Common Ailments in Children

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Common Ailments in Children

When you have to work, but your children also need you, it can be complex. This can become far more difficult should your child become injured or unwell. By learning about common ailments that children are likely to get, you can take action to minimize the likelihood of them occurring, allowing your children to still go to school or day care, so that you can continue working. While you may not be able to completely remove the risk, lessening it can do a lot for their overall health, as well as to stop the spread of germs or infection.

Eye Problems

There are several eye problems that a child can suffer from, but that can be easily rectified. Problems with sight that are affecting their ability to engage with schoolwork can usually be sorted by a trip to the optometrist and prescription glasses. In the case of eye infections, it can be worthwhile gaining advice on how to treat a stye or conjunctivitis ahead of time, so you know what to do should the situation arise. Teaching your child to avoid touching their eye area too much, especially with dirty hands, can help prevent an infection from occurring. If this is the case, you also want to make sure the infected area is kept clean. It can be tempting for children to rub their eyes, especially if they are itchy, however this can end up aggravating the infection, or even cause it to spread to the other eye.

Common Cold

At certain times of the year, the common cold may be rife throughout your community. While you may not be able to guarantee that your family will not receive this illness, there are some ways that you can reduce the likelihood of it happening. Having balanced meals that include a lot of vegetables, reducing any stress factors, and even getting enough sleep and exercise can all go a long way towards cold prevention. Medication will also not help should it occur, however cold and flu tablets or even paracetamol can be used to reduce the symptoms, allowing your child to still attend school and for you to still be able to work.

Stomach Bug

Stomach flu is another ailment that can be tricky to prevent in children. One of the main ways you can try to keep this at bay is by ensuring you and your children maintain a high level of personal hygiene. This includes washing hands, avoiding touching the face, and also using antibacterial spray on high traffic surfaces. The stomach flu, if caught, will need to be left to run its course, but it is imperative that you keep the person suffering hydrated, especially if they are losing a lot of liquid through vomiting or diarrhoea. When someone has the stomach flu, there is an incubation period of approximately 48 hours, where the person should not attend work or school, to prevent spreading.

Keeping yourself informed as to what ailments your child may be likely to get, as well as what is rife in that time period, can help you to reduce the chances of illness, as well as to minimize the symptoms should they occur.