We all want to raise healthy kids. From teaching them healthy eating habits to caring for them when they’re ill, looking after your children to help be as healthy as possible can be a lot. Children can be prone to many illnesses, as their immune systems develop and they catch illnesses from school and after-school activities. Here are some of the most common childhood illnesses, and how to treat them. 

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How to Treat Common Childhood Illnesses

Many common childhood illnesses can be treated easily at home, but others will need a pediatrician. Make sure you have a good family doctor, and know when to seek further help. 

1. Sore Threats

• Sore throats are very common in children. A sore throat that is caused by a virus doesn’t need antibiotics, and usually, no medicine is needed. Sometimes, a sore throat can be strep throat, which must be diagnosed by a doctor with a throat swap. Strep throat must be treated with an antibiotic. Babies and toddlers rarely get strep throat, but they can catch it from an older sibling. 

2. Ear Pain

• Ear pain is another common childhood illness and can be caused by a number of different things. Furthermore, Ear pain can come from an ear infection, swimmer’s ear, pressure from a cold or a sinus infection, tooth pain, and others. Your pediatrician will need to examine the child to tell the difference. If the pain is accompanied by a high fever, is in both ears, or is joined by other symptoms, then antibiotics are usually the best treatment. 

3. Common Cold

• Children are exposed to a lot of germs, at school, and on playgrounds, so colds are common. Colds are caused by viruses in the upper respiratory tract. The typical child may get up to eight colds a year, with symptoms including congestion, a runny nose, and a cough. Each cold could last up to ten days. Green mucus is the nose doesn’t always mean that you need antibiotics, and colds never need them. However, if you think a sinus infection has developed, then your doctor will decide if antibiotics are required or not. 

4. Cough

• Coughs are generally caused by viruses and don’t usually need antibiotics to be treated. Coughs are a common childhood illness that may not have a simple solution. Sometimes children get coughs that linger. Be careful with cough medicine, as cough medicine is not recommended for kids under the age of four, and should only given to those four and six under the advice of a doctor. Cough medicines don’t work in younger children and can have very serious side effects. Never use medicine with codeine to treat a child’s cough. 

5. Bacterial Sinusitis

• Bacterial Sinusitis. This is caused by bacteria becoming trapped in the sinuses. If your child has cold-like symptoms, like nasal discharge and a daytime cough, or both, for over ten days without any improvement, then this could be bacterial sinusitis. See your doctor in order to find out. If this is the case, and the condition is accompanied by thick yellow nasal discharge and a fever that lasts for at least three or four days in a row, then you may need to treat with antibiotics.

Natural Methods to Treat Common Childhood Illnesses

Often when treating childhood illnesses you can use natural methods to treat a slight fever, rash and other common maladies. I prefer to use essential oils, but care must be taken. Please make sure you use natural methods wisely and you understand the risks involved!