Page 6 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume II, Issue IV January 2000 Process and Procedure Parents Watch for Signs of RSV Infection in Children As adults, we are concerned with the outcomes or the product of our efforts. We want the report to look nice, the cookies to taste great, or the hedges to be perfectly straight. We participate in few activities just for the fun of doing them. In part this is because we are not still learning how to do most of these activities. But do you remember when you learned how to play tennis or golf? Or use a new computer program? In the beginning you needed a certain amount of time for “messing around,” exploring what happens if you did this or that. That is the way it is with your child. Kids are learning new things all of the time, and they need the freedom to try things out without worrying about the end product. Luckily, young children tend to be more involved with the process or the doing than they are with the end product or results. That is why your child may draw all afternoon yet still not be able to tell you what s/he drew. And why one child can pour rice back and forth between pitchers all day long, and another string and unstring beads every day for a week. It is hard for adults to look beyond the product of an activity and see what the child is learning from the process. Perhaps s/he’s learning coordination or beginning writing skills or making discoveries about triangles or gravity. S/he’s certainly finding out that doing for one’s self is very satisfying—and that builds confidence. Be patient. Allow your child the time to grow and learn through the various processes that are part of the task. Enjoy watching his or her involvement. Later, we all can be proud of the product. *Call For Details* *Call For Details* With the arrival of cold weather children, like adults, spend more time inside, usually with other people. Throw in a few holiday parties and the potential for infection by colds and other viruses increases greatly. While adults can usually fight off a cold or flu or other viruses, children can have difficulty doing so, and are also prone to different infections. One of the more serious viral infections children are prone to during winter months is RSV bronchiolitis. RSV bronchiolitis refers to a condition that primarily effects children under three years of age during the winter months. It starts with a viral infection that leads to increased mucus production and tissue swelling in the airways of the lungs. Severe breathing problems in young children can develop. A virus known as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is responsible for over 50% of the cases. Other viruses such as influenza and para-influenza can also cause this disease process. It is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations for children in this age group. The “bronchiolitis season” usually lasts several months—from November to May. Infants and toddlers usually have more severe symptoms, while older children and adults tend to have much milder coldlike symptoms. The infection is often spread through small droplets produced during coughing, sneezing or general conversation. It can also be spread through contact with clothing and other household items contaminated with secretions containing the virus. The most common symptoms are Note: Provided by Old Firehouse Child Care *Taken from Family-Friendly the same as those seen with the Communications for Early Childhood common cold—fever, congestion, Programs, published by the NAEY. runny nose and a cough. Vomiting Deborah Diffly and Kathy Morrison, and diarrhea are unusual. In young editors, 1996. children, vomiting may be seen associated with bouts of harsh coughing. Receive a FREE Week of Preschool or Day Care Most children will have a noticeably large amount of clear PRESCHOOL mucus discharge from LEARNING TIME the nose. In mild cases, these symptoms KINDERGARTEN READINESS PROGRAM will last two or three • Early Start Phonics Reading Program days without further • Pre-Math w/Shapes & Numbers complications. In • Creative Learning Projects more severe cases, the • Self-Esteem Builders cough and congestion will continue to Reasonable Rates worsen. The airways Family Discounts in the lungs become Flexible Schedule 2-5 Days Per Week more swollen and Morning or Afternoon Classes irritated as they fill up Full Day Care Available & More with thick mucus and secretions. Severe =CALL TODAY-745-5600= wheezing develops Now Introducing (similar to that seen in Sunshine Generation Dance & children with asthma). Singing Classes Newborns have been known to stop breathing completely when it becomes too difficult for them to move air in and out of “Quality & Learning You Can Depend On” A Trusted Name in Preschool & Childcare their lungs. Serving Ogden Valley Families Since 1996 Certain infants are Receive a FREE Week of Preschool or Day Care especially at risk for normal, a physician should be severe bronchiolitis and its contacted immediately. Other signs to complications. These include infants look for include blueness around the with chronic lung and heart disease, as lips or face, lethargy or irritability and well as infants born prematurely. All poor feeding in infants. Severe precautions should be taken to bronchiolitis will often require inminimize exposure for these children. hospital treatment with oxygen and Although a vaccine is not yet various medications to dilate the available, recent studies show that airways. early treatment with a RSV antibody may be effective in reducing the risk Note: Information on RSV for infection in high-risk infants. infections was provided by Dr. King F. Hom of Barhorst and Hom There is no effective medicine to Pediatrics. treat an RSV infection and bronchiolitis. In mild cases, children For more information on RSV should be treated as if they had the contact Barhorst and Hom Pediatrics common cold—rest, fluids, Tylenol or at 398-6450, or McKay-Dee Advil for fever. Cold preparations can Hospital’s Community Health be used as needed for runny nose, Information Center at 398—2766. cough and congestion. The use of a humidifier in the bedroom may also be helpful. 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