Health Questions for Children

It comes with being a parent--there are a lot of health questions for children. Everything from the sniffles to ear aches is a cause for concern. It's scary if you don't know the severity of your child's illness and whether to call the doctor. The three most common health questions for children are: Can parents prevent them from getting sick? Is it the cold or the flu? and What can parents do about chronic ear infections? Here are some answers.

Prevention

• Many parents know that their children can pick up plenty of germs at day care or school. Is there a way to prevent them from getting sick? There isn't a magic bullet to keep your kid healthy. However, some precautions make a noticeable difference. Teach your child the importance of good hand washing. Use warm water and soap and rub hands together for at least 20 seconds. Teach them to sing the "ABCs" or "Happy Birthday" to themselves while washing. When the song is done, it's time to rinse.

  When looking at day care centers, ask about hand washing policy and practices. Check to see how how shared surfaces are cleaned and make sure it's with a germ-killing disinfectant solution.

Cold or Flu?

• Parents may have trouble distinguishing between a cold and flu. The flu is worse than the common cold and could lead to more serious health issues such as bacterial infections, pneumonia or hospitalizations. Children with colds typically have a stuffy or runny nose. Colds also come on much slower, don't cause headaches or chills and the child maintains his appetite. Signs that you may be dealing with the flu include an achy head, fever, dry cough, body aches, decreased appetite, chills and a sudden onset of illness.

  If you think your child has the flu, call your doctor. You can usually treat your child with lots of fluids, rest and comfort. However, the pediatrician may also prescribe an antiviral medicine to ease symptoms, but it must be prescribed within 48 hours of the onset.

Ear Infections

• What can parents do about chronic ear infections? Some children are more prone to middle ear infections--and they can be downright painful. Apply a cold pack to your child's outer ear for 20 minutes to help ease the pain. If he's old enough to chew gum, that may relieve the pressure and pain in his ear. Sitting in the upright position can reduce pressure, too. Parents can also give children an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

  If your child has had more than three infections in a six month period of time, or more than four annually, the doctor may want to prescribe prophylactic antibiotics. There is also a vaccine called Prevnar that decreases the number of ear infections caused by pneumococcus that are resistant to standard antibiotics. Four doses of the vaccine are given to the child in the first two years of life.

  You may also need to consider getting ear tubes inserted into the eardrum. An ear, nose and throat specialist performs the procedure using general anesthesia. They stay in the ear for six months to about a year and drain chronic ear fluid. They also help the child's speech development and preserve his hearing.