About Me
Hi, I’m Denise Hill, 36, married with two sons, Maxwell 5 and Edward 2, hence the name Maxie and Teddy. I decided that I would like to work from home whilst the boys are still small and came up with the idea of the wipe-able books.
The idea of the food diary came after writing down all of Maxie’s feeds, by the amount and time, especially in the middle of the night, whilst sharing the night feeding. This also continued with Teddy who suffered from very severe colic which led to him being given Soya milk. Teddy also became a fussy eater when it came to the weaning stage and would not eat any lumps at all until he reached about a year old and even now he still can be very fussy, but it’s handy to keep a note of what and how much he is eating to ensure he is eating a healthy varied diet.
I was keen to initiate a routine with both boys and was keen for my husband to be involved, which helped by writing everything down so that he was aware of their routine and could help out as much as possible. This also helped when the grandparents and babysitters took over the childcare.
The original idea was to produce a note book where parents, grandparents, nannies and other carers could make a note of the milk feeds but then the idea of a wipe-able book came along which could be used over and over again which would then save money and last a lot longer as the books could be used by the whole family over and over again.
The design of the books is flexible enough so that the user would be able to make a note of sleep times, nappy changes and anything else that they needed to. The books can also be used by twins, triplets and siblings, separately or at the same time.
Both Maxie and Teddy suffered from an allergic reaction when they were younger. In Maxie’s case antihistamine was enough but for Teddy he needed to be administered a steroid injection to curb the reaction. Luckily this has never happened again but only too aware of the importance of isolating allergies and food intolerances. The Food Diary can be used to keep a note of all of the foods that the child is eating to eliminate any potential allergies. There is adequate space in the book to note of any reactions that the child may experience.
Another option is for the parents to write down what the child’s diet or routine for that day or night ahead so that the grandparents or the babysitter is fully aware of when and what the child’s meals are, and even their sleep times and for how long. The Medicine Diary can also be used in the same way, the parents can make a note of the medicines that need to be administered during the day or night, at what time and how much. That way nothing gets forgotten.
The concept of the Medicine Diary came about in the same way but stemmed from when one of the boys was ill and needed medicine during the night. “On several occasions during the middle of the night both myself or my husband could not remember the exact time that the medicine had been administered and were concerned about giving the correct dosage. On a couple of occasions both of my sons were prescribed more than one type of medicine and the only way I could remember what medicine had been given was to make a note of it. On one occasion they were both ill at the same time and I needed to write everything down, otherwise I just couldn’t remember who had what and at what time.”
The Medicine Diary layout allows a clear record to be kept for medical staff to view. It also reduces the risk of any errors relating to dosage and frequency of drugs for a child requiring both short and long term treatment. There is adequate space to also make a note of any symptoms and the child’s temperature within in the book. This can help to reduce anxiety for both parents and carers already under pressure.
The Food and Medicine Diaries are a practical and reassuring tool for parents and carers alike.
