A nurse is reinforcing teaching about growth and development evaluation to a group of parents of preschoolers.

Which of the following information should the nurse include in the teaching?

Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day.This will help prevent dumping syndrome, which is a condition that occurs when food moves too fast from the stomach to the duodenum, causing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, flushing, dizziness and rapid heart rate.Eating small, frequent meals will reduce the amount of food that enters the small intestine at once and slow down gastric emptying.

Choice B is wrong because drinking fluids with meals rather than between meals will increase the volume of food that enters the small intestine and worsen dumping syndrome symptoms.Fluids should be consumed at least 30 minutes after a meal.

Choice C is wrong because increasing intake of simple carbohydrates such as fruit juice will cause a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels, leading to late dumping syndrome symptoms such as sweating, hunger, low blood sugar, fatigue, dizziness and weakness.Simple carbohydrates should be avoided and replaced with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Choice D is wrong because avoiding foods that are high in fat and protein will not help prevent dumping syndrome.In fact, fat and protein can slow down gastric emptying and stabilize blood sugar levels.A moderate amount of fat and protein should be included in each meal.However, too much fat at one time can have the opposite effect and trigger dumping syndrome symptoms.

Use an oral syringe to squirt the medication into the side of the mouth.

This is because an oral syringe allows the nurse to measure the exact dose of the medication and deliver it slowly and safely into the infant’s mouth, avoiding choking or aspiration.

The other choices are wrong for the following reasons:

• Choice A) Mixing the medication with formula in a bottle can alter the taste and effectiveness of the medication, and also make it difficult to ensure that the infant receives the full dose.

• Choice C) Placing the medication on a pacifier can cause the infant to spit out the pacifier or the medication, and also increase the risk of infection from contaminated pacifiers.

• Choice D) Dipping a cotton swab in the medication and rubbing it on the gums can irritate the oral mucosa and cause pain or bleeding, and also waste some of the medication on the swab.