A Small Story Before We Enter 2026

Okay, let me tell you about a night I still remember clearly 🤍

It started around 7.25pm.
One of those evenings where you think, okay, we’ve done everything right.

The message came in.

“Doc, we came home and showered my baby.
Applied lotion and Elidel like you advised.”

All good so far.

Then a few minutes later.

“But after about an hour… he started crying.
Still crying. Because his left ear is very itchy.”

Then again.

“He is still crying.
For 1 hour.”

You know that feeling, right?
When you’ve followed every instruction,
checked every box,
and your baby is still crying anyway.

That’s usually when parents start thinking,
What am I missing? What did I do wrong?

We went back and forth on WhatsApp. Slowly.
How does the rash look?
Is it more red?
Any new patches?

Photos were sent.
Hard to see.
The baby was still crying.

By then it was past 9pm.
Everyone was tired.

We talked through possibilities.
Is it itch?
Is it pain?
Any fever?
Temperature was normal.
Poop was normal.

Still crying.

At that point, it wasn’t about finding a perfect answer anymore.
It was about helping this baby feel better.
And helping the parents breathe a little.

I suggested a few small things.
Cold compress to soothe the skin.
Paracetamol, just in case there was discomfort from tiredness or body ache.

And then, almost as an afterthought, I typed one more message.

“Also you can try putting on white noise from YouTube to calm baby too.”

That was it.

No big medical intervention.
No complicated explanation.

Just… white noise.

A few minutes later, the reply came in.

“Ok thank you. Let us try and see if it helps.”

And that was the last message for the night.

Mission accomplished.

What stayed with me wasn’t just that the baby eventually settled.
It was the reminder of how parenting often feels.

You can do everything “right”.
Follow advice.
Check symptoms.
Stay alert.

And still end up with a crying baby at 10pm.

Sometimes, the answer isn’t doing more.
It’s doing one small thing that helps everyone calm down.

Which is why, as 2025 comes to an end,
I keep coming back to this thought.

What if 2026 isn’t about fixing everything?
What if it’s about carrying forward what already works?

Connection.
Consistency.
Progress, not comparison.
Calm before correction.

Instead of asking,
“What should I fix next year?”

Maybe ask,
“What helped my child feel safe this year?”

That answer is often quieter than we expect.

You don’t need a new version of yourself for 2026.
Tak perlu jadi parent yang magically lebih sabar overnight.

Your child doesn’t need perfect.

They need you hadir.
They need you steady.
They need you human.

🌱 One small thing to try

The next time things feel overwhelming,
pause before changing ten things at once.

Try one simple thing first.
White noise.
Dim lights.
Holding your baby close and breathing together.

No fixing.
No correcting.
Just being there.

Sometimes, that’s enough.

I shared a small visual reminder on Instagram too … something you can save for days like this.

As we step into 2026,
I just want to say this quietly.

Happy New Year 🤍

Not the loud, fireworks kind.
The kind where you’re still tired, still learning, but still showing up.

Tak apa kalau you don’t have big plans yet.
Tak apa kalau last year felt messy.

May 2026 be a little calmer.
A little kinder.
And full of small moments where things finally settle.

Always cheering for you,
Dr Nisa Khalil 🤍

P.S.

Calm doesn’t always look like having the right answer.
Sometimes it looks like sending one last WhatsApp message at 10pm and trusting that it helps.