Although children rarely get any headaches, they do suffer from this just like an adult would. The causes are also similar to what adults encounter. Getting insufficient sleep, a change in the pattern of sleep, a change in environment, skipping meals, hormonal changes, watching or staying in the computer far too long — these can all trigger headaches with children. An environment where there is someone smoking can also do that. An infection will also result to a headache.

Some kids can cope well with medicines but there are others who may need more tender loving care when they get a headache and the condition persists.

Go to the doctor with our child and have her check, to rule out any other form of infection or sickness.

Continue to take the medicines prescribed by the doctor. These are usually acetaminophen or ibuprofen but make sure that your child is not allergic to any of these.

Give food richer in fruits and vegetables.

If your child has migraine, she will generally want to sleep rather than eat. Let the child rest or sleep in a cooler and quieter place so as not to aggravate this. Give her a cold compress as she is resting, allow her to breathe deeply.

If the pain is really persistant, a specialist may be needed to help the child with pain management. Children can also feel stress even at their age and a specialist may be able to help with reducing this.

Are you one of those parents that checks to see if your sleeping child is breathing?  Do you feel silly sometimes, but nevertheless can’t stop yourself from just checking one more time before you turn out your own light? 

That’s me, and it’s even worse when they’re sick.  My kids aren’t babies anymore; one turns 6 this week, and one turns 13 next week.  The middle child is 11, and at the moment has a terrible sore throat.  She couldn’t even stay awake during reading time, which is unusual for her.  My little night owl was asleep by 10, on a Friday night. 

So, I put her to bed and came back down to finish some articles.  I had to force myself to keep my rear end in the chair in front of the computer because I was getting anxious just sitting here.  I feel kind of stupid; I mean, it’s a sore throat.  They’ve had a million of these between the three of them.  But whether it’s a mom thing, or whether I’m just overly anxious, I worry about stuff like this.  I’ve read too many articles where some innocuous symptom (a headache, a sore throat, etc) led to a person’s death.  And I’m a hypochondriac-by-proxy–I always see major illnesses in places where there are only minor ones.  I know I over-react.  Not every headache is a brain tumor.  Not every sore throat is an out-of-control deadly bacterial infection.  Not every bruise is leukemia.  In fact, almost none of them are.  But it’s still true that two years ago, a stomach ache was actually a burst appendix, and my middle child spent a week in the PICU.  So, I don’t know that I’m willing to talk myself too far out of my worry.

I’m not normally a hovering, over-protective sort of mom.  I usually insist that my kids attempt to fix their own problems before they ask for help, and they are required to do everything they are able to do for themselves.  But when it comes to them being sick, I worry a lot… too much, maybe.  I try to hide it, of course, because my anxiety makes them more anxious.  So, just now when I went to check on my sickie, I didn’t wake her up to make sure she hadn’t slipped into a coma.  I just nudged her a little to make sure she was still breathing.

A restaurant in Pennsylvania has effectively banned allowing children below six years old inside their establishment, as the owner has been receiving emails that the young children have been bothering his other customers as they eat their meals.

His decision to put such a ban has been met by the community with support. Which got a lot of parents wondering what this may mean and if other establishments are going to follow in the example.

As a consumer, I do feel the plight of the owner and his concern for his other clients. Though it has never happened to me, I’ve known of complaints from friends who have had their meals disrupted because of a child.

As a parent, however, I’m in on it both sides. On one hand, I feel it’s unfair and discriminating to families with small children. On the other hand, I feel ashamed because it’s a reflection of how some parents have not been able to teach their kids good manners and proper conduct in public. I firmly believe that if parents are able to raise well-behaved kids, this would not be such a concern by the public.

Many establishment all across the United States have a ban on children. This is especially true for some hotels, which specifically cater to adults only.

Some international airlines also impose bans on infants in its first class lounge because the rest of the passengers cannot sleep during a long flight when a baby is constantly crying.

What do you think of this parents?

While their bodies are a lot more limber than adults, children may still experience back pains just like we do and will most likely not notice. There is a danger in not giving attention to this right away as back pains can hinder with the body’s development and become the cause of other underlying problems.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, here are symptoms parents should watch out for with children experiencing back pains:

• Losing weight or running a fever.
• Complaining of numbness or weakness.
• Having difficulty walking.
• Having pain that extends from the back down one or both of the legs.
• Having bladder- or bowel-control issues.
• Having pain that prevents the child from sleeping.

If any of these symptoms are present, an examination done by the doctor is necessary to evaluate it. Physical exams, MRI, CT Scans and Xrays may be asked.

Back pains are usually signs of the following condition, according to OrthoInfo.Org, and develop as early as pre-teen stage, so parents must not ignore it:

Muscle Strain and Imbalances
Musculoskeletal strain is most often responsible for back pain in children and adolescents. This type of pain frequently responds to rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and an exercise program.

Stress Fracture of the Spine
Spondylolysis, or stress fracture, may cause lower back pain in adolescents. Stress fractures may occur during adolescent growth spurts or in sports that repeatedly twist and hyperextend the spine, like gymnastics, diving, and football.

Infection
In young children, infection in a disk space (diskitis) can lead to back pain. Diskitis typically affects children between the ages of 1 and 5 years, although older children and teenagers can also be affected.

Tumor
On rare occasion, tumors, such as osteoid osteoma, can be responsible for back pain. When they occur, tumors of the spine are most often found in the middle or lower back. Pain is constant and usually becomes worse over time. This pain is progressive; it is unrelated to activity and/or happens at night.

Slipped Vertebra
A slipped vertebra, or spondylolisthesis, occurs when one vertebra shifts forward on the next vertebra directly below. It usually occurs at the base of the spine (lumbosacral junction). In severe cases, the bone narrows the spinal canal, which presses on the nerves.

Image by OneInstant via Flickr

While many new parents have been there before, be it with their own children or a friends (or relative’s child) parenting classes really can still make a huge difference.

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