When baby gets ill

One of the hardest things you have to deal with as a mum is when you're child is ill. This is especially the case when they are still little and unable to explain exactly what's wrong. You feel useless. You blame yourself. You question whether you're doing a good job of looking after him.


I've been there over the past couple of days with my two year old. He had a fever of over 39° but no other, obvious, symptoms. Needless to say, I've now been almost without sleep for a couple of days.
Today he seems completely back to normal however. It would appear that he was probably affected by the constantly changing weather we're having at the moment.

Although only a brief illness, that was fairly easy to control with simple medicine from the chemist, it was quite a big deal for me. It's the first time in his life that my son has ever been ill. I consider myself very lucky to have gotten over the two year mark without ever having problems before now.

The truth is children get ill from time to time. This is even more the case when they start going to the park and playing with other children. I have friends who, since their child started playschool, have had to stay at home with the child on an almost weekly basis due to colds, stomach upsets, fever etc...

So what do you do when your child is ill? Obviously the answer will depend on 1) how old the child is and 2) what symptoms they have.

Here's a few basics:

• Check their temperature. If it goes over 38° it's a good idea to give them medicine to help lower it (always check with a Doctor for types of medicine, quanities etc... before giving to the child). Should the temperature continue to rise or remain high for over a day take the child to your pediatric. If the temperature is only slightly higher than normal e.g. 37-37,5° see if the child can fight it themselves as this will help strengthen their immune system in the long run. Make sure you continue to check the temperature often for changes.

• Check their body for signs of spots or other marks, rashes etc...
• See if the child has other symptoms like diarrhea or vomitting.
• Try to get the child to drink some water. This is a good way of getting temperatures back down, but also for rehydrating them when suffering from vomitting or diarrhea.
• If your child is old enough to speak, try getting them to tell you if and where it hurts.
• Think about what they've eaten recently and where they've been as this can sometimes give you the answer to what's wrong.

The better idea you can get of what is wrong, the easier it will be to deal with.  This will also be helpful should you need to contact a Doctor as you will be able to give a clearer explanation of the problem.

The important thing is to remember to stay calm. You need to relax your child NOT panic them.

If your baby is small and falls ill, it's a good idea to check with the pediatric regardless, as the younger they are, the more delicate they are. It's better to be an over-worried mum than to take risks.

Here's a video that explains what to look for:



The answer to the question "whether you're doing a good job of looking after him or not" is yes you are. Babies and children get ill from time to time just like grown ups do. Give them lots of extra cuddles and attention and if at all worried contact a Doctor.

Here's some books that might be helpful:















I am not linked to any of the books listed here. These are just suggestions that may be helpful.