is Anesthesia Related To Learning Disabilities?

According to Robert Preidt exposure to anesthesia during a Cesarean delivery doesn't increase the risk of learning disabilities in children, says a new study.

"We found that the incidence of learning disabilities was equal between children who were delivered vaginally and those who were delivered via C-section but with general anesthesia," study leader Dr. Juraj Sprung, an anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic, said in a news release from Mayo.

Sprung and his colleagues analyzed the medical and school IQ records of 5,320 children born between 1976 and 1982 to mothers in Olmsted County, Minn. Not only did they find that anesthesia use during delivery posed no threat to the babies, but the researchers also determined that babies whose mothers had received an epidural anesthetic (which numbs the lower part of the body) were much less likely to have learning disabilities later in life.

The risk was reduced by about 40 percent compared to children delivered vaginally and those delivered via cesarean section but without general anesthesia," Sprung said.

The findings from the study are preliminary and shouldn't prompt any changes to medical practice, said co-author and Mayo anesthesiologist Dr. Randall Flick.

"What we've found is an association between two things," he said. "One is the way a child was delivered, either vaginally or under regional or general anesthesia. The other is a difference in the incidence of learning disabilities as the child attended school. It's important to recognize there may be other factors that impact learning disabilities."

A report on the study is in the August issue of Anesthesiology.

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic, news release, July 2009

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Beauty Tips For Eyeliners : How To Get An Easy, Everyday Defining Look

Eyeliner is the bane of existence for many a beauty conscious woman. There is a distinct trick to the art of applying eyeliners in such a manner as to not end up with that permanently surprised look which may be somewhat disconcerting to those with whom you converse. Some have taken to the application of liquid eyeliner only to find that they end up with black smudges in the creases underneath their eyes.

Fortunately, tips and techniques for the successful application of eye liner abound, and if you follow just a few of them, you will give your eyes that beautiful appearance which can set the tone for the mood you are seeking to evoke.

Fun Looks and Styles
The how to of eyeliner application begins with a consideration of the look for which you are aiming. There are several fun ways of defining your appearance before you put on that first stroke of the eyeliner. Will you be going for the gothic look? Are you hoping to achieve that glamorous movie star look? Perhaps you are simply aiming for an enhanced natural look to showcase the beauty that is yours.

Liquid, Gel, or Loose Powder Application
After the definition of the look, the choice of eyeliner pencil is the next consideration. To apply eyeliner, a thin and sometimes hard pencil it utilized, but this does not permit for easy application once the skin underneath your eyes has lost some of its teenage firmness. Waterproof gel or loose powder eye makeup is another option, but they require a steady hand. A happy medium is a soft consistency eyeliner pen from Cake, Estee Lauder, Christian Dior, Bobby Brown or Mac.

Color Choices: Black, White, Glitter…..
Next, chose your colors wisely, white might be great to make a dramatic contrast to dark skin or add little designs to your eyelids, but if you are going for an organic, natural look, you may opt for something that is just a shade darker than your eyelashes. Enhancements, such as glitter and eye shadow matching styles are also available, yet they will draw a lot of attention to your eyes and detract from other parts of your appearance, such as a great haircut or lip liner. Make sure you do not overdo the drama of your eyes and then have it compete with the dramatic shape enhancement of your lip liner!

Eyeliner Designs & Techniques
The best eyeliner technique for lasting effect is to complement your eye’s shape but slightly enhance it. For example, make a fine line that just slightly extends beyond the corner of your lower lid to get the coveted cat’s eye appearance. Use white eyeliner on the inner rim of your lashes for a more open and alert look. Remove eyeliner that spread beyond its intended locale with a q-tip dipped in a bit of eye makeup remover. Do not cover it up with powder since the color will come to the forefront in a short period of time.

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Beauty Tips : Treatments For Preventing And Healing Dry, Cracked Feet And Heels

It’s the end of your day and as you remove your shoes you are once again met with dry cracked feet. They not only feel scaly and painful, but they also look like you’ve been walking on razor blades! No matter how rough and callous your feet currently are, this does not have to be the fate of your feet forever. There are five steps you can follow to learn how to heal your dry cracked feet and prevent them from drying out in the future.

Treatment for Dry Cracked Feet
The first step for at-home treatment is to wash or soak your feet everyday in lukewarm water and a mild soap. You can add a soothing foot product to help condition your feet if you choose. Dr. Scholl’s and Burt’s Bees offer great medicated moisturizing products. However, if you’d rather use items from the kitchen, mixing one cup of honey with a gallon of water and soaking ten to fifteen minutes can drastically improve the moisture in the skin. Honey is also a natural antiseptic and is a safe cure for cracked or bleeding skin. Be careful not to use the pumice stone too vigorously on your cracked feet as it may make them worse.

Second, you’ll need to dry your feet well. Pay close attention to the skin in between the toes. If this area is not dried properly it can create a breeding ground for bacteria and lead to infection. Pat the feet and do not rub harshly or you can cause more damage!

Next, apply a foot cream, lotion or foot ointment. There are many lotions available offering moisturizers such as Vitamin E, shea butter, aloe and more. These are often helpful for dry, but not severely dry skin. Podiatrists and diabetic specialists often recommend a foot cream such as O’Keeffe’s working feet cream. This cream is not greasy, hypoallergenic, has no odor and contains no oil or alcohol. It helps replenish the skin with glycerin and protect the skin with paraffin. These ingredients help to sooth, hydrate and repair the skin tissue of the feet.

Try a Home Remedy
There are also home remedies available which are said to soothe. For instance, mixing baby lotion with spearmint and eucalyptus oil is a known remedy. It is said to create a “super lotion” which sooths, heals and smells fresh. Other natural remedy moisturizers include almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil and coconut milk. You can try the moisturizer of your choice to see which works best for you.

The fourth step requires you to put on clean, white cotton socks. The cotton helps to whisk away moisture while the colorless material prevents any dyes from irritating the skin. Many people choose to put their socks on at bedtime and wear them overnight for enhanced moisturizing. When you wake up your feet will feel as if you got a spa pedicure overnight!

Finally, be sure to check your feet everyday. Look for cuts or blisters and treat them promptly. Keeping your feet clean and applying moisturizer is an excellent way to care for your feet. You can also insure foot health by eating a diet rich in Vitamin A, which promotes skin health. Foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach and pumpkin are all excellent sources.

In addition to the foods you eat, the amount of water you drink is important as well. Drinking six to eight glasses of water can help to keep your skin, soft and subtle naturally. The main causes for severe dry skin or xerosis (as it is known medically) is often dehydration, Vitamin A deficiency or diabetes. You do not have to suffer from dry cracked feet or feet fissures! Simply follow the steps above and you’ll be kicking up your heels with happiness.

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