What to Do when Your Baby is Sick

Having a sick baby can be a difficult experience. You are worried about them and stressed and sometimes unsure what you should do. Here’s some advice, from another parent, to help you to know what to do when your baby is sick.

1. Decide If It Is Serious

The first concern is to decide whether they just have a normal illness, or something more serious. Babies often catch colds, flus, tummy bugs, and other illnesses that aren’t a cause for major concern. If it is one of these “everyday illnesses”, then you can care for them without consulting your doctor. If your baby is just congested or seems under the weather, it’s not normally anything serious.

However, if you have any concerns that something more serious might be wrong with them, always check with a health care professional. It is always better to be safe and have them checked than to let a seriously ill child go untreated. Some signs to watch for include: unresponsiveness, a very high temperature, signs of dehydration (not filling diapers) and/or loss of interest in feeding, and inconsolable, high-pitched crying (for longer periods than they would normally cry). If your baby has any of these, or other symptoms that seriously concern you, call your doctor immediately.

2. Treat Them As Necessary

As a general rule, it is best to medicate babies as little as possible. However, if your child is ill, they may need some medication. Always make sure to follow the advice of a pharmacist and/or doctor, and to follow the instructions appropriate for your baby’s age group. You may need to give them something to control their temperature, for example.

There are also non-medicine treatments that you can use. A little Olbas oil sprinkled in their bed can help to ease their breathing. If they are eating solid foods, probiotic yoghurts can help them to recover from stomach upsets. Some weak, cooled fennel or ginger tea can help to soothe little tummies as well, and can be good for tummy upsets.

3. Comfort Them

It is horrible when babies are sick. They don’t understand why they feel bad and they don’t know how to express themselves or what to do about it. Try to comfort them as best you can. Expect for them to spend a lot of time in your arms. It can be frustrating to have a baby who is very clingy and needy, but they need the comfort right now. Just being close to you can help them to feel better and calmer.

4. Book Off Work

If you normally work, you will need to book time off (in most countries your employer is legally required to give it to you, although you won’t necessarily be paid for it). Childcare providers will not accept sick children (with the possible exception of a mild cold), so you will need to keep them at home. If you can not get off work, then you will need to make alternate arrangements, like seeing if a relative can care for them.

5. Try To Be Patient

It can take babies longer to recover from illnesses, so try to be patient. They will eventually get better.

6. Disinfect

To help them to recover as quickly as possible, avoid re-infections and relapses, and avoid other members of the family getting sick as well, it’s going to take some work. Try to keep the house clean and use antibacterial cleaners. Make everyone wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizers often. You can even buy antiviral tissues to really help to kill germs before they can be spread.

7. Keep Them Hydrated

Make sure that your baby is still drinking lots. It is important to keep them well hydrated.