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Do you have a question about children’s health? Ask Dr. Pixie McKenna here and you could win a £150 Love2Shop voucher! ANSWERS NOW BACK

223 replies

AnnMumsnet · 26/01/2016 12:21

Dr. Pixie McKenna is here to answer any questions you may have on children's health, specifically cold and flu, fever, teething and earache. As a mum of one to daughter Darcey, Pixie is more than a medical expert – she's a parent who's had first-hand experience looking after her own child and is here to share her top tips and advice.

Here’s a little bit more about Dr. Pixie:

Dr. Pixie has strong family background of medicine (she is the third generation of doctors in her family!) and has a lifetime of knowledge with over 13 years medical experience since qualifying. She's currently a practising GP at London’s Harley Street.

Post your questions to Dr. Pixie by the 1 February 2016 and we will pick 20 for her to respond to. Everyone who posts a question will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £150 Love2Shop voucher. A link to her responses will be posted by 29th February 2016.

Please note, Dr. Pixie is here to give advice but cannot mention, discuss or endorse any brands or products.

This Q&A is sponsored by Nurofen for Children.

Thanks,

MNHQ.

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Do you have a question about children’s health? Ask Dr. Pixie McKenna here and you could win a £150 Love2Shop voucher! ANSWERS NOW BACK
OP posts:
jaibaby · 31/01/2016 20:42

Hello Dr Pixie! Thanks for taking the time out to answer questions.

My son is three at the end of March and attending playgroup everyday through the week but he's still not talking as he should. He grunts a bit and a uses a few words such as "Hi", "Who's that", "What's that", "Who is it", "Door" and he says mum / dad as he has since 9 months old ish.

He's been referred to speech therapy and at his first appointment (last week) the lady made a comment about him dribbling (he dribbles approx. 50ml throughout the day but never at night and only after he's woken up and had something to eat).

Is this the reason behind the delay in his speech? I've been trying for the last 6 months to encourage him to talk more (using single words and constantly). Please help us - he starts Nursery in April and I am really worried!

Annbunce · 31/01/2016 21:03

What is the best thing to deal with acne, on both face and back

tracyuk55 · 31/01/2016 21:17

My 10 year old is Dyspraxic, has Autism and huge sensory issues. His diet is extremely limited. He does eat a lot of meat and some fruit but no veg. I am concerned because he is piling on weight and is not very active. When we try and do activities he can't cope and has meltdowns. Not sure how to best help him?

avery64 · 31/01/2016 21:18

Just wondering if children who have a varied and balanced diet need any sort of supplement. There are so many available. You want the best for child but are they a waste of money?

onehellofaride · 31/01/2016 21:56

My DS who is 8 is sick in his mouth very often. He raised it with us after on a couple of occasions people mentioned his breath was smelling of sick. He said it can happen up to 20 times a day. We took him to see the GP who advised drinking sparking water with meals but it made little difference. We haven't noticed him doing it as much lately but he says he still is and that he wants to do something about it. The GP had reservations about investigating it further. He did suffer from gastric reflux as a baby (born at 35+5). Should we push it further? We did get a toothbrush and toothpaste for his school bag but he doesn't feel comfortable using it at school. No other health problems.

itsmeexxx · 31/01/2016 22:07

do children need to take vitamins if they are otherwise healthy?

HelenSw4les · 31/01/2016 22:19

I've just had many sleepless nights due to my baby teething; everything I tried didn't work unfortunately. Do you have any remedies that do work.

funkyfreks · 31/01/2016 22:26

What age do children rend to stop having nightmares and can they be brough on by certain foods or things from that day that I could avoid?

Portabella24 · 31/01/2016 22:30

My son has been offered the flu jab as he is a type 1 diabetic. as flu is quite rare and apart from his T1D he is fit and healthy so I wonder whether it is really worth doing?

sarsar123 · 31/01/2016 22:55

Hi Dr Pixie
My son is asthmatic and he missed his flu jab (Nasal spray) at school because of being poorly. The school nurse said have it done at the doctors when he's better. Do you recommend he still has it this year, being we are now going into February? His asthma is well controlled.
Thank you

Themilseys · 31/01/2016 23:38

What would you suggest for a child that regularly suffers with croup in the winter months and at what age does a child usually grow out of it?

jamielmdjs · 31/01/2016 23:56

What's the safest pain relief to use with toddlers?

songbird · 01/02/2016 00:05

Hi Dr Pixie, my almost 11 year old daughter feels sick at bedtime most nights. Very occasionally she will throw up, but mostly it's just feeling sick and/or tummy pains. We went to see the GP as it was starting to really upset her (it doesn't help that she feels sick if she's nervous or worried about something) and he wasn't much help, seeming to suggest it was in her head and said to read a book to distract her. Not great if she's still reading at 10pm! She's generally a happy soul so I don't think there's anything troubling her. Could it be something in her diet? How do I get the GP to take it seriously?

Many thanks

robyn297 · 01/02/2016 01:02

My 2 year old daughter has a very balanced diet but suffers from constipation, when she does manage to go, her stools are very large and hard. She's been drinking prune juice which seems to be helping, but is there anything else we can do? Is she likely to grow out of it?

sadiewoohoo · 01/02/2016 01:40

Can you recommend an effective way to get a child to take their medicine? Its becoming a battle!

grannybiker · 01/02/2016 09:35

Is there any support for younger teens suffering from anxiety? There seems to be a huge gap in provision. is this local or a national issue?

Poppycooo · 01/02/2016 10:25

Good Morning Dr Pixie,

Our daughter has been unwell for about 10 days, gradually getting better. We have been to the GP twice and it appears to be a viral illness. The first 3 days she had a fever constantly between 38.8 and 40.2. We kept giving her antipyretics just to bring it down to 38.8 ish so she would come round enough to drink water. Since day 4 she has had a terrible cough, sore throat, and fevers on and off mainly in the afternoons and evenings. She is still managing to go to school and think she is over the worst of it but wondering if there are any tricks we can do just to knock it completely on its head and make her get back to her old self asap??!!

Would be lovely to just get it all out of the way and is it normal for viruses to have such a long impact on an otherwise well child?

kirstykovacs1 · 01/02/2016 10:45

Hi Dr Pixie, Kyan started school in September and as everyone knows its a lovely breeding ground for bugs! he's had 3 colds since being at school. Is there anything I can do to help his immune system? Would taking vitamins etc help? Other than that he's normally fit and well, very active and has a healthy diet (loves his fruit and veg).

Heidipiedy · 01/02/2016 10:47

Hi Dr Pixie - My just three year old has always been such a Brilliant Eater - but he has suddenly decided he 'doesnt like' anything. Its becoming a battle to get him to eat anything sometimes - its very frustrating as often if he actually tries something he realises he likes it, but more often than not he point blank refuses to eat - any suggestions?

Flossiecrossie · 01/02/2016 10:59

Hi Dr Pixie. Our little one has suffered numerous ear infections, which resulted in having grommits for a while. Whilst these have now been removed what are your recommendations about swimming?

vixxx666 · 01/02/2016 11:05

Dr Pixie,
I suspect my son (age 3, almost 4) has Molluscum Contagiosum. At first I thought it was chicken pox as the spots looked very similar but then he only got a few they disappeared and then a couple of weeks later some more appeared, this has been going on for 2 months. He hasn't had a temp and is not ill in any other way, other than that the spots itch..I've been using calamine lotion and that stops the itching for a few hours.
I haven't taken him to the drs yet as he's not overly bothered by them and not ill with them and I know how stretched the nhs are.
Is it worth taking him to the drs? Or are they any other over the counter medicines available to help?
Thanks :)

kthwaitey · 01/02/2016 12:12

Hi dr pixie , my 4 year old is often been struck down with colds and illnesses , it seems like one after the other at the moment , i am wondering as he is a very fussy eater , is this not helping him , is he not getting enough vitamins into his system , therefore his immune system is low , is there anyway i could help him ?

sjl19 · 01/02/2016 12:17

Hello Dr Pixie,

My daughter is 11months and has cradle cap. We've tried the medicated shampoos (dentinox etc) but it doesn't seem to get rid of it. Is there something else i can try?

Thanks

mancmummy40 · 01/02/2016 12:22

Hi, my daughter has irritation on her eyelids and directly under her lower lashes. The skin is flaky and itchy and our GP has prescribed daktacort along with a moisturiser. The daktacort is not having much effect but the GP says there is nothing else, surely there is an alternative. My daughter is 12 and also has Psoriasis on her scalp which we are also struggling to keep at bay, she currently uses betacap but her scalp still has open sores and flaky patches. Any advice would be appreciated.

rocketriffs · 01/02/2016 12:22

Hi Dr Pixie. My question is about the medicine Calpol. The label mentions the term, "Infant Suspension". What does that actually mean?
Thanks.