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As your busy toddler grows up, along the way there will be many ailments that they experience as a simple progression through life. There will be times that you almost feel that your child is perpetually sick, always picking up one bug after the other, and that your paediatrician must be doing something wrong. Especially for new parents, this time can become overwhelming, as your baby is suddenly on the move and expression their desire to become more independent, complete with a continuously running nose.
Also in a matter of hours, your toddler, that was perfectly healthy when they woke up, can be running a high fever and coughing by lunch time, and by the time you have rushed them off to the doctor, they seem to have almost recovered. As quickly as they seem to get sick, they also have the ability to get better fast as well.
Most children will pick up the majority of their viruses and bacteria once they start attending playschool or day care. Here they are all putting things in their mouths and collecting things all over the place and sharing them with their friends. This a normal and healthy way for your child’s immune system to strengthen as it builds up a resistance to the day to day germs found in our normal environments. Once your child starts to get older, the sniffles become less and less as their body finds a way to fight the germs off.
As much as it may upset parents, children who contract things like chicken pox, measles and mumps in day care, will be better off in the long run, as contracting something like that when they are older, even as adults, will result in them getting the illnesses much worse, as they appear to be a much milder case in kids.
Vaccinations are very important to have, and your health care provider will be able to vaccinate your child against common childhood illnesses like chicken pox, measles, polio and mumps. This doesn’t mean that your child won’t contract any of the viruses, or illnesses, it just means that they will have a much milder case, as their immune system has had some help beforehand. Most day care centres and schools require by law that your child’s immunization records are intact and up to date, before they will allow your child to attend there.
All kids are going to get sick, hurt themselves and have runny noses for a part of their lives, it freaks parents out and you end up scanning the Internet for all sorts of possible things that have caused a sudden illness. Most of the time, it would be better if you are worried, to consult your paediatrician, that is what they are there for, and they will put your mind at ease and consult with you about a treatment plan if any, most of the time a cuddle and a bowl of custard will do the trick. It is important never to administer any medication to your child without the prior consent of your healthcare practitioner.
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