Experience on the prevention and management of common childhood diseases

90% of common childhood diseases can be avoided in advance through daily reasonable care. When they do occur, there is no need to be overly anxious. There is no need to blindly copy unified standards or other people's experiences. Flexible responses based on the actual condition of the child are the most cost-effective treatment methods.

Late last week, I also received a consultation call from Xiao Wu, a new mother in the community. Her 2-year-old son sweated while playing downstairs in the afternoon. After returning home and blowing on the air conditioner for half an hour, the temperature reached 38.7°C. The whole family packed their things and were about to run to the children's hospital. I stopped me to ask about the condition. She said that the baby's face was a little red, he was happily chewing on the dinosaur doll, and he didn't vomit or complain about a headache. I asked her to give the baby more warm water, wipe his neck and armpits with a warm towel to physically cool down, and observe first. As a result, the temperature dropped to 37.5°C in the middle of the night. He was alive and kicking when he woke up the next day, and he didn't have to wait in line for three hours at the hospital.

There must be some people who have different opinions when it comes to this. After all, there are two extremes in the parent circle regarding child care: one is the "sterile school", which keeps disinfectant at home, boils toys every day, and does not let children touch public seats or touch flowers and plants when going out, for fear of getting a few germs.； The other group is the "rough-breeding group", who believe that "you won't get sick if you eat it uncleanly". They don't care if your child touches a stray cat and eats it. They say that more exposure to germs can enhance your resistance. I have come across real negative cases of both of these. Last year, my grandma had a baby boy. She used 84 to mop the floor at home every day, and steamed the tableware for 20 minutes after each use. As a result, the baby was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis just after he turned 2 years old. He coughed and developed hives when the slightest breeze blew. ； On the other hand, another parent was too arrogant. His 3-year-old child touched the slide used by a child with hand, foot and mouth problems in the community without washing his hands. When he got home, his fever reached 39°C and he had diarrhea for a whole week.

In fact, both of these statements are reasonable, but they are too extreme. My daily advice to parents is the principle of "limited contact": touching outdoor mud, leaves, and toys played by children who are not sick does not matter. On the contrary, it can help children establish a normal immune barrier.； However, after touching the handrails, elevator buttons, sick children, and stray animals in public restrooms, you must carefully wash your hands with the seven-step handwashing method. Disinfecting toys once a week is enough, and there is no need to cook them every day.

Not only on prevention, but also on how to deal with the disease if you do get it, everyone has a lot of disagreements. The most controversial thing is the use of fever medication - there was a quarrel on the Internet before. The people who said that 38.5℃ must take antipyretics and the people who said they can handle it were evenly divided. In fact, the "Guidelines for Acute Fever in Chinese Children" released in 2023 has long said that the core indicator for judging whether to take antipyretics is not the temperature, but the child's mental state. I once met a 4-year-old child who had a fever of 39.2°C and was still playing Lego in the living room. When I asked him if he had a headache, he shook his head. I asked the parents not to give medicine yet, and to drink more water and observe. He recovered after 4 hours. ； However, there are also babies who have a fever of 38°C and become so weak that they lie motionless in the arms of adults and even vomited twice. In this case, let alone medication, they have to go to the hospital to investigate the cause, so don’t just carry it. Oh, by the way, there are still many elderly people who are used to covering the sweat of their feverish children, or rubbing their bodies with alcohol. Both of these are minefields. The baby's temperature regulation center is not well developed. Covering the sweat can easily cause heat stroke. Rubbing the body with alcohol may be absorbed by the skin and lead to poisoning. Don't try it.

Let’s talk about another high-frequency diarrhea. Nowadays, everyone’s attitude towards antibiotics is also two extremes. Either they will take cephalosporin as soon as they have diarrhea, or they will not use it even if they have diarrhea. Last month, a mother brought her baby here. She said that her baby had been having diarrhea for three days. She took Cephalosporins at home for two days and the diarrhea became worse. After a stool test, she discovered that it was a rotavirus infection. Antibiotics are useless against the virus. Instead, they kill the beneficial bacteria in the intestines, making the diarrhea worse. But that doesn’t mean antibiotics can’t be used at all. Previously, a baby was diagnosed with bacillary dysentery. I asked him to take antibiotics according to the course of treatment. His mother said that others said antibiotics were not good. After two days of hard work, the baby came back dehydrated and suffered even greater consequences. So the key is to find out the cause of the disease first, use it for foot therapy when it should be used, and don't use it blindly when it shouldn't be used.

Speaking of which, I have been in trouble myself. In the past two years, my sister's baby always suffered from allergic coughs. I heard the mother in the community told her to avoid food, so she stopped eating seafood, eggs, and milk. In half a year, the baby lost two kilograms, and the cough didn't get better. Later, I took him for an allergen test and found that the baby was only allergic to dust mites and not to food at all. After returning to a normal diet, the baby's resistance improved and he rarely coughed. You see, no matter how good other people's experience is, it may not be suitable for your child. Instead of copying homework everywhere, it is better to observe the state of your own child: other children can wear two pieces, but your child catches a cold when the wind blows, so wear one more piece. ； It's okay for other kids to eat mangoes, but if your kid gets a rash after eating them, then don't eat them. There's no standard that's universally applicable.

After working in child care for so many years, I have seen too many anxious parents. The medicine box is more stuffed than a community health station. I know all kinds of care guides by heart, and I get panic at the slightest trouble with my child. In fact, raising a baby is really not an experiment. There should be room for error. There is no need to pursue 100% freedom from illness. Occasionally, a small cold or fever will occur. Instead, the baby's immune system is upgrading and fighting off monsters. As long as you adhere to the general principles of hygiene, pay more attention to your baby's condition when you are sick, and don't blindly follow the trend or force yourself to do it, it will be enough.