Pediatrics

Babinski's reflex should disappear by age 12 months; its presence after this age indicates neurologic dysfunction.

Before administering a tube feeding to a toddler, which of the following methods should the nurse use to check the placement of a nasogastric (NG) tube?

Intestinal, gastric, and respiratory fluids have different pH values. Therefore, checking the pH of fluid aspirated from the tube is the most reliable technique for checking proper NG tube placement without taking X-rays before each feeding. X-rays can't be performed multiple times a day on a daily basis. Because auscultation of air can be heard when the tube is in the esophagus as well as in the stomach, this isn't the best test for checking placement. Observing the insertion measurement mark isn't a good check either because the mark may remain the same even though the tube has migrated up or down into the esophagus, lungs, or intestines.

use of aspirin during chickenpox and the development of Reye's syndrome (a disorder characterized by brain and liver toxicity). Therefore, the nurse should instruct the parents to avoid administering aspirin

Breast-fed infants typically have soft, bright yellow or light green stools with no offensive odor. Formula-fed infants typically have pale yellow, semiformed stools with a strong odor. A neonate's first stools typically are dark green to black, sticky, and odorless (representing meconium, usually present for the first 3 days).