Parenting solutions

Q My three-year-old son seems to have had a non-stop cold and cough since starting nursery in September. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

A Dr Alya Ahmed, specialist paediatrician at City Hospital (800THECITY) and spokesperson for the American Academy of Paedicatrics (AAP), UAE, says:

"Teach your child these simple hygiene rules, as recommended by the World Health Organisation and the AAP, to prevent the spread of infections:

>> Encourage your child to wash his hands regularly with soap and water, especially after he coughs or sneezes. Teach him to wash his hands for 20 seconds, which is about as long as it takes to sing the ‘Happy Birthday' song twice. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are also useful.

>> Show him how to cough or sneeze into the crook of his arm. Or, how to cover his nose and mouth with a tissue before coughing or sneezing and then throw the tissue away.

>> Remind him not to touch his eyes, nose or mouth unnecessarily as germs spread that way.

>> Try to avoid seeing people who you know are sick.

>> When your child is unwell, keep him home from school to keep the illness from spreading."

Q My eight-year-old daughter chews her clothes, her hair and anything else she can get her hands on. Is this just a bad habit? Is there any way I can help her to stop it?

A Dr Hartmut Herbert Kollikowski, senior consultant for neurology, psychiatry, psychotherapy and rehabilitation, at the German Center for Neurology and Psychiatry, Dubai(04-4298578), says:

"A professional consultation would be needed to determine the reason for this conduct, to find out whether she just chews objects or if she also swallows parts of them, and to determine how long this behaviour has been persistent.

"If children put inedible objects into their mouths, chewing them or swallowing parts of them from time to time, this would not be abnormal and could be a behavioural issue. This happens usually out of curiosity and is quite common at a certain age.

"However, if the child eats parts of the objects, this could be indicating a certain disease or syndrome, such as Pica Syndrome where children consume items including dirt, ice, glue, sand, chalk and hair. In this case, parents should see a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Also, if the child has a mineral deficiency, she may try to eat things which contain the missing mineral."

Q My 11-year-old son is starting a new school in January as he has been a victim of bullying at his present school. How can I help ease the transition?

A Sue Bishop, inclusion co-ordinator at Uptown High School, Mirdif (04-2641818), says:

"Start preparing him for the new school as early as possible. Look through the prospectus and website regularly. Visit the school beforehand and take photos. Label these photos and put them up somewhere where he will see them. Refer to the photos often, and also to the teachers he will be having in class.

"One good thing about starting half-way through the year is that you should be able to get hold of a copy of his timetable. Use this and a plan of the school to practise moving from one class to another.

"Look at the curriculum he will be following and encourage him to do some background research on the topics he will be studying.

"Ask the school to allocate him a ‘buddy' student who can show him around and talk to him about what's coming up during the rest of the year.

"Remind him that lots of students find starting a new school challenging, but that soon he won't be the new boy."