Ericka P

Funds are pretty tight in our household and I am debating on whether or not to give my daughter a birthday party. I dont think it will matter to her if she gets one or not, but we have family coming from out of town to celebrate with us and I want to do something special. I'm just not sure what to do. Any cost effective, toddler birthday party ideas?

My daughter is 16 months, but like the rest of her family, she is very tall and her weight is that of an average 3 year old. I understand that many children's medications are administered according to an age and weight. I once had a pharmacist tell me those are just guidelines and that I should really administer the medication according to weight, not age. But I'm still unsure. Is it safe to give a 16 month old medication intended for a two year old if they weigh enough?

My daughter is 15 months old and has a cold. She has been wheezing for about two hours and has been constantly coughing sing last night. She has been diagnosed with asthma, but I have been giving her inhaler to her since last night and gave her a nebulizer treatment about an hour ago. However, she is still coughing and wheezing. The asthma treatments don't seem to be effective. She's playful, talking and active, doesn't have a fever and is eating and drinking. Should I be concerned at all? Could the wheezing and coughing be due to the cold and not because of the asthma? Thanks!

I'm also looking for a website with electronic comparisons and reviews. Thanks!

Of course, I'd like for the process to be as painless as possible. But, any kind of help you can give to help her kick the habit will be helpful. Thanks!

My daughter throws herself on the floor, stiffens her back and screams for the most minor of things. Like when she wants juice or a snack. Sometimes, I'm not even sure why she's having such a tantrum. Also, I can't get her to eat anything else besides yogurt. I used to have no problem with her eating anything, but suddenly, that's all she wants to eat. I know these are just growing pains, but how do I help her transition past them?

We're looking to have a romantic weekend away, and would really like to spend two nights at a bed and breakfast, but all of the ones I can find are way out of our budget. Any advise? We're going to Savannah, GA.

We are about to have our daughter's first birthday party with family mostly members invited. However, the problem is that none of the children who are coming are her age. The children coming are 2,5,6,9,11 and 12 and we have 9 adults attending. How do I entertain everyone without taking away from the fact that it's a celebration for a one-year-old?

My 11 month old used to sleep in her own crib without a problem. But when we moved, I allowed her to sleep in the bed with me since nothing was set up in the house yet and it was a new environment to her. Now that everything is set up and she's used to the house, I want her to go back to sleeping in her own bed. The problem is when I try to get her to sleep in her crib, she cries for hours and when she finally falls asleep, she wakes up screaming again.I have a hard time sleeping with the screaming when I have to get up for work in the morning. Any suggestions?

She is now 10 months and has had her two bottom teeth for the past three and a half months, but I don't see any sign of new teeth coming in. Is it normal for this much time to pass before the next teeth come in? I'm starting to get concerned. Is something wrong?

I know she needs the formula for its nutrients in her growing body, but I haven't been able to get her to drink it in a week. She will eat her solid foods, even fruits and vegetables and will drink water and juice, but she wont drink formula. What can I do?

I am making an effort to cut out meat from me and my husband's diet. He's recovering from a recent heart attack and we've been trying to change the way that we eat. I have already cut back on salt in our diet and I am cooking our meals instead of eating out. Still, I am interested in turning to a vegetarian diet. I would at least like to eat vegetarian meals 60-70% of the time. Any tips? Also, if you can offer any brands of vegetarian cuisine that is tasty or tasty meat alternatives and how to cook them, that would be great. Thanks!

Until this point, my daughter has had sponge baths and baths in her baby tub. She's getting to big for these methods now so I tried to give her a bath in the tub tonight and she screamed and cried to the top of her lungs! How can we make the transition painlessly?

I've been on antibiotics for a few days now but since I've been taking them, I've been amazingly thirsty. Is it because of the medication or could it be something else?

I agree that something needs to be done with our current system, but what does the new bill mean for the average wife and mother like myself? My cost of health insurance has tripled in the past year as my employer has opted for cheaper coverage which takes more out of my pockets and less out of theirs. I pay taxes, I don't live above my means, I went to college and got a degree and make the National average when it comes to salary, but still living paycheck to paycheck. Something is not right and I know I'm not alone. So how is this new bill going to make my life better?

in fact, whenever she does, she vomits. It's not spit up, it's vomit. What's going on with her milk? I'm concerned because this has been going on since Sunday night. Since then she's been eating her gerber foods vigorously, and she will drink juice and her Pedalyte. But I'm concerned that she's not getting the proper nutrition because she wont eat her formula. Does this sound normal? What can I do to make sure she's getting the nutrients that she needs?

My baby is almost six months old now and I started getting my period again when she was about six weeks old. But since then it has not been at all predictable. It comes at different times each month and once it even came twice. Is this normal? When can I expect to have a more regular cycle?