TO YOUR HEALTH

PALMER — Wyatt Stalmarck knows all about washing his hands.

“You just wash your hands,” the 5-year-old said Saturday while waiting in line to get a child ID card at the annual Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Baby and Children’s Fair. “You get them wet, then you wash the soap away, then get a towel.”

Why is it important to wash your hands?

“Because you have to,” he said. “And for germs, they wash away.”

Wyatt, his parents Severin and Kayla Stalmarck, and 1-month-old baby brother Viggo were among dozens of families picking up some basic infant and child health care information.

“This child ID program is just fantastic,” Severin said. “We had (Viggo) here and they told us about the fair, so we thought we’d see what it’s all about.”

Kayla was also impressed with the child identification cards, put together by New York Life. “These are much better than the kits you get where you have to try and fingerprint them yourselves.”

While the fair had an upbeat atmosphere and plenty to entertain the kids, some may have been intimidated to see the Pediatric Dentistry of Alaska booth right as they walked in the door.

Why are kids afraid of the dentist? Dr. Thane Hisaw thinks it’s just a general stereotype that dentists are mean and hurt people.

“Have you seen ‘Finding Nemo?’” he asked, referencing the popular children’s movie. “There’s the kid screaming in the background (in the dentist’s office). It’s just the perception, but sometimes fears are passed down from the family.”

It’s the same for developing good oral hygiene habits, like brushing, Hisaw said.

“As early as age 1 when the first teeth are in, we get those habits established,” he said. “Part of it is modeling when they’re older so they see mom and dad doing it, and when they’re real young, you just have to make them do it. I try to make it fun for my kids, like trying to sing a song while you’re doing it.”

That works for proper hand washing, said Emily Stevens, chief nursing officer for Mat-Su Regional. Although it may seem simple, not many children — or adults, for that matter — wash correctly. It’s especially important for kids, because they can pick up so many germs on their hands.

“It’s extremely important,” she said. “If you think about pink eye, it you think about the flu, that’s how it gets spread.”

One technique is to have children sing the “ABC” song while scrubbing with soap.

“Soap is important, but it’s the friction that really takes the germs off,” she said.

Katie Jordan brought her 5-month-old, Callen, to the fair. The information is useful, she said.

“I’m getting fliers for eye exams and medicine and learning about keeping him healthy,” she said. One thing she learned Saturday is that “TV is a bad thing for kids, and it’s linked to heart problems and stuff. They shouldn’t have TV for more than an hour a day or so, so that was interesting.”

One of the more popular booths was Terriann Shell’s. Shell runs the hospital’s birthing classes and had information on how to quit smoking for pregnancy and breast-feeding. She also had a life-like doll people could hold and enter a contest to guess the doll’s weight.

Dozens tried, but it wasn’t clear who was closest about halfway through the fair. One guess put the doll at 15.5 pounds, another 7. Reluctantly, Shell said the doll actually weighs 5 pounds, 1 ounce.

Across the aisle, Stu Graham of the Alaska Club was educating parents and kids about the benefits of physical fitness and exercise.

“This is all about healthy families, and the Alaska Club is all about families,” he said. “We have kids activities, rock climbing, swimming, basketball.”

How about the theory that television and video games are the main causes of childhood obesity?

“That’s a cop-out,” Graham said. “It’s more about the parents than it is the kids. If parents are doing physical activities, it’s easy to get kids to do it. The hard part is when the parents try to force kids when they’re not doing it themselves.”

For Dr. Sarah Henneman, a new physician at Capstone Family Medicine, the fair was an opportunity to interact with the community and other professionals.

“I’m impressed with everybody coming out,” she said. “It’s nice everyone’s showing what they’ve got.”

The best part for her 4-year-old daughter, Rosie, was the Home Depot booth, which helped kids plant their own seeds in little pots.

“I’ve got a sunflower!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I planted the sunflower.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.