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Category "Pediatrics"

30Dec2021

Dealing with Holiday Sniffles

As the holidays approach, a number of potential group gatherings will come along with them. While many will find themselves gathering with friends and family for the first time in quite a while, it’s important to remember that these events are pretty common vectors for spreading illness. As a parent, it’s essential to know how to deal with the holiday sniffles when they occur and when to bring in a doctor.

The good news is that most of the sicknesses picked up by children during this time of year are the same illnesses that have plagued people for centuries. The same kinds of colds and viruses are floating around that existed pre-Covid, and it’s essential for parents to remember that it’s far more likely for a child to get a simple cold than it is for them to pick up something more serious. As such, the first thing to remember when you start to see your child getting sick is that panicking is the wrong response.

Steps to Take if Your Child Might be Sick

One of the most important things you can look at right now is your child’s temperature. If your child isn’t running a fever or only has a mild fever (sub-100, for example), you can generally feel a bit safer about handling the problem at home. However, with that said, even a child who doesn’t have a fever might need to get tested if they have more than one other Covid symptom.

It is, however, vital that you keep your sick children home. While not every illness is Covid, it’s important to remember that spreading sickness is never a good idea. It’s always better to be safe than to be sorry, after all, and most people will appreciate it if you are able to stay home with a sick child instead of spreading their illness around the group.

So, how do you deal with holiday sniffles? Stay calm, monitor your child, and stay home if they aren’t feeling well. If you are concerned, call your pediatrician and make sure to make an appointment to get your child checked out. Even if the problem is mild, it’s sometimes better to get a professional opinion.

Pediatrics
23Dec2021

How to Deal with Sports Injuries

Encouraging your child to participate in athletics can have a host of benefits. Not only can sports be fantastic for helping kids to keep in shape and to form excellent exercise habits, but most school sports also encourage teamwork and can even help keep students accountable when it comes to their grades. Unfortunately, though, students who participate in sports can still be as prone to injury as any other athlete. So, as a parent, it’s essential to understand what to do if your child gets injured playing a sport.

Immediate Action After Sports Injuries

First and foremost, make sure that you get your child checked out after they are injured. As helpful as on-field officials can be, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion about the extent of your child’s injury. While schools have become significantly more responsible when it comes to issues like concussions, nothing beats an actual physician when it comes to diagnosing the severity of an injury.

It’s also vital that you make sure that your child follows any orders from a doctor when they are recovering. It’s very possible that your child might feel ready to get back on the field before they are actually fully healed, and doing so might lead to more severe injuries in the future. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to make your child sit down and rest.

Take Necessary Time to Recover

Finally, make sure that you and your doctor set the timeline for your child’s return to the field. Unfortunately, many students feel pressured to get back to practicing sooner than is necessary, something that’s even tougher if your student is a significant part of their team. If you feel like a coach is pushing your child to get back too quickly, it’s vital that you push back.

Remember, most sports injuries are relatively minor and won’t impact your child forever. Taking the time to get your child checked out and following your doctor’s orders can help to ensure that your child will be able to keep competing for years to come. If you can help your child to exercise a bit of restraint, they will have a safer athletic career.

Pediatrics
13Dec2021

The Holidays and Your Child’s Health

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many parents are thinking about the best ways to keep their kids healthy. Given that many families will be having group gatherings for the first time in over a year, it’s always wise to step back and think about the ways that you can help to ensure that your child stays safe over the holidays.

Good Habits for Staying Healthy

The best place to start is, of course, always going to be with the basics. Make sure that you’re practicing the same kind of basic hygiene practices that you practiced with your child before the pandemic. That means washing hands, stepping back from people who are actively sneezing or coughing, and keeping hands off of objects like doorknobs and railings. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your child doesn’t put anything in their mouth that doesn’t belong to them.

Staying healthy this year may also mean making choices about where you go and when. Always keep the health of your child and family in mind before you go to gatherings, and feel free to stay back if you know that someone at your party isn’t feeling well. The last thing you need is to exacerbate existing problems, and almost everyone around you will appreciate your willingness to stay home to keep others well.

Finally, make sure that you’re keeping up with your child’s general health. Making sure that they can get plenty of rest and that they stay hydrated can play a massive role in making sure that their immune system stays strong. This isn’t going to be enough to fight off every contagious illness, of course, but your child’s body really will function better if they are getting everything that they need.

There’s no perfect way to keep holiday illnesses away, but you can take steps to keep your child a bit healthier. Make sure that you’re practicing good hygiene, that you avoid places where people are already sick, and that you keep your child to a good rest and hydration routine. If nothing else, doing so gives your child a better chance to stay well.

Pediatrics
5Nov2021

Should You Call the Doctor?

One of the hardest calls to make as a parent is figuring out when to call your child’s doctor. While it’s always a good idea to play it safe, many parents worry that they might end up bringing their children into the office for something that could have more easily been handled at home. If you’re trying to make such a decision, you’ll want to keep a few factors in mind.

Important Factors to Consider

The first thing to think about, of course, is the significance of what you are dealing with. A fever of below one hundred degrees, for example, probably isn’t worth going to the doctor for, nor is a small scrape or bruise. On the other hand, a problem that seems bigger – a higher, longer-duration fever or a significant injury – should almost automatically warrant a visit to the doctor’s office.

It’s also worth thinking about your child’s general health. There is a certain degree of normality for any given child when it comes to how he or she reacts to being sick, and you need to keep that in mind. It might be worth bringing a child in for what might be a low fever if he or she typically runs cool, for example, or you might not want to bring in a child who complains about a stomach ache if he or she is typically prone to those problems (and, of course, other issues have already been ruled out by your doctor).

Finally, try to remember that it’s always worth bringing your child in to see his or her doctor if you feel like something is just not right. While it’s not fair to say that a parent’s intuition is always going to pay off, you will have a greater peace of mind if you take your child in to see a doctor when you feel like doing so is appropriate. The worst you can find out is that your child didn’t need to come into the office, so the true risk of going in is relatively low compared to the risk of staying at home out of fear that you are over-reacting.

Pediatrics
15Oct2021

Dealing with a Cold in the Age of COVID-19

As the seasons change from summer to autumn, many children begin to get the first sniffles of the year. While you might have easily been able to write this off in the past, the continued prevalence of COVID-19 has made even what might have once been an inconsequential cough seem overly threatening. As such, it’s incredibly important to know how to deal with something like the common cold in times of more heightened scrutiny.

Understanding the Symptoms

The first and perhaps most important thing you’ll need to know how to do is to separate out symptoms of the common cold from COVID symptoms. While some of the symptoms, like a cough or even a mild fever, might be present in both, there are other symptoms that are relatively unique to COVID. For example, any loss of a child’s sense of smell or taste is usually a good sign that a test is needed, as are stomach problems like diarrhea. Respiratory issues are also an issue, as you’ll want to seek care if your child is having trouble breathing even if they aren’t positive for COVID-19.

It’s also generally a better idea to be safe than to be sorry. If you think that your child’s cold is more than just a cold, keep them home even if they don’t seem to have serious symptoms. If the symptoms persist or get worse, call your pediatrician to get guidance. In many cases, your pediatrician will suggest that you get your child tested.

One of the toughest things to deal with is the fact that the common cold is just as likely to occur as it ever was. Unfortunately, this means that you’re going to have to deal with many false alarms during this cold and flu season, but that’s just the nature of the world today. As long as you’re careful and consult with your doctor as necessary, you can help to safeguard your child’s health.

Pediatrics
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