Remedies to Put a Sick Baby to Sleep

baby with cold

My son has e'er been a happy, easygoing kid. Merely at 4 months, Samuel was really cranky for a few days. I called the pediatrician's office, and the nurse said information technology sounded like teething. That, though, didn't seem right, so I asked to come up in for a dr.'due south take. I felt awkward. After all, I'd been a mom for a fraction of this nurse's career. Who was I to second-guess someone with so much experience?

What I didn't consider was that I'd developed my own expertise on Samuel. I could differentiate his feed-me wails from his cuddle-me whimpers and his I'm-and then-sleepy sobs. Turns out, he wasn't teething. He had an ear infection, one nosotros were able to catch and treat early.

Indeed, parents can help docs diagnose properly. "To understand when a infant is ill, you have to understand what he's like when he's well—and that's something a parent knows all-time," says Paul Horowitz, M.D., a pediatrician in Santa Clarita, California. Follow this guide to common childhood illnesses, how to treat them, and when to run across the md.

Fever

This is a sign of an underlying trouble rather than an illness on its ain. "The body raises its temperature considering the enzymes that fight infection work better at higher temperatures," Dr. Horowitz says. A fever can be related to an ear infection, a cold, the flu, or it can exist a reaction to a vaccine. Feverish kids are lethargic and irritable.

How to treat: Some parents have "fever phobia" and want to take their kids to the md for the slightest increment in temperature. But low-grade fevers (101 degrees or beneath) typically aren't dangerous. Give baby Infants' Tylenol, undress her, encourage her to potable fluids, and bathe her in tepid water. "But wiping her downward could lower her fever by a degree or two," says Christopher Tolcher, Physician, a pediatrician in Agoura Hills, California.

When to call the doctor: If your infant is a newborn (3 months or younger) and has even a fever of 100.4 or higher, if your child is younger than ane yr and has a fever of 102 degrees or college, if a kid has a fever of 104 degrees or higher, or if the fever (even a depression-class one) lasts more than three days. Drastic changes in behavior—such as your kid's condign very lethargic—are also crusade for concern.

The Common cold

'Tis the season for sniffling. Immature children get 6 to eight colds a year, primarily during fall and winter. Symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose and sneezing, coughing, and sometimes a fever) usually build for two to three days, height for three to five, and and then subside.

How to treat: Avert coughing or cold meds, merely give him Infants' Tylenol for fever. Dry air worsens congestion, and then run a humidifier in Baby's room while he sleeps. If he'southward not drinking lots of breast milk or formula, give him water or, if your kid is over one, an electrolyte drink, like Pedialyte.

When to call the doctor: If your sniffling infant is a newborn, or if he has a high fever.

The Flu

This very contagious virus travels chop-chop through daycares and families. An infected baby will be cranky and will lose interest in playing or eating. Then she'll develop a fever followed by a runny or stuffy nose and a cough. A flu-related fever can last 3 to vii days, and kids can continue to feel cranky for a few days later that.

How to care for: Care for your child as if she has a cold: Give her enough of liquids and watch out for astringent coughing or breathing issues. To prevent a time to come bout, become your child vaccinated, which experts recommend for all kids over six months.

When to call the md: If Babe is a newborn and ill, if it's flu flavor and your kid spikes a fever, or if symptoms don't improve inside five days.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

This sounds scarier than it is. Information technology'southward a mutual virus affecting the lungs and breathing passages. Preemies are especially vulnerable because their airway and immune arrangement aren't completely adult. It more often than not begins like a common cold does; by day iii, a potent cough and wheezing-like breathing brainstorm. Symptoms recede after a few days, but the coughing can linger for upwardly to two weeks. Kids who have a bad episode accept an increased risk of to developing asthma.

How to Treat: Use a humidifier. Besides give him Infants' Tylenol and extra fluid. Cool air can calm irritated airways: place him in front of an open fridge for a minute.

When to phone call the doctor: If your child is a newborn and ill, shows signs of dehydration, if skin, lips, or natural language appear gray or bluish, or if he has severe nonstop coughing or trouble breathing. "Notice if he's using extra muscles to exhale," Dr. Horowitz says. "Take off his shirt. If the spaces between his ribs get sucked in with each breath and his nostrils are flaring, telephone call your medico correct abroad."

Ear Infection

Baby body linguistic communication is tricky because sleepy kids often rub their ears. Simply if she tugs her ears and too has a stuffy nose and a fever, an ear infection might exist the culprit. Infants are specially prone to these.

How to Care for: Some infections clear up on their ain. "To avoid the overuse of antibiotics, we've gotten less aggressive near treating ear infections," Dr. Horowitz says. But a doc will prescribe an antibiotic to relieve ear pain. You can also give baby Infants' Tylenol to assist her sleep.

When to call the doctor: If you suspect an infection. "The only way to diagnose is for your doctor to look in your child'south ear," Sue Hubbard, M.D., a Dallas pediatrician. "One 24-hour interval the ear can expect normal, and the next it might be infected. Give it a few days to meet if symptoms better. If they don't, visit your medico again." A astringent, untreated infection tin can atomic number 82 to a ruptured eardrum, and echo ear infections tin lead to hearing loss.

Diarrhea

Changing diapers—particularly if they're runny—is not ane of parenthood's joys. Watery and frequent bowel movements are oft acquired past a virus; but a bacterial infection, allergy, food intolerance, or medicine could also exist to blame.

How to care for: Diarrhea ordinarily lasts five to x days. Dehydration is the main concern, so requite baby lots of fluid. Is he also vomiting? Expect xxx minutes after he throws up to offer small, frequent doses of an electrolyte potable. Commencement with a tablespoon, slowly increasing the dose over fourth dimension.

When to call the doc: If your sick baby has a high fever, exhibits signs of aridity (fewer wet diapers, sluggishness, skin that's non as elastic as usual), or if there is any blood or pus in the stool.

Conjunctivitis

Known every bit pinkeye, this condition makes your kid's eyes wait cerise and puffy. It'due south an inflammation of the centre'due south mucous membranes and normally affects both eyes at one time just sometimes starts in one middle just. The cause can be a bacterial or viral infection: yellow or green drainage signals bacterial; no tearing or pus indicates viral. Some other way to differentiate: viral infections usually come up with common cold symptoms. Both are very contagious and spread quickly.

How to treat: A viral infection usually clears up on its own within a week. Keep baby'south eye area make clean by gently washing it with warm h2o. If the infection is bacterial, your doc will treat it with an antibiotic eyedrop. For either infection type, a warm compress volition make your baby experience better.

When to phone call the doctor: As soon as symptoms appear. Consult a doctor to ensure the cause isn't bacterial and to become antibiotics if needed.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story recommended having babies sleep on an incline or slight top to help with the common cold or RSV. Still, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that a baby should always sleep flat on their back, with no incline.

Originally published American Baby magazine.

All content, including medical opinion and whatsoever other wellness-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or handling plan for any individual situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does non create a medico-patient relationship. Always seek the directly advice of your ain doctor in connection with whatever questions or issues you lot may have regarding your own wellness or the health of others.

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Source: https://www.parents.com/baby/health/sick-baby/what-to-do-when-baby-gets-sick-7-solutions/