Welcome to Child Health

Asthma help ?

Asthma is an allergic respiratory condition where children cough and wheeze in response to a variety of triggers  including viruses, indoor and outdoor allergens, changes in weather and exercise.  The following is an explanation of asthma,  its current management and assessment.

Concerned about Anxiety?

anxietywebAnxiety is a normal human emotion. It is a feeling of uneasiness in situations that maybe dangerous or threatening. It becomes a disorder when the anxiety interferes with day to day functioning and happiness. When managed effectively there is good evidence this will be of lifelong benefit.

Fe Deficiency - Commonest nutritional problem in under 3s

Infants and toddlers have the greatest risk of iron deficiency. Severe iron deficiency causes anaemia and sometimes developmental problems. Poor dietary iron is the commonest cause, and unfortunately symptoms and signs of iron deficiency are absent unless there is anaemia. The ingestion of large amounts of cow’s milk after 12 months is the main contributory cause. More than 500mls per day is a risk factor for Fe deficiency.

Eczema Background

One of the most frustrating conditions for parents and health professionals, this description helps parents understand exactly what eczema is and how to manage it. There is no cure for eczema, though most infants and toddlers will ‘grow out of it’. This also discusses many of the myths and false cures that are currently available.

Think your child is overweight?

The child who is overweight or obese is at risk of significant health and psychological problems.  Health professionals and parents often realise there is an issue but are unsure how to approach this without feeling judgmental.  (Especially if the health professional is also overweight !) Nevertheless the earlier this problem is tackled by the family the far better the eventual outcome.

Does your child snore ?

Snoring describes noisy breathing during sleep. Many children will snore if they have a cold or blocked nose and this is common and expected to resolve. However some children, even as young as 18 months will constantly snore. This article is aimed helping to decide how serious this is. If there is significant sleep apnoea (pausing noted due to obstruction) then sometimes intervention is needed.

Behavioural Problems

The topic of parenting encompasses the way in which we provide the blueprint for the next generation.


Nutrition covers the current guidelines and deals with concerns such as fussy eaters and children with weight issue.

Personal Posts

This section provides information on a variety of the most common problems facing children in Australia today.

Latest Posts

Early Dental Caries

Continuing the theme of oral hygiene, this is a photo of a 3yo girl’s upper incisors I recently saw. Lifting the lip revealed a dental caries disaster. Raising infants and toddlers is a balancing act of making the right choices but keeping…

Dummies, Pacifiers et al

Pacifiers (aka dummies) are fantastic in some irritable infants. They are effective, endorsed by paediatric bodies around the World, and do exactly what they say - pacify. So use them. But they are designed for infants - which is a shame as…

The problem with too much milk.

Two year old Eva, apprehensive, pale,  heart racing, shallow breathing, sat on her Mother’s lap. Having stopped crying, she watched fascinated as the blood seeped into the syringe. Not the rich full bodied merlot, more weak watery, translucent…

Flu vaccine - available from 6 months

'Had a touch of the flu' doesn't seem to get much sympathy. The problem with flu is that, it sounds boring and is used interchangeably with 'cold'. But true influenza is nothing to be (ahem), sneezed at. Every year several hundred children under…

When a parent has cancer

Last year, Child Health was part of the Tour De Cure. Each day we visited a different school and chatted to students. One question was always asked. Who knows someone with cancer?  Hands shot up every time. However at one school an 8yo…

Snoozefest ?

Imagine shoving a marshmallow up one nostril, all the way back as far as it goes. Then repeat other side. Now place another in the back of your throat, beside the uvula (dangly bit), and another on the other side. Now try and sleep, eat,…
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