Minor not major?!
I’ll let you in on a little secret. As a professional writer of pregnancy and parenting articles, I write factual articles, which are designed to inform and advise. Once I became a mum eight years ago, however, I quickly found that, when there’s anything wrong with your most precious little bundle, reason goes out of the window!
‘There’s no need to panic if your child has temperature,’ I’d write. Whereas, when my daughter felt slightly warm I’d be halfway down the road barefoot to the GP surgery wailing like a banshee!
What I wrote and what I did were, I found, two very different things. But you know what? My daughter and I got through all of the minor childhood ailments and I came to realise through time that that’s what they were. Minor. Not major. Here’s my guide to the most common ones.
Colic
As much as any mum loves her baby, trying to deal with a colicky baby for hours on end can fill even the calmest of mums with despair! When my little girl was a baby she was very badly troubled by colic and I remember being stressed out at seeing her in so much pain.
Colic is a condition, which is generally used to define three or more hours of continuous crying every day, generally around the same time. It tends to start a few weeks after birth and ends when a baby reaches twelve to 16 weeks, although this milestone can seem much further away when you’re constantly trying to cope with your baby’s discomfort!
The good news is that there are plenty of products out there now that can help to ease colic; Infacol and Colief are particularly popular. If you breastfeed, you could be giving your baby wind by eating certain foods, so try to avoid foods that make YOU windy – onions, baked beans or spicy foods, for example – and see if that helps.
Colds
As with adults, it’s perfectly normal for a child to have eight or more colds a year. It’s actually good for them to catch colds as it builds up their immunity. Most colds get better in five to seven days, but you can ease the symptoms easily by giving your child paracetamol or ibuprofen. As always with kids, you need to follow the instructions carefully to ensure the correct dosage for their age.
Sore throats
The cold can often set off other symptoms in children, such as sore throats. It is also possible that your child’s throat may be dry and sore for a day or two before a cold actually starts. Paracetamol or ibuprofen will reduce the pain and you should find that the sore throat will clear up on its own after a few days. If after four days or so, however, the throat is no better and your child seems generally unwell or has a high temperature, see your GP.
Coughs
Coughs are often associated with the cold. These coughs are usually the result of mucus trickling down the back of the throat and, if your child is otherwise well, then there’s no need for worry. If a cough continues for a long time, is worse at night, or is brought on by your child running about, it could be a sign of asthma.
Although it can be upsetting to listen to your child cough, particularly over a long period of time, remember that coughing actually helps to clear phlegm from the chest, or mucus from the back of the throat. A nice drink of warm water with lemon and honey should do the trick!
Ear infections
As with colds, ear infections are common in babies and small children. In fact, they often follow a cold and can sometimes cause a temperature. You can usually spot when your child’s ears are playing up, as they will tend to pull or rub at an ear. Babies, on the other hand, can’t tell you where it hurts and may just cry or seem distressed. If your child has earache but otherwise seems well, then simply dosing them with paracetamol or ibuprofen for 12-24 hours should do the job.
If you have any tips that you can add please comment below, we would love to hear how other mums have spotted and dealth with minor illnesses.
Debbie x
‘There’s no need to panic if your child has temperature,’ I’d write. Whereas, when my daughter felt slightly warm I’d be halfway down the road barefoot to the GP surgery wailing like a banshee!
What I wrote and what I did were, I found, two very different things. But you know what? My daughter and I got through all of the minor childhood ailments and I came to realise through time that that’s what they were. Minor. Not major. Here’s my guide to the most common ones.
Colic
As much as any mum loves her baby, trying to deal with a colicky baby for hours on end can fill even the calmest of mums with despair! When my little girl was a baby she was very badly troubled by colic and I remember being stressed out at seeing her in so much pain.
Colic is a condition, which is generally used to define three or more hours of continuous crying every day, generally around the same time. It tends to start a few weeks after birth and ends when a baby reaches twelve to 16 weeks, although this milestone can seem much further away when you’re constantly trying to cope with your baby’s discomfort!
The good news is that there are plenty of products out there now that can help to ease colic; Infacol and Colief are particularly popular. If you breastfeed, you could be giving your baby wind by eating certain foods, so try to avoid foods that make YOU windy – onions, baked beans or spicy foods, for example – and see if that helps.
Colds
As with adults, it’s perfectly normal for a child to have eight or more colds a year. It’s actually good for them to catch colds as it builds up their immunity. Most colds get better in five to seven days, but you can ease the symptoms easily by giving your child paracetamol or ibuprofen. As always with kids, you need to follow the instructions carefully to ensure the correct dosage for their age.
Sore throats
The cold can often set off other symptoms in children, such as sore throats. It is also possible that your child’s throat may be dry and sore for a day or two before a cold actually starts. Paracetamol or ibuprofen will reduce the pain and you should find that the sore throat will clear up on its own after a few days. If after four days or so, however, the throat is no better and your child seems generally unwell or has a high temperature, see your GP.
Coughs
Coughs are often associated with the cold. These coughs are usually the result of mucus trickling down the back of the throat and, if your child is otherwise well, then there’s no need for worry. If a cough continues for a long time, is worse at night, or is brought on by your child running about, it could be a sign of asthma.
Although it can be upsetting to listen to your child cough, particularly over a long period of time, remember that coughing actually helps to clear phlegm from the chest, or mucus from the back of the throat. A nice drink of warm water with lemon and honey should do the trick!
Ear infections
As with colds, ear infections are common in babies and small children. In fact, they often follow a cold and can sometimes cause a temperature. You can usually spot when your child’s ears are playing up, as they will tend to pull or rub at an ear. Babies, on the other hand, can’t tell you where it hurts and may just cry or seem distressed. If your child has earache but otherwise seems well, then simply dosing them with paracetamol or ibuprofen for 12-24 hours should do the job.
If you have any tips that you can add please comment below, we would love to hear how other mums have spotted and dealth with minor illnesses.
Debbie x
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