When Kids Get Sick

• Breastfeed your baby if possible, as long as possible. Breast milk provides your baby with antibodies, which are important for fighting infection and strengthening the immune system.
• Keep your children far away from secondhand smoke, which can cause colds as well as other serious health problems.
• Make sure everyone in the household washes their hands thoroughly and frequently, especially after blowing their noses. If small children are unable to wash their own hands, do it for them. Use plenty of soap and water, and dry thoroughly.
• Be sure kids get the sleep they need to stay healthy. Most children under age five need to sleep for 11 hours or more per day.
• Encourage kids to drink plenty of water and round out their plate with colorful servings of fruits and veggies to help their immune system work properly.

A fever is usually a sign that the body is fighting against infection. Most fevers are from viral infections and last for 2-3 days.

Touch your child's forehead. If you think he feels hotter than normal, you're probably right.

To confirm your suspicions and help you figure out whether to call a doctor, take your child's temperature using a thermometer.

The normal temperature of most children is around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (F). You should call your child's doctor if:

• Your baby is younger than 2 months and has a fever of 100.2 degrees F (rectal).
• Your baby is between 2 and 6 months and has a fever of 101 degrees F (rectal).
• Your baby is between 6 months and 2 years and has a fever of 103 degrees F (rectal).

Sign and Symptoms

• Child's face may be red and skin is hot.
• Child may have the chills.
• Eyes may be glassy.
• Breathing and heart rate may be fast.
• Child is fussy or hard to console.

What You Can Do

• Give your child extra fluids, like popsicles and cool drinks.
• Dress your child lightly, not in layers.
• Keep your child's room cool. Turn down the heat or use a fan if it's hot.
• Sponge your child with a washcloth for 10-15 minutes in three inches of lukewarm water. Stop the sponge bath if your child starts to shiver.
• Talk to your child's doctor about when to give fever reducers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and the right dose for your child's age and weight. Do not give aspirin to a child. It can make a child very sick.

Kids get about six colds a year and there's no medicine to cure a cold or the flu. Your child will get better with time, rest, and lots of liquids.

To help stop the spread of a cold or the flu, teach the whole family to wash their hands often and use clean tissues to cover coughs and sneezes.

Signs and Symptoms

• Red, runny nose.
• Sneezing, dry cough.
• Watery eyes.
• Child doesn't want to eat and has trouble drinking from a bottle or breast.
• Fever and chills.

What You Can Do

• Have your child get lots of rest.
• Give your child liquids to drink every hour.
• Raise your child's head while sleeping by placing a crib wedge or towel under the end of the mattress.
• Use a soft rubber suction bulb to clear your baby's stuffed nose.
• Talk to your child's doctor about when to give fever reducers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and the right dose for your child's age and weight. Do not give aspirin to a child. It can make a child very sick.

A young child's skin is delicate and sensitive. That's why many kids get a diaper rash or heat rash.

Some children also have a long-term skin problem called eczema.

Diaper Rash
Signs and Symptoms

• Red, raw skin under the diaper.
• Red spots can spread to thighs, belly, and back.

What You Can Do

• Change diaper as soon as it gets wet.
• Use warm water to clean baby's bottom at each diaper change.
• Keep the diaper off as long as you can, ideally at least 15 minutes at each diaper change.
• Dry baby's bottom well and place a thin layer of diaper rash ointment.
• Use a mild soap to wash cloth diapers.

Heat Rash
Signs and Symptoms

• Tiny red or pink bumps on the neck, back, or shoulders.

What You Can Do

• Dress baby lightly.
• Give your baby a cool bath without soap and let the skin air dry.
• Don't use creams or oils.

Excema
Signs and Symptoms

• Red, dry skin on cheeks, behind ears, on inside of elbows and the back of knees.
• Skin feels like it has small bumps on it.
• Skin may ooze clear liquid and crust over.

What You Can Do

• Give your child short, cool baths of less than 5 minutes, using a mild soap.
• Pat the skin dry after a bath. Don't rub the skin with a towel.
• Use a mild soap when washing clothes.
• Dress your child in soft cotton clothing that doesn't itch.
• Keep fingernails short and hands clean to help prevent your child from scratching.

Sometimes you need to call the doctor — or 911 — to get help right away. Here are some of those times:

• Your child has trouble breathing.
• Bleeding won't stop.
• Blood in your child's urine or bowel movement.
• Coughing up or throwing up blood.
• Diarrhea and no urine for 6 hours.
• Soft spot on your baby's head is bulging or sunken.
• Pain in the ear or liquid, pus, or blood coming out of your child's ear.
• Your child has a hard time swallowing or won't eat.
• Your child has both a fever and a stiff neck.
• Fever of 100.2 degrees F (rectal), if your baby is younger than 2 months.
• Fever of 101 degrees F (rectal), if your baby is between 2 and 6 months.
• Fever of 103 degrees F (rectal), if your baby is between 6 months and 2 years.
• Any injury that you think can lead to your child's death.

As much as you try to keep your child safe, accidents will happen. Bumps, bruises, and scrapes are a normal part of a child's early years as he explores the world around him.

Be ready for an emergency by preparing a first aid kit. Store it in a place that's out of your child's reach, but easily accessible for adults. Don't forget to tell a babysitter or other caregiver where you've placed the kit in your home. You may also want to keep a second first aid kit in your car.

A child's heart and breathing can stop from things like drowning and choking. CPR gets air to the child and keeps blood moving in the body. Many people have saved their child's life by doing CPR.

Taking a class through the American Red Cross or your local hospital is the best way to learn CPR.  Encourage all family members who take care of your baby to also get CPR training.