Diaper rash is the most common infant skin problem. The rash, usually confined to the diaper area, is caused moisture, urine, stool, or irritating chemicals, usually from the diaper. If not treated promptly and appropriately, bacteria or yeast may invade the area and start an infection.
Simple diaper rashes are red, slightly rough, and scaly. They usually only involve the area covered by the diaper. The skin may be irritated by chemicals in disposable diapers or in the detergent used to launder cloth diapers. Plastic or rubber pants worn over the cloth diapers sometimes affect the skin [and always hold the moisture in against the skin].
If your baby stays in wet diapers too long, microorganisms and moisture can irritate his sensitive skin, leaving a large, bright red rash. Often you will detect an ammonia odor when changing your baby’s diapers.
Some babies are prone to getting yeast diaper rashes. The organism that causes the rash is the same one that causes vaginal yeast infections. The rash is usually found in the skin folds of a baby’s thighs.
Any of the above rashes may become infected with bacteria. The rash, instead of getting better, begins to get worse. It will become darker red, with some discharge. Oral antibiotics may be necessary to clear up such an infection.
Other causes of diaper rash include food and drug allergies, skin infections and contagious diseases [chicken pox or measles].
Most diaper rashes are simple to treat at home. Make sure your baby doesn’t stay in wet or soiled diapers for very long. Change his diapers frequently. If possible, let him go without diapers-letting his sore bottom be exposed to the air is best. There are many different ointments that are protective. For some babies, they help the rash clear up quickly, but for others they seem to make things worse. Avoid airtight rubber pants. They hold the urine and feces against the sore skin. If you suspect an allergic rash, stop giving your child whatever you think is the problem food.
Some rashes just don’t respond to home care. If the rash is getting much worse, if your baby is extremely uncomfortable, or if you can’t figure out what’s going on, give your doctor a call.
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502 E John St.
Carson City, NV 89706
866-957-8675
We all want our babies to be healthy, to grow and develop to their full potential as children and adults. But sometimes a baby is not healthy.
Some children are born with genetic defects that affect one or more of the body’s systems, such as muscular dystrophy [the progressive wasting away of muscles], mental disorders, and color blindness. Down syndrome is a genetic birth defect that often involves many of the body’s systems, leading to physical problems and mental retardation.
Other children are born with genetic body chemistry disorders, such as phenylketonuria [PKU], which affects metabolism, cystic fibrosis, which affects the mucus-producing glands in the body, and Tay Sachs disease, which leads to progressive neurological deterioration and death at an early age. Some genetic disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, , and thalassemia, affect the ability of the blood cells to perform their natural functions.
Sometimes something happened in the cells when the fetus was forming that altered the way the baby developed in the womb. A child may have genetic defects that affect the size or shape of the body or of various organs, such as dwarfism, spina bifida [open spine], hydrocephalus, [head enlarged because of fluid accumulation], clubfoot, cleft lip or palate, and some congenital heart defects.
In other cases, the baby’s genes may be perfectly normal but something happened while the fetus was developing that caused damage. Perhaps the mother had rubella [German measles], which affected the baby’s hearing or vision. Some babies are born too soon, before they are completely developed. Sometimes something happens in the womb or at birth that caused brain damage leading to mental retardation or cerebral palsy [which affects movement and posture].
Some children contract a serious illness, like meningitis, within their first few years that causes hearing loss or brain damage leading to disabilities. Many defects show up immediately or shortly after birth or an illness, but some problems may not be obvious until the child is several months or even several years old.
Severe handicapping conditions when not treated, may result in stunted emotional and mental development as well as severe physical problems.
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Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
866-957-8675
There are two ways of setting up a large aquarium. The most natural situation is to have a large unfiltered tank which is well planted and contains only a few fish. This should require no aeration. Over the course of time a thick layer of.mulm builds up on the bottom. This is a combination of fish waste and fragments of deteriorating plant leaves. A tank of this type has a natural appearance and should be left alone without frequent changes of the fish population. The number of fish that can be kept in this way is limited.
Most hobbyists prefer a filtered tank with a larger potential fish population and a clean bottom free of mulm. Both outside and bottom filters are equally effective in removing particulate material from the water. Bottom filters have the additional feature of supplying effective aeration as well as filtration. Subsand filters work on a different principle and draw the fine particulate matter down into the gravel where an aerobic (oxygen-loving) bacterial culture builds up and breaks down the filtered material into harmless compounds. This type of filtration is usually effective and will keep a tank crystal clear in most cases but it is not too effective in the case of large, particularly dirty fish like goldfish. The subsand filter also seems to have an inhibiting effect on plant growth. A bad feature about this filter is that once the filter is established it cannot safely be turned off The aerobic bacteria will die and anaerobic bacteria which can live in the gravel without the constant flow of fresh oxygenated water will rapidly take over and may putrify the water.
A similar effect can occur if antibiotics are used in a tank with a functioning subsand filter. In this case the aerobic bacteria may be killed by the antibiotic and subsequent cloudiness can occur. A thick layer of gravel must be used with a subsand filter to make the filter effective. Other tanks need a layer of gravel only thick enough to adequately root their plants. An even thinner layer of gravel can be used if the aquarium plants are grown in individual pots. This practice has an additional advantage in enabling the hobbyist to move the plants for cleaning the tank or for netting fish.
Approximately ten to twenty percent of the water in a tank should be changed weekly under ideal conditions. This prevents the build-up of excess nitrogenous wastes and will help keep the entire tank in good condition. In hard water areas this routine will also prevent the build-up of excessive hardness. Rapid changes in temperature, pH, or hardness will have a weakening effect on fish. Most fish will do well at a pH of about 7 and can survive in a range from 6 to 8. A rapid change from 6 to 8, however, will bring on immediate signs of distress. Tropical aquarium fishes do well at a temperature of about 75°F. and can tolerate temperatures from 65 to 90°F. or higher if the changes are made gradually. Fishes in a large body of water can tolerate a surprisingly low temperature, probably because of the longer periodof time the water takes to cool.
Small quantities of water can be added to any tank directly from the tap if the temperature is approximately that of the aquarium, without any dechlorination or aging necessary. If all of the water is to be changed or if a new aquarium is to be set up the water should be aged overnight before the fish are added. This allows the chlorine in the tap water to dissipate of its own accord and also allows excess air dissolved in the water to decrease. This process can be speeded up by using commercial anti chlorine compounds available in aquarium shops, using recommended amounts. In some parts of the country tap water may be used without aging but the hobbyist should experiment with his local water before trying this with valuable fish.