Dr. Bhargava

Are you observing red, crusty patches on the surface of your infant’s skin during his/her first month after birth? This is an indication of infant eczema. It is a dry, itchy skin condition which may occur on any part of your child’s body and is commonly found on the cheeks, legs and arms. This condition is sometimes confused with cradle cap, which is another skin condition.

Causes-

Eczema usually runs in families and is hereditary. If you have eczema, it is likely that your child may have it too. Several problems in the skin barrier allow germs inside and moisture to go out. This is a common cause of eczema in infants. The condition occurs when the body makes insufficient fatty cells or ceramides. When there is not enough of these, the skin loses water and becomes extremely dry.

Does Eczema In Infants Go Away By Itself?

In many cases, infant eczema goes away on its own and most infants outgrow the condition by the time they are ready for school. However, some children do get eczema during their adulthood. This may continue for years without specific symptoms. Such children also tend to have dry skin.

Treatment-

Here are some home treatment options for infant eczema:

1. You should use moisturisers on your child. Moisturisers containing ceramides are a good option, which are available at all over-the-counter (OTC) stores by prescription. You can also opt for good moisturisers, fragrance-free creams and ointments like petroleum jelly. This helps in keeping your baby’s skin in retaining natural moisture. Apply these after a bath.

2. A lukewarm bath is beneficial for your child. It helps in hydrating and cooling the skin. The water should not be very hot and the bath should not exceed 10 minutes. You can also add oatmeal soaking products to your baby’s scrub for soothing itchiness.

3. You must use mild and unscented body soaps for your baby. This is because perfumed, antibacterial and deodorant soaps are rough for your baby’s skin. Scrub some soap on areas of your child’s body where there is dirt, such as the genitals, feet and hand. Do not rub or pat his/her skin.

4. Several medicines are also used for the treatment of infant eczema. These include hydrocortisone creams and ointments, which help in easing inflammation and itching. You should not apply these medicines in excess as they can thin the skin on the affected areas.

You should consult a doctor on observing any signs or symptoms of eczema on your child’s skin. This will help in proper diagnosis of the problem and an early treatment plan will prevent further deterioration of the symptoms.

We all know the rules avoid junk food, eat healthy, say no to fizzy drinks and finish your veggies. But do kids really listen? who says eating right needs to be followed by the book! parents stress and worry about their children's bad eating habits day and night, just to find their child pigging out on that packet of chips you thought you managed to hide. Instead of setting rules for what he/she can or cannot eat (and we all know how much children love rules) why not provide them with options (you could even trick them into believing its totally unhealthy) they'll gobble up happily.

Say yes to junk food:
There is no parent who could eat healthy all the time, so how can you expect your kids to do the same? if they want chocolate, melt some rich chocolate in milk and serve it to them as hot chocolate. When your child demands choco chip cookies, try making them at home with healthier alternatives like atta instead of maida and olive oil instead of butter. And sometimes just give your kids a break, when they ask for a packet of chips or some silly over priced chocolate, just let them have it!

Sauce it up:
Stop trying to force feed icky green dry vegetables to your child! I'm sure you also couldn't have eaten something that bland, happily as a kid. It's unfair to ask your child to eat boiled broccoli and boring raw salads just to maintain that healthy balanced diet. Instead you could make all these vegetables yummy by adding different sauces and dressings to them. Load up any salad with some mayo dressing or thousand island or whatever you think your child might enjoy. If they're happy eating such yummy salads you probably won't worry about the calories in the sauces! serve beans, broccoli, cucumber and anything else you want them to eat in a creamy white sauce. That way they'll lick the bowl clean before you can even say green vegetables!

Serve dessert and food togteher:
Won't they just eat the dessert and skip dinner? if you give them just one serving of dessert long with dinner, they'll still be hungry after that small amount of dessert. So even if the attack the dessert first, odds are they'll still be hungry and will end up having their dinner too. The trick here is to give a small portion of dessert so they can't fill up on just dessert. You could serve items like fresh fruit, apple crumble, oatmeal cookies, frozen yogurt etc to keep the desserts on the healthier side.

Serve dinner for breakfast:
Whatever your child's favorite dinner dish is, try serving that for breakfast. If your child loves pizza, serve mini pizza's for breakfast. Just fill pita pockets with chicken, cheese, tomatoes and serve it up as a mini pizza. If your child loves egg then make an omelette with vegetables and some cut pieces of meat. You could even add some cheese to it! this might make them finish breakfast in no time.

Provide alternatives:
If you child wants chips, offer tortilla chips with salsa. If they ask for french fries, make those at home using less oil and salt. When he/she asks for pizza, try making them at home instead of ordering them from outside. Just by proving similar alternatives to food they crave you can improve their eating habits. Also when you're cooking at home, you can toss in a lot of vegetables without them finding out!

Try new recipes:
Not only kids, every person gets tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Try to find various recipes for one food item so that your child can keep eating the same vegetables without saying the food is boring. You'll find more than 5 ways to make healthy pasta and a zillion ways to make paneer ki sabzi. Actually this little trick might even spruce up your taste buds, not to mention cooking won't seem like such a tedious task once you get tasty food as the reward!

Don't try too hard:
The more you push, the more they'll push back. Using threats, bribes, punishments and anger isn't going to make them eat vegetables. Just sit back and let them eat their food without nagging in between. Eventually you'll notice the food that used to lie on the corner of the plate is now happily settled in their stomach. This way they'll learn to eat healthy on their own, especially in the long run. You won't have to call them during their college ad working years to ask did you eat your fruits and vegetables today? Phew, now won't that be a relief.

In case of any query or to book an appointment with dt. Silky mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition. In or call on 080 6741 7780 (dial extension: 778).

Sometimes children suffer from conditions where their feet may not be in proper shape or size, something that can affect their posture. Most of the times the disorders get corrected themselves as children grow up, but there can be situations where medical attention is required. These conditions can be normal variations in the anatomy as well which don't essentially require treatment. Some of the common orthopedic disorders found in children include:

1. Flatfeet: While most babies are born with flat feet which develop arches as they grow, in some case the arches remain underdeveloped even after they grow older. Their feet may turn inwards while they walk due to their flat nature. There is no inherent problem in this condition unless it becomes painful. Doctors may recommend special footwear with arches inserted for support to reduce the pain.
2. Toe Walking: Toe walking is not a disorder while your child is just learning to walk. Toddlers who continue to walk on their toes after the age of 3 may require medical attention. Toe walking on one leg or persistent toe walking can be due to other medical conditions like muscle weakness, cerebral palsy or autism. It is advisable to take your child to a therapist for casting the foot and ankle which can help stretch the muscles.
3. Pigeon Toes: In toeing or pigeon toeing is common among babies when they are first learning to walk. Sometimes children above 3 years walk with their toes inwards which can be due to femoral anteversion. This happens when upper part of the leg bends more than it naturally should, causing inward rotation of the feet. Specially designed shoes and braces can help to correct this condition. Usually, the condition corrects on its own with age and does not interfere with sport activities which involve running.
4. Knock-Knees: It is a common tendency among children aged between 3 and 6 to develop knock-knees (genu valgum), since their bodies go through natural shift in alignment. Usually, treatment is not required as the legs straighten out eventually. Knock knees on one side or persistent knock knees may require medical attention. Children with this disorder may suffer from pain hence in some cases surgery is recommended after the age of 10.

Here are 6 signs to watch out for that could indicate 'You need to get your Ears tested':

1. Your TV is blaring: Do you often find people around you shouting above the TV sound complaining that it's too loud? When you find it hard to hear the TV at the average volume and find yourself turning up the sound, this could signify a hearing loss. Doctors are seeing a growing number of patients visiting them after prolonged exposure to loud music and sounds.

2. You find it hard to hear phone conversations: Do you find yourself asking the person on the other end of the phone line to 'repeat' themselves, or find yourself pressing the phone instrument right into your ear? If you are trying so hard to hear, you might find yourself missing out on bits of the conversation as focussing to clearly hear the conversation is exhausting work. Getting a hearing test might be a good option if this sounds like you.

3. You have trouble hearing in noisy environments: When you are out dining with friends or family at a busy restaurant or accompanying a friend shopping in a busy street, all that background noise makes it difficult to hear what the people are saying. People with hearing loss often have problems masking out background noise.

4. Family members telling 'you're going deaf'?: Trust the views of the people closest to you, they never lie about your health. Family members often are the first to sense signs of hearing loss as they find themselves repeating things to you or calling out louder to get your 'attention'.

5. You find yourself staying away from social occasions, family gatherings or avoid being the first to start conversations

6. You find yourself leaning closer to people to follow the conversation or staring at their lips trying to lip-read what's being said.

Tip: Is a Low-salt Diet Thwarting Your Health Goals??