Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Common Diseases in Children

More than 90% of common respiratory and digestive tract diseases in children can avoid serious illness through daily scientific protection. Even if they are sick, they can heal themselves within 1-2 weeks through standard home care. There is no need to rush to the emergency room as soon as symptoms appear, nor can they delay treatment.

I have been working as a child care worker in the community for almost 7 years. During the seasons of the past two years, I have met at least 20 parents who came in panic with their babies every day. Last week, there was a mother who had just started kindergarten. She cried as soon as she entered the door, saying that her baby had a fever of 38.2 and was going to develop pneumonia. In fact, the day before, she followed the trend of the parents group and grabbed seven or eight boxes of the so-called "cold prevention miracle medicine" without even turning over the instructions.

When it comes to prevention, in fact, the first thing many people think of is "disinfection". At home, they can't wait to wipe it with 84 three times a day. They have to spray alcohol on everything their children touch. On the contrary, the children will be allergic to anything they touch when they go out. The different nursing concepts here are quite different: the evidence-based view of Western medicine is that it is enough to wash hands frequently with running water, get vaccinated on time, and avoid going to closed crowded places. Over-disinfection will destroy the child's mucosal barrier. Reduce immunity; and the traditional Chinese medicine pediatrics often say, "If you want a child to be safe, you need to be three-fold hungry and cold." It also makes sense. Don't dress your baby in three layers more than adults, and don't rush to feed your baby until he or she is full. Heat in the spleen and stomach will accumulate, and you will be sweating and blowing, which will make it easier to catch a cold. I once met a grandmother who was raising a baby. She wrapped her baby in a thick down jacket as soon as the temperature dropped in autumn. After running around the neighborhood for 20 minutes, the baby's back was completely wet. The baby's fever reached 39 degrees that night. The grandma said, "It's just because she didn't wear enough cold clothes." In fact, she was just covering up the sweat and exposing herself to the wind.

Speaking of fever, this is definitely the most anxious area for parents, and it is also the most controversial point: the older generation always say that you should cover your sweat to make the fever go away quickly, and Western medicine says that you should dissipate the heat, otherwise problems will easily occur. In fact, both statements are not entirely correct, and it depends on the situation: If the baby has cold hands and feet and is shivering when the fever first breaks out, it is okay to cover him with a thin blanket to keep warm. If the fever has already made the face red and the whole body is hot, and is covered with a thick quilt, the baby is prone to heat-masking syndrome, and the older child may also have a higher fever because the heat is not dissipated in time. Oh, by the way, many people ask if you can use alcohol to rub yourself to cool down? I say unanimously, absolutely not. Children’s skin is delicate, and alcohol is easily absorbed through the skin and can cause poisoning. Don’t try it blindly. There is also a febrile convulsion that everyone is particularly afraid of. When it happens, be sure not to pinch the child or put chopsticks or spoons into the mouth. Put the baby on its side, untie the collar, and let the vomit or secretions from the mouth flow out without choking. It usually stops on its own in 1-2 minutes. If it does not stop after more than 5 minutes, call 120 immediately. This is a treatment principle recognized by both Chinese and Western medicine, and there is no controversy.

Besides having a fever, what worries parents the most is diarrhea. Last time, a mother gave her baby a piece of iced watermelon. The baby had diarrhea twice, so she gave her baby antidiarrheal medicine for three days. As a result, the baby had a bloated stomach for four days and couldn't even drink milk. In fact, the most important thing to prevent in diarrhea is dehydration, not to stop diarrhea immediately. It is normal for ordinary viral diarrhea to last for 3-5 days. If you give your baby enough oral rehydration salt III, don't let him get dehydrated. It will be more effective than any antidiarrheal medicine. Of course, if there is pus and blood in the stool, or if the baby urinates so little that he has not peeed for six hours, then you must go to the hospital immediately, don't force it.

Many parents ask me, how do I judge whether to go to the hospital? What I have summarized over the years is that it is more effective to look at your mental state than to look at your body temperature, how many times you have had a bowel movement, or how many days you have been coughing. If your baby has a fever of 39 degrees and still grabs snacks from your hands and lies on the floor to build blocks, then just take good care of him at home. If your baby has a fever of 37.8 degrees and lies in your arms without wanting to move, has no response when you call him, and also has vomiting, headache, and shortness of breath, then don’t hesitate and go to the hospital immediately. Oh, by the way, for children under three years old, if the fever lasts for more than 24 hours, it is best to get a blood test. Don’t carry it for more than three days, as you are afraid that bacterial infection may not be discovered in time.

My own child went to kindergarten last year and caught three colds in the first month. I didn’t give her any medicine. I just drank more water and rested. She got better in about a week each time. Of course, this does not mean that you should deliberately make your child sick. You still need to get the necessary vaccines. Influenza vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, hand, foot and mouth vaccine, you can get them all, which will save a lot of trouble.

Actually, after all, there is really no 100% correct formula for raising a baby. Each baby's body is different. Some babies will catch a cold when they get cold, and some babies will be fine if they eat cold food. If you have been raising your baby for a long time, you must know his condition best. Don’t always believe those rumors on the Internet that “one trick can prevent all colds”, and don’t panic as soon as you have some symptoms. Observe more and worry less. It will be more effective than expensive tonics or magical folk remedies.