A balanced diet for a young child means having variety of foods.&nbsp;From the age of two, a child should be moving towards a diet that is similar to the rest of the family.Follow below mentioned measures to increase weight of your underweight child in a healthy manner:<ul><li>Your child should have at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.</li><li>The meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates.</li><li>Some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks and yogurts). Choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options.</li><li>Some beans and pulses, in case you prefer non-vegetarian food, fish, eggs, meat and other protein. Aim for two portions of fish every week – one of which should be oily, such as salmon or mackerel.</li><li>Plenty of fluids such as water, milk, fresh juice making up to – 6-8 cups/glasses a day. Energy-dense foods such as whole milk, yogurt, cheese and oily fish can also be given.</li><li>By the time your child is five, they should be eating a healthy low-fat diet. There are a few steps you can take to increase your child's calorie intake until they reach a healthy weight, while still providing a healthy diet.</li><li>Bulk up mashed potato by putting milk or cheese in it</li><li>Put grated cheese on beans on toast</li><li>Make milk puddings</li></ul> Try not to give more of:<ul><li>Sugary drinks and foods – It's not recommended to give your child high sugar drinks and foods. The longer and more often sugar touches your child's teeth, the more damage it causes. If your child does have sugary foods or drinks, it's best to give them at mealtimes to minimise damage to their teeth.</li><li>Saturated fats – These are unhealthy fats, such as those contained in burgers, sausages, pies, biscuits, cake and cheese. Try not to give these too often.</li><li>Whole grains – Wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal pasta, bread and brown rice, can be high in fibre and may fill up your child before they've taken in the calories and nutrients they need. After the age of two, you can gradually introduce more wholegrain foods.</li></ul> Note: It’s normal to worry that your child is not getting the food that he or she needs to grow. But kids are more than capable of knowing whether they are hungry or not. Unless your doctor tells you that your child isn’t getting the nutrients that he or she needs, you should not worry about the lack of food intake. As long as your child's weight is fine, (s)he is sleeping well and has normal bowel movements, there is no need to worry that whether your child is eating enough or not.

Underweight children require foods and diet that can provide them with enough nutrition and sufficient calories.

Underweight child

Palak Vyas

In younger infants, there can be multiple reasons for reflux:<ul><li>Overfeeding</li><li>Weak abdomen muscles</li><li>Immature esophageal sphincter muscles</li><li>Slow digestive system</li><li>GERD - a digestive disease where the fluids and foods from the stomach come back up to the oesophagus</li></ul> Sleep solutions:<ul><li>Do not put your infant to bed immediately after feeding.</li><li>Make them burp.</li><li>Wait for 30 minutes before lying down your baby on bed for a nap or night sleep.</li><li>While you wait for 30 minutes, be sure to hold him/her upright.</li><li>Keep rocking your baby in standing position till (s)he sleeps naturally.</li><li>To avoid acid reflux, give your baby small but frequent feedings.</li><li>In case you are feeding with a bottle, take a closer look at the nipple size. It should not be too small or too big. If the hole is too small, the child keeps sucking hard and instead of milk (s)he sucks in air. If the hole is too big, (s)he won’t be able to take that much amount at a stroke.</li></ul>

Many children have a problem of reflux (spitting/vomiting out the food) when they go to sleep. Certain sleep positions will help with this problem.

Sleep solutions for babies with reflux or GERD

Ravina Sewani

Practically, a child can be allergic towards any vegetable but the most common are asparagus, cabbage, potatoes, carrot, cucumber, spinach, avocado. Causes: Proteins present in the fruit that the child is allergic to. Symptoms: Symptoms usually show up minutes after a child has been exposed to a vegetable that (s)he is allergic to. Sometimes, the symptoms might show up after a few hours.The symptoms include:<ul><li>Nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing or dry cough</li><li>Eczema (a dry, itchy rash) or hives (reddish, swollen, itchy areas on the skin)</li><li>Redness of the skin around the mouth or eyes</li><li>Itchy mouth, ear canal or lip swelling, odd taste in the mouth</li><li>Nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea or stomach pain</li><li>Drop in blood pressure</li><li>Severe reactions include loss of consciousness, chest pain, turning pale, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, or anaphylaxis</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>The first thing is to not self-diagnose. Always rely on a healthcare expert's diagnosis.</li><li>A healthcare expert will examine your child's symptoms, his/her health history, and conduct other tests if required, to confirm whether your child has an allergy towards particular foods or not.</li><li>The doctor might get a blood test or a skin prick test done for your child.</li></ul> Foods to avoid:<ul><li>Raw vegetable to which the child is allergic.</li><li>Vegetable soup.</li><li>Food dishes which contain the vegetable to which your child is allergic.</li></ul> Treating allergies:<ul><li>The best way to prevent allergies of any sort in children is to avoid the source of the allergen.</li><li>In allergies, paediatricians usually prescribe antihistamine medicines for mild allergic reactions. Whereas for severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, your child’s paediatrician will prescribe an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI).</li></ul> Precautions:<ul><li>Develop a habit of reading the food labels for ingredients and allergy information.</li><li>Teach your child to mention about the allergy whenever (s)he goes to visit someone.</li><li>Inform your child’s school about your child’s allergy. You can also give the medicines prescribed by your child’s doctor to the school which they can use in case of sudden allergic reactions.</li><li>Be careful about the possibility of cross-contact; especially when visiting a restaurant.</li><li>Always keep the allergy medication handy for your child.</li></ul>

Not every child will have an allergy towards the same vegetable. Every child's immune system reacts differently towards different vegetables. The allergic reaction, however, is more or less the same towards any kind of vegetable.

Vegetable allergies

Circumcision is a small surgery where the skin covering the tip of the penis is removed surgically. The decision to get your baby circumcised depends on cultural, religious, medical or personal reasons. Let the paediatrician or neonatologist decide if the child is ready for circumcision or not.<ul><li>Your baby’s penis may be sore for a few days after the procedure.</li><li>You have to be careful while bathing and changing diapers until it heals completely. Do not use any bathing products. You can use warm water to clean the area.</li><li>Whenever you change the diaper, use a new dressing as per your child’s paediatrician’s advice.</li><li>Use a dab of petroleum jelly on the penis so that there is no friction with the diaper.</li><li>Healing after the surgery can take up to 7-10 days.</li></ul> Inform your child’s paediatrician if you see any of the following signs:<ul><li>Bleeding that continues</li><li>Fever</li><li>Infection</li><li>Redness that gets only worse</li><li>Pus filled blisters</li><li>If the child does not urinate within 12 hours after the circumcision.</li></ul>

Circumcision is not necessary but the decision depends on personal beliefs.

Undergoing circumcision in boys

<ul><li>Most chemical head lice treatments aren't suitable for babies under two years old. So the best way to get rid of your little one's head lice is by wet-combing.</li></ul> 1. Make your child comfortable: Comb or brush any knots out of your child’s hair with an ordinary comb. Wet your child’s hair completely with plenty of water to straighten it so that the comb moves smoothly.2. Comb hair still using an ordinary comb.3. Change to a comb with fine teeth: Use a head lice comb and comb sections of your child's hair. Comb from the roots to the ends of the hair. Be careful while using lice comb so that it doesn’t hurt your child.4. After each comb, wipe the conditioner on to a paper towel or tissue. Check the tissue or paper towel for lice and eggs (a magnifying glass may help you to see them more easily).5. Repeat the combing for every part of the head, section by section. Comb each section at least 4 or 5 times before moving on to the next section.6. After you have combed the whole head, rinse out the conditioner.7. If you find lice or eggs, repeat these steps every day if you can manage it, but at least every 2 to 3 days. You can stop when you find no lice or eggs for 3 days in a row.8. Check the hair of everyone in the house twice a week for the next 2 weeks to make sure everyone stays clear. <ul><li>You can also use lice controlling medicated shampoos after concerning your paediatrician.</li></ul>

Children below 3 years usually do not suffer from hair lice. If they do, proper shampooing of their hair and an oil massage is helpful for them.

Treating hair lice

Samiksha Choithani

Usually the reactions stay for a few days after the vaccination. If your child has taken a vaccination in the past few days you can expect these reactions:<ul><li>Low-grade fever</li><li>Redness and Pain around the leg or arm where the vaccination was given</li><li>Slight swelling</li><li>Trouble in sleeping</li></ul> Here are some tips to ease the pain:<ul><li>Feeding works wonders when babies are in pain, breastfeeding more often after vaccination can help the baby keep hydrated and take the mind off from the pain.</li><li>Apply ice pack in the injected area, you can also soak a soft cotton cloth in cold water and place it on the injected area.</li><li>Swaddle the baby immediately after vaccination.</li><li>Swing them in arms.</li><li>Do not massage in the injected area for a few days.</li></ul> If the reactions persist for more than 2-3 days, it is better to consult your child's paediatrician.

Almost all vaccinations have mild reactions post vaccination; this means the vaccine is working.

Common reactions after vaccination

<ul><li>Massage helps your baby to develop mentally, socially and physically.</li><li>The baby stays relaxed and does not get upset. He/she cries less and sleeps better.</li><li>You may find that giving your baby a massage lifts your mood and helps you to feel more empowered as a parent. As you massage your baby, it comes naturally to chat with him/her and have plenty of eye contact. It strengthens your bonding with your baby. This is one reason why massage can help mums with postnatal depression, or who are at risk of depression.</li><li>Even the father can give massage to their babies so as he can bond well and feels better about parenting.</li></ul> Massage may be particularly good for premature babies resulting in:<ul><li>Improved weight gain, particularly if oils are used. Massage can improve digestion and bowel movement, helping your baby to gain weight.</li><li>A more stable heart rate. Massage improves the parts of the nervous system that regulate our organs. So massage can help to keep your premature baby's heart rate steady.</li><li>The baby shows calmer response to stress and pain.</li><li>There is more stable brain activity. Premature babies who are massaged tend to have brain activity that develops at a normal level.</li></ul>

Body massage helps in keeping your baby healthy and happy.

Baby Massage benefits

Dr Ajab Primuswala

<ul><li>The first question is whether the child has been diagnosed with dyslexia or not. So without diagnosis, it could be just a lazy lethargic child who doesn’t want to read or write or is “not interested in writing or reading”.</li><li>“Not interested in reading or writing” means the child does not want to read or write at all. On the other hand, dyslexia is a disorder in which the child wants to read or write but does not have the capability of doing so in a perfect manner. If the diagnosis is done, then there are specific measures which have to be taken care of.</li><li>To bring it to your notice, dyslexia is not the only type which is a reading or writing difficulty. There are dyscalculia, dysgraphia and many more.</li><li>In dyslexia, the child cannot comprehend the red blue coordination of linings which becomes difficult for them to keep up with upper case and lower case letters of the English alphabet.</li><li>Here, you can use a broad red blue line notebook to train them to have them follow the concept from red to blue, blue to red and for middle case only blue lines. This can be a great help which any parent can do irrespective of whether you are trained in it or not.</li><li>You can also look through multiple resources available for dyslexia training and practice it yourself and help your child to read and write in that particular manner.</li><li>Dyslexia is not something that comes alone; it comes with a combination of other learning difficulties. The child will have to go to a special educator who is specifically trained in dealing with reading and writing difficulties in children with dyslexia. Trained educators usually design different programs for different children as every child has a different learning methodology. You can work on the special program which your child’s educator has designed.</li><li>You can also ask for support from your child’s school. Whichever material is going to be provided by the school, the child can get it prior and practice it at home. So when they are in school, it can be easier for them to cope.</li><li>As parents, you have to be more open. Being observant is what you can do for your child. You also need to be patient with your child as not get irritated for their slow pace of learning.</li></ul>

Children with dyslexia can be trained with professional help to cope with their reading and writing difficulties.

Caring for children with dyslexia

Milk production is in abundance during the early days, which is good. But as soon as the baby settles in – in most cases – the flow regulates on its own. Sometimes though, the breastmilk volume may still be high and there may be a very forceful spurt of milk with a forceful let down. This may cause problems for you and your baby. Usually babies develop a breastfeeding pattern within the first month. If after a month, your baby is still restless during the feeding, or pulls off your breast, coughs, chokes, gulps quickly, has painful cries, holds on to your nipple with a bite like hold, oversupply might be the issue here. You, on the other hand, might experience engorgement, have bouts of mastitis, or you may feel a strong let-down, and leaking breasts. Due to oversupply, a condition called Milk Ejection Reflex occurs in which the milk is released from the milk ducts in a forceful and in an almost explosive manner. Oversupply could be either due to your body making more milk, or when you don’t empty your one breast fully before offering the other, or thyroid. You can handle this situation by trying a reclined position while you breastfeed, you can try using nursing pads, and express little milk before feeding. You can use breast pumps and store the milk. Just be careful that your child does not choke while breastfeeding. If none of the methods work, you should consult your lactation consultant.

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