Contents of the Handbook on Prevention of Common Diseases in Children

It covers the four most common discomfort scenarios for children in the four major categories of respiratory, digestive, skin, and infectious diseases. It does not recommend "folk prevention methods" without evidence-based verification. It also takes into account the two ideas of Western medicine evidence-based care and traditional Chinese medicine care. All contents are practical daily operations. There are no empty theories, and parents can use them as soon as they are available.

I have been working in a pediatric clinic for nearly 8 years, and I have seen too many parents go to extremes: either giving their baby 3 kinds of medicine as soon as the nose clears, or even if the baby has a fever of 39 degrees and insists that "the fever will strengthen the immunity." There are also many mothers who have just sent their babies to kindergarten. They stuffed half a bag of anti-epidemic sachets, isatis roots, and "cold prevention soup" spread on the Internet, saying that their babies had fever 4 times in a month after entering kindergarten, which almost drove them crazy. The original intention of making this manual is to help you filter out useless anxieties and only keep the content that is actually useful.

Let’s start with the respiratory problems that parents worry about the most. Colds, flu, mycoplasma pneumonia, and bronchitis are all included in this category. The clear and effective prevention methods in evidence-based medicine are very straightforward: those over 6 months old should get flu vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine on time every year, wash their hands with running water + soap as much as possible, and try not to use no-rinse disinfectant gel - regular use will destroy the skin barrier of the hands, which makes it easier for germs to be attached, and do not share drinking glasses or tableware, regardless of whether it is family members or children. If your baby already has a slight runny nose or cough, don't take antibiotics or antiviral drugs immediately. 90% of upper respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses, and antibiotics are useless. As long as the child is in good spirits, just observe him at home first. The advice given by doctors who adhere to the nursing concept of traditional Chinese medicine is more towards daily care: Don't rush to change clothes when the season changes. Touch the back of the baby's neck to judge whether it is hot or cold. The warm one is just right. Don't cover your back with sweat. The wind will make you catch cold more easily. Try to give your baby less cold things like iced milk tea and iced watermelon as much as possible to avoid colds due to insufficient lung energy. Neither of these two ideas is right or wrong. If your baby is usually afraid of heat and prone to sweating, it is okay to try traditional Chinese medicine care methods. If the baby is in good health, it is perfectly fine to follow evidence-based methods.

After talking about colds and fevers, let’s talk about the digestive problems that are common among babies. “"If you want your children to be safe, you must be three-quarters hungry and cold." This is a saying that many old people say, and it is not unreasonable. My friend's 2-year-old baby was always worried that he would be hungry, so he would feed him half a bowl of rice every meal and drink 200ml of milk before going to bed. As a result, he had fever twice in half a month. I went to check that it was a gastrointestinal cold caused by accumulated food. Regarding the prevention of digestive diseases in the manual, the advice from Western medicine is very clear: children over 1 year old can clearly express hunger, do not force eating, and daily tableware should be disinfected separately. It is recommended to take wheel-shaped and noro vaccines as long as the baby has no contraindications. If the baby has diarrhea, replenish oral rehydration salt III as soon as possible. Do not take antidiarrheal medicine casually, as antidiarrheal will keep toxins in the body and aggravate the symptoms. The nursing ideas of traditional Chinese medicine are also very practical: try not to eat anything one hour before going to bed, especially sweets and fried foods. If your baby eats too much, just boil some light hawthorn malt water and drink it. You don’t need to take any digestive medicine, and try to touch as little ice as possible. Especially in summer, don’t eat one ice cream a day, as it can easily hurt the spleen and stomach. Oh, by the way, I would like to mention here that many parents now give probiotics to their children to prevent diarrhea. This is currently controversial in the academic circles. Only specific strains of bacteria can help with antibiotic-related diarrhea and viral diarrhea. Drinking probiotics daily to prevent digestive problems actually has no clear effect, so there is no need to waste money.

Next are skin problems that occur frequently in summer, such as eczema, heat rash, urticaria, and infections after mosquito bites. During the peak season, I can treat more than ten such babies a day. When many elderly people see their babies with rashes, they say they are "suffering from internal heat" and want to give them herbal tea, which is really not necessary. The evidence-based prevention method is very simple: children with eczema should apply moisturizing cream at least twice a day, apply it thickly, wear pure cotton loose clothes, and avoid known allergens. If eczema occurs, use weak hormone ointments such as desonide as directed by the doctor. It is very safe. Don't talk about hormone discoloration, which will make it more and more serious. Of course, many parents have tried mild honeysuckle water and moxa leaf water to bathe their children. As long as the baby is not allergic and the symptoms do not worsen after washing, it can be used. There is no need to follow a certain method. There is also heat rash in summer. To put it bluntly, it is caused by covering up. Turning the air conditioner to 26 degrees is more effective than applying dozens of talcum powders. If talcum powder is accidentally inhaled into the lungs, it may be dangerous, so use it as little as possible.

Finally, let’s talk about the infectious diseases that cause headaches for all kindergarten parents, such as hand, foot and mouth, herpangina, and chickenpox. When an outbreak occurs, half the class will be off. Last year, my child had a high incidence of hand, foot and mouth in kindergarten. Some parents said in the group that they should collectively buy antiviral oral liquid for their children to drink. It is really unnecessary. This medicine has no preventive effect on these viruses at all. Effective prevention methods clearly written in the manual: Do not take your child to closed indoor playgrounds or naughty castles during the high-infection period. The first thing you do when you get home is change your coat and wash your hands before touching your child. If your child is diagnosed, isolate yourself at home for 14 days before going to school. Don’t send your child away just because you think his symptoms are better. It can easily infect other children. Many doctors of traditional Chinese medicine also recommend that during the high-infection period, gargle your baby's mouth with light salt water every day. Children under 3 years old can use cotton swabs dipped in light salt water to rub the oral mucosa, which can also reduce the probability of infection. My baby used this method last year and he was indeed not infected. You can also try it.

In fact, this manual is never a "standard answer". I have seen the same cold and cold. Some babies are cured after drinking warm water for two days, and some babies need to be nursed for a week. Each baby's body is different, so there is no need to follow the manual. To be honest, if you pay more attention to your baby's condition, it will be more effective than memorizing 100 prevention knowledge points. After all, there is no absolute right way to raise a baby. What is suitable for your baby is the best.