Classmates who used to be his height last year or the year before last are already taller than him now. Whereas at home, the height difference between him and his younger brother, with the age difference of 18 months, is closing up.

How?!

Well, during Preschool and Primary One period, I let him try this Appetite Stimulant to let him speed up during meal time and increase the quantity of food that goes into his mouth at each meal.

After two years of testing, I must say that it truly worked. Keatkeat’s appetite improved and so did his speed of chewing and swallowing his food.

Binbin did not like the taste of it. He did not even want to get it down his throat. In the end, he spat it out. So after trying that very first tablet, he ‘vowed‘ never to touch it again.

Oh well, it was MY FAULT!
I saw the word ‘Chewable‘ on the orange packaging and I thought it was like rubbery, THAT sort of  chew-a-bility. Something similar to Gummy Bears Candy, but it was FAR from that.

Although it does not taste like a medicine tablet, it does reminded me of Antacid which you need to chew on, when you have gastric problem. So it was definitely not that pleasant for Binbin.  *sigh*

After trying one myself, I was rather surprised that Keatkeat liked it. *eyebrows raised*

So in the end, I went searching for this alternative (below) for Binbin:

In the end, Keatkeat preferred this too. So since its an Appetite Stimulant and a Vitamins supplement, I see no reason to look further.
*smile*

But the sad part is…. Keatkeat is still not growing fast enough. Now, 3rd in queue from the front in class. *pout*

He could eat an adult’s portion of food since Primary 1, but where did all the food go to? How come its not showing much growth on the body. Did it go to the hair? *laugh*

Hhhmmm… Actually, he is more troubled than his mother over his height, because strangers are starting to point at Binbin and asked if he was the elder brother. *faint*

Oh well……so long as he is healthy, I think that’s all that truly matters. *wink*

Appetite Stimulant for your child

The  various tests results from the Hospital on 13th July 2011 showed that all was well. In case you missed out on a post, everything started because blood was found in his urine.

When he came back from the hospital with the results, he started to have:

• Full body rash
• Fever
• Weakness and aches
• Cough
• Watery Eyes
• Runny nose
• Loss of appetite

They were so similar to the symptoms of measles! Then I remembered that Binbin had already taken the Measles vaccination when he was a baby. So it is unlikely that he has Measles.

I was thinking if he had contracted some kind of allergy rash, since he just came back from a virus-filled environment ~ the Hospital.

He was feeling awful and his fever was fluctuating between 38.5 to 40 degrees Celsius. So we went down to the Polyclinic again the next day after many doses of Paracetamol failed to do the trick.

The moment the Polyclinic doctor suspected that Binbin might have dengue fever, the doctor mentioned a taboo word that caused the attentive listener (Binbin) to freak out ~ “Blood Test”

Binbin had a terrible first time experience at the hospital for blood test.

He refused to leave the doctor’s room at all. No matter how much the doctor or I coax him. He refused to move his butt! I was feeling uneasy because Binbin was holding up the doctor’s time as well as the time of the big crowd of sick people outside waiting to be attended to.

I tried to carry him, he struggled and fought back. This was so NOT HIM! He was truly terrified!

After a long struggle, the doctor said to me, “Ok ok, no worries. If he really refuse to take the blood test, then just go for the urine test. But the result might not be so accurate. So please take your time to coax him. It would be best that the blood test be taken.”

So I turned towards Binbin, “Ok, doctor said you can go for the urine test alone. No blood test. Happy?”

My 6 year old turned towards the doctor for a confirming nod, before he was willing to put down his tightly-hugged-legs from the chair and wore his slippers to leave the room *phew*

After checking with the nurse, she confirmed that the blood test would be taken from the thumb instead of at the bend of the elbow.

Immediately I rushed to Binbin to tell him the ‘good news‘ and he was all ready to go into the room for his blood to be sucked out. *double phew*

Guess what?

The results for both the urine test and the blood test came out negative and we were sent home with more Paracetamol!

Seriously, I am rather pissed with the negative results from the hospital. Now, the same thing with the Polyclinic results, I was fuming!

Binbin is obviously VERY SICK! Why is it that only Paracetemol was given?! Even though I asked for ‘more appropriate’ medication, all they give was flu medication, which I had many bottles of the same medicine at home already. *faint*

Time wasted. Money spent. And I am not satisfied.

Not that I want something REALLY bad to happen to Binbin. But its really frustrating when what seemed really serious actually turns out to be a no-big-deal.

For almost two weeks, in and out of Polyclinics and Hospital and nothing came out of it, other than a handful of medicines which I already have at home. *eyes rolled*

The fever refused to subside completely even after 3 days from the Polyclinic visit. So we turned to Chinese herbs. After drinking one bottle of Leng-Yung, which only cost $10, immediately Binbin began his road to recovery.

Conclusion?

It was not any child allergy rash, rather it was heat rash, from the Chinese physician point of view.

Oh well, whatever rash it was, I am happy that Binbin is all well now and can I say I really hate Polyclinics and Hospitals! *Humph* Oh well, who doesn’t!? *bleh*

Did you know that, if your child is between:

• 3 to 6 years old, your child should be having 10 to 12 hours of sleep every day
• 7 to 12 years old, your child should be having 10 to 11 hours of sleep every day
• 12 to 18 years old, your child should be having 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day

Growth, concentration, learning abilities and behaviour may be affected when the above recommended amount of sleep is not achieved.

Though the video below mentioned that seeking medical help is necessary if your child is not getting the amount of sleep he or she needs, I personally disagree because the child might have taken a noon nap and hence could not fall asleep earlier at night.

However I totally agree that you should keep your child really active during the day so that he or she would be more ready to sleep when bedtime comes.

If they had been sitting around watching TV or playing computer games most of the time, without burning much calories, they would be more unlikely to fall asleep readily when bedtime comes.

The most crucial part of the day is the two hours before bedtime. For my children, there would be no sweet food or drinks, no scary movies, no electrical games and no activities which create too much ‘high’ emotions in them during those last two ‘awake’ hours.

Do you have a calm-down routine, like a warm bath and a story-telling session for your child during the two hours before bedtime?

More information on the report in the video below:

Would you start giving your child Vitamin D daily?

When you have a choking baby or toddler, the first thing you must do is stay calm. Though it might be really difficult at times, you must understand that panicking can only make things worse.

When you suspect that something is in the throat of your child, put your pinky into the mouth of your child and open the jaws wide to take a good look inside. So as to check if the object is within the reach of your pinky and you can get it out from your child’s throat or the back of the mouth.

If you can see the object, use your pinky to move in against the cheek and as you are moving further into the mouth, hopefully you can come around the object and pop it out.

Note: You MUST be able to SEE the object first, before attempting the above.

NEVER strike the back of your child when he or she is sitting up or standing. This motion can actually cause the object to go down further.

For babies, you should rest them on your lap, hold them by the jaws, facing downwards with body diagonally pointing downwards. Then strike 5 times on the back of the baby.

If the object still refuses to come out. You will need to perform CPR on your baby. Hold the back of the baby’s head with your palm, turn the whole body facing up but body is still diagonally pointing downwards; with your fingers, press the chest of the baby 5 times.

Then check if the object has moved further UP or OUT. If not, repeat the above striking of the back and CPR on the front until the object comes out or (hopefully not) the baby passed out.

(See demonstration in video below)

For Toddlers, find the spot between the belly button and the bottom of the breast bone, where the diaphragm is located. Place one of your fist on that diaphragm spot with your other hand on your fist in a hug-from-the back position; and press the diaphragm part to push the air up, in a way using the air to help push the object out.

(See video below for Full Demonstration)