Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in baltimore, MD

Commonsense Guide to H1N1

May 04, 2009

H1N1, the Flu formerly known as Swine Flu, is all over the TV and Internet these days.  I mean, it's not literally all over the TV and Internet--that would, in fact, give us all legitimate reason to panic--but news of the illness surely is inescapable.  So inescapable that there's even mention of it here, on a Baltimore-based parenting Web site.  Because this H1N1 situation is ever-evolving, and because so many parents I've met seem so concerned, I think it's important to share a few commonsense tips on how to approach H1N1. 

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color (for fair tones) and grayish skin color (for darker tones)
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness or confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

• Wash your hands often, especially after coughing, sneezing, and wiping or blowing the nose.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Use paper tissues when wiping or blowing your nose; throw tissues away after use.
• Stay away from crowded living and sleeping spaces, if possible.
• Stay home and avoid contact with other people to protect them from catching your illness.

Bea Gaddy's Legacy

by Laura Stallard Petza

November 24, 2008

If you've been around Baltimore for any length of time, chances are that you've heard of Beatrice Frankie Gaddy, or Bea Gaddy as she was more popularly known. Born in 1933, Bea Gaddy spent much of her life helping Baltimore's poor and hungry, until she died of breast cancer in 2001. Gaddy herself lived in poverty for many years, and her life story--one of a poor, single mother who went on to  Read more...