Ali Momin

Experts are still learning about how to protect the body against corona virus.There are far fewer cases of the virus reported in children. Most children catch the infection from someone they live with or from a family member. The virus seems to cause a milder infection in children than in adults or older people. Symptoms : Common symptoms: fever, tiredness, dry coughSome children may experience: aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, rashes. IN severe cases, there is difficulty in breathing as well. On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days. Seek medical attention if your child has a fever, a cough, and difficulty in breathing. PrecautionsBelow practices will help you and your child keep safe from Corona Virus:<ul><li>Avoid contact with people who are known patients of corona virus.</li><li>Wash your and your baby's hands well with soap for at least 20 seconds. Wash them often.</li><li>Avoiding travel and crowded places.</li><li>Teach them not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth, especially if they haven’t washed your hands.</li><li>Use a sanitiser.</li><li>Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough.</li><li>Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.</li><li>Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that people touch a lot.</li></ul> FAQs: Can children get infected by coronavirus?Studies suggest that children are equally likely to get infected as adults. However, the severity is less in children. Difference between Coronavirus and Covid-19?Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses of the known to cause respiratory illnesses in animals and humans. Whereas, Covid-19 is the disease caused by coronavirus. How does Covid-19 spread?People can catch this infection from someone who has it. It is primarily by the small droplets expelled from nose or mouth when a person with Covid-19 sneezes, coughs, or speaks. These droplets can stay on surfaces so when someone touches those infected surfaces, they might catch the infection. Is there a vaccine, drug, or treatment available?Some traditional medicines and home remedies might soothe the suffering from the infection but there is no specific vaccine, treatment, or drug available as of now. Difference between quarantine, isolation, and distancing?<ul><li>Quarantine means separating people who are not ill themselves but may have been exposed to Covid-19. Self-quarantine means separating self even if you are not ill but believe that you might have been exposed to the virus.</li><li>Isolation is separating the people who are ill with Covid-19 symptoms.</li><li>Physical distancing is to stay at a distance of at least 1 metre to avoid catching the virus. This needs to be followed by everyone regardless of whether someone has symptoms or not.</li></ul>

Here are Coronavirus Symptoms, Precautions, and FAQs.

All about Corona virus

Ravina Sewani

Samiksha Choithani

Dr Heena Hasan

When moms start feeding the newborns, the nipple often turns red and pointy instead of round and smooth. This could be due to the problem in latching technique, insert your finger into the corner of your baby's mouth to stop feeding for a while when you feel pain -- and then try latching on again. Ideally, your baby should take at least one inch of your areola (entire circle surrounding the nipple) into the mouth. Measures to treat sore nipples:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">When you take bath, clean the area with water and do not apply any soap. Your areola secretes oil that keeps your nipples moist. If you use soaps, these protective oils might be removed.&nbsp;Air-dry your nipples and do not rub them harsh. There is no need to clean your breasts before breastfeeding, offer your breasts as such. The microbes on your breast surface will help in the development of your baby's gut bacteria. You need to only clean your breasts before feeding if you have an infection.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Apply few breast milk drops. Massage a few drops of breastmilk before and after the feed to heal your nipples.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Your doctor might sometimes prescribe you creams to apply on your nipples.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If you need instant relief after nursing, use hydrogel pads.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Sometimes the pain is also due to blocked milk duct, massage your breasts with warm water. This will help to unplug ducts and clear the lumps, milk gets released and there is a relief in pain. Note that breastfeeding is the best way to unclog ducts, do not stop breastfeeding due to the pain.</li></ul> These are only temporary relief solutions. You will have to work on the cause of your soreness like poor latch or baby's tongue tie etc. A lactation consultant will be able to help you better. Some women face nipple structural challenges as well. Some of them have flat nipples or very large nipples. In any case, there is no need to worry as generally newborns can nurse on all types of nipple structures. Just ensure that there is a proper latch during the breastfeeding and that the baby is gaining adequate weight. However, here are a few things which might help you if you are facing a lot of trouble:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">If you inverted nipples, they will naturally protrude out as the pregnancy progresses. Even if this does not happen, your baby will be able to latch on and feed properly. If the baby is facing some troubles, a nipple shield will be very helpful in this case. Consult your doctor or a breastfeeding specialist to help you accustom to the use of nipples.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If you have flat nipples, they will raise with stimulation. If they don't, do not worry as long as your baby holds on to the areola apart from nipples. If along with flat nipples, you have engorged breasts, your baby might struggle with the latch. In this case, use your fingers to pull the nipple towards your baby's mouth. Your doctor might suggest you to use breast pumps in this case.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If you have large nipples, it will take your baby a few days to have a proper latch. But if you have adequate milk supply, your baby will get enough milk and gain wait adequately. You can try football hold if you have large nipples.</li></ul>

Breastfeeding can sometimes get overwhelming, not just emotionally, but physically too. Nipple care is very important for the first few months of feeding.

Nipple care

Squint eye or strabismus is misalignment of the two eyes where the eyes do not look in the same direction. This means that a child with squint eye(s) may not focus on an object (s)he is looking at. When a child is looking straight ahead, one of the eye may turn either inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. Some babies are born with a squint (strabismus), and some babies and children develop a squint later. Acquired squints are sometimes caused by the eye trying to overcome a vision problem, such as short-sightedness, but in many cases the cause is unknown. Rarely, a squint may be caused by a condition in the eye itself. In most squints one eye turns inwards or outwards. Less often, it may turn up or down. The misalignment in some cases is constant while in other can appear only at some particular times. Squint eye is also associated with weak eyesight. Types of squint:<ul><li>An eye that turns inwards is called an esotropia.</li><li>An eye that turns outwards is called an exotropia.</li><li>An eye that turns upwards is called a hypertropia.</li><li>An eye that turns downwards is called a hypotropia.</li></ul> Causes:<ul><li>Trauma</li><li>Lesions in the brain</li><li>Staring screens for long hours</li><li>Imbalance in the eye muscle</li><li>Aberration in the nerve supply</li><li>Decreased vision in one eye</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>A family member, teacher, or a health care provider notices that the eyes of a child are not straight.</li><li>Kids usually don’t complain for vision problems although some kids may complain of double vision (seeing two objects when there's only one in view) or have trouble seeing things in general.</li><li>Younger kids who cannot fully talk may squint a lot and turn or tilt their heads in an attempt to see more clearly.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Squint can be diagnosed when a child is taken to an ophthalmologist for routine check-up. Tests to find a squint can involve covering and uncovering each eye in turn. This often shows which eye has the squint and how it moves. The pupils of the eye can be checked with a torch, to check that they become smaller (constrict) with light and widen (dilate) when the light is removed. Very occasionally a scan of the eye or the brain may also be needed. Treatment:<ul><li>The correction of squint eye can be done by an eye specialist only. The first is that your child will be prescribed glasses to wear. After the prescription of the glasses, the doctor usually assesses the squint again.</li><li>The doctor will either advise patching of the eye or the use of dilating drops depending on the type of squint. The eye specialist might also suggest some eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles.</li><li>In a more complicated case of squint eye, the doctor might also suggest a surgery to be done.</li></ul>

Many a times, squint eye resolves on its own but if it does not, it needs correction and treatment.

Squint eye in children

Nut allergy is usually caused by peanuts. Peanuts grow underground. Peanut allergy can sometimes trigger life-threatening reactions. The proteins found in nuts are considered dangerous by the body and in response the body triggers an immune reaction against those proteins. Peanut allergies generally stay on for life but in very rare cases, children may outgrow these allergies. Peanut allergies are severe hence even trace amounts of peanut could trigger an immune reaction posing a threat to your child.Nut allergies are also very rarely caused by tree nuts grown above ground. Common tree nuts are Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, Pecans, Pine nuts, Pistachio, Walnuts, etc. If your child has a nut allergy, it is advisable to consult your child’s paediatrician before giving him/her coconut based foods. This is because coconut belongs to tree nuts family. Symptoms:<ul><li>Nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing or dry cough</li><li>Eczema (a dry, itchy rash) or hives (reddish, swollen, itchy areas on the skin)</li><li>Redness of the skin around the mouth or eyes</li><li>Itchy mouth, ear canal or lip swelling, odd taste in the mouth</li><li>Nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea or stomach pain</li><li>Severe reactions include loss of consciousness, chest pain, turning pale, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, or anaphylaxis.</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>Always get the diagnosis done by an expert. The doctor may recommend that your child undertake tests like skin prick test, blood test or food challenge. It is important that these tests are performed under medical supervision as these tests might trigger an allergic reaction.</li><li>Your child may develop allergies if there is a history of allergies in your family.</li></ul> Precautions:<ul><li>Always keep a habit of reading the food labels for the ingredients.</li><li>It is advisable to avoid all kinds of nuts if your child has developed allergy to one of the nuts. This is because there are risks of cross-contact and even trace amount of the nut your child is allergic to can lead to severe allergic reactions. Consult your child’s paediatrician for the same.</li><li>Inform your child's school or caretakers of the nut allergy so that they have an emergency response kit or you can provide the emergency kit to the school.</li><li>Keep an anti-allergic medicine prescribed by your child’s paediatrician handy in case of mild triggers.</li></ul> Foods to avoid:<ul><li>Cross-contact is common in the case of nut allergy so always be careful of the foods your child consumes.</li><li>Be careful of the following foods as nuts could be a hidden ingredient in them:</li><li>Cereals, breakfast bars, snacks like crackers, cookies, cakes, pastries, energy or protein bars, pancakes, egg rolls</li><li>Beverages like flavoured hot chocolate, flavoured coffee</li><li>Desserts like ice creams, frozen yogurts, chocolates, candy, fudge</li><li>Cheese, butter or oil from tree nuts or other nuts</li><li>Even personal hygiene products like shampoos, lotions, perfumes, and soaps may contain extracts from nuts</li><li>Pet food, bird seeds, compost used as fertiliser may contain peanut shells</li></ul>

Nut allergies can be of two types: tree nut allergies or underground nut allergies.

Nut allergy

Palak Vyas

Vomiting in young babies and small children is not rare. Vomiting is very common during early weeks when you have just introduced solids into their diet. But if your baby looks happy and healthy, you should stay assured that nothing is serious. Vomits can be either of the following three:Spitting up:<ul><li>Young babies tend to spit up milk or solids as soon as they are fed.</li><li>This is normal and there is nothing to worry about if the content that they spit is less.</li><li>As the oesophagus of children is still developing, milk can leak back up after a feed and come out of the baby's mouth or nose.</li></ul> This kind of vomiting resolves on its own as the baby grows and his/her digestive system matures. In case of frequent vomiting, paediatrician’s prescribed oral hydration solutions should be used. Reflux vomiting:This is due to the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Factors like obesity, eating spicy food, excess caffeine intake, overeating also contribute to GERD. Little tips to avoid or reduce reflux:<ul><li>Hold and feed your baby while (s)he is seated or in an upright position. Avoid feeding baby in a lying down position.</li><li>Feed your child in smaller portions.</li><li>Ensure that your baby doesn’t jump or bounce immediately after eating food.</li><li>Give your baby milk or water after feeding to reduce acid or indigestion.</li><li>Avoid giving spicy or fried food to your child.</li></ul> Projectile vomiting:Projectile vomiting is when the entire amount of last feed is forcefully vomited out. This could be due to a blockage caused by thickening of the muscle of the stomach. It could be due to some gastric infection or even the common cold.In any case, do not give over-the-counter medication to your baby. Consult your child’s paediatrician as early as possible. Causes of vomiting:<ul><li>Stress</li><li>Motion sickness</li><li>Gastroentritis (also known as stomach flu; caused by viruses)</li><li>Food poisoning</li><li>Food allergy</li><li>Concussion</li><li>Migraine</li></ul> You should consult the doctor in the following conditions:<ul><li>Vomiting for more than 12 hours.</li><li>Blood or bile in the vomit.</li><li>If your baby is losing weight or not gaining weight.</li><li>If there is persistent indigestion.</li><li>If the baby generally seems unwell.</li><li>If the baby remains fatigued all the time.</li></ul> Diagnosis: Physical examination, medical history, and in some cases blood tests help with the cause of vomiting. Treatment and Remedies:Give doctor's prescribed oral electrolyte solutions (ORS) to prevent dehydration and loss of nutrients in children.Usually medicines are not prescribed unless it's stomach flu.Do not give your child milk or milk products.Give them liquid diet. Example - fruit juices diluted with water, broth of vegetable or pulses (consult your child's paediatrician first). Prevention:<ul><li>Develop regular habit of washing hands in your child.</li><li>Check the food ingredients to see that the food doesn't have anything that might trigger your child's allergy.</li><li>Store and cook food properly to avoid the chances of food poisoning.</li></ul>

Here are Vomiting Causes, Types, Diagnosis, Treatment, Remedies, and Prevention.

All about vomiting

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is also known as cot/crib death. As per the name, it is a sudden unexplained death of a child under 1 year of age with no explainable reasons after a thorough biopsy. SIDS is more likely to occur between 2 to 4 months of infants. SIDS is more prevalent in boys. Most SIDS deaths occur in the winter. Causes: The cause of SIDS is unknown. Researchers believe that low levels of oxygen or a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood might be the reason behind SIDS. When babies sleep face down, they may re-breathe exhaled carbon dioxide and so the CO2 levels rise in the blood. Risk factors of SIDS:<ul><li>Sleeping on the stomach.</li><li>Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born.</li><li>Soft bedding in the crib.</li><li>Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.).</li><li>Premature birth.</li><li>Having a brother or sister who had SIDS.</li><li>Mothers who smoke or use illegal drugs.</li><li>Being born to a teen mother.</li><li>Short time period between pregnancies.</li><li>Late or no prenatal care.</li></ul> Diagnosis: A baby is determined to have died from SIDS if no cause of death can be identified. Treatment: There is no treatment available for SIDS as of yet. Preventive measures:<ul><li>Put your baby to sleep on his back.</li><li>See that you don’t put extra pillows, blankets or bumper pads in the bed with the baby.</li><li>See the baby doesn’t get too hot.</li><li>Always use a firm sleep surface for baby’s the bed.</li><li>Keep your baby away from smoke and smokers.</li><li>Use of pacifiers reduces risk of SIDS, although the reason is unclear.</li></ul>

Here are SIDS Causes, Risk factors, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention.

All about Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Dr Aliraza Khunt

Itching can result due to various reasons:<ul><li>Skin allergies</li><li>Food allergies</li><li>Dandruff</li><li>Skin disorder</li></ul> <ul><li>It is advisable to consult your paediatrician or doctor for itching before you apply any skin products to your child.</li></ul> Remedies for itching:<ul><li>Avoid scented soaps, lotions, and bubble baths.</li><li>Change out of wet or damp clothing immediately after exercising or swimming.</li><li>Moisturising the skin with a good moisturiser.</li><li>See a doctor when the itching persists for more than 2 weeks, when there is inflammation and when itching affects the entire body.</li></ul>

Itching, if not treated at the right time can intensify and irritate a child. It is better to consult your paediatrician at the right time.

Itching problem in children

Prachi Shah

As per the doctors’ recommendations, a child shouldn’t be given anything till 6 months. Child should only be breastfed till 6 months. This is applicable for masses. But this can be customised depending upon a child’s health and under parental supervision; a child can be introduced or can be given liquidised food and water from 5 or 6 months. Liquid foods should be those which are culturally acceptable. These include – fruit juices, vegetable soups, daal or moong water, non-veg soup, etc. Children should be encouraged to drink adequate amounts of fluids. While introducing new foods, parents should keep 2 things in mind: <ol><li>Never introduce 2 foods at the same time. If you are giving daal water today, do not give fruit juice on the same day. It helps in identifying any consequences/allergic reactions or adverse effect due to new foods. Let the child get habituated to a new thing for at least a week and then introduce a new food item.</li><li>The quantity also matters. On the first day start with 2 spoons of say daal water, on second day 4 spoons, likewise keep increasing quantity gradually for a week and if the child is able to digest it all well. In the second week you can introduce fruit juice along with daal water. Keep the quantity in check and ultimately know how much is enough for your child.</li></ol> Please note:<ul><li>Children’s appetites may vary, not only from day to day, but also from one meal to the next.</li><li>Children have smaller stomachs than adults so it is important to consider portion size when plating food.</li></ul>

Introducing food at the right age will make your child habituated with eating all kinds of food.

Food at the right age

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Breastfeed your baby as much as (s)he wants. In the early days and weeks, your baby will wake and feed frequently, day and night.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">When your baby is a newborn, their stomachs are tiny. Babies can physically take only small amounts of milk. They can digest breast milk easily and it soon gets absorbed it into their system. That's why babies might demand constant feeding.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">After the first few days, most young babies feed at least 8 to 10 times in 24 hours. This means your baby could be asking for a feed every 90 minutes to two hours.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It's worth keeping an eye on the number of feeds the child has, and offering them your breast, even if the baby not asking. By breastfeeding often, you're building up your milk supply. The more your baby feeds, the more milk you will produce. This is called responsive feeding. And your baby will love snuggling into you, whether or not they are hungry.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Do check that your baby is latched on well. Otherwise, (s)he may be nipple-feeding, rather than breastfeeding. This can make your nipples sore, and your baby may be unsettled, because they can't get a good amount of milk. Get advice from your elders or paediatrician if you're worried that your baby isn't feeding well.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Your baby needs to open wide and take a good mouthful of your breast. Once they have latched on, the chin should be touching your breast, the nose should be clear and baby's lower lip should be evened.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Your baby may want to feed more often, or for longer, at night. This is normal, because your body produces more prolactin, the hormone that makes milk, at night. By feeding often at night, your baby stimulates your body to make more milk.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Over the next few months, your baby's feeding pattern may become more predictable. This can take a while to establish, though, so try not to be disheartened.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Always keep the weight of the baby in check, to track their physical development. The track of baby’s weight will also help you to understand whether your baby is feeding enough or not.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It is recommended to JUST breastfeed your baby until the age of twelve months and it can be continued till the age of four depending on mother's and child's comfort.</li></ul>Signs that your child is adequately breastfeeding:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Frequent urination up to 6-7 times a day.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Adequate weight gain.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">A sleepy baby post breastfeeding.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Let down reflex (Milk comes out from the other breast while baby feeds from one breast).</li></ol>

Worried about whether you are feeding the child enough? Look for the signs that your child gives.

sids health concerns

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