I am not a doctor, so here you will not find advice on how to cure baby illnesses. However, like any normal mother, I gathered a lot of useful information about how to keep a baby healthy. I will be happy if you also find it useful. So here it goes, my personal list of advice.
1. In some countries it is possible to call a doctor for advice but it may involve extra costs. If you have such an opportunity, find a good pediatrician and take their telephone number. Phone consultation can help in many situations when you need to start treatment as soon as possible, without losing time, and it will save new mommy’s nerves.
2. Fresh air is an essential condition for child (and adult) health. Maybe it is the most common advice in this book, but do not underestimate its importance. Go for a walk! Every walk is not just circling the park. It is an everyday additional plus for your child’s health. For this reason alone, it is worth it to take out that baby carriage even if there are no ramps in your house.
When you are at home, also let some fresh air into your house. Air the rooms as often as possible. Open all windows for ventilation when you go for a walk. If you stay home, you can carry your baby from one room to another, airing each room in turn. Do not be afraid of open windows, especially in the summer.
3. Air humidifier is an essential device in the house with children. Humid air is important for the sensitive baby skin and respiratory organs. In winter sometimes it is not enough to only turn on your air humidifier. Additionally, you can put wet towels on radiators.
4. Massage is beneficial for all babies. It is recommended to start doing massage starting from one month. There is a therapeutic massage which is done by professionals, but a common, general massage is something which you can do yourself, especially knowing that massage done by the parents is more pleasant for a baby. There are some great books about baby massage and gymnastics for beginners that can be done by parents at home.
5. Cold training – many associate it with bathing in ice cold water and walking barefoot on the snow. However, it is not only these entertaining activities. It is introducing your child to different temperatures, water and sun. It is also getting some fresh air every day, adequately dressing your baby according to weather, not wearing socks inside the house and bathing. All of the mentioned things help to toughen up your child.
6. Important conditions for recovering from an illness. I will not describe any specific illnesses here, and it is not reasonable to diagnose “online”. However, there are some simple yet very effective steps that will help your child to recover faster from any form of cold, and not only cold.
The steps are:
– airing the house regularly;
– air humidification (because in humid air mucus from the nose is discharged faster, and phlegm is easily expectorated while coughing);
– cool air in the nursery (around 20 °С, not higher than 22 °С). And do not forget to adequately dress your child so that the body temperature is naturally regulated (by spending the energy to warm up the inhaled air), and mucus does not dry up (which happens when the temperature is higher than 22 °С), otherwise it will be harder to expectorate phlegm;
– increased warm fluid intake (breast milk, dried fruit drink or water) to help thin the blood, remove toxins and lower body temperature. If your baby quickly loses water as well (for example, sweats or, God forbid, vomits or has a diarrhea), it is crucial to rehydrate, because while losing water your baby also loses all nutrients. To rehydrate you can give your baby a sugar-and-salt solution (sold in pharmacies). If you do not have it, give a simple dried fruit drink which is also rich in nutrients;
– put a few drops of saline solution to the nose (to moisten the nasal mucous membrane);
– if the condition of your baby is not serious and there is no fever, going for a walk is very beneficial.
All above mentioned advice will help to fight off the illness, not only for a baby, but for an adult as well.
Please note again, that I am not a doctor and all of the above are just suggestions to help your baby recover but it is not a universal cure from all illnesses.
7. Household safety.
– if your baby is choking over something:
Learn the first aid actions to perform in this situation (when a foreign object restricts breathing). You will not have any time to look for this information somewhere and it might be too late when an ambulance comes. There are different techniques (such as Heimlich maneuver), each of them used on children of various age: from newborn to older children. It would be perfect if you watch video tutorials (for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4uS5EmpeEs). Practice on teddy bears and relatives, and you will feel much more confident and calm;
– if your baby puts something in his nose:
When your baby learns to crawl, regularly check the floors and all surfaces for small objects. Never try to take the foreign object out yourself, even if you feel that you can do it easily. It is good if your baby already knows how to blow his nose. In this case the problem can be solved easily. If he cannot, let your baby sniff some black pepper and wait for a big productive “achoo!” Did not help? Visit the ENT specialist;
– if your baby eats something he is not supposed to eat (including allergens):
In this case preventive measures are most effective. However, if such accident does happen, give your baby some Enterosgel dissolved in the water, or any other adsorbent (according to age). It is also helpful to keep antihistaminic medicine at home as well. You never know which product, flower on the street or a neighbor’s hamster can cause allergy for your baby. Depending on the situation, if your baby swallows a dangerous substance or develops a fast reaction, swelling or experiences difficulty breathing, call an ambulance.
8. Safety measures in the period of epidemic. When your baby is ill (and his immunity is weak) and in times of epidemic in your city, do not take chances. Do not visit crowded places with the baby, especially if his nose is blocked, because in this situation it is easier to catch an infection.
My husband works in shifts, so when he was out of town at work for some weeks, during the flu epidemic, I had to be creative and do the shopping without going to the supermarkets. We were walking and buying groceries from the street stands, where you do not have to go inside. Also, we preferred walking in the park and going to friends and relatives, as opposed to going to cafes, shopping malls and playgrounds.
Furthermore, during the increase of incidence rate, regularly wash the baby’s and your own nose with saline solution. Drink more water, eat garlic and products rich in vitamins.
If you get ill, wear a medical face mask at home and change it every two hours. Take into consideration the above mentioned things and get well soon!
9. Read any popular book about pediatrics and first aid. Nowadays bookstores and the Internet are full of books on this subject, written especially for parents. Having studied them, you will be able to recognize symptoms of different illnesses and take the first necessary steps to help your child before the doctor arrives. Start from the popular books by William and Martha Sears who raised eight children (“The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two”). Overall, when it comes to the baby’s health, it is important to keep the balance between common sense, maternal intuition and knowledge. Before over-medicalizing your baby, have some valerian root and calm down. A baby is born with immunity and can handle fighting many infections, he\she just needs a little help. Yes, it might sound horrible to “not do anything” when your baby’s body temperature is 37.5, but trust me, if you give antifebrile medicine, it will only lower the performance of the baby’s own immune system. You can learn that from any knowledgeable pediatrician. Watch your child, listen to what your heart says, consider