Kid's Health: Sweet Treatment

It's that time of the year when viruses are in the air! =) So here's a tip that may be helpful to you during this flu season.

(By Rachel Rabkin Pechman)

If your child has a cough, try giving him honey before bed - it may cut down on nighttime hacking (according to a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine).

This is good news since traditional cough meds are no longer advised for kids ages 6 and younger. The thick syrup coats and soothes the back of the throat, while the sweet taste causes salivation, which thins mucus and reduced the urge to cough. Honey's antioxidants may even help the body fend off nasty cold bugs, thereby alleviating cold symptoms, says Ian Paul, M.D., lead study author.

For kids ages 1 to 5, start with half a teaspoon (don't mix the honey in tea - this could dilute its effect), and for those 6 and up, offer one teaspoon. Feel free to re-dose as often as needed, but remember: Never give honey to children under 1 because in rare cases it can cause infantile botulism.

What's New at 15 months

It's fun to report how she's developing at this age because there's always something new everyday! She's now 15 months and she has developed her fine motor skills: she's able to open, take apart, turn the pages of her book one at a time and put together more things than I thought possible. Crayons, utensils, combs, bath sponge, and toothbrush are some of the tools she tries to use. And she's determined to do it just right. She has been able to hold her crayons correctly from the very first time we gave them to her when she was one! She must have been observing Daddy while he works in his office! Haha! She's able to feed herself now. She creates a mess though but a bib and a mat underneath her highchair takes care of that. Hehe! As for the comb, the bath sponge and the toothbrush, she still needs reinforcement when using them.

Also, I have noticed that stopping an activity is a very painful experience for Kirstin now. But I learned when I was reading this entertainment magazine and read about Brad Pitt's experience with Maddox, that it's a good idea to give your child a warning if you need to stop him/her from the activity he/she is doing so he/she won't get caught by surprise. That's what I did and it worked! Thanks Brad Pitt! Muaahhh! Hehe! I always give advance notice to Kirstin of an upcoming transition and some help changing gears. That makes things easier for me.

By the way, it's the first time Kirstin went for her check-up and the nurse made her stand up on the scale so they could measure her height and her weight! Awww...she's not a baby anymore! It's so cool though because she did everything the doctor told her to do. She's really a good girl! (Can you tell I'm the mommy? Hehe!)