My kid is sick - What do i do?

In addition to the concrete concern for the well-being of the child, there is often also uncertainty. Am I doing this right? Especially with the first child, many parents are often insecure and find it difficult to assess the child's condition. Has it simply eaten too much and thus spoiled its stomach or is the abdominal pain due to an infection? Over time you will gain experience and strengthen your sense of whether the child is now seriously ill or simply not in a good mood. However, it is important that information - whether on the Internet or wherever it is collected - can never replace medical advice. However, they help to recognise the signs of an illness as early as possible in order to be able to react accordingly. Whenever you are not sure, you should consult your paediatrician. Sometimes, just a word of advice on the phone is enough. In the times outside the consultation hours, you can get help from the emergency medical service or the outpatient departments of the paediatric clinics. Do not be afraid, because going to the paediatrician is not an exaggeration. Ultimately, the aim is to gain clarity about your child's state of health. You will not lose valuable time if your child actually needs further treatment. However, you should always consult a doctor with your child if you have severe complaints or noticeable physical changes.

The sick child needs you

When children are ill, they are usually restless and in need of support. In addition to good medical care, your child needs special attention and care in case of illness. If there is no acute risk of infection for siblings or other family members, you should - as far as possible - let your sick child participate in the normal family routine. You can, for example, furnish him or her with a hospital bed in the living room. But not all children behave as adults might expect them to in the event of illness. Some children also run around the apartment with a feverish infection, as if they were completely healthy. In such a case, make sure that your child gets enough rest and the right care to get well again. Try to give the child the necessary rest by playing quietly, cuddling together or reading stories aloud.

Hatschi Schatzi!

You have to organize the care of your child and "suffer" with it. Learn more about possible typical childhood diseases, how to prevent them and what eventualities you should be prepared for.

If your child sneezes, coughs or has a fever, parents are usually alarmed. The flu-like infection is a real family disease. Children and their parents are particularly susceptible to cold viruses. They find the ideal conditions in kindergarten and school to "wander" from one child to another - and then of course to their parents. Children get it more often because their bodies have yet to learn to defend themselves against pathogens. While the little ones struggle with coughs, sniffles and hoarseness, their immune system forms antibodies against the most common pathogens and remembers how it will cope with them more quickly the next time.
Three days it comes, three days it stands and three days it goes - the cold. It's nice when mother's words come true and a cold passes as quickly as it came. For the time in between, there are gentle remedies that alleviate the symptoms. The targeted use of age-appropriate medication can significantly alleviate the symptoms. Preventing colds in the youngest children generally works best with a healthy, balanced diet, appropriate clothing when playing in the fresh air and observing hygienic measures such as washing hands regularly with soap. Then we will soon be saying goodbye to the cold again!

When to see a doctor if you have a cold

Alarm signals are high fever above 39 degrees as well as severe sore throat and ear pain. In addition to the typical cold symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes and a nocturnal cough with strong coughing attacks followed by wheezing and a loud inhalation sound, a visit to the doctor is obligatory because it could be whooping cough.

Childhood diseases with skin rash

Stains, pustules or other changes on the children's skin suggest a childhood disease. But what disease is behind it and whether it is contagious, parents usually ask too much. Even though you can usually treat childhood diseases well yourself, in some cases it is difficult to make a diagnosis and a visit to the doctor is necessary.

Do you still remember the itchy pustules of chickenpox? This disease, as well as measles, mumps and rubella - to name but a few - are among the childhood diseases. Caused by viruses or bacteria, children in particular are susceptible to these diseases if they have not been vaccinated.

Attention danger of infection!

You can also get infected as an adult. Because the diseases are highly contagious and can show even a more severe course of disease in adulthood than with children. There is a risk of infection even before the disease has broken out. Most childhood diseases are transmitted by droplet infections such as sneezing or coughing. Parents should always go to a doctor with their child if they suspect an infectious childhood disease. After an illness there is often lifelong immunity, but only in the case of viral infections. Vaccinations in childhood have led to the fact that some of the diseases hardly occur today.

Gastrointestinal influenza

Particularly in the cold season, rota and noro viruses, which cause gastrointestinal infections, are in high season. Nausea and nausea, followed by vomiting, often accompanied by fever and aching limbs, usually announce a drastic gastrointestinal influenza. In most cases, the spook is over after 1 to 3 days. Through vomiting and diarrhoea, the body can quickly rid itself of harmful germs. It is particularly important for infants and small children to compensate for the loss of fluid and electrolytes, which can occur quickly. There are special mixtures of sugar and electrolyte salts which quickly restore the fluid and electrolyte balance and thus quickly improve the general condition.
One to two days of dietary leave (renunciation of food for a certain period of time) do no harm to a child, from the 2nd or 3rd day onwards, light meals such as zwieback, rice mucilage or grated apple can be added to the diet. For infants there is a special healing food.

When is your child too sick for kindergarten and school?

- Fever is not a disease at first, but it indicates that the body reacts to pathogens and the immune system is mobilized. Adults get fever less frequently than babies, toddlers and even schoolchildren.

What can be behind it?

Middle ear infection, gastrointestinal infections and pneumonia e.g.
It can also happen that your child has a fever at night and is fit again in the morning.

- Abdominal pain can have many causes, such as problems with digestion, an intestinal infection or no bowel movement for several days. But especially with older children, fears and stress also manifest themselves in abdominal pain. In these cases, measure whether your child has a fever. Give him some tea and calm him down. If the abdominal pain does not improve after an hour or recurs, contact your pediatrician.

- Vomiting, like diarrhea, quickly leads to loss of fluids and salts, which can be dangerous for your child. Vomiting can have many causes, because the child's stomach is still very sensitive to e.g. spicy food, drinks that are too cold or spoiled food. Combined with other symptoms such as fever or abdominal pain, this can indicate more serious illness.

- Diarrhea is always accompanied by a loss of fluids and salts. Especially in babies and toddlers this can lead to dehydration of the body and quickly become dangerous. Diarrhoea occurs when babies have more than five thin bowel movements per day. For toddlers there are three thin bowel movements per day.

- Headaches can occur on their own, but can also be accompanied by many other illnesses. Headaches that occur alone can be caused by heat, bright light, incorrect posture or too little fluid intake. Tension headache" is also a form of severity. This can mainly be attributed to stress, worries and anxieties. Children can also suffer from migraines, especially if one parent is also affected. Nevertheless, headaches are often a side effect of other illnesses.