It’s that time of year again: when you marvel at (and worry about) the enormous amounts of mucus that your child’s tiny nose can pour forth, and how her little body can produce such a ferocious, hacking cough. At these times, every parent wants the best information possible on issues like prevention, treatment, and when your child can go back to school or daycare. We’ve consulted with the experts and assembled the essentials on some of the illnesses you’ll likely encounter this winter.

Stomach Flu

Background: Caused by a number of different, nasty viruses, viral gastroenteritis inflames the stomach and intestines and results in vomiting and diarrhea.
Incubation Period (how long you must wait after exposure until you find out if your child has caught it): 12 hours to two days.
Contagious period: Beginning of symptoms until at least three days after recovery.

How to avoid: Keep child’s hands and fingers out of his mouth, frequent hand washing, wipes and hand sanitizer (except for babies or children who lick their hands often).

Treatment: When vomiting has ceased for four hours, try a spoonful of clear, non-dairy fluid, especially Pedialyte, then move to an ounce of liquid, then gradually introduce solid foods — dry toast or saltines are a good first step.

When to see a doctor: If vomiting persists and/or child hasn’t urinated in more than 12 hours, blood in vomit, urine or stool, worsening of abdominal pain. “Keep in mind that kids get dehydrated more quickly than adults, because they’re small — they get sicker faster,” says Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, an Ottawa family doctor and mother of three.

Return to daycare/school: Let your child’s health and energy level be your guide.

Common Cold

Background: Spread in the same way as influenza, with very similar symptoms. However, colds are generally less intense (except in the case of the stuffy nose, which is usually more pronounced).

Incubation period: Two to five days.

Contagious period: From the time a runny nose begins until the fever is gone.

Treatment: Colds and flu are viral infections that must run their course. Lots of fluid, plenty of rest, acetaminophen (Tylenol, Tempra) for the fever and aches. Over the counter cough and cold medications are not recommended for kids two and under.

When to see a doctor: Dr. Henry Ukpeh, a pediatrician in Trail, B.C., warns that colds and flu should not be taken lightly — they can migrate into other parts of the body and cause serious illness, such as pneumonia, meningitis and inflammation of the heart. If your child is breathing with difficulty, is not eating and drinking at all, has a very high fever, or even if your gut tells you that things aren’t right, don’t hesitate to bring him in.

Return to daycare/school: Let your child be your guide, says Dr. Ukpeh. Once she reverts to her normal behaviour, she should be fine to go back.

Try this at home: “The fresh-squeezed juice of a lemon in a glass of warm water (and sweetened with a bit of honey, if your child is older than one) will help break up the mucus in a child’s system,” says Jill McChesney, a Burlington, Ont., homeopath, registered nurse and mother of four, who recommends administering this repeatedly throughout the day.

Strep Throat

Background: Strep throat is a bacterial infection (not a virus) that’s easily passed from person to person. Symptoms include high fever, sore throat, upset stomach, very low energy, headache and swollen neck glands.

Incubation period: Two to five days.

Contagious period: Beginning of sore throat until child has been on antibiotic for 24 hours.

Treatment: Unlike a virus, strep must be treated with an antibiotic. “If it’s not, you can end up with damage to heart valves and kidneys,” says Dr. Fullerton. If your instincts tell you that your child has strep, Fullerton advises parents to push their doctor for a rapid strep test, which brings immediate results, and, if that’s negative, a culture, which takes longer but is more dependable.

When to see a doctor: As soon as you suspect your child has strep.

If you have it, avoid: Dental and orthodontic appointments.

Return to daycare/school: After 24 to 48 hours on the antibiotic, when fever is gone, and energy has returned to normal.

Influenza

Background: A familiar winter affliction, “the flu” is a virus that spreads through tiny droplets that are discharged from an infected person through coughing, sneezing or even speaking. Symptoms include fever, cough, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache, and sore throat. You may also notice that your child is more clingy than usual.

Incubation period: One to two days.
Contagious period: From the appearance of symptoms until the fever is gone.

How to avoid: If possible, steer clear of crowds, and wash hands often (15 to 30 seconds; children should be supervised to ensure a thorough job). Dr. Ukpeh also notes that if a parent has a toddler who is infected but a baby who is not, she should keep the two out of direct contact and wash her hands before handling the baby.
Treatment: Same as for the common cold.
When to see a doctor: Same as for the common cold.
Return to daycare/school: Same as for the common cold.

Try this at home: “With our kids, we’ve found that warm baths and fuzzy PJs warmed up in the dryer can help make them more comfortable,” says Cathy Collins-Barker, a Tilbury, Ont., mother of two.

Viral Coup

Background: An inflammation of the upper airway caused by a number of different viruses, croup is characterized by a harsh, barking cough. “It’s a scary cough for parents and even doctors,”

observes Dr. Fullerton. Fever and other cold symptoms are typical.

Incubation period: Two to six days.

Contagious period: Beginning of cough until fever is gone.

Treatment: Milder cases should simply run their course. If your child has a lot of mucus, McChesney recommends goldenseal in combination with echinacea, taken every two hours in an alcohol-free tincture form, in order to break up the mucus and boost the immune system (this can also be used for colds and influenza — but goldenseal should be used for no longer than a week if taken daily). In more severe cases, a doctor may need to administer medication to reduce inflammation and open up the airway. The jury’s still out on humidifiers and misters — they can sometimes help, sometimes harm, so ask your doctor.

When to see a doctor: It doesn’t take much to constrict the tiny airways in a baby or very small child, so in those cases, Dr. Fullerton recommends seeing a doctor immediately if the cough is barky or if the child is having difficulty eating, resting or nursing.

Return to daycare/school: Once your child’s breathing is out of the worry zone, fever is gone, and eating and energy level have returned to normal.

Contributing editor Tim Johnson says that he just may use some of these tips for himself the next time he feels under the weather — especially the advice about lemon juice, and perhaps the tip about warming up pajamas in the dryer.