At the conference, there was a keynote address by Dr. Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, Medical Director, Pain & Palliative Care, from Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of MN. His presentation was both informational and comical. Others sitting by me wondered if I knew him since I was from MN, but I did not. An important and somewhat surprising point that he made was that it wasn’t until 1987 that infant pain was recognized! In 1985, there was an infant with a heart defect. They performed open heart surgery on him with NO PAIN MEDICATION; he died. Can you believe that?
Statistically, the younger the child is, the less likely they are to receive medications. Dr. Friedrichsdorf also discussed the golden rules of pediatric pain management, pain assessment, and medication administration. He pointed out that kids DO remember pain and that integrative therapies really do work.
He also noted that procedural pain for infants is adverse and should be avoided at all times. This was an extremely informational presentation.
I haven’t posted for a while, I know. I was at the National Child Life Conference.
I learned many new techniques and was able to network with child life professionals. I attended a new member/first-timer orientation at the beginning of the conference. It was nice to meet other first-timers and get oriented for the conference. Next was the roundtable networking for professionals. Again, I was able to meet and network with others in the field, as well as introduce myself and our program at DCTC.
Communicate with children more effectively earlier in life
Did you know that I’m offering an exciting sign language course this summer? See the article below…
Coming this July, Dawn Braa, an instructor in the Child Development program at DCTC, will be offering Sign Language in Early Childhood, CDEV2715, a one-credit course that gives child care providers, teachers and parents the chance to learn how to communicate with children more effectively earlier in life.
The course begins July 5, 2010, and meets Monday and Thursday through July 22 from 6 p.m. to 8:25 p.m. in Room 2–206 on the college’s Rosemount campus.
Designed to equip students, parents, and caregivers with the tools they need to introduce signing in child care environments serving preverbal children. Sign Language in Early Childhood will examine research, review benefits of signing with hearing infants, practice modeling signs, identify strategies for parental involvement with sign and discover how to create learning opportunities in daily activities.
To learn more about this ground-breaking course, contact Dawn Braa at 651-423-8315.
Although the video mentions it, I am not offering an online course this summer (2010).
I just have to tell you about these great monster-like pals…
Meet Willard (left) and Mabel (right). Shiznits are very hip plush toys that are made of high quality materials and lots of love.
My son got a Shiznit (Willard) for Christmas. He LOVES it! They are very soft and cozy, but yet hip and cool! Willard has a small pocket on the back too which allows my son to tuck away small gadgets, snacks, etc. Everyone comments on his ‘monster’ where ever my son takes him.
I don’t know that it’s recommended, but we washed Willard at the local Laundry mat the other day and he came out perfectly and smelled fantastic. (We let him air dry)
Your Shiznit will be there during illness & hospital stays, rainy days, fights with friends, & …when you are scared.
Shiznits Are Great For…
• All Occasion Gifts
• Loving–Plus It’s a Toy
• Decorating Your Child’s Room
• Start a Shiznits Collection
• Conversation Piece
• Children’s Travel Companion
• Photo Holder
Shiznits Are…
• Hip/Stylish
• Memorable Gifts
• Unique
• High Quality
• Proudly Made in the USA
Quality
• High Quality Materials
• Detailed Work & Fine Stitching
• There is a lifetime of Love embedded in our Lovies
So Ugly They’re Cute!
Give a Shiznit, Get a Smile.
It just so happens that the Shiznit creator is our guest speaker of the month! Listen to her blog message HERE and find out how to save 20% on your first order!
I just saw a report…perhaps you’ve seen it too. In Indonesia, there’s a tourist attraction – and sadly it’s a two year old toddler that smokes. I don’t even know how to react to this story. It’s obviously true because the child is on video doing it. The child isn’t hiding it or doing it secretly. He’s not sneaking his parents cigarettes. His family is nearby…….watching, smiling, laughing.
His father claims that he first gave his son a smoke when he was 18 months old. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? I don’t understand the decisions these parents have made. Are they cashing in from this? Perhaps they are simply unaware of the effects of smoking.
Now the child is 2 and is addicted. He throws major temper tantrums and gets physically sick if he doesn’t fulfill his ‘habit’. “He’ll hit his head against the wall until he gets them”, his mom said. Apparently, he smokes TWO PACKS a day! The father says “He looks healthy to me. I don’t see anything wrong with it.” A child lighting up and smoking doesn’t look healthy to me at all.
What a shame this is…we know what smoking can do to an adult body…imagine what its doing to a child that is still developing. I can only wonder what impact this will have on his life.
According to recent research, the average age of beginner smokers in Indonesia is SEVEN, Indonesian Child Protection Commission chairman Hadi Supeno said.
How do you feel about this? How would this be different if it happened in the US? What would you recommend in this situation? Comment below.
Here’s a product that has been on the market for a little while. Parents and professionals alike seem to like it. I’m not sure yet how I feel about it.
You’ve all seen what happens to a child when they fall sleep in their carseat or stroller. Heck, it even happens to me when I fall asleep in the car! Gravity shows it nasty grip and your head falls.
With this product, the Head Snuggler, the head is securely held in place. The child sleeps comfortably with no stiff neck, no head jerking, and you’re not trying to prop their head up while you’re driving.
Sounds great right? I’m not 100% sure yet. If the child is awake, they could pull it down over their head easily and suffocate. If they want to move their head, they are unable. I should also point out that this product is not a safety product (it will rip in an accident from the force).
I’ve read numerous parent reviews that were completely satsified with this product. Apparently pediatricians, etc. have even endorsed it. I believe that when you add things to a carseat that were not designed/safety tested for that carseat, you can do more damage than good.
Have you used this product? What are your thoughts about it? Comment below and let me know.
As another holiday weekend nears, I’d like to put a question out there for YOU to answer.
What Memorial Day family tradition did you have as a child? Do you have now? Why are traditions important? What value do they hold? Why is it important for children to participate in traditions?
Movies are getting so expensive! I went to the BABIES movie a couple weeks ago and it was $10 a ticket! That can be tough during these economic times…especially if you have a family of more than….one.
Did you know that the Mall of America offers FREE movie screenings of G- and PG-rated flicks on Saturday mornings? Seating is first-come, first-served, so be early.
May 22 Kit Kittredge
May 29 Happily Never After
June 5 and June 9 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
June 12 and June 16 The King and I
June 19 and 23 Mrs. Doubtfire
June 26 and June 30 The Princess Bride
July 3 and July 7 E.T.
July 10 and July 14 Big Fat Liar
July 17 and July 21 Planet 51
July 24 and July 28 Cheaper by the Dozen
July 31 and August 4 BIG
August 7 and August 11 The Sound of Mu
August 14 and August 18 Little Giants
August 21 and August 25 Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
August 28 and September 1 Journey to the Center of the Earth
As you know, I’m training for the IronGirl competition in the fall. The last two weeks were intense for me…not for training, but for the end of the semester (grades!) Needless to say, I didn’t do any training and had my fair share of unhealthy foods. I don’t really want to train, but I need to push myself. I need to get healthy and stay healthy so I can be my best self. When I’m at my best, I have more to give to others
It’s time to kick it now…so yesterday, I went for an hour and a half walk/jog. It was pretty easy-going actually. We have some very nice trails around here where you can walk in the woods. When the sun shines through, it’s very pretty.
Last night, I also ran a 5k. I am not a runner! I cranked up the tunes on my ipod and pushed myself. Run…run…run…control your breathing…keep going. Since I was running in our community center, I had to do 31 laps! I had a watch timer that kept track of my laps and time. Each lap took me about a minute so I finished in 32.11. Not bad for my first time, considering I don’t run. I despise running. It’s not fun, it hurts, and I don’t like it. I’m going to push myself to continue though. I want to shave off 10-20% of that time by the end of the summer. You have to set goals if you plan to reach them. Otherwise, it’s just a desire, not a goal.
Do you have goals that should be set? Maybe it’s a health/fitness related goal. Maybe it’s something else. Now is the time to set those goals and make plans to reach them.
I know that I don’t enjoy running and could easily wimp out of working towards my goal so I joined a walk/run club that meets every Saturday. As a group, we train on Saturday mornings and our trainer also gives us ‘homework’ to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other off days, I’ll ride bike or rollerblade to stay active. I also need to add in a streching regimen. That’s it for today…until next time…
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