As the summertime nears and the flu season is upon us, this is a great time to make sure your kids are staying active but also remaining healthy. Keeping your family’s health records up-to-date, knowing your family health history, and taking some time out of your day to relax can sometimes make all the difference when you’re faced with those unexpected childcare situations.

How do you go about making sure your kids’ health records are updated? How do you gather your family’s health history? What do you do when faced with unexpected childcare?

Your questions are important. That’s why I have scheduled a FREE live webinar on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 2 p.m. EST to cover tips and tools for Busy Moms just like you!

Register HERE now.

Ready to get ahead of all your families healthcare needs? Tune into the webinar to learn:

• How to make sure your children’s health records are up-to-date.
• Keeping track of your family’s health history.
• Tips to taking care of yourself with a hectic schedule.
• What to do when faced with unexpected childcare.
• What health benefits are included in your healthcare plan.

You can bring your questions to the webinar or submit them in advance by email or on Facebook or Twitter.

The post Helpful Healthcare Tips for Busy Moms appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

In most cases you are going to want to have someone watch the kids. It may be your spouse or an older child who can responsibly keep an eye on the younger ones. Extended family—parents and in-laws—can be great emergency support if they live nearby. If family isn’t an option, try the babysitter, a friend, or a trusted neighbor. Maybe another parent from your child’s school or scout troop or sports team can watch your children while you take care of the health emergency.

You may even want to plan your list of who to call before a health problem strikes. The less you have to think about or track down while you are sick or in a rush to care for someone else, the easier you’ll get through it.

If there is simply no one else who can take them, do the best you can with what you have. If you are home sick, let it be a movie marathon day for the kids. A day of television won’t melt their minds. Make sure the room is safe and they have plenty of quiet toys to play with. Then you take over the most comfortable spot where you can keep an eye on them while also being out of the way. The couch or a chair in the corner work well.

Let your kids know that, “Mommy isn’t feeling well,” and that you are going to need them to play quietly and not ask any questions. Will this work perfectly? Definitely not. But with a few reminders and some entertainment, your day may be a bit more restful than usual.

If you have to go to a doctor’s office or the hospital and you must bring your children, pack an activity bag with quiet toys—coloring books and crayons, notebook and stickers, stuffed friends, or even electronics with headsets—and clean, easy snacks and bottled water. Snacks and drinks are helpful in taming hungry tummies, which often turn into behavior meltdowns. Choose things that are easily cleaned up if they spill (because accidents happen). Think water or clear juice and fruit snacks, raisins, or dry cereal.

The post What to Do With Your Children When You Have a Health Emergency appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

How is the holiday season going for you? Will you be visiting with family in the coming weeks? Many families are spread out geographically making holidays the perfect time to visit each other. While you’re all in one place, why not take a few minutes to discuss health planning?

Of course this is a time to celebrate and be happy and discussing health and medical concerns may not be your top priority, but once the holidays are over and everyone goes back home, it may be more difficult to coordinate health planning discussions. Especially in families who don’t get to see each other very often, holiday visits offer a great opportunity to get everyone in one place and talk about health decisions.

For example, do you know where your parents keep their wills? Do you know their wishes for after they are gone? Does your family know your wishes? Do your siblings know how to help you if you find yourself in the hospital unexpectedly?

These may not be things we want to think about, but being prepared in advance of emergencies, illnesses or death is important. It helps to limit surprises, avoid unnecessary expenses, and also helps to avoid family conflicts when there are specific instructions to carry out, as opposed to decisions still to be made.

Take a half hour to have these conversations with your family while you are all together so everyone will understand what to do and where to find any necessary documents. At the very least, set a date and time for after the holidays when you can all connect again for health planning discussions.

Then go right back the egg nog and Grandma’s cookies.

The post What to Discuss With Your Family During this Holiday appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

As a parent, I understand that many of the woes of childhood begin as “I have an idea” or a curious exploration of the world. While we don’t want to dampen that exuberance, it falls to us moms and dads to pick up the pieces when our children need urgent healthcare. But, finding pediatric care over the holiday season can lead to stress, lofty emergency room (ER) bills and last-minute changes in family plans.

First, it’s very important to understand what calls for a trip to the ER and what can be handled, usually at a lower cost, by a pediatric urgent care center. Here are a few instances where pediatricians will usually tell you to go right to the ER: broken bones requiring realignment, loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness, dehydration, gasping for air or hyperventilation, cuts that may call for sedation, fever in infants and seizures.

Next, I also want to offer up a few money- and headache-saving prevention tips:

1. Book your pediatrician now

A year-end checkup for respiratory ailments (especially if your child is asthmatic), earaches and scratchy throats is the best way to stay out of the ER for routine illnesses. Your pediatrician’s office can also answer your questions on their after hours care policies.

2. Refill prescriptions ahead of time

Whether flying, driving or entertaining in your home, reaching the bottom of a pill bottle can be frustrating when pharmacies are closed. Stock up to carry you through January, and ensure you have non-expired items like rescue inhalers and EpiPens® on hand.

3. Get your flu shots

Prevention is a worthy investment. Be sure you are current on your flu shots. We are well into the winter season, and no one wants to get or spread flu bugs. Many chain pharmacies are still running specials or offering store discounts.

Finally, I truly wish you a stress-free, ouch-free holiday season. May it be filled with more oohs and aahs than uh-ohs and whoas!

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