Baby Illnesses: What You Can Do At Home

There’s nothing you can do to stop your baby getting sick, but there are some common illnesses that you can deal with at home.

1. Fever
A fever is a high temperature accompanied by chills and sweating. It’s usually a sign of infection and often accompanies colds, flu, ear infections and other viruses. If your baby is under three months, her temperature shouldn’t be over 37.7°C; between three and six months it should not be over 38.2°C, and older than six months should not be over 39.2°C

To bring the temperature down:
• Give child paracetamol at the correct dose (never give asprin to your child).
• Sponge her down with tepid (not cold) water. Gently pat dry (don’t rub). The water has a cooling effect on the body.
• Give her plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
• Keep her room cool.
• Use only a light sheet or blanket for covering.

When to call a doctor:
• If your baby has a history of seizures or chronic illness
• Is crying inconsolably
• Is limp and unresponsive
• Has a raised temperature that lasts more than three days

2. Middle Ear Infection
Recognise it:
• Intense crying and pulling at the ear
• Hearing loss
• Your baby seems to be off balance

Treatment
Ear drops should be sufficient to heal the infection. If antibiotics are prescribed, use the full course, which is usually ten days. If you don’t see a dramatic improvement in your child’s condition within 48 hours of starting the antibiotic, contact your doctor.

3. Colds and Flu
A cold is a runny nose, cough and sore throat, usually without the fever. Symptoms of flu are very similar, but appear quite suddenly. There’s a high temperature (above 39°C), dry cough, muscular aches, stuffy nose, tiredness and weakness, headache and sometimes a sore throat. Both colds and flu usually clear up in about 10 to 14 days.

Medication you can use:
• Paracetamol is available as a syrup or in suppository form
• Decongestants will help with sleeping and feeding. These are available as nose drops, sprays and syrups.

Home treatment for colds and flu:
• Give your little one plenty to drink to flush out the infection, prevent dehydration and help relieve congestion.
•To help clear a stuffy nose, rub a menthol ointment (or eucalyptus or menthol essential oil) on the soles of your baby’s feet and cover with a babygrow or socks.
• Use salt water or a few drops of breastmilk to clear the nose before resorting to nasal decongestants.
• Sleeping with the head elevated will help with mucus drainage.

When to call the doctor:
• If your baby seems to be getting worse
• The fever stays high
• Laboured, rapid breathing
• Diarrhoea
• Persistent vomiting
• A persistent cough
• Nasal discharge is yellow, green or bloody

4. Diarrhoea
More than four loose, watery bowel movements per day is generally a sign of diarrhoea.

What you can do:
• Continue with breastmilk or formula
• To settle an upset tummy, give 25ml of rooibos tea twice a day
• Wash your hands often, especially when handling food or changing nappies.
• If our little one can’t keep anything down, give her liquids in small sips.

Call your doctor if:
• Your child is under one year old
• Symptoms do not improve within a day
• Diarrhoea is accompanied by vomiting and fever
• She passes blood in her stool

5. Constipation
The passing of hard pellet-like stools usually indicates constipation.

What is normal?
A breastfed baby can go up to seven or more days without bowel movement, then produce a normal soft stool. Bottlefed babies can have a bowel movement as often as four times a day or as seldom as once every four days.

Treatment:
• Give your baby plenty of fluids and add a little apple juice.
• Add a little brown sugar to your baby’s bottle.
• Give prune juice or puréed prunes.

6. Rotavirus
Symptoms:
• Vomiting which usually lasts 3-4 days
• Watery diarrhoea, which may persist for 7-10 days
• Fever

Children aged six months to five years are the most at risk for infection. The most severe cases of rotavirus occur in children who are younger that one year of age.

Treatment:
• Rehydrate children as soon as possible
• Severely dehydrated children may need to be treated in hospital to get their fluid salt levels back to normal.

What you can do to protect your child?
Immunisation with an effective rotavirus vaccination is part of the real protection against this potentially deadly disease. This is an oral vaccine that must be given in two doses, when a child is under six months, and should be spaced at least on month apart.

7. Nappy Rash
How to prevent it:
• Apply water- repellent zinc cream or petroleum jelly at every change
• Only use a small amount of barrier cream with disposable nappies
• Leave the nappy off whenever possible
• Don’t use talcum powder around her genitals as it irritates the skin
• Always use cotton wool to clean your baby’s bottom – never a facecloth
• Avoid perfumed skin products and washing powders
• Double rinse if you are using toweling nappies

How to treat it:
• Wash baby’s bottom with warm water and thoroughly pat dry
• Look for over the counter creams for preventing and treating nappy rash

Immunisation
Immunisation should be done at birth, six weeks old, 10 weeks old, 14 weeks old, 9 months old, 18 months old and then later on as your child gets older.
• Polio
• Measles
• Hepatitis B
• Whooping Cough
• Tetanus
• Diptheria
• Some forms of Tuberculosis
• Meningitis

In addition to these immunisations, there are one or two extra ones that you can have, but you do have to pay for them.
1. Chicken Pox – Given at 12 months.
2. Hepatitis A – Especially good for children who attend a daycare or crèche.
3. Rotavirus
4. Prevenar – Three doses have to be given from the age of 10 weeks and this helps to protect your child against chest/lung/ear infections, as well as some forms of meningitis.