Keeping a child healthy is a challenging task indeed. Parents struggle to prevent, diagnose, manage and treat various sicknesses. For new parents, it’s an uphill task. There are several ways of ensuring baby’s health and happiness. When handling a sick baby, gather as much information about the situation as possible and relay it to the doctor.
Fever
When a child is suffering from fever, chances are that there is another illness. In most cases, fever in babies is a pointer to a condition such as flu, cold or ear infection.
Tip: A mild fever is not dangerous and can be managed by giving the baby lots of fluids, fresh air and over-the-counter medication like Infants’ Tylenol. However, seek medical assistance immediately the symptoms start to show for infants less than 2 months old.
Common Cold
A sick baby suffering from the common cold displays signs like coughing, sneezing and/or stuffy nose. This is a condition that lasts for less than a week before subsiding.
Tip: Put a humidifier inside the room of the baby to decongest the air. Instead of using medication for coughs on infants, opt for Infant’s Tylenol instead. Ensure that you breastfeed the baby plenty of times. For newborns, call your doctor right away.
Flu
Flu is a highly contagious airborne disease. A sick baby infected with this virus tends to be irritable and disinterested in food or play. Other symptoms to lookout for include: Fever, cough and stuffy/ runny nose.
Tip: Give the child plenty of fluids. Protect children older than 6 months from future attacks by getting them inoculated. If the flu is accompanied with breathing problems and/or serious coughs, contact your doctor.
Ear Infection
It is quite hard to understand the body language of babies. In normal cases, children stroke their ears when they are sleepy. An ear infection causes a similar reaction. This is especially true when the baby is also suffering from fever and has a stuffy nose.
Tip: Avoid using antibiotics in excess as this can aggravate the condition. If the infection does not clear on its own in a few days, seek medical assistance.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea in infants can be identified by watery stool. Frequent bowel movement is also another major symptom. This illness is caused by food intolerance, infection, medication or allergy.
Tip: When the diarrhea lasts for more than 10 days, take the sick baby to the hospital. Give the baby plenty of water to hydrate the body.
Conjunctivitis
This is an illness that affects the eyes causing puffiness and redness. When the eyes are inflamed, conjunctivitis is experienced. It can affect one or both eyes. The illness is contagious.
Tip: Clean the eyes of the sick baby regularly using warm water. Use gentle massaging strokes to avoid worsening the situation. Eye infections resolve in less than a week. Seek medical attention if the sickness persists.
All in all, consult your doctor before using any medication on the sick child. Ensure that they do not contain ingredients that can cause allergic reactions.