How to Find Advice for Treating a Sick Child
Where to Get Accurate Illness Resources for Children With Colds
Nov 13, 2009
Virtually all kids get a cold at some point each year. Many illness resources for children exist to help parents who are treating children with colds, some much better than others. Where can parents turn to for the most accurate advice to help their kids feel better fast?
The first place to start is the child's pediatrician or a nurse from the pediatrician's office. For an illness which the parent feels is less severe, parenting books and internet parenting websites provide accurate advice for treating a sick child.
Contacting a Pediatrician for Advice for Treating a Sick Child
According to Eisenberg, Murkoff and Hathaway, authors of What to Expect: The First Year (Workman Publishing Company, 2003), there are some cases in which parents should always call their pediatrician for a child with a cold. These include the following:
- An infant's first cold.
- Cold symptoms in babies under 3 months.
- Fever in babies under 3 months.
- If fever rises suddenly or lasts for over 2 days.
- If a cough persists for more than 2 weeks.
- If the cough causes the baby or child to choke, vomit or wheeze.
- The child or infant develops difficulty breathing.
- If the baby or child cries much more than normal and cold symptoms are present.
- Appetite is totally lost.
Please note, however, that this is not an all inclusive list. Parents should consult with their pediatrician during child visits to find out what other symptoms need an immediate phone call.
Parents know their children best, and should also call their pediatrician if their child exhibits any other usual symptoms. A physician may also inform parents if the child's age and other medical conditions are a factor in whether or not to call a pediatrician for a cold.
Parenting Books as a Resource for Children With Colds
Another option available to parents as an accurate illness resource for children with colds are parenting books. Many of these books are designed for parents of children ages one or 2 and under. However, the illness advice they contain can be valuable for kids of all ages.
Parenting books are usually written by doctors and nurses. They contain information about how to keep children healthy, diagnosis of illnesses, first aid, home remedies and when to call the pediatrician or visit the emergency room.
Using the Internet for Advice for Treating a Sick Child
Some internet sites can provide great advice for treating a sick child. Parenting websites contain a vast amount of information for parents of children with colds. However, parents should always be careful to only use web advice that has been written by a physician. Advice from a forum or question and answer website should not be blindly trusted.
Parents want children with colds to feel better fast. For the best advice for treating a sick child, parents can contact their pediatrician, consult a parenting book, and look on a parenting websites for a physician's advice.
Interested in natural treatments for illness? Read also Home Remedies for Cold or Flu Symptoms.
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