Blog
Newborn and child health for parents, with the reasoning behind the advice. 76 articles.
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Vaccines & prevention
Flu in children and whether your child needs the flu vaccine every year
Flu in children: cold or flu, who is at high risk, when Tamiflu helps, flu vaccine from 6 months with two doses the first year, and vaccines in pregnancy.
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Infant care
Hernia, hydrocele, undescended testis and foreskin questions in baby boys
Hernia or hydrocele in a baby boy, undescended testis surgery timing, why not to pull back the foreskin, ballooning, circumcision and torsion warning signs.
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Infant care
Car seats, two-wheelers and travelling with a baby
Car seats and travelling with a baby in India: rear-facing seats, why lap holding is unsafe, child helmets on two-wheelers, and flying with a newborn.
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Child health
Childproofing your home: falls, burns, drowning and poisoning
Childproofing your home in India: preventing falls, burns, bucket drowning, kerosene and button battery poisoning, plus first aid for burns and dog bites.
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Child health
Choking in babies and children: first aid and CPR basics
Choking first aid for babies and children: back blows, chest and tummy thrusts, why not to sweep the mouth, baby CPR steps, and choking-risk foods.
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Infant care
Heat rash, sunburn and mosquito protection for babies in an Indian summer
Heat rash in babies, keeping a baby cool without AC, sunscreen age, safe mosquito repellents, coils, and heat stroke signs for an Indian summer.
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Child health
Itchy rashes in children: scabies, impetigo and ringworm
Itchy rashes in children: how to spot scabies, impetigo and ringworm, treating scabies in a baby, why the family must be treated, and steroid cream risks.
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Child health
How to take your child's temperature and give paracetamol or ibuprofen safely
How to take your child's temperature, what counts as a fever, and how to give paracetamol or ibuprofen safely by weight, reading drops vs syrup labels.
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Nutrition & feeding
Cow's milk protein allergy in babies is real, and also over-diagnosed
Cow's milk protein allergy in babies: real signs, why it is over-diagnosed, how a dairy-free trial works, formula choices, and when babies outgrow it.
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Child health
Worms in children and deworming tablets: what parents should know
Worms in children: signs to look for, threadworm itching at night, teeth grinding myths, albendazole dose and safety, and how often to deworm in India.
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Newborn care
Why late preterm babies born at 34 to 36 weeks need extra care
Late preterm babies born at 34 to 36 weeks look healthy but have more feeding trouble, low sugar and jaundice. What to watch for and how to care for them.
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Child health
Speech delay and autism red flags: when to stop waiting
Speech delay or autism? Milestones by age, red flags, hearing tests, two languages, screens and stuttering, explained simply by a paediatrician.
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Newborn care
Kajal, ghutti and honey for newborns, and what to tell grandmothers
Is kajal safe for babies? Can a newborn have ghutti, honey or water? A neonatologist on loving Indian traditions, lead risks and what grandparents can do.
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Child health
Typhoid fever in children: tests, treatment and the vaccine
Typhoid fever in children: symptoms, why the Widal test misleads, blood culture, antibiotic resistance in India, recovery time and the typhoid vaccine.
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Vaccines & prevention
Does my child really need an antibiotic for a cold, cough or fever?
Does my child need an antibiotic? Most colds, coughs and sore throats are viral. A paediatrician explains when antibiotics help and when they harm.
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Child health
Vomiting in children: home care and when to worry
Vomiting in children: how to give ORS, signs of dehydration, whether ondansetron is safe, and when green vomit, headache or belly pain need a doctor.
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Infant care
Growth charts, percentiles and the baby milestones that matter
How to read your baby's growth chart and percentiles, which milestones to expect by age, and the red flags that need a check without waiting.
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Child health
Pneumonia in children, fast breathing and when to go to hospital
Pneumonia in children: signs to watch, how to count breathing rate, chest indrawing, X-rays, home antibiotics vs hospital, vaccines, and whooping cough.
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Prematurity & NICU
Bringing your baby home from the NICU, and the follow-up that matters
Going home from the NICU: when a premature baby is ready, corrected age, vaccines, vitamin D and iron, hearing and eye checks, and when to come back.
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Child health
Urinary tract infection in babies and children
UTI in babies and children: symptoms, how urine is collected, why prompt treatment protects the kidneys, ultrasound, reflux, and preventing repeat UTIs.
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Newborn care
Newborn danger signs that mean you should go to hospital today
Newborn danger signs every parent should know: poor feeding, fits, fast breathing, fever or low temperature, and when to go to hospital the same day.
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Child health
Wheezing toddlers: viral wheeze, asthma, inhalers and steroid fears
Why toddlers wheeze with colds, viral wheeze vs asthma, why an inhaler with spacer beats a nebuliser, and how safe inhaled steroids are for children.
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Infant care
Eczema in babies, moisturisers, steroid creams and food allergy
Eczema in babies: what it looks like, the best moisturiser and how much to use, whether steroid creams are safe, food allergy, bathing and infection.
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Nutrition & feeding
Vitamin D and iron drops, and which babies really need them
Does your baby need vitamin D drops and iron drops? Why 400 IU a day matters even in sunny India, and which babies need extra iron.
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Child health
Rash with fever in children, from roseola and HFMD to measles
Rash with fever in children: telling roseola, hand foot mouth, chickenpox and measles apart, the glass test for a dangerous rash, and school return.
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Child health
Dengue in children: warning signs, platelets and when to go to hospital
Dengue in children: the warning signs that matter, why the platelet count is not the whole story, safe fever medicine and when to go to hospital.
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Newborn care
Cooling for birth asphyxia, and what the HELIX trial means for India
Birth asphyxia and HIE explained: what cooling therapy is, why the HELIX trial found it did not help babies in India, and the care that matters most.
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Infant care
Sticky eyes, pink eye and squint in babies and children
Sticky watery eye in a newborn, blocked tear duct massage, pink eye and antibiotic drops, breast milk in the eye, squint, lazy eye and stye care explained.
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Vaccines & prevention
Why refusing the vitamin K injection for newborns is risky
Is the vitamin K injection for newborns necessary and safe? How it prevents bleeding in the brain, the cancer myth, and the oral option, explained.
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Nutrition & feeding
Anaemia in children in India is common and mostly preventable
Anaemia in children in India: signs, causes, iron-rich Indian foods, milk limits, iron drops and thalassaemia trait, explained by a paediatrician.
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Child health
Ear infections and ear pain in children
Ear infection in children: signs in babies, when antibiotics are needed, ear discharge, oil in the ear, grommets, earwax, and hearing and speech.
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Infant care
Fever in a baby under three months is different
Fever in a baby under 3 months: why 38 degrees C means a same-day doctor visit, how to measure temperature, and why to wait on paracetamol.
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Child health
Croup in children, the barking cough at night
Croup causes a barking cough at night in young children. What it sounds like, why steam is not needed, how a steroid helps, and when stridor is urgent.
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Newborn care
Why we test before treating neonatal sepsis, and why we stop antibiotics
Neonatal sepsis signs, why a blood culture comes before antibiotics, why doctors stop antibiotics at 36 to 48 hours, and antibiotic resistance in India.
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Child health
Cough and cold in babies, home care and why cough syrups are not advised
Cough and cold in babies: how long it lasts, how to clear a blocked nose, why cough syrups are not advised, honey after age 1, and when to see a doctor.
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Vaccines & prevention
Newborn screening tests in India every baby should have before going home
Newborn screening tests in India explained: hearing test, pulse oximetry, heel prick for thyroid and G6PD, red reflex eye check and hip examination.
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Child health
Screen time for babies and toddlers, without the guilt
How much screen time is okay for babies and toddlers? WHO and IAP limits, speech delay, background TV and practical rules for Indian homes.
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Nutrition & feeding
Starting solids at six months from an Indian kitchen
Starting solids at 6 months the Indian way: signs of readiness, first foods like khichdi and ragi, textures, peanut and egg, and what to avoid.
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Child health
Preparing your older child for a new baby, and handling jealousy
How to prepare a toddler for a new baby, handle sibling jealousy and regression, keep the newborn safe, and what research says about birth spacing.
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Prematurity & NICU
The ROP eye check your premature baby must not miss
ROP screening for premature babies in India: which babies need the eye check, when it must happen, what the report means, and how laser or injections help.
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Infant care
Caring for twins, from breastfeeding to safe sleep
Caring for twins: can you breastfeed twins, how to tandem feed, should twins sleep together, prematurity, corrected age and getting help at home.
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Newborn care
Newborn skin rashes, peeling and blue patches, and which oil for massage
Newborn skin rashes, white spots, peeling and blue patches explained, plus what a neonatologist thinks about baby oil massage and mustard oil.
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Nutrition & feeding
Your picky eater toddler is not starving
Is your picky eater toddler eating enough? A paediatrician explains appetite, food fears, milk limits and when fussy eating needs a doctor.
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Child health
When should my baby walk? Late walking, walkers, shoes and flat feet
When do babies walk, when is late walking a worry, are baby walkers safe, do babies need shoes, and are flat feet, bow legs and toe walking normal?
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Vaccines & prevention
The IAP vaccine schedule explained for parents
The IAP vaccine schedule explained: which vaccines at birth, 6, 10 and 14 weeks and beyond, UIP versus private, side effects and missed doses.
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Prematurity & NICU
Respiratory distress syndrome in newborns, and why CPAP comes first
Respiratory distress syndrome in premature babies: signs, steroid injections before birth, CPAP, surfactant, LISA, caffeine and when to worry.
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Infant care
Baby blues, postpartum depression and caring for yourself as a parent
Is it baby blues or postpartum depression? Signs, how common it is in India, fathers, antidepressants while breastfeeding, and when to get urgent help.
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Newborn care
Umbilical cord care for newborns is mostly about leaving it alone
Newborn umbilical cord care made simple: keep it clean and dry, when it falls off, what not to apply, and the signs of infection to watch for.
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Child health
Febrile seizures in children: what to do and what happens next
Febrile seizures in children: what a fit with fever looks like, what to do during it, which tests are needed, and whether it will happen again.
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Child health
When and how to start toilet training
When to start toilet training, signs your child is ready, how long potty training takes, bedwetting, and what to do about poo refusal.
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Infant care
Baby spit up, reflux and when vomiting is something serious
Is baby spit up normal? How reflux differs from reflux disease, why most babies need no antacid, and which vomiting signs need a doctor today.
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Child health
Toddler tantrums and discipline that works without smacking
Why toddlers have tantrums, how to handle them at home and in public, whether time-outs work, and what research says about smacking.
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Prematurity & NICU
Why breast milk is treated like medicine for a preterm baby
Breast milk for a preterm baby protects the gut and fights infection. When to start expressing, donor milk, fortifier, feed increases and NEC explained.
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Newborn care
When to worry about newborn jaundice, and why sunlight is not the answer
Newborn jaundice: when it is normal, when to worry, how bilirubin is checked and treated, and why sunlight on the balcony is not safe treatment.
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Infant care
How much should a baby sleep, and why is my baby waking at night?
How much should a baby sleep at each age, why babies wake at night, naps, the 4 month sleep regression and whether sleep training is safe.
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Child health
Bronchiolitis in babies: RSV, nebulisers and when to worry
Bronchiolitis in babies: what RSV does, why nebulisers and antibiotics rarely help, how to care for your baby at home, and when to go to hospital.
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Infant care
Baby colic and crying: what helps, and why gripe water will not
Baby colic explained: how much crying is normal, PURPLE crying, what calms a colicky baby, and why gripe water and colic drops do not help.
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Infant care
Are pacifiers and thumb sucking safe for babies?
Is a pacifier safe for your baby? What it means for breastfeeding, SIDS, ears and teeth, and how to stop pacifier use and thumb sucking.
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Prematurity & NICU
Kangaroo mother care works, and fathers can do it too
Kangaroo mother care saves small babies' lives. How to do skin to skin care, how many hours a day, what the iKMC trial showed, and why fathers can do it.
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Nutrition & feeding
Is my baby getting enough breast milk in the first week?
Is your baby getting enough breast milk in the first week? Nappy counts, weight loss, latch and feeding signs, explained simply by a neonatologist.
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Nutrition & feeding
When to start cow's milk and how to stop the bottle
When your baby can start cow's milk, how much milk a toddler needs, full cream or toned, and gentle ways to stop the bottle, even at night.
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Child health
Diarrhoea in children: why ORS and zinc are still the best treatment
Diarrhoea in children: how to make and give ORS, why zinc for 14 days matters, what to feed, and when loose motions need a doctor.
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Infant care
Safe sleep for your baby, and what to do about the family bed
Safe sleep for babies in Indian homes: back to sleep, a bare cot, the family bed, pillows, heat and dummies, explained by a Kolkata neonatologist.
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Infant care
Teething symptoms and how to care for your baby's first teeth
When babies start teething, whether teething causes fever or loose motions, what eases the pain safely, and how to brush first teeth.
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Prematurity & NICU
Your baby is in the NICU, and what the machines and alarms mean
Your baby is in the NICU. A neonatologist explains the monitor numbers, the alarms, CPAP and ventilators, the team, and what you can do from day one.
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Newborn care
What should happen in the first hour after birth (the golden hour)
What should happen in the first hour after birth: delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact and the first breastfeed, explained by a neonatologist.
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Nutrition & feeding
Sore nipples, engorgement, mastitis and low milk supply
Why breastfeeding hurts, how to fix a latch, relieve engorgement and mastitis, and how to tell if your milk supply is really low.
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Nutrition & feeding
Expressing and storing breast milk when you go back to work
How long breast milk lasts at room temperature, in the fridge and freezer, how to express at work, and your maternity rights in India.
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Nutrition & feeding
How much formula does a baby need, and how to make a bottle safely
How much formula a newborn needs, how often to feed, and how to make a bottle safely at home. Plain answers from a Kolkata neonatologist.
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Nutrition & feeding
Tongue tie in babies and when cutting it helps breastfeeding
What tongue tie is, how to tell if your baby has it, whether frenotomy helps breastfeeding, and why lip tie and speech worries are usually overstated.
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Infant care
Flat head in babies and how much tummy time a baby needs
Why babies get a flat head, whether it corrects itself, if a helmet helps, and how much tummy time a baby needs each day. A neonatologist explains.
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Newborn care
Birthmarks in babies, from stork bites to strawberry marks
Birthmarks in babies: stork bites, strawberry haemangioma, port wine stains, Mongolian spots and cafe au lait spots, and which ones need a doctor.
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Newborn care
Newborn hiccups, sneezing, grunting and other normal baby quirks
Why newborns hiccup, sneeze, grunt, startle and look cross-eyed, which of these are normal, and the few signs that mean your baby needs a doctor.
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Newborn care
How to bathe a newborn, cut nails and clean ears, eyes and genitals
When to give a newborn the first bath, how often to bathe, safe water temperature, and how to cut baby nails and clean ears, eyes and genitals.
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Infant care
Nappy rash and oral thrush in babies, causes and treatment
How to treat nappy rash fast, which nappy cream to use, and how to tell oral thrush from milk in your baby's mouth. Plain advice from a neonatologist.
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Newborn care
Baby poop colours, and how often a newborn should poop and pee
Baby poop colours, how often a newborn should poop and pee, and the nappy changes that need a doctor. A neonatologist's plain guide for parents.
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