The Parent Prescription

This week, Lucy and Nick are joined by Dr Michael Kuo, Consultant Paediatric ENT Surgeon with over 30 years’ experience, to unpick the ear, nose and throat worries that bring parents through the clinic door.In this episode:Why babies are often noisy breathers, and what’s usually normalThe red flags that mean a noisy baby needs checkingTonsillitis -  how often is “too often”, and when surgery comes into the conversationTongue-tie - what it is, when it matters for feeding, and when it doesn’tCalm, clear, evidence-based answers from a specialist who’s seen it all.The Parent Prescription — Expert advice, made for parents.Hosted by Lucy Upton, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian, and Dr Nick Makwana, Consultant Paediatrician.This podcast is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual medical advice. If you’re worried about your child, speak to your GP, health visitor or call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

Constipation is one of the most common reasons children end up in a GP surgery or paediatric clinic, and one of the most misunderstood. It’s rarely just “not enough fibre.” And it doesn’t always show up as the symptoms you might expect.In this episode, Children’s Dietitian Lucy Upton and consultant paediatrician Dr Nick Makwana unpack what’s really going on, from the signs parents often miss to the treatments that actually work.In this episode:What constipation actually is, and why it’s more than how often your child poosThe hidden symptoms - soiling, tummy pain, poor appetite, withholding and toilet avoidanceHow the withholding cycle starts, and why it’s so hard to breakLaxatives explained -  what they do, why they’re often needed for months, and why stopping too soon backfiresWhere diet fits -  fibre, fluids and realistic food changes that support treatmentWhen to go back to your GP or ask for a referralWhether you’re months into the laxative routine or just starting to wonder if something’s not right, this one’s for you.The Parent Prescription - Expert advice, made for parents.This podcast is for information only and doesn’t replace individual medical advice.

Is it just a virus, or something more? Consultant paediatrician Dr Nick Makwana and co-host paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton help parents make sense of common childhood illnesses: how to manage fever at home, why nursery bugs keep coming, and the red flags that mean it's time to seek help.In this episode:Fever in children: what it means and how to manage itWhy young children catch so many virusesWhen antibiotics help, and when they don'tKeeping a poorly child hydrated and fedRed flags: when to call 111, see your GP or go to A&EFor information only, not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you're worried about your child, contact your GP, NHS 111 or 999 in an emergency.

When should you start weaning, and what should your baby's first foods be? Paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton and consultant paediatrician Dr Nick Makwana cover starting solids with your baby, from signs of readiness to first foods, allergens and gagging, so you can begin weaning feeling informed rather than overwhelmed.  In this episode:When to start weaning, and the signs your baby is readyPurées, finger foods or baby-led weaning: does it matter?Iron-rich first foods and why they countIntroducing common allergens like egg and peanutGagging vs choking: what's normal and what isn'tMilk feeds once solids beginFor information only, not a substitute for individual medical advice.

Is allergy testing for your child worth it, and which results can you trust? Paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton and Consultant paediatrician Dr Nick Makwana explain food allergy testing in babies and children.  What skin prick tests and blood tests can and can't tell you, why a positive result doesn't always mean a true allergy, and why home intolerance tests leave so many families confused.In this episode:IgE vs non-IgE food allergy, and why it changes how we testSkin prick tests and specific IgE blood tests explainedWhy your child's history matters more than any single resultOral food challenges: what happens and when they're usedIgG, hair, kinesiology and home kits: what the evidence actually saysWhen to ask your GP for an allergy clinic referralFor information only, not a substitute for individual medical advice.Also available to listen on Apple podcasts.Watch this episode on Youtube.Follow us on Instagram @parentprescriptionpod

Fussy eating: what's normal, what isn't, and why pressure backfires. Fussy eating is one of the most common reasons parents lose sleep over food, and one of the most misunderstood, with an endless swaith of information online promising hacks to get children to eat.  As a topic close to Lucy’s heart, and clinical practice, this week Nick and Lucy take it apart. The child who ate everything at 10 months and now lives on beige. The plate pushed away before it's even tasted. The bribes, the negotiations, the dinner that ends in tears (theirs or yours). For many families, this can be an exhausting but normal stage of development. For some, it's a sign that something else needs looking at.In this episode, hosts Dr Nick Makwana, Consultant Paediatrician and Lucy Upton, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian and Feeding Therapist discuss:- Why fussy eating happens, and why so many toddlers suddenly refuse foods they used to love- What's developmentally normal, and the signs that it might be more than a phase- Why pressure, praise and "just one more bite" often make things worse- How repeated, low-pressure exposure works, and why it takes longer than most parents expect- The medical side: growth, constipation, reflux, iron and the other things worth ruling out- Accepted foods, and why they belong on the plate- When and where to get help, including when it may be more than Fussy Eating- What we'd say to a parent who's dreading the next mealtimeAlso available to listen on Apple Podcasts and Youtube.This episode provides general information and is not medical advice about your individual child. If you're worried about your child's growth, weight, or eating, speak to your GP, health visitor or dietitian.

A consultant dermatologist on eczema, from steroids to allergy and what actually works.You've been handed a tube of steroid cream, a tub of emollient and very little explanation. Then someone at the school gate tells you it's dairy.This week Lucy and Nick are joined by Dr Tanveer Chohan, Consultant Dermatologist, for the eczema conversation parents actually need. Not the leaflet version.We cover:Why eczema happens  - what's going on in the skin barrier, and why it isn't something you causedThe truth about topical steroids: what the risks genuinely are, what happens when we under-treat, and how much to useWhy two children with eczema can end up on completely different treatment plansEmollients -  how much, how often, and why the one your friend swears by might not suit your childThe eczema and food allergy question.  What the link actually is, when food is relevant, and why cutting things out "just in case" can backfireBathing, flare-ups, infected skin and when to go back to your GPNight-time itching, sleep, scratching and the bits nobody warns you aboutLucy has a daughter with eczema, so she asks the questions you'd ask too, including the day to day from swimming to when to escalate.Evidence-based, practical, and no judgement about the tube you've been too scared to use.Show notes and links: How to apply wet wraps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBzydL0HBJg Dr Tanveer Chohan: https://tscskin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.skinguy

Cow's milk protein allergy is one of the most over-diagnosed conditions in infancy and also one that gets missed. In Episode 1 of The Parent Prescription Podcast, consultant paediatrician Nick Makwana and paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton untangle what CMPA actually is, why it's so often confused with reflux, and what to do about it.Reflux, colic, an unsettled baby, blood or mucus in a nappy, eczema that won't clear. These can point to cow's milk protein allergy, and they can equally point to a baby doing entirely normal baby things. Telling the two apart is genuinely hard, and a lot of families end up either on a restrictive diet they never needed or waiting months for a diagnosis they did.We cover the difference between immediate and delayed allergy, why the delayed form looks so much like reflux, the rise in diagnosis and specialist formula prescribing, what a proper diagnosis involves and why planned reintroduction is part of it, how to manage dairy exclusion while breastfeeding with the right support, and what the milk ladder is for.Follow us on Instagram: @parentprescriptionpod For questions or topic suggestions, email: [email protected] episodes every Tuesday.This video provides general information and is not medical advice about your individual child. Do not start or stop an elimination diet, or change your baby's formula, without speaking to your GP, health visitor or dietitian. If you are worried about a child, contact your GP, NHS 111, or your local emergency service.