Fun fact: Kiddies get sick. A lot! I swear during the first five years, my children constantly had a snotty nose, a fever or some sort of weird ‘kindy’ bug.
Since children’s immune system are still developing, your tot is likely to get sick often during the first few years of their life, especially if they attend a childcare centre or preschool. Below are a few of the common childhood illnesses you will most likely encounter and how to help your little one feel better.
Common Childhood Illnesses
1. Sore Throat
Although sore throats can be quite common, they can be very painful. Sore throats can be viral or bacterial in nature. Simply looking at the throat is not enough for diagnosis. You must consult your paediatric doctor for proper testing and diagnosis. If the cause of the sore throat is viral, antibiotics will not help. Your tot may experience common cold symptoms along with a sore throat. The best thing to do is let your little one rest as much as possible and keep hydrated. A viral sore throat should go away within 7-10 days.
Bacterial sore throats can be caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, a bacterium known to cause strep throat. It can be very painful and is sometimes accompanied by fever, swollen glands in the neck, and tonsils with pus.
It is unusual for babies and toddlers to get strep throat. The infection typically affects school-age children and teens but it is important to be aware of this condition.
Sore throats are usually spread through coughs and sneezes, so teach bub to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough. Additionally, sick children can spread sore throat germs by not washing their hands and touching everything, especially toys.
2. Ear Pain
Ear pain is one of the most common childhood illnesses. It can be caused by ear infections (otitis media), swimmer’s ear (infection of the skin in the ear canal), pressure from a cold or sinus infection, and teeth pain radiating up the jaw to the ear, among others.
Proper diagnosis will require a visit to your paediatrician’s office. As with a sore throat, ear infections can be viral or bacterial. Bacterial earaches can be accompanied by high fever and can affect both ears. Your paediatrician will likely prescribe an antibiotic, usually amoxicillin.
Viral ear infections do not require antibiotics. Your paediatrician will likely advise on the best way to help your tot through the pain.
3. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Urine does not usually carry germs. But when bacteria enter the urinary tract, UTIs occur.
They can happen to anyone from infancy into adulthood. However, girls suffer from UTIs more frequently than boys. Additionally, uncircumcised boys tend to have higher rates of UTIs than those who are circumcised.
Typical UTI symptoms in children include:
- Pain or burning while urinating
- Frequent or urgent urination
- Difficulty urinating
- Cloudy or bloody urine
- Bedwetting or accidents when already potty trained
- Abdominal pain
- Side or back pain
A urine sample will help your child’s paediatrician determine the best treatment based on the bacteria detected in their urine.
Depending on the severity of the infection, your physician may choose to inject your tot with the antibiotic or prescribe it in pill or liquid form.
4. Skin Infection
Skin infections can include boils, abscesses, and cellulitis and can arise from a scratch or insect bite.
Boils are superficial infections, usually covering a small area with a thin layer over liquid. Abscesses are typically larger and deeper than boils. Cellulitis is characterised by redness, skin tenderness, and fever.
A skin test is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment. Be sure to disclose to your pediatrician if your tot has had a history of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Staph infection, or other resistant bacteria or if they have come into contact with someone who has had such an infection. This will allow for the proper treatment of your child.
The contagious period for skin infection is unknown; however, a break in the skin and contact with pus can lead to infection.
5. Bronchiolitis
This illness affects mostly infants and young tots, with the highest incidence during the cold and flu months.
Bronchiolitis is typically caused by a virus. Therefore, antibiotics are not effective against this infection. As with a sore throat, try to get your child to rest. Make them comfortable and monitor whether they have difficulty breathing, eating, or drinking water.
6. Common Cold
The common cold is caused by a virus in the upper respiratory tract. Most young children get between 6 to 8 colds per year, especially tots who attend childcare centres.
Typical cold symptoms include a runny nose, congestion, and cough and they can last up to 10 days. Note that green mucus does not indicate a bacterial infection or that antibiotics will be necessary.
Encourage your tot to drink plenty of fluids. Doing so will keep them hydrated and will help make the mucus thinner and easier to cough and blow their nose.
Use a bulb syringe to suction liquid and mucus from your child’s nose. Additionally, using a saline nose spray will help loosen up mucus and allow them to blow their nose.
Furthermore, a humidifier can keep your bub’s mucus from drying out and causing pain and irritation in the nose.
Read more: CHECKLIST: How to Prepare for Baby’s First Colds and What You’ll Need to Treat Them
7. Bacterial Sinusitis
Bacterial sinusitis is caused by bacteria being trapped in your child’s sinuses. When cold-like symptoms do not go away after 10 days, it is likely bacterial sinusitis.
If your tot has a thick, yellow nasal discharge and a fever for three or four days in a row, they likely have bacterial sinusitis. Your child’s paediatrician will likely prescribe antibiotics.
8. Cough
Coughs are typically caused by a virus; therefore, no antibiotics are necessary.
Do not give kids younger than four years old any cough medications. Children between the ages of four to six must receive their paediatrician’s approval as they can have serious side effects.
Honey can help soothe your child’s cough. However, do not give honey to your child under 1, as it can cause infant botulism.
Tots older than a year can have two to five millilitres (ml) of honey. Consuming just a little bit of honey can help thin out your child’s mucus and loosen their cough.
Additionally, massaging vapour rub on children older than two on their chest and neck will help to soothe their cough, especially at night.
9. Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, causes inflammation of the thin tissue protecting the white portion of the eye and inside the lids. It can be mainly caused by bacteria and viruses.
With a bacterial infection, your tot’s eyes can be red, pink, itchy, and painful. They can also have greenish/yellow secretion and their eyes can be crusted shut in the morning when they wake, which can be quite scary for them.
Your child will not be contagious after they start their medication or when they no longer have symptoms.
A viral eye infection will make your child’s eyes pink, inflamed, watery, and sensitive to light. Conjunctivitis can happen at the beginning of a viral respiratory tract infection. Your tot can remain contagious for several weeks after the first sign of symptoms.
10. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious illness that is caused by different viruses. It is very common among young children attending childcare centres and preschools. Although not a concerning illness, it can cause great discomfort in children.
Once someone is exposed to an infected individual, it takes about three to six days to show symptoms, which include a fever, sore throat, and a runny nose.
As the name implies, children get a rash with tiny blisters in their mouth (inner cheeks, gums, sides of the tongue, and top of the mouth), fingers, palms of hands, the bottom of feet, and buttocks.
Your child’s paediatrician can confirm the disease based on the symptoms he observes. Since there is no medication to treat or cure this disease, you may want to give your little one a pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen) to minimise their discomfort and reduce their fever.
If, however, your tot’s fever lasts longer than three days and they are not drinking liquids you must contact their physician immediately.
As a worried parent, it can be difficult to decide whether you should take your child to the doctor or whether you’re overreacting. While it’s good to always go with your gut, here are some instances in which you should take a trip to your doctor.
Babies under three months old with a fever (temperature above 38°C) should be taken to see the doctor. Additionally,
- All newborns and young babies aged under three months should see a doctor, regardless.
- If your child looks very sick, is poorly responsive, is uninterested in his or her surroundings, is very sluggish, and/or won’t feed from the breast or bottle
- Any child with a weakened immune system due to a medical condition who has a fever above 38°C should be taken to the doctor.
- If he or she has a fever of 40°C or higher
- If they cry constantly
- A child that is difficult to wake up or rouse
- If they have a stiff neck
- You see purple spots or a rash appear on their skin
- Breathing appears difficult or becomes shallow
- If the child is drooling excessively or having difficulty swallowing
- Where there is the presence of an earache or sore throat, or the child is pulling at ears
- A child who is limp or will not use an arm or leg
- In the case of severe abdominal pain
- If they are having difficulty urinating and/or complain that it’s sore to go to the toilet
- You notice redness or swelling on his or her body
- If your child’s fever lasts more than a few days
- If they have a seizure (fit, convulsion)
Remember, you know your child best. As always, exercise your mother’s intuition or “mum-gut”. If something is niggling you that it’s not right, you should contact your doctor or visit your local hospital as soon as possible.
