Articles - Infants

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08/03 -	Music Class With Fern
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08/09 -	Dance, Dance

Ask Dr. Jay -- Pediatrician Jay Gordon answers questions about your baby's health

Flight control
My daughter will be 2 months old when my sister gets married. Is it safe to take her on the five-hour flight?
I get asked this type of question a lot and always want to know how important the trip is before weighing in. Here's why: During the winter months, babies--and everyone else, for that matter--catch the flu and colds on planes. Even in summer, there are a few sneezing, coughing passengers on any given flight. Needless to say, you don't want your baby to catch what they have.
This sounds like an important trip, so here are my tips to help keep your infant healthy midair. First, nurse or give a bottle during takeoff and landing to equalize pressure in the ears and avoid pain. Second, using an eyedropper, put a few drops of breast milk or saline solution in each nostril every half-hour or so. This will do three things: kill viruses on contact; loosen any mucus present; and make your child sneeze, which is the body's very efficient way of ejecting any lingering viruses or mucus.
By the way, my advice for the November wedding of your second cousin what's-her-name--the one you haven't seen in 10 years? Skip the flight and send a lovely gift.

Baby bites
My 4-month-old appears absolutely miserable anytime I give him rice cereal or oatmeal. Should I try something else?
The American Academy of Pediatrics and virtually all other experts advise against introducing solids before 6 months of age, so I'd wait awhile before giving him any more. (Babies are not meant to digest solids at 4 months, as you have observed.) When you do offer solids again, start with small amounts of fruits and vegetables, such as applesauce, pureed carrots, smashing pears or sweet potatoes; try them for a few weeks or more before offering oatmeal or cereal grains. I think these varieties of simple carbohydrates are easier to digest than cereal grains, which have a little more protein and require a bit more "intestinal work."
By the way, unless your baby has shown allergic tendencies, I don't think you need to wait three days before introducing new fruits and vegetables.

Don't rush the rash
My son is 15 months old and has keratosis pilaris. None of the treatments I've tried has worked; what do you recommend?
Keratosis pilaris is a harmless, very common rash. Resembling tiny pimples, it occurs when hair follicles become plugged with keratin, a skin protein.
Since the condition is harmless, it doesn't need to be treated. But if you want to try to heal it, I recommend feeding your son a dairy-free diet to eliminate the No. 1 nutritional allergen. I also suggest moisturizing with jojoba oil and using a homeopathic sulfur/zinc cream. A little exfoliation with a slightly rough washcloth or loofah will help too. If none of these treatments works and the rash really bothers you, talk to your pediatrician or a dermatologist, who may recommend a medicinal cream.