Keith Nicholl Medical Centre

April 2008 

'My one-year-old refuses to be strapped in to a car seat or a pushchair. He just cries and screams until he can hardly breathe. As a result, we often leave him at home when we go out to places and I never get to take him to the park or anything fun like that. What can I do?'

Bring the pushchair and the car seat into the house and use them at playtime. Talk about, strapping toys in and the journey. Let your child role play helping teddy feel comfortable. When introducing the child to travelling in the car try short trips no longer than 5 mins. Give lots of praise for something they did well however badly the journey went. Gradually increase the trips. You don’t have to go anywhere just drive around the block! Use the same principle for the pushchair.

Not using a car seat is not an option! A one-year-old is trying very hard to become independent and will constantly be pushing the boundaries. As parents it is important that we are consistent and give the same message every time. The roads here in Dubai are dangerous and we should all set an example by wearing seat belts.

Written by Rachel Jex

Well Baby Nurse

May 2008

My Newborn daughter constantly has a blocked up nose and a cough from the A.C. What is the ideal temperature for a baby and how can I stop her getting ill?

Living in Dubai at this time of year means living in an A/C environment, which does not provide air of an optimum quality. The room temperature should be between 20-23 degrees. Large swings of environmental temperature from cold to hot affect immunity. The room temperature should be at the warmer end of the range. The baby’s body temperature should be around 37 degrees. The easiest way to ascertain body temp is to place your hand on the baby’s tummy under the clothing, if it feels normal, fine. If it feels too warm remove clothing and vice versa.

You cannot prevent illness entirely but you can reduce the chances for your baby by breast-feeding and bringing your baby up in an environment free of tobacco smoke. And remember, babies should be positioned on their backs when sleeping, this greatly reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

Written by

Dr Keith Nicholl

June 2008 

My teenage son’s voice is breaking and he is anxious about being embarrassed in class and his friends teasing him. How can I help him get through this?

Surprisingly, both girls and boys are affected by voice changes during their teenage years.

In girls, the change is hardly noticeable - their voices only go down by a couple of tones. Boys however experience quite a dramatic change in tone. Their voices might drop by as much as a whole octave. This is often referred to as ‘voice breaking’.

Prepare your son well in advanced of puberty around the age of 10 years. Giving him access to information will help prepare him of the changes to his body and hopefully make the transition much smoother.

However, in the mean time you might try things to sooth the vocal cords like warm liquids such as tea or broth and even cough drops can help. When speaking the key is not to mumble.

If your son is concerned, stressed, or embarrassed about the sound of his voice, let him know that it's only temporary. After a few months, he'll likely have a resonant, deep, and full voice just like an adult!

written by

Rachel Jex