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dryikis_crib

A paediatrician at Baby and Beyond Clinic, Publika with close to 2 decades of experience in child health.

My passion is to share knowledge and empower families even while navigating my own journey as a mother of 3.

24/12/2025

☀️ ՏᑌᑎՏᑕᖇᗴᗴᑎ 101 😎

Excellent question from Ask-Me-Anythimg Wednesday!

❓️W𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣?

⏭️ Broad spectrum that gives high protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Many will have SPF, but make sure it has PA +++ too because that's the sneaky ray. It doesn't burn in the heat of the afternoon but is present all day - rain or shine, indoors or outdoors, and through the glass; silently aging and damaging the skin. It can be a cause of sensitivity and flare-ups. For older kids who csnt agree with the white cast from the mineral sunscreen, you can consider part chemical sunscreen cos ANY sunscreen is better than none!

⏭️ For children, best to keep to mineral sunscreen and avoid chemical sunscreen which has higher risk of causing irritation and absorption impact. Active ingredients in chemical sunscreen are like names that end with -benzone (oxybenzone), -oxate (octinoxate), -salate (octisalate) or octicrylene.

⏭️ Some sunscreens are matched with other ingredients like ceramide that can also help moisturise the skin. For daily usage, that is such a bonus! It is time we started applying sunscreen more regularly beyond sunny pool and beach days!

📸 credit: Daily Mineral Face Lotion

𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 (𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴) 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴' 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯?

𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘭: 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴?

27/11/2025

I am a parent to three growing children and a paediatrician, and I say YES, I support my Malaysian government's serious plans to ban social media accounts to children under 16 years!

Before anyone chides the government of pulling a trigger finger, being reactive or over-controlling, I need you to be aware that these are children we trying to protect, not dictating grown-a** adults. Yes, while it is our responsibility as parents to put in place (and keep) social media boundaries for my children at home, we can't fight this uphill battle alone. It's us against the whole world! If we are going to have a decent chance at rolling back this phone-based child, we are going to need the collective effort and coordination of schools, communities and policy makers to coordinate.

I really like how Mr summarised the four norms that we can adopt to delay and reduce the effects of digital platforms and social media and give our children back their childhood healthily.

1️⃣ 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡. Wait until they get through most of puberty before they get full access to one. Get them basic phones like flip phones and phone watches for communication purpose.

2️⃣ 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝟭𝟲 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨.

3️⃣ 𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡. We need the government and schools to make rules and legislation for this.

4️⃣ 𝙀𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 in the real world.

We have to stop overprotecting them in the real world but under-protecting them on the digital world.

Do check out his interview on podcast/youtube titled "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮" to understand the science that backs up his proposal. It's an hour long but it's worth the time to lean in!

Video remixed from

13/11/2025

What DOES it take to raise mentally resilient children?

Easy enough question but very tough to answer. It's not a matter of googling or chatgpt it to get bullet form answers. As parents, we need to internalise exactly what those points mean for us and how we can turn them into daily and practical actions.

It's really a very big, wide and deep question with a tapestry of factors weaved together intricately. If we dont take time to unravel it, we will likely be overwhelmed, guilt-tripped and sink in our parenting journey.

We want to raise them well and give them our best, but how? This post is just the beginning of our conversations together.

Do you feel you are equipped with concrete practical parenting tools?

27/10/2025

It's been a little over a week since we got hit with the news of the tragic death of a teenager in school from stabbing by a fellow student. It made the episode from "Adolescence" not just a scary plausibility but a heartbreaking reality. Too close to home.

As parents, there are so many deep questions we need to ask ourselves in response to what happened but the most immediate response I got from parents was that the first thing they did was to give their kids tighter and longer hugs that day. 🥹 My oldest schools nearby and so, I too was concerned about what my boy had heard and how he was processing it.

Having a clear and calm strategy, it gave me an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with my son - to objectively assess how he was or wasnt affected, see his perspective and answer his questions. As tempted as I was, it wasn't the time to jump straight into nagging about screen time or online games - these issues matter, but not just yet. It was a time to get a pulse on his mental and emotional health and have a deeper conversation depending on how HE steered the dialogue.

My only goal was this - to let him know he is safe with me and that he can talk to me about difficult things openly and honestly with me.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help us talk about violence and tragedy with our kids. Save and share it - only God knows when we may need it again in the future.

Sources:
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
American Academy if Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

PS: It was inspired by a conversation kit released by the children's ministry of my local church which included some biblical guidance to help bring some comfort and faith. If you'd like a copy of it, do DM me.

PPS: Have you spoken with your child about recent tragic happenings in schools?

23/10/2025

Parents often ask me,
"How old should I give my child milk until?" or "When should I stop giving my child milk?"

My honest answer is, "Don't stop."

Milk is still an key part of their daily diet for strong bones and teeth, to support growth, immunity and brain development.

For kids 1 year and above, give 2-3 servings of milk a day between 150-250ml per serving along with their meals or snacks.
Keep the milk, keep them strong, keep them growing!

Enfagrow A+ Malaysia

22/10/2025

Can you pick up what I really want to say? 😂

With Deepavali celebrations and short school break almost over, let's be vigilant looking out for our children falling sick, which almost never come with a warning. Please don't be too quick to send them back to school.

Oh, and have you gotten your child immunised with the flu vaccine yet?

21/10/2025

October 2025. We are experiencing an influenza surge in Malaysia and here are some practical tips I want you to know so that your child gets diagnosed early, treated promptly and correctly and in doing so, help to reduce the spread to people around. I want you to be smarter than some of the doctors you see.

1️⃣ Ask for the influenza test to be done. Don't take antibiotics unnecessarily!

I am quite fruatrated about this because I have had sooo many kids coming in after 5-6 days of unresolved fever who turn out having influenza and the common reason I get for their delay in coming is that they were given antibiotics by a different doctor but without flu test first being done. While what I am advising here is NOT a blanket statement for every month of the year but during this period when you get notification from school that 1/2 the class or over 100 kids in school are down with flu, you must agree with me that the diagnosis of influenza must be ruled out first so that we can be treated correctly. For influenza, unless there is evidence of a co-infection, antibiotics won't work. A specific antiviral called Oseltamivir does.

2️⃣ Timing of the test done matters.

Here's an interesting fact for you. The flu rapid test that is commonly done at clinics (because it can give results quickly compared to other methods) can give a false negative result (ie says negative for influenza when in fact the patient does have it) when done too early, too late or if the swab specimen is of bad quality.

And so, again in the background of an outbreak in your community, if your first flu test is negative, please consider repeating it in 1-2 days, not 5-6 days later. Why? 3 main reasons:
- when tested too late, it can also be a false negative and cause a diagnosis dilemma
- if antiviral medication is required, it is more effective started earlier in the disease rather than later
- reduce spreading the virus when you can be diagnosed and treated earlier.

Got questions? Comment below or DM me.

I've got 2 more points. Will roll the video out soon.

27/06/2025

Cows milk. Another topic that is asked frequently on Wednesday AMAs.

Some of the terminology can vary a little in different parts of the world, but in the local Malaysian context, this is what you can recognise at the supermarkets and I hope the video will shed some light and clarity.

Below 1 year old, only breastmilk and infant formula are recommended as they meet the baby's nutrition requirements. Above 1 year old, the child's main source of nutrition should come from solid foods, not milk. So, cows whole (which means full-fat) milk should be a means of supplementing some energy, calcium and vitamins. Some full cream milk may be fortified with other vitamins too.

Drink it cold or warm? Either one is alright. No difference in nutrition. Most young toddlers prefer it warm, but nothing wrong giving it chilled.

Can I continue with breastmilk or follow-up milk formula? Sure you can. Breastmilk is recommended until 2 years old but sometimes it may not be enough especially if picky eating is an added issue. There may also be other factors like night oral hygiene, weight issues, added sugars in some follow-up milk formula or even the matter of convenience and toddlers' palatal preference that should weigh in as well.

Milk for 1 year old and above - what is your preference?

11/06/2025

In last session of The Parenting Children Course (TPCC) under which my hubs and I are attending, one of the exercises that we had was to list household chores our children could do.

Am I hearing some of you go, "Whut?! Child labour!" or "Good luck with that! It's gonna be such a chore to make them do house chores." 🤣

But the sciences and evidence say differently! Children who are given the opportunity to hold responsibilities at home thrive better in their development, cognition & problem-solving skills and even their self-esteem. They feel needed and validated when they get to perform tasks that actually, well, matter at home and to mommy (mostly, haha) and daddy! They actually grow up to be more mindful, respectful, responsible and successful.

I know this to be true because the children's favourite toy in the waiting area of my clinic is the broom and mop! 🤣 No cap (for those of you who know alpha gen language)!

So, don't wait too long before you start empowering your kiddos with age-appropriate responsibilities. Start it small, easy, straight-forward, add a dash of fun and a whole lot of grace!

Do you have house chores for your kids? Comment below with their age and what they are. I would love to hear about them! 💛💛💛

17/04/2025

‼️ 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙨 - Part 3‼️

Dropping the final part of this sharing.

Honestly, with 3 kids in 3 different age categories sharing one space and co-shared devices, just organising my thoughts for these posts have helped me wrap my head around navigating the control of screentime and exposure of my kids to online platforms and social media. This last post is something I myself will be referring back to remind myself when my son becomes in a tween in just a couple more years.

If you haven't already noticed, alot of the hard work of keeping them safe online is actually OFFLINE. We have very little control over the external moving parts, but we certainly have a strong influence in the internal core of their beings. Water the seed well, and it may grow strong enough to weather any harsh environment.

Hope this will help you in some way or another.

Do me a favour, will ya? If you are reading this, take the poll below. Which part of navigating screen time and online exposure are you having most trouble in for your child?

09/04/2025

𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙆𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 2

Having government rulings and online safety initiatives is not enough. Parental controls are good, but not fail or fool proof. At the end of the day, we still need to put in the hard work:

➡️ Delay introducing them to screentime, open online platforms and social media.

➡️ Instill and cultivate healthy offline activities, habits, interests and interactions that will help avoid addiction to screens, online games and social platforms.

➡️ Create boundaries and hold them.

➡️ Actively teach them about online safety in an age appropriate way.

And I think this is the most important and yet most neglected because we may not immediately see how these online platforms can directly erode the person -

➡️ constantly build on our relationship with our sons and daughters, creating a safe and open zone for conversations and affirm their self identity and self worth.

It's easier said than done, isn't it? Which part are your finding hard to navigate or struggling with? Comment below!

Watch Part 1 for parental control tips.
And watch for Part 3 - dropping soon!

26/03/2025

Does feeding a spoonful of butter help the child sleep through the night?

I (Yi-Ki) luuuuuurrrvvvveeee butter, but giving a dollop every night? Nope.

Here’s paediatric dietitian and nutritionist, Jowyna’s take on it:

There is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that feeding babies butter before sleep helps them sleep through the night. It may contribute to better sleep because fat slows digestion, providing longer-lasting satiety, but butter is not the best way.

1️⃣ For young infants, it’s a definitely a NO. Butter’s consistency can be quite dangerous in infants. A cold, hard chunk of butter or a thick glob can stick in a baby’s throat - a choking hazard.

2️⃣ Butter is a source of saturated fats. So, while it can be part of healthy diet IN MODERATION, if consumed regularly before bed, it could lead to long-term health issues such as obesity and heart disease.

3️⃣ To achieve the same result, it doesn’t have to be butter. When the meals throughout the day is optimised to be more nutrient-dense, as opposed to just being high in fats, parents report that they sleep better in the night. There are studies that suggest that sleep is more stable when high-energy foods are consumed earlier in the evening.

So, short answer - bedtime ketogenic diet for your kid is NOT the way to go. In fact, it’s pretty concerning.

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Address

B2-1-2 Publika Solaris Dutamas, No 1 Jalan Dutamas 1
Kuala Lumpur
50480

Website

https://babyandbeyondpublika.com/

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Welcome to my crib!

Hi! Welcome to my crib!

I am a wife, a mother to two beautiful children #popiahndumplingyong (not their real names...lol!) and a community paediatrician at Baby & Beyond Child Specialist Clinic, Publika.

I am terrible at keeping journals, but the one year I did, I saw the fruition of that journey when I read what I had written and I felt immensely grateful. I felt that those years, even the mundane moments, had eternal value. Such is our human nature that we need tangible physical things to reliably serve as our memory.

Hence, this space. A journal to write my journey as a children’s doctor and a momma. A platform to share my stories and my experience. An avenue to merge the medical sciences with practical parenthood and to share whatever knowledge I have in that realm. A way to connect with parents outside the four walls of my consultation room.