Santa’s nice list: HSE mychild.ie shares advice for happy and healthy holly-days

To help parents prepare for the festive season ahead, the HSE’s mychild.ie website shares some tips and advice to keep everyone safe, happy and healthy over the holidays and beyond.

Dr Abigail Collins, National Clinical Lead for the HSE’s Child Health Public Health Programme and Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said:

“Christmas is nearly upon us and children across the country are counting down the days. It’s a magical time of year, but behind the scenes there are lots of things for parents to consider ahead of the holidays. Taking some things off your ‘to do’ list, preparing for visits to relatives and trying to keep everyone safe and well can help make Christmas a little easier and more enjoyable for all.”

• Dealing with ho-ho-no - There can be unrealistic expectations that children will enjoy every moment of Christmas. Remember that this time of year can be overwhelming for them too. They are out of routine being off childcare, pre-school or school, and perhaps spending time away from their home visiting relatives. It can be exhausting to do a lot of visiting around this time of year, especially when you all might prefer cosy home time playing with Santa’s presents.

Difficulties may arise when your child is hungry, tired or bored. Plan ahead for situations that might be difficult such as long journeys, shopping trips or large gatherings and how you can prepare for them. Try to factor in some ‘down time’ for them to relax and do something familiar each day. During long Christmas meals, it’s a good idea to give children an opportunity to leave the table if they need to and have some familiar foods available.

• ‘Elf and safety’ when visiting other homes - You and your family might be spending time in the homes of friends and relatives which are not child-proofed. Supervise your child at all times. Children may be able to access dangerous items in handbags, kitchen cupboards, bathroom cabinets and sheds. For example, sharp objects and matches.

Poison risks can include medicines, household cleaning products, and alcohol left over in glasses and cans. Products such as essential oils and reed diffusers can be highly toxic if ingested, even in small amounts. They can cause also harm to the skin and eyes if exposure occurs. Seasonal plants including poinsettia, holly, ivy and mistletoe are potentially poisonous.

Call the Poisons Information Line on 01 809 2166 if you think your child has been exposed to poison. The service is available from 8am to 10pm every day, including Christmas Day. It gives urgent tailored advice to members of the public on whether medical treatment is needed following accidental poisoning. Outside of these hours, contact your GP or hospital. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.

• Rein in your ‘to do’ list - We all want to make this time of year special for our children. But there can be pressure to spend a lot of money and time trying to create a ‘picture perfect’ Christmas.

Why not take some unnecessary things off the ‘to do’ or the shopping list and consider more simple activities instead? For example, quiet times at home playing with your child, winter nature walks, easy recipes, drawing pictures, Christmas crafts, board games or attending free community events. 

• Careful this Kiss-mas - Newborn and premature babies are at particular risk from RSV and other viruses circulating at this time of year. This is because their immune system hasn’t had much time to develop. You might feel awkward, but it’s a good idea to ask ahead if anyone is unwell with cold or flu symptoms and reschedule if they are. Newborns are adorable and everyone wants Christmas cuddles, but it’s okay to ask people to wash their hands before coming in to contact with the baby. If someone has a cough or cold, ask them to not kiss or cuddle your baby this time. Family and friends are there to support you; they will understand that protecting young babies who might get significantly unwell is the priority. 

Coming into contact with the cold sore virus (herpes simplex) can be very serious and even fatal for newborn babies. If you (or someone else) develop a cold sore or think you have a herpes infection:

• • do not kiss a baby
  • wash your hands before contact with a baby
  • cover up any cold sores before breastfeeding to avoid touching your mouth and then your breast.
    
• Gifts on the good list - Parents, loved ones and Santa and his elves can help keep children safe by making sure toys:
  • are right for the child’s age and developmental stage – be aware that older children may share unsuitable toys with a younger child
  • are in good condition as broken toys can be dangerous
  • have the CE quality mark – this shows they have met the required safety standard
  • are not a choking risk for children aged under 3 – watch out for small objects, particularly round-shaped, that could block your child’s airway. For example, marbles, beads, coins, marker caps and bottle tops
  • don’t have parts that are sharp or detach and break easily – any part that comes loose should be too large for a child to swallow
  • don’t have magnets – swallowing magnets can cause serious injury
  • don’t have strings as they are a strangulation risk
  • are stored out of the way when not being used so they don't cause trips or falls
  • are stored somewhere a child doesn’t need to climb to reach.

Get more advice on toy safety from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commissioner (CCPC).

• Take care with batteries - There are lots of different batteries in homes at this time of year which can result in serious harm if children chew or swallow them. Children can choke on them or if swallowed, seriously burn their insides. Button batteries are small batteries that look a bit like coins. They can be found in musical cards, books, novelty decorations like singing Santas or light up ornaments, flameless candles and other small electronic devices. Ensure all battery compartments on toys and other items are secure and cannot be opened by your child. Be extra careful with things that do not have locked battery compartments.

If you think your child may have swallowed a button battery, take them immediately to your nearest hospital emergency department (ED). You can give a child over 1 year of age 2 teaspoons of honey if they have swallowed a button battery. This can protect the oesophagus from injury before the battery is removed in the hospital. Only do this if they can swallow. Do not delay bringing them to hospital.

• Keep yourself and others safe from viruses - Dr Teresa O’Dowd, Specialist Registrar, HSE Child Health Public Health has advice for parents on prevention and treatment of viruses that circulate at this of year:
  “No one wants to miss out on the fun of Christmas because they picked up a virus. To reduce the risk, encourage children to cough and sneeze into the elbow or a tissue and to keep their hands clean. If you are sick with an infection such as RSV, flu, COVID-19, vomiting or diarrhoea it is important to stay home. 
  If giving your child an over-the-counter medication such as paracetamol, follow the instructions that come with it. Avoid inadvertent overdosing by keeping a note of how much your child had and when. You’ll find advice on mychild.ie about coughs, colds and viral infections in children.”
• Vaccination is the best protection - Flu is circulating widely in our communities at the moment and children are twice as likely as adults to catch it. Last year, more than 1,000 children were hospitalised with flu.

Bring your children for their flu vaccine. It is a quick and painless nasal spray vaccine, available free for children aged 2 to 17 from participating GPs and pharmacies. Also, please ensure your child has all their recommended childhood vaccinations as soon as possible as they are timed specifically to protect children. They will help protect your child from getting an infection and make them less likely to be unwell if they do get an infection.

"The free nasal spray flu vaccine is available for children aged 2 to 17 years, free from GPs and pharmacies. It helps protect your children from getting seriously ill with the flu, as well as helping to protect babies, grandparents and other vulnerable family members,” said Dr O’Dowd.

Dr Collins concluded:

“Our last top festive tip is an early bedtime on Christmas Eve, and no peeping! Santa Claus has a special request that all children go to early bed early on Christmas Eve, as he’s excited to visit and leave some surprises as soon as everyone is asleep. Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and new year.”

The HSE’s mychild.ie is a resource for parents and parents-to-be with advice on pregnancy, babies and toddlers. This includes common conditions, parenting and child safety.