The most difficult aspect of caring for a very young child is the inability to communicate. It’s like caring for a sick pet, you can give them all the love and care, but you can’t make them understand what’s happening, or why they have to go and be poked, prodded, and possibly injected by a stranger. At the same time, until your child can talk, they can’t tell you what is wrong or how they feel, except by crying. This can make looking after sick kids somewhat stressful, but there are ways you can help yourself manage successfully.
Knowledge is your greatest asset
They say you fear what you don’t understand; the great unknown. To combat this problem, the acquisition of knowledge is essential. Find out as much as you can about the possible illnesses your child might contract, how they are best avoided, and how to spot the signs of each condition. You don’t need to become an encyclopedia on the subject, but the more you know and understand about potential illnesses and symptoms, the better you will be able to cope if your child falls ill.
Panicking at the first sign of sickness and frantically Googling your child’s symptoms is not the best way to handle the situation. If you read the first piece of information you find, you won’t know if it’s accurate or up to date, so bookmark reliable, authoritative sites like this one that you know you can rely on, ready for some fact checking if you suspect your child is sick. Some conditions can be hard to diagnose, and one that worries parents both because of this, and the potential seriousness of the condition, is meningitis. This is a classic time when you are being aware of the signs to look for, and knowing your child, is so important. It can have few obvious symptoms at first and can be missed by doctors, so don’t be afraid to push for further tests if you are worried there is more to your child’s condition than meets the eye. Should your doctor fail to spot or treat a serious illness like this, you have recourse to legal action and should consult a specialist in meningitis claims.
Knowing your child – the maternal instinct
You know your baby better than anyone else, and you’ll be able to spot signs of a problem that might not even be noticeable to others. Any kind of change in behavior, sleeping or feeding patterns, or just a feeling that something is wrong can all indicate to you that the child may be unwell. Most of the time, this will simply be a case of a minor digestive upset – having trapped wind can make babies scream blue murder! Or it could be the start of a cold, which will soon make itself evident with the familiar symptoms of runny nose, cough, and raised temperature. Knowing how to take baby’s temperature is a vital skill, because a rise above a certain level can indicate that medical attention is required, even when there are no other obvious symptoms.
If you use the knowledge you have gained, coupled with the insight you have into what is normal for your child, you should be able to manage sickness and get the best treatment for your little ones.