Talk about common childhood diseases and my mind starts to recall some of the worst nightmares of my childhood. My doctor used to say, “You know, if all you want to do is meet me 4 times a month, just come anyway, you don’t need to have a disease every time you want to meet me.” In this post, I will share some tips for common childhood diseases that might be of good use to you.
Today, thanks to my fitness transformation, I got to know that almost every health problem is somehow related to your nutrition. That is why I follow a strict nutrition plan not only to maintain my body externally but also to take care of it internally. But when it comes to children, they are susceptible to a lot of viral infections and eating good cannot be the solution to all common childhood diseases. Some of them are just bound to happen and you have to take care of them, and also ensure that their contagious infections harm as few people as possible.
Tips for common childhood diseases
Tonsillitis
This was my worst nightmare, that agony in my tonsils made me feel like my throat is being crushed.
Tonsils actually protect our body from various bacterias and viruses. In order to prevent bacteria from spreading in the body, tonsils make room for them. And that is why we feel pain while swallowing food. The pain becomes so severe that even drinking water can sometimes become almost impossible.
Tonsillitis is prevalent among children up to their teenage and sometimes beyond.
Tips:
A. Gargle 3-4 times in a row with hot water mixed with salt. This will ease the pain dramatically. I regret that I didn’t listen to my father sooner and had to suffer the pain for so many years. I didn’t like gargling and never took it seriously, so I would wait for the water to cool down. Make sure your kid gargles with hot water.
B. Drink plenty of warm water and don’t let the body dehydrate. While throat gets really dry so you need to make sure your kid drinks water as soon as they wake up. That is the time when tonsils will be paining badly.
C. Consume warm foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, etc.
D. Avoid spicy food.
Prevention:
All cases of tonsillitis cannot be prevented. However, by washing the hands properly, using soap and water, can decrease the chances of getting tonsillitis.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
It is a contagious common cold and has very slim chances of getting severe. If RSV gets severe, it can cause swollen lungs and pneumonia.
Children who are born prematurely, or have heart or lung disease, or have weak immune system are most susceptible to RSV. Also, all children aged 8-10 weeks are somewhat susceptible to it.
Symptoms and causes:
A. Cold and cough
B. Dehydration
C. When the child refuses breast milk.
Prevention:
A. Do your best to keep your child clean all the time, wash your hands before touching the child.
B. Keep them away from pollution and crowd.
C. Don’t let people with cold near them.
D. If your child is susceptible to it, consult with a doctor.
Croup
Croup causes trouble in breathing among children. The coughing gets worse at night.
Symptoms:
Fever, Cough and cold, runny nose
Treatment:
A. Expose your child to steam. Breathing in the hot and humid air will ease the windpipe.
B. If the problem escalates, take your child to a doctor immediately, not every breathing problem is croup.
Fifth Disease
It is a viral infection, a contagious one. When an infected person coughs in public, children near him are likely to get it. It is mild viral, very common among school children. Adults and babies are least likely to get affected by it. An infected pregnant woman should always take care of her, as it can cause risk of severe anemia. If your kid has this viral, he/she will be contagious and may cause this to other people. But, when the rashes start to appear (first on face and then on body), they are no longer contagious.
Symptoms:
A. Red rashes on cheeks
B. Fever and cold
Diarrhea and vomiting
This is very common among babies and children. It can happen due to a viral fever, or stomach bug, or food poisoning.
Prevention and tips:
A. Prefer breastfeeding instead of bottled milk. If you’re feeding bottled milk, do not prepare it in advance. Stored bottled milk can attract bacteria.
B. Avoid dehydration, make them drink adequate water, especially when the child is surviving on a liquid diet. Diarrhea and vomiting can cause lack of water in the body.
C. Do not opt for fasting, whether they eat or not will not affect their situation. So always feed them proper meals.
D. Foods that are high in carbs are preferred, such as chapatti, brown bread, brown rice, etc.
E. Maintain proper hygiene: Clean the baby’s bottom properly after an episode of diarrhea to avoid the spreading of infection. Ensure that the baby’s surroundings are clean all the time. When the baby vomits, make sure to wash and clean them properly.
F. Avoid antibiotics, as they won’t affect the virus which is causing diarrhea.
Common symptoms
Now, above common childhood diseases have some things in common, like cold, fever, cough, dehydration. There a lot more common childhood illness, but you’ll always find these symptoms attached to most of them. So you can make sure your child doesn’t stay near a person who has a cold. Feed them proper foods, and adequate water. Take special care of them during seasonal changes. Make sure they don’t drink cold water, especially when they are susceptible to tonsillitis, or when they come home after playing.
Important note:
While there is a lot you can do at home, it is always recommended to consult a doctor and get proper knowledge of what your child is dealing with.
This is your child’s learning age, take utmost care of them so that they don’t have to miss school, hobbies, play time, etc. Get a home teacher for your child, be it learning guitar at home, or speaking English, or a home tutor for academics, dance, etc. Qriyo has a home tuition for you.
Download Qriyo’s home tuition app or visit home tuition website now and request a demo of what you want your child to learn.
