Getting creative with our children - We3threeblog

In an earlier post I mentioned I was trying to get some guest parents on my blog to tell us about how they and their children enjoy to get creative and how we can do it to on those rainy days and the school holidays. I think it's important that we have hands on creative fun with our children and here, we3threeblog has shared their amazing creative pieces that you can do with your children too!

Here we have we3threeblog who has a son, Z, has just turned 4. 

- what sort of creative things do you and your children do?

We do lots of creative things, junk modelling, stickers, painting, sticking, chalking, drawing/colouring and play doh.

- How often do you do creative things with your children?

We do creative things most days as we dont watch tv til after tea or play on computers yet so we have lots of time to spend doing crafty things.

- What is your children's favourite creative activity?

Z's current favourite thing is cutting and sticking. He has a scrapbook that he likes sticking any of his favourite pictures in.

- What is the most recent artwork that you and your children made?
Our most recent make is robert the robot. i blogged about making him here http://we3three.typedock.com/blog/5709/junk-modelling---robot-. 

- what is your favourite piece of art work/ picture that you and your children made?
My favourite recent creative creation was our fruit art picture. we drew pictures of fruit, cut them out and stuck them in a drawn fruit bowl.  I blogged about it here http://we3three.typedock.com/blog/5454/fruit-art.

I think these are some amazing ideas and I look forward to trying them out with Max. Thank you we3threeblog for sharing them with us!

For more great ideas and information on these creative crafts check out http://we3three.typedock.com/

Children's first aid

Knowing the basics in first aid can save a life in an emergency and I think that it is important that everyone should know the basics. It is definitely well worth learning especially if you have children, we all know how mischievous they can be! I'm blogging about it to raise awareness and to have the information fresh in my mind and at hand if ever I may need it.

The following examples show it only takes a few minutes to learn new skills that could save a baby’s life.

In an emergency:

Call for help, and try to work as calmly and quickly as you can.

1. Check if the baby is conscious. 
Can you get a response? Talk to him or call his name, and try tapping him gently on the sole of his foot. If there is no response you need to check for breathing.
2. Open the airway: Place one hand on his forehead and gently tilt his head back. Then using your other hand use one finger to lift the baby’s chin.
3. Take a quick look and remove any visible obstructions from his mouth and nose.
4. Look, listen and feel for normal breathing: Place your face next to the baby’s face and listen for breathing, at the same time look along his chest and abdomen for any movement. You may also be able to feel the baby’s breath on your cheek. Allow up to 10 seconds to check if your baby is breathing or not.
5. If the baby is not breathing:

• If another person is present, ask them to call an ambulance straight away.
• If you are alone give 1 minute of CPR then take your baby with you to call an ambulance.

How to do CPR

This valuable skill could save your baby's life:

1. Place your baby on a firm surface. Open his airway by placing one hand on his forehead and gently tilting his head back, then with your other hand use one finger to lift the baby’s chin.
2. Place your mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose and – by blowing steadily – attempt 5 initial rescue breaths.
3. Place 2 fingers in the middle of his chest and press down one third of the depth of the chest. After 30 chest compressions give 2 rescue breaths.
4. Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths until emergency help arrives.

Recovery Position

If a baby is unconscious but breathing, the safest position to hold a baby is known as the ‘recovery position’. Hold him on his side, head tilted, as if you were giving him a cuddle, with his head lower than his tummy.

Dial 999 or 112 in an emergency

112 is recommended for use on mobile phones as it gives a clearer signal, but 112 also works on landlines.
112 is commonly used for the emergency services in other European countries

How to deal with choking

If a baby is unable to breathe, cough or cry, and you suspect he has a severe obstruction in his throat, here’s what to do:

1. Lay the baby face down, head low, along your forearm.
2. Support his head and shoulders with your hand.
3. Thrust the heel of your hand, firmly, but not aggressively, up to 5 times between his shoulder blades – these are called back blows.
4. Check his mouth quickly after each blow and remove any obvious obstruction.

If the obstruction is still present:

1. Give up to 5 chest thrusts – place 2 fingers on the lower half of the baby’s breast bone and give 5 sharp downward thrusts.
2. Check the mouth quickly after each one. If the obstruction does not clear after 3 cycles of back blows and chest thrusts, call an ambulance.
3. Continue until help arrives.
4. If you have had to perform chest thrusts on your baby, he must be seen by a doctor.

How to treat bleeding

Blood loss can be serious and should be treated as quickly as possible. 

For a baby who is bleeding severely, your main aim is to stop the flow of blood.

If you have disposable gloves available, use them. It is important to reduce the risk of cross infection at all times.

• Check whether there is an object embedded in the wound. If you suspect there is something embedded, take care not to press on the object. Instead press firmly on either side of the object and build up padding around it before bandaging to avoid putting pressure on the object itself.
• If there is nothing embedded, press on the wound with your hand, ideally over a clean pad and secure with a bandage.
• If an arm or leg has been wounded, raise it above the level of the heart.
• Take the baby to hospital as soon as possible.

How to deal with accidental poisoning

If you think your baby has swallowed some tablets or medicine:

• Take him, and the bottle, immediately to an A&E department.
• Do not give your baby anything to make him sick.
• If you think your baby has swallowed a household or garden chemical, keep calm and get him to hospital as quickly as possible. Take the container from which he has swallowed with you.
• If your baby is in pain or his mouth is red, sore and blistering, give him sips of cold water or milk to soothe him until you get to hospital.
• Make a note of the time and how much chemical/how many tablets have been swallowed.

Burns and scalds

Burns and scalds are among the most common injuries requiring emergency treatment in the UK. 


With babies the most likely cause of scalds in the home is a baby that pulls a hot drink onto himself. Even if the drink does not feel hot to an adult it can still cause damage to a baby’s sensitive skin.

• Cool the burn as quickly as possible by placing the affected area under cold running water, for at least 10 minutes. A shower can be used to cool a burn providing you can support the baby in the shower. Ensure temperature is set to cool and the pressure is low 
Warning: Covering the whole baby, rather than just the area of the burn, with cold water could result in hypothermia.
• It is common for swelling to occur after a burn, so remove any tight clothing before the swelling occurs. However, do not remove clothing or material that may be sticking to the burn.
• Raise the limb to reduce swelling.
• Cover the injury using a clean pad or cling film, and call an ambulance.

Knowing first aid

First aid is a great skill to have, so why not reinforce what you have just learnt and build up your confidence by booking yourself onto a first aid course?
Do relatives or friends look after your baby for you? Make sure that they too know what to do should an accident happen.

This information has come from this website http://www.bounty.com/baby/care/emergency-first-aid


The Red Cross is the world’s largest first aid training provider so you can trust it to deliver courses to the highest standard, with the most up to date information and techniques

More first aid information:

• The Red Cross: www.redcross.org.uk/firstaid or call the national first aid helpline on 0870 170 9222 or email firstaid@redcross.org.uk.
• No time for a course? Why not order a copy of First aid for Babies and Children Fast, published by the British Red Cross and Dorling Kindersley. Order online atwww.redcross.org.uk/shop

Getting creative with our children

So basically I thought it would be a great idea for everyone to share what they do with their children on those dreary days, whether it's painting, sticking, baking, drawing, modelling clay, finger painting etc. Because let's face it, there will definitely be a couple of rainy days when we will have to keep our children occupied through the school holidays! So here is mine and Max's craft...

Tell me about the crafts that you and your children enjoy doing-

Me and Max enjoy painting, glueing and baking the most. Anything that isn't too expensive and isn't too hard to do!

How often do you do creative things with your children?

We try to do something creative at least 3 times a week. Max isn't at nursery yet so I like to keep his kind active by doing hands on activities as much as we can.

What is your children's favourite creative activity? 

Max enjoys to do anything that's messy especially finger-paints, he likes to paint his whole hands and feet and make hand and footprints! He also loves to use the glitter glues which leaves us finding glitter everywhere for days!

What is the most recent art work your children made?

Myself and Max made a lovely picture this morning because it looked quite rainy outside and we didn't think we would be going out. We decided to make a flowery picture. I cut out the flower shapes and Max glued them down. There is a bit of glitter glue on there too which isn't any surprise if it's anything to do with Max!

What is your favourite creation you and your children have ever made?

One of my favourite pieces that me and Max made was his park picture. It was a dry afternoon and me, Nick and Max went for a walk in the park. We collected twigs and leaves and when we got home we made a picture from the things we had. It was a great day and it meant that the fun didn't have to stop when we got home. Not only that we have a lovely picture on the wall to remind us about the nice day we all had!

If you are interested in answering these questions for my blog then please send me a direct message on twitter - @lastgirlinlove .

Hand, foot & mouth

We decided to take M to get some medical attention today. He hasn't been himself all weekend & has developed sores on his mouth & a rash on his bottom. It turns out he's got Hand, Foot & Mouth. And apparently the nurse had seen several cases of it today. I never knew much about this (apart from seeing an episode on Get Well Soon- Cbeebies) so thought I would share the information given to us today....

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a short lived illness mainly affecting children. It is not related to the disease with a similar name affecting cattle.

What causes it?

It is due to a virus infection. It is thought that a virus in the coxsackie group is responsible. Virus germs are tiny microscopic bugs that cause many of the common infections in children (other examples include chicken pox, German measles, mumps, etc.).

What are the symptoms?

Like many virus infections the illness often starts with a feeling of being unwell for a day or so. (We thought that M was coming down with the cold that we all had.) This might include a mild high temperature. After this a sore throat commonly occurs, quickly followed by small spots inside the mouth. Small spots also commonly appear on the hands and feet (and something's buttocks) but rarely affect the rest of the body. The spots are similar to chicken pox but are a lot smaller. Unlike chicken pox, they are not usually itchy but can be quite tender.

 

(M's spots on his mouth)

Is it serious?

No. The illness is usually mild and goes away within a week. The spots disappear. The child may be miserable because of a sore mouth for a few days. The high temperature may last a few days and may make the child feel unwell.

Is it infectious?

Yes. Like other virus infections it can be passed on. Sometimes small outbreaks occur in young children with close contacts eg in nurseries. Rarely, adults and older children may develop a mild form of the illness. The affected person will be infectious until the spots fade. The incubation period is anywhere between 2 and 10 days (that is it may take 2-10 days to develop symptoms after being exposed to an infected person).

Treatments

As it is a virus infection there is no specific treatment. Paracetamol should be given if there is a high temperature or soreness of the mouth. Drinks should be encouraged. Cool sloppy foods may be preferred for a day or so if the mouth is sore (eg. yogurts,ice cream etc.).

In summary, hand, foot and mouth disease is a virus infection mainly affecting children. It is usually mild and full recovery should be expected within a week.