Child Healthcare Tips for Parents

The majority of childhood illnesses can be managed and overcome satisfactorily without visits to the doctor or prescription drugs. A general approach to the management of specific symptoms will enable you to handle most of the minor illnesses with confidence and keep your child as comfortable as possible. However, you need to be aware of possible danger signs that indicate necessary medical intervention. This article samples a few dos and don’ts to avoid any child healthcare problem.

Dos

•           Most minor illnesses are caused by viruses, are self-limiting and can be managed safely at home by your comforting presence, your careful observations, and over-the-counter or home remedies. You should be prepared by having some commonly used supplies on hand, such as thermometer, Acetaminophen, antibiotic ointment, Benadryl, etc.

•           When a child has a fever, he will need about ten percent more fluids for each degree Fahrenheit of temperature elevation in order to prevent dehydration. This is why it is important to encourage your feverish child to drink extra fluids, even if this means he eats fewer solids.

•           Always watch the expiry date on medications and safely discard them when they have expired. Outdated medications are at best ineffective and can cause complications at the worst. Furthermore, their presence poses the risk of accidental ingestion by your child.

Don'ts

•           Never save unused antibiotics or administer them when your child gets sick again. Medical consultation and advice from a specialist is imperative. Only a physician should authorize antibiotic therapy and only after examining your child. Giving several doses of leftover antibiotic won’t help your child and could mask more serious illness.

•           Don’t take temperatures rectally if your child is unwilling. An improperly taken rectal temperature in a fighting, squirming youngster may cause injury to the rectum.

•           Routine, uncomplicated chickenpox cases should not be taken to a physician’s office, because chronically ill children who might be able to fight off the infection will be put at risk of exposure.

What to Bear in Mind

Illnesses in children are common. No matter how healthy your baby is at birth, how meticulous you are about his physical care and diet, how vigorously you protect him from the outside environment, he will inevitably experience occasional childhood illness. The average child gets approximately six colds, or upper-respiratory infections, every year. Many infants will have a bout of diarrhea during the first year, and few children will reach school age without having at least one ear infection. When absolute prevention is not possible, cure is better than panic.