pets Archives - Happy Healthy Kids

5 Kids’ Health News Stories of 2015

December 23, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that 2015 was packed with big, debate shaping events, both here and abroad. In the global grand scheme of things, everyday kids’ health news may seem relatively unimportant, but to parents, good pediatric research—especially when paired with good, actionable advice—can lead to life altering positive changes. (Which is why I created this blog in the first place!) Here, I’m sharing the five, kids’ health headlines from 2015 that most fascinated—and in some cases, inspired—me.

1. Measles isn’t going away.

What started with a bout of measles among kids at Disneyland in December ballooned into a multi-state outbreak, affecting more than 100 kids in January alone. The CDC is “very concerned” about the possibility of an even larger outbreak down the road, says Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Besides being seriously dangerous, potentially leading to pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death, the problem with measles is that its one of the most contagious viruses there is. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and 90% of the people around an infected person will catch it if they aren’t protected, according to the CDC. So, talk to your pediatrician to make sure your children’s shots are completely up-to-date, and if your infant is too young for a vaccine, make sure he or she doesn’t come into contact with infected children.

2. Pets make for healthier kids.

In case your kids needed any more fodder for their case for a fluffy new friend: Mounting research shows that having animals in or around the house can lead to big health benefits for growing immune systems and developing brains. In November, Swedish scientists published data on one million children that found that dog exposure during infancy was associated with a 13% lower risk of asthma in school-age children, while farm animal exposure was linked to a 52% risk reduction. Separately, CDC-funded researchers discovered that kids with dogs, specifically, were less anxious than their peers, even after controlling for family income, age, gender, and other variables. Pets may be hard work, but it appears they give back more than companionship.

3. Big kids are seriously sleep deprived.

Think you’re tired? In August, the CDC revealed that 2 out of 3 high school students get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per night for their age group. Too-early school start times are partially to blame: The average start for middle and high schools is 8:03, which many sleep experts believe is out of sync with adolescent sleep cycles. But screen-based gadgets may be the worst culprit: A Norwegian study of 10,000 teens found that more than 90 percent of girls and 80 percent of boys use a cell phone in the hour before bed, a practice that’s been strongly linked in recent research to thwarted sleep (the blue light can trick the brain into thinking it’s daytime). If your children own gadgets, consider putting the phones and pads to sleep in a different room than them, and be sure to revisit the National Sleep Foundation’s guidelines on how long children of different ages should snooze: it’s 10 to 13 hours per day for preschoolers, nine to 11 for kids between ages 6 and 13, and eight to 10 hours for teens.

4. Cutting back on a little sugar goes a long way.

If you had to choose just one healthier habit to adopt for your family this year, clearing the kitchen of too-sweet snacks may be your best bet. Endocrinologists at the USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco showed that lowering overweight kids’ sugar intake dramatically boosted their health—in just 10 days. Even without changing the amount of calories they were consuming or exercise they were doing, children who cut out almost all sweetened foods were able to improve their levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, fasting glucose and insulin (all markers for diabetes). They also reported feeling less hungry. Need inspiration? Print out these easy ways to cut back on sugar from nutritionist Dana White, R.D., here and post on the ‘fridge.

5. Beware of “overvaluing” kids.

It seems intuitive to tell kids how special they are, but a new study adds to growing evidence that this could do more harm than good. In the first prospective study of its kind, scientists from Ohio State University and the University of Amsterdam surveyed families four times over one-and-a-half years to see if they could identify which factors led children to have inflated views of themselves. They found that kids of parents who “overvalued” them—thought they were more special than others—developed narcissistic behaviors later on. (The full report is an interesting read: In order to measure parental overvaluation, researchers asked parents, among other questions, whether their 8- to 12-year-olds are familiar with not only real historic people, like Neil Armstrong, but also fictional ones, like “Queen Alberta.” As you might have guessed, quite a few parents held firm that their little Einsteins knew all about “Queen Alberta.”)

Rather than convincing yourself and your kids’ of their greatness, researchers recommend greater “parental warmth”: simply letting kids know, often, how much you love them. This leads to high levels of much healthier self-esteem, without the narcissism. The difference? “People with high self-esteem think they’re as good as others, whereas narcissists think they’re better than others,” says study co-author Brad Bushman, Ph.D.

Help for When a Pet Passes Away

July 2, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

Skype is dying.

I don’t mean the video communication technology—though that may very well be on its way out, too—but my 7-year-old son’s betta fish, who’s lived in a plastic bowl on his nightstand for three years. (Why he decided to name him after said technology remains a mystery I haven’t bothered to probe.) Once a vibrant, puckish swimmer and ravenous eater, Skype has been laying listlessly among his plastic plant fronds and refusing food for the past week. Once a brilliant sea green, his scales are now a dull, sad brown.

On the spectrum of loss, I realize that losing a pet fish might seem insignificant, but not to my little guy. This son, who resembles a golden retriever in look and behavior himself, loves animals—all kinds—and will spend days tending to slimy snails he found in the pond near our house. I’ve resisted getting him a furry pet until he and his brothers are older, so Skype is and has been the recipient of all the attention and affection that can possibly be bestowed on a two-inch long, cold blooded creature whose species nickname is “Siamese Fighting Fish.”

For the past several mornings, my son has checked on Skype as soon as he woke up. “He’s still alive!” he’ll say triumphantly. But I know the morning is coming very soon when he will pad down to the kitchen, his big eyes (sea-green like Skype’s) welling with tears.

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems and Jon Muth.

There’s been one big comfort to him through all this, and it’s not the promise of a replacement fish or something bigger and cuddlier when the time comes. It’s two books I found at the library. We’ve been reading them all week.

The first is City Dog, Country Frog, a joint project by two of favorite children’s author-illustrators, Mo Willems and Jon Muth. Compared to many of Willems’ and Muth’s other works (like the Pigeon series, or Zen Shorts series), this book isn’t exactly a hold-shelf shelf staple, probably because it deals with dying. But it does so gently, and hopefully. Set against the backdrop of the changing seasons, it explores a friendship between an energetic puppy and a wise frog. The animals play together in the spring and rest in the fall (frog is tired). In the winter, the dog has to confront the idea of loss when frog is nowhere to be found. But when spring comes ’round again, so does a new frog friend, and the circle of life and friendship continues.

Sally Goes to Heaven by Stephen Huneck

The second is Sally Goes to Heaven. Unlike City Dog, Country Frog, it dances not at all around the idea of death. And yet I can’t imagine a book that could provide greater comfort to a young child who realizes that he or she will never see a loved one again. Sally, celebrated in a series of books by the late, great author, dog-lover and woodcut artist Stephen Huneck, is tired. She has trouble getting up to greet her owner when he arrives home, and isn’t hungry. “The next morning,” young readers learn, “Sally went to heaven.” The next several pages are devoted to Sally’s wonderful afterlife, where she discovers, among other delights, a giant pile of dirty socks she can play in all day long. She also meets wonderful new friends. Toward the end, the author shares that Sally’s one wish is that her owners will find a new animal friend to love, too. And the last page is the most poignant: “Shhh,” it reads. “Sally is dreaming.” If you or your child are still unsure what your own idea of heaven is, that page leaves an open door to interpretation on just how Sally is experiencing life after death. But it leaves no doubt she’s at peace.

My son looked up at me after we finished Sally Goes to Heaven the second or third time. “I hope that happens to Skype,” he said, his voice breaking. He laid his curly head on my shoulder for a moment. Then he wiped his eyes and went out to ride his bike.

Every time my children learn about something painful in the world beyond a skinned knee or lost toy, my heart breaks just a little. My older son also had to confront death this year, through the loss of two schoolmates’ parents. And yet, I don’t want to shy away from discussing this topic with them—along with their fears, hopes, and questions. These conversations are painful, but somehow beautiful, too. We are talking about the very essence of life, with a life we have created.

Farewell, our fishy friend. For you, we wish an afterlife filled with lots of food, a tank always filled with fresh, clean water, and another boy who loves you as much as any human possibly could.

7 Ways to Improve Kids’ Social Skills

January 21, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

For some children, making conversation comes easy. For others, it’s hard work. Talking with a classmate on the bus, greeting a teacher, or even just taking turns chatting around the dinner table can feel painful, or just plain impossible.

Kids with ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism, Asperger’s Disorder, and other developmental disabilities are especially likely to struggle with these social skills, but they’re not the only ones. Given the amount of time that children spend in front of screens these days, all kids are getting less and less practice developing the ability to communicate—in real time—with others. A 2012 Stanford study showed that girls who spent the most time on a wide variety of tech devices (even social media) were at highest risk for social problems. Clearly, even as kids text more and talk less, face-to-face connection remains the building block of friendships.

Regardless of their age or whether they have a diagnosed social disorder or not, “all kids can benefit from making the most of their interactions with others,” says Polly Dunn, Ph.D, a Happy Healthy Kids advisory board member, child psychologist, and author of the Child Psych Mom blog. With the help of Dr. Dunn and some other psychology resources, we’ve gathered some tips for helping kids develop the social skills they need now—and in the future.

1. Teach her F.E.V.E.R. Dr. Dunn uses this acronym to teach kids and their parents what to think about when talking to someone else:
F—Face the person when talking
E—Maintain eye contact
V—Keep volume at a reasonable level: don’t be too soft or too loud
E—Think about your facial expression: Smile or be serious when appropriate
R—Relax! Try to not be anxious or tense.
You can teach your kids what F.E.V.E.R. stands for, and before a meeting with a teacher, or a playdate, or a visit with extended family, remind them to “remember fever.”

2. Praise positive social interactions. We praise our kids for good schoolwork, behavior, and extracurricular accomplishments; Dr. Dunn says we should give them props when they display positive social mannerisms, too. When your child looks another grown-up in the eye, answers a question clearly and promptly, or uses good manners at the table, point it out—and compliment him on it.

3. Model friendliness and good manners. You can’t expect your children to develop strong social skills if you aren’t modeling them. Show them how to strike up a conversation with the mailman or a neighbor, listen to a story without interrupting, ask follow-up questions, and stash your phone out of sight when talking with anyone (be it a best friend or barista).

4. Find a group-oriented extracurricular activity your child loves.Sports, clubs, or religious groups can give children extra practice perfecting their social skills. Be sure your child chooses the activity: the more engaged and excited she is about what she’s doing, the more likely she’ll be to want to work together and communicate with others.

5. Use opportunities for your child to talk on the telephone, FaceTime or Skype. You can’t mumble on the phone or over FaceTime or Skype and expect the person you’re speaking with to understand you. Sharing news from school or home with a distant family member or friend is a great way to help kids learn the importance of speaking clearly and thoughtfully.

6. Consider getting a pet. While researchers caution that more studies need to be done to establish a strong link, a recent study out of the University of Missouri suggested that autistic kids were more likely to display socially assertive behaviors (like answering people’s questions, introducing themselves, and asking for information) if they had pets. By establishing themselves as such an important and kid-friendly part of a household, pets may give shy or withdrawn children something to talk about. Past research has shown that pets are linked to greater empathy and social confidence in typically developing kids, too.

7. If your child is still struggling, look for a social skills class in your area. As diagnoses of conditions with social impairments have grown, so have the availability of social skills training classes, in which a trained professional guides groups of like-aged kids to start and sustain conversations. Dr. Dunn has seen children who have prolonged trouble interacting with kids or adults, making friends, or are painfully shy really benefit from these classes. Ask your child’s doctor or guidance counselor for ideas, or check out this list maintained by the Asperger and Autism Network (AANE).

photo credit: Visual Punch via Photo Pin, cc

Are You Ready for a Dog?

October 15, 2014 by Kelley 2 Comments

photo credit: smlp.co.uk via photopin cc

If you don’t have a dog, your kids have probably asked you for one, and if they haven’t yet, brace yourself: Once they get the idea in their heads, you aren’t likely to hear the end of it. Each sighting of a luckier, dog-owning child at a playground, a playdate, or on Disney, Jr. will incite a fresh round of envy; if a cousin, best friend, or next-door neighbor acquires a new puppy, expect guilt-mongering to ensue. Eventually, your responses of “maybe” or “someday” or “talk to your dad” will start to sound hollow, even to you.

I think even dog lovers can appreciate why we’ve held off. We have three high-energy young boys, one of whom I have yet to house-train. I grew up with golden retrievers, and have plenty of warm and fuzzy memories, but also some less savory ones: The endless poop patrolling, the paw prints on the white living room carpet, the frogs and rodents Brandy thrashed for sport and then left like offerings on our front doormat.

My middle son, who’s particularly fond of animals, has started acquiring proxy pets, which have included, in just the past two weeks, two toads, a baby snapper turtle, and six snails from the pond down the street. A big plastic container filled with dirt, weeds, and a rotating collection of bottom-dwellers has taken up permanent residence on our back patio. It’s a cunning strategy, I have to admit, each critter less appealing relative to a fluffy puppy than the last.

My sister has suggested cats as a lower-maintenance substitute, and just last weekend, we took a test drive with a rabbit that belongs to the school science department. Brownie shed a sweater’s worth of fur and twice his weight in droppings over the course of the long weekend, but he was pretty easy to manage, and cuddlier than a snail to boot. But I suspect we could acquire a menagerie, and if it didn’t include a dog, the lobbying would continue. So I spoke with Mary Burch, Ph.D, an animal behaviorist who directs the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Program, which encourages responsible dog ownership. The AKC has some great materials online, and Dr. Burch filled in some additional helpful details. Here are some guidelines to help you assess your family-dog readiness:

Make sure you like dogs, too. One of the biggest mistakes rookies make is buckling to kids’ dog demands when the adults themselves aren’t sold on the idea, says Dr. Burch. Spot will be your housemate, too—for up to 10 to 13 years. Dr. Burch knows a breeder who makes a point of watching how Mom connects with a potential puppy. “If the kids get tired of the dog in a few weeks, she’s going to be the caretaker and proud owner of a new dog,” she explains.

Be realistic about your availability as chief caretaker.. In an ideal world, kids would take the lead in caring for their dog. But all kids require reminders and guidance. You, your spouse, or another responsible adult need to be present a good part of the day, especially soon after your new pet comes home. Kids learn feeding, grooming, and cleaning tasks best by watching you, says Dr. Burch, who also recommends that parents explain why they need to do certain tasks for the dog (it helps the information stick). “Rather than just telling a child to fill a dog’s water dish, a parent can explain what happens when a person or animal doesn’t get enough fresh water,” she says.
Also: If you have a very young child, you or another trusted adult need to be available to be present when he’s interacting with the new dog, since gentleness can be a tough concept to both toddlers and puppies. (The AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Responsible Dog Owner’s Pledge, which you can find online, says that young children should always be supervised in the presence of dogs, for the safety of both the animal and the child.)

Understand the costs. Just like kids, dogs need to visit the vet for routine vaccinations, checkups, illnesses and injuries. (The AKC, ASPCA and other organizations offer pet insurance plans to help manage payments.) They also need to be fed special food just for dogs, and in addition to dog’s meals, you’ll want to supply occasional healthy treats. Early on, a crate and some sort of spray carpet cleaner are helpful, and grooming supplies and toys are also important to have on hand. Finally, if you go away a lot, you’ll need to pay a pet-sitter or kennel to watch over your dog. Toss in replacements for household objects puppies inevitably teethe on (slippers, rosebushes), and you get the picture: Dogs don’t come cheap.

Volunteer with your child at a dog shelter to get a taste of caretaking responsibilities. “It’s a great way to determine if a dog is the right pet for the family,” says Dr. Burch. A responsible breeder might also be willing to allow you to have multiple visits to interact with adult dogs to determine if a particular breed is right for your family.

Test your readiness with a lower maintenance animal. Start with a goldfish; if the kids seem committed to its care and feeding, move to a guinea pig or rabbit. They’re cuddly like dogs, but require less work, so they are a good test of whether your family is on board for pet-care beyond a month or two. You may discover, like us, that a dog will be a wonderful pet—someday.