| How to Treat an Infant Cold Posted: 17 Oct 2017 05:00 PM PDT Watching your baby suffer through a cold can be both nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching, especially if your child demonstrates obvious signs of discomfort. Infants under the age of three months should see a doctor as soon as they show signs of illness. However, babies older than three months can wait as long as their symptoms do not get too severe. Focus on easing the symptoms of the cold using safe home remedies and avoid medication. If your baby gets significantly worse or does not improve within a week, contact a doctor. EditUsing Medicine to Treat the Cold - Contact your doctor if your baby is under three months or has irregular symptoms. Most colds for babies will go away within 10 to 14 days. However, if your baby is under three months, contact your doctor as soon as the baby gets sick. For newborns, colds can turn into serious illnesses.[1]
- You should also contact your doctor if your baby isn't wetting as many diapers, has a temperature over 100 F (38 C), is extremely irritable, has any eye discharge, has difficulty breathing, or has a cough that won't go away. If a baby younger than 2 to 3 months has a rectal temperature of 100.4 or higher, then they will need immediate medical attention.
- If your baby has any symptoms that worry you, contact your doctor immediately. It's better to get your baby checked out than not.
- Use fever-reducing medication. Acetaminophen is safe for children three months and up, and ibuprofen is safe for kids six months and up. Look for over-the-counter medication that can be given in small doses and carefully obey the instructions. These medications often come in "children's formulas" that are safe for infants. If you have any questions about the dose your infant can receive, contact your doctor.[2]
- Ask your doctor before giving the infant this medication for the first time.
- Avoid these medications if your child is dehydrated or vomiting, as it could make the condition worse.
- Allowing your baby to have a low-grade fever may help them fight the cold virus. Consider only giving them these medications if the fever rises to 102 F (39 C) or they are experiencing discomfort.
- Avoid giving your infant over-the-counter cough and cold medicine. The FDA strongly advises against over-the-counter cold medicine for children younger than two years old, and many manufacturers have stopped making these products for children under the age of four. These medications may ease symptoms but come with a risk of severe side effects, including rapid heart rate, convulsions, and dangerous sedation.[3]
- The cold medicines don't treat the causes of colds or coughs, so it won't help your child recover from the cold. Remember that there are other ways to treat the symptoms. Sometimes the risks of medicine outweigh the benefits.
EditTreating Specific Symptoms - Use a combination of saline drops and suction to remove excess mucus. Tip your infant's head back and squeeze drops of an over-the-counter or homemade saline solution into the nostrils. This helps thin out the mucus and make it easier to remove. Allow a few minutes to pass before suctioning the loosened mucus out with a rubber bulb syringe.[4]
- Squeeze the bulb to release any air. Gently insert the tip of the syringe into your baby's nose. Only stick the syringe inside the nose ¼ to ½ inch (0.64 to 1.27 cm). Angle the tip towards the back and side of the nose.
- The best times to do this are before feeding your baby or before putting them to bed.
- Apply petroleum jelly to your baby's nose. Rub a thin coating of petroleum jelly on the outside of your baby's nose to reduce irritation, focusing on areas that look red and sore. Avoid using any medicated nasal sprays on your baby because this can make the congestion worse.[5]
- Run a humidifier. A humidifier or cool-mist vaporizer sends moisture out into the room, which can reduce your baby's nasal inflammation and relieve stuffiness. Placing a humidifier in your sick infant's room may make it easier for him or her to fall asleep.[6]
- A humidifier does have the potential to cause burns. You might want to err on the side of caution and choose a cool-mist vaporizer.
- Make sure that you change the water each day and clean the machine as directed.
- Sit with your baby in a steamy bathroom. Take your baby with you into the bathroom, close the door, and run the hot water for 15 minutes or so. The steam will moisten the air and relieve stuffiness.[7]
- This can help your baby's nasal and chest congestion.
- Avoid giving your baby honey before their first birthday. Warm honey is an effective remedy for sore throats and can tame a cough, but in babies below the age of one year, it can cause an illness known as infant botulism.[8]
- If your baby is over the age of one, try ½ teaspoon before bedtime.
EditKeeping Your Child Comfortable - Make sure your baby gets plenty of rest. The human body uses a lot of energy in fighting off infection. Keep your baby out of stressful situations and encourage calm forms of play instead of active play.[9]
- For example, you can do things with your baby that will entertain them without having them move around a lot or get excited. You can also give them toys that will occupy them but keep them calm. Try reading to them or offering them their favorite stuffed animal. You could also sing or play music for them.
- Give your baby fluids. Drinking fluids prevents dehydration and thins out nasal secretions. You don't have to give your baby any extra fluids, but you should make sure that they continue ingesting the same amount of fluids as usual.[10] However, if your baby has certain symptoms, such as a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or rapid breathing, then they will need more fluids than normal.
- For babies six months or older, try plain water, fruit juices, ice pops, or an electrolyte solution such as Pedialyte or Enfalyte.
- For children less than six months, stick with breast milk or formula. Breast milk provides immune-boosting properties that can help protect your baby from germs.
- If your baby won't take fluids, call your doctor. You might need to take your baby in to see a medical professional.
- Offer your infant warm liquids. If he or she is six months or older, your infant can have chicken soup, warm chamomile tea, warm water, and warmed broth. Warm clear liquids can relieve sore throats, congestion, aches, and fatigue.[11]
- Make sure the liquids are not hot, but warm. They should not scald or hurt your baby.
- Reduce exposure to germs by instructing family and friends to wash their hands before picking up your baby. Request that sick children and adults postpone their visits until after they recover and are no longer contagious.
- Babies 6 months and older should be vaccinated against influenza to reduce their chances of getting the flu, which is much more serious for a baby than the common cold.
- Never give your baby aspirin. When given to individuals 18 years or younger, aspirin can trigger a rare condition known as Reye's syndrome. This condition can prove fatal.
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| How to Finely Chop Dates Posted: 17 Oct 2017 09:00 AM PDT Dates are often dried and are great for snacking or for use in a number of dishes. Dates have a pit in the center, so you'll want to remove it before you start chopping. Chop dates by hand with a sharp paring knife or a pair of scissors. Chop dates quickly into tiny pieces with a food processor. Dates are a sticky fruit, so you want to take a couple precautions to keep the blades from gumming up. EditChopping by Hand - Use a serrated or paring knife to slice the date lengthwise. Set the date on a cutting board or hold the date in the palm of your hand. Make a cut down the long side of the date. Your knife may hit the pit in the center as you cut.[1]
- If you set the date on a cutting board, hold the sides when you cut it. If you hold the date in your hand, be especially careful that you don't cut yourself.
- Use a slicing motion when you cut the date. The consistency of date skin does not make it easy to chop it with a standard chopping knife. Don't use a chopping-style knife, and use a slicing motion instead of a chopping motion.
- Open the date and remove the pit. Set the knife aside. Stick the tips of your thumbs into the cut you made with the knife. Gently pull the sides apart so you reveal the inside of the date and the pit.[2]
- Toss the pit in the trash or place all of the pits in a pile to dispose of later on.
- Slice the date into thin strips. Set the date down on the cutting board. Use a paring knife to cut the date lengthwise into strips. Make them as narrow as you wish based on how small you want the final chunks to be. ¼ in (6.34 mm) to ⅛ in (3.2 mm) is a good width.[3]
- To work against the stickiness of the fruit, it also works to cut the dates with a pair of scissors instead of a knife.
- Rinse the knife or coat it with flour if it gets sticky. Since dates have such sticky juice, your knife might get gummy. If this happens as you cut, rinse the knife in hot water to get the juice off, or coat it in some flour to keep the stickiness under control.
- Turn the strips sideways and cut across them. Make a series of crosscuts on the strips of date that you just cut. Make the cuts close enough together that the pieces end up being as small as you want them to be.
- If the pieces still aren't small enough, cut them all into smaller pieces so they are the size you want them to be.
EditDicing Dates in a Food Processor - Process some oatmeal into powder in the food processor. Since dates get so sticky when you chop them, it's helpful to add a drying agent to the food processor. Oatmeal works well because it doesn't add much flavor and it washes off fairly easily. Toss a handful into the food processor bowl.[4]
- If you don't mind the dates ending up in a single sticky ball, it's not necessary to process the oatmeal first.
- Add pitted and quartered dates to the food processor. Slice dates lengthwise and remove the pits. Then cut the dates in half two times so you have chunks that are roughly a quarter of the original date. Food processing works best if you start with chunks rather than whole fruit.
- Pulse the food processor until the dates reach the size you want. Even if your food processor has specific settings, it works best to use the pulse button. This allows you to check the dates every few seconds to make sure they don't get chopped too much.
- Rinse the dates with cold water to remove the oatmeal. If you don't want the oatmeal powder to be included in your dates recipe, rinse it off of the chopped dates. Most of the time it'll all rinse off. The dates should separate from a glob into pieces. You may need to stir them to break them apart fully.[5]
EditThings You'll Need= - Dates
- Serrated knife (optional)
- Paring knife
- Food processor
- Oatmeal (optional)
- Water or flour (optional)
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| How to Create a Zombie Costume Posted: 17 Oct 2017 01:00 AM PDT Zombies! These stone cold, slow-paced horrors from the grave are a popular choice for Halloween costumes. Fortunately, the zombie costume is relatively easy to put together. Simply choose what sort of zombie you wish to be and zombify your clothing and body, and you'll be all set for your costume party or zombie walk. EditDeciding on Your Zombie Style - Go for a traditional zombie. If you want to embody the classical zombie type, go traditional. Be a walking, shuffling zombie who's slow and dumb with dead eyes.[1]
- You won't need any specific type of clothing for this type. Use whatever's on hand, such as old jeans and t-shirts.
- Turn something cute into a zombie. Wanna be a zombie princess or ballerina who's been zombified? Go for a cute identity that's gone terribly, terribly wrong.[2]
- This might be where last year's costume comes in handy. If you have an old ballerina tutu or princess costume hanging around, you could zombify it so long as you don't mind destroying it in the process.
- Be a zombie couple. Have a significant other who also likes zombies? Be a zombie pair, such as a zombie bride and groom or maybe a famous couple from history who've come back from the dead.[3]
- Hit up a used clothing store to look for wedding apparel.
- Be a recognizable character. Have a favorite superhero? Nursery rhyme character? Disney character? Choose a character and turn them into a zombie!
- Make sure you've got a costume on hand that'll identify you as your character. You could always do something recognizable, such as Little Red Riding Hood, that has a simple costume.[4]
EditZombifying Your Clothing - Make your clothing look old with food coloring or tea. Zombies don't wear brand new clothes, so you've got to make your clothing look old to be authentic. Use a spritz bottle filled with water and a few drops of brown or black food coloring or black tea to make your clothes look old.[5]
- Spritz your clothing unevenly to make it look more realistically aged.
- Tatter your clothes by ripping and tearing them up. Zombies stumble around catching themselves on things, so to make it realistic tear up those clothes. Add some tears into your clothing with a seam ripper or knife. Don't be afraid to also use your hands to tear at some small cuts.[6]
- To make your tears look realistic, cut in random areas and vary the size of the cuts and the amount of fraying.
- Remember that your clothing will need to stay on your body, so don't get too carried away with the ripping and tearing!
- Grime up your clothes with dirt and mold. Take your clothes outside and rub them around in the dirt and mud to get that grimy zombie look down for your clothing. Add mold to your clothes by mixing up some liquid latex and oatmeal and letting it dry on your clothing.[7]
- If you've got time in advance you could always bury your clothing outside for a week.[8]
- You can find liquid latex at any costume store, a basic superstore, or online.
- Add blood to your clothes. Zombies are all about blood and gore, so add some to your clothing to help add to the effect. Use store bought blood or make your own, and then spatter it all over your clothing using your own hands and sponges.
- Make sure to step away from your clothing to see how it looks at a distance.[9]
- An easy do-it-yourself recipe for fake blood is combining corn syrup with a few drops of red food coloring. Then add a squirt of chocolate syrup to thicken and darken the blood.[10]
- Singe and sear your non-flammable clothes very carefully. Using extreme caution, take a lighter to your clothing to singe or burn parts of it to achieve that zombified look.[11]
- You should always do this in an open area away from flammable surfaces and have a fire extinguisher nearby.
EditZombify Your Body - Make wrinkles using liquid latex. Apply liquid latex on your face in a light layer using a sponge, and then stretch your skin tight while drying the liquid latex with a hairdryer. This'll be sure to make your face look old and tired.[12]
- Do this before you put on your face makeup so when you apply makeup the wrinkles will appear deeper.
- If you've got a latex allergy, you can easily make your own liquid latex substitute. Mix together 1 cup (236.59 mL) cold water, ¼ cup (59.15 mL) tapioca flour, 1 packet plain gelatin, and 1 tablespoon (14.79 mL) of solid coconut oil.[13]
- Use makeup to make your face pale. Make sure your face is pale by blotchily applying a very pale nude makeup to your face. You won't want your natural skin tones to give you away as alive![14]
- Don't make your face blue or green since zombies are always very earth toned.[15]
- Make your tongue dead with food coloring. Zombies shouldn't have pink tongues, so mix a drop of black food coloring in with your mouthwash and swill it around in your mouth. This'll give you the perfect dead looking tongue and mouth.[16]
- Make your eyes look sunken in. Make your eyes appear sunken in by adding a dark purplish-brown makeup color around your eye socket and along your upper and lower lids.
- Go darker along the lids by adding a black eyeliner pencil on top of your purplish-brown color.[17]
- Wear colored contacts. Colored contacts are a great way to mute the life from your eyes. Try a pair in red, green, or another dark color.[18]
- Colored contacts should only be used with a prescription, even for non-corrective lenses. You can get them by visiting your local eye doctor and getting a prescription.[19]
- Make open wounds on your face and body using liquid latex. Mix up some liquid latex and cotton, tissue paper, or toilet paper in a bowl and then apply to your face or arm. Allow the mixture to dry halfway and then begin to pull pieces away. Sponge on some dark earth tone colors and then add blood into the mix.
- If your liquid latex wound is going to cover any hair, add a layer of petroleum jelly first.[20]
- When you're done being a zombie you can just peel off the liquid latex to remove it.[21]
- Add blood to your face and body. Use a Q-tip to apply some blood smears to your body and face.[22]
- You can make the blood drippy or smeared.
- Go ahead and give yourself a bloody nose![23]
- Tease and grease up your hair. Don't forget to make your hair look disgusting to complete your zombie look. Tease it out with a brush and tangle it all up. Use hairspray to make sure your teased hair stays in place. Put conditioner in it while dry to make it look greasy and gross.[24]
- You can find colored hairsprays if you want to add some darker black or brown tones into your lighter hair. You can purchase these at any local pharmacy.
- Get creative and incorporate leaves or twigs into your matted hair.
- If you don't want your hair to be ruined or deal with combing it out later, get a cheap wig that you can destroy.
- Experiment with fabrics and makeup beforehand, giving yourself plenty of time to prepare and fix mistakes before an event.
- Test any products on a small section of your skin beforehand to make sure you're not allergic. Avoid using liquid latex products if you are allergic to liquid latex.
- Be aware of scaring others, especially small children or others who might frighten easily. Stay good-spirited and keep the fun going for everyone.
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