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Best Buddies Educare Centre

Fighting the Flu this Winter:

Fighting the Flu this Winter:

Welcome back to our Best Buddies Blog!

It is winter, that time of the year when we all dread the coming of those nasty bugs that make us sick and let us end up in bed feeling all yucky.

The most common virus most of us get is the flu. Influenza is a very contagious viral infection that affects our noses, our throats, and our lungs. It can make us feel terribly ill for up to a week! It might be obvious that flu season is around the corner, but that does not make it any easier when we see our child battling with a cough and a stuffy nose. Kids under the age of 5, and especially under the age of 2, are at high risk of catching this bug during cold and flu season.

Generally, the flu does not need medical treatment, but every now and then, doctors may possibly prescribe an antiviral medicine that works best if given within the first 2 days of feeling sick. It can make flu symptoms milder and reduce the virus by a couple of days. But it does take a while for your body to fight the flu bugs and for you to start feeling better.

If your child gets the flu, here are a few tips for treating them:

Offer lots of fluids

Fevers can cause dehydration and your little one might not be as thirsty as usual when they are not feeling well, so it is vital to make sure that they have enough to drink.
Dehydration can be extremely dangerous for babies, especially under the age of 3 months. If you suspect your baby is dehydrated, get them to the local doctor as soon as possible!

Some signs of dehydration can include:

If your child is still breastfeeding, try to breastfeed them more often than usual. You might have to attempt giving several short feeding sessions for them to get enough fluid.

Other hydration options include:

Clear up stuffy noses

Use a cool-mist humidifier in your child’s room or nebulise your baby. This will help loosen the mucus. Another alternative is using a saline nasal spray or drops, which makes it easier to blow their little noses or to remove the mucus with a syringe.

Loosen the cough

If your child is 12 months or older you can give them 2 to 5 millilitres of honey a few times a day to help loosen that stubborn cough. Studies have shown that honey is more effective than cough medicines for children over a year old.

Encourage rest

Additional rest can help your child recuperate sooner. Your toddler or baby may be extremely hot due to fever. Dress them comfortably in layers that you can remove during fever spurts and avoid heavy blankets that could make them too hot. A lukewarm bath can also help them to cool off.

Medications:

You can give over-the-counter cough or cold medicines to children over 6 years old if your doctor says it is OK. But if your child has a fever or symptoms of a cold, and is under 24 months, it is better to rather call their paediatrician to determine if you need to give them any medication, and how much you need to administer.
Keep In mind that a fever is the body’s way of fighting off an infection, so if your child has a low-grade fever, this does not always need to be controlled with OTC medications. Your child’s paediatrician may advise you that you should give your little one various medications at the same time, such as antihistamines, decongestants, and pain relievers. If this is the case, make sure you read the labels of all medications thoroughly.

Surviving cold and flu season:

After your child recovers from their cold or flu, it is time for prevention. Wash all surfaces they came into contact with before or during their illness. Make sure your children and your other family members wash their hands often to keep any germs at bay.

Teach your child not to share any food, drinks, or knives and forks when they eat, to avoid spreading germs between them and their friends. Keep your child out of day-care or school when they are ill, especially when they have a fever and tell the teacher that your child has picked up a flu bug, so they can also take the necessary precautions at school to keep the other little ones healthy.

The good news about cold and flu season is that it too shall pass, and that summer is just around the corner!

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It’s recipe time!

These early childhood years are a brilliant time to get your youngster involved in the kitchen, and snack-time is the perfect place to start.When you encourage your child to make their own snacks (with supervision of course), you will help them become more independent and increase their pride and confidence, as well as promote more adventurous eating.

Your kids are more likely to eat the snacks that they helped to make. So, allowing them to help picking out, planning, and preparing the food they will eat can also encourage more exciting eating habits.

Fruit Pizza:

Ingredients

• Whole-wheat tortilla
• Cream cheese
• Variety of fresh fruit

Instructions

Use a mini whole-wheat tortilla for the crust
Then, let your child spread cream cheese on the shell.

Provide a variety of fruit toppings, including strawberries, raspberries, banana slices, pineapple pieces, grapes, thinly sliced apples and pears, peaches, and any other fruit you might have in the kitchen.
Allow your child to slice their own fruit, with supervision. 

Having them assist you while cutting up the larger fruit teaches them cutting skills in a safe manner. They are also more likely to eat it if they are the ones who sliced it.

Now its time to place the toppings on their pizza. Whatever combinations they come up with should be encouraged.

When they’re all done, they’ll have a mini pizza to show off and to enjoy. Have fun with it by encouraging them to name their creation, and there you have it, a super fun, super healthy snack idea!

What Else Happened In June?

FANSA and the Frog Show.

The friendly people of Fansa came to teach our Buddies all about frogs from conception to birth!

We are Moving!

We are very excited to announce that Best Buddies will be moving to 30 Oxford Street, Hout Bay from the 5th of July.

We are building a storey up to make our school a bit bigger, so we can accommodate more buddies and have bigger classes for them to learn in.

 

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed our next edition. I can’t wait to share some more information and fun ideas with you to keep the kiddies busy, happy, healthy and excited!

Our Sponsors

Cape Town

Do you want to make a difference in your community, Do you know about our Best Buddies Educational Trust? Learn more about this fantastic initiative that will help an underprivileged child from our local community get 3 daily meals, and a great start to life. Click here to see more.

Lizl Zandberg

Lizl is our friendly Administration Assistant and helps in the Penguins Class. Without this wonderful Best Buddies team-member , daily tasks would become a challenge.

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Cubs Class

Ages: 3 months - 1 year

In the Cub Class your baby will be stimulated according to his /
her age and according to your preferred schedule. There will be
ample time for sleeping, socializing and exploring this new and
wonderful world your baby is still adapting to.

Our environment is secure, kept clean and sanitized throughout
and will provide your little one with the utmost comfort.

Activities offered

• Tummy time play
• Sensory bottles and sensory bags
• Textured hula-hoops
• Ball pit
• Educational Toys
• Story time
• Music ring

Fees

Non-Refundable registration fee of R400
Deposit equal to one month of R2000
Monthly fee of R2000

Parents to Supply

  • Nappies.
  • Formula & bottles if applicable.
  • 1x complete set of clean clothes

Bunnies Class

Ages: 2 -3 years

In the Bunnies Class we provide an emotionally supportive
environment to optimize your child’s full potential. We strongly
focus on each child’s physical, socio-emotional, cognitive and
motor development needs while strengthening their
independence and communication skills.

Activities offered

 Class lesson and art activity according to weekly theme
• Free play (Indoor & outdoor)
• Educational Toys
• Story time
• Music ring
• Extramural activities offered: Manners for Minors / Playball / Karate / Dancing

Fees

Non-Refundable registration fee of R400
Deposit equal to one month of R3500 / R2500
Monthly Fee of R3500 full day / R2500 half day.

Parents to Supply

A bottle with water/ juice/milk according to your child’s preference
Comfort toy if applicable.
1x complete set of clean clothes