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Raising physically healthy children is a top priority for us moms. We grew up thinking that a child’s weight is the sole indicator of his/her state of health. However screening a child’s growth is more complex than we could imagine. Other factors should also be considered together with weight such as height, age and gender. In fact, the type of diet and daily activities can also affect a child’s physical development. So is there a helpful tool that can guide parents in checking if their child is on a healthy growth and development path? Yes, there is!

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)–for-Age

The Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-Age is a good estimate of body fat content as it uses a child’s height and weight in its calculation. This is different from adult BMI because it takes to consideration, not only the height and weight, but also the age and gender of your child.

With the BMI-for-Age, moms can screen and check whether their children are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese. Though it is not a diagnostic tool, the BMI-for Age can give moms an indication of the state of their kid’s health. Together with this tool, consulting your pediatrician is still recommended so that you can get a holistic picture of your child’s wellness and the pediatrician can expertly devise how to address any concern. For example if your child does not meet his ideal MBI-for Age, your doctor may help you create an action plan on how you can help your child become healthier.

How to calculate Body Mass Index of your child?

1. Weigh your child using the bathroom scale. To ensure accuracy of result make sure to remove heavy articles of clothing and shoes. Jot down number.

2. Grab a tape measure. Have the child stand with his back against a wall. Place a tick mark on the wall with a marker and measure his height in inches. Now square that number.

3. Make the equation. Take the weight, divide it by the height in inches squared and then multiply by 703 to get the body mass index.

Indications:

Having a Body Mass Index above the 95^th percentile means your child is overweight. While a BMI that is above the 85^th percentile for his age put your child at risk of becoming overweight.

On the contrary, being underweight or at risk of being underweight means that your child has a body mass index for his age that is lower than the 5th percentile. This can be normal, especially if your child has been growing and developing normally, has a healthy diet, and is sound and active.

What’s alarming about your child being an underweight are issues such as not gaining at all or if he has recently lose weight brought by diarrhea, vomiting, poor appetite, an unhealthy diet, or a low energy level. An immediate medical attention is needed if you suspect your child is having any of the above mentioned weight-lowering conditions.

See also BMI Calculator.

Tags: child's health, family, health watch, parenting

I hate to start counting but my niece Jam just can’t seem to go a year without making a side trip to the emergency every time. This time it is high fever, dehydration and hyperventilation that caused her to have bad muscle spasms – making her stiff, unable to walk – leaving my dear big sister (the mom) to freak out. The worst part is, she refuse to take prescriptions all the time so off to the hospital, we go.

The confinement runs for 3 days. All necessary laboratory tests we’re performed, oxygen tank at her bedside while IV tube is in her vein all through-out the admission. Initially the doctor thought it was electrolyte imbalance but later concluded hyperventilation which she finds rare at her age of seven.

Jam’s hospital bed

What is Hyperventilation?

According to Wikipedia Hyperventilation (or sometimes referred to as “overbreathing”) is a state of breathing faster or deeper than normal causing excessive expulsion of circulating carbon dioxide. Because of the breathing patterns when hyperventilating, the air is moving in and out of the body too rapidly which, in turn, brings the level of carbon dioxide in the blood below normal. Low carbon dioxide level causes the calcium levels in the body’s fluids to also go below normal which affects the nerve; thus the tingling and dizziness. Stress and anxiety brought by various lifestyle risk factors are common causes of hyperventilation.

Going through all the descriptions printed in Wikipedia about this kind of health issue now made me understand better why the doctor called it “rare” for my niece’s age.

Traumatic experience can be a factor in developing fear or a phobia that may eventually cause one to hyperventilate at a certain point of their life. My sister believed the poor girl developed it while she’s still a baby. Without anyone noticing it, a drunken brother-in-law of hers once lit a loud firecracker inside their house where my then still a baby niece is fast asleep. That was Christmas and the couple could only react as much.

Going back to our hospital trip… there’s my niece on her hospital bed started screaming at the top of her lungs over insufferable pain for her, I can tell out from that leg cramps…her legs already swollen.

Would you believe how a simple thing, so light-weight brown paper bag helps the condition of my niece? My sister and I were indeed amazed! I couldn’t help to look it up and find out how it does magic to ease pain caused by hyperventilation.

To help her stop from feeling the pain, the doctor asked one of the nurses to put the brown bag on and let her easily breath through it until such time her legs starts to soften up. By breathing easily through a brown paper bag, you replace blown off carbon dioxide during hyperventilation. Then shortly she fell asleep. Amazing!

The following morning, though she still refused to walk, her legs already started to go back to its normal shape while the rest of our hospital stay was for her on and off fever and dehydration to get treated.

these tells the amount of medicines she had to orally take alone

All keyed up to check out the hospital on the third day.

Tags: health issues