From the first moments that I became a Mother about eleven years ago I chose every magazine for parents of babies to subscribe to. I received an offer to purchase The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Children. This book is from the Editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books .

The last 25 plus pages are an extensive Index to find help in treating Jellyfish stings to swimmer’s ear. The first eight pages are the Contents broken down by the letters of the Alphabet. Simply look under C to find Canker Sores and tips for taming the kid who is hooked on video games under V.

I have Eczema and found strategies to stop the itching that work well for me also. When Nicholas learned of Chicken Pox from watching an episode of Arthur he insisted that the freckles on his body were indeed chicken pox. I flipped to page 85 to read some of the symptoms to try to explain what he should look for.

Under A there are many sections that I have sought out time and again, like Asthma, Anemia and Attention Problems. Next you can learn how to rid bad breath and get guidance for breast feeding and burping.

When you search under H you can find help for hairtangles, heat exhaustion and halting hiccups. If your child gets nosebleeds you can find techniques to stop the flow. There is advice on night terrors that will help with the bedtime blues.

When Matthew had problems digesting milk I looked up lactose intolerance to learn how to handle this, and learned it could be temporary. In The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Children there is a section devoted to tips on safety, prevention which includes car seat safety and drowning. A First-Aid section lists frostbite, poisoning and suffocation.

The information contained consists of over 1,100 tips from Pediatricians, Nurses, Dietitians and Child Psychologists to cover newborns through preteens. The intent is to be used as a reference manual and not to take away from contacting your Physician or utilizing a hotline offered by many HMO’s nowadays.

I also have another book not listed in the directory that I use by Parents Magazine, called It Worked for Me. This is a compilation of tips by readers sent into the magazine. I highlight items of interest and leave bookmarks throughout on specific areas that I read frequently.

There is a box under many headings stating Medical Alert . Inside the box it has When to see the Doctor and gives examples of the course of action to be
taken. For many of the categories there is specific information for older children

For example under Chapped Skin:
Medical Alert - When to see the Doctor -

"If your child is itchy over a wide area of his body, or if his skin is cracking, seek professional help, says Rodney S. W. Basler, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Bacteria can invade the skin through such cracks and cause infections."”

Each Medical Alert has information from a specific Doctor with their association listed. The next heading under Chapped Skin is Treatment:

Apply bath oil directly to the skin - Use a good bath oil like Alpha-Keri...

Leave the desert - A room humidifier is a must ....

Another heading entitled, Preventive Care:

Skip the powder - Avoid following a bath with talc or powder.....

Dress your child in soft clothes - Be especially aware that denim has a tendency to chafe the skin.....

Toss out dryer sheets - Instead of using sheets switch to fabric softener.

The headings are amusing for some too, like under Gas Pains it states, "How to Burst the Bubbles and for Side Stitches, So long to the Pain. If someone has a tick bite you will learn how to stop the attacks by reading page 360 in The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Children.

By reading through this comprehensive guide you will get hints for relieving the coughs at nighttime, how to treat a fever and how to handle growing pains and overweight problems in children.

When researching the back Index I picked oatmeal baths, as treatment for:

anal itching, 10
chickenpox, 84
hives, 219-220
poison ivy, oak and sumac, 281
prickly heat, 289
sunburn, 343-344

It is also listed under Peanut Butter

canker sores and, 72
cholesterol and, 88
for hair tangles, 199

There is a broad range of topics to learn from reading The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies for Children. The perfect gift for either Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or to have at the grandparents house for vacations and holiday visits.

If you know someone who is going to have a baby this would make a great shower gift for both parents to familiarize with before the baby arrives. Those who run a daycare business in their home or work at a facility would benefit from having this book on hand for emergency purposes. I have the hardcover edition with 450 pages of advice for health problems and childhood illnesses and how to’s.

I suggest this is a must have for today’s parents who want to be more prepared before going to the Doctor and sitting for hours, now you can try some home remedies beforehand.

Previously published on Epinions



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