Good to know

Teething

Teething, is the normal process of new primary teeth working their way through the gums. Teething usually begins at between 4 and 9 months. However, every baby is different in the start and duration of the teething process can vary greatly between babies. Some dentists have noted a family pattern of "early," "average," or "late" teethers.

 

The general order of eruption of primary teeth is:

Teething symptoms vary from baby to baby and are summarized as follows:

  • Obvious symptoms: increased saliva, drooling, wakefulness, swollen or inflamed gums, loose stools, crankiness, crying, biting, chewing and tender gums.
  • Less obvious symptoms: refuses food or may not be drinking milk; your baby may have a rash around the mouth (chin rash); saliva irritates the delicate skin.
Caution: Blaming teething for fevers can lead to a delayed diagnosis of ear infections, urinary tract infections, meningitis and other infections.  (American Academy of Pediatrics)
 

How can I help my baby reduce the pain?

  • Teething Rusks
  • Teething rings
  • Teething gel
  • Natural teething remedies
    • Cold pieces of fruit or vegetables
    • Entertain your baby
    • Various herbal tinctures
Infants Weaning

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for your baby and after the first few months of life your baby's needs are no longer met entirely by your breast milk. So around the age of six months solid food should be introduced in a simple way as follows: Foods

  • Start with a single grain iron-fortified infant cereal such as rice. Rice cereal is a good first choice since it is easy to digest and least likely to cause allergies.

  • Wheat cereals are the second cereals to be introduced since some babies may be allergic to wheat.
  • Mixed cereals should be introduced after an infant has tried all the single cereals grains.
  • Pureed vegetables can be introduced; mild tasting vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and green beans are introduced first. Often vegetables are given before fruits so baby will not expect all foods to taste sweet.
Note: Iron deficiency is a common problem among babies in the second half of the first year of life so iron fortified infant cereals should be given to infants for the first 2 years of life to ensure an adequate iron intake and to compensate babies iron storage that starts to deplete by the age of six months.
 

Tips for a successful weaning:

  • Choose a good time of day for your baby to start on solids and allow enough time to enjoy this experience.
  • Don't force food on your baby. If they don't want to try a food, stay calm, take the food away and offer it again later.
  • Use a silicon spoon; it's kinder on baby's gums.
  • Always stay with your baby when they are eating.
  • Always test the temperature of food before you give it to your baby - it shouldn't be too hot preferably 37C°.
  • Encourage self feeding. As your baby develops and shows signs of wanting to feed independently give them a spoon or finger foods or Rusks to try.
Natural Honey

Honey is a delicious natural sweeter; it has several health benefits that go beyond its great taste such as natural remedy and energy booster. Although, honey should not be fed to infants less than one year of age because of the risk of infant botulism, since honey may contain Botulinum spores by Bacterium Clostridium botulinum (a toxic bacteria).  

Infant botulism is a type of food poisoning that can result in death because infants do not have a completely matured digestive system and are more susceptible to botulism food poisoning. Botulinum spores are rarely available in pasteurized honey due to the heat process and as a result, parents need to be cautious about processed foods containing honey, which is probably unpasteurized.

Gluten Free

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein made up of glutenin and gliadin and is responsible for the elasticity of bread dough. Wheat contains a higher amount of gluten than any other grain, but it is also found in barley, rye and -to a lesser degree- in oats.

Foods that commonly contain gluten include bread, pasta and flour.

What digestive problems are associated with wheat and gluten?

Wheat Allergy

True wheat allergy is uncommon and should not be confused with wheat intolerance. A wheat allergy is a response from the immune system to certain wheat proteins. It is identified quite easily because reactions usually take place within 2 hours - and sometimes only minutes - of wheat being consumed.

Signs of an allergic reaction include

  • Rashes
  • High fever-like symptoms
  • Breathing difficulties (sometimes severe)

 

Wheat intolerance

Intolerance is not an allergic reaction, but occurs when the body has difficulty digesting certain foods. Wheat intolerance is more common than wheat allergy and can cause quite severe gut reactions.

Although allergies may be outgrown, intolerances to certain foods are usually life-long, so the troublesome food has to be permanently avoided.

 

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (also known as gluten enteropathy or gluten intolerance) is a life-long intolerance to gluten. This means that a person with celiac disease cannot eat wheat, barley, rye, oats, or any food containing them. Celiac disease is a serious condition, where the body's immune system mistakenly treats gluten as a harmful substance. Eventually, damage to the small intestine prevents it from processing the nutrients from other foods. This leads to serious nutritional problems. Celiac disease tends to run in families.

The symptoms of celiac disease in babies tend to be spotted between 9 and 18 months of age and include:

  • diarrhea
  • weight loss, or poor weight gain
  • anemia
  • lack of appetite
  • malnutrition
  • bloated stomach
  • restlessness and irritability
  • dermatitis (itchy rash)

When to introduce wheat and other foods containing gluten to the baby?

The UK Department of Health states that these foods should not be introduced before baby is at least 6 months of age and should NEVER be used as first weaning foods for a baby with a family history of celiac disease or allergies. There are no official recommendations currently available in the US.

Experts believe that introducing gluten to a baby's diet during the first 3 months of life increases the baby's risk of developing celiac disease by 5 times. It also indicates that the risk is high if the introduction of gluten is delayed past 7 months.

After 6 months of age, foods containing gluten are given to baby regularly in normal, adequate amounts. This is so that any adverse reactions can be easily spotted and identified. If baby is only fed small amounts of foods containing gluten - or fed them very infrequently - the pattern of symptoms may be inconsistent, delaying diagnosis.