As busy as life has become, children have not been left behind in the rat race. Nowadays, it is no secret to find children awake as early as 4 a.m, to begin their day that usually ends around 6 p.m due to traffic jams. One wonders where this generation is heading to if children will not be left to just…

Causes and prevention Hay fever, also medically known as Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is an allergic inflammation of the nasal ways. Like all allergic reactions, it is caused by allergens, a foreign invader that enters the body by inhalation, swallowing or through skin. In Hay fever, the allergens are airborne substances that enter the airways (mouth, nose, throat and lungs) through breathing…

We had just been introduced to each other and were now having tea. ‘Ah, so you are a doctor! I have a concern that has been disturbing my mind.’ I sat up and listened. This is a common line and quite frankly, as a doctor, I enjoy it, even in a social setting. It reminds me of my role in…

Nutrition plays a vital role in the growth and development of a baby. But can too much of a good thing be cumbersome for a parent? There are moments when parents will tell you that their child is feeding all the time. Often breastfeeding moms may feel their milk is not sufficient causing a bit of distress. The World Health…

When you take your bundle of joy home from the hospital, it is inevitable you will not do everything right. Paediatricians were asked about the five most common mistakes parents make with their newborns. Here were their responses: Letting a newborn sleep through the night. ‘One of the things that make me cringe is when parents say to me, ‘The first night…

Any mother, especially the first-timers, will tell you that being separated from their child is one of the hardest things they have had to face. She sits in the boardroom barely listening to the presentations being made. She knows that back home, her baby is just getting up to feed. Her anxiety builds; all she wants is to call the…

One great way to enrich a cake is to add over-ripe bananas to it. It adds zest to your cake, not to mention nutrients for the kids. Bananas are a good source of potassium, fibre and help maintain sugar levels in the body. A banana cake makes a good accompaniment for breakfast or afternoon snack. One can also use ripe bananas to bake a…

Knowing dinner is served at approximately the same time every night and that the entire family will be sitting down together is comforting and enhances appetite. Poor nutrition among toddlers and young children is an increasingly common problem with serious physical and medical consequences. According to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on child health, 70 per…