Friday 18 September 2015
The Flu
This very contagious virus travels quickly through day cares and families. An infected baby will be cranky and will lose interest in playing or eating. Then she'll develop a fever followed by a runny or stuffy nose and a cough. A flu-related fever can last three to seven days, and kids can continue to feel cranky for a few days after that.
How to treat: Care for your child as if she has a cold: give her plenty of liquids and watch out for severe coughing or breathing problems. To prevent a future bout, get your child vaccinated, which experts recommend for all kids over 6 months.
When to call the doctor: If baby is a newborn and sick, or if symptoms don't improve within five days.
Fever
This is a sign of an underlying problem rather than an illness on its own. "The body raises its temperature because the enzymes that fight infection work better at higher temperatures," Dr. Horowitz says. A fever can be related to an ear infection, a cold, the flu, or it can be a reaction to a vaccine. Feverish kids are lethargic and irritable.
How to treat: Some parents have "fever phobia" and want to take their kids to the doctor for the slightest increase in temperature. But low-grade fevers (101 degrees or below) typically aren't dangerous. Give baby Infants' Tylenol, undress her, encourage her to drink fluids, and bathe her in tepid water. "Just wiping her down could lower her fever by a degree or two," says Christopher Tolcher, MD, a pediatrician in Agoura Hills, California.
When to call the doctor: If your baby is a newborn (2 months or younger) and has even a low-grade fever, if your child is younger than 1 year and has a fever of 102 degrees or higher, if an older child has a fever of 104 degrees or higher, or if the fever (even a low-grade one) lasts more than three days. Drastic changes in behavior--such as your child's becoming very lethargic--are also cause for concern.
This very contagious virus travels quickly through day cares and families. An infected baby will be cranky and will lose interest in playing or eating. Then she'll develop a fever followed by a runny or stuffy nose and a cough. A flu-related fever can last three to seven days, and kids can continue to feel cranky for a few days after that.
How to treat: Care for your child as if she has a cold: give her plenty of liquids and watch out for severe coughing or breathing problems. To prevent a future bout, get your child vaccinated, which experts recommend for all kids over 6 months.
When to call the doctor: If baby is a newborn and sick, or if symptoms don't improve within five days.
Fever
This is a sign of an underlying problem rather than an illness on its own. "The body raises its temperature because the enzymes that fight infection work better at higher temperatures," Dr. Horowitz says. A fever can be related to an ear infection, a cold, the flu, or it can be a reaction to a vaccine. Feverish kids are lethargic and irritable.
How to treat: Some parents have "fever phobia" and want to take their kids to the doctor for the slightest increase in temperature. But low-grade fevers (101 degrees or below) typically aren't dangerous. Give baby Infants' Tylenol, undress her, encourage her to drink fluids, and bathe her in tepid water. "Just wiping her down could lower her fever by a degree or two," says Christopher Tolcher, MD, a pediatrician in Agoura Hills, California.
When to call the doctor: If your baby is a newborn (2 months or younger) and has even a low-grade fever, if your child is younger than 1 year and has a fever of 102 degrees or higher, if an older child has a fever of 104 degrees or higher, or if the fever (even a low-grade one) lasts more than three days. Drastic changes in behavior--such as your child's becoming very lethargic--are also cause for concern.