Dear Adi,
I'm getting bored with milk. That's all I ever take. When may I
eat other types of food? What solid food can I start with? Help
me please. I need variety.
MILKY BREATH
Dear MILKY BREATH,
How many months old are you? Most pediatricians ask parents to
start feeding their babies solids around the sixth or seventh
month. However, if you have a history of rashes or allergies like
lucky me, you may be asked to start later.
As to the kind of food, my pedia recommended that I start with
exciting rice cereal. Then, I moved on to potatoes, squash, and
sayote. My doctor did not want me to start with fruits right away
as she did not want me to get used to the sweet taste. I might
not want to eat veggies anymore after. Fruits like bananas,
papayas, apples were next. Mangoes and melons are more prone to
cause allergies so I was asked to stay away from them first.
Your parents will most likely be asked to try one food at a time
for a few days and in small quantities. This will allow them to
check which foods you're allergic too.
I am now 16 months old and I can eat practically anything. I
tried chicken and fish last upon the advice of my doctor. Hang in
there, Milky Breath, food galore will soon be coming your way.
Bon Appetit!
Dear Adi,
What constitutes a fever for a cute little baby like me? What can
my worried mommy do during times when I'm feverish?
BURNING UP
Dear BURNING UP,
For little people like us, a temperature of 37.8 degrees
(Celsius), constitutes a fever. Ask your pedia what your mom can
do. In my case, my mom, upon the advice of my doctor, gives me
infant paracetamol drops every time I have a fever. She also
checks my temperature every four hours. If my fever is really
high (about 39 degrees or more), my mom gives me a nice sponge
bath. Again, ask your pedia. Doctors vary as to the temperature
of the water to be used for the sponge bath. Anyway, try to keep
yourself healthy. I'm sure you hate thermometers just like I do.
Dear Adi,
There are days when I feel quite lethargic. What exercises may I
do without tiring myself?
BABY JIM
Dear BABY JIM,
The exercises you can do really depends on how old (maybe young
is the more appropriate term?) you are. The first things you can
probably do would be to hold your head up and to roll over (don't
you sometimes feel like a dog?). After, comes sitting, crawling,
standing while holding on to something, pull-ups, taking a few
steps, standing independently, walking. I'm sure your parents can
hardly wait for you to walk. Once you start though, they'll try
and stop you. So, what else is new?
Dear Adi,
I've been sleeping through the night for quite sometime now.
Lately, however, I've been waking my parents up again in the wee
hours of the morning. Is there anything wrong with me?
NIGHT STALKER
Dear NIGHT STALKER,
I went through the same thing myself. Based on my readings and
some consultation with my pedia, there can be several possible
reasons for this. First, you may be cutting your molars. Second,
you might be having frightening or exciting dreams. Third, you
may have been too tired from too much activity earlier in the day
that you're too exhausted to sleep. Fourth, you might just miss
mummy and duddy, plain and simple.
Don't fret. You'll get over this phase. Sleep tight. Don't let
the mosquitoes bite.
Dear Adi,
I don't know why but I seem to have this urge to cry
continuously during the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, I
also feel like crying in the middle of the night. I twist my body
and my parents usually panic as they don't know what to do.
What's wrong with me?
GAS IN MY TUMMY
Dear GAS IN MY TUMMY,
The condition you have right now may be colic. In my case, it
was. I'd have the urge to keep my parents awake from about 12AM
to about 3AM. They'd try all sorts of things but I'd still
continue crying. Don't worry, by the time you hit your fourth
month, your parents will be in slumberland.
There is actually no cure for colic. None of the books my
parents read likewise explained the cause. It just happens. Some
of the things that my parents did though to try and calm me down
(whether they succeeded is yet another story) were: swinging me
around, putting me in a burping position or putting me face down
on their lap or a pillow, playing soothing music like
instrumental music or lullabies. You can also ask your parents to
ask your pedia about some medication which makes you burp or
*_toot*. I tell you though: the medication will be more for your
parents' or grandparents' comfort than for yours.
Wait till your fourth month and everything will be okay.
Remember, having gas in your tummy is better than having air in
your head. Ciao!
Dear Adi,
I woke up one day, looked at myself in the mirror, and found
my eyebrows and my scalp looking really yucky! They looked kinda
yellow and crusty. Is some organism growing on my skin? Help!
YELLOW CRUST
Dear YELLOW CRUST,
What you have is most likely "seborrhea." I had that too and
on my baptism day yet! Can you imagine me, in my really nice
outfit, with yellowish crusty eyebrows?
Experts vary regarding their views on seborrhea. Some people
have told my parents to put baby oil. Some have said not to put
oil. Some have said to just wash the affected parts with soap and
water. What did my parents do? Based on my pedia's advice, they
used a certain brand of liquid soap for my face. They also used a
special kind of shampoo (with some kind of acid I think) for my
scalp. Before I knew it, the flakes began to slowly fall off. I
think though that even if my parents didn't do anything, I would
have outgrown the thing anyway. It's just one of those childhood
experiences.
Dear Adi,
My ambition in life is to be Ms. Universe. How can I achieve
my life-long dream if rashes keep bugging me every now and then?
They seem to come and go. What's happening?
RED IN THE FACE
Dear RED IN THE FACE,
By the time you hit your eighth month, your skin should be
silky smooth. There are really just some babies who are inclined
to have such rashes. Some babies like you and like me. Maybe,
you're allergic to something? I seem to get rashes when I have
furry things near my bed. Maybe you should ask your pedia about a
different type of milk. When I shifted to a hypoallergenic type
of milk, my rashes disappeared! So, don't fret... your life-long
dream may yet be fulfilled.
Dear Adi,
I have a clogged nose but I don't know how to blow as I'm too
small. I have a hard time breathing everytime I have cough and
colds. How do I breathe? I just started my life. How can I get
more air to make sure I get to grow old?
WILL I TURN BLUE?
Dear WILL I TURN BLUE,
I truly sympathize with you. I too went through several bouts
when it comes to cough and colds. Sometimes, I get these when I
go to parties or where there are lots and lots of people.
Sometimes, I get these from my loving parents. You know me, I
always want to be "in." Anyway, when I found it difficult to
breathe, my pedia asked my parents to have my head slightly
elevated by lying on a pillow. (Ask your pedia about this
though.) This may facilitate your breathing. Also, it may help if
you use nasal drops (just ask your pedia about a good brand) or
some other medicine which may relieve your nasal congestion. See
a doctor at the soonest possible time, especially when you have a
fever. And oh, don't forget to breathe...
Dear Adi,
There's something wrong with my tummy. All throughout the
day, I have the urge to move my bowels (i.e. make o-o) and my
mommy's worried about my watery stools. What should I do? I'm
beginning to get so conscious.
JOHN-JOHN
Dear JOHN2,
I also had diarrhea before and I can understand your mom for
being worried. You should have seen mine! Anyway, what my mom did
at that time was to change the proportion of water to milk powder
everytime she fed me. Instead of 1 scoop of milk powder to 1
ounce of water, my mommy made it 1 scoop to 2 ounces of water.
She also used "am" (liquid from boiling rice?) instead of
ordinary water. This was supposed to help bring my stools back to
normal. My milk tasted different for several days but hey, it
really had to be done. I also shifted to lactose-free milk by the
way. Maybe you can ask your doctor about it. Also, be careful
with your water, even when it's boiled. Hope your tummy
normalizes soon.
Dear Adi,
I'm bored. As a baby, I don't do much. I just wait for my
parents to feed me, put me to sleep, change my nappies, and give
me a bath. Everything's so routinary. I need a change of pace.
Help!
B.B. (Bored Baby)
Dear B.B. (Bored Baby),
There are a lot of things that you and your parents can do
to pass the time away. You can sing or listen to songs. You can
listen and recite nursery rhymes. You can play with toys, look at
mobiles, read books, and tinker around with the computer. You can
even exercise to keep yourself fit. You can do pull-ups, sit,
stand, and you can even attempt to walk. Believe me the choices
are endless. Just involve your parents and think positively,
you'll find lots of things to do. Remember too that only the
boring get bored.
