Tag:bowel movement, constipation, constipation treatment, hard stool, signs of constipation

How do you tell whether your child is having constipation? When it comes to bowel movement, there is no normal number of times or schedule that your child passes a stool – just what is normal for your child. He may have bowel movement after a meal , every day or every two days. It is also very much depends on his diet. Drinking more water and diet rich in fiber will make bowel movement easier. Each individual has its own pattern. High level of physical activities and the rate he digests his food will also effect the bowel movement.

Signs of constipation.

If you think that your child is constipated, look out for the following signs:
1. Less frequent bowel movement. If he has not had one for four or more days and feels uncomfortable when he does have one.
2.  Dry and hard stools that are difficult to pass.
3. Loose or very liquid stools in your child’s diaper or underwear. Liquid stools can slip pass the blockage in the lower intestine. When you see this, don’t assume that he has diarrhea. It may be evidence of constipation.

The reason for constipation.

The common reasons for constipation are:
1. Lack of or eating too little fiber food such as fruits, vegetable and whole grains. Too much of diary products such as milk, cheese, yogurt or peanut butter can lead to constipation.
2. Stress of toilet training. A child may deliberately hold back his stools if he feels pressured about toilet training.
3. If he didn’t spend enough time to completely remove his bowel and feces buildup may cause the colon to stretch and cramp.
4. Dehydration cause by lack of liquid intake. His system will absorb liquid from what he eats and drinks and from the waste in his bowels as well. This will result in hard and dry stools.
5. Lack of activity. Being active helps the blood flow to your toddler’s digestive system.

Treatment for constipation

1. Try to include more fiber in his diet.
2. Increase his fluid intake. Water is the best choice. A little fruit juices or prune juice may help but do try to limit it to 4 ounces a day in order not to ruin his appetite and prevent tooth decay.
3. Encourage him to be more active to get blood flow to his digestive system.
4. Don’t pressure him to toilet train before he is ready to avoid toilet training anxiety.
5. Talk to your doctor about treatment options such as using laxatives, lubricants, or suppository.

Tag:babies cry, colic, colicky, crying pattern

Many parent especially first time parents are concerned when their baby cries a lot.

My first baby cried the loudest while in the nursery at the hospital. Back at home she cried almost everyday especially in the early evenings when she was about 1 to 2 months old. We have tried many things to soothe her but nothing seems to work. Guess it is due to colic.

Research shows that crying follows a developmental pattern, which is also known as the crying curve, during the first few months after they were born. Crying tends to increase at two to three weeks of age, peaks between six and eight weeks, and then slows down after that, usually hits its lowest level by around four months. Babies also cry more often during the late afternoons and early evenings. This is usually because they need to release their tension after a long day.

Parents need not panic when their baby cries a lot. First, check that your baby’s basic needs are met. She could be to warm or too cold, or hungry or maybe needs a diaper change. If she’s comfortable, dry, and fed and she’s still crying, she may be lonely or blowing off steam. Some babies like to be cuddled or rocked. Some prefer to lie down in their crib playing with their soft toys or listening to music.

If your baby cries for hours and be hard to console, she may have colic. Unfortunately researchers and practitioners don’t have any hard-and-fast answers for parents desperate for a solution. In severe cases of colic, some pediatricians may prescribe medication to help calm the infant. Talk to your doctor if you can’t seem to soothe your baby.

Tag:antibiotic, baby, feeding medicine tips

If you have challenges feeding medicine to your child when he is sick, do not get frustrated.

You are not alone. My 11 1/2 months old son  fell sick recently and doctor prescribed antibiotic for his sore throat. The challenge began when we reached home to feed him his medicine. Initially he opened his mouth to take the medicine, but when he realised that the medicine did not taste like the food he normally takes, he put on a struggle. It was impossible to feed him alone. We have to work in pairs. One to hold him and one to shoot the medicine into his mouth using a syringe. It was a heartbreaking sight to see him struggled and cried his heart out. At his young age, he did not know that it will do him good. At times when he cried and struggled too much, he will vomit out the medicine. If that happens, all the effort and the joy of succeeding in getting the medicine into his body go down the drain. So the challenge is to get the medicine into his stomach at the shortest time possible with minimal struggle and crying and to keep the medicine inside once it is in.

After many trials and error, I found that the few tips listed below are quite effective.

1. Keep him distracted at all times by showing him things or toys that he likes.

2. If you are a Christian, pray with him first before you give him the medicine. It is really a miracle to see the result. There will be less struggle and sometimes he will open his mouth willingly. Talk about the power of prayer.

3. Point the syringe to the “cheek pocket” and inject about 1 ml to 1.5ml of medicine at a time into the “cheek pocket”. In this way, less medicine will reach his tongue and minimise the taste of the medicine. This will enable him to swallow it down easily.

4. Immediately distract him again by showing things that he likes or take him for a walk around the room or house. This will prevent him from crying too much and minimise the risk of vomiting.

5. Repeat the same procedures until the syringe is empty. But try to minimise to number of times forcing the medicine into him.

Hopefully the above helps to overcome the challenges in feeding your child medicine and makes medicine feeding time a less heart breaking experience.

Tag:fever, temperature, viral infections in baby

Fever in children are common. It is usually due to viral infections which are responsible for cough and cold, gastroenteritis

and so on. In some cases, fever may be related to more serious viral or bacterial infections such as meningitis, septicaemia or abcesses. Fever may also be due to certain non-infection related causes such as malignancies (eg leukaemia) and inflammatory or immune system disorders such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or Kawasaki disease.

Under normal conditions, fever by itself is not harmful or dangerous. Nevertheless, it is advisable to keep watch on fever, especially in newborns and infants. You can use a regular mercury or digital thermometer at home to take the baby’s armpit temperature. Alternatively, you can also use an electronic thermometer to take the temperature inside baby’s ear cavity.

Fever in newborns less than one month of age needs to be taken seriously. Do not hesitate to bring baby to see the doctor immediately if he has a fever, especially if it exceeds 38°C. Having said this, do bear in mind that fever in newborns can occur without an infection. Baby can develop a fever simply due to hot weather, overheated room, or wearing thick clothing. If the fever persists for more than a few hours, take him to the doctor.

Another point to take note is that your newborn can have an infection without having a fever. He may even suffer from a drop in temperature due to a severe infection. These can occur because his immune system is still immature and not able to produce pyrogens, which cause the body’s temperature to rise. Therefore it is wise to consult the doctor whenever baby starts behaving abnormally or you think that he is unwell.

Fever in older infants over one month of age tends to be caused mostly from viral infections. The fever are normally low grade and accompanied by common complaints such as stuffy noses and cough, stomach ache or cramps, and diarrhoea. Fever in children can also be caused by bacteria and other organisms and these need to be treated with proper antibiotics.

In any case, if temperature exceeds 38°C, it is advisable to consult a doctor immediately.

Tag:baby problems, bilirubin, jaundice, yellowish skin

This problem is usually not present at birth. It starts around the second or third day of birth.

It may build up till the end of the first week.

Jaundice is a condition of the baby which makes the baby’s skin and white eyes turns yellowish. The yellowish colour on the body is caused by bilirubin which is accumulated in the blood because the baby’s liver is not matured enough to process this chemical fast enough.

Juandice condition not like other problems, maybe harmful to the baby and you should consult a doctor to monitor closely the severity of the jaundice. The measurement of bilirubin level can be determined through blood test. Jaundice can be treated in the hospital using phototherapy. Mild jaundice is not threatening and can be treated at home by placing the baby under the morning sun or by placing the baby near the window to allow the indirect sun to shine onto the baby a few hours a day.

Breastfed babies will tend to have worse jaundice cases and it takes longer for the bilirubin to subside.

Tag:heat rash, milk rash, nappy rash, rashes

Basically there are three kinds of rashes that could affect a baby.

1. Heat rash

This usually affect the baby when the baby is hot and sweaty. It appears as reddish spots around the neck, face or upper part of the body. The baby may feel uncomfortable and irritated. You do not have to worry about these rashes as they will go off without any treatment. Try to keep the affected area dry and clean. Do not put any powder as powder may become sticky when comes into contact with sweat and this may make the situation worse.

2. Nappy rash

This affect the bottom part of the baby and maybe painful to touch. The skin around buttock and groin may become red due to urine or faeces. Try to keep the skin dry and clean by changing the nappy or diaper the moment they are wet. Clean the diaper area with water and properly dry them especially after bowel movements.

3. Milk rash

Sometimes when milk spills out of baby’s mouth while feeding, it may cause redness around the chin, mouth and neck if left there for too long. Make sure you wash or wipe your baby’s mouth, chin and neck with damp cloth and dry properly after every feeding.

Tag:babies, cradle cap

Cradle cap is a yellowish, scaly or sometimes could be crusty condition affecting the scalp of a baby.

This condition are quite normal and there is nothing to be worried about. It will not cause any harm to the baby except that they are not good to look at. You can remove them by applying baby oil onto the affected area of the scalp. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes. Wash the hair and use your fingers and gently massage the scalp to remove the scales. The cradle cap should disappear after some time.

Tag:baby problems, reflux, regurgitate

Regurgitation of feeds are common in babies. The babies may regurgitate after feeding or hiccups. There are several causes for this.

1. Overfeeding. When a baby feeds to much, he will tend to regurgitate.

2. Wrong dilution of formula milk.

3. Inappropriate size of the hole in the teat.

4. Wrong handling of the bottle while feeding and the baby sucks too much air.

To prevent this, ensure that you burp the baby after feeding.

As long as your baby is developing well and gaining weight and feeding well,  there is nothing for you to worry about.

But beware. If your baby regurgitates after every  feeding, or vomit or spitting to much much, difficulty in breathing or choking or wheezing, consult your doctor immediately.

Tag:baby problems, colic, colic pain, Colicky baby

Colic affects male babies on the whole, but female babies also do experience colic. The exact cause of colic is not known as yet.Many researchers believe that it may be due to the immaturity of the baby’s digestive system. Some believe that maternal anxiety while baby is still in the uterus may cause colicky baby. Colic problems usually begins at about 2 to 3 weeks old right up to 3 months old. And it happens usually towards the evening. A colicky baby tends to cry inconsolably. The baby may draw his legs towards the stomach or lay them straight to relieve the stomach cramps.

There is nothing much you can do to help. The baby will normally grow out of it, usually after 3 months. It can be very frustrating at times. You can try to massage the stomach. It may help a little bit. You can try to lie him down on his belly and putting a warm towel underneath his belly or a half-filled bottle of warm water can also do.

Colic is not a problem to be worried about. Do consult your doctor to rule out any other causes. If there is no other causes, then you may just have to bear with it for 3 months or so.

Tag:hiccups, newborn problems

Even healthy newborns can have a few problems during their first few weeks of life. The problems are mostly common to most babies and are not serious, so you don’t have to be duly worried about them. Hiccups are common among newborns. It can last from just a few seconds to up to a few minutes. Hiccups are often caused by sudden or irregular contractions of the diaphragm, and a sign that the muscles involved in breathing are getting stronger, and trying to work in harmony. If hiccups happen after feeding, try to burp your baby after each feeding.  Babies tend to swallow air as they feed.