Category: Children’s Health

*  Bacterial sore throats usually cause a high fever, headaches, or swollen neck glands. But sometimes children with bacterial sore throats have no other problems. Strep throat is one kind of bacterial sore throat. Antibiotics can help cure a bacterial sore throat.

*  Viral sore throats are more common. They may or may not cause the same problems as a bacterial sore throat. You can’t cure a viral sore throat with antibiotics.

*  Have your child gargle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1/2 cup of warm water. Do this every few hours. Only do this with children over 6 years old.

*  Give your child warm drinks like tea and soup. The tea can be plain or with honey. (Don’t give honey to a baby under 1 year old.)

*  For strep throat, give cold foods and liquids, like popsicles and frozen yogurt.

*  Keep your child away from secondhand smoke.

*  Use a cool-mist vaporizer in the room where your child spends most of the time. Clean it every day. Use distilled (not tap) water.

*  Feed your child foods that are soft and/or cold. The food should be easy to swallow. Don’t give your child spicy foods.

*  Have your child suck on a piece of hard candy or a cough drop if he or she is 5 or more years old. You can give corn syrup to a younger child.

*  For pain and fever give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Make sure to 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.)

*  Don’t use throat sprays. Some throat sprays have benzocaine. Benzocaine bothers some children.

*  Your child has the flu or some other sickness.

*  Your child isn’t getting enough water.

*  Your child is holding in the bowel movement because he or she:

– Has a bad diaper rash.

– Has a tear in the rectum (the opening where stool comes out).

– Is being toilet trained.

*  Give your child lots of water and other things to drink. (This is very important when the weather is hot.)

*  Give your child prune juice.

*  To help your baby pass stool, lie the baby on his or her back. Move the baby’s legs like he or she is riding a bicycle. Or bend your baby’s legs at the knees and hold them up to your baby’s chest.

*  Don’t give honey to an infant.

*  Feed your child foods with fiber:

– Babies 6 months old and older can have whole wheat baby cereal.

– Older children can eat fruit, and whole-wheat breads and cereals, and vegetables.

– Put 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of syrup in 4 ounces of water.

OR

– Put 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of syrup in 4 ounces of formula.

*  Mineral oil. (Don’t give mineral oil to a child under 3 years old.)

*  Glycerin suppositories.

*  Laxatives like Colace® or Metamucil®.

*  Hard.

*  “Rubbery.”

*  Without pain.

*  Getting bigger.

*  A throat or ear infection is a  common cause of swollen glands in the neck.

*  An infection in the feet, legs, or groin can make the lymph glands in the groin swell.

*  Mononucleosis can make neck glands swell. (High school and college students call this “mono” or “the kissing disease.”)

*  Mumps.

*  Cat scratch fever. A cat’s claws carry this sickness.

*  Medicines, like Dilantin®. (This medicine is for epilepsy.)

*  Dental work.

*  Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands, or leukemia.

*  Tuberculosis (TB).

*  Make sure your children’s measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots are up-to-date.

*  Keep your child away from people who have sicknesses they can catch.

*  Tell your child to rest when they feel tired. Tell them not to “overdo it.”

*  Give your child plenty to drink.

*  Put warm, wet washcloths and antiseptic creams on scratches and other wounds.

*  Asthma.

*  Bronchitis. This is a respiratory tract infection.

*  A cold or the flu.

*  Croup.

*  Measles.

*  Smoking or secondhand smoke.

*  Swollen adenoids. (This can lead to an infection.)

*  Whooping cough. A vaccine for this is part of the DTaP shot.

*  Give your child plenty of liquids, like water and clear soup. These help loosen mucus and soothe a sore throat. Fruit juices are good, too.

*  Use a cool-mist vaporizer, especially in the bedroom. Use distilled (not tap) water. Put a humidifier on the furnace. Keep them very clean. Remember to change the filter on the humidifier.

*  Sit with your child in the bathroom with the shower running. The steam can help thin the mucus. (If your child has asthma, do not follow this tip.)

*  Raise your child’s head when resting if he or she has a cold or respiratory infection.

*  Put your child’s head lower than his or her chest if the infection is in the lungs.

*  Ask your child’s doctor or pharmacist what kind of cough medicine is O.K. to give your child.

*  Make your own cough medicine. Mix 1 part lemon juice and 2 parts honey. (Don’t give this to children under 1 year old.)

*  Have your child suck on cough drops, hard candies, or suckers. Give suckers that have safety loops instead of hard sticks. (Don’t give these to a child under 5 years old.)

*  If your baby coughs after eating:

– Have your baby sit up when he or she eats.

– If your baby drinks from a bottle, burp your baby after each ounce of formula. Burp the baby every few minutes when breast-feeding.

– Don’t lie the baby down after feeding.

*  Don’t smoke. Keep your child away from secondhand smoke. Tell your child not to smoke.

*  Keep your child away from chemical gases that can hurt their lungs.

*  When your child is better, promote exercise on a regular basis. Your child’s breathing muscles will get stronger. Your child will fight infection better, too.

*  Keep your child’s shots up-to-date.

*  For fever and aches, give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Make sure you give the right kind and dose for your child’s weight.

*  If your child gets bronchitis easily, keep him or her away from air pollution as much as you can. Use  air conditioning and air filters. Have your child wear a filter mask over his or her nose and mouth if needed. Keep your child inside when air pollution is heavy.

*  Call the doctor if your child doesn’t get better in 24 hours.

*  Keep coins, paper clips, balloons, and small toy parts out of the reach of babies and small children. Anything that is small enough to fit through the center of a paper towel roll is a choking hazard for babies and small children.

*  Watch your child when he or she eats. For a child less than 4 years old, give foods that are soft and cut up. Don’t give foods in the list below to a child less than 4 years old.

– Peanuts and other nuts.

– Popcorn.

– Hot dogs (even when cut in round pieces).

– Raisins and other dried fruit.

– Raw carrots.

– Chewing gum.

– Peanut butter from a spoon.

– Hard candy, sunflower or pumpkin seeds. (Wait until a child is age 5 years old to give these.)