My Blog
You just got the call from your child’s school: someone in your kid’s class has chickenpox. This highly contagious virus isn’t usually anything to worry about, but it can certainly cause some very unpleasant symptoms for your child, including a terribly red and itchy rash all over the body and face. If you’re concerned about chickenpox, your pediatrician can tell you everything that you should know about this common childhood infection.How can I tell that it’s chickenpox?
Since chickenpox is caused by a viral infection, most children will develop common symptoms of an infection before the rash even develops. These symptoms include:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Stomach upset
- Headache
- Body aches
- Loss of appetite
The rash will usually appear 1-2 days after your child has been exposed to chickenpox. This rash consists of itchy, fluid-filled blisters that crust over within 4-5 days. Some children may only develop a few blisters on their body while others may develop hundreds.
How is chickenpox treated?
It is incredibly important that you keep your child from scratching the rash, as this can lead to infection and make their symptoms worse. Several home remedies can ease discomfort and itching. Some of these include:
- Applying calamine lotion
- Making sure that your child is drinking enough water and staying hydrated
- Soaking in a bath with baking soda for 20-30 minutes to reduce inflammation and pain
- Applying cold compresses to the rash
- Taking an over-the-counter antihistamine (talk with your pediatric doctor first before giving your child any medication)
Should my child see a doctor?
If your child is experiencing the typical symptoms of chickenpox, then chances are good that you won’t have to bring them into the office. The only thing you can do is wait. You should call your pediatrician if:
- Your newborn is showing signs of chickenpox
- Your child’s fever goes away and then comes back
- Your child has a high fever
- Some areas of the rash are getting larger or are painful (signs of infection)
Is there a way to prevent chickenpox?
The good news is that children today can be protected against chickenpox with a simple vaccine. The chickenpox vaccine is administered in two doses: the first vaccine is administered when your baby is 12 to 15 months and a second vaccine is administered at 4-6 years old.
If you want to protect your child against the chickenpox, then talk to your pediatrician about getting them vaccinated. Your child has enough to worry about, without chickenpox being one of them.
By The Child & Adolescent Clinic
September 29, 2020
Category:
Children's Health
Tags:
Conjunctivitis
Pink Eye
Your child won’t stop rubbing their eyes. They say it’s incredibly itchy. When you go to examine it, you notice their eyes are also bloodshot and inflamed. Oh no, it sounds like conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis, more commonly known as pink eye, is often a communicable eye infection that can be spread from person to person. If your child is dealing with symptoms of conjunctivitis you might want to visit your pediatric doctor to find out what to do.What causes pinkeye?
In most cases, an infection is to blame. An infectious pink eye is contagious and may result from a sinus infection or ear infection. Some viruses or bacteria can lead to contagious forms of pinkeye; however, in some cases, pinkeye may develop as a result of allergies (e.g. ragweed; grass; dust mites) or being exposed to certain irritants or chemicals.
What happens if my baby has pinkeye?
If your newborn develops pinkeye you must seek pediatric care right away, as this condition can lead to severe complications if left untreated. In most cases, your newborn will be prescribed antibiotics eye drops to help clear the infection.
How do I know that it’s pinkeye?
There are a variety of telltale signs that your little one may be dealing with a nasty bout of pinkeye. If they are old enough to talk then they may tell you that their eyes feel gritty, like there is something in them. You may also notice a thick, gooey discharge. Their eyes may also be sensitive to light. Most pinkeye also causes swelling, itching, and eye pain.
How is pink eye treated in kids?
Apart from newborns, who require immediate medical attention for pinkeye, most kids and teens whose pinkeye is caused by a virus will go away without treatment once the body has fought the virus. However, if a bacterial infection is to blame, then antibiotic eye drops will be needed to treat the bacterial infection.
If your child is dealing with recurring bouts of pinkeye they could be dealing with allergic conjunctivitis, which you should also talk to your pediatrician about. They can prescribe certain allergy medications to your child to help lessen pinkeye flare-ups.
It’s important to find trustworthy pediatric care for your child or teen. Whether you are concerned with pinkeye, ADHD, or celiac disease, a pediatrician will be able to diagnose, manage, and treat a wide range of infections and conditions.
What parent doesn’t want to protect their child from getting injured or sick? While it will happen at some point, there are certainly ways that both you and your pediatrician can work together to ensure that your child doesn’t have to deal with completely avoidable injuries or illnesses. One way to do that is through regular wellness visits with your pediatrician.What is a wellness visit?
While you should bring your child into the doctor’s office when they are sick, this isn’t the only time that they should be visiting a pediatrician. Regular wellness visits allow your child’s doctor to continue to monitor their health and development throughout their childhood and teen years. A wellness or well-child visit typically involves:
- Recording your child’s height and weight
- Providing a detailed medical history of your child
- Checking vital signs
- Hearing and vision screenings (depending on the age)
- A full physical examination (painless and non-invasive)
- Additional testing or blood work, if necessary
- Vaccinations, as needed
- Answer any questions that the parent may have about their child’s health and provide information and advice on ways to keep your child healthy
Once your baby is born, they will come in regularly for wellness visits (nearly every month until they are three years old). Throughout these wellness visits your pediatrician will continue to monitor their development and pinpoint any issues early on when some problems can be treated or even reversed.
Furthermore, children will need to go through a series of vaccines during the first few years of life. Vaccines are one of the best ways to protect your child from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases such as polio. By keeping up with your child’s wellness and vaccine schedule you ensure that you are providing your child with everything that they need to stay healthy.
Why are wellness visits so important?
As you can probably assume already, these checkups are the best way to prevent health problems from happening in the first place (which we can all agree is so much better than just treating the problem once it comes along). Other benefits of wellness visits include:
- Providing parents with support, peace of mind, and advice regarding everything from sleep schedules and diet to medications and behavioral concerns.
- Catch problems early on, whether physical, mental or behavioral, when they can easily be managed and treated through simpler and less invasive treatment options
- Having a doctor that becomes an important part of your family; someone you can trust and rely on to always be there for your child. After all, knowing that you have a doctor that you can turn to in an emergency is invaluable.
A wellness visit is one of the easiest ways to keep your child healthy. If it’s time for your little one’s next checkup call your pediatrician today.
To ensure that your child grows up healthy and strong, they need to see a pediatrician for regular check-ups, screenings, and vaccines. These well-child visits are incredibly important for your child’s health and wellbeing and begin within the first week after your child is born. Since your child will be visiting a pediatrician regularly, you must find one that fits your family’s needs. Even before your baby is born you should shop around for a pediatrician so that once your baby comes into the world you can start giving them the routine check-ups and care they need for a healthy and long life.Getting Regular Check-ups
These routine check-ups with the pediatrician are incredibly important for your child’s health and development. Within the first few years of life, your child’s development is rapid and these check-ups allow our pediatrician to spot problems or developmental delays early. These check-ups are also focused on preventive care, which means providing your child with vaccines and screenings early on to prevent health problems in the future.
These check-ups are also important for parents, as it gives them a chance to ask questions they may have about their child’s sleeping and eating habits, or other behaviors their child may be displaying. During your child’s regular pediatric checkups, your doctor will check your child’s height, weight, vision, and hearing. These visits begin within the first five days after birth and will continue at:
- 1 month old
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- 6 months old
- 9 months old
- 12 months old
- 15 months old
- 18 months old
- 24 months old
- 30 months old
- 3 years old
Once your child turns 3 years old, they may only need to visit their pediatrician once a year for a check-up. Of course, children dealing with certain health issues may still need to come in more often for care.
Getting Vaccinated
Vaccines are also an important part of these visits, and immunizations are truly one of the best and most effective ways to keep your child healthy and free from potentially dangerous diseases such as measles, polio, and hepatitis B. Your pediatrician can provide your child with all the vaccinations they need, particularly before starting school.
Looking for a pediatrician? Need to schedule your child’s next check-ups? Our pediatric team is here to address any questions and concerns you may have. From immunizations to sports injuries, we handle it all.
So, your child’s teeth just started to come in. We know that this can be an exciting milestone for parents. Of course, this also means considering your child’s oral health. Just as you 
brush and floss your teeth every day, you will now need to begin brushing your child’s teeth. While the techniques and practices will be a bit different and probably less time-consuming (seeing as your child probably only has one or two teeth at the moment), here are some tips for how to brush your child’s teeth properly,
- Even before your child’s teeth start to erupt it’s important to keep their gums healthy and clean by wiping them with a soft, damp cloth after each feeding and right before bedtime. Your child will get their first tooth between 6-14 months.
- Yes, even children’s teeth can develop decay. As soon as the tooth is formed it can develop decay, so it’s important that you start brushing it as soon as you see it.
- Purchase a child-sized toothbrush from your local drugstore and wet the soft-bristled toothbrush with water to brush your child’s tooth or teeth (at this point you don’t need toothpaste).
- Your child won’t start needing toothpaste until they are 2 years old. From 2-3 years old your child only needs toothpaste the size of a grain of rice in order to clean their teeth. After 3 years old, you can upgrade to a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
- Just as you do for your own teeth, you should also brush your child’s teeth twice a day (once in the morning and again at night right before going to bed).
- Use soft, circular motions when brushing the teeth and the gums. Again, just as you do your own teeth, you should brush for a minimum of two minutes. Don’t forget to brush their tongue and roof of their mouth, too.
- We know that your child may not fully understand the brushing process, so it’s a good idea to tell them what you are doing and the importance of brushing their teeth. Even though they can’t brush their own teeth yet it’s still great to show them how to brush so that when it’s time to start brushing their own teeth they understand how to do it.
- Most children can start brushing their teeth around 7-8 years old, but still need to be supervised by an adult until around 10-11 years old.
Have questions about caring for your baby’s developing smile? Keeping your child’s smile healthy is so important for their development and practicing good oral hygiene at home will ensure that your child’s smile stays healthy.
This website includes materials that are protected by copyright, or other proprietary rights. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use, as defined in the copyright laws, requires the written permission of the copyright owners.