Dr JoAnn Child Specialist

21/11/2025

🌧️💩 Heavy Rainfall = Higher Risk of Diarrhoea

During months of heavy rain, germs like viruses and bacteria get washed into the environment and water system, increasing the risk of acute diarrhea in children.

Here’s how to keep your little ones safe:

1️⃣ Ensure Clean Drinking Water
Use boiled water for drinking and preparing milk
Sterilize bottles before using
Avoid sharing cups or water bottles among siblings
Consider a water filter with proper maintenance
Store drinking water in clean, covered containers

2️⃣ Practice Strict Hand Hygiene

Wash hands with soap
✔ before eating
✔ after toilet
✔ after outdoor play

For younger children: clean hands before meals & after changing diapers

3️⃣ Safe Food Handling
Avoid food left out at room temperature
Reheat cooked food thoroughly
Wash fruits and vegetables properly
Avoid street food during flood seasons

4️⃣ Prevent Contamination at Home
Keep floors dry and clean
Avoid letting children play in flood water or dirty puddles
Wash toys that may have been contaminated
Dispose of diapers safely

5️⃣ Keep Sick Children at Home
Viruses like rotavirus spread quickly during rainy seasons.
Help protect other families by keeping unwell children at home.
Rotavirus vaccine is meant for infants, but protects the whole household by reducing spread

🌈 Bottom Line

Clean water, clean hands, and safe food = strongest protection against diarrhea during rainy months.

Small daily habits make a big difference.

21/11/2025

20/11/2025

🌟 Happy Children’s Day! 🌟

Every year on Children’s Day, I’m reminded of how blessed I am to walk through life in two roles I cherish deeply; as a mother to my three little humans, and as a pediatrician to many wonderful children who come into my clinic.

Being a mum teaches me the real side of parenting.

The messy mornings, the tired nights, the endless “mummy look!” moments, the laughter, the frustrations, and the love that fills every corner of my heart.

Being a pediatrician reminds me that every child grows differently, learns differently, reacts differently, and shines in their own time. It keeps me grounded, patient, and empathetic because in each child, I see a reflection of my own.

Today, I celebrate:
💛 The children who brighten our days
💛 The parents who give their best, even when they feel they have nothing left
💛 The teachers, caregivers, and community who help our children thrive
💛 And my own kids, who teach me daily what no textbook ever could; humility, resilience, unconditional love, and the magic of childhood

May we continue to create a world where our children feel safe, loved, heard, and valued.

And may we as parents remember to pause, breathe, and enjoy the fleeting moments... because they grow up so quickly.😭

Happy Children’s Day to all our little ones! 🌈✨

From Dr JoAnn 👩‍⚕️a proud mum, and forever a pediatrician at heart.

🧸🍬♥️🥳🥳

19/11/2025

📅 Expiry Dates of Common Children’s Medicines

Parents often ask: “How long can I keep my child’s medicine after opening?”
Here’s a general guide for you to refer to👇

1️⃣ Antibiotics (Liquid / Syrup)
🧊 Reconstituted antibiotics (amoxicillin, cefuroxime, etc.)
Mostly are to be used within 7-14 days, depending on the medicine

💡 Always keep in the fridge unless advised otherwise
❌ Discard immediately after the stated number of days, even if not finished.

💊 Antibiotic tablets / capsules
Are usually safe until printed expiry date.
Store in a cool, dry place.

2️⃣ Cough & Cold Syrups
(antihistamines, mucolytics, cough suppressants)

Shelf Life After Opening: 2–6 months depending on the medicine or as specified by
manufacturer

📝 Write the opening date on the bottle.

❌ Throw away if:
Colour changes
Smell is unusual
Layering or cloudiness appears

3️⃣ Fever Medicines (Paracetamol & Ibuprofen Syrup)

Shelf Life After Opening: 6 months

❌ Discard if:
Crystals appear
Fluid becomes cloudy
Colour changes
Bottle is sticky or contaminated

4️⃣ Nose Sprays
👃🏻 Sea water sprays (Sterimar, Physiomer, Sinomarin)

These use sterile, pressurised, non-return valves.

Shelf Life After Opening: Until the printed expiry date

👃🏻Steroid nasal sprays
(e.g., Flixonase, Nasonex, Avamys)

Shelf Life After Opening: 2-3 months

Must be stored at recommended temperature

👃🏻 Decongestant sprays
(e.g. oxymetazoline)

Shelf Life After Opening: 2-3 months

Not recommended for young children unless advised by a doctor.

5️⃣ Eye Drops / Ear Drops

Shelf Life After Opening: Expire 28 days after opening (most brands).

This is to prevent bacterial contamination.

👉 Single-use vials → discard immediately after one use.

6️⃣ Nebuliser Solutions

(Ventolin nebules, saline nebules)

Stable until printed expiry date.

Once a nebule is opened → use immediately and discard leftovers.

🚨The bottom line is, when in doubt ➡THROW IT OUT!

Expired or contaminated medicines may:
✅Lose effectiveness
✅Cause irritation
✅Be contaminated
✅Delay recovery
✅Lead to treatment failure

16/11/2025

Reminder to myself 🫣

Take more photos WITH my kids… not just OF my kids.

At this point my phone thinks I’m the family photographer, not the mother. 🤣🤣

14/11/2025

Many parents are surprised when their kids fall sick shortly after swimming e.g sore throat, runny nose, fever, ear pain or even rashes 😷.

But it’s actually quite common!

💧 How to Protect Your Little One

✅ Pre-swim rinse – Shower before entering the pool to reduce germs and chlorine reaction on skin.

✅ After-swim shower – Wash off chlorine thoroughly; use a gentle cleanser and apply moisturizer.

✅ Dry ears properly – Tilt the head to each side, pat dry gently. Or, you can use the hair dryer from a distance.

✅ Warm up afterward – Change into dry clothes, offer warm fluids, and let them rest.

✅ Hydrate – Swimming doesn’t feel sweaty, but kids can lose a lot of water hence do rehydrate after every swim.

✅ Avoid crowded indoor pools during flu season.

✅ If unwell, skip swimming‼️Even mild cough or fever can spread easily in pool environments.

Swimming is fantastic for your child’s health, strength, and confidence.

But a few simple steps like rinsing, drying, resting, and hydrating can go a long way in keeping post swim fevers, ear infections, and colds away. 💙

10/11/2025

A little cold, a little cough...skip the pool💦🏊

I saw four children who tested positive for influenza, but none had clear sick contacts, but all had one thing in common…

They had been swimming shortly before falling ill. 🏊‍♀️

This is a good reminder of something many parents overlook:

🤔 Can children get infections from swimming?

Yes, they can! But not necessarily from the water alone, but from the environment and close contact with others, especially in crowded indoor pools where respiratory viruses spread easily.

Children can pick up:

🌫️ Respiratory viruses – like influenza, adenovirus, RSV
🚿 Stomach bugs – e.g. norovirus, E. coli
👁️ Eye infections (conjunctivitis)
👂 Swimmer’s ear
🦶 Skin infections & rashes

Chlorine does reduce many microbes, but not instantly, and shared facilities increase transmission risk especially in indoor pools with crowding + humidity (great environment for viruses to spread!).

💡 Key reminder for parents

Swimming is wonderful exercise and fun but children who are sick, even with mild symptoms, should not go swimming.

🤒 A “slight cough” or “just a runny nose” can still spread infections in a crowded pool or changing rooms.

Keeping unwell children at home:

✔️ protects others
✔️ reduces spread in the community
✔️ allows your child to recover faster

Swimming itself is healthy and wonderful exercise 🏊‍♂️💪

But crowded pools, especially indoor ones, can increase infection risk, including respiratory viruses like influenza.

If your child becomes unwell after swimming, don’t panic but do monitor symptoms, and seek medical advice if you're concerned.🌟

08/11/2025

Weekend reflection💕

You only truly have a child who is fully dependent on you for the first 10 years of their life.

After that, they slowly start stepping into their own world.

As a pediatrician, I often remind parents how precious these early years are.

As a mum to a 13-year-old, I am feeling it personally.

One day you’re holding their little hand crossing the road.

The next day, they’re walking ahead with confidence, waving back at you.

Childhood feels long when we’re tired, overwhelmed, or juggling work and life…
But in reality, it goes by in seasons and each season only comes once.

So, while they still reach for us, while they still want our hugs, while their little world still revolves around home, BE PRESENT.👪

Slow down when you can.
Laugh more. Listen more.
Build memories, not just routines.

Because children don’t stay little forever and that’s the beauty and heartbreak of parenting. 💛

Let’s make these years count.

With that, have a good weekend with your little ones and continue to create everlasting memories together! 💗

07/11/2025

Why is fibre important for kids? 🌽🥕

Dietary fibre plays a key role in children’s digestive and overall health.

1⃣Many studies show that fibre helps prevent and relieve constipation by improving stool bulk and softness, promoting regular bowel movements, and reducing abdominal discomfort.

2⃣Fibre also supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which contributes to immune function and gut barrier health.

3⃣Children who consume adequate fibre have better long-term metabolic health, including healthier weight patterns, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower risks of future cardiovascular disease.

4⃣Fibre-rich diets help maintain steadier blood sugar levels, encourage satiety, and reduce unhealthy snacking.

If your child dislikes eating high-fibre foods, don't give up!

Healthy eating is a habit built slowly.

06/11/2025

Why you shouldn’t take oxidized (discoloured) antibiotics❗

When an antibiotic is oxidized, it means it has been chemically altered by exposure to air, moisture, heat, or light. This can lead to:

✅ Reduced potency : the drug may not work properly
⚠️ Unpredictable effects : breakdown products may irritate the stomach or cause side effects
❌ Antibiotic resistance risk : taking a weakened antibiotic can allow bacteria to survive and become resistant

Signs your antibiotic may be oxidized or degraded:

✅Changed color, smell, or texture

✅Tablets become crumbly or sticky

✅Liquid antibiotics that are cloudy, layered, or have changed smell

✅Expired or improperly stored (left in a hot car, humidity, medicine cap left open)

What to do instead❓

✅ Dispose of the old antibiotic safely
✅ Get a fresh prescription if you need antibiotics
❌ Do not self-medicate or use leftover antibiotics

In conclusion, never give children expired or altered antibiotics. Only use antibiotics when prescribed and complete the proper course.

03/11/2025

⚠️ A Heartbreaking Reminder: Bubble Tea & Choking Risk in Young Children

Many of you may have come across the tragic story of a 3-year-old boy who passed away after choking on a tapioca pearl while drinking bubble tea and jumping on a trampoline.

This heartbreaking incident reminds us how quickly things can go wrong, even during “fun moments.” 💔

There were two high-risk factors here:
1️⃣ Movement While Eating/Drinking
Jumping, running, laughing, or talking while eating can cause food to suddenly enter the airway instead of the food pipe.
I still remember what our elders told us growing up:
• “Don’t talk while eating.”
• “Don’t run while eating.”
• “Don’t jump right after a meal.”
It turns out, they were right.
When the body is moving, the swallowing mechanism becomes less coordinated, increasing choking risk especially in young children.

2️⃣ High-Risk Foods (Sticky + Round = Dangerous)
Tapioca pearls (boba) are:
● Sticky
● Round
● Soft yet difficult to chew thoroughly
This combination makes them one of the highest-risk choking foods, especially for toddlers and preschoolers.
Even adults may choke when “sucking the pearls till the last drop.”

👶 Important Reminders for Parents & Caregivers
✅ Avoid bubble tea and similar chewy or round foods for toddlers
✅ Always make sure children sit still when eating or drinking
✅ Cut round foods (grapes, cherry tomatoes, sausages) into small pieces
✅ Be extra careful with sticky food textures (mochi, jelly, marshmallow, chewy snacks)
✅ Supervise mealtimes with no distractions or excessive movements

It’s not about restricting joy.

Moments of play and eating should be separate, especially for little ones.

31/10/2025

📱 “Text Neck” A Problem Our Parents Never Had

Once upon a time, the biggest “neck problem” kids had was from sleeping funny or carrying a school bag too full of comic books.

Fast-forward to today, we now see preschoolers with neck pain, stiff shoulders, and headaches... all thanks to hours spent bending over screens.

This modern condition even has a name: “Text Neck Syndrome.”

A condition that did not exist in our childhood but is now showing up in kids as young as 5 years old.

🧠 What’s happening inside their tiny bodies?

When a child tilts their head forward to look at a screen, even by 15–30 degrees, their neck muscles suddenly have to work 2–4 times harder.

Over time, this repeated strain can lead to:
⚡ Neck and upper back pain
💢 Shoulder tightness
💫 Headaches or dizziness
🧍 Slouching and posture imbalance
😣 Even early spine changes

And remember, children’s bones are still developing.

So what looks like “just screen time” can quietly shape their spine and posture for life.

Kids used to run, climb, and look around at the world.
Today, many spend more time looking down at screens that entertain them but slowly change their posture.

💡 How do we overcome this new health condition?

✅ 20–30 minutes of screen time, then have a break
✅ Hold screens at eye level
✅ Encourage outdoor play and sports
✅ Good table and chair setup for homework
✅ Gentle neck stretches after screen use

❤️ “Text neck didn’t exist in our childhood, and it shouldn’t have to exist in theirs.