Insights on the prevention and treatment of common childhood diseases

Prevention is better than cure, treat symptoms and use appropriate tightness.

Harmful, it all comes down to stepping on pitfalls. The first thing that comes to mind is the experience of my baby having whorls for the first time last fall. When the vomiting and diarrhea first broke out, my mother was eager to give her the antidiarrheal medicine that was commonly used when she was a child, saying that dehydration would be troublesome. I had done some evidence-based popular science before and remembered that whorls are a self-limiting disease, and blindly stopping diarrhea would block toxins in the body. They had an argument at that time, and finally compromised by giving the baby a small amount of rehydration salt III frequently, and added a clove appetizer patch recommended by the community doctor. After three days, it was completely cured. Later, when I chatted with mothers in the community, I discovered that some people got better quickly by just feeding them with rehydration salts, and there were also children who suffered no consequences after taking Chinese patent medicines. There is really no need to argue about "which method is absolutely correct." As long as you stick to the bottom line of "not dehydrated and in a good mental state," whatever method suits your child is a good one.

In addition to the entanglement in handling, I have also gone to extremes before in terms of prevention. When my child was just 1 year old, I was a "disinfection freak". I had to steam the tableware for 20 minutes each time, wipe the toys with disinfectant wipes every other day, and immediately rub my hands three times with no-rinse gel when going out on a public slide. As a result, during that time, my child always developed eczema, his stomach was weak, and he was prone to constipation and diarrhea. Later, the child care doctor scolded me for being too particular, saying that proper exposure of children to the normal flora in the environment can help build immunity, and that constant disinfection kills all the beneficial bacteria. I dubiously changed my habit: as long as the tableware has not been stained with raw meat, just wash it with ordinary dish soap and rinse it thoroughly. When I go out to play in the mud and sand, I just need to wash my hands before touching food when I get home. Don't worry, after two months of adjustment, most of my baby's eczema has disappeared, and I haven't had a stomachache in the next six months.

Fever is the issue that everyone is most concerned about, and I have experienced many wrongdoings. When my baby's fever reached 39℃ for the first time, I was so panicked that I drove to the emergency room in the middle of the night and waited in line for 2 hours. After the doctor saw it, he said it was a common cold and his throat was red, so he prescribed antipyretics and sent me back. Later, when I encountered a fever, I became much calmer. I would try to calm myself down first: If my fever reached 38.5°C and I could still run after toys or my eyes light up when I saw a strawberry, I would give me some antipyretics and plenty of fluids and observe. ； If you feel like your head is drooping as soon as the temperature reaches 38°C and you don’t want to move, then you must run to the hospital immediately. Nowadays, there are two opinions on the Internet. One group says that as long as you are in good spirits, you don’t need to go to the hospital. Going there will cause cross-infection. The other group says that if you have a fever, you should have a blood test immediately to avoid pneumonia and meningitis. I don’t think there is a need to set strict standards. You take care of your baby every day. You know best what his usual state is. If you are not sure, it is not a waste of money to go to the hospital. It is better than trying to guess at home.

Herpetic angina broke out in kindergartens a while ago, and teachers issued early warnings in the group every day. Parents' actions were far from the best: some children secretly sent their children to kindergarten as soon as their noses started to run a little, saying they were afraid of missing out on handicraft classes and not being able to keep up with the progress. Another child took leave of absence and hid at home for two weeks after hearing about the case, fearing that he would be infected. When I got up every morning, I would first open the baby's mouth and check the throat, palms and soles for rashes. If there was no abnormality, I would send him off as usual. The first thing I did when I came back was change his clothes and wash his hands, and scald the toys with hot water. Later, half of the children in the whole class were infected, but nothing happened to my baby. Of course, this was also due to luck. This does not mean that my method is suitable for everyone.

Now my medicine cabinet is very simple. I just put a few things that I need: an ear thermometer that is ten times more accurate than a forehead thermometer, acetaminophen suspension that can be used over 3 months, ibuprofen suspension that can be used over 6 months, rehydration salt III, saline nasal spray, and a bottle of pure honey (note that babies under 1 year old cannot eat it to avoid the risk of botulism infection). When the baby has a severe cough, he can take a spoonful and hold it. It has no side effects compared to messy cough medicines. Oh, yes, there is one principle that I insist on sticking to: the state clearly states that compound cold medicines are prohibited for children under 2 years old and are not recommended for children under 6 years old. Previously, my mother wanted to feed her baby the cold medicine that I took when I was a child, but I stopped her. This kind of thing with clear risks should not be messed up by old experience.

The biggest feeling I have had over the past few years of raising children is that I really shouldn’t be bound by all kinds of “standard answers”. Today, I saw an expert saying that I should do this, so I panicked and followed suit. Tomorrow, I heard my neighbor said that another method was better and started to worry again. There is no need at all. Every baby’s body is different, and even if they have the same symptoms, the possible causes are very different. Don’t be too nervous and run to the hospital for everything, and don’t be too careless and delay things. If you are really unsure, just find a pediatrician in a regular hospital. It will be much more effective than searching Baidu for ten hours.