Samiksha Choithani

Babies sometimes have their favourite side, and only prefer to take feed from one breast. At times it is because that particular side produces more milk or sometimes it is the side that produces less. The baby might avoid the most productive side as (s)he may not want the milk to gush out quickly that forces them to gulp fast.<ul><li>You can try offering one breast first, and then the second. Pump on the side that is not preferred by the baby as the baby might get frustrated if you forcefully offer both sides.</li><li>Keep a track of urine, stool and weight of the baby, if that is on track, let the baby feed on his/her preferred side and you can pump the other side.</li><li>If the baby isn’t gaining weight, try to feed the pumped milk from the other breast or try new positions to make the baby feel comfortable on both sides.</li><li>If the problem is with nipples, the baby may prefer to latch the one that is fully engorged. Try to talk to your gynaec, they will help you to pull the nipple on the other side (it is little painful) but once done, baby and mommy will be comfortable throughout the breastfeeding journey.</li></ul>

Many babies have a favourite side to feed on. However, if you are experiencing a problem with that, the situation can always be improved.

When baby prefers one breast!

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

Dr Aliraza Khunt

Palak Vyas

Prachi Shah

No human can stay hungry for long. Hunger is an integral part of survival. Every child has his/her own set of likes and dislikes when it comes to food. So the problem should not be that a child does not eat, rather the problem is that the child does not always eat what his/her parent wants them to eat. Every child likes something or the other. Identify that and feed them that. Introduce new foods along with their favourite foods.A few things which you can keep in mind:<ul><li>Avoid introducing junk foods with high taste levels at a young age: For example, if you introduce chocolate too soon, your child will be habituated to an intense sugary taste. Also, chocolates, biscuits, wafers have more calories. So if children eat 4-5 chocolates or biscuits, their calorie count is fulfilled and they will not require any more food for the whole day. These foods are highly rich in calories but do not provide other quality nutrition. Eating excess junk food will result in nutrient deficiency when they grow old.</li><li>Stop giving any junk food altogether: If you totally stop giving chocolates or biscuits, the child will gradually divert towards healthy nutritious food because no one can survive without food. You will have to work hard to develop a new habit of eating healthy and this can be time consuming and can demand a lot of patience.&nbsp;</li><li>Work as a team: When you know some things are not right for your child’s health, sit with the entire family and convince everyone to not give junk food every time a child demands. By being stricter, gradually your child will develop healthy eating habits.</li><li>Be a role model: If you want your child to follow your instructions, you too will have to say goodbye to your junk food habits. A child learns the most from his parents. Eat healthy and so will your children.</li><li>A frequent intake of sugar and sugary foods and drinks between meals causes tooth decay. Snacks and drinks taken between meals should be sugar-free.</li><li>Do not add more salt in the food either while cooking or at the table, as babies’ kidneys are not fully developed.</li><li>Every day, children need three meals plus snacks. Provide nutritious meals and snacks.</li><li>Young children are very active and have high energy (calorie) and nutrient needs in proportion to their small body size.</li></ul>

Children learn from your behaviour. Changing your eating habits will help them develop healthy eating habits as well.

Developing healthy food habits

<ul><li>Pollen, a fine yellow powder discharged from flowers that spreads through winds, birds, insects, is one of the most common environment-based allergens.</li><li>Pollination is mostly seasonal hence the allergy reactions to pollen are higher in the season of pollination.</li><li>The water-soluble proteins in the pollen can trigger the immune system resulting in an allergic reaction when it comes into contact via mucus membrane.</li><li>Allergic reactions to pollen include runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, itchy nose/eyes/ ears/mouth, and can worsen asthma symptoms.</li><li>Your child's paediatrician will diagnose the pollen allergy by examining the symptoms, medical and family history and suggest skin prick test or blood test if necessary.</li><li>The best way to prevent pollen allergies is to avoid exposure to pollen by limiting outdoor activities during pollen season and taking preventive medications like antihistamine (prescribed by your child’s paediatrician) for symptomatic relief.</li><li>Your doctor may recommend steroids for severe reactions or immunotherapy for chronic symptoms.</li><li>It is not always possible to avoid air-borne allergens entirely but certain preventive measures will help you keep your little one safe.</li><li>Airborne allergens like pollen can either trigger immediate reactions like Hay Fever (allergic rhinitis), Oral Allergy Syndrome, Allergic Asthma or delayed reaction like Eczema.</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>Itching</li><li>Rashes</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Diarrhoea</li><li>Swelling of the lips or tongue or face</li><li>Throat constriction</li><li>Difficulty in breathing</li><li>Allergies may sometimes also cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis which constricts the airway passage and requires immediate medical attention.</li><li>The symptoms of pollen allergy are similar to common cold like shortness of breath, wheezing, runny nose, sneezing, itching, fatigue, etc., but the trigger is different in both. While allergies are an immune system response to an allergen, cold is caused by a virus.</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>Always get your child diagnosed by a healthcare expert and never on your own. Never self-assume that your child has peanut allergy. Commercial home test kits for self-diagnosis are not recommended as they may not be of the required standards.</li><li>Your child’s paediatrician may recommend that your child undertake tests like skin prick test, blood test or food/drug challenge. It is important that these tests are performed under medical supervision as these tests might trigger an allergic reaction. Along with these tests, your child’s paediatrician will also examine your child's medical/family history, existing conditions like asthma and eczema.</li></ul>

Pollen allergy is seasonal and so precautionary measures will help a lot.

Pollen allergy

Dr Heena Hasan

Potty training can usually start between 18 to 24 months of age. But, do not take stress if the child doesn’t learn, it may take time and there is no perfect age to start potty training. Just mark these indications that shows your child is ready for potty training:<ul><li>Child is asking questions about toilet</li><li>Child talking about potty seats</li><li>The child may be talking about underwear</li></ul>Ask these questions to yourself before you start potty training:<ul><li>Can my child sit on a potty seat and get back up without my help?</li><li>Can my child follow basic instructions?</li><li>Can my child tell me when it's time to go for potty?</li><li>Can my child pull down diapers or underwear without my help?</li><li>Is the diaper dry for at least 2 hours?</li></ul>If the answer to the above questions is yes, then your child is ready for potty training.These suggestions may help to identify when the child indicates to go to the washroom:<ul><li>Start noticing the face when the child wants to pee or poop, check the red face and grunting sounds or if the child indicated by touching their pants.</li><li>Notice the time when the child goes for potty and pee. This will help to establish routine for potty.</li><li>Praise your child when they indicate it correctly and do not wet the pants.</li><li>Potty time should be want-to instead of have-to, do not push your child even when they do not feel the urge of going to the washroom.</li></ul>

Potty training can usually start between 18 to 24 months of age. Look for the indications which your child gives, it will help you identify when the child is ready for potty training.

Potty training a child

Causes:Blindness&nbsp;may be due to genetic mutations, birth defects, premature birth, nutritional deficiencies, infections, injuries, and other causes. Symptoms:<ul><li>Pupils are unequal in size.</li><li>Pupils appear white instead of black.</li><li>Eyes don’t move when an object or face is moving in front of it.</li><li>Crossed eyes.</li><li>Eyes flutter from side to side or up and down.</li><li>Eyes do not seem to focus.</li><li>Clumsy behaviour such as knocking things over or bumping into things.</li><li>Repeated shutting or covering of one eye.</li><li>Avoiding tasks that require good vision.</li><li>Frequent squinting and blinking.</li><li>Sitting too close to the TV, holding books too close to the face.</li><li>Face crunching and eye rubbing.</li></ul> Diagnosis: After you observe above symptoms in your child, take him/her to an opthalmologist for thorough examination and diagnosis as there are different types of blindness. An opthalmologist will examine each eye by measuring the visual field, peripheral vision, and visual acuity. Types of Blindness:<ol><li>Colour Blindness: It is the inability to identify the difference between a few shades of colours.</li><li>Night Blindness: It is the difficulty to see under poorly illuminated situations.</li><li>Snow Blindness: It is the loss of vision after excessive exposure to UV light.</li><li>Unilateral Blindness: It is the loss of vision in only one of the eyes</li><li>Bilateral Blindness: It is the loss of vision in both the eyes.</li><li>Congenital Blindness: It is the inability to see from birth.</li></ol> Treatment:<ol><li>Make sure you take an appointment with an ophthalmologist if you do notice any of the above signs and symptoms affecting your kid. Also remember to get a routine check-up done to ensure proper progress and eye health.</li><li>In certain eye problems, wearing glasses or contact lenses may help your kid in seeing better.</li><li>Certain eye problems can be tackled by performing a surgery. In all cases, treatment of the eye problem totally depends on the cause.</li><li>In some cases, children may suffer from vision problems due to nutritional deficiencies and following a healthy diet could help solve the problem.</li><li>Cataract surgeries and certain forms of medications and eye drops could also be a treatment option for some children affected by treatable forms of visual impairment.</li></ol> Prevention: Whether a blindness is preventable or not, can only be identified by an opthalmologist because prevention, like treatment, depends on the type of blindness. Raising a visually impaired child:Connecting to the right kind of people and finding proper guidance can be a lot of help. Here are some tips you can follow to make this journey better and easier:&nbsp;<ol><li>Find your support system: The people who would understand what you are going through and offer relevant advice. Connect with other parents going through the same situation.</li><li>Follow a positive attitude: It is going to be okay! You and the child both will work it out eventually.</li><li>Do not worry about a child's future. Just be rational and practical and believe that it is always going to be better. See how you grow through this experience.</li><li>Read some articles: Go through some of the materials online or just consult your doctor. Ask for some suggestions and maybe read a book or an article on what can make your journey more fulfilling for you and your child. See how you can better the process. A few articles will help for sure.</li><li>Join some organisations: There are some private and government-based organisations you can join. They have nominal fees. These organisations are of great help because they can provide you with every small detail, the problem along with their solutions.</li><li>Educate your family: Introduce your family and extended family and friends to hows and whats of the process. So the child gets similar treatment and it gets easy for everyone to communicate and understand better.</li><li>Most important of all is time and again, take a break. Do not feel alone or weak in the process. The challenges are big sometimes but there is always a way out. You will conquer it. So just go easy on yourself and your child too.</li><li>There are special schools for children with special needs. Their ways of teaching are different and are in accordance with the child’s special needs. Your child will gradually adapt to the situation and you too will cope with it.</li></ol>

Here are Blindness Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Prevention, and Diagnosis.

All about Blindness

Chewing may start around 6-9 months. By 10 months, your baby should be given textured food and opportunity to chew. Babies can do light chewing till 1.5 years as they still lack molar teeth. There can be several reasons behind a child not chewing its food properly:<ul><li>Late introduction of food</li><li>Delayed development of motor skills (jaw, tongue, swallowing)</li><li>Disinterest in food because of test, texture, or flavour</li><li>Boredom of same food</li><li>Allergy</li><li>Consumption of milk three times</li><li>Big portions</li><li>Distraction</li></ul> Please refrain from the following behaviour:<ul><li>Generally, parents put on child's favourite cartoon or TV programme and feed their child. For parents, the only concern is to make the child eat sufficient amount of food so as soon as this is done, they think that their part of duty to feed the child is over.</li><li>This is where children get into the bad habit of eating while watching T.V. When a child eats in front of the screen, (s)he does not know what (s)he is eating. The child will also not chew the food properly.</li><li>If a child observes that his/her parent is taking a sandwich in their hand while going to office and eats moving around the house or watches television while eating, the child will learn the same. The child models their parents’ behaviour and thus (s)he doesn’t chew properly. Either they eat too slow or just gulp without chewing.</li></ul> For improvement, take the following steps:<ul><li>When a child eats food on their own, proper chewing habit develops easily. This way the child becomes independent and learns to do his/her own thing. So encourage them to eat their food on their own.</li><li>Make it a point to have a family meal time where everyone eats together.</li><li>Vary the type of food, food's texture to keep the food interesting for your child.</li><li>Instead of a screen, tell them stories or talk to them while feeding them.</li><li>Make sure there is sufficient gap between meals. When the child is not hungry, (s)he does not chew the food properly. Take this as a sign that your child is not hungry.</li><li>You can constantly keep telling them about the importance of chewing process and help them develop this habit by following it yourself.</li><li>Eat with them, but in a different plate. When a child watches you eating calmly and properly, (s)he learns the same.</li></ul>

Kids tend to skip chewing and try to swallow the food directly. Do not get angry, try to be patient and address the problem.

Helping child to chew food properly

Thrush is a fungal infection that causes severe pain in both nipples and breasts after feeds. If the pain lasts even up to an hour after every feed, it is the sign of thrush. If not taken care of, your baby can also develop this infection in the mouth. This infection is caused when you have cracked nipples that give the fungus an entry into your nipples. If you are on antibiotics for some reason, do not stop taking them fearing the thrush infection. Always do as advised by your doctor. Because your baby breastfeeds, (s)he has chances of developing this infection. Check if your baby has white spots or patches in tongue, gums, roof of the mouth or inside the cheeks. Try wiping them gently and if it does not go away, it indicates thrush. Other indicators of thrush include baby’s unrest when feeding, nappy rash, a white film on lips. It is important to maintain hygiene as the infection can spread to others in the family as well. Properly wash your hands carefully after nappy changes and use separate towels to prevent spreading of infection. You need to also wash and sterilise the toys your baby puts in mouth. Wash your bras at high temperature. Pain in the breast and thrush are two different things. Always seek medical help for the right diagnosis.In case you or your baby both have thrush, both of you will be treated simultaneously. Your doctor will usually prescribe a topical cream for you and an antifungal gel or liquid for your baby. Thrush can be treated, and you will be back to your days of breezy breastfeeding experience.

Thrush is a fungal infection that causes severe pain in both nipples and breasts after feeds.

Thrush infection in breastfeeding mothers

Allergic reactions towards celery are triggered when the body perceives the proteins in celery as a threat.Allergic reactions to celery may range from Oral Allergy Syndrome to severe allergic reactions.Allergic reactions towards celery are very rare but it is better to always stay careful. Symptoms:<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>Severe reactions include loss of consciousness, chest pain, turning pale, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, or anaphylaxis.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Seek help from a healthcare expert to get your chid diagnosed of the celery allergy. The doctor will examine your child’s symptoms, medical history, family history, and may suggest a few tests like skin prick tests, blood tests or Oral Food Challenge. Precautions:<ul><li>Develop a habit of reading food labels for the ingredients. Teach your child the same.</li><li>Teach your child to mention about the allergy whenever he/she goes to visit someone.</li><li>Avoid consuming all forms of celery (raw or cooked) including celeriac (the root of celery), celery seeds or celery salt (used for flavouring).</li><li>Inform your child's school of your child's allergy to celery. You can provide your child’s school with necessary medicines and adrenaline auto-injectors (AAI) as the school might need these when your child shows allergic reactions suddenly.</li></ul> Foods to avoid:Canned soup, stock cubes, crisps, mar-mite, sandwiches, and salad

Celery is a marshland plant with long fibrous stalk. Even though celery allergy is not very common, it is better to stay aware.

teeth cleaning health concerns

Following article(s) will help solve your concern.