Treating Colds and Fevers – Trust Your Instincts September 13, 2008

When your baby has a fever or cold, your first urge is to run right to the pediatrician. But, mild colds and fevers are common, and often don’t require a visit to the doctor, just some at home management. Here are some techniques to help manage colds and fever at home, and some information to help you know when to call the doctor.

First, most doctors don’t consider a fever under 100°F a fever at all, unless your baby is under two months old, in which case you should seek medical treatment with any fever. Otherwise, as long as the fever doesn’t go above 102°F, you need not treat it unless it is making your baby uncomfortable or unable to sleep. However, any fever which reaches 105° rectally, or a fever accompanied by signs of dehydration (infrequent urination, sunken fontanel, dry lips), or a feverish baby who has a stiff neck, is limp or has purple spots on the skin, should be treated by a professional immediately.

To treat a mild fever, try keeping your baby cool, using compresses or a tepid bath. Dress her loosely – that old wives tale about keeping them bundled up is just that- an old wives tale. Feed her lots of fluids, and keep a watch on her. But, try to avoid the use of over the counter medications, unless your baby is unable to sleep. Fever is the body’s way of fighting infection, so, when possible, it’s best to let it do its job.

For minor colds, the best treatment is rest. However, your child may be unable to rest comfortably unless you treat the cold symptoms. A vaporizer can do wonders to relieve congestion, as can vapor treatments in the bath. But, if your child is really uncomfortable, using an over the counter cold medicine is fine. For dosage guidelines, follow your doctor’s recommendations, or those on the bottle, but go by weight, not age.

Colds should resolve themselves in a week or so, but if they do not, look for signs of an ear infection. These can include unexplained crying, especially when lying down, tugging the ears, or tossing and turning while trying to sleep. If you notice these symptoms, take your child to the doctor. Ear infections can be very painful, and are often hard to recognize in young children.

Talk to your pediatrician regarding his recommendations for treating colds and fevers, and when he believes you should call or come in. But, trust your instincts, and don’t hesitate to call anytime you believe there is a real problem.

 

Babyproofing For New Moms September 10, 2008

As your baby starts to move around the house, it is extremely important that you protect her from the poisons routinely kept in the home. Here are some tips to help keep your child safe.

Go through what you have and throw out what you don’t need!

Have an old box of lye around? You’re probably not ever going to use it, and it’s terribly dangerous, so get rid of it. Keep only the products you really use, so that there are fewer things to have to keep locked up.

Keep things locked up.

Assemble all your cleaning supplies, and put them in locked cabinets. Don’t assume that putting them in a higher cabinet keeps your child safe. Sometimes babies seem to learn to climb overnight, so simply storing items on a higher shelf might not be enough.

Don’t store poisons in old food containers.

Your baby will learn early on to recognize things like a juice container or baby food jar so don’t use empty ones to store hazardous products.

Throw empty containers away outside

Don’t put the empty bleach container in the kitchen trash can – rinse it and take it to the outside trash can immediately.

Check your plants.

There are many common houseplants that are poisonous, including philodendron, English ivy, holly, mistletoe, and hyacinths, so it’s best to remove these or keep them well out of reach.

Some things you might not think of as poisonous

Your cosmetics, over the counter medicines, vitamins, and mothballs can all be poisonous, so keep these locked up or out of the way. Get used to reading labels, so that you can keep tabs on new things that come into the house.

If you’ve never had children before, keeping up with products that can be poisonous can be a challenge at first. But, take some time, preferably before the baby is born, to sort through your items and store them properly. Then, be diligent about buying the safest items you can. For instance, non-chlorine bleach is safer than chlorine. And, always look for child-proof caps on products you plan to buy. Learn to substitute. Did you know you can use olive oil to polish furniture and vinegar to clean your hardwood floors? These kinds of substitutions can make your home safer, and give you fewer items to look up. And, finally, don’t forget to post your local poison control phone number right by the phone. It could save your child’s life.