Government are reviewing whether popular medicines like Tylenol Plus Cold & Cough and Infant Triaminic Thin Strips are safe and effective in treating children's colds and coughs.

Disclosure of the ongoing review, which will take months to complete, came as critics charged that many over-the-counter cough and cold remedies can harm toddlers and preschoolers. Those critics, including public health officials and pediatricians, are pushing the government for stricter warnings to prevent life-threatening overdoses....

We have noticed a wave of intestinal infections going around recently.

As always, we would ask you to consult your pediatrician immediately if your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms:

* No urination (no wet diapers) for some time
* Crying without tears
* Loss of skin elasticity
* Dry mouth
* Sunken fontanel (the soft spot at the top of an infant's head)
* Lethargy or listlessness
* Diarrhea accompanied by vomiting (which may increase the likelihood of dehydration)

It is so hard to see our babies vomiting and experiencing discomfort from diarrhea. Here are some general tips on what to feed your baby at these difficult times.

The most important thing is to keep your child hydrated. Both vomiting and diarrhea can cause fluid loss in their system, and you want to make sure they are hydrated.
Pediatric electrolyte like pedialyte, revital or any generic brands are good fluids to keep them hydrated, but keep in mind that these drinks are just for fluids and not for the calories.

Avoid sweetened fluids like sodas, Gatorade, fruit juices. These drinks contain sugar that will draw water into the intestine and make the diarrhea worse.

If your baby has started solids already, continue to feed solids. If your child can not keep his/her usual food down, try the BRAT diet, banana, rice, apple sauce and dry toast.

Avoid all diary products including, yogurt, cheese, cream fraiche, in some extreme cases, babies may even react to formula that they’ve been drinking since it’s a cow milk based product. In those cases, you could switch to a soy based formula ONLY with your pediatrician blessing.

Also, avoid foods that are high in fiber like peas and green beans, and fruits. Do not worry about your child not getting their daily fruit/veg intake since this is only temporary. You can resume to his/her regular normal diets when your child gets better.

Cut back on fruit juice. In babies, especially, too much fruit juice can cause diarrhea or make it worse. Some experts recommend serving only two or three small portions a day.
For children under one, the serving sizes should be no larger than one-third cup of vitamin C--rich juice (like orange juice). If your baby wants more, dilute it with water.

Cut back on fruit, too. "Children under one who have diarrhea problems should eat no more than ¼ to 1/3 cup of soft fruit at each serving--and no more than three servings a day, says Dr. Ruderman".
Be alert, too, for fruit that's in prepared or packaged food--such as figs in Fig Newtons.

Fatten up the diet. There is some evidence that a "low-fat diet can promote a certain kind of chronic diarrhea in children", explains Dr. Ruderman. Experts suggest adding butter to vegetables, and serving fish, poultry and meats that have moderate amounts of fat.

In addition, children under the age of two should normally drink whole, rather than low-fat, milk.

Avoid artificial sweeteners. "Foods that contain artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol and saccharin may promote diarrhea", according to Dr. Ruderman. Read labels, and avoid food products with these additives whenever possible.

Watch those bottoms. A child with diarrhea may suffer from a painful irritation of the anus. That's because the "enzymes that help us digest food are also present in stool, and those enzymes irritate the anal area", says Dr. Stern. '' When you have diarrhea, stools go through very quickly and frequently these enzymes also start to 'digest' the skin.'

Lastly, if your child has diarrhea, make sure you change the diapers more frequently with a diaper cream to avoid diaper rash.

References:
Treatments for Vomiting and Diarrhea
Child Cold Illness
Diarrhea

I found this great cook book called Real Simple Meals
The recipes are simple and easy to modify and some don't even require you to cook. yah:)
I recently experimented with their Lasagna style baked Ziti. My daughter /husband loved it and I was able to clear my fridge of all those left over veggies from the week.
Here is our modified version of the recipe.

• 1 pd dry Ziti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek chopped
• 1 pd of ground beef
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 jar (24 to 26 oz) pasta Sauce
• 1/2 cup basil
• 1/2 cup of Spinach
• All your veggies in the fridge chopped. i.e. carrots, zucinni, celery, tomatoes, parsnips, etc
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
• 1 cup of cheese shredded. i.e. mozzarella, ricotta what ever is in the fridge. etc

Giving Juice To Your Baby
Health organisations worldwide, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Food Standards Agency in the UK, recommend that babies receive no supplemental fluids during the first 6 months of life.

Eating Better Than Organic
Not long ago I had an apple problem. Wavering in the produce section of a Manhattan grocery store, I was unable to decide between an organic apple and a nonorganic apple (which was labeled conventional, since that sounds better than "sprayed with pesticides that might kill you"). Read More

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Lots of new clothing for Spring for boys and grils infants to 6yrs.

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