Asthma In Toddlers And Children

The worse thing than childhood asthma is asthma in toddlers. Most children who have asthma developed the disease while they were still toddlers. With a reported 5 million American children suffering from asthma, 173 thousand of them hospitalized for severe symptoms and 864 thousand receiving emergency treatment annually, it is important that your toddler be evaluated for asthma as early as possible.

Since it is more difficult to diagnose asthma among infants and toddlers, it would be best to look for signs or symptoms that characterize the disease. Many cases of asthma deaths were due to the parents' failure to recognize the severity of the toddler's condition. Common colds and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis can exhibit asthma-like symptoms. But this does not mean you should ignore your child especially when he has difficulty in breathing or a wheezing cough.

When your toddler is diagnosed with asthma, it does not mean he will be forever afflicted with the disease. On the contrary, there are lots of documented cases where the toddler's asthma no longer persisted into adulthood. It can also be deduced from this observation that toddlers are more susceptible to asthma triggers but develops immunity as they grow older.

A toddler with asthma will have persistent cough that is hacking and congested. Sometimes the toddler may have wheezing cough and sometimes have none. In addition to this symptom, your toddler will display muscle retractions and flaring nostrils. He would also experience difficulty in breathing making feedings impossible. You will also observe your toddler rapidly breathing even while he sleeps. If you think, your toddler is breathing too rapidly, you should take him to the nearest hospital.

Another sign you should watch out for is your toddler's lack of stamina and enthusiasm during playtime. This may be because he is associating physical activities with breathing difficulties and naturally gets discouraged to join other children. Having him checked by your pediatrician can determine if your toddler has asthma.

Asthma in toddlers may be more difficult to manage. The best way to do this is to enlist the help of your care provider or his teachers. You can prepare some detailed instructions so they would know what to do in case of an asthma episode. Your toddler's pediatrician can help you prepare this set of instructions.

You should never take your toddler to a smoky place since cigarette smoke can easily trigger an asthma attack. Your pediatrician can test your child's sensitivity to dust mite protein. Sometimes, parents overlook the fact that stuffed toys are hosts to these dust mites. During falls and spring seasons when levels of pollen are high, you should limit your toddler's outdoor activities.

Emotional stress is also considered to be a trigger factor. Not only does it cause an asthma attack but it could also worsen asthma symptoms. Anxiety or panic attacks should be dealt with reasonable calm to help relax your child. The moment your toddler calms down you can administer treatment such as bronchodilator medication.

Keep your children safe and protect them from elements that can lead to long-term damage. These kinds of problems can haunt them through adulthood, so take caution when it comes to your young loved ones.

About the Author: Article provided by Sven Ullmann, who runs Deserved Health - a site dedicated to different health related articles. Read more about the Asthma in Toddlers and Children.

Wedding Favors - Ideas To Keep The Cost Down

I like the idea of creating your own wedding favors from the author. Not only will it be an unique wedding favor, it will also be very meaningful for the guests who attended your wedding.

Wedding favors are small gifts that the bride and groom give to thank their guests for attending their special day. This token of appreciation also provides everyone with a memento of your wedding day.

The hardest part is deciding what type of wedding favor to give your guests, as there are thousands of options to choose from.

So consider the rest of your wedding preparations. You might be able to find a small gift that reflects the general theme of your wedding. In Scotland, many people continue the cultural theme and give minature bottles of whisky decorated with tartan ribbon to their guests.

And if you're on a tight budget, but still want to give your guests something special to remember the day, here are a few things to consider.

1) Set A Budget

The first thing to do is to sit down with your partner and work out how much you have to spend on wedding favors. Once you've got a figure to work with it will help to narrow down your options and prevent you from overspending.

Wedding favors don't have to be overly lavish, it's the thought that counts.

Coasters are one of these gifts that everyone can make use of, but nobody ever thinks about buying. They represent an inexpensive gift that's both decorative and practical. Other popular gifts are candles, coffee/tea, or bath products such as soap.

Alternatively, your favors could relate to an interest that you or your partner have, such as wine tasting (a miniture bottle) or golf (a couple of golf tees tied with ribbon). In fact any little charm or trinket that has some relevance to your wedding could be considered a wedding favor. You're only limited by your imagination and budget.

2) Start Your Search Online

There are many different companies and shops that specialise in providing wedding accessories and favors. But one of the best options is to shop for your wedding favors online.

The internet makes it possible for you to search dozens of retailers from the comfort of your own home, instead of spending weeks trailing from store to store. In just a few hours it's possible to work out what's available and how much it will cost.

And due to their lower overheads, most internet retailers will be able to offer you a far better price than their high street counterparts. The vast majority of wedding favors only cost one of two dollars each, so it will certainly save you a lot of time, money and shoe leather.

3) Beware Of All The Tricks

If you decide to buy your favors from a store make sure that you ask to be shown items in your price range. Certain sales people will try to bump up the size of your order by showing you items of a slightly higher quality (and price) than you were looking for. Then, when they show you equivalent items from a cheaper range, the temptation is to go for the higher priced items, reasoning "it's only 50 cents extra per item!" This is one temptation that doesn't exist when you buy your favors online.

4) Consider Making Your Own Wedding Favors

For example, you could buy a collection of minature candles and bundle them together with various beads and ribbons. Alternatively, you could buy wax figures of the bride and groom and decorate them to match the character of you and your partner. The more work that you do, the less your wedding favors will cost.

5) Know How Many Favors You Need

Before you buy your favors, find out exactly how many people are coming to your wedding, so that you don't buy more favors than necessary. Although it's always a good idea to have a couple spare incase of unexpected guests. And find out how many of your guests are couples. You could consider giving a slightly better favor to each couple instead of one per person. This will reduce the overall cost of your wedding favors.

If your wedding budget is more generous you could consider custom engraved wedding favors, silver plated gifts or even a small crystal ornament. Crystal favors are universally popular, provide a touch of class and will last your guests a lifetime.

About the Author: Ellie Thomson runs YourWeddingDayEssentials.com. For more information on Wedding Favors visit www.YourWeddingDayEssentials.com for your free guide to planning the perfect wedding.