Weekend wonderings: MSG and night wakings

Little boy has never been a good sleeper until some time ago, when we finally managed to get him to sleep on his own in his room (after a period of night-weaning).  For the past few months, there have been some peaceful nights where he would wake once a night, or sometimes none at all, interspersed with some nights where he would wake up a few (or many times!) screaming and crying.  So far, we attributed most of these night-wakings to him falling sick or teething.

However, we also noticed another trend: if we fed the boy outside food, there was an increased likelihood of him waking up at night.  Make it Asian food (especially Chinese restaurants), and the likelihood increases even further.  So we suspected that the consumption of MSG (Monosodium glutamate, or what is sometimes known as Ajinomoto) might be the cause of some of these night wakings.  Initially, I thought it was just paranoia on my part, but we started being very careful about the stuff we fed the boy when we ate out.  I would try to either bring out home-cooked food for the boy when we ate out, or would try to avoid food that had a higher likelihood of containing MSG.  The problem seemed to improve somewhat, and the frequency of nights having the boy wake up 6-8 times a night screaming his head off decreased.

The hubby and I in general seem to also react to MSG as well.  For the hubby, consuming MSG in food makes him thirsty, and sometimes results in him being unable to sleep (which seems to be a known effect of MSG).  I too, get extremely thirsty and start getting headaches after an MSG-laden meal.  So it probably comes as no surprise that the boy too may react to MSG.  Not only does it seem to affect his sleep, it also seems to make him hyper.  Just this weekend, we had sandwiches and soup at a eatery (we assumed MSG was not added to their food, as they sold all the healthy stuff!).  However, hubby and I ended up feeling really thirsty after the meal, and the little boy got extremely hyper (and was so revved up, he couldn't go down for his afternoon nap!).  That day, hubby had to babysit the boy as he bounced off the walls while I took a nap, and henceforth has concluded that yes... we'd better stay far away from MSG in the boy's case if possible!  (He used to say I was paranoid, heh.)

The odd thing is, it seems that most scientific research on the effects of MSG have been inconclusive (click here for a pretty comprehensive discussion on the topic), and most of the evidence has been anecdotal (for example, this parent's sharing on how MSG seemed to trigger off night terrors in her daughter's case).  We've had a close friend who has also observed the same trend, as her daughter would wake up over 6 times a night after eating out at eateries serving Asian food (to the point that she orders sandwiches now when she eats out), so we're not ditching our theory as of yet.  Of course, the grandparents all tell us the boy needs to get his chicken rice and other local yummies, to build up some tolerance to MSG, but then again, they don't have to stay up with the kid while he thrashes around in bed and cries through the entire night!

So I'm curious... do any of your kids experience night wakings, or get really hyper after eating a meal containing MSG?  Do share!

Weaning Wednesdays: Parenthood ain't a competition

Ever since I admitted that Junior J was still co-sleeping and nursing at night... I've discovered a few things.  That co-sleeping isn't uncommon, for various reasons, and sometimes it works to ensure everyone gets enough sleep.  That there is no perfect method/time to night-wean or train a child to get used to sleeping in his own room.  That there are mums out there that are still nursing their older than 2 year old toddler.  Thank you, dear readers, for those who took the time to share your own experiences with us, it was certainly heartwarming to know that parenthood is a journey that we travel with our children, at our family's own time and pace.

And speaking of parenthood being a journey, it seems sometimes it spirals down into a competition.  "I fed my 4 month old baby water at night, and he was sleeping through the night after a week!", I'm told by a stranger at a wedding dinner.  Extended breastfeeding seems to draw as much flak as not exclusively breastfeeding for the recommended 6 months.  "He a boy... and he's already so old!  He'll become a mummy's boy next time", or "Children who breastfeed til they are much older will become introverts!". (Oh yes, perhaps he was spending too much time under the nursing cover and not interacting with other kids instead.  My poor boy.)

Also, there are the mums I know who struggle through breastfeeding (by golly, they say its supposed to be natural, but it is so darn TOUGH.  I know since I've been through it too.  Engorgement.  Mastitis.  Not enough supply.  Too much supply.  Cabbage leaves in the freezer.  Feeding a ever-hungry baby that doesn't think twice on biting.  I know, its just gums at first, but hello, there's tough bone underneath those gums.), and some have regrets about it.  And sometimes the "breast is best" mantra just makes it worse.

Then there's also what you feed your kid ("You mean you let him eat cake, and fries?").  Or the child's learning pace.  Then later there's the test results in school.  And PSLE.  And it goes on.  And on... 

Junior J at 17 weeks, still chubby.  Before he started losing weight from all the fussy eating!

For me, the nursing still continues because the boy still wants to nurse, and that is currently still the fastest and easiest way to get milk into that skinny frame of his (it is still a mini battle to make sure he drinks his cow's milk).  Nursing is also time with the little boy... I know that I do not have much time before he grows up and no longer wants to hold his mama's hand.  Some day, the sweet little boy who loves to give hugs will grow up and we will miss him, so I treasure each and every moment I have with him now.  Even though it gives me funny looks when I nurse him outside under the cover. 

Meanwhile, let's loosen up, and leave each family to journey at their own pace...  Parenthood is tough as it is without having to make all of it a competition.  And for sure, pats on the back, and timely encouragement goes a much longer way to spurring others on! :)

Weaning Wednesdays: Our journey through night weaning

Junior J's bear bear, in his new bed...

I've mentioned the little boy was still getting up in the middle of the night for feeds, yes, at the grand old age of 26 months.  I know, I know.  Many kids this age would have already been sleeping through the night, and sleeping on their own, so we do get odd looks sometimes when people hear that Junior J was still co-sleeping, and still having night feeds (If your kid is still co-sleeping and/or feeding at night, please wave, and leave a comment ok?  It'll be nice to know whether I'm well and truly alone here!).

The co-sleeping initially started because it was just way easier to feed the boy (who used to wake up every 2 hours like clockwork to feed).  I could just roll over, feed him, and then go back to sleep, sometimes without really even waking up at all.  Little boy was rather colicky and had reflux, so the small, frequent feeds had to continue, and hence, for the sake of sleep, the co-sleeping went on.

Then Junior J got older, but he was an extremely fussy eater, and getting him to drink formula/cow's milk during the day was such a pain that I let the night feeds continue, in the hope that they would help to supplement some calories.  I was reluctant to drop the feeds since the boy wasn't eating and wasn't growing well (right now, he's still a really petite and small fellow for his age, and right at the very extreme end of the percentile chart).

But now that he's eating way better, we recently decided it was time to drop those feeds, and train him to sleep on his own in his room.  Instead of doing both at the same time (ie leave him alone in his room, plus not feed him at night), I thought I'd do it step by step for sanity's sake (he wakes up more frequently if he's left alone, so the first thing was to get him used to the idea that "big boys don't drink milk at night")... so the night-weaning started last week, and we've shifted him to his room, but little boy and I have been still co-sleeping.

The first three nights were terrible.  I basically refused to feed him (since I thought it would be best to be consistent and offer NO feeds at all), and patted and sang him back to sleep when he cried.  He would wake about 3 times a night, and would have at least one major meltdown, crying off and on for about half an hour to 45 minutes.  I spent every opportunity in the day explaining to him that "big boys don't need to feed at night when you can see the stars on the ceiling" (co-incidentally, the cardboard with the star cut-out that I had used to cover the small window let light in at night, and a patch of light in the shape of a star would be visible on the ceiling above the bed).  While I was zombified in the day due to the lack of sleep, little boy was perfectly normal in the morning, so I took it that he was getting used to it (One guideline I read to see if the child is ready for night-weaning was to see his/her behaviour in the day.).

For the past few nights, Junior J has been waking up for about two to three times, but there have not been any major meltdowns.  Sometimes there is a little crying, but he settles quickly after one or two songs.  I do ask to see if he's thirsty or hungry, and give him water if he wants it, and he gets plenty of praise in the morning for being able to sleep without getting feeds. :)  So thankfully, things are getting better, and I'm hoping to train him to sleep on his own starting from next week, and we've already been trying to explain to him that he's a big boy that not only doesn't need to feed, but can sleep on his own while his special star from God watches over him. ;) We've hit one roadblock though...  he's started sprouting molars a few days back (sigh), but I guess slow and steady does it!

Oh, and I found this article on night-weaning particularly useful, for its balanced view and gradual approach (plus it was written more towards weaning a toddler rather than sleep-training a baby).  Not sure if it'll help any mums out there...  But whatever the case, there seem to be many methods to encourage babies to night-wean, do go with your gut feel and don't feel pressured to use this or that method, just because others insist that it works.  There's no one-size fits all in this case!

Weaning Wednesdays: How do you feed a toddler during a trip?

I've said this before, but I'll say it again... thank you, dear readers for all your helpful comments!  Last week I asked for suggestions and tips on feeding a fussy toddler, and so many of you responded, and took the time to give me useful suggestions.  It was actually really reassuring knowing I wasn't alone in having a mealtime monster, and comforting to know that they might eventually grow out of it.  Also, thank you for reminders that we should try our best to provide meals, but not get too stressed about how much the child actually eats, and great suggestions like giving them interesting cutlery and serving favourite foods during every meal.  I guess getting kids to eat healthily and well is part of the parenting process.  We are still learning, and its great to be part of a community of parents that are so willing to share their experiences!

Anyway, since I'm down with a cold, my head still feels stuffed with cotton wool and I can't really think straight, I thought I'd ask some more food-related questions this week.  (Perhaps Wed's posts might become mummy SOS posts eventually, heh!)  

So here goes:  How do you feed your toddler/child during overseas trips?  Any tips/suggestions?

Why I'm asking this is because I've been cracking my head over planning Junior J's meals when we head for Taiwan in March.  Yes, we're going there again...

Taken in Taiwan during the last trip (Jan 2010), when Junior J hadn't turned 1.

During the last trip, food preparation for the little boy was still ok, as he was still on mainly oatmeal porridge with veg/protein added in.  I would cook everything in the Petit Terraillon all in one that we have (it beats having to drag a slow-cooker etc along, which my friend said she did last time!), and we would factor in grocery shopping stops along the way to get vegetables etc.  Breakfast was usually cereal, or whatever we could get at the hotel breakfast (if it was provided).  We've survived a medical trip to Yunnan using the same method, and for trips to Malaysia I'd usually cook the boy's meals in the homes of friends/relatives, or sometimes, in the hotel.  

Since Junior J is now mainly on solid food for meals, we're probably going to try to give him rice/noodles when in Taiwan, and try to find protein sources like steamed fish (he hates the texture of pork or beef, so no hong shao nu rou mian, unfortunately!), or boil an egg for some meals.  But knowing how difficult it is to feed toddlers at night markets (where chances are, we'd end up eating oyster omelette and junk food, which he can't eat anyway), I'll probably plan to cook some of his meals, just in case.  Another problem I'm hoping to avoid is the MSG you get in food, especially in Chinese cooking, since the boy seems to get really hyper after he has food with MSG in it.  Whatever the case, we'll probably still bring along the Sack N Seat, for those places without high chairs.  

And this is probably the set-up I'm going to use to cook the food:

I just realized I can invert the steamer base so that I can fit the stainless steel cup (from Pigeon) at the bottom.
So pasta/rice goes into the cup, which is surrounded by boiling water,
and I can steam veg/meat in the top compartment at the same time! :)

So... how do you prepare/settle your child's meals when you are overseas?  Do share! :)

Edited to add:
I've gotten a few queries about the Petit Terraillon, so I thought I'd add some details about it here (and no, this is not a sponsored review, am just sharing as this has been the most useful thing we've had for feeding the boy on the go).  We bought it at the Taka Baby Fair, so I assume it should be available at Takashimaya.  The All-in-one allows you to sterilize bottles, heat up jars of food/bottles of milk, steam and blend food, and is pretty compact (all the compartments nest within each other which saves luggage space).  Right now I'm just using the steamer function to cook food.  The blender attachment (that contains the motor) is a tad hard to attach and remove, so I usually just bring my hand-held blender (we bought the simple one with no other functions) to use if I need to puree anything.  Other useful things I've managed to stuff into the bag containing the All-in-one would be a small chopping board, utensils and a knife, plus the stainless steel cup used to cook rice/pasta/oatmeal.  Hope this helps!

Weaning Wednesdays: Some suggestions please?

Some of you may remember me asking about when you mummies started feeding your toddlers full meals consisting of "solid" (ie, non-liquid stuff like porridge) food.  Using your suggestions and taking some advice from some other friends, we started the boy on solid meals some time back... and its been rather tough going.

He's always been quite the mealtime monster.  When he was younger, he would not swallow his porridge and we would need to spoon water/soup to make him do so.  Then he started this whole round of spitting.  Sometimes I wonder how he gets enough food to grow, when I read all the feeding-related posts on the little boy!  And he is growing rather slowly, and has slipped down the percentile chart such that he's now on the 10th percentile only.  Upon asking both our mothers, we found out that we were also difficult to feed.  Hubby's mum had to bring him for walks to feed him his food, while my mum said she fed me porridge until I was 5 years old as I refused to chew!  So its probably no wonder we have a fussy eater on our hands too... Oh well.

Anyway, right now, we've transitioned him to full solid meals, and are trying all sorts of different meals/textures to see what he will eat.  However, my mum keeps nagging me to switch back to porridge, saying that I'm depriving him of food, since sometimes he would refuse to finish his meals, or would start spitting halfway through the meal.  While I'm tempted to do so (since porridge is way easier than trying to make apple chicken balls and pasta on a busy day when you have a toddler hanging on to your leg saying "where's Juju?"), I think the boy does need to chew, and get used to solid meals.  Also, he does sometimes refuse his porridge, so our old tried and tested feeding method sometimes doesn't work.

So parents, help me out here:  What are your feeding suggestions for a two-year old toddler?  Did you have fussy eaters that didn't want to chew their food, and how did you get them to eat their meals?  Oh, and how do you get them to eat meat?  (That has been one particular headache for me!)  Do share! :)  

Weaning Wednesdays: Two questions

Junior J's appetite is back to normal, and I'm glad that he's been eating well the past few days. :)  He's currently obsessed with tomatoes (he has them almost every meal, where I just chop and pan-fry with a little bit of thyme and basil), mushroom soup (this recipe is great) and... blueberries.  The only problem with blueberries is that they stain his mouth and tongue and teeth:

Goth is in again, and dark lips are the rage!

... and the boy tends to keep the skins in his mouth, and spit them out right at the end.  And if that gets to the clothes, the stains are really tough to remove!  So two questions to parents out there (help me here!):

1. How on earth do you remove those blueberry stains from your kid's clothes?

and a side question that has been bugging me:

2. When did you kids start being able to eat full meals that did not consist of porridge?
(The boy is still having oatmeal porridge with all the works, blended smooth.  Mee sua he will sometimes eat, but only manages a small amount, and he still hates rice porridge.)


Oh, and I know this is totally unrelated, but remember the puzzling wormy at Pankor?  My friend, C (who's so at home in the sea, she could be a mermaid) helped me to identify it as an acorn worm, which can be found on our Singapore shores too...  Those blobby spiral things we saw were the casts, created by the worms "pooping" out the sediments they ingested, after getting out the good stuff.  You can read more about them here, and do take a peek at the pictures, since the site has some amazing (or gross, depending on how you look at it) pictures of the casts that the worms make. :)

However... the hubby still insists that the blobbies were made by his son:

The posing was all hubby's idea.  I had nothing to do with it, and was forced to snap this shot!

Oh well.  Have a great weekend!

Weaning Wednesdays: Meet our mealtime monster

Ok, its been a long time since I've written about Junior J's meals.  The boy oddly has regressed in terms of his food preference, and now only eats stuff that has been pureed smooth.  So for every lunch and dinner, he gets variations of an oatmeal-based porridge (with all sorts of veg/meat mixed inside and run through my hand-held blender), and breakfast usually consists of milk (we've resorted to Pediasure to up the calorie count), cheese and some carbs (bread/different cereals that we rotate).

He's been a difficult one to feed.  We've tried giving him small portions of "table" food to self-feed, such as corn, cucumber, pasta or cereal to self-feed... and some days he'll happily sit there and try to feed himself while we hastily try to spoon in oatmeal in between:

Junior J on one of his better days, eating breakfast from his snack cup

However, usually the self-feeding thing lasts for about 10 minutes before he starts to (1) feed the dog his food, (2) spit or (3) fling his plate (and all of its contents) to the floor... all options which make the dog very happy, and us, not so!

So right now, the only thing that seems to work would be to keep him occupied by all sorts of activities (which I console myself are helping him to develop his fine-motor skills), while feeding him his oatmeal and spooning fluid (water/milk/soup) in between mouthfuls to make him swallow (yes, he has the skill of storing all that liquid food in his mouth, like a hamster!):

Reading board books, and stacking cubes

Taking things in and out of boxes

Putting cotton wool into a vitamin container, and learning to cap it

Poking toothpicks into holes in a soft board

He's usually quite ok when he's out for meals, but keeping him occupied with stuff helps...

And many a time, he starts to get restless halfway through the meal (each meal takes almost an hour!), and we resort to using the iPhone and letting him watch videos of himself, or play educational games.  I know, I've seen those "looks" parents give me when they see our kid, barely two, engrossed in poking at the screen, but trust me, we only whip it out of desperation when nothing else works.  The boy's weight gain hasn't been too great (especially after the recent bouts of illness), otherwise I'd just stick to the "don't eat just starve" philosophy.

On good days, we manage to get him to finish his food... and on bad days, he puts his head on the table and refuses to eat.  Or he ends up like this:

The bib says it all!

So far, the only two people that have managed to make him eat his meals would be myself, and the hubby (and even the hubby can't seem to tolerate feeding him for more than 30 minutes!).  I'm really almost to the end of my tether, and my only consolations are that the boy (1) is generally easy-going apart from mealtimes, (2) is still wanting his breastmilk, and (3) has finally consented to wear bibs again during meals (of course, with the condition that he puts his little frog toy in the pocket of the bib!).   So parents, please help me out here... do share any tips/experiences you've had for feeding/getting a toddler to eat!

Wild Wednesdays: Pottering around Pasir Ris

Ok, I initially wanted to upload a video of Junior J feeding himself (mainly for his grandparents in Penang), but I found out that Google Video no longer allows you to upload videos.  :(  I didn't want to upload it to Youtube for the whole world to see, so I've decided to just talk about something else besides the boy eating.  I mean, everything's still the same (except that he can now scoop food properly): Spitting when he's bored, not eating very much, which means he's still skinny and short.  So unless I find a great recipe for toddlers, or some magic method to solve all feeding problems, I'm going to move on to a happier topic: Little nature spots in the urban jungle of Singapore, that you can bring yourself (and your kids) to enjoy flora and fauna.

The number 1 spot that comes to mind right now would be my research site at Pasir Ris Park.  It's this little stretch of mangrove that borders the mouth of Sungei Tampines where it empties into the sea.  Its really smelly, and loads of trash gets washed up at low tide:

And it's well-known for being the dirtiest beach in Singapore, with its water deemed not safe to swim in last year, since it contains bacteria found in faeces.  Ah... so you'll ask, why bring the kids to such an icky place?  

Because the reaction I see from every single visitor (adult or child) that stumbles upon that little stretch is not about how stinky it is, or how much trash there is.  Its always (without fail, and I've seen a fair share of visitors) "WOW!  So many crabs!"  And most will then spend the next half and hour or so hanging around.

This area is teeming with hundreds and hundreds of little fiddler crabs.  These little critters are quite fun to watch, since the males love to wave excitedly at the female crabs to attract their attention.  How do you tell the males and females apart?  No need to peek underneath, since the males have one enlarged claw (what we term a cheliped), and a smaller claw...

...While females have equal sized claws (You could impress your kids by identifying them with ease!).

The mangrove has predominantly two species of fiddlers:

Uca annulipes, which have narrower black shells (or what we term carapaces) that have white markings, and the males have an enlarged claw that is coloured orange with white tips...

and Uca vocans, which have broader grey shells, with males having an enlarged claw that is mainly orange in colour, while the upper part of the claw may be white...

So if you've booked a weekend at the Aranda Country club or the Costa Sands Resort and have nothing to do aside from watching TV, you might want to take a short walk down the park connector running alongside the country club until you hit the beach.

But before you do go there, here's a list of things to take note (this applies to any outdoor trip I guess!):

1. Do wear proper footwear (avoid slippers), and watch out for your toddlers, since there's loads of trash they could trip on...

2. Do put on sunscreen and wear a hat if you're planning to hang around for abit, and bring drinking water.  

It can get really hot over at the mangroves (at 1030 hrs, the mercury can hit 34 degrees)!  (BTW, the park has a mangrove boardwalk that makes for interesting walks too!)

3. Don't disturb the researchers, if there are any.  They can be identified usually as they are the ones writing furiously on clipboards, or they may be armed with a video camera, or they may be mumbling away to themselves (it makes good sense to let anyone, for that matter, finish their internal conversations anyway).  If there are studies being done in that area, keep a wide berth since small movements from passerbys may send the crabs scurrying for their burrows.  

4. Don't catch the crabs or dig/destroy their burrows. It might a Singaporean tendency to think "food!" whenever the word "crab" comes to mind, but trust me, these little critters are way too small to eat.  Plus, they may carry flesh-eating bacteria which gets passed to you if they nip you (And trust me, nip you they will if you try to nab them.  I mean, if you were a crab and someone came and grabbed you from behind, won't you nip, and nip hard?).  Also, you actually need a permit from NParks if you intend to capture any of these animals.  Oh, and don't try to help the researchers mentioned above to catch any too.  I've had helpful adults and kids who've seen me running my experiments, and actually threw in crabs they had caught into my experiment arena, thinking they were helping... (Then, I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.  I opted to give the kids a lesson in crab behaviour instead.  It's probably an occupational hazard!)

2 Uca annulipes males fighting

5. Instead of risking their fingers, encourage your kids to watch the crabs quietly (that's what enjoying nature should be about right?).  Challenge them to watch the crabs and list the behaviours they can see (feeding, maintaining their burrows, fighting, waving)... that'll help to improve their observation skills as well!

6.  Update to this post: Eeek!  I realized I forgot one of the most important tips of all... Check out the tide times for the day over at the NEA website, and time your visit during low tide.  The little fellows only emerge during low tide to feed, and if you want more "entertainment", go during the evening low tides, since they wave more at females then!

7. And finally, a quote that I think more or less sums up the ideal way to respectfully approach any place of nature: "Take only pictures, and leave only footprints." :)  Do bring your camera since the place sometimes does have spectacular sunrises and sunsets!

Oh, and the rest of the park's really great for cycling, roller-blading, or just long leisurely walks too.  

What are your favourite nature spots that you've visited?

Weaning Wednesdays: Breastfeeding and dental caries

Just recently, I was browsing through a motherhood forum and came across a discussion on dental caries, where quite a few mothers were lamenting about their children having tooth decay.  I remembered how a friend commented about how frequent night feedings may increase the risk of dental caries, and that started bugging me, since I really wanted to take good care of Junior J's little pearly whites.  So I did a quick search online, and browsed a couple of websites, as well as some dentistry journal articles (Its all that scientific training that makes you try to obtain information from reliable sources. But you do end up with alot of medical mumbo jumbo, which resulted in me never getting beyond the abstracts for some!).

So here's what I unearthed:

1. How teeth rot: These nasty buggers (microbes like Streptococcus mutans) gate-crash a party on someone's teeth, decide they like it there, and move in.  They feast on the sugars left on the teeth, and leave a thank-you gift of acids.  These acids then start to eat (or to use the proper term "de-mineralize") into the enamel of the teeth.  Since the enamel acts like the wall of a fortress, breaching the wall would be like the orcs storming Helm's Deep in the Lord of the Rings: Lots of noise (thanks to the dentist), and pain.  (Get the more scientific version here.)

2. Preventive measures that one can take for young children: Eliminate all those factors mentioned above...

:: Brush regularly to prevent sugars from sticking to teeth.  No happy food, no party for those microbes.

:: Reduce exposure to sweet stuff, and limit it to meals.

:: Don't let the bugs gate-crash: Parents are advised to avoid giving babies kisses on the mouth, as well as avoid feeding babies food that has been in placed in their mouths, to prevent the bad bugs from moving in.  (We're guilty of those things on all fronts, since we sometimes do try to remove sauces containing MSG from foods before feeding Junior J... oops!  And how can you not give kisses to your little boy?)

Plus:

:: Latch direct for feeds if possible, since bottle feeding increases the risk of dental caries (due to the method of delivery of milk, as milk tends to pool around the teeth during bottle feeding).

3. Then there comes this whole controversy that has sparked alot of discussion: Does extended breastfeeding (beyond 12 months), and frequent night feeds increase the risk of dental caries?

:: One study showed that the duration of breastfeeding did not affect the incidence of caries (Abstract of study here).

:: Continuous night feedings (where baby is permanently attached to mum most of the night, which isn't the case for me!) may increase the risk of caries (Discussion here).

:: Some reviews stated that the studies that showed that extended nursing was a risk factor for caries had weak methodology (eg. small sample size, did not account for confounders like diet, dental hygiene etc).

4.  All that left me still doubtful as to whether I should ignore Junior J at night when he wants his "nen-nen", for the sake of a brilliant smile... So I continued reading, and found out about the properties of breastmilk:

:: Breastmilk does not cause a significant drop in pH in the mouth (the nasty bacteria thrive at lower pH).

:: Exposure to breastmilk results in the deposition of calcium and phosphate on enamel (that's rebuilding the walls of Helm's Deep so the orcs can't storm in... Get the details of the study here.)

:: It contains lactoferrin and antibodies that prevent bacterial growth (This is an excellent article on the entire topic of breastfeeding and caries).

The boy doesn't like his food that much, but he loves his milk...  

Which explains the mess, and the hubby pinching his nose!

So all in all, most articles that I read concluded that there was no conclusive evidence that extended breastfeeding, or night feeds increased the risk of developing dental caries (If you've lost me in all my ramblings, here's a good article that probably explains it better!).  However, parents do have to  pay close attention to the child's diet and dental habits as well...  So if someone tells me to stop breastfeeding since the boy is already 15 months old, I'm going to ask them to read this, and take a hike. (Which was what I told a GP when he told me to stop feeding Junior J when I was down with the flu, in case I spread it to the boy.  I'm sorry if I'm such a "lactivist"!)

Weaning Wednesdays: Stuck in the high chair? No problem!

Its a busy day today.   We just brought Junior J to see his PD and we have to get his photo taken for his application to be a Malaysian citizen, so I won't blog for long.  Anyway, there's been no changes on the weaning front, save for us introducing new foods (like lady's fingers and stuff off our plates).  The boy is still spitting, still not eating much, and as a result, is still as skinny as ever!

Before I sign off... here's what the boy's been up to to entertain himself during his hour-long meals:

Inspecting his animal "troops" (that's the hedgehog in case you're wondering),

 and giving them bits of his own food to eat

Feeding his papa those toy animals (wild game, anyone?)

Playing peekaboo with whoever's feeding him, 

by grabbing the washcloth we use to wipe his messes, and covering his face!

Have a great day! :)

Weaning Wednesdays: Brush, baby, brush!

We've been very consistent about brushing Junior J's teeth.  Here's why:

1. The mouth is an entryway for nasty germs:  The hubby used to come back with stories about children getting brain abscesses that developed from tooth decay, and apparently there are loads of other diseases linked to oral health in adults, such as heart disease (click here to read more, if you dare...).

2. Milk teeth are important, not just for chewing:  I used to think the milk teeth were just there so that the kiddoes could eat their chocolate cake, but I learnt some time back that the milk teeth are needed in speech formation as well as to guide the eruption of permanent teeth.

3. We want him to develop the habit of tooth-brushing early, before he gets old enough to try to resist our efforts... :p  Since we've started brushing his teeth (or gums when he was really little), he's been used to us poking around in his mouth, and doesn't kick up a big fuss when it happens.  He does insist on holding his toothbrush though!

We found that these routines worked for us:
1. 0-6 months (no teeth): My aunt, who used to be a midwife, taught us how to bathe and clean the boy when we first brought him home from the hospital.  One of the steps she introduced during the bath routine was to wipe his gums using a piece of cotton wool, dipped in water and wrapped around a little finger (no long nails for that finger, or you'll scratch the baby!).  She explained that it might help make the teething process less uncomfortable in the future, and I think it did really help get the boy used to the idea of "brushing".

2. 6-9 months (a few teeth): We started using a baby toothbrush, and the boy actually liked holding it and biting on it.  We just moved his hand to ensure he didn't miss a spot, and in addition, would sometimes clean his mouth using a clean, damp washcloth wrapped around a finger if he had a particularly messy or sweet meal.  There are actually many brands of baby toothbrushes in the market, but we got the Pigeon one.  That one comes in a set of 3 brushes for different stages, and the set comes with a guard you can fit on to prevent the baby from sticking the toothbrush too far into his mouth.  It's made from polypropylene which is safe, and its rather inexpensive compared to other brands (and you can even buy it from NTUC!).

3. 9++ months (8 teeth or more): We shifted to using the stage 2 toothbrush from the set, and now the boy insists on holding his toothbrush, and can take it out and return the toothbrush to its holder.  We find that if we brush our teeth alongside with him, he becomes more willing to brush his teeth (and let us guide his hand as he tries to brush).

4. Above 1 year: We're thinking of switching to the stage 3 toothbrush which has the real bristles, and I'm also thinking of using baby toothpaste.  I've read that toothpaste isn't so necessary as its the friction from brushing that is doing the work of cleaning the teeth, but I sometimes don't like the smell of his mouth, especially after he's been eating fish porridge!  However, if you do introduce toothpaste, here are some guidelines:

:: Use only a pea-sized amount each time

:: Use a non-fluoridated version (seems like there's only one brand available here that fits the bill!) until 4 years of age

:: Encourage your child to spit out the toothpaste after brushing

All these steps is to prevent enamel fluorosis, where the excess fluoride causes discoloration of the teeth.  Singapore's tap water is already fluoridated, so toothpaste for younger children should not contain any flouride.  

Oh, and if you're wondering when junior's next tooth is coming in, head over to this site to check out their teeth eruption charts... and if you want more scientific information on fluorosis, read this journal article.   And go get that toothbrush and clean those tiny pearlie whites!

PS: The hubby used the computer this morning, and thinking he was doing me a favour, clicked "save" on an older draft (I had left the computer on sleep mode since Junior J woke up after I published the post)!  So I had to retype the whole thing (since its a topic close to my heart in many ways), but thankfully I could copy the post from the iPhone with all the links intact!  Note to self: Always log out of blogger and shut down the computer!

Weaning Wednesdays: Rast results, and sippies

Its been a busy week so far since I've been running out to do my fieldwork the past few days, but I've been enjoying hanging out with Junior J when I'm at home. :)  Anyway, the results for the RAST test we did about two weeks back came out yesterday, and it was good: Negative for Ig E antibodies for peanut, milk and soy... however, the overall Ig E level was slightly elevated, but the PD said not to worry. This just means that the boy doesn't have Ig E mediated allergies to these foods, and we were thinking the raised overall levels may be due to the dog.  So I've started adding small amounts of dairy to my diet, and it seemed like the boy was ok after I ate cheese.  However, he was definitely uncomfortable last night after I ate ice-cream, and woke up a few times, so I guess I still have to take it slow when it comes to re-introducing dairy back.  But I'm so glad that at least I can eat cheese again! :)   

Oh, and I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile, but kept forgetting... I won a pair of Tilty cups in a blog giveaway by another local mummy blogger, Leonny (Thank you again!), and we've been using these cups for awhile.  Junior J has to be spoon-fed fluids during meal-times to make him swallow the food in his mouth, however, we've tried giving him this cup to use on his own.  I must say I really like the design of the cup, as the slanted side really makes drinking from the cup much easier.  No more tilting the cup and the boy until his nose is pointing to the ceiling, in order for him to drain the last portion of his drink!

Also, the spouts are easy to drink from (valve-free to promote dental development), and the cups are BPA, phthalate, PVC and dye free, and made using polypropylene.  Its also an award-winner!  However, my only complaint about the cup would be its lack of a cover for the spout, which makes it a risky business carrying it in the diaper bag lest it topples over... All in all, I would say its worth getting, and its great to use, especially at home!  You can get the cups here, check out their cool Weego bottles too! :)

Weaning Wednesdays: Dairy allergies & spitting

The boy has been showing an interest in feeding himself and using his own utensils, and recently has been spitting out food for every meal, especially if we fed him mushy stuff like porridge or oatmeal.  We've tried distracting him with books, with music, and so far, only the iPhone seems to work.  That one I resorted to in a final act of desperation one night, when the GE bug was wrecking havoc in my innards and I had to feed the boy on my own as the hubby was working late.  Believe me, we use it only when nothing gets into the boy's stomach, only because he was slipping off the percentile charts last time.  Otherwise I would have just left it as "if you don't eat, you'll just be hungry".  Its also be hard to churn out yummy food when the boy is on a no-soy, no-dairy diet. :(

Aside from the "distract and feed" method, we've also given the boy his own spoon as well as chunks of veggies to self-feed.  However, that also doesn't work all the time as he still does spit the food after awhile, especially if he's bored. :(  So I decided to try giving him "grown-up" food. Over the weekend, I was feeling a little inspired in the kitchen department, and aside from cooking our meals, did this for one of the boy's meals:

The presentation helped initially since he was really interested in the stuff on the plate (steamed zucchini and sweet potato slices, and bits of chicken pan-fried with peeled cherry tomatoes, something I thought up while raiding the fridge.  We fed him using a plastic plate though!).  We managed to get about half of the stuff in, and he ate the chicken which he normally spits out when its in smaller chunks in porridge, but ended up spitting food at the later part of the meal.

We've not found a fool-proof method to make him eat, but doing these things seem to help:

1. Letting the boy have his utensils, and letting him self-feed.  He gets really frustrated when he can't spoon food out of his bowl and starts throwing his utensils, so I usually help him to spear food on his fork and let him put the food in his mouth.  That seems easier for him compared to the spooning bit.  Or we'll scoop food into the spoon and let him hold it while we direct it to his mouth (he tends to flip the spoon otherwise, and gets frustrated that no food gets in).

2. Feeding him stuff off our plates: He's always been interested in what we're eating, so sometimes we'll give him what we're eating (like rice/breakfast cereal), and he eats it.

3. Keeping him occupied with books/music.  The spitting seems to be more frequent if he's not engaged in something.  Its pretty much goes against the Montessori philosophy, but hey, right now I can't have him slipping off the chart anymore!

4. Keeping his meals varied.  The boy loves to try new foods (no food neophobia for this guy), so he tends to eat a little more when there's new stuff on offer that he likes.

Also, I found these sites useful for more tips on feeding these fussy fellows:

:: On toddler feeding problems
:: Tips on feeding
:: Tips on using utensils

Ah... and finally, we brought the boy to see a PD specializing in gastroenterology yesterday to check his reflux, constipation and his terrible appetite  (hence the late post)... It turned out that what we thought was constipation (no poop for sometimes 6 days!) turned out to be normal bowel movements for a fellow who is still getting quite a bit of breastmilk, and the PD recommended we try grown-up food for the boy as he may not like all the mushy stuff anymore.

Junior J was in his element at the clinic: He flirted non-stop with the PD and the medical student attached to her, and made eyes at the both of them, only to be rewarded with a trip to the nurse to get poked (granted, he also got himself a Transformer sticker for his efforts!).  The boy had to get 3 ml of blood drawn for a RAST (Radioallergosorbent Test) test, to confirm if he had allergies to peanuts, soy and milk that may be causing his reflux up to now (when I ate those foods).  Drawing the blood was a nightmare: The nurse had to poke him a couple of times before she managed to get any blood, and the boy writhed and screamed and cried.  By the time she managed to start dripping the blood into a tube, the fellow was red in the face from all the crying, and struggled so much I thought he might fracture his arm since the hubby was holding him really tight.  However, after a feed and a 30 minute nap, he woke up A-ok and examined his plasters with lots of interest!

Weaning Wednesdays: Mess, a must

My mum's flu got worse today, so it's another full day of just me and Junior J.  Although I'm sorta panicking about how I'm not able to get started on my essay or study for the exams the past few days, I must admit I've enjoyed the time hanging out with the little boy.  Not for mealtimes though, which have turned into a battle of me trying to spoon in food and him spitting it out.  We've changed our tactics now, so instead of just spooning fluids down to make him swallow, I've been giving the boy little bits of food to feed himself (he's always gesturing and wanting bits of food off our plates!), while trying to get in some spoonfuls of food in between.

Just the other day, he shocked us by asking for the cucumber on my plate of rice, and promptly nibbled his way through 3 slices... before getting bored and smearing the rest all over the table.  The same thing happens when he gets slices of carrots... some gets in before the rest gets smushed on the table.  But at least some gets in!  (and we stuff him with food while he's busy "handling" the rest of the food.)

Today was another shocker, as he ate all the broccoli I gave him!  Usually he spits out the little bits of broccoli in his food, but give it to him in larger chunks and let him feed himself, and he stuffs his little mouth full of it.  The same went for the pasta pieces I offered him, but he started his usual spitting halfway through his meal again (so its not a foolproof method...).  I've also tried letting him have some food in a small cup and giving him a spoon to feed himself, and he's been trying to, but with not much success.  Both grandmas (who are usually quite particular about clean mouths and hands) would really be aghast at the state of the boy after each meal... I find the easiest way to clean him would be to bring him direct from the high chair to the bath tub, and hose off all the mess!

So anyway, apart from those messy meals, we've been having a pretty good day.  We've managed to:

- Read a whole bunch of books

- Cook pasta for my lunch, and have a peaceful meal while catching up on some of my favorite blogs while the boy was having his morning nap

- Play "Match the lids" and make a whole lot of noise with some pots

- Fold some laundry in his room

- Load the toddle truck with all the resulting hangers and clothes pegs, and delivered it back to the kitchen

- Send off some flying kisses (he puts his fist to his mouth and goes "MUCK"!)

- Play peekaboo

- Practice saying the word "shirt" (which he uses to refer to his pyjamas, and anything hanging on the laundry poles)

Hope everyone's been having a good week so far!