The Moppets Clinic

🤒🤧🤮🤢
In last 1 year, infections in children have gone almost five to six times higher (as compared to pre covid levels) because of which parents are in a constant state of anxiety and misery.
Doc my kid is continuously having cough and cold, they are not able to sleep or eat, why is it happening to my child only etc.
👉Common culprits in their minds are ( in descending order of importance) - immunity disorder, allergies, food (like milk, curd, cold water, juices, icecreams, lemon and all kinds of assumptions about food), taking bath in winters and lastly infections (which ideally should be the 1st one )
👩‍⚕️🩺🚑 To avoid visiting the doctor for same problem again, most parents end up self medicating their kids with a cocktail of antibiotics, cough and cold syrups, so called immunity boosters, supplements etc. and because of which most kids are now landing up with disturbed sleep, ear pain or ear discharge, snoring and mouth breathing, and persistent dark circles under the eye etc. leaving us doctors without anything to help them with.

⭐️⭐️Plz remember not all coughs are same and not all coughs and colds require Montair LC (most common self abused and prescribed drug).
👉Depending on the cause the treatment differs.

Consult your pediatrician if that irritating cough just doesnt go away..

Back after a long hiatus....!!

What triggered me to write this post was, a parent getting angry that despite getting the flu shot, the kid was still getting recurrent colds ( they had gotten it only because it was told to them that the child won't be getting ill after the flu shots).

Yes, flu vaccines are an essential component of your child's immunization but to presume that the flu vaccine is the cure for all illnesses and the assumption that the child won't be falling ill after getting the flu vaccine is wrong.

Also, it is important to note that any vaccine takes a certain time period for it to start getting effective, mostly a couple of weeks at least. The vaccine is not going to confer immediate protection ( as we see many parents coming up for vaccination when they come in contact with some flu patient). That's why it's advisable to get the vaccine before the start of the season. But in case you have missed it, get it done whenever you can.
With this post, I have tried to put together the common queries and doubts parents have about flu vaccination.

Get your child vaccinated against the flu and talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns about any vaccination.

🧐Allergy is often a misused and misunderstood term in general.
Most people often attribute their symptoms to some form of allergy.
👉In my allergy practice, I meet so many people who get the supposed food allergy panel testing, which often test so many food items. They come over carrying pages and pages of reports. It is most often confusing and people end up avoiding so many foods in their diet without experiencing any actual benefit and this is sad to see especially if a child is involved. It sometimes becomes very difficult to explain to a parent or a patient that the symptoms are not because of the supposed positive report to a particular food.

🎯Please remember food allergy tests are not screening tests. They do not diagnose anything in isolation. The clinical history was, is and will always be the best and most important part of diagnosing allergies.

🎯There are absolutely no reasons to order a large battery of food allergy tests.
The food insensitivity test (IgG testing) which is being done rampantly has absolutely no indication and implication whatsoever in diagnosing food allergies.

If you have concerns regarding food allergies, talk to a certified allergist first, where on basis of proper evaluation and history food allergy testing if needed can be planned.
🔔Not every symptom is because of allergies and that too especially food allergy.

Today is World Asthma Day. This day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma ( GINA) with an aim to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide.

Asthma is one of the major health problems and its incidence is rising in children.
India contributes to 11.1 percent of the global asthma burden and accounts for over 42 percent of related deaths making it asthma capital of the world.
This year's World Asthma Day theme is "Closing Gaps in asthma care".
There are a number of gaps in asthma care which require intervention in order to reduce preventable suffering as well as the costs incurred by treating uncontrolled asthma. The most commons being
1. Access to diagnosis and medicines
2. Knowledge and awareness both among healthcare providers and parents
3. Busting the common myths associated
Today I address the common and widely held myths and misconceptions regarding asthma that prevent most parents from taking long term treatment and thereby devoiding kids of a healthy life.👧👦
Lets break these myths and embrace the facts regarding asthma and its treatment.😇🗣

Its summertime....🌞🌞
Heat is unbearable and with finally the schools starting again, we dont wanna stop kids from attending schools...so most kids r getting heat exhaustion and various sorts of heat related illnesses... 🥵🥵
Taking care of your kids in this extreme heat is very important and this can be done by keeping just a few simple things in mind..
1. Be water smart: Hydrate, hydrate n hydrate💧💧💦💦
2. Be sun smart: Sunscreens always, umbrellas, hats and sunglasses whenever required and avoid sending them out in peak hours😎😎🤠☂️
3. Be pool smart: Dont leave kids without supervision and always make them take a bath once finished🌊🌊
4. Be food smart: Eat home cooked, fresh produce. Avoid eating outside🍱
5. Be bug smart: Mosquito repellents to be used liberally...🦟🦟

So basically "Be summer smart"!!💁‍♀️💁

👉Every day children experience sound in their environment.
👂Normally, these sounds are at safe levels that don’t damage their hearing. However, repeated and extended exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss or NIHL.👂
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably become so accustomed to the noise level of your kids favorite toys that you don’t give it a second thought. Even if you do give a thought or get annoyed with that noise, you mostly do nothing about it.📣🔔
Also banishing loud toys from the home entirely may be easier said than done. After all, it’s not always possible to prevent well-meaning friends and relatives from giving your child shrieking toys.

⭐⭐But Parents need to realize that every time a child holds a loud toy to their ear, they may be permanently damaging the delicate hair cells in their inner ear.
The damage might not be noticeable right away, but over time, our children’s hearing is being impacted by a noisy world that also includes traffic noise, events and loud music from personal music players.
💥Consequences of hearing loss can be devastating, particularly for children.
👉Even a small degree of hearing loss can affect a child’s speech and language comprehension. It can also impact a child’s classroom learning and social interaction with their peers.
So when it comes to buying toys, parents, grandparents and caregivers need to rely on their own common sense to protect children’s hearing.

After all hearing is a precious ability.

Drop a love💖 if this helps you..!

Tummy infections are going around a lot in kids. 💩
Thanks to eating out and travelling which has increased out of proportion this month.
Diarrhea, vomiting, pain in tummy are the common presentations.
😰Diarrhea especially can be distressing for any parent and the one thing they desire is to stop it as soon as possible. 😰
😏But most parents get disappointed when told that there is no medication which we can be given to stop diarrhea.
Remember most tummy infections are self limiting in kids as they are viral in origin.🤨
The only thing we need to ensure as parents is giving adequate amount of fluids.
👉Don’t get stressed if your child does not want to eat but focus on fluids.
👉Contrary to the popular opinion, don’t stop giving your child to eat or drink, thinking that it will worsen diarrhea.
But avoid giving any sugary drinks or juices to the child. 🧃🚫
Milk should also be restricted but babies can continue breast feeding on demand.
Don’t self medicate, always take advise of your doctor. 🚫
Most children can be managed at home but a few with red flag signs might need admission.

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love💖 if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.

**p **p **p

Do you deworm your child??🧐

There is ample evidence that worms aggravate malnutrition, anemia and growth and appetite issues in kids across all age groups and thereby also affective the cognitive development.

These worms generally enter the body due to poor hygiene practices and unclean environment.
Deworming tends to eliminate these worms. Many OTC preparations are available in the market. Choose what suits your child. Talk to your doctor regarding the same.
It is very essential thing to do esp in a country like ours.

Besides this try to practice safe hygienic measures and keep your family safe from this problem..!! After all prevention is always better than cure.
Do drop a love 💖if you like this and plz remember i do appreciate when you like or share my posts..!!

With our best interests, as parents we love to do things for our babies or buying stuff, thinking that it might be useful for them or because our friends and relatives and elders recommended them or simply because everybody is doing them.

But not all things advised or available in market are useful for babies. 🧐
Besides being not of any benefit to the baby, these might actually pose a medical risk to the baby and unintentionally we might end up doing harm to the baby.

These are my top 5 recommendations of things not to use for your babies.👎
1.Talcum powder
2.Kajal
3.Fruit nibbler
4.Walker
5.Teething necklaces.

Despite the age old advice, I do not recommend any of these for my babies. So stop using any of these things..🙅🙅‍♀️

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love💖 if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.

If you’re a new parent, odds are that you’re frequently reminded to give your baby gripe water (or janam ghutti) by your elders or your neighbours or relatives.
In case you refuse, comes the age old argument “ humnein toh kuch nahi hua”!!
As per them it is the best thing that can be given to the baby as they grow as it aids in digestion and helps sooth the crying baby.
But does it really? 🧐
Nope.👎
Like I always say, if in doubt always read labels. Although in India there is no regulation on these type of products and their constituents but most of them still mention the ingredients.
Even if the list is supposedly herbal, try to find out the effects of these products. Most of these contain high sugar (some might even contain honey), laxatives or have sedating properties (because of jaiphal/nutmeg) which are not good for young babies.

👉My take: Gripe water is an absolute no no to any baby.
Babies cry for many reasons. Giving something just because we as children were given something is not right.
Less than 6 months of age, nothing is to be given to babies except for breast feeds (or formula if mother is not able to breast feed), not even water. Just for the simple reason that they don’t need anything else.
If your baby has episodes of excessive crying, consult your paediatrician. Chances are it is just a normal phase which all babies go through as they grow. But in a few it might be an indicator of something significant like Cow’s milk protein allergy. In both cases gripe water is not going to help.

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love💖 if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.

Bubble baths are one of the greatest parenting tools to have in your pocket. I mean which kid doesn’t love bubble baths. 👶🛀
But do you know frequent and prolonged bubble baths are not good for your little one’s gentle skin.🤨
Bubble bath formulas usually contain deodorants or potent scents and dyes which can irritate the opening of your baby's urethra (where urine comes out) if the soap is not rinsed off completely.
This makes it painful to urinate so the child ends up holding the urine and voiding incompletely, which can lead to Urinary tract infections.

For an occasional treat bubble baths are good and I do recommend them but not for daily use.
If needed look for formulas free from sulphates and phthalates.
Sulfates are the key ingredient for creating abundant foamy soap suds but they can also strip the skin's natural oils and protective barrier, resulting in dryness and irritation.

Also make sure you rinse thoroughly with plain water after your kid finishes off with their bath.

So like with anything you choose for your kid, make sure you're well informed and use your best judgment and not falsely belief the claims.
And remember to never, even for a second, leave your child alone in the tub.

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love💖 if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.

Parenting doesn't come with a handbook, so unsuspecting moms and dads are left to figure out a lot on their own. Our go-to sources of advice—friends, the internet, our own parents—might not have the most reliable, up-to-date info and we end up doing things which might not be good for our child. .

Today I share top 5 things which I wish most parents stop doing.

1. When you're freaked out about your child's symptoms, the first place to turn is usually Dr. Google.💻💻 And while there are a few trusted sites out there, it's still impossible to diagnose your kid over the internet.
2. 💉🩹Ironically even if most parents agree vaccines are a good thing, but many delay routine immunizations. The problem is children then go unprotected for longer intervals.
3. 💊💊When our kids fall sick, It's natural to want them to get better as soon as possible, but antibiotics aren't always the answer. The majority of the illnesses are viral like "Colds and coughs. They don't need an antibiotic, they just need time to heal." Plus, giving antibiotics too often can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
4. 🥛🥛Another common problem is pumping your kids with bone-building calcium by giving them plenty of milk. However This might lead to anemia, constipation etc.
5. Most parents give supplements like Iron, probiotics, calcium or Any Vitamin supplement without any 2nd thought about its actual need. Most children don’t need supplements.

Being a parent is rewarding and challenging at the same time. It’s impossible to have all the answers or always know how to best care for your little one. Developing a partnership with your pediatrician is the best way to help you stay ahead of your child’s health and well-being.

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love 💖if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.

Nearly 70 to 80% of kids visiting to my clinic are constipated. 😬
It is such a common issue nowadays, though most of the time it is a functional issue rather than an actual medical illness, all thanks to the diet and lifestyle we follow. Very occasionally it is a result of some medical issue.

Most common causes in kids today being:
• Lack of fibre in diet,
• Excessive consumption of JUNCS
foods ( see my previous post),
• Less water intake,
• Too early potty training ( very common
in Indian households),
• Changes in daily routines ( like
travelling, going to schools, daycares)
• Certain medicines ( for e.g. Iron) and
• Undiagnosed allergies.

Constipation is cause of significant distress and pain both for the kid and the parents. 😢
We can advise medications temporarily to tide over the crisis but ultimately the key lies in preventing it.
There’s a lot you can do as a parent to help out your kid who is suffering from constipation.

Diet and lifestyle changes are the best ways to resolve it.

Hi, Dr Garima here & I am here to share with you all about child health & parenting. 👩‍⚕️
Come follow for more.
Drop a love💖 if this helps you & please know I do appreciate it when you like or share my posts.