Home Care

Animal Bites and Scratches

If you or your child is bitten or scratched by an animal, the wound can get infected. Clean the wound right away and get medical help as soon as possible. Even if the animal is your family pet, you should follow these steps:

1. Wash the wound well with soap and water.
2. Put pressure on the area to stop the bleeding.
3. When bleeding stops, put an antibiotic cream, such as Neosporin, on the wound.
4. Cover the bite or scratch with a clean bandage.
5. Get medical help the same day if possible.

If any stitches are needed, they must be done within the first 12 hours after a bite. Human bites should receive the same first aid and prompt medical attention as an animal bite. Your child will be given a tetanus vaccine if he or she has not had one in the past 5 years. An adult needs the vaccine every 10 years. Follow the treatment your doctor orders. Each day, until the wound heals, remove the bandage and check the wound. Clean the wound with soap and water and put on a clean bandage until the wound heals. Your doctor will report the bite to your local health department. This should be done within 24 hours of the bite. Call your doctor if:

• The wound is red, swollen, warm to the touch, or more painful.
• There is more drainage or a bad odor from the wound.
• There is a fever over 38 degrees C by mouth.

Pneumonia in Children

Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs often caused by bacteria or a virus. When a child gets pneumonia, tiny air sacs in the lungs can fill with fluid. This fluid blocks the air sacs and oxygen cannot get to the body from the lungs.

Signs of Pneumonia:
• Chills • Fever • Chest Pain • Cough • Feeling very tired • Trouble breathing or fast breathing • Poor appetite or poor breast or bottle feeding • Muscle aches.

Doctor will listen to your child’s lungs. Your child may have a chest x-ray and a sample of his or her mucus checked for germs. This is called a sputum culture.
• If the cause is bacteria, your child’s doctor may order antibiotics. Give the medicine as directed. Be sure to give all of the medicine, even if your child feels well.
• Your child may be given medicine to ease chest pain or coughing. Give the medicine as directed.
• Have your child spit any mucus coughed up into a tissue and throw it away. Do not let your child swallow mucus if possible.
• Do not give over the counter (OTC) cough medicine without asking your child’s doctor first. Your child needs to cough and bring up the mucus. Coughing is the body’s way of clearing the infection from the lungs.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of rest.
• Keep your child away from people who are smoking.
• Have your child drink water. Ask your child’s doctor how much to give.

Smoking and Your Baby

Secondhand smoke is the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar, and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke exposes your baby to toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems. In fact, babies exposed to this smoke are more likely to die before their first birthdays.

Give your baby a healthy start by quitting smoking and not letting others smoke around you or your baby.

• Set rules for people who smoke to always go outside.
• Never allow smoking in the car, even when the window is open.
• Do not spend time in places or homes that allow smoking.
• Find smoke-free places to eat when you go out.
• Smoke that lingers on clothing can also be a hazard for babies. Have anyone who will hold the baby change their shirt if it smells like smoke or place a blanket over their clothing.

How it helps your baby Babies who live in smoke-free homes often have:
• Fewer coughs and chest colds.
• Lower chances of getting bronchitis or pneumonia.
• Fewer ear infections.
• Have asthma attacks less often and less severe, if they have asthma.

Teething

Signs of Teething
• Drooling • Swollen or sore gums • Trouble sleeping • Not eating • Biting objects.

Teething can be painful for some children. For others it is not. Discomfort comes from pressure of the tooth on the skin of the gums. Your Child’s Care Here are some ways to comfort your baby and ease his or her pain:
• Gently rub the gums with a cool, damp washcloth. • Give your baby something safe to chew on, such as rubber teething ring.
• Rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger.
• Wipe your baby’s face often and keep it dry to prevent rashes.
• Children’s Tylenol or teething medicines can help, but check with your child’s doctor first. Keep your baby’s mouth and gums clean even if your baby does not have teeth.

Here are some ways to care for your child’s gums and teeth:
• After each meal, wipe your baby’s gums with a washcloth.
• Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. This can cause tooth decay.
• Use a soft bristle toothbrush to clean gums and new teeth.
• Clean your child’s gums and teeth at least two times each day.

Using a Medicine Spoon or Dropper

Use a medicine spoon or dropper that has markings on it to measure your child’s liquid medicine. The pharmacy may give you a medicine spoon or dropper with your child’s medicine. You can also buy the spoon or dropper at the drug store and use it for measuring liquid medicines. The markings on the spoon or dropper help you measure the correct amount of medicine. Do not use other spoons that you have in your home without markings as they may cause you to give the wrong amount of medicine which is not safe.

Using the Spoon:
1. Open the medicine bottle.
2. Hold the medicine spoon up and find the marking for the amount of medicine or dose needed. There are 2 different measurements, teaspoon (tsp.) and milliliter (ml.), as shown on the pictures of the spoon. (1 teaspoon = 5 milliliters.) Find the measurement that matches the dose you need.
3. Slowly pour the medicine from the bottle into the spoon to the mark for the amount needed. Set the bottle of medicine down. 4. Place the tip of the spoon in the child’s mouth like a feeding spoon and give the medicine. Be sure the child is sitting up when giving the medicine.
5. Clean the medicine spoon by washing it with warm water and mild soap. Rinse it well with clean water and let it air dry on a clean towel.

Using the Dropper:
You may want to first practice using the dropper with water to get used to how it works. Be careful not to pull the medicine up into the bulb of the dropper.
1. Open the medicine bottle.
2. Pick up the dropper and find the mark on the dropper for the amount or dose of medicine needed. There are 2 different measurements, teaspoon (tsp.) and milliliter (ml.), as shown on the pictures of the dropper. (1 teaspoon = 5 milliliters.) Find the measurement that matches the dose you need.
3. Squeeze the bulb end and put the tip of the dropper into the medicine bottle.
4. Slowly let pressure off of the bulb. You will see the medicine being pulled up into the dropper.
5. When you get the medicine pulled up to the mark of the amount needed, pull the dropper tip out of the liquid and let the pressure off of the bulb.
6. Check that the medicine is to the right mark for the amount needed. Squeeze the bulb to either remove extra medicine or to pull up more medicine if needed.
7. Place the dropper tip into the child’s mouth like a feeding spoon and gently squeeze to release the medicine. Be sure the child is sitting up when giving the medicine. For very young children, it may work best to put the tip in towards their cheek, so they do not push the medicine out with their tongue.
8. Remove the bulb from the dropper and wash both pieces with warm water and mild soap. Rinse the pieces well with clean water and then let the pieces air dry on a clean towel.