Common baby health problems in the first 6-12 months after birth

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Thai Chau - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital

The first time your baby has a cold, fever or colic will make you extremely nervous. Knowing the symptoms of some common childhood illnesses and learning how to deal with them can make parenting easier.

1. Child development 6-12 months old

In this stage, children have learned to recognize loved ones, play with objects, babble, sit up, crawl, stand and start to walk. The baby's body and brain are also gradually developing more and more complete in all aspects, including:
1.1 Physically Able to sit up on his own Can put on and take off his clothes Teething Stable night sleep more Maintain a fixed sleep pattern Often naps twice a day Can roll in directions Can crawl Starts picking up objects with whole hand, then switches to index finger and thumb Grasping getting into other people's hands or objects to get up and walk weight gain more slowly and often 3 times your weight after giving birth

1.2 Emotionally, children already know:
Express fear or anxiety when meeting strangers Prefers to be around parents more Shows joy when seeing parents Self-soothing Begins reading other people's feelings 1.3 Communicating In terms of communication, the child was able to:
Like games like peek-a-boo Likes being around people, but becomes nervous around people strangers Cry and cling to you when you start to leave Have a definite purpose in playing with toys 1.4 Cognitively Cognitively, babies can:
Babble a lot and copy sounds and actions other people's movements Make a variety of sounds Explore by putting things in their mouths Begin to recognize simple words or phrases Get excited at seeing food Point to things they know Clap

2. Common health problems in children aged 6-12 months

2.1.Children cough and sneeze Children often cough or sneeze to clear their nose. However, this does not mean that the child has a cold. In fact, it's rare for babies to catch a cold within the first 6 weeks.
If you feel worried when your child coughs or sneezes, take him to the doctor. Absolutely do not arbitrarily give children cough or cold medicine without a doctor's prescription, because many over-the-counter medicines can seriously affect the health of children under 6 years old. .
2.2.Children with diarrhea Diarrhea is usually caused by infection, disease, or irritation. When your baby has diarrhea, the stools are usually watery and smelly.
For children, diarrhea is a serious problem as it can lead to dehydration and make them more susceptible to illness. Most cases of mild diarrhea can be treated at home. You should give your child enough fluids and essential nutrients to help them recover from illness early.
If the child shows signs of severe dehydration, you should take the child to the hospital immediately. Some warning signs of dehydration in a child include:
Decrease in frequency of urination Increased thirst Increased crying without tears Dry skin, mouth and tongue Fast heartbeat Sunken eyes Gray skin Sunken font Irritability or extreme sadness sleeping and hard to wake up
2.3.Children's Vomiting Vomiting is a common condition in children, usually caused by a virus or bacteria. Just like diarrhea, vomiting can lead to dehydration in children. When the child shows signs of vomiting that does not stop, or is dehydrated, take the child to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment.
2.4. Fever A child with a fever or high body temperature is usually due to an infection, where the main source of infection can be bacteria or viruses. For children under 3 months of age, when they have a fever, they need to take them to the doctor. In case a child 3 months or older has a fever, you can treat your child at home under the direction of a doctor.
Normally, a child's body temperature will change during the day. The lowest temperature is in the early morning and the highest in the early evening.
If the child has a fever, you absolutely do not give the child aspirin or other medicines with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Giving children ASA drugs can cause Reye's syndrome, a serious condition that damages the brain and liver.
When children have a fever, they often have the following specific symptoms:
Heat in the back of the neck, even after taking off their clothes Not having fun as usual The body is sick and excessively sleepy The skin is red or looks pale Sweating Frequent thirst One of the most common ways to determine a child's temperature is to take the temperature under the armpit. However, the most accurate way to get results is usually an rectal temperature (rectal method), but this can be uncomfortable and uncomfortable for the child. When taking a baby's temperature, use an easy-to-read thermometer, such as a digital unit. You can take your baby's underarm temperature in the following way:
Place the tip of the thermometer in the center of the armpit Close the child's arm to the body, then comfort and distract the child If using a digital thermometer number, you will hear the result beep after only about 1 minute. With a regular thermometer, you should wait about 5 minutes, then gently remove the thermometer from your baby's body and read the result.

2.5. Thrush Thrush is a common infection in children. It usually causes a grayish-white coating on a child's tongue, inside cheeks, and gums.
Most babies don't experience pain or serious complications from thrush, but it can be passed to a mother while breastfeeding. If your child has thrush, it's best to see a doctor as soon as possible.

3. Health care and injury prevention for children

3.1.Nutrition for children aged 6-12 months A proper nutrition is an important stepping stone for the growth and development of young children. Breastfeeding gives babies the best start to a healthy life, while helping mothers significantly improve their health. You should exclusively breastfeed your baby until he or she is 6 months old. After that, the baby can be given more solid foods and continue to breastfeed until 12 months of age or older.
3.2. Preventing Infant Injury Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in children, especially between the ages of 6-12 months. When caring for children, be on the lookout for all sorts of things that could accidentally hurt your baby, including:
Falls Drowning Burns Poisoning Most of these accidents are preventable. While allowing children the freedom to explore, take risks, and try new things are important parts of their all-round development, it is also important to try to reduce the number and severity of problems. injury down to ensure the safety of the baby.
To prevent diseases that young children are susceptible to, parents should pay attention to a diet to improve children's resistance. At the same time, add supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins,... snacks and less digestive problems.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
The role of zinc - Guidelines for reasonable zinc supplementation
Please visit the website Vinmec.com regularly and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.

References: qld.gov.au, healthyfamiliesbc.ca, healthyparentshealthychildren.ca