প্রায়শই জিজ্ঞাসিত প্রশ্ন

A trusted personal paediatrician often serves your child better than a large hospital:

• Fewer tests & less radiation — only what is truly needed.
• Easy access — quick advice over the phone, less waiting.
• Less medication and lower fees.
• Fewer unnecessary admissions.

Your doctor knows your child personally and saves you time, travel and money. Large hospitals recovering big investments can feel pressure to advise extra tests or admissions — yet only about 1 child in 25 ever truly needs that level of sophisticated equipment.

Check the objective signs before worrying:

• Baby passes urine more than 6 times in 24 hours, and
• Gains at least 500 g a month.

If both are true, your supply is enough. Anxiety itself reduces milk flow — so stay relaxed and enjoy feeding rather than switching to tinned milk.

No. Newborn breast swelling comes from the mother's hormones and settles on its own. Leave the breast alone — squeezing can invite infection.

Hiccups in a baby are not a sign of any disease. They often settle with a feed and need no treatment.

A filling bladder stretches and causes brief discomfort that eases after passing urine. This is normal physiology — no test is needed.

A breast-fed baby may normally pass stool 5–6 times a day or once every 3–4 days — both are normal.

• When the baby is thirsty, give breast milk — it quenches thirst and nourishes.
• Extra water is unnecessary and may invite infection.

Sweating on the head is normal in babies. To check for fever, record the temperature with a thermometer:

• Above 100°F = fever.
• Below 100°F = not a fever.

No need to practise beforehand. Instead:

• Keep breastfeeding before and after work (average feed every 3–4 hours).
• Express and store breast milk in clean steel containers — about 100 ml per feed, safe up to ~8 hours at room temperature under a clean cloth.
• If the baby is still hungry or the caregiver is late, give tinned milk by spoon, not by bottle.

Jaundice that appears around the 2nd day and clears by day 8–10 is usually physiological and harmless.

Only severe jaundice — whole-body yellowing or serum bilirubin above 20 mg/100 ml, especially in low-birth-weight babies — can cause harm. Since your child's was mild, there is nothing to worry about.

The Mayo Clinic checklist looks across three areas. See your paediatrician if several apply:

Social

• Doesn't respond to name; poor eye contact.
• Seems not to hear; resists cuddling.
• Appears unaware of others' feelings; prefers to play alone.

Language

• Late or lost speech; odd tone or rhythm.
• No eye contact when asking for things.
• Can't start or keep a conversation; repeats words without meaning.

Behaviour

• Repetitive movements (rocking, spinning, hand-flapping).
• Rigid routines and distress at change.
• Fascination with parts of objects; unusual sensitivity to light, sound or touch.

First teeth usually appear around 7 months, but the range is wide. If your child is otherwise well:

• A delay is no cause for concern.
• Vitamins or calcium are unnecessary.

Only severe malnutrition or vitamin-D deficiency delays teething — and those would show other signs too.

Many children walk around 1½ years. If she stands with support, her development is normal.

• Walkers are not recommended — they risk trips and injury.
• Walking depends on the nervous system maturing and cannot be hurried.

These are common breath-holding spells in strong-willed toddlers. They do not harm the child.

• Stay calm and don't show anxiety.
• Simply leave the room when it happens.

• Around age three, a child can go to a nearby school just for play and mixing — no formal study.
• If your child is happy and interacting well at home, nursery isn't essential.
• By age five, school is appropriate.

If there were no birth complications and physical, mental and hearing development are normal, delayed speech often has no obvious cause — many normal children talk late.

• If there is still no speech by age three, see an ENT to rule out hearing problems.
• Speech therapy can help when hearing is normal.

This settles with age and is nothing to worry about. Gently:

• Encourage holding the urine briefly when the urge comes.
• Practise stopping mid-stream.

A child's soft skull absorbs much of the impact, and about 99% of head bumps have no serious consequence. But seek care urgently if the child:

• Loses consciousness.
• Vomits repeatedly.
• Becomes drowsy.
• Develops weakness in an arm or leg.

This is usually threadworm — the worms come to the anal opening at night to lay eggs, causing itching.

• Everyone in the household should take the medicine at the same time.
• Trim nails and have the child wear underpants.
• Keep good hygiene; keep dirty items and contaminated water away from the mouth.

No powder cures or prevents prickly heat — powders only soothe the itching. To prevent it:

• Bathe regularly with soap.
• Dress the child in light cotton clothes.
• Keep the child cool. Dry, cooler weather clears it.

“Fever is a friend” — it is the body's protective response to fight infection.

• Give paracetamol syrup when the fever is above 101°F.
• Offer plenty of fluids and rest.
• Continue a normal diet — don't force-feed.
• Keep the child cool; sponge liberally with cool water if the fever reaches 104°F.

See a doctor if:

• The child is under 1 year.
• Temperature is above 101°F, or fever lasts beyond 5 days.
• The child is lethargic or extremely cranky.
• Fever comes with cough/cold, loose stools, vomiting, stomachache, headache or convulsions.
• There is a local epidemic (malaria, encephalitis, dengue).

Seek advice if you notice:

• Frequent fever/cough/cold — more than twice a month (possible urinary infection or TB).
• Persistently dark-yellow urine (possible jaundice).
• Lethargy (possible blood or brain infection).
• Continuous vomiting or nausea (possible jaundice or intestinal obstruction).
• Weight loss over 1 kg in a month, or failure to gain at least 1 kg in 6 months on the same scale.

See a doctor if the diarrhoea comes with:

• Stomach pain, or greenish/bloody stools.
• Continuous vomiting.
• Lethargy or restlessness.
• Unusual abdominal swelling with pain.
• No urine for 8 hours (a sign of dehydration).

Medication or IV fluids may be needed.

• Wash hands thoroughly before feeding or preparing food.
• Give boiled water.
• Trim nails; keep dirty items out of the mouth.
• Prepare food hygienically and keep it covered.
• Avoid pond or river water for bathing, drinking or washing utensils.

Stay calm and:

• Pinch the nose firmly just below the bony bridge and hold for at least 5 minutes without releasing to check.
• You can also press the slight hollows about four finger-widths up from the base of the skull, firmly but gently.
• Tilt the head forward, never back — tilting back lets blood run into the throat and can cause choking.
• For heavy bleeds use an ice pack; see a doctor about cauterisation if nosebleeds are frequent.

Examine carefully for any injury or painful spot. If the child can squat and stand up on their own, a serious joint problem is unlikely.

“Limping is never normal in childhood.” Take it seriously and see a doctor promptly, especially with:

• Fever, rash or pallor.
• Poor appetite or persistent irritability.
• Drowsiness (needs urgent review to rule out a brain infection).