Common ailments

Babies are delicate little things and can easily fall ill with ailments that might even prove to be fatal. A harmless cold can very quickly develop into a serious condition which the baby’s immune system simply can’t cope with. For the first year or more you’re going to need to pay attention to the smallest changes in their health.

Your pediatrician will want see the baby regularly at first

Knowing when to reach for the phone and call the doctor or when to adopt a wait-and-see approach is a tough call and the best advice we can think of is to know your baby well and keep well informed. Refusing to feed, constant crying, fits or convulsions, extreme drowsiness, diarrhoea, breathing problems, vomiting or high fever are all signs that should be taken seriously.

Feverish tots can be dealt with using cold fluids and syrup paracetamol (Children under 12 shouldn’t be given full doses of paracetamol pills). Sponging them down and placing them under a cool fan, with plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration will help. Use a forehead thermometer strip, or a conventional thermometer in the armpit or anus to check temperatures which should be between 36 and 37.5 degrees C. If the temperature goes above 39 you should immediately contact a doctor.

Here are some of the most common ailments and diseases

Colds: are common and occur by contracting an airborne virus that thrives in winter. Runny noses and a temperature are symptoms, and relief medicine can be obtained for children from a chemists. Eventually the child’s immune system will overcome the infection.

Ear infections: another infliction children offer suffer, usually from colds or waterborne infections in the ear. Irritability and pulling on ears are the usual symptoms and the infection can be dealt with paracetamol, or antibiotics in stubborn cases.

Constipation and diarrhoea: are both related to diet. Constipation is less serious but does call for increased fluids (water) in the diet if stools are passed less than once in a 24 hour period on a persistent basis. Diarrhoea is related to changing diet, such as weaning or something harsh in mother’s diet if she is breast feeding, such as spicy curries or chilli. Babies’ digestive systems are sensitive so there’s no need to panic, but keep them topped up with water to avoid dehydration.

Vomiting: this is more serious but should not be confused with the normal habit of bringing up little amounts of milk when the baby burps. Violent vomiting in tots under a year old calls for a visit to the doctor, but older babies can be given paracetamol and some water but no food until they’ve calmed down. Keep an eye on their temperature though.

Colic: is a discomfort of the digestive system that affects some babies under the age of three months and results in constant crying, usually at feeding time. Since the ailment isn’t entirely understood there is no exact remedy and a few over the counter medicines that might help, but you might have to resort to trying all sorts of things, from new routines to different formula or monitoring mother’s diet.

Rubella/German measles: is a disease that isn’t commonly caught by tiny tots, but symptoms include rashes and tiny spots on the skin, with swollen glands. Consult a doctor immediately if you suspect this and keep the baby away from pregnant women, as it can be fatal to foetuses.

Measles: has similar symptoms with more definite white-head spots starting on the cheeks, which gradually spread throughout the body and leave within a week. Mother’s immunity from a previous bout of measles will be passed on and few babies contract this disease, but a doctor should be consulted if you suspect otherwise.

Mumps: results in swollen glands that make the face appear puffy, making feeding difficult, but seldom affects children under six months of age. Consult a doctor if you think your baby may have contracted this.

Whooping cough: is far more serious and affects children of any age, starting out with symptoms similar to a common cold then progressing to severe coughing which can last for two or three months and definitely needs medical attention.

Chickenpox: is a rite of passage for all kids when it is less lethal. It’s highly infectious and if one child gets it the others are likely to also. It starts with a fever and ends with itchy spots all over the child’s body – which are the worst part and shouldn’t be scratched or scars will remain. Little ones should certainly be taken to see the doctor.

Vaccines

Nowadays, parents are advised to immunise all babies and young children, your hospital or doctor will advise you about comprehensive vaccines that are now standard for protecting your child against many types of childhood illnesses and other potentially life-threatening diseases.

Immunisation begins at birth and follows a time-table through to the offspring’s teens. Some parents are sceptical about over-vaccinating however the basic standard is commonly used and recommended the world over and has been effectively protecting children for decades. Antibiotics on the other hand are more controversial for they inhibit the natural body’s self reliance ability to develop anti-bodies to fight diseases and viruses.

Some doctors simply prescribe antibiotics as a matter of course, for it is an effective and easy method to deal with ailments however it does have a negative long term effect. The choice is entirely yours, a baby under six months old that is being breast fed will benefit sufficiently from its mother’s immune system antibodies passed on through the milk, but a stubborn condition might call for antibiotics to clear it up. It’s best to discuss your concerns about antibiotics with the family doctor and make your preferences clear to him or her beforehand.

The following is the standard immunisation schedule at the time of writing, but remember that this could change:

This schedule is not necessarily applicable to every child, so talk to your doctor to see what will suit your child.

Caring for babies
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