What fruit is good for my infant son?
What fruit is good for my infant son?
Dear Dr. Donya,
I need your advice on the following:
* Is it all right to allow my 17-month-old baby to have juice
early in the morning before his breakfast?
* Can I give him a ripe banana? How about its vitamin content?
Previously, a doctor advised me not to give him any fruit other
than bananas.
* How long should chicken, pork and beef meats be steamed so that
the vitamin and mineral content will not be lost?
* Once, when I took my baby to the doctor, I overheard that a
two-year-old girl needed an X-ray because the doctor suspected
food had entered her lung. How does this happen?
-- Kim C.
Dear Kim,
* Juice is good for us. It is all right for your baby to have it
as long as it does not fill him up and he still eats breakfast.
* Bananas have vitamin C and potassium, so, yes, you can give him
a ripe banana. If your son is not allergic to other fruits there
is no reason to avoid them, and I would suggest you include them.
* Foods need to be cooked, by methods such as steaming, but I
can't give you exact times. Typically, small portions can be
cooked within 10 minutes to 15 minutes and the vitamins and
minerals will be preserved.
* Yes, it can happen. Young children can inhale small objects
like peanuts or candy into the airway.
-- Dr. Donya
Dear Dr Donya,
My sons, aged 3.5 years and 1.5 years, both had their Hib
(influenza) immunization at two and four months of age. I
understand that Hib should be given at two months, four months
and six months.
I hounded the doctors (not only one doctor) as to why a third
dose was not given at six months. Their reply was that there was
a controversy as to whether Hib should be given again at six
months.
-- Lina
Dear Lina,
It depends on what kind of vaccine you get. There are three
different products; HbOC (HIBITITER) and PRP-T (ActHIB). The
primary series of doses should be given at two months, four
months and six months, and the booster at 12 months to 15 months.
However, for the PRP-OMP (PedvaxHIB), two doses of the primary
series can be given at two months and four months and booster
between 12 months to 15 months. When possible, the vaccine
product used for the first dose should be used for subsequent
doses in children younger than 12 months.
A booster is recommended at 12 months to 15 months of age, or
as soon as possible thereafter, and any vaccine product is
acceptable for this dose, regardless of the vaccine previously
received by the child. The efficacy of the combination vaccine
after three doses has been calculated to be 98.8 percent.
There was a study of 91 cases of invasive disease due to H
influenza, of which 41 were serotype b. However, compliance with
the vaccine schedule was only 74 percent, and most cases of
invasive Hib disease occur in nonimmunized children. This
suggests that invasive Hib disease cases "are not a vaccine
failure but a failure to vaccinate".
-- Dr. Donya
Dear Dr. Donya,
I am 27 years old, currently living in Maryland in the United
States, and have had a problem with chronic constipation for
eight years.
Starting at about the age of 15, I would stop myself whenever
I had the urge to go to the bathroom. I did not realize that I
was making my problem worse and, eventually, I was only able to
use the bathroom once or twice a week.
I recently began taking a herbal diet product, and my
regularity improved during the first 30 days to 45 days. I went
to the bathroom every day and the process was smooth.
But now I'm back to square one. I go every day but my bowel
movements are not good. I still have very bad gastric trouble and
bloating.
I am also taking a protein drink mix and flora fiber, cell
activator, aminogen and multivitamin every day and drink around
50 ounces of water. I also started going to the gym every day for
the past week. Yesterday I did a good cardio exercise and in the
morning the bowel movement was good.
I think my skin is very dry because of this problem. What
should I do?
-- Kavitha
Dear Kavitha,
I think you are on the right track with starting to exercise
because it will help stimulate the bodily functions.
As for using the herbal product, it is the same as you
increasing your fiber foods, green and yellow vegetables and
fresh fruits; oranges, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, apples,
prunes and bananas.
A tip is to drink two glasses of warm water when you wake up
in the morning. I would also recommend drinking at least two
liters of water a day, as water will also help with your dry
skin.
There also may be a genetic connection to your problem. See a
dermatologist who will be able to diagnose what is right to treat
your condition.
-- Dr. Donya