Parenting Hub

Ask the Experts

Baby and Child Care

By Dr. Joy Dionio-Lim

Q: Can teething really cause fever and diarrhea?

A: Teething can occasionally cause low-grade fever (not over 38 degrees C) and soft stools. The low grade fever is probably brought about by gum inflammation and the soft stools because the baby’s excessive saliva ends up in his gut and loosens his stools. However, it must be emphasized that these symptoms are very mild. If your baby is particularly miserable, has a fever more than 38 degrees C or has frequent and/or watery stools, contact your pediatrician right away.

About Joy Dionio-Lim, M.D.
Dr. Joy Dionio-Lim is a pediatrician and a member of the Health Dynamics team . Believing that parents should be empowered, she has designed and conducted parenting workshops for parents and child caregivers including Baby Massage and YAYA (caregiver) workshops. She has written articles on parenting and has served as resource person on the same area for various groups. She is a contributor to the Help, doctor column for Smart Parenting Magazine (Summit Media) from March 2003- April 2006.

Finance
By Ms. Daisy Serrano

Q: What investment opportunities that is safe can I get into if I can only afford to set aside five thousand a month?

A: It depends on your Risk Tolerance. There's no such thing as zero risk because all of the investments have different risk exposures like: credit default risk, currency risk, country risk, management risk, etc. But the safest of these investments would be government bonds. If you are still young, you may want to invest in Balanced Funds which is 50/50 government bond and equities( stock market). These may give you higher potential returns than TIME DEPOSITS. But if you're more aggressive, you might want to try around 20-30% of your savings to EQUITIES. Just remember that HIGHER RISK would mean HIGHER REWARD!

About Ms. Daisy Serrano

Ms. Serrano is a certified Financial Planner of Philamlife. Her expertise in financial planning is highlighted by her consistent achievement as top financial planner in the last five years.

Family and the Law

by Tito Mon

Q: I have a neighbor whom I suspect is physically abusing his child. What can we do to help?

A: There are actions, both legal and non-legal, that can be done to help a child being physically abused by his parents, guardians or any third party.

As concerned citizens, we can report the matter to the “Bantay Bata Program” so that those who are maltreating the child will be brought out in the public. The Bantay Bata program has a complement police arm that can apprehend the persons abusing the child. Additionally, the matter can also be reported to the DSWD and the DSWD has its investigation and legal arm to obtain custody of the child and prosecute the offender(s).

Other than our Revised Penal Code, we have enough statutes and legislations to punish the offenders or perpetrators of child abuse by fines, damages or many years of imprisonment, or taken altogether. To the culprit parents, the law divests them of parental authority over the child, either temporarily or permanently, depending on the gravity of the offense.

Accordingly, the custody and parental guidance over the child will be transferred in the process to his nearest concerned relative(s) or the DSWD, which is considered as an institution vested with special parental authority under the Family Code.

About Tito Mon
Atty. Solo V. Tibe a.k.a. Tito Mon is a private practicing lawyer based in Pasig City. He serves as a retainer counsel for several commercial corporations, businessmen, professionals, medical clinics and civic organizations. Aside from being busy with work and family, he is also an active officer of the Rotary Club of Cainta, Rizal. A father to one child, he is happily married to an OB-Gyne sonologist.

Psychiatry

By Dr. Tristan Hilario

Q: How do I help my 8 years old daughter cope with the death of his grandfather who is very close to her?

A: Children were thought of not capable of bereavement or mourning for a loved one since their mind were believed to be not mature enough to deal with it.

The child must be guided in the process of bereavement. And there were 3 stages according to several authors. They are Early, Middle and Late tasks.

In the Early task the parent or guardian sits down and explains in age appropriate language what the concept of death is. The child must feel secure in their environment as they usually fear that they may die also or that the family will disintegrate.

The middle task is the process of detachment. The child must pass through 3 stages. 1) Accept and emotionally acknowledge the reality of the lost. 2) Re-evaluate the relationship with the lost loved one. 3) Facing and learning to bear the psychological pain that comes with the realization of the lost. The child must learn to reconcile the guilt feelings regarding their lost loved one and the anger at the deceased for abandoning them.

The last task involves re-organization of the child’s sense of self and of significant relationship in their life. Here they develop a new role or identity with new relationship with other people around them. The child realizes that there are other people that will take the role of the deceased person. This task is complete when the child is able to move on and resume their previous activities that were interrupted by death of their loved ones.

(Clinical child psychiatry 2nd ed, W. Klykylo and J. Kay, 2005, page 515-516)

About Dr. Tristan Hilario

Dr. Tristan Hilario is a practicing psychiatrist based in Manila, Philippines.

Nutrition

By Dr. Gidget Ortiz

Q: Are instant noodles & cup snacks nutritious and beneficial?

A: Instant noodles & cup snacks provide us with energy since these are usually made up of carbohydrates. And if these are labeled as fortified, then these also give some vitamins & minerals. However, these foods are not enough to sustain healthy growth & development of children.

We have to eat a variety of foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, eggs, fish, etc. and consume these with balance & moderation. Ordinarily, 50-60% of our food intake should come from carbohydrate rich foods such as rice, pasta, breads, 10-15% from protein rich foods such as meats, eggs, milk & 20-30% from fats (dairy & nuts, vegetable oils).

Fruits & vegetables contain some carbohydrates, vitamins & minerals & some have fiber. You may have to watch out for the high salt content of the condiments that goes with your noodles.

About Geraldine Ortiz, M.D.
Dr. Gidget Ortiz has a masters degree in Nutrition. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition College of Home Economics UP Diliman. She wrote the Healthy Eating column for Smart Parenting Magazine (Summit Media) from March 2003- April 2006.

Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
By Mary Jean Villa-Real – Guno, MD

Q: How do I know if my son needs antibiotics for his diarrhea? Most often he is not given but there was one instance before that an antibiotic was prescribed.

A: The most common cause of diarrhea among children is a virus called rotavirus which will go away by itself but may cause dehydration. So the management is replacing the losses with oral solutions and certain micro and bioactive nutrients to reduce the course of the illness such as zinc and "friendly bacteria". There are only a few indications for antibiotics in diarrhea and they are those associated with bloody diarrhea such as bugs called Shigella and Vibrio cholera, protozoa called Amoeba and Giardia

About Dr. Mary Jean Villa-Real-Guno

Dr. Mary Jean Villa-Real –Guno is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist who completed her fellowship training at the UP PGH Medical Center, then proceeded for a Visiting Fellowship at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. She practices at UST Hospital and The Medical City. For her medical school and pediatric residency, she is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas. A Master’s Degree in Business Administration in Health graduate from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and took Health Management Courses at the Asian Institute of Management and UP College of Public Health. A former Associate Professor in Pediatrics and Bioethics, Faculty Secretary and Assistant Medical Director of UST Hospital, she delivers talks on Management, Clinical Nutrition and Gastroenterology.

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