Our Blog

View our latest news & information along with helpful articles to assist you with your health

Fussy Eaters

How to manage fussy eating in children

Meal times can be a source of real stress for parents of ‘fussy eaters’. With more meal times being spent at home with the family at the moment, it is the perfect opportunity to improve behaviours around meal times for children.

Here’s my top tips:

– Offer healthy foods to your child at regular intervals- children thrive on routines.

– Eat together as a family whenever possible (without TV/distractions) and try to keep the atmosphere calm and positive.

– Don’t offer treat foods as a reward as it builds the idea that some foods are more desirable than others
– Remember that children often need to be offered a food >15 times before they accept it! Don’t assume your child doesn’t like a certain food because they refuse it the first few times.

– Make food fun! Explore different coloured vegetables and fruits together at the store or even in the garden if you try growing your own! Let younger children hold, feel, lick and familiarise themselves with new foods without the pressure of needing to eat it

– Role model good food behaviours- seeing you enjoying healthy foods is the biggest encouragement. Try not to say negative things if you don’t like a certain food
– Try to have the whole family eating the same thing. Avoid preparing special meals for your child.

– Children above the age of 1yo should NOT be having >500mL of milk per day. Too much can decrease their appetite for other foods and can lead to iron deficiency

– Give your child some independence and control over their meals. Your job is to provide food at regular intervals and create a positive environment at meal times. Allow your child to choose how much (if any!) to eat. Never force feed them.

– If you’re following the above tips, try not to stress about the quantity your child is eating too much. Remember that a healthy child won’t starve themselves. Its useful to look at your child’s intake over a couple of weeks overall rather than meal by meal.
If you’re struggling or worried about your child’s weight gain/general health, your GP can provide you with more specific guidance, don’t hesitate to ask.

August 19th, 2021|Children's health|

How to use a standard asthma puffer

Important tips to make sure you’re using your asthma puffer correctly

Just a timely reminder as we make our way through the cold/flu season about how to correctly use a standard metered dose inhaler (MDI)** for asthma.

– EVERYONE should be using a SPACER with standard MDIs like the one in the photo. Spacers are not just for kids. They help the medication get right down into your lungs where it’s needed rather than onto your mouth/throat.

– Only put 1 puff of medication into the spacer at a time.

– You must shake your puffer BETWEEN EACH PUFF. Skipping this step means you could lose up to 30% of each subsequent dose!

– Get a good seal with your lips around the spacer and make sure your teeth/tongue don’t come in the way of the mouthpiece.

– Hold your breath for 5 SECONDS after you take the spacer out of your mouth.

– If you can’t take one deep breath to inhale the medication, 4 normal breaths in and out will also work.

– Remember to clean your spacer ONCE A MONTH and AFTER RECOVERING FROM A COLD. Do this by washing in clean water/ dishwashing liquid. Don’t rinse and leave to air dry (don’t wipe it clean as static builds up and makes medication stick to the sides)

– Poorly controlled hayfever can make asthma worse- see your doctor about how best to manage this.

– If your asthma is well controlled, you should not need to use your reliever more than 2 days a week; you should not be waking at night with symptoms and your activities should not be limited in any way by asthma

– Make sure you have an up to date asthma action plan from your GP before cold and flu season. Ask them to watch your technique and correct any mistakes.

– If you need to revise your puffer technique go to: https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/living-with-asthma/how-to-videos for some great videos detailing correct technique

**Note that this information is only for standard MDIs. If your medication comes in a different delivery device, talk to your GP/pharmacist about correct technique.

July 28th, 2021|Respiratory conditions|

Have you had enough water to drink?

How to tell if you’re getting enough fluid

I find it very easy to go many hours without drinking water so I set alarms through the day to remind me! I also find having a big tumbler of water with a straw around me at all times helps so I have a few scattered around the house and on my desk at work.

How much fluid you need each day depends on many factors like the environment, your activity levels, weight etc. For most adult men it is around 10 cups a day, and 8 cups a day for women. Women who, like myself, are breast-feeding need 10 cups a day. The majority of this fluid intake should come from plain water. If you are getting enough fluid, your urine should be a pale yellow colour. Drinking too much water doesn’t give added benefit and can cause more bloating and you will spend a lot of your days on the toilet! If you are dehydrated you may notice light headedness, muscle cramps, nausea, headaches, difficulty concentrated, dry mouth, dark urine and passing urine less often. If it’s been a while since you had some water when you’re reading this- get guzzling!