Parents – September 2019

HOW TO

HANDLE

HEADACHES

If your child says her head

hurts, it’s totally fine to

give her acetaminophen

or ibuprofen, but keep

it to fewer than four days in

any week to avoid overuse.

Headaches might be due

to stress, fatigue, lack of

fluids, or hunger. “They

happen when the brain is

in an energy deficit,” says

Marc DiSabella, D.O.,

director of the Headache

Program at Children’s

National Health System, in

Washington, D.C. To help

prevent them, school-age

kids should drink about

five glasses of water and

work in at least 60 minutes

of physical activity daily,

sleep eight to 11 hours at

night, and eat a balanced

diet including fruits and

veggies.

The pain can also result

from excessive screen

time or a vision problem,

says Wendy Sue Swanson,

M.D., a Parents advisor

and a pediatrician at

Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Too much screen use can

cause eye strain, which

increases headache risk,

so have your kid watch in

smaller increments rather

than for hours at a time

(and always put the tablet

away two hours before

bed). If she complains

about squinting to see the

board in class, see an

ophthalmologist. And if

she continues to have

headaches, talk to her

pediatrician.

EDITORS’

PICKS

1. Research hasn’t proven
   they’re effective.
   When kids ages 5 to 16 with
   both autism and severe sleep
   problems slept under a
   weighted blanket, neither their
   quality of sleep nor behavior
   improved, an American
   Academy of Pediatrics study
   found. The same goes for kids
   without autism: No research
   has shown that these blankets
   help children sleep better than
   with traditional ones.


2. They could be dangerous
   to use when a child is asleep.
   You might think that a weighted
   blanket could provide a sense
   of comfort to your child if he’s
   struggling to fall or stay
   asleep—some people describe
   it as feeling like a hug. Most
   blankets come with an age
   range of 4 years and up, but
   Dr. Landa doesn’t recommend
   that any kids use them while
   sleeping, as they can be too
   heavy for a child to move. If
   your little one can't push his

blanket out of the way in the

night, his air access may be

limited, which could lead to

suffocation. A blanket that’s too

heavy can also decrease your

child’s circulation and affect his

heart rate or blood flow.

3. It’s important to talk to
   your doctor first.
   If you’ve thought about using
   a weighted blanket because
   your child is showing signs of
   a behavioral issue like anxiety
   or hyperactivity, check with
   your pediatrician. “Parents
   should only use a weighted
   blanket on their child if an
   occupational therapist, who
   has training in the area, has
   recommended it,” Dr. Landa
   says. (Your kid’s doc would
   refer you to an O.T.) Plus, a
   blanket should be bought only
   from a reputable distributor,
   should come with a list of
   precautions, and should have
   higher safety standards than
   other blankets on the market.
   — K.T.

—Kara Thompson

FOR YOUR BIG KID

An electric brush can reduce

plaque by 21 percent and gingivitis

by 11 percent, research has

found. Now, Quip brushes come

in a kid size. It has soft bristles

and a two-minute timer that

pulses every 30 seconds to tell

your kid when to switch to

her next tooth zone. Our tester,

Violeta, 10 (daughter of

Julia Tortoriello, deputy editor

of sister mag Parents Latina),

loved this feature! Toothpaste

and a new brush head can come

in the mail every three months.

Ages 3+, $25 and up; getquip.com

Are Weighted Blankets Safe?

Not for young kids. You may see ads for them

on your social feeds, but they don’t have doctors’

approval. First thought to help calm kids who

have special needs, weighted blankets (which feel like

the X-ray apron at the dentist) are now touted

as a way to help any restless kid sleep better. Before

you click “buy,” consider these facts from

Parents advisor Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., executive

director of the Center for Autism and Related

Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute, in Baltimore.

To o t h b ru s h e s

We Love (and Your

Kids Will Too!)

If getting your child to

brush is like pulling teeth,

these scrubbers might

convince her to open up.

—E.E.

FOR YOUR BEGINNER

So your toddler isn’t a fan of

sticking a clunky piece of plastic

in his mouth? Consider Brushies,

silicone brushes that look like

finger puppets. A pack comes

with a book that explains how

“sugar bugs” run away when you

brush. Parents’ photo editor,

Joanna Muenz, tested them with

her 2-year-old, Simon, who tends

to clamp his teeth shut. “He liked

picking out which color to

use, and he held his mouth open!

I was in shock and awe,” she

says. Ages 4 weeks to 4 years,

$30 for a set; thebrushies.com

TOP LEFT: LIZ SALLEE BAUER/OFFSET. CENTER: LAUREN NAEFE/STOCKSY. RIGHT, FROM TOP: PETER ARDITO; COURTESY OF THE BRAND.

PARENTS 22 SEPTEMBER 2019

KIDSÑNews + Ideas