Whether one is making the infant’s foods at home or preferring to buy ready made foods is basically a matter of personal choice. Bought foods are surely convenient if one is traveling in a jiffy, but the drawback is that they are more expensive and are not always nutritionally sound. If the use of bought foods is going to be on a regular basis, one needs to adhere to key guidelines. Always checking the list of ingredients on the jar or tin is quite essential. The listing is always mentioned in the order of concentration. One should steer clear of those food items in which water is listed first. If buying canned items, watching out for dents, leakage or seal on jars are unbroken is important. One must keep a watch for sell-by dates and avoid cut price items that are close to their expiry date. It is better to stay away from buying anything that states ‘mixed dinners’ as they mostly contain loads of thickener. If home made preparations need to be thickened, one can use ground,  [...]

What is hay fever ? Hay fever is an ailment that occurs during the spring and summer season and usually due to a reaction to pollen from flowers, grasses and trees. Though it has no serious consequence, it does become periodically troublesome with the allergic reaction occurring in the mucous membrane of the eyelids and nose. The condition is also referred to as allergic rhinitis and causes sneezing, a runny nose with clear discharge and itchy, watery, red rimmed eyes. Hay Fever Symptoms If the child is sneezing a lot, one needs to check his temperature to make sure that he isn’t ill with an infection like influenza or a common cold. One must discourage the child from rubbing his eyes as it will only worsen the situation. The eyes and nostrils can be bathed with cool water to ease the irritation. This will help wash out any deposits of pollen particles or dust. Warm saline water can be splashed on the eyes to relieve the itchiness. Vitamin C taken on a daily basis has a visible  [...]

Children are at a higher risk of being infected by worms many of whom live in the intestinal tract and some in the rectum. The classic symptoms include itching which worsens especially at night, bad breath, abdominal distension, gas, cramps, diarrhoea, decrease in weight, mucusy stools which sometimes turn bloody. Ginger and garlic have been proved very effective in wiping out the parasite. These can be administered in novel ways to the child. One can blend garlic cloves, about four in number to 330ml of apple cider vinegar and let the blend remain enclosed in a closed storage box at normal temperature for a period of two to three weeks. The blend can be filtered to remove the garlic pieces and then mixed with honey and given 3-4 teaspoons to the child with weight not less than about 23 kgs and the age above 2 yrs. A tablespoon of one part of the mixture apple cider vinegar with two parts of fresh apple extract is just as helpful. If garlic is a put off for your child, crushed garlic  [...]

Many children with active metabolisms tend to eat frequently through the day as their bodies require them to eat more often to make up for the frequent burn. The key factor being their stomachs can’t cope with three heavy or adult-sized meals a day. One must not force or impose an adult eating pattern on children. A child under the age of four or five might eat meals varying from three to even fourteen times per day with average of around five to six times. The size of the meal consumed will vary through the day with the thumb rule being that the more close placed the meals are, the smaller the meals will be. On an average, children consume the same amounts of nutrients, irrespective of the number of times they eat in the day. What is of prime importance is paying less attention on the number of times and more on what the child eats. Sensible snacks are thus important as they provide adequate calories in nutritious form contributing little to tooth decay. One can introduce fresh  [...]

Though many dread the very thought of their child being admitted to a hospital due to some unforeseen mishaps, one has to learn to take it in one’s stride believing that such situations are many a times inevitable and doing the best one can to tide over such times. * If hospital stay is needed, a host of hospitals offer parents the facility to stay alongside their children to reduce the trauma both face. One should avoid portraying a false picture to the child about what will happen during the stay in the hospital and explain why he must go in and reassuring him of your continued presence there. * One must go with the child to the hospital. Efficiently run wards allow the parents to undress the child and even provide extra bedding facility for the time of the stay. * Be sure to pack the child’s comforter , favoured toys and games to help keep him happy and occupied as the change from normal routine and known, trusted people is bound to fray his nerves. * There is bound to be changes  [...]

Early hair greying is many times a genetic predisposition with many cases of occasional grey strands noticed in children of eight years also. There are several cases when there is a discreet link between hair discoloration and a systemic disease which needs to be probed in detail. What causes grey hair? Many exposed to second hand smoke, low haemoglobin, thyroid disorders-hyperthyroid or hypothyroid or other genetic disorder diseases develop early hair greying. Greying of hair is nothing but pigment or melanin production inhibition in the root of the hair. A big farce is that fad-diets or protein-vitamin mineral nutritional supplements can affect the rate of greying. Greying of hair, be it due to the normal ageing process or untimely greying has been known to have a genetic basis. Once the melanin pigment dies out at the particular hair root, the new hairs that grow are inevitably greyish or white in colour. Children suffering from blood cancer, HIV, undergoing chemotherapy, protein  [...]

All children go through several changes through the span of their life. Changes like unknown settings, adults, peers and corporal structure cause children to feel significant amounts of strain, nervousness, panic and insecurity. Among the foremost changes that occur are when the child goes to preschool, nursery or school. If the child joins a pre-school setup, he is expected to do a series of activities on their own, adhere to particular routine and inculcate the concept of sharing amongst his fellow mates. With new-fangled areas like toilets, tots can many times develop certain phobias. These irrational fears make themselves evident with recurrent instances of sleeplessness, sleep talking, bed-wetting, slurred speech, decreased appetite, temper paroxysms, loss of concentration to site a few. This change is significantly traumatic for the parents and the child alike. A key solution lies is overall support from both the school authorities and the kin to bring about friction-free transition. The  [...]

Research has shown a vital role of play in the child’s overall development. Most children love splashing out in the water and by the time they are in their second year most of them forget any fear they may have had. One can help one’s child have fun by trying these innovative methods. One can let the child play in the bath. Many children love empty plastic bottles in the bath which they many times use as water pistols. Beakers and strainers can be given to the child so he can create a variety of effects. A number of household items can be adapted to make bath times fun. Children love watching water pour out of objects and plastic fruit boxes with perforations are quite amusing for them. Other good toys include measuring spoons, miniature watering cans, ice cube trays and sieves with different types of holes. Paddling pools are great for the summer to play around with. Cost-effective versions are available in stores. The smaller, circular variety which one can blow up serve equal  [...]