Weekend wanderings: Doctor for a Day

Junior J and I had the chance to attend the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital's "Doctor for a Day" programme on Saturday, thanks to Jean who helped some of us get a slot. This programme was organized for children aged 5 to 12, to let them experience the various aspects of being a doctor. 

So they got to dress up in scrubs, and learnt how to sanitize their hands properly...

... learn how to use a stethoscope and blood pressure meter in the GP's office:

They went to the Accident and Emergency room and learnt how to clean up cuts and practiced bandaging...

... and even got to use the defibrillator!

Then it was off to the Nursing room where they learnt how to care for infants. 

From feeding the baby...

... to changing the baby's diaper. (This was probably the favourite room for all the girls, who were enthusiastically taking part, while the little boys looked a little lost.)

And finally, they went to the operating theatre and helped in removing lung tumors from Mr Smoke-A-Lot!

To end it all, the kids all got to dress up in white coats to have their graduation photo taken, and were presented with the photo, a certificate, as well as a little stethoscope to take home with them. 

A big thumbs up to the hospital for such a well-planned programme! The facilitators were engaging and enthusiastic (even though they had been facilitating group after group of little participants), and I think the kids enjoyed themselves and got to learn a little about the medical profession. 

You could see that a lot of thought and care went into planning the event, from how smoothly the groups were being moved from room to room, to how the rooms were decorated (complete with mock blood pressure monitors, x-rays etc) and the mini scrubs and lab coats that the children could wear. 

Junior J said that he enjoyed himself (he especially liked the surgery bit). Unfortunately, he was very restless most of the time and kept insisting that I had to be in the room (parents were asked to stay outside the room to give the facilitators and children space), and I think it didn't help that he was very tired, but hyper from chocolate ice cream (my bad, that one!). I'd think he's a little too young for this right now, but would probably have enjoyed it more if he was older. However, the rest were engaged and interested during the session, so it really was a great job on the hospital's part for organizing this programme. 

The restless little doctor. 

PS: All sessions for this programme are full, however, you could check this site to see if there are more available sessions in the future. 

Global Handwashing Day: Let's reach for 5!

Hello! So for the past two weeks, we've taken a peek in the lives of some mothers. And while we've seen all sorts of little details in their lives, I've realized we've probably missed out on some rather usual stuff that everyone does. Like going to the toilet perhaps. Or even washing our hands. Little things that don't seem to count as much, but may really matter.

Over on our side, we do wash our hands rather often (I admit, I am quite a germaphobe!). We get Junior J to wash his hands after trips to the playground (especially when we see kids with drippy noses playing there), and before meals. He actually enjoys washing his hands. After all, it has to do with soap...

... and water, two of the things kids love to play with.

And Baby J has also had to wash his hands, since he's been crawling around at the same playgrounds. He's started self-feeding recently, which all the more calls for his hands to be clean.

Hand washing is something that we've taken for granted, and we sometimes forget that it is something essential to health (we are then reminded when there is an out-break of hand foot mouth disease in the kindergarten that our child attends!). Each year, more than 2 million children do not make it to their 5th birthday, due to causes such as pneumonia and diarrhoea. According to the World Health Organization, hygiene interventions such as the promoting of hand washing actually reduce diarrhoeal cases by up to 45%. This means many of these deaths might have been prevented by the simple habit of hand washing.

Today, Global Handwashing Day is being celebrated in 100 countries across the world. Do take the time to wash your hands, plus get your kids to do so too (if you'd like, you can even get some printables here)! And if you are curious, you can also hop over to take a peek at the celebrations, which are part of the initiative by Lifebuoy to promote hygiene.

And beyond your own hand hygiene, how about taking the Lifebuoy pledge? Lifebuoy has been working with Millenium Villages Initiative to bring hygiene education to children in Africa. Each click on the "Like" button (no donations are required) translates to one more child being educated about hygiene, which may help prevent the spread of fatal diseases. That's one more child reaching his 5th birthday!

The pledge is just one click away, and can make a difference in someone's life.  Let's help children around the world reach for 5!

Weekend wonderings: New year, new hopes

Lantana, photographed at the entrance to Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve

The new year sorta crept in on us.  Or at least it feels that way.  While others are all ready and geared up to face a brand new year with their resolutions penned... I seem to be spending the first week of 2011 finishing up stuff that I didn't complete in 2010, like scrap assignments, more spring cleaning, and of course, that dissertation.  So I'm going to "start" 2011 a week later, and use this week to clear up those things I've mentioned, while taking time to set goals.  Simple Mom had this list of questions to think through, which I though was pretty good for working through at the beginning of each year, so I'm going to use that. :)  Me and my sup have planned for the dissertation to be submitted for examination on the 10th (i.e., next Mon), so I'm working towards that and really looking forward to be done!

Anyway, we spent the new year pretty quietly.  New year's eve was spent having dinner with our DG at one of our DG mate's place, but we had to leave early for Junior J's bedtime.  The boy had fun playing with the rest and even tried out the rocking "goat" (it was those antique versions of a rocking horse)... however, he started coughing halfway through and we had to give him ventolin at home to make him more comfy.

New year's day was spent at home, just hanging out (while I also tried to squeeze in some time to write that dissertation).  One new development we discovered was that the little boy can now push the 4 carriages of his train together, and move it up and down the bridge and through the tunnel, and he is no longer so interested in taking apart the tracks (which he used to do, while saying "Uhoh!").

There was no regular church service on Sunday, so we met up with little S and her parents at Sungei Buloh for a morning walk.  Thankfully it was cloudy, and the kids got to see quite a few animals/insects... lots of egrets and plovers foraging, as well as these:

The first insect spotted: a katydid, resting on the side of the railing of the bridge. :)

Along the way in, we met Mr Monitor, who brazenly ignored us, even though we approached him pretty closely

We spotted tree-climbing crabs too, lots of mud lobster mounds, as well as this giant mudskipper... :)

We did get some bites even with after slathering on the repellant, but I think the kids had fun...

Then we headed for lunch at Marsiling Lane, and had bak kut teh (you know the Klang version, which is not the usual peppery type but the herbal type?  We love it!).  There was an egret walking around outside the coffeeshop, which got the two kids pretty excited!  

Hubby and I brought Junior J to Thomson Plaza at night for some grocery shopping, and had dinner over at Jonker's Nonya Cafe (the Nonya food is pretty good, and way cheaper than those Nonya restuarants).  I had the assam laksa, and hubby let the boy try some of the soup, and we let the boy take a few small sips of the chendol (the laksa was pretty decent for Singapore standards, but the chendol wasn't fantastic, so save the calories for the Melaka version).  Turned out to be a bad move, as we think the laksa might have triggered off another wheezing "attack" for the boy (according to hubby, the Chinese believe there is something inside the soup that worsens asthma, but I think he forgot at that point in time).  

He started coughing much later after dinner, and it got so bad he started wheezing. :(  So it was ventolin syrup for him, but that didn't seem to clear up the wheeze so we had to bring him to KKH A&E late that night.  The boy ended up having to use an inhaler, but attached to a spacer (this chamber that you puff the meds into) as he was younger... Poor fellow was crying and pretty scared, but in between would echo us and tremulously say "good boy!" It broke my heart to see him that way. :(  We tried to give him the other meds as well, and he tried eating it, but it tasted so bad that he gagged and threw up.  We were stuck in the A&E til past midnight, so the boy really went bonkers at the end, but he fell asleep in the car on the way home.

The chronic cough and wheezing attacks have really impacted us in many ways, since many things seem to trigger off his cough: the dog, dust, perhaps the consumption of some foods.  We've had to make many lifestyle changes: We either thrown/sold our carpets, we're vacuuming more frequently, we vacuum the mattresses and the sofa, we're currently spring-cleaning to clear the house of unnecessary stuff.  We've cleared away many of the boy's soft toys, and are intending to give away more of them, and are now getting the boy more wooden toys instead.  My parents are now taking care of Nicky, and my in-laws will be coming down during CNY and will be adopting the doggy, since we really want the dog to go to a good home.  We consciously try to avoid places that trigger off his cough (places with furniture fumes, like Ikea, some apparel shops that are dusty like the Levi's store, any stores selling soft toys).  

I guess I'm not complaining (even though I do miss the dog), since some of these changes are for the better (a cleaner home is always welcome I guess!), and I know this is minor, compared to other parents who have children that are battling sicknesses that are way more severe and serious.  That being said, my heart still does ache every time I see the boy wheezing or in discomfort.  Hopefully it will pass when he grows older and his airways grow bigger, then perhaps we can bring Nicky home again.  So far, the boy does ask and peer under the bed to look for Nicky, but I don't think he's that attached to the dog yet, so its good.      

Ok, enough rambling... here's to 2011.  Many changes, many hopes.  A year when I'll be done with my studies (YAY!) and can focus on other things... This is late, but happy new year everyone!  God bless!

PS: Crate Paper featured my photo tray among other projects, in their first post for 2011... Yay! :)

Hospitals are scary places

Thank you everyone for their smses and prayers... we really appreciated it!  The boy's cough got even worse yesterday and he started running a fever, so I brought him to see our regular PD during her night clinic.  The hubby was on call, so my mum followed me, and we reached the clinic at 1850 hrs.  It was 10 minutes before opening time, but already we were number 10 in the queue... She listened to the little kid, gave me a worried frown, and said she would use the nebulizer on the boy to help open up his airways.  For those who haven't heard of the term, its this machine that administers medicine as a mist that is inhaled into the lungs via a gas mask, and the hissing of the mist along with the mask is pretty scary for a toddler.  I had to pin Junior J's arms and hold his head in a death grip, while my mum held the mask over his face.  The boy struggled (and boy, he's pretty strong even when he's sick!), wailed, screamed and cried, while we tried singing songs to calm him down.

The PD then listened to his breathing after the neb, and said that she was worried that his breathing difficulties may be due to a foreign body obstructing his airways instead of just plain RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus).  My heart dropped.  She recommended that we head down to the hospital to get a chest X-ray done to check it out.  My heart dropped even further.  I called the hubby, and the PD spoke to him, and the hubby told me to send the boy in to KKH (the women and children hospital).

I must admit that I really rely on the hubby when it comes to medical issues.  I tend to freak out in hospitals with all their stainless steel, needles and white coats, and always leave hubby to speak to the doctors.  This time, I was reminded how dependent on him I was in this area, and was really quite a bunch of nerves at the hospital.  My mum came along with me to help, thankfully, and between us we tried to soothe the cranky little boy who was upset at missing his bedtime (and having that hissing smoky thing thrust into his face for more than 10 minutes).  I explained to the nurse at the triage about what was the issue, and they immediately referred us in for a check since an obstruction was a serious matter.

What followed was us ping-ponging between nurses to doctors to the radiologist.  The boy was understandably upset as it was way past his bedtime and people kept doing things to him (thankfully, there were no needles involved).  He wriggled and protested every time they tried to put the oximeter on his toe.  He screamed when they did the neb on him (yes, round 2 of hissing gas).  He struggled everytime they put the stethoscope on him.  And he yelled during the X-ray.  And cried when we tried to feed him paracetamol.  At the end of it all, I don't know who was more traumautized: The boy, or myself, from having to seize him tight amidst the struggling and crying, while singing songs and telling him that everything was going to be alright.

Anyway, the X-ray showed no obstructions.  Which was good since a foreign body would have had to be removed via surgery.  But the X-ray had something else: Both lungs appeared all fuzzy, indicating the boy had pneumonia, which explained the horrible cough, the fever and the breathing difficulties.  We then left for home at midnight, armed with 8 bottles of medicine (yes, 8, of which we've only been able to feed the boy 3, since now he's extremely suspicious of anything we try to feed him).

The boy still can't sleep well thanks to his cough, and has been keeping me up most of the night since he needs to be carried upright to ease his discomfort.  I spent the night praying... and hope you can say a little prayer for us too...

Please pray for:
1. Us to be able to feed the boy the meds, especially the important ones like the antibiotics.  He's getting very good at dodging the spoonfuls of meds.

2. Strength to keep up with the sleepless nights, and that all of us (me, hubby and my mum) won't fall sick from the lack of rest.  And patience with each other, since the lack of sleep makes one short-tempered.

3. The boy's fever to go down, and for him to recover soon.  Also, for the meds to make him more comfy, and that he'll be able to sleep better at night and during naps.

4. Please also pray against side effects for the meds.  Antibiotics are known to mess with the gut, and that'll just make the boy more uncomfortable...

Thanks, friends.  And hope you have a blessed weekend...

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: 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: 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: Beneficial bacteria

We went to visit a PD today to have baby J's weight gain checked as we were worried as his weight gain seemed to have plateaued (at least going by our estimates, with no weighing scale to guide us!).  Hubby's ex-colleague recommended her friend, who happened to run a clinic near our place, so we popped by for a consult in the afternoon.

It turns out that baby J's weight and height more or less put him on the 25th percentile.  That's been the norm for the boy in terms of weight, but it meant that he's slowing down in terms of height increase, as he used to be on the 50th percentile for height (yup, the fellow is rather small-sized, but hey, both his parents are small, so what do you expect?).  The weird one was the head circumference measurement: He's been moving up the charts from the 25th, to 50th to now, the 75th.  Hubby says its nothing to worry about, so I guess our little guy just has a big head.  Probably from all the praise he's getting from the grandparents!

So anyway, the PD said we didn't need to worry so much about the little boy's weight gain, and that it probably slowed thanks to his reflux, increase in activity and teething (and she mentioned the fellow had lots of teeth for his age!).  However, she prescribed probiotic drops for him (containing Lactobacillus reuteri, produced by BioGaia) to see if it might help.  Her take on it was that probiotics may help the fellow's gut, which may also in turn, help in improving the boy's reflux, as well as aid in better weight gain.  A quick check online yielded some interesting information on the bugs I'm supposed to feed the boy:

1. L. reuteri is more effective in improving colic symptoms compared to simethicone (used to treat colic), based on one randomized trial on exclusively breastfed infants.

2. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study done on infants in child-care showed that those who were fed formula supplemented with L. reuteri had fewer and shorter episodes of diarrhoea, as well as less episodes of fever, clinic visits and child-care absences, compared to infants fed formula with Bifidobacterium lactis supplementation or no probiotics.

So we'll start on the probiotics tomorrow, and hopefully it'll help with all those gut issues *fingers crossed*!

On the weaning front, I've been trying to add more green veggies to the list.  Hence the boy has just tried french beans, and since my mum bought a whole box of persimmons, he got to try that as well, and he loves them (Another orange thing to the list of favs I guess)!

Oh, and its the hubby's birthday today, so we went out for dinner to celebrate (more on Friday about the food!)... Happy birthday dear! :)