Feeding Baby First Foods

Parents are often overwhelmed by the number of things they have to learn for their first child. One important fact that comes up with infants is when to start first foods and how to expand the diet. While physicians differ in their specific instructions, there are some basic rules that most parents are told to follow.

Start Trying foods Early

Most physicians want babies to stay breast fed if possible for the first 6 months, but they encourage parents to let babies try foods as early as 4 months. Trying food may only be one spoonful. While parents often wonder what the point of one spoonful is, babies often have to practice in order to eat efficiently. Letting a baby try one bite of food can help them practice before it is really time to start eating solid foods.

Start With Simple Foods

There are many foods that are considered much more likely to cause allergic reactions in children. Experts recommend that parents start with a simple, one-ingredient food, like rice or oatmeal cereal. Some parents want to avoid starting with processed grains and choose simple veggies, like peas or sweet potatoes to start.

Four Day Rule

Physicians realize there could be a serious problem if allergic reactions occur and the parent doesn’t know the cause. This has caused experts to recommend parents only add new foods every four days for their baby. 

Parents must always look for allergic reactions with each new food. Some reactions can be so severe, the baby develops hives and struggles to breath as the throat swells. 

If a baby has a serious reaction to a food, parents must call their local urgent care clinic Jenkintown or hospital for immediate assistance. Less severe reactions, like a rash or vomiting, should be noted and brought up with the pediatrician at a later date.

It is rare for a baby to have a severe allergic reaction, but parents should still be prepared to act quickly. It is far more likely that a small reaction occurs, which is why pediatricians recommend a parent feeds a child for four days before moving on to a new food. 

Starting With the Veggies

Many children’s experts and pediatricians also recommend parents start with the less sweet foods, like simple grains and veggies. Babies often want to eat the sweeter foods more than their veggies, so it can be hard to get them to eat a green vegetable once they’ve gotten used to apples, sweet potatoes, pears or other sweeter foods.

Why Urgent Care Centers Have Surged in Popularity

The cost of emergency room care has been in the public consciousness more often than ever. This is thanks to the efforts of insurance companies and politicians, both of which give this cost partial blame for the overall cost of health care in America. Since the next natural question is where to go other than the ER, urgent care centers have also risen in prominence. 

That's because most of the problems that emergency rooms handle aren't life-threatening emergencies. Instead, they're conditions that are a step below. They need to be taken care of before a traditional doctor can get to them, but they're not so pressing that they need the services of the ER. Urgent care centers handle these problems with ease and at a fraction of the cost.

Even though the original driver for the push towards urgent care centers was financial, people have learned that these clinics offer far more benefits. This has caused the concept to truly hit its stride in the health care market. Here are some reasons that people are starting to prefer them not only over emergency rooms, but over traditional doctor's offices as well:

Speed

There's no doubt that care is received faster when someone visits an urgent care center instead of a traditional doctor. The normal office requires making an appointment that may be a couple of weeks away. What still surprises some people is that an urgent care center is also faster than most emergency rooms. That's because the ER will typically let someone sit for hours – either in the waiting room or in back – if the ER determines that the condition is not life-threatening. An urgent care center, on the other hand, will typically see a walk-in patient within minutes.

Personal Service

The first visit to an urgent care clinic Jenkintown can seem much like the first visit to an ER when it comes to this – impersonal and perfunctory. However, those who make the clinic into their primary care provider will find that the doctors get to know them and their conditions. This makes it as good as going to a regular office in this regard.

Ongoing Care

One of the problems with going to emergency rooms has always been their refusal to provide ongoing treatment. With urgent care, this problem doesn't exist. Many people return to their urgent care doctors for prescription refills and other maintenance care, and they're greeted with smiles when they come in.

When to Visit an Urgent Care Clinic in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania for a Burn

Although it's always advisable to be careful around hot items, accidents do happen. Children especially are likely to grab that light bulb, heater, iron, hairdryer, or toaster even when it's still on and very warm. If dealing with a burn, whether with a child or an adult, it's very important to keep calm. Then remember these steps. Those in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania should keep the phone number handy of an urgent care clinic too.

First, run the burn under water for at least 10 minutes. The water should not be cold but instead cooler. If the water is too painful, quickly wet a towel with cooler water and then apply this to the burn for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. If the burned body part has any garments, jewelry, or any accessories on it, get rid of these right away. 

Burns can swell up, and it will be harder to remove these items at that point. The skin may begin to blister shortly after the incident. This is normal, so don't worry too much. Just make sure not to accidentally or intentionally pop those blisters, as this can be extremely painful.

Keep repeating that process over and over again until the pain begins to calm down somewhat. Over-the-counter painkillers can also reduce discomfort. These are likely already in a medicine cabinet. Use gel or cream intended for burns. Make sure that these have aloe vera in it, which will ease the pain. It also helps to know the kinds of burns to determine how severe the damage is. 

A first degree burn will be swollen and red. It will also hurt. These are normally not serious and can typically be treated at home. Second-degree burns may blister, swell up, and will be white or red. If these are contained to a small portion of the body, these too aren't serious. 

Lastly, third-degree burns may lead to symptoms like an inability to breathe. These burns may have penetrated to the bone. They require immediate professional medical attention to treat.

Regardless of the type of burn that a person is suffering from, if the pain doesn't begin to abate in a day or two or if any symptoms worsen instead of get better, it's time to bring the patient in to an urgent care clinic Jenkintown. These trained doctors also heal bronchitis, nausea, poisoning, allergic reactions, deep cuts, broken bones, STDs, and strains. Come in any day of the week.

Avoid Serious Health Problems with Urgent Care

Most people experience symptoms to indicate that an illness or health issue is coming on. If people listen to their bodies, they can often catch health problems in their early stages before they escalate into major issues. With urgent care, people don’t have to wait days or weeks for a doctor’s appointment to check out symptoms they may be experiencing. They can simply walk-in at their convenience to receive the medical care they need.

The following symptoms can be early warnings of serious health conditions to come. By having them checked at an urgent care facility early on, people may be able to avoid major problems later on.

Severe Head Pain

People who experience sharp head pain for extended periods of time should seek medical attention to uncover the cause. Such pain could be the result of a migraine, blood clot, brain aneurysm, concussion or other serious cause. The sooner people get medical help, the sooner they can start treatment to relieve discomfort and pain.

Abdominal Pain

Although tummy aches are rather common in most people, severe abdominal pain should not be taken lightly. Such pain could be indicative of digestive disorders, ulcers or appendicitis. A visit to an urgent care facility can help reveal the cause.

Fever, Difficulty Breathing and Cough

This combination of symptoms could be signs of some type of respiratory problem such as bronchitis or pneumonia. Treating such conditions in their early stages can help speed up the cure. Urgent care clinics can provide people with quick and accurate diagnosis of these conditions in order to speed up their recovery.

Persistent Joint Pain

Persistent joint pain can make it difficult for people to live normal lives. A visit to an urgent care clinic jenkintown in Jenkintown can help uncover the cause. Such pain could be the result of ligament or tendon damage from overuse or wear and tear. Without treatment, the pain could only worsen, restricting movement and making it difficult to perform daily tasks. By talking to urgent care physicians, consumers can get a better idea of what can be done.

Dizziness or Fainting Spells

Dizziness and/or fainting spells could indicate any number of health problems and can put people at risk of having accidents. Those who experience frequent bouts with dizziness or fainting should get immediate medical attention to uncover the root cause.

Urgent care clinics can provide consumers with prompt, professional medical care when they need it most.