Category: Children’s Health

*  Your child’s chest or forehead may feel hot.

*  He or she may sweat or feel sick.

*  Your child’s temperature is:

– Higher than 99.5ºF by mouth or ear. (Higher than 100.5ºF with a pacifier thermometer.)

– Higher than 100.4ºF by rectum.

– Higher than 89.5ºF under the armpit.

*  Pacifier thermometers. These are for children 3 months old to 2 years old.

*  Digital thermometers run on batteries. They are good and work in less than 30 seconds. (Make sure the batteries are good.)

*  Temperature strips go on the forehead. They are easy to use, but do not give a good temperature reading.

*  Ear thermometers work in 2 seconds or less. They are as good as oral thermometers, but they cost more.

*  Make sure your child drinks a lot of fluids. Give fruit juice, water, and other cool drinks.

*  Dress your child in light clothing.

*  Have your child rest.

*  For a high fever, sponge your child with warm (not cold or cool) water. Don’t use rubbing alcohol. Don’t let your child shower. Showering can make the fever go up.

*  Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Make sure you give the right kind and dose for his or her weight. (Note: Do not give aspirin. Aspirin and other medicines that have salicylates have been linked to Reye’s Syndrome.)

*  A fever can occur with other health problems. They include:

– Chickenpox.

– Coughs.

– Croup.

– Cuts, Scrapes & Punctures.

– Diarrhea.

– Earaches.

– Flu.

– Headaches.

– Seizures.

– Sore Throats.

– Swollen Glands.

– Wheezing.

*  Hormone changes in teenagers.

*  A girl’s hormones before her period or when she is pregnant.

*  Heavy lotions or greasy makeup.

*  Stress.

*  Vitamin pills that have iodine.

*  Some medicines, such as steroids, and lithium.

*  Keep the skin clean. Wash often with plain soap and water. Use a washcloth. Work the soap into the skin gently for a minute or two. Rinse well. Don’t scrub.

*  Have your child use a clean washcloth every day. Bacteria grow on a wet washcloth, and they can give your child more pimples.

*  Have your child try an astringent lotion, degreasing pads, or a face scrub.

*  Ask your child’s doctor for the name of a good acne soap.

*  Leave your child’s skin alone! Tell your child not to squeeze, scratch, or poke at pimples. They can get infected and leave scars.

*  Buy a lotion, cream, or soap that has benzoyl peroxide. Follow what the label states. (Some people are allergic to benzoyl peroxide. Try a little on your child’s arm first to make sure it doesn’t hurt the skin.)

*  Have your child wash after he or she exercises and sweats.

*  Have your child wash his or her hair at least every other day.

*  Have your child use only water- based makeup. Don’t let him or her use greasy or oily creams, lotions, or makeups.

*  Don’t let your child spend too much time in the sun.

*  Don’t let your child use a sun lamp.

*  Give your child 1 teaspoon of sugar. Have him or her swallow it fast. Do it 3 or more times, once every 2 minutes, if the hiccups don’t stop right away. (Note: For younger children, use 1 teaspoon of corn syrup.)

*  Give babies a swallow of water.

*  If all that doesn’t work, try this: Gently push down the back of your child’s tongue with the handle of a spoon. Do it 3 or 4 times.

*  Don’t scare the child to try to make the hiccups stop.

*  Have your child drink water with their head forward and down.

*  Here are some old folk cures you can try:

– Hold your child’s tongue with your clean thumb and index finger. Gently pull on the tongue.

– Give your child a little cracked ice to swallow.

– Have your child drink a glass of water fast.

*  Chronic coughing.

*  Trouble breathing.

*  Tight feeling in the chest.

*  Wheezing.

*  Colds, flu, and other infections in the throat and lungs.

*  Breathing pollen from plants, mold, animal dander, dust, or smoke.

*  Sulfites. These are additions in some foods.

*  Taking some medicines, like aspirin.

*  Breathing cold air.

*  Exercising too hard.

*  Getting upset, angry, or “stressed out.”

*  Bronchodilators. These drugs open up the airways in the body. They come either as a spray or as something you swallow.

*  Drugs to help with swelling of the airways in the body. They come either as a spray, or as pills you swallow.

*  Drugs to help with chronic swelling of the airways in the body. They come as pills.

*  Peak flow meter. This is a device to monitor your child’s asthma at home.

*  Flu vaccine. This is given once a year.

*  Don’t smoke or let your child smoke. Don’t allow smoking in the house.

*  Have your child drink a lot of water, juice, and other fluids. (Ask your child’s doctor how much fluid your child should have each day.)

*  Find out what triggers your child’s asthma. Get rid of things that bother your child at home, at school, and where he or she plays.

*  If you don’t have a dog, cat, or other pet, don’t get one. If you have a pet, keep it outside if you can. If not, don’t let it in your child’s bedroom.

*  Keep things your child is allergic to out of his or her bedroom.

*  Have your child sleep with no pillow or the kind the doctor says is O.K.

*  Cover your child’s mattress and pillow with a plastic cover or one that says allergen-free. Wash mattress pads in hot water every week.

*  Use throw rugs that can be washed often instead of carpets. Pollen, pet dander, mold, and dust mites collect in carpets. Use blinds and curtains that can be washed often, too.

*  Try not to have stuffed animals kept in your child’s bedroom. Or have only one that can be washed. Wash it in hot water once a week.old, and dust mites collect in carpets. Use blinds and curtains that can be washed often, too.

*  If you can, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and double-thickness bags. When you vacuum, have your child wear a filter mask over his or her nose and mouth.

*  Use air filters with your furnace and air-conditioning unit. Or use portable air cleaners to keep the air clean. Change or wash filters often. Keep the humidifier filter clean, if you use one. Use distilled (not tap) water in humidifiers and vaporizers.

*  Don’ t hang sheets and blankets outside to dry. Pollen can get on them.

*  It’s good for your child to do sports like swimming. But tell your child to stop exercising if he or she starts to wheeze.

*  When outdoors in cold weather, have your child wear a scarf around his or her mouth and nose. The scarf warms the air before your child breathes it in.

*  Don’t let your child eat foods or medicines that have sulfites. Shellfish, for example, often have sulfites. They bother many people with asthma.

*  Have your child sit up during an asthma attack. Don’t let your child lie down.

*  Don’t run out of your child’s asthma medicine. Keep the medicine handy. Have your child take it as soon as he or she starts to feel an attack.

*  Don’t give your child aspirin! Some people with asthma are allergic to aspirin. Use acetaminophen instead.