MANAGING A SICK CHILD

The AAP KidsDoc Symptom Checker below has a complete list of symptoms from A–Z

(provided by healthychildren.org, a parenting site from the American Academy of Pediatrics).

• AAP’s Symptom Checker – If you need to give medicines, please see SICK CHILD MEDICINE DOSAGE below.

SICK CHILD – MEDICINE DOSAGE

Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, Feverall, Paracetamol) is available without a prescription. Children over 2 months of age can be given acetaminophen. Give the correct dosage for your child’s weight every 4-6 hours, as needed for fever or pain. No more than 5 doses in 24 hours.

Suppositories: Acetaminophen is also available as a rectal suppository in 120-mg, 325-mg, and 650-mg dosages. Suppositories are useful if a child with a fever is unable to take oral medication.

Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) is available without a prescription. Children over 6 months of age can be given ibuprofen. Give the correct dosage for your child’s weight every 6-8 hours, as needed.

Alternating or Combining Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
Combining acetaminophen and ibuprofen is not recommended. Combining can cause confusion, dosage errors, and poisoning. Also, it is usually not important to control a fever that closely. However, if instructed by your health care provider to alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen, do it as follows:

• Alternate doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen every 4 hours
• Alternate medicines for only 24 hours or less, then return to a single product.

Avoid Aspirin
Children (through age 21 years) should not take aspirin if they have chickenpox or influenza (any cold, cough, or sore throat symptoms). This recommendation is based on several studies that have linked aspirin to Reye’s Syndrome, a severe encephalitis-like illness.

KEEP ALL MEDICATIONS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. In case of accidental ingestion call POISON CONTROL

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PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS:

1. Poisoning: (800) 848-6946
2. American Academy of Pediatrics
3. Center for Disease Control (CDC)
4. Flu.gov

MEDICAL RESOURCES ON THE WEB

GENERAL HEALTH

• WebMD
• Pediatrician’s guide to your children’s health and safety
• Kids Health
• Medical resource used by doctors
• Medical Conditions and Ailments in Babies
• Medical Conditions and Ailments in Children
• Medical Conditions and Ailments in Teenagers

 ADOLESCENT HEALTH

• AMA’s Adolescent Health
• The AWARE Foundation – AWARE (Adolescent Wellness through Access to Resources and Education) includes lists of support hotlines for teens to call for help with mental health, sexual abuse, eating disorders, suicide, STD, emergency contraception, and more
• CDC’s Adolescent Health
• I Wanna Know – This sites aims to teach kids about sexually transmitted diseases before they learn the hard way
• Teen Growth – Unlike many other “teen health” sites this one has a medical advisory board of pediatricians
• Planned Parenthood
• Teens Health (Nemours Foundation)
• Uniquely Girl (Adolescent information)       

ALLERGY, ASTHMA, & IMMUNOLOGY

• Food Allergy Network
• Asthma education for kids and parents      

BREASTFEEDING

• La leche league    

 BEHAVIOR 

• Toilet Training
• Potty Training Tips – A parent run site, with links to various potty-training pages
• Bedwetting Store for alarms       

CANCER

• The Anti-Cancer Diet: Cancer Nutrition Tips and Cancer-Fighting Foods

DEVELOPMENT

• Development – Links to state, regional, and local early intervention and testing services
• Head Start Programs
• Development focus on the first three years of life
• The Whole Child, a PBS website featuring articles, ideas for activities, reading lists, forums
• US Dept. of Health & Human Services
• Best Bones Forever

DERMATOLOGY (SKIN)

• The National Pediculosis Association, Inc.

DRUG ADDICTION

•  Background on addiction, withdrawal, and treatment of heroin addiction

HEART DISEASE

• The American Heart Association Children’s Health Section

IMMUNIZATIONS/ VACCINATIONS

• Autism and Vaccines Theory – Addresses the possible connection between autism and vaccination
• CDC’s Vaccines and Immunizations Page – Designed to be the most comprehensive vaccine site on the internet
• CDC’s Vaccine Safety Page
• Texas Department of Health Immunization Schedule

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry –assisting parents and families in understanding developmental, behavioral, emotional and mental disorders affecting children and adolescents
• Kids Health for Parents
• American Association of Suicidology – Dedicated to the Understanding and Prevention of Suicide
• What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health
• Depression

NUTRITION

• Nutrition – great ideas on games and activities to keep kids active
• USFDA– Center for Food Safety

OBESITY

• American Obesity Society
• Let’s Move – Program developed by First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation
• Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition

OPHTHALMOLOGY (EYE)

• Conjunctivitis/ Pink Eye information
• The American Academy of Ophthalmology – Providing authoritative information about eyecare for the public and members

PREVENTION

• Prevent Blindness America – With sections on fireworks, sports, eyewear, and kids’ safety measures
• National Poison Control Hotline: www.1-800-222-1222.info/FAQs/home.asp

SAFETY

• U.S. EPA
• National Safe Kids Campaign
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – for car seat information click “car seats” under “Browse Topics”
• Car Safety Seats – National Child Passenger Safety Certification program offers a searchable link to inspection sites
• Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
• Car Safety Seats
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Poison Ivy
• NoZone UV Protective Funwear

SCHOOL

• Assistance locating quality preschool and day care programs

SPORTS MEDICINE

• National Center for Sports Safety
• National Youth Sports safety Foundation
• WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPORTS CONCUSSION (VIDEO)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE (Tobacco, Alcohol, Drug Abuse)

• US Surgeon General Tobacco Info
• Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS)

TOY SAFETY

• American Society for Testing and Materials – All the fine print standards for toy safety specification
• Dr. Toy
• Toy safety Publications – A list of government releases from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Tips on Toys – Lists safe and unsafe toy suggestions from birth up to 12 years

TRAVEL

• CDC website for up-to-date travel advisories and information

Disclaimer: Information presented by the Natural Pediatrics Facebook and Webpage is for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice of a doctor or other medical professional. Statements made on this site are not an endorsement of any specific product, or a recommendation as to how to treat any particular health concern. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise, supplementation or medication program. Dr. Shridharan makes no guarantee or warranty of any kind, express or implied, with respect to products, information or services offered on this website.