The Kohl's A Minute for Kids campaign is a way for Kohl's Department Stores and Dayton Children's to bring health, safety and prevention information to children and families in the region.
Safety through the ages…Learn how to use developmental concepts to better protect your toddler. Safety through the ages…Learn how to use developmental concepts to better protect your toddler.
Expert: Eileen Kasten, MD, developmental pediatrician Learn more
If your child is using a cell phone to text, make sure he or she understands the dangers of texting and “sexting.”
Expert: Greg Ramey, PhD, child psychologist Learn more
Countdown to good health 5 – 2 – 1 – 0. Learn how taking small “bites” toward good health can lead to big gains.
Expert: James Ebert, MD, lead physician, lipid clinic Learn more
This year’s flu season—with the seasonal flu and H1N1—is expected to be a long one. Learn how to best prevent the flu.
Expert: Sherman Alter, MD, infectious disease Learn more
When cleaning your house, it’s important to use products and methods to minimize asthma triggers.
Expert: Belinda Huffman, respiratory therapist, pulmonary medicine Learn more
With active kids, a hard “bonk” on the head is common. When is it more than just a “bonk?”
Expert: Laurence Kleiner, MD, pediatric neurosurgeon Learn more
* Parenting Clip - Download a PDF
* Video of Patricia Abboud, MD, doctor and mother, discuss how to protect your child
* Podcast - Here Dr. Abboud's flu advice
The start of this year’s flu season (typically November through April) includes the extra challenge of protecting your child from H1N1 (also known as swine flu) as well as seasonal flu. Getting the facts about both kinds of flu will help ease your anxiety, but more importantly, will help you protect your child. The pediatric experts at Dayton Children’s offer this information to make sure you have accurate, up-to-date information on both H1N1 and the seasonal flu.
Getting your child immunized is the best way to protect against the seasonal flu. There are also many other everyday precautions that are highly effective in reducing the spread of seasonal flu as well as H1N1. Detailed information on vaccines, prevention and treatment for both H1N1 and seasonal flu are included here. Links to other resources are also provided.
Vaccine information
Prevention and treatment is the same for both H1N1 and the seasonal flu. Fortunately, the things you can do to prevent getting or spreading the flu are easy, everyday activities.
Six ways to prevent the spread of flu
1. Wash hands often. Use soap and water for 15-20 secondsabout as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are OK if soap and water are not available.
2. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. If children don’t have a tissue, teach them to cough or sneeze into their shirtsleeve.
3. Keep sick children at home including out of school or day care until they are betterusually seven days after the illness starts.
4. Teach children to stay at least six feet away from people who are sick. Avoid crowds and public places.
5. Teach children not to touch their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
6. Eat healthy and find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
Sherman Alter, MD, director of infectious disease at Dayton Children’s, recommends that parents and grandparents receive a flu shot for the seasonal flu to help prevent them from passing the flu to their children.
If your child is exposed to the flu, it is typically one to four days before symptoms show up. During that time, they are contagious. Avoiding people with obvious signs of illness will help prevent the flu, but people can be contagious before symptoms appear.
Treating seasonal flu and H1N1
If you suspect your child has the seasonal or H1N1 flu, call your child’s doctor as soon as possible. Treatment is most effective if started within 48 hours. Severe cases of the flu may be helped by antiviral medications. "Talk to your child’s doctor about these treatment options that may shorten the course and lessen the severity of the illness," Dr Alter says.
He adds that parents should pay close attention to children younger than 2 years old. "They have smaller airways and are not capable of handling illness as well as older children or adults."
Remember, most people who get H1N1 recover completely with minimal, if any, medical treatment.
In addition
Keep your child home from school or day care. "Remember, in some cases it is normal for the flu to last a week or longer,"he says. "Keep children home from school as long as they still have symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches or headaches," Dr Alter advises.
Skip the antibiotics. Finally, for most cases of the flu, bed rest, plenty of fluids and over-the-counter medications are the only things your child will need. The flu cannot be treated with antibiotics because it is caused by a virus.
Prepare a cold and flu kit
Before you or your children get sick, stock up on over-the-counter products that will ease the symptoms of the flu. Your kit should include:
Young children may not have typical symptoms, but may have trouble breathing or not be as active as usual. Children younger than 5 years are more likely to have serious illness than older children. Flu infections can be severe in children with a chronic medical condition.
Get emergency care if your child has any of the following:
Fortunately, serious complications from the flu in otherwise healthy children are rare, Dr. Alter says.
Children with flu complications may experience pain in their ears, congestion in the face or head, or persistent cough and fever. Occasionally, an ear infection, sinus infection, bronchiolitis or pneumonia may develop. Call your child’s doctor if you are concerned.
Knowing the difference between the flu and a cold is sometimes difficult. The following guidelines may help:
Sherman Alter, MD, is director of infectious disease at Dayton Children’s. He completed fellowship training in infectious disease and is an associate clinical professor at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. Dr. Alter has published articles and papers, and conducted research in the area of infectious disease.