Most moms do however, instinctively feel that ‘something is not quite right’ and will repeatedly visit the GP or health visitor but end up deeply frustrated feeling it must be something that ‘they are doing wrong’ as no-one seems to listen or understand.

What is reflux and what causes it?

Reflux is simply the ‘backward flow’ of the stomach contents up into the oesophagus.

This is most commonly due to the natural immaturity and weakness of the muscle and valve that lead into the stomach therefore allowing the baby’s feed along with gastric acid to be involuntarily regurgitated.

Most people only recognise reflux if the baby vomits, but this is simply not true and many babies who suffer never vomit.

Quite simply, the force at which the stomach contents come back up determines whether the baby projectile vomits, is frequently sick, continually spits up or is never actually sick, which is known as Silent Reflux. This occurs when the stomach contents continually fluctuate up and down inside the oesophagus causing intense pain with ‘heartburn’ like symptoms – but with no actual vomiting it can be even harder to diagnose as reflux.

What are the typical reflux symptoms?

• Vomiting or spitting up
• Arching the back or neck and body goes rigid
• Irritability and pain
• Frequent hiccups, excessive dribbling
• Gurgling, gagging, choking episodes
• White coating on the tongue [not oral thrush]
• Excessive mucous, sinus congestion
• Raspy/wheezy cough, often worse at night
• Very windy, hard to burp, excessive ‘bottom’ wind
• Excessive feeding or refusal to feed
• Difficult to settle, poor sleep patterns
• Bouts of inconsolable crying

Just to make diagnosis even more difficult, reflux has many different symptoms and individual babies will display different signs of the condition.

Not only are the outward signals determined by the actual root cause and severity of the reflux, but also by the baby’s individual temperament and personality.

For example some will scream with pain whilst others just learn to deal with it and rarely cry, some may be relatively happy although vomit a lot whilst others may refuse feeds, are rarely sick but be quite miserable.

What is the treatment and on-going management for reflux?

Reflux cannot really be ‘cured’ but the symptoms can be controlled, and I always say ‘we have to crack-the-reflux-code’ for each baby to find what helps relieve the individuals’ symptoms”.

There are a range of medical antacid treatments including infant Gaviscon, which by reducing stomach acidity will lessen the burning pain experienced through a reflux attack.

It is also important to understand HOW to maximise the positive effect of finding the right combination of milk and medication.

It is vital to establish a good feeding and sleeping structure as you cannot just medicate a baby and expect everything to fall into place.

The baby may have had weeks or even months of being in discomfort which will have created many negative behavioural associations to feeding and sleeping that will need to be redressed through re-building the baby’s association to milk and food, implementing a daily routine for milk, naps and mealtimes and also you may need to implement some sleep training for night-time.

Although most infants will outgrow reflux as their digestive system matures, many may continue to have problems throughout toddler-hood, but through many years of working with reflux babies, I discovered that there is less likelihood of any long-term negative effects through an early diagnosis, proper treatment and an effective, on-going management plan of the condition.

Weaning a reflux baby

Many parents are told to “wean early” if their baby has been diagnosed with reflux. Whilst this does ultimately help in the majority of cases, firstly, it is imperative to ensure that the reflux, and or, food intolerances and allergies are correctly diagnosed, treated and managed before introducing solids.

Introducing solids to an already distressed digestive system in a baby with untreated reflux can sometimes make matters worse than before.It might induce further vomiting, could create a negative association to solids foods or anything given from a spoon and sometimes even create a complete refusal of solid food.

We also need to be cautious with what is introduced for first foods, as the usual suggested purées of apple or carrot are actually very acidic and often exacerbate an already sensitive gut.

Some babies prove to be intolerant to various different vegetables and fruit; others are sensitive to fish and many to dairy and cows milk protein products. Some are sensitive to other foods containing egg, wheat, soya or gluten!

It can be a minefield when weaning a reflux baby and it is often just through a ‘trial and error’ basis that you can discover which foods suit your baby and those that don’t.

Article Author: By Allison Scott-Wright www.alisonscott-wright.com

For more information on weaning, introducing food groups and how to create delicious, nutritionally balanced meals visit Bumbles Cookery Club http://bumblescookeryclub.co.za/ Be sure to sign up for the monthly newsletter and look out for fun updates. Like Bumbles Cookery Club on Facebook for fun posts, news and information.https://www.facebook.com/bumblesbabies/timeline

The post Reflux in babies: Foods to avoid appeared first on All4Baby.

Limit TV time to 1 hour a day and use exercise time to bond as a family.

Remember, exercise for toddlers should be playful and not too strenuous

Watch the YouTube video for more tips.

Helpful advice and tips from the Pampers® Institute are available at www.Pampers.co.za and on www.youtube.com/PampersZA Receive emails with information tailored to your baby’s age by subscribing at www.Pampers.co.za/registration and connect with us at www.facebook.com/PampersSA

The post Video: Tips to get your toddler to exercise appeared first on All4Baby.

Researchers at the University of Iowa studied how 16-month-old children learn words for non solid objects, from oatmeal to glue. Previous research has shown that toddlers learn more readily about solid objects because they can easily identify them due to their unchanging size and shape. But the oozy, gooey, runny stuff? Not so much, researchers said.

Word learning increases in high chair

Yet, according to the latest findings, that changes if you put toddlers in a setting they know well — a highchair. Word learning increases, because children at that age are “used to seeing non solid things in this context, when they’re eating,” says Larissa Samuelson, head researcher and associate professor in psychology. “And, if you expose them to these things when they’re in a highchair, they do better. They’re familiar with the setting and that helps them remember and use what they already know about non solids.”

Toddlers who interact with food are more likely to name them

In a new study published this week in the journal Developmental Science, Samuelson and her team exposed 72 toddlers to 14 non solid objects, mostly food and drinks such as applesauce, pudding, juice, and soup. They presented the items and gave them made-up words, such as “dax” or “kiv.” A minute later, they asked the children to identify the same food in different sizes or shapes.

The task required the youngsters to go beyond relying simply on shape and size and to explore what the substances were made of to make the correct identification and word choice.

Making the correct association through interaction

Not surprisingly, many children gleefully dove into this task by poking, prodding, touching, feeling, tasting, and throwing the non solids in order to understand what they were and make the correct association with the hypothetical names, the researchers said.

The toddlers who interacted the most with the foods were more likely to correctly identify them by their texture and name them, the study determined. For example, imagine you were a 16-month-old gazing at a cup of milk and a cup of glue. How would you tell the difference by simply looking?

Setting matters, too

The setting matters, too, it seems. Children in a highchair were more apt to identify and name the food than those in other venues, such as seated at a table, the researchers found.
“It turns out that being in a highchair makes it more likely you’ll get messy, because kids know they can get messy there,” Samuelson said.

Access the new study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12147/abstract

(AFP Relaxnews)

The post Toddler nutrition: Why your toddler should play with his food appeared first on All4Baby.

Concern over what children eat

These days it seems that there is a high concern over what children will and will not eat. And in reality it is a much easier time than it was in the past because of all the nutritionally packed supplemental drinks out there on the market today. What we must all remember is that children go through phases and that not much of what they will eat or will not eat will follow them into adulthood. That is if we continue to keep offering it to them over the course of time.

Taste buds change over time

I am not a nutritionist, I do not know the medical reasons, but for some reason our taste buds do change over time. If though, as parents, we stop offering foods to our children because they do not like them we are ensuring that they keep these habits going throughout life. They will not even know what they are missing if they do not keep sampling the same foods off and on over their lifetime.

It all comes down to presentation

Presentation is a big thing as well, for example, if they do not like peas alone then try putting them into something they do like.

For example, my brother still does not favor vegetables but if you make him homemade fried rice you can freely throw in the peas and he will eat it. He loves it in fact.

Macaroni and cheese is another great meal that most kids like that can easily disguise a veggie. If you chop up broccoli small enough and put it in macaroni and cheese, it is generally well received. How about meatloaf? My brother loved meatloaf and you could easily get away with adding some green beans and he would still gobble it up.

Just one bite will do the trick

It is important not to freak out when your kids will not eat everything. It seems like, especially as they get to the toddler stage, that if they find out it concerns you, theie eating habits can worsen.

Find the things they like and add to them and make sure you keep offering them the things they do not like. Just one bite here and there will do the trick. One day you will be surprised when they tell you that they want some more of the once hated food item.

Supplement with nutritional drinks

Now, granted there are children who you may need to seek professional advice regarding their eating habits. But, like I mentioned above there are so many nutritional drinks that you can buy. You can also try making milk shakes or smoothies and add in some of the vitamins and minerals you believe your child is missing. Not too many children will pass up an ice cream treat or fruit smoothie. There are countless recipes online for these types of drinks so it is more than probable that you will find one your child likes.

Don’t limit food to the things you like

If you as the parent are a picky eater you need to not limit your children to the things that you like. You need to try and open up the world of food to your children and let them decide over time.

So often I see parents that only eat a certain way and as a result, raise their children on only the foods that they eat. So, if the child does not like these certain types of foods they begin to have problems with eating habits. This is when it is time to branch out and try some new things. Try looking up some new recipes and prepare things differently to get your picky eaters to eat outside of the norm.

Eat out to try new flavours

Another great thing to try, is going to new places to eat out with your child. As you both experience the flavors together for the first time you can share in what you like or dislike and your child will be more likely to try it because you are trying it too.

Use wisdom, of course, and make sure it is not too spicy for a child, but having fun trying new foods together can broaden both of your tastes and set a good example for your child’s eating habits in the future.

Try gardening

To get children to eat more fruits and veggies, why not try gardening? Many children are happy to eat things that they worked hard to grow. Start with easy things like beans, tomatoes and melons and work from there. Your child not only gets a great hobby but can also learn a lot and eat a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables.

Cook together

Last, cooking together can make your child more likely to eat foods they would not normally try. When a child has worked hard with you to create a meal they are willing to eat it too. Try having your child add their favorite ingredients to a salad or have them look up a recipe for a side dish they might like to try. When you give kids a choice they are more likely to choose to eat what they have picked out.

Choice is important

Giving kids choice when it comes to eating is important, even if they constantly reject them. By allowing them opportunities to taste foods over and over again, prepared different ways or mixed with different flavors, you help them to broaden their palates and keep their tastes open to new experiences.

About the Author: Rachael Cherry is a wife, mother, and writer who is passionate about helping connect families in need with high quality caregivers. She has taken that passion and put it to work through NannyPro, a respected online nanny referral service. Learn more by visiting @NannyPro on Twitter.

The post Toddler Nutrition: How much should we worry about what our kids eat? appeared first on All4Baby.

• Memory
• Test grades
• School
• Attendance
• Psycho-social function
• Mood

Meal Planning Ideas

Choose one option per meal and one mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack.

 Healthy diet tips for your toddler

1. Swap cold drinks for milk, flavoured milk or drinking yoghurt to increase dairy intake.
2. Include fish in children’s meals by serving fish fingers, fish cakes or steamed fish flaked into rice.
3. Prepare baked beans on toast with grated cheese.
4. Serve raw vegetables (carrots, baby tomatoes, cucumber) with a flavoured dip like mashed avocado.
5. Add pureed carrots to tomatoe-based pasta sauces or finely chop vegetables and hide them on home-baked pizzas, soups, mince dishes and casseroles.
6. Vegetable kebabs, bananas in their skins and mealies are great for braais.
7. Blend fruit into a smoothie by mixing banana with some frozen mixed berries and a dollop of yoghurt – a nutritious drink for children of all ages.
8. Remember to monitor water intake – freeze a bottle of water or diluted juice the night before packing their lunch – it should stay cold for most of the day.

Use fats and sugars sparingly: children shouldn’t have a very low-fat diet, they need the same balance of fats as adults. Restrict animal fats and choose plant oils such as olive or sunflower oil, tub margarines, avocado, peanut butter and nuts. Sugar can be part of a balanced eating plan, but in moderation. Restrict sweets and chocolates to after-meal treats and provide milk, water or diluted fruit juices rather than soft drinks.

About the Author: Advice, tips and meal plans provided by Pick n Pay’s resident Dietician who can be contacted on the Health Hotline. Visit http://www.picknpay.co.za/healthy-recipes for recipes and more.

The post Toddler Nutrition: Healthy diet tips and meal ideas appeared first on All4Baby.

Open-minded kids

Want to raise open-minded kids who don’t complain about their veggies? Introduce carrots and peas early in life and don’t give up after the first try, say British researchers.

And they should know. Because for their research, the team from the University of Leeds used, perhaps, one of the least popular and most uncommon foods in the plant kingdom on their mini test subjects: artichoke puree.

For the study, scientists fed the puree to 332 babies and children aged 6 to 38 months, who came from the UK, France and Denmark.

Children were fed five to 10 servings of at least 100 g of the puree, either in its basic form, sweetened with added sugar or mixed with vegetable oil.

Overall, younger children consumed more of the puree than older kids, notably kids under 24 months — the age more commonly known as the terrible twos, when tots suddenly discover their own will and are more reluctant to try new things.

Learners and plate-cleaners

Most of the kids — 40 percent — were classified as “learners,” kids who increased their intake over time.

“Plate-clearers” were defined as those who consumed more than 75 percent of what was offered each time (21 percent). “Non-eaters” were those who ate less than 10g by the fifth helping (16 percent) and the rest were categorized as “others.”

Researchers found that that the fussiest group, the “non-eaters,” tended to be older pre-school children.

Interestingly, researchers found that sweetening the puree didn’t make a difference in the amount that children ate.

The findings were published in PLoS One.

Start early and often

The moral of the study?

“If you want to encourage your children to eat vegetables, make sure you start early and often. Even if your child is fussy or does not like veggies, our study shows that 5-10 exposures will do the trick,” said lead researcher Marion Hetherington.

Other studies have also suggested offering kids more variety when it comes to vegetables, refraining from telling them their veggies are healthy and leading by example.

(AFP Relaxnews)

The post Study: How to make a veggie lover out of your toddler appeared first on All4Baby.

High levels of folate

Avos have been around since the days of the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations – the latter which believed the fruit had aphrodisiac properties and enhanced fertility.While the jury’s still out on the conclusive impact of avoson fertility, what we do know is that their high levels of folate make them a dietary must-have for women who intend falling pregnant.

Folate is an important nutrient that helps prevent neural tube defects, promotes a healthy nervous system and is essential for the formation of red and white blood cells, normal cell division and growth in foetuses. It is recommended for all moms-to-be as well as pregnant moms until the end of the first trimester at least when this critical foetal development is taking place.

Energy booster

Of course avos make for a satisfying snack for pregnant moms who need to keep their energy up throughout their pregnancy. This is especially true during the second trimester when they’ve kicked the morning sickness and feel hungry more often, and the third trimester when big meals are off the menu.

Perfect first food

Avos are also a god-send once baby is born. Not only are they quick, easy and incredibly convenient meals for breastfeeding moms who don’t have a lot of time on their hands, but their soft, buttery texture means they’re also perfect first foods for babies from six months onwards.

Babies need carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals for optimal growth during those first two vital development years. Avos help meet these nutritional requirements by providing potassium, vitamin E, iron, lutein and beta-carotene. Avos are also a source of fibre and monounsaturated fats and are energy dense, all of which are great for growing babies.

Easy to prepare

It’s a good thing avos are so easy to prepare! Moms can add sliced avo to crackers or rice cakes or simply eat them out the skin for fuss-free snacks, or include diced avo in salads, pastas or with grilled chicken or fish for a more substantial meal. For babies, mash avo for first meals (from six months), and cube avo for older babies and toddlers who are self-feeding.

There’s no doubt, avos are a fantastic food from bump to birth and beyond!

For more avolicious recipes visit www.avocado.co.za, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/iloveavocadoSA and follow us on Twitter @iloveavos

The post Add an Avo to your (and baby’s) diet! appeared first on All4Baby.

What’s more, you get to choose the mix of ingredients and flavours that are right for your child, depending on their personal tastes and diet.

Plus, you also have the benefit of knowing exactly what your little one is eating. By choosing the ingredients, you are able to eliminate preservatives and added sugars.

When thinking about making your own baby food, you immediately think of hours spent in the kitchen, butt his recipe for Ella’s Kitchen’s squishy salmon fishcakes will see you break out your artistic side in just 45 minutes. Your toddler will love the squishy fishy goodness and style of this dish…

What you need

400 grams of potatoes cut into dices

1 carrot cut into small dices

200 grams of salmon fillets (skin removed)

3 tablespoons of sunflower oil

1 small leek, thinly sliced

25 grams of green beans, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

What to do

1. Cook the potato and carrot in boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and mash them together, and set aside mash to cool.
2. Poach the salmon in simmering water for 5 minutes until cooked through, then allow to cool.
3. Break up the fish into flakes, taking care to ensure that there are no bones.
4. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the leek and beans for 5 minutes until tender.
5. Stir them into the carrot and potato mash and then add the cooked salmon and the parsley to the mixture again.
6. Using your hands, mould the mixture into 2 large fishcakes and 2 small fishcakes
7. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and cook the fishcakes for 5 minutes, turning once until golden on both sides and warm through.
8. Serve immediately with some peas

Yum!

About the Author: Ella’s Kitchen Cook Book is available at Woolworths for approximately R200.

The post Toddler nutrition: Make your own tasty toddler meal! appeared first on All4Baby.

Congested environments increase toddler’s chances of catching the flu virus

Crowded and closed environments, which are most common during the winter season, have been proven to be one way for the flu virus to spread. Studies have shown that one person coughing out 300 infectious droplets or virions can actually infect 300 people.

In closed environments, this means the virus has a shorter distance to travel in order to reach the next person. Keep safe this winter and make sure you take a small bottle of hand sanitizer wherever you go.

Dirty air from toilet flushing causes SA school kids to catch the flu

There are a number of ways in which the flu can infect people but few realize that toilet flushing (toilet water aerosolisation) is one way to expel the germs in the air.

Added to this, Director of the CDC Influenza Division in the US stated that school absenteeism due to influenza is largely due to children disseminating the virus even through toilet flushing.

It was discovered that an eight year old super-emitter spewed out 200 infectious flu viruses making schools the perfect petri dishes for flu transmission (this includes creches).

The combination of low humidity, super-emitter children and toilet flush aerosolisation has become a toxic combination that many parents are still unaware of.

Attack that sniffle, by prevention rather than cure

Just because winter is approaching, it doesn’t mean you should brace yourself to be attacked by the flu virus.

Vaccines and vitamins should not be viewed as the only measures to protect you this winter.

Non-pharmaceutical methods of protecting you toddler should include:

• Cleaning surfaces and objects routinely.
• Preventing moist, humid home environments by keeping the home aerated, such as keeping the bathroom window open.
• Improving hygiene habits within the home, such as washing your hands after using the toilet. (You should teach your toddler to do the same)
• Although it helps to put the toilet seat down, it is well documented that particles still escape, which is why health-conscious families are encouraged to remove germs from the source rather than just attempting to minimize exposure.

About the Author: Visit www.hygizone.com for more information on how you can better keep your home more hygienic for you and your toddler.

The post How to prevent your toddler from catching the flu appeared first on All4Baby.

Sound familiar?

In hindsight, I am embarrassed to admit, that I was shoving (and I mean, forcefully SHOVING) rice cereal down my 3 month old’s throat because I was convinced that he was hungry. This was supported by the sage advice of the older generation, who insisted that once I started feeding him solids, he’d magically start sleeping through.

I also tried (with little success) “topping up” my baby’s breastmilk with formula because—as the nurse was telling me—he continued to wake at night because he is NOT receiving sufficient nutrition from me. I was also informed by loving friends and strangers alike that I should change the formula that I’d selected for the young one, because my baby might in fact be lactose intolerant, therefore the current formula was causing him discomfort as it was being processed by the digestive system.

Does any of this sound familiar? With the popularity of this type of ill-advice, it is very easy to fall into the “over-nutrition” trap. Moms, just because you are breastfeeding does not mean your child is not able to sleep through.

Only 5% rooted in nutrition

What If I told you that only 5% of the cases we deal with, is rooted in nutritional challenges!?

It is far more likely that that your baby has not yet developed the skill of soothing him or herself, and therefore nutrition is not the problem.

The fundamental rule to remember is that your baby’s sleep is regulated by his orher brain and not by the stomach.

Nutrition plays a role when…

Nevertheless, a hungry baby will not sleep well either; so here is a checklist to use to rule out whether nutrition is the problem:

1. Is your baby growing according to his or her growth curve? Essentially, is your baby gaining weight steadily?
2. By 6 months, you should introduce your baby to solids.
3. How old is your baby? If your baby is younger than a year, milk is more important. If your child is older than a year, solids should be the primary source of nutrition.
4. Does your baby receive protein rich nutrition if he or she is older than 6 months?
5. Does your baby have a sufficient intake of minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron?
6. Does your child eat or drink too much salt, sugar or caffeine? These additives could spike energy levels, leaving the child in a hyper-alert stage.
7. Is your baby drinking too much water, rooibos tea and or juice? Remember, juice has a high concentration of sugar and fructose.

About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za

The post Nutrition and sleep: What’s the connection? appeared first on All4Baby.