Children's health and happiness

I am Wendy Brown and I have recently moved to the area from Sheffield. I am a frequent visitor to the idyllic village of Audlem and have been impressed with the strong community and friendly atmosphere.  

I am a children's nurse with 11 years experience of working in children's intensive care.  I am passionate about children and their health and happiness.

Health promotion and advice is a simple but effective way to help prevent children becoming admitted to hospital. I have talked to members of the local community, I hope that this article may be useful to some.

The children are now busy back at school or nursery; we are all busy as parents/ carers trying to make it on time with the pressure of getting to work. Winter will be here soon along with the colds, viruses and common childhood illnesses to the meningitis season that peaks in December to January in children.

I have held a parent's hand many times when their child is critically ill. They frequently say to me "if only I knew" about the symptoms or advice for preventable accidents and road traffic accidents.  

Medical studies have shown that children who live in rural communities are healthier, have less illness and common childhood allergies, eczema and asthma in comparision to those raised in the cities.  Not suprisingly, children raised on farms are healthy because they are running outside, playing and exposed to animals, and build up a strong immunity.

For this article I have chosen accident prevention – the statistics show that home accidents cause 4000 deaths and 2.7 million admissions for children to accident and emergency.  

Children are naturally curious from when they start crawling, to walking as they grow and develop.  As a parent you develop a 'sixth sense' to be on high alert at all times. Usually when little voices go quiet or the tiny pattering feet disappear out of the room!

Children do have increased resistance and heal more quickly than adults. Believe it, I have nursed children who have climbed out of top windows, drunk a hazardous substance from a 'pop' bottle, eaten dangerous medication because they looked like 'sweets', and cared for far too many children suffering trauma and severe injuries due to road traffic accidents, house fires or near drownings.  

The parents facing these situations in the hospital are determined to pass the message on, to prevent future accidents.

A summary of top tips for accident prevention

Please go home today and:

• check your fire alarms and read fire safety guidelines


• lock all medicines and hazardous substances away safely


• please, use safety gates, child cupboard locks, cooker guards, and fireguards


• Never let your child in a car without the correct size and fitting of a car seat


• Always wear a seatbet – it saves lives!


• Encourage children to wear safety helmets when riding bikes and scooters, this is the law in other countries. In a severe brain injury, the damage is not reversible.


• Observe child safety near water, the canal -side is popular with tourists and locals in Audlem.


• Please note higher speed both increases the risk of collision and the risk of serious injury to the driver.


• Read the attached link to the 'Rospa website' for more information on accident prevention.Link-http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Accidents-and-their-Prevention.htm.

Handy hints for the season:

• Stock up your cupboard with children's paracetamol, ibrufen syrup, antihistimine cream for bites and stings, make sure you have a themometer – the basic one that goes under the arm is fine, that's what is used in children's wards.  


• Check your first aid box,  


• Always take any medicine packages to A and E if children digest them


• Apply cling film to burns immediately to keep sterile and clean


• Washing cuts and grazes with clean water is fine, expensive creams are not required


• Tea tree cream is a natural alternative for an antiseptic, cooling bites and stings and I found it great for nappy rash – and it's cheap, available from chemists.

Finally, watch out for Lego and small toys – the children's hospital I worked at had a big jar full of buttons, toys, lego and allsorts that little toddlers, older children managed to get stuck in ears, noses and other places!

Always seek medical help if you are concerned about the health of your child, contact NHS DIRECT or your local G.P. for advice.  In Pediatrics we say 'no question is ever a stupid one'.

This article is for information and medical assistance should be followed, as this is for advice only.

Useful links-Head injury advice- http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Head-Injury-Instructions.htm

The meningitis advice-  http://www.meningitisuk.org/

Basic life support leaflet.-  http://Kidshealth.chw.edu.au/fact-sheets/basic-life-support-children-over-12-months

Thanks for reading this. I hope it's been helpful. Most of all – let children live their lives, get muddy and have fun!

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