更新日：2022年7月19日

Illnesses in Babies and Young Children by Symptom

1. Fever

Children’s Body Temperature

Normally between 36 to 37.4℃
A baby’s body temperature is not the same all day. It rises and falls according to the air temperate, heating and what they are wearing. If their body temperature is 1℃ more than the normal body temperature, then they have a fever.
Using an electronic/mercury thermometer: armpit, under the chin or tongue, anus, ear

How to bring a fever down

• Don’t make them wear too much...if their hands and/or feet are hot, choose clothes that heat escapes from easily
• Wipe their body with a cold towel
• Cool their head with a cold towel...stop if they seem to dislike it or start crying
• Cool both armpits and/or their groin
• Use film canisters, cooling sheets, etc.

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2. Diarrhea

What to feed your child when they have diarrhea

• Rest their stomach and avoid dehydration
• When they have no appetite, don’t force them to eat
• Even if they have an appetite, don’t feed them too much
• They will easily become dehydrated, so give them lots of water

Breast milk

• Continue breast feeding
• If their diarrhea is particularly bad, breast feed for shorter period of time
• Feed them more often

Formula milk

• Dilute the milk and make less than 100cc. Feed them more often
• Sometimes lactose free milk, such as lactoless or soy milk, is a good option
• Once their diarrhea is better, increase the strength of the milk and gradually return to what it was before

Weaning

• Give them a break for a while. Once their diarrhea has improved, start them on the foods that they began weaning on.

～Decide from the state of their poo what they should eat～

• Watery poo: keep them well hydrated with sports drinks, tea, vegetable soup, miso soup...
• Sticky poo: rice porridge, bread porridge, tofu, rusk, grated apple
• Soft poo: udon noodles, boiled white fish, egg, chicken breast, soft boiled vegetables

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3. Vomiting

If they Vomit

• If the vomiting is particularly bad, don’t give them anything to drink for a while
• Once the vomiting has subsided, give them a little amount to drink frequently (sports drinks, hot water, weak tea, diluted apple juice)
• Give them solids once they’re able to drink plenty of liquid

When you should go to the hospital right away

• They don’t stop feeling like they need to vomit
• They have low energy and their face is pale
• Their lips are dry and they aren’t able to wee.

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4. Stomachache

When you should go to the hospital right away

• When you think that it may be intussusception or a hernia that occurs in babies and small children
• If it’s a case where the child needs surgery quickly, such as appendicitis
• They are in pain and seem unwell at repeated intervals
• They repeatedly vomit
• There is blood in their poo
• Their groin is swollen and painful
• The pain is so strong they can’t move

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5. Difficulty breathing

Possible causes

• Often caused by infections (pneumonia, bronchitis, epiglottitis (like a dog howling), croup)
• Asthma
• Something has entered the bronchial tubes

When you should go to the hospital right away

• Their movements are slow
• Their lips are pale
• They seem sleepy and don’t answer when you call them
• In babies and small children, when they are very fretful and restless

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6. Seizures

• 1. Don’t panic
• 2. Don’t put anything like fingers or chopsticks in their mouth. Don’t call them loudly or shake them.
• 3. Put them in a comfortable position. Loosen their clothing. Remove dangerous items like pins and strings.
• 4. If they seem like they might throw up, turn their entire body on its side so that vomit won’t get stuck in their throat.
• 5. Watch how long the convulsions continue. Carefully watch the state of the convulsions, including how their eyes are, and how their body moves.
• 6. Take their temperature.
• 7. Once the convulsions have stopped, wait a little while and then take them to the hospital.
• 8. If the convulsions last more than 10 minutes, immediately contact or go directly to the hospital.
• 9. If they are in a bad state, go immediately by ambulance.

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7. Rashes

When you should go to the hospital right away

• They are wheezing and having difficulty breathing
• Their stomach hurts
• Their face is pale and they vomit
• They are limp

If you cool them, it becomes a little easier to bear. Try to think what happened before the rash occurred.
…animals, plants, cosmetic goods, cold temperatures, a cold, food, etc.

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