Always supervising the baby so that he grows and develops according to his best potential is the main task of every parent. That is one of the reasons why parents do everything possible to maintain the health of their beloved children. Unfortunately, in this digital era, information dissemination occurs very quickly without being filtered first and can lead to misunderstandings about childhood illnesses. Come on, let's peel the myths and facts about childhood illnesses here!
- Prohibition of bathing if the child has chickenpox
We often hear until now that children who are infected with chickenpox are not allowed to bathe until the infection has completely healed. In fact, the germs that stick to and accumulate on our skin can cause additional infections in the condition of chickenpox. So, bathing with water and soap is very important to keep our baby's skin clean. This disease will heal within 7-10 days, therefore it is important for us to maintain our little one's immune system properly.
- Reducing the child's fever
When a child has a fever, most parents tend to take cold compresses and cover the child to quickly lower the body temperature. In fact, fever is a normal reaction of the body to stimuli from outside or within, one of which is infection. The use of thick clothes can increase the body temperature above normal and the use of cold compresses can actually cause the body to shiver, constrict blood vessels, and increase the temperature regulation center in the brain (hypothalamus) so that the body temperature increases. It is best to apply warm water compresses to the armpit folds, groin folds, and neck area for 10-15 minutes and use thin clothing with comfortable material for your little one.
- Coffee can relieve seizures in children
The use of coffee to prevent and relieve seizures in children is still common in several cases. Seizures are a frightening scourge for parents that require fast and appropriate treatment. In fact, until now there is no scientific evidence regarding the use of coffee/caffeine for the prevention and treatment of seizures in children. It's best if the child has a seizure, try to keep the parents calm, don't panic, position the child in a safe place, loosen his clothes and tilt his head without putting anything in his mouth, then immediately take your baby to the nearest hospital.
- Deal with nosebleeds
Bleeding from the nose is something that often occurs in children and generally occurs spontaneously. About 6% of cases of nosebleeds are serious and require help, while the rest will stop on their own. Although many say that children have nosebleeds due to fatigue, the fact is that most nosebleeds have no known cause and only 10-20% of cases are caused by trauma, allergies, infection, environment, medication or other disorders. The best way to stop bleeding is to ask the child to calm down, position the head facing down, then press the front of the nose gently for 5-10 minutes, and ask the child to breathe through his mouth for a while. Parents can take their child to the hospital if the nosebleeds do not stop with pressure, occur repeatedly and there is heavy bleeding.
Those are the myths and facts about children's health. Basically, parents definitely want the best for their children, but it is better if the truth is confirmed first so they can handle the condition appropriately. Make sure your child also consumes a balanced nutritious diet so that his immune system is always maintained and avoids disease.
This article was written by dr. Anisa Setiorini, Sp.A (Children Specialist at EMC Sentul Hospital).