Common Infant Illnesses

The tender being of an infant makes him/her susceptible to various kinds of problems and illnesses. Pediatrics defines the role for parents, as an important one in child development. Both mother and father need to keep a track of any unusual symptom, which might be irritating the child. This is crucial, because only then, can a pediatrician detect the main cause of pain or discomfort in the toddler. Parents need to be a keen observer of baby's activities, so that they can narrate the symptoms correctly and accurately to the doctor. This would help the doctor, as he/she can diagnose a baby correctly and prescribe the right cure, medication or treatment required. With time, all parents learn how babies communicate and can easily differentiate between crying for feeding, sleeping, cuddling and changing of diapers. If the baby cries unusually, they would soon realize that cause is more than just hunger. During the initial months, a baby can be succumbed to some illness. Parents should never take a chance with the health of a toddler. To know more about the illness which commonly strike a toddler, read through the following lines.

Common Infant Illness

Colds In An Infant
Infants are very weak and tender. Even a little change in season can cause several problems in their health. In their first year, they are very prone to cough and cold. In general, they are affected by viral infections in these changing seasons. Cold in children causes a lot of irritation; it leads to the swelling of the membranes of nose and their respiratory passages.

Constipation in Children
Constipation in children is quite common and normally cures itself and is not to be worried about. However, chronic constipation in a child certainly needs medical attention. Symptoms of constipation in a baby are:

Diarrhea In A Baby
Too frequent and watery bowel movements are known as Diarrhea. Mostly caused by virus, other reasons for diarrhea in a baby can be an allergy, a bacterial infection or medication. The dangerous thing is that diarrhea can cause dehydration. It is normal in newborns to have 12 small bowel movements a day

Ear Infections In Infants
Ear infections are one of the most common diseases in infants and children. It is often, caused due to accumulation of fluid in the middle ear that results in growth of germs. In an ear infection, fluid fills in the middle ear, which is very painful when it presses against the eardrum.

Fever In Children
Fever can be described as the condition in which the temperature of a person's body exceeds the limit that is considered normal. A quite common ailment in adults as well as children, it is not a very severe problem in majority of the cases. In fact, in children, fever often means that the body is trying to recognize and fight an enormous variety of viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.

GERD In Newborns
Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease, more popularly abbreviated as GERD, can be described as the ailment in which the gas or liquid in the stomach of the baby goes up the esophagus. The result is that that baby 'spits up'. It is not unusual for babies to suffer from the problem, mainly because their muscles, which are involved in opening and closing the top of the stomach, are quite relaxed.

RSV In Babies
A common respiratory germ, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children. The disease usually begins in the fall and runs into the spring season. RSV is a highly contagious disease and spreads by touching, kissing or even shaking hands with the infected person.

Causes of SIDS
Healthy infants, in the age group of one month to one year, have been known to die quietly in their sleep, just like that. There are no warning signs, no sickness, no crying or moaning that can warn the parents of this shocking happening. This very syndrome of sudden and unexpected death has been given a specific name i.e. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

SIDS Prevention Tips
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS has long been a puzzle to researchers, yet, no theories or explanations have yet been found convincing enough. Doctors have not yet been able to determine whether the baby suddenly had a heart problem or just simply lost the ability to breathe.

Treating Constipation in Babies
Babies can suffer from constipation at any point of time in their infancy and childhood. Most of the times, it affects them when they become dehydrated or are switched from breast milk to formula or whole milk. Parenthood comes with its share of challenges and treating a constipated child is amongst the most unpleasant ones.