Pediatricians recommend that mothers continue taking a daily prenatal vitamin supplement to ensure the proper nutritional balance. If you are on a strict vegetarian diet, you need to take an extra B-complex supplement, since certain B vitamins are available only from meat, poultry, or fish products. If your baby is on infant formula, he generally will receive adequate vitamins because formula has added vitamins.

Data show that head lice can survive under water for several hours but are unlikely to be spread by the water in a swimming pool. Head lice have been seen to hold tightly to human hair and not let go when submerged under water. Chlorine levels found in pool water do not kill head lice.

Head lice may be spread by sharing towels or other items that have been in contact with an infested person's hair, although such spread is uncommon. Children should be taught not to share towels, hair brushes, and similar items either at poolside or in the changing room.

Some facts to reassure you

Because there are so many viruses that cause the symptoms of the common cold, people may have multiple colds each year and dozens over a lifetime.

Children under six years get an average of six to eight colds per year (up to one per month, September through April). Symptoms last an average of 14 days. This means that a child could be ill with intermittent cold symptoms for nearly half of the days in this time period, without cause for concern.

Young children in daycare appear to suffer from more colds than children cared for at home. However, when day-care children enter primary school, they catch fewer colds, presumably because they are already immune to a larger number.

• Do not offer fruit juice to infants less than six months of age.
• After six months of age, you can offer limited amounts of juice each day.
• For babies older than six months, whole fruit offers nutritional benefits more than fruit juice. Whole fruits also provide fiber and other nutrients.
• Do not offer fruit juice to infants at bedtime.
• Do not rely on fruit juice as a treatment of dehydration or management of diarrhea.
• For children ages one to six years old, give a maximum of 180 ml fruit juice each day.

• Soy or ricemilk,
• Calcium-fortified orange juice
• Tofu
• Tahini
• Broccoli
• Almonds
• Okra
• Molasses, black strap
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Lima, black beans, lentils, and split peas