What to do when faced with a sick infant?

Just like us, babies get sick too. But unlike us, they do not have a voice, and therefore try to make us understand, in their own way, that they are in trouble. Even if we don't yet have a dictionary to decipher their cries, we can understand from their behavior that something is wrong, and act accordingly.

Children, more often sick than adults

If you also think that your child is sick all the time, you're not really wrong. Indeed, they are much more fragile than us when it comes to germs and therefore catch all kinds of infections much more easily - up to 10 colds per year for example.

In addition, a child does not pay attention to what he touches and puts in his mouth. Which leads him to be more exposed than us adults. This is why it is important to constantly keep an eye on them, regularly clean toys, and even door handles.

The two main symptoms of infection

Even though each illness is specific and therefore there is not an exhaustive list of symptoms common to all illnesses, we can still recognize when a baby is not in his or her normal state.

• Fever

If you didn't know, a temperature exceeding 38°C for an infant under three months should not be taken lightly. And only a specialist can put their finger on what's wrong. So go to the emergency room so that a diagnosis can be made, you can never take too many precautions for your child.

• Behaviour change

If your child, who is usually quite dynamic, no longer makes the sound of his voice heard, stays deep in his fleece and looks elsewhere, or conversely if your child, who is usually very calm, only cries, it may be be a sign that something is wrong.

You yourself know how your baby normally acts, so eventually you will know more than well when something is wrong.

The four mistakes to avoid

Even if you try to do well, it is important to remember the missteps that you may make.

• Panic

We know that panicking leads us to make decisions that are not always the best and can sometimes make the situation worse. Even if the situation may seem worrying, take a few minutes to ask yourself the right questions, and to know what you are going to do step by step so as not to leave anything behind.

• Find answers on forums

It's often said that Google is our best friend, but that's not always the case. For this subject in this case, taking refuge in Google searches is not at all a good idea... Even if it is very tempting. In a few clicks, we could have an answer to our question, but do you really want to put your child's health in the hands of the Internet? Knowing that the answers you will get will be given by people who do not necessarily know more than you, I can only advise you not to rely on these forums.

• Expose him more to risk

To avoid spreading the infection to your loved ones, but also to avoid making the situation worse for your baby, it would be preferable not to bring him near people other than you, in order to limit the exchange of bacteria and microbes.

A half-hour outing in nature, well covered, to breathe the fresh air and also get away from the house to air out the rooms can also help renew your batteries.

• Change the heating temperature

Being sick has external effects, for example it can cause our temperature to rise, we may appear paler, or we may get cold sores. But just because we have external effects doesn't mean the solution lies outside. So, raising or lowering the heating temperature will not help us heal. It can even be more dangerous for our health! Indeed, our body will feel this as an aggression and it will be too busy fighting this aggression instead of fighting the infection that we actually have. You are now aware of this phase that you will inevitably experience with your infant.

This article was produced for information purposes in order to make you aware of this situation which will inevitably arise during its development. As soon as doubt sets in, I can only advise you to turn to a professional.