Baby

Strep Throat Symptoms in Babies

Here you can read more about strep throat symptoms in babies. Strep throat is caused by bacteria called streptococcus bacteria. It is not too dangerous, but it should be treated with the right medications. If you start treating it in time, you will avoid complications and the treatment will last shorter. Therefore, you must know how to recognize strep throat symptoms. In older children, it is much easier to notice the symptoms of strep throat. You child will probably start complaining about the throat and you will see other symptoms, too.

Strep throat is commonly seen in schoolchildren. This infection spreads by close physical contact, so schoolchildren are at higher risk. They spend a lot of time with other kids and they are not always careful about their hands hygiene. Strep throat can also spread by exchanging school items, like books, pencils and other things.

Babies are not at very high risk of getting strep throat. However, if this happens, you need to know what to do. Babies cannot tell you that something is wrong. That is why you need to learn how to recognize the symptoms of strep throat in your baby.

Strep Throat Symptoms in Babies

Generally, strep throat symptoms start one or two days after the infection has taken place. Sore throat is one of the first symptoms. The throat inflammation will occur and a child will have difficulty swallowing. Symptoms of strep throat in adults usually include fever and swollen glands on the neck. Children can experience nausea, vomiting, chills, muscle pain, abdominal pain and skin rashes.

As we said, strep throat is not very common in babies. However, in case your baby gets infected, the symptoms will include low fever, runny nose, appetite loss, and sores around the nostrils.

If you see any of these symptoms in your baby, take him/her to your doctor. He will examine the baby and see whether it is strep throat or something else. Your doctor can use tests that are done in just fifteen minutes, so you won’t have to wait for the results.

Strep throat treatment consists of antibiotics. It lasts for a week or so, but your doctor can make some adjustments, depending on other factors. Strep throat treatment should be started as soon as possible. That way, you will avoid complications and the infection will be gone in a week or two. If left untreated, strep throat can cause rheumatic fever and kidney problems.

Hiccups in Babies

Hiccups in babies are quite normal in the first months of baby’s life. This usually happens right after meal. If you are a young mother and still learning about your new baby and parenthood, you might get concerned about hiccups. But don’t be. You are about to find out what hiccups really are. You’ll see that there is no reason to worry.

Hiccups are more frequent in newborns than in older infants. This is so because baby’s organs develop as baby grows and hiccups gradually become less frequent until they are completely gone.

It is important to be aware of the fact that there is nothing you can actually do to stop this. Remember these old tales about what you should do if someone has hiccups (“one should grab a paper bag and breathe into it; one should stand on his head; if someone has hiccups, scare him”)? Well, no matter what you have heard – do not ever try this on your baby! It will not be helpful, but may seriously harm your child.

On the other hand, hiccups can not really harm your infant, although you may find them very annoying. They can last for the whole hour! But in most of the cases hiccups do not last for more than a couple of minutes. Keep in mind that hiccups do not bother your baby at all; it’s more likely that they will be bothering you – the parent.

In most cases, hiccups go away spontaneously. You can never know when it will stop, but as your baby is growing, hiccups will keep reducing until they disappear. Meanwhile, make sure not to feed your baby during hiccups. Also, do not wait till the baby is too hungry.

Gripe Water for Babies

Gripe water for babies is commonly used in solving problems that usually occur in babies. These problems are something to expect when it comes to babies and nearly all mothers face them eventually: stomachaches, gas, reflux, colic, toothache etc.

This remedy has been in use for centuries. It originally came from Great Britain (although the man who made it was an American). Today it is being sold all over the world, but its ingredients have changed a bit, so today we do not use the same gripe water that people used decades before. Gripe water ingredients are not identical for all gripe water manufacturers but vary from brand to brand.

Still, there are ingredients that all gripe water brands have in common such are: alcohol, ginger, chamomile and sodium bicarbonate.Gripe water is applied in liquid form and you should follow the instructions for use to make sure you’re doing everything well. You shouldn’t  forget that babies are very sensitive and it is extremely important to give your baby the right dose. Be very careful when measuring the dose – you do not want to give an overdose to your child. Regardless to its efficiency and healing quality, even gripe water should be dosed in right measure and within the limits that are appropriate for your baby’s age and weigh.

Today gripe water is an over-the-counter product and there are many places where you can buy it. Nevertheless you should ask the doctor for an advice. Don’t do anything by yourself and without previous consultation with the pediatrician.

There are many speculations about its actual effectiveness. Some people are quite convinced in its healing qualities while others have doubts and remain rather reserved when it comes to this remedy. However when your baby is in pain these moments are equally difficult for  the mother, and she will try everything just in order to help her child. Since the gripe water is known for its calming qualities, mothers believe that there is nothing to lose by trying this remedy. This may be true, but again: do not apply it without your doctor’s advice.

Hiccups in Newborns

We have already described baby hiccups in general, but if you have a newborn, here is something about hiccups in newborns. Everything we said about hiccups in babies also stands when it comes to newborn hiccups. Still, there are slight differences, since the newborns are even more sensitive. So you should be extra careful.

Although the exact reason for hiccups in newborns hasn’t been definitely determined, it is believed that the diaphragm tightening is the main cause. Furthermore, other possible causes to hiccups are air swallowing. It happens while you feed your baby from a bottle. Also, according to some sources, hiccups may become more frequent if your baby consumes formula milk. If your baby is very hungry, it is possible she will eat faster and take more food all at once, so this can also cause hiccups! Do no wait until your newborn is that hungry! Try to keep your baby calm since it can help reduce hiccups.

Regardless to all the possible causes (mentioned above) doctor still believe that hiccups are quite normal. They believe that the main reason for hiccups is a newborn neurological system which is immature thus incapable to function the way it would if the child was older.

We have already said that there is no a remedy that would help you get rid of hiccups in your newborn. All you can actually do is to wait. Try not to be frustrated. Keep in mind that your baby is not in any pain and hiccups actually do not bother her. They are more annoying to you. You can try to feed your newborn very slowly to make sure he is not swallowing any air. Try different positions and see which one is best for your baby.

Let you baby burp! It was helpful in many case – and which is more important than anything – be patient and wait till your baby grows a bit and hiccups go away in natural way, just as they first started.