Sick

Some of the most common child illnesses in 2012 are the following. First is the common cold a child could catch a cold up to a dozen times a year. The winter can give you the most occurrences. When your baby gets a cold it also gets discomfort in the nose, throat, and over all achiness. These bugs are contagious. As they begin attending daycare and school, the colds seem to spread throughout a classroom or group. Vomiting can be caused by many things but just a simple stomach virus is the most common cause. This usually has diarrhea and a low grade fever and can spread easily from one baby to another. Sore throat is usually caused by a virus or bacteria that have infected the sensitive lining of the throat leading to a red and sore throat making it hard to swallow and even to breathe. As a baby can’t tell you what is wrong, watch for your baby refusing to eat or play with their mouth more often they usually do. Also with the croup a child will sound like a seal barking when they have the croup caused by an infection that is hindering your baby’s breathing. This is not life threatening as the airways are not completely closing up, but it’s difficult to breathe. Ear infections are so common in babies. They can’t tell you they hurt, but they will be cranky, maybe have a low grade temperature, and might pull at their infected ear even going so far as to hit at it. Bronchitis is when a baby’s lungs begin to fill with fluid or mucus; the airways get blocked preventing clear breathing. This is usually caused after a prolonged cold or other virus. Meningitis infection is a very serious sickness that affects the spinal cord and the brain. This infection is also very contagious. Signs of meningitis include fever, vomiting, fatigue, sensitivity to light, stiff neck with restricted movement, and a painful cry coming from your baby. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the lower airways) and pneumonia in babies. It is an illness that often occurs in yearly outbreaks in communities and in newborn intensive care units (NICUs). In the United States, RSV is more common in winter and spring months. RSV is spread from respiratory secretions through close contact with infected persons or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. Infection can occur when infectious material contacts mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, or nose, and possibly through the inhalation of droplets generated by a sneeze or cough. There are a number of ways to treat these illnesses but one should always take their child to a doctor immediately after suspecting their child is ill. Let them rest. The body needs its rest to fight the bug. Fluids need to be given to replace their electrolytes. Talk to your doctor about which ones are best for your baby. Keep a vaporizer near your child. Steam is good for your child’s lungs. Try to keep your baby sitting up in a car seat or other method. Lying down restricts the lungs. Keep them warm but not too warm because too much warmth can actually raise their body temperature. Use a humidifier to help loosen up any congestion. There are many ways to prevent from contracting these illnesses. The main thing to do is wash hands. This means your hands and the baby’s hands after they have played, before they eat, after they eat, and any time they have been crawling around on the floor. They pick up everything and end up putting it in their mouth. It is recommended that all childhood immunizations be current. This information should be recorded by the child’s parent/guardian. The diaper changing area and anything else that comes in contact with a child’s feces or urine should always be cleaned and disinfected with a bleach sanitizing solution after every diaper change. Always wash your hands before handling food and after going to the toilet or changing a diaper. It is important to be careful what kinds of food and how to prepare it in order to keep children from getting food poisoning from over cooked or under cooked food. As a child I remember having ear infections a lot and they were a miserable and painful experience for me and eventually I had to get surgery to prevent them from happening so often. My parents were very supportive and would comfort me when I would cry. They would get me popsicles and treat me to ice cream every time I had to go to the doctor. If my child was sick I would have basically done the same thing. I would do everything I could to take my child’s mind off the illness and always see a doctor if I suspect something is wrong. If my child is pretending to be sick because they don’t want to go to school I would allow them to stay home because obviously something at school is scaring them or making them upset.  While they are home is would discuss with them why they are afraid to go to school, fix the problem, contact the school if needed,  and send my child back to school the following day.

http://anationofmoms.com/2012/03/9-most-common-childhood-diseases.html

http://www.stlouischildrens.org/articles/wellness/what-rsv

http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2003/com018.pdf