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Past Articles

September – October 2008

My 7-month old daughter refuses solids and formula milk and will even go hungry until she gets breast milk. However, my supply has been dwindling even though I have tried drinking more fluid and taking fenugreek. How can I wean her off breast milk? More »

My eldest son is 2½ years old and has problems moving his bowels. We got him to consume more fluids, fruits, vegetables and yoghurt but he still can’t clear his bowels for 5-6 days on end. Even liquid stool softener 3 times a day doesn’t help. In desperation, we have had to use rectal laxatives all the time. He now shivers whenever he sees the pump and it hurts me to see him this way. Are there other ways to regulate his bowel movement? More »

My son, who is turning four soon, started having nosebleeds early this year. This happens about once a month on average. Sometimes, it even happens in the night when he is asleep. Should I be concerned? More »

My son, Jiawei, is about 11 months old. Recently, he has become overly attached to me. Whenever I walk out of sight, he will start crying. When we are outside, he won’t even allow his father to carry him. Please advise. More »

My 7-month-old baby doesn’t like to drink milk in the daytime so we mix it with her solid food (cereal or porridge). However, she still chokes and vomits out the food even though it has been mashed. Is this due to a problem with her digestion? She is considered small in size compared to her siblings, which worries me because my second baby recently passed away from brain cancer (medullablastoma). More »

July – August 2008

My son was delivered on 7th March. As at April 25th, his weight was approximately 5.6kg and his height was 58cm. I would like to know if he is gaining weight too quickly. Please advise on the amount of milk (Formula) to drink per day if the each feeding time is 2.5 hours apart and if feeding should be done routinely. If feeding were to be done on routine, would it be all right if I fed him water before feeding time? Similarly, is it okay to give Gripe Water and/or glucose to the baby? Lastly, is constipation due to formula milk feeding and lack of water? More »

My wife and I are having difficulties feeding our baby, Vera, who is just over 3 months old. Every time we feed her, she will cry and attempt to push the bottle away. We have tried changing the milk bottle, the teat and also the milk powder but nothing has worked. The only way to get her to drink is to carry her around the house with the milk bottle. This is a problem as it is difficult to carry the baby, hold the bottle and walk at the same time. Please help. More »

My baby girl, who is 6 months old now, has had redness and swelling at her umbilical area since birth. The spot also has a bad odour to it. I have tried using alcohol swabs to dry the area three times a day, and applying antibiotic powder prescribed by a private paediatrician but to no avail. The doctor could not advise further and only suggested that I continue to apply the swabs and powder. What can I do to relieve her condition? More »

My son, Lovell, is 3.5 years old. He has had bronchitis since he was 1 and has recently been diagnosed with mild asthma. He was previously prescribed with long-term medication, Singulair, Zaditen, Ventolin and Zyrtec for a period of 3 to 6 months to strengthen his lungs. I have read about the adverse side effects of Singulair such as depression, moodiness, suicidal thoughts, and violence. Please advise if it is still wise to continue consumption. Are there other alternative medication, such as cordyceps, that could help build up my son’s health? More »

Isabella is 9 months old and has difficulty sleeping through the night. She often wakes up in the middle of the night crying. When I offer her milk she takes about 30ml and goes back to sleep but wakes up 1 or 2 hours later. I'm not sure if she is feeling ill or whether it is just hunger that is affecting her sleep. Please tell me how I can keep my baby soundly asleep the entire night. More »

May – June 2008

Before my first child, I weighed 53kg. I got pregnant shortly after marriage. Within a year of delivering my baby and with the help of a slimming centre, my weight dropped back down to 60kg. I had my second child two years later in 2004, but my weight today still remains at 71kg. I did not go to a slimming centre after my second delivery. The additional weight has caused me medical problems, such as knee and ankle pain, and numbness in both my hands. I desperately need help in losing this excess “baggage”. I have tried walking for exercise because I cannot run, but my knees and ankles still hurt a lot. Exercising is a painful experience. I usually eat two meals a day, and they mainly consist of vegetables as I do not really like eating meat. Please advise me on how I can lose some weight; I am losing confidence in myself. Thank you. More »

My daughter is seven months old and was fed nothing but breast milk until she was five months old. Is it necessary to supplement her diet with formula milk? Will providing her with semi-solids with the necessary vitamins and minerals suffice? She refuses to drink milk from the bottle and is still unable to use a cup. I usually nurse her directly. More »

My son Joel is three and a half years old. I recently found a strand of white hair on his head and discovered a lot of split hairs. Children of his age should not have any white hairs. His height and weight was found to be acceptable during his last medical check up. Please advise me; should I be worried? More »

Is there a recommended amount of milk that children should take daily? I have a 13-month-old girl and 35-month-old boy. Ever since they started taking solid food, their milk consumption has dropped to about three times a day. I am concerned with whether they are drinking enough milk to meet their recommended daily calcium intake. More »

My nine month old daughter has refused to drink water since I first gave her water at the age of four months. To prevent her from getting dehydrated and constipated, I have been adding about 20 ml of water to her milk each time. I wonder if she would have gotten used to drinking water had I started giving her water earlier. I am very persistent in trying to get her to drink water; I have tried using bottles, spoons and cups, but each attempt has been a failure. I worry now that as she grows up, she will require more solid than milk intake. I also worry that she will have to consume more water over what I have already been adding into her milk. If I feed her rice, will she have to drink more water since rice is dry? She refuses to drink water even when I give her cereal and porridge. More »

My baby boy is four months old. He is now fed Dumex Mamil Gold milk formula, but I plan on switching to Abbott milk powder. Can you please advise me on how I should choose the type of milk powder for him? For example, would Isomil or Similac formula suit him better? The consistency of my baby's poo is still not solid, and he has quite a lot of phlegm. It this normal, or should I be worried? More »

March – April 2008

Is there any form of herbal medication known to have confirmed positive effects to diabetes? More »

Of late, my 4-year old son has been passing urine very frequently – sometimes as often as every hour. He tells me the urge is strong and yet the amount of urine passed is very little. Is this something I should seek medical attention for? More »

My son, Ryan, is 5 years old but still wears diapers at night when he sleeps. He can wake up to go to the toilet during afternoon naps but not at night. We have tried many ways to train him not to wet his bed including waking him up, limiting his liquid intake and giving rewards but nothing has worked. Please help. More »

My 3-year old daughter just started nursery this year. She still seems anxious about the new school environment and refuses to use the school toilet even though the entire class is brought to the toilet at least twice daily... More »

January – February 2008

My son, Jalen, is 3 years old. Since the beginning of last year, his hair has been dropping and the texture is getting very rough. More »

My son, Zharfan, was born with multiple congenital problems including an imperforated anus and a tethered spinal cord. More »

November - December 2007

My 5-year old boy, Jin Rei, weighs 22kg and is a vegetarian. However, he is a picky eater and dislikes beans and vegetables. I have to hide these in his rice or mince them up to get him to eat. He loves tofu though and eats it all the time. I have also noticed that his urine gives off a very strong, sourish smell. Is there cause for concern? More »

My eldest son, Jerome, has mild eczema on the joints of his knee and elbow. Is there any cream or moisturiser that can help ease eczema? I have also noticed that children with eczema are prone to coughs and colds. My son tends to have cough on and off and I am concerned about this. Is his cough related to his eczema or something else? One more thing, my son is already 4 but is still consuming milk meant for 1-year olds; will that cause problems? More »

My baby, Marcus, is now 3 months old and weighs 5.5kg. He was born prematurely with a birth weight of 1.85kg. He is now huge and chubby and always wants to be fed within 3 hours after formula milk and 1-2 hours after breast milk. Is this normal? I am worried that he might become obese. Should I reduce his intake? More »

About a week before my baby's first birthday, we mixed Similac (for babies above 6 months) and Gain IQ (for 1 year-olds and above). Five days later, we switched to just Gain IQ. However, ever since we started using the mix and then Gain IQ only, my baby has been passing motion at least twice a day. Usually, one time will be of average quantity while the other time will be less. Is this normal or should we consider switching to other brands of formula? More »

Besides drinking milk, how else can we ensure that toddlers under 3 who are in their growth spurt stage get sufficient nutrition from their 3 meals? Also, how much milk should they be drinking? More »

My son used to enjoy brushing his teeth on his own. However, when I insisted on brushing his teeth for him in addition to him brushing on his own, he now refuses to brush at all. What should I do? More »

My son tends to sleep late. Even though we put him to bed at 9pm, he ends up sleeping later than 10. Sometimes, he even takes up to 3 hours to fall asleep. We tried letting him cry it out once as recommended in books but he just cried till he threw up. We haven't tried it again since. What can be done to train him to sleep earlier? More »

September - October 2007

My daughter is 4 and a half years old. For this past week, she has been going to the toilet at very frequent intervals. However, each time she urinates, it is only a small stream. I also noticed that she wets her pants unknowingly. I brought her to the doctor and he gave her some vaginal cream and wash saying that it could be a urine infection. Do we need to bring her for further tests?More »

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is becoming more and more common. However, in certain cases, it is hard to diagnose or confirm, especially in the early stages. What precautions should I take to protect myself and my child and is there a vaccination available?More »

My son is now 7 months old. He was born at 3.16kg but his weight increased rapidly to more than 6kg by the time he was 3 months old. Now, I believe his weight has hit 10kg. He is very chubby especially around the thighs and stomach. He was totally breastfed till 6 months of age when we introduced 1 serving of cereal to him during the day. Is this normal or is he growing too fast? Is there anything I can do? His father is European, by the way.More »

My son is 2 years old. I have noticed that he does not chew his food properly most of the time. Instead, he just swallows it. I am concerned whether he will get sufficient nutrition if he keeps swallowing food without chewing. I often observe that food materials such as corn and small carrot pieces appear in his stools. Does it mean that the food he’s eaten has not provided any nutrition to him?More »

My 5-year old boy has been diagnosed with thalassaemia. Are there any special precautions we should take especially in terms of diet? He is a very picky eater and doesn’t eat meat (unless very finely minced), vegetables (except spinach) or fruits. Will his condition affect his growth? Is there a need for my husband and me to undergo a test for thalassaemia? Any advice would be deeply appreciated.More »

July - August 2007

My daughter is 2 months old. Currently, she refuses to drink water. The only fluid she takes in is formula milk. I’m afraid that this will cause her to have constipation as she experienced difficulty in bowel movement recently. What kind of fluid can I give her in place of water and is it a good idea to dilute her milk to avoid constipation? More »

My son is 3 years old and has been experiencing difficulty in breathing recently. He doesn’t suffer from a runny nose but snores quite loudly in his sleep. He also gets nose bleeds quite often. My doctor says that this is because he has a sensitive nose. If this is the case, is it necessary for him to see a specialist? More »

My son is 4 and a half years old but weighs only 13kg. His growth is “below average” on the growth chart. He has had a habit of sucking his thumb since he was a baby and has recently started biting his nails. I have tried applying some lotion from the pharmacy to stop this but to no avail. I’ve heard that finger sucking might lead to worms in the stomach which might affect a child’s growth. Is this true and how can I stop this bad habit? I’ve thought of applying chilli to his fingertips but am hesitating.More »

My daughter is 15 months old and I have been breastfeeding her since she was born. As I am a working mum, my daughter sometimes has to be fed with express breast milk from a bottle. However, two months ago, she started rejecting milk (both breastmilk and formula milk) in either a bottle or a cup. I have tried many different formulas and even yogurt and cheese but nothing has worked... More »

May - Jun 2007

I am diabetic and currently 34 weeks pregnant. I would like to know if it is advisable for me to breastfeed my baby. Will breastfeeding increase her chances of becoming diabetic? More »

My sister is 43 years old and overweight (95kg and 1.65m tall). She has a thyroid disorder and is taking Thyrozol (2x2mg) and Euthyrox (100mg) daily. Her weight seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. Please advise. More »

My child is 3 years old and is currently in a childcare centre. She is prone to catching colds and coughs from her schoolmates. What can I do to strengthen her immune system? More »

My daughter will be 3 years old in April. At the moment, her speech is still slow and she has difficulty in expressing herself vocally, especially when she is excited. We enrolled her in a playgroup about a year ago... More »

My son is now 15 months old. He has started eating rice but is eating very little. He weighs only 9kg. Is that underweight for him? Also, how many hours of sleep a day is sufficient for a child of his age? More »

My girl is 3 years old and has a black mark on the white of her eye. She has had it since she was a baby. However, her vision seems to be sharp and good. Is there any cause for concern in the long term? More »

March - April 2007

"My 9-year old daughter often complains of stomach cramps. Sometimes, the pain even shoots up to her chest and she complains of a burning feeling. I’ve brought her to a paediatrition before and she was prescribed probiotics..." More »

"My son was diagnosis with Tethered Spinal Cord and Imperforate Anus. My gynae was not able to detect it during my pregnancy stage..." More »

"My daughter is 9 years old and I noticed that she tends to have pain at her knee cap or lower joints and, within the next 1 to 2 days..." More »

"My baby is 13 months old. He was feeding well, eating porridge, cereals and fruits but recently, his eating habits have started to deterioriate. He is taking a long time to swallow his food, even pureed ones...." More »

"My boy is 5 years old and is currently in K1. He likes going to school and has never complained. However, he was unwell last week and was absent from school for 4 days. Thereafter, he has refused to go to school..." More »

"Dear Dr Kelvin Tan, I would like to know the risk and preparation of getting pregnant for diabetes carrier. What are likly to be the outcome of the process during the pregnancy?..." More »

January - February 2007

"My little girl is currently 34 months old and is in full-day childcare. She loves to sing and mimic songs from television programmes but she is not speaking and..." More »

"My 4-yr & 5-yr old daughters have not been having smooth stool for some months now. They will pass every or every other day but..." More »

"My son is 32 months old and I noticed he gets bad breath very often and, within the next 1 to 2 days, starts to fall sick – usually with cough and runny nose..." More »

"My son is now 10 weeks and 6 days old. I noticed about 3 weeks ago that he had developed a flat spot at the back of his head..." More »

"My daughter is just 3 months old and is fully breastfed. Her bowel movement was normal – many times in a day – for the first month..." More»