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.

Is your child a positive thinker?

According to a study, children raised with a positive outlook in life is a common trait found among good leaders of the world. They also exhibit competence and trustworthiness, as well as maintain good social skills.

According to the study, children tend to follow into their mother’s positive and negative habits and the effects of this impacts him for all of his life. The mother is the prime nurturer since they spend most of their time with the kids.

Being a positive thinker is a good skill your child can acquire and apparently, you can teach this to them by becoming a good, positive example yourself. To influence your child in a positive way you, as the parent, must be able to show them in words and deeds. Children are very perceptive and copy how their parents behave early on. If you show your child that the world is full of hope and beauty, rather than despair and danger, you are already beginning to raise that positive spirit in him.

Aside from this, you can teach your child coping mechanisms that will help him handle stress and problems in a more positive way. How so? By reframing. By putting his energy into addressing each “problems” as “challenges”. Mistakes do happen, but instead treat this mistakes as learning experiences to grow from.

A positive attitude is said to attract good fortune as well as good people and events. By influencing your child early into thinking this, he grows into a happy, wonderful human being.

Kids get less sleep than their parents think they do. They may have trouble falling asleep or may wake in the wee hours. grappling with surprisingly worries. Remember that as your child grows, the more responsibilites he has to make and this might cause him stress. This kind of stress will give him restless nights.

To discover whether your child is having trouble drifting into dreamland, ask him how well he’s sleeping. They try these steps to set the stage for a restful night:

*Limit his activities – if your child often stays up past his bedtime to finish his homework, he may be overscheduled in the afternoon. Consider dropping an activity or two even if he protests. If he’s simply overloaded with homework, talk to his teacher.

*Turn off the TV – kids who watch excessive amounts of  TV before bed have more trouble falling asleep than other chikdren do. Shut off the electronics well before bedtime, and don’t put TV in your child’s room.

*Get jitter free – make sure your child isn’t drinking any caffeinated soda within six hours of bedtime, and avoid serving heavy meals late in the evening.

*Talk over his concerns – At night, as they lie alone on bed, children tend to worry more intensely than they do during the day. Let your child know that he’s not alone with his difficulties, and help him work them out.

* Try relaxation techniques- if tension is keeping your child up, suggest that he imagine a relaxing scene or try a calming exercise such as this one: As he rests in bed, have her tighten and relax muscles at the top of his body and then slowly progress to his toes.

Now that Christmas is just around the corner, kids will really have a hard time sleeping because of their excitement. Make sure that you tell your child that they won’t be able to enjoy the special day if they won’t get enough rest.

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Parents have different ways of disciplining their children. Some are lenient; others are strict. However, they have to remind themselves that kids are just beginning to learn what is right and wrong. Discipline should be a time of learning, not a time of pressuring a child.  Pressuring your little one may stress him out, and this may cause him to misbehave more. You may consider the following suggestions when it comes to disciplining your child:

*Do not freak out. – Losing your cool in front of your child may frighten him. It will make him focus on your reaction rather than what he did wrong. If the child misbehaved in a manner that makes you lose your temper, you might use hurtful words so you would have to calm down first before you talk to him.

*Set an example. – Point out what he did wrong. You can use some children stories that will make him easily understand what you’re trying to say. Be creative in such a way that you’ll get his attention.

* Be consistent. – It is important that you are consistent on how you discipline you child. Don’t tolerate any repeated misbehavior. Your child needs to know that you mean what you say. It’s like making a promise and keeping it.

*Give warnings before punishment. -Like what I’ve said earlier, children are just beginning to learn what is right and wrong. Give them time to adjust. Giving warnings will help him understand what you’re trying to say. This will cause him to act the right way whenever his tempted to misbehave.

* Reward him for a good behavior – Children love receiving treats. Learn to reward them for their good behavior. It motivates them to do the right thing.

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I’ve been sick for the past few days and I really hate it. Everytime I have colds I easily get irritated (who doesn’t?), so what more with your little one? I know that everytime your child gets sick, you get so paranoid. Initial reaction would be bringing her to the hospital and going to your pediatrician. But the next time your child encounters a minor ache or injury, home remedies are often the best way to make her feel better. I love home remedies because basically you spend less and you can find all these smart solutions throughout your house.

• Sore throat – According to Lane Johnson, MD, associate professor of clinical family and community medicine at the University of Arizona college, a spoonful of Honey eased your child’s cough. Actually they found out that it’s better than a cough medicine. This home remedy is not applicable for babies under 1 year.
• Bug bites – You can use baking soda to lessen the itchy feeling that your child is complaining about. Just mix baking soda and enough water to make a thick paste and smear it on the bites and let it dry.
• Stress – Oh yes, your child can feel stress too! So for her to be able to relax and breathe properly, allow her to slowly, blow long bubbles from a soapy wand.
• Tummy problems (Vomiting)-  Ginger stops the stomach contractions. Boil the ginger and then let it steep for 4 to 5 minutes. You can add honey to make it taste better. Let your child drink it 1 hour before your car trip.
• Minor Swelling – You can use a cold slice of cucumber to soothe hot swollen skin.You can use this if there’s a minor swelling only other than that, go to your pediatrician.

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