Q: My daughter is 3 years and 6 months old. She is very active and goes to a preschool. Her intellectual development is same as the other children in her class. But her weight is only 13 kg and she looks very skinny. She often gets a running nose and coughs regularly but there has been no fever or loss of appetite. She sleeps well during the night but I can hear some chest congestion while she breaths especially in the night. She complains of pain in the stomach after, which she normally goes to the toilet or passes gas. Recently she complained of headache on one side. I don't know if I need to be worried about this. Every time I go to the doctor, he gives antibiotics and other medicines. I want to know if this is something serious with my child?

A:Thirteen kg is a perfectly appropriate weight for a 3 and a half year old child. When they start pre-school all children have an increased frequency of upper respiratory infections and ear infections. As long as these episodes are uneventful and recovery is quick do not worry. It is reassuring that she has no loss of appetite during these episodes. She does not need an antibiotic every time she has cough and cold. As she gets older she will grow out of it and these episodes will become less frequent.