Top 3 Most Common Childhood Ailments that Can Be Treated at Home
From the time your little one is born and begins taking their first steps, there are going to be bumps, bruises, and childhood ailments that will require you to have the right first aid supplies on hand to make your little one better. As a parent, you should be constantly stocking that first aid kit to ensure all supplies are on hand need to take care of life’s little bumps in the road for your child. With that being said, read on below for a few of the most common childhood ailments and how they can be treated at home with first aid and a lot of love.
Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, mouth disease is a viral illness that is more common than commonly thought. It mostly affects babies and children under the age of five. Symptoms include mouth sores, a fever, and a skin rash. The disease is contagious and is spread by fecal matter, saliva, mucous, and mouth blisters. It can also be spread through skin contact by your child touching another child who has the disease already.
While there is no specific treatment for this disease, there are things that can be done to help make your child comfortable until it runs its course. Keep over the counter pain relievers for children in your first aid kit and use analgesic mouthwash to help with the mouth sores. Pain relievers and love are the best treatments for this disease.
The Common Cold
It’s called the common cold for a reason. It is estimated that a normal preschool or elementary child suffers from the common cold between six and ten times a year. The symptoms of the common cold include being tired, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and a runny nose. There is no cure for the common cold, and it can last anywhere from two days to two weeks.
Catching a cold is as simple as being in contact with someone who has one, at the daycare, the park, or even the grocery store. Treatment of the common cold can be done at home by giving the child over the counter medicines for the pain and keeping the child hydrated with plenty of fluids. Outside of pain meds and pushing fluids, getting plenty of rest is the best cure there is for the common cold.
Scrapes and Cuts
Every parent knows that scrapes and cuts are a part of a child growing up. There are many mistakes that can be made when it comes to common injuries around the house, but having a little know-how, and a good first aid kit can help to prevent those mistakes from happening. For scrapes and cuts, the process is pretty simple if you act fast.
First, analyze the scrape/cut to make sure that is not serious enough to warrant professional attention, then clean the area completely and gently pat it dry. Keep a good tube of antibiotic cream in your first aid kit, so that you can dab some gently onto the cut or scrape. Cover the cut or scrape with an adhesive bandage or band-aid and keep an eye on it, changing the band-aid regularly until it heals.
These are just a few of the common ailments that can plague children around the house. From scrapes and cuts to hand, foot, mouth disease, these things are a part of childhood. Keep a well-stocked first aid kit around and you will be well-equipped to handle any household emergency!