My six-year-old daughter repeatedly gets ear infections. So far this year she has had three antibiotics, and I am worried that it is affecting her hearing. What should I do?
Ear infections may involve the ear canal (otitis externa) or the space behind the ear drum, known as the middle ear (otitis media).
Most children will experience otitis media and recover without complication or frequent recurrence. This is because most ear infections are caused by respiratory viruses, which do not require antibiotic treatment.
However, when there are signs of more serious illness beyond the ear, or if an ear infection persists for more than two to three days, these may be caused by bacteria, and a course of antibiotics will be recommended.
Recurrent infections occurring three or more times in six months may be associated with thick mucus in the middle ear, leading to further ear infections, hearing loss and other complications. This is known as glue ear or a middle ear effusion. If your child has had this frequency of otitis media, it is important that your doctor refers her to an ENT specialist.
Grommets do not need to be removed, but will be expelled from the ear drum, usually several months later. Fortunately, bacterial ear infections are becoming less common, following the inclusion of a pneumococcal vaccine in the routine child immunisation schedule. The risk of ear infection can be reduced further in a young child by discontinuing bottle feeding and the use of a dummy beyond a year, and at any age by stopping your child being in contact with people who smoke.
My ten-year-old daughter is constantly anxious and worries about everything. How can I help her?
Ask your daughter to Google a picture of the brain, and find the bit that says ‘amygdala’. Ask her what shape she thinks it is. She may say an almond, but it doesn’t matter, as it’s the thinking that will help to engage in your chat.
You can talk about the job of
our amygdala, which is to protect us from danger – also known as our ‘flight or fight response’ or our ‘protective behaviour’ to alert us that something is not right.
The problem is that our amygdala does not stop and think, and sometimes, for a variety of reasons, our bodies can feel anxious and want to run even when there is nothing to be anxious about.
When it switches on by mistake, it needs us to take stock and breathe calmly through our nose in order to switch it off again.
If there is something out of the ordinary going on in your daughter’s life, this will give
her a safe forum to talk to you about it.
The Huge Bag of Worries, by Virgina Ironside, is also a lovely read for all ages. Good luck and please contact 449481 if you would like more confidential help.
I am looking for a family child carer to look after our children, but I dont know where to find the right person and what questions I need to ask them.
The choice of childcare is not an exact science, and what is right for one family is not for another.
Family child carers are registered by the Childcare Registration Department at Education.
They provide care and learning from their own homes for an average hourly rate of between £6.50 and £6.99.
Parents say that they value the flexibility that carers can offer, as well as the home environment.
There are two places to look for available carers – our website at www.jcct.org.je and the Jersey Association of Family Child Carer’s website at www.jacc.org.je, which is an excellent source of further information for prospective parents.
It is important to visit the potential carer’s home.
You can read their folder of policies and perhaps receive a copy of the terms and conditions.
The ‘What would you do if…’ question is always useful.
For example: ‘What would you do if my son, aged two, hit another child on the head with a toy building brick?’
For more information, visit this website or call 629901.
I had my first baby six months ago, but I am finding it very difficult to leave the house and feel teary most of the time. It should be the happiest time of my life, but I dont know why I am feeling so sad.
I’m sorry to hear you are feeling like this after the birth of your baby – but you are not alone.
Half of all new mothers can experience baby blues for five to ten days following the birthand experience irritability, changing moods and feeling tearful. If symptoms of low mood persist, it could be post-natal depression.
Research suggests that depression affects 11.8% of women ante-natally and 10 to15% in the post-natal period.
In the first instance, it helps to talk about how you are feeling with friends, family and your GP.
Health visitors are also there to offer support.
Together we can look at how you are feeling and consider whether you may have post-natal depression by asking a few questions or asking you to complete a ten-point questionnaire called the EPDS.
Dependent on the outcome, there is a range of services available to you, specific to whether your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.
Phone Family Nursing & Home Care on 443600 or visit their website.
My friends give amber teething necklaces to their babies, but I am worried that they are not safe to use. Would you recommend using these for teething babies?
Amber necklaces, bracelets and anklets pose a real risk to babies.
The beads are small and can easily become detached, making them a choking risk.
As the jewellery is intended to be worn 24 hours a day to be effective, this means leaving it on while the baby sleeps, which is a strangulation risk as well.
As fashion jewellery does not fall under the same stringent safety tests as children’s toys, they are not subject to EN safety standards.
However, when tested by UK Trading Standards, they have failed safety tests relating to choking, inhaling or swallowing small objects, and have been deemed as inherently unsafe for children under three years.
There are a number of other remedies available which do not raise the same concerns as amber jewellery, and for this reason Child Accident Prevention Jersey does not recommend the use of amber teething jewellery.
For more information, visit their website.
I am worried that my child might be bullying other children at school. What should I do?
Bullying is the persistent physical, mental and/or emotional abuse over a period of time by one or more people towards another person.
Bullies can be recognised not only by their actions, but also by their personae. Signs that a child might be a bully include: hangers-on gravitating towards them; others careful not to antagonise them; not working to potential; so confident that they may challenge adults.
Bullying is about the need to control everything around them.
They gain confidence in the knowledge that others fear them.
If you are concerned that your child is a bully, try not to be confrontational or apply sanctions, as negative behaviour like this will re-enforce their perceptions that their actions are acceptable.
Bullying is usually borne out of a fragile self-esteem, so it is important that a child is surrounded by a caring environment, one which in
which they feel safe and secure. They should be able to speak about his or her concerns with you.
Children at ease with themselves are less likely to bully. For more information, visit their website.
