Health for kids: the role of your family GP
If you want to know about good health for kids or you’re worried about your child’s health, see your GP.
It’s good to find a family GP you trust and feel comfortable with, so that you can get to know each other and talk openly. A GP who knows you and your child can help you avoid health problems. They can also more easily work out what health problems you have.
If you feel uncertain about the GP’s advice or diagnosis, it’s OK to get a second opinion.
Signs of serious illness include severe drowsiness or unresponsiveness, cold hands or feet, pale, blotchy or blue skin, difficulty breathing or unusual breathing, seizures, or a rash that doesn’t fade when you press your child’s skin. Phone 000 and ask for an ambulance if you see any of these signs.
Common childhood illnesses and health issues
Mild health issues and illnesses are common in childhood. Here’s a quick guide to some of the most common child health issues in Australia.
Allergies
Allergies happen when your child’s immune system reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless to most people – for example, foods, insect stings or bites, dust mites, animals or pollen.
Symptoms of mild or moderate allergic reactions include rash, swelling, stomach pain and vomiting. If you think your child has an allergy, take them to see your GP.
Symptoms of severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis include difficulty breathing, tongue or throat swelling and persistent dizziness. After insect stings or bites, symptoms might also include severe stomach pain or vomiting. If your child is having an anaphylactic reaction, seek immediate medical attention.
Asthma
If your child has asthma they might have a wheeze, difficulty breathing or a persistent cough, particularly at night or after physical activity. If you think your child has asthma, see your GP.
Colds
Children can get as many as 12 colds a year. The best treatment is usually fluids, comfort and rest. Antibiotics won’t help. If you’re worried that it’s something more serious than a cold, see your GP.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the lining of the eye over the eyeball and inside the eyelids. It’s usually caused by an infection or allergy. Symptoms include red, puffy, sore eyes and yellow or green sticky discharge.
Viral conjunctivitis is very contagious, but bacterial conjunctivitis isn’t as contagious. Allergic conjunctivitis isn’t contagious. Take your child to the GP to check which kind of conjunctivitis your child has and how to treat it.
Food intolerance
A food intolerance is a reaction to the food you’re eating. Symptoms include bloating, diarrhoea and stomach pain, which usually clear up by themselves. Talk to your GP if you think your child has a food intolerance.
Gastroenteritis
Many children get gastroenteritis (‘gastro’). Symptoms include diarrhoea, loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, stomach ache and fever. Most cases of gastroenteritis in children aren’t serious, but it’s important to make sure that your child gets enough fluid to avoid dehydration. If your child is mainly vomiting, take your child to see your GP. The GP might give your child medicine to help them stop vomiting and to treat dehydration.
Hand, foot and mouth disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease causes a rash, small mouth ulcers and blisters on hands and feet. It’s a mild infection, and most children get better quickly. If your child has mouth ulcers, they might lose interest in eating and drinking. Make sure your child is drinking enough fluid to avoid dehydration.
Impetigo
Impetigo or school sores usually starts as flat spots or small blisters anywhere on your child’s body. The spots might fill up with yellow or green pus, burst or crust over. The sores can be itchy. If you think your child has impetigo, go to the GP, because your child usually needs antibiotics. Impetigo is highly contagious, so keep your child at home for at least 24 hours after starting treatment.
Head lice or nits
These small, wingless insects attach themselves to children’s hair, lay eggs (often called nits), and cause a lot of scratching and itching. Head lice can’t jump or fly but they can crawl, so they spread only when people are in close contact – for example, when heads are close together. You can remove head lice by combing wet hair with conditioner or using anti-lice products from your pharmacy. Keep your child at home until the day after you’ve treated the head lice.
Warts
A wart is a small, flesh-coloured, raised skin growth. You mostly see them on children’s arms, hands and legs. Warts are usually painless. See your GP if the wart is on your child’s face, feet or genitals, or if the wart looks swollen, warm and red on lighter skin or brown, purple or grey on darker skin, or if the wart is painful.
Worms
Symptoms of worms include an itchy bottom and/or vagina. Symptoms usually happen more at night-time. Worms aren’t usually serious. They’re easy to treat with antiparasitic tablets that you can buy over the counter from your local pharmacy. You should treat everyone in the family at the same time. It’s common for infections to come back, particularly in children at child care, preschool or school.
Many common childhood illnesses spread easily. One of the best ways to prevent spread is careful hand-washing. You can teach your child to wash hands before eating, after going to the toilet, and after touching animals or dirty things.
Good health for kids: tips
Make sure immunisations are up to date
Immunisation protects your child and your community against diseases like influenza, measles and diphtheria, which are potentially serious and even life threatening. Your child can be immunised by your GP or at a community health clinic or local government immunisation clinic.
Use medicines only as needed, recommended or prescribed
You can use medicines like paracetamol and ibuprofen without a prescription when your child has a fever or mild pain. You don’t normally need to see a doctor to use these medicines. But if you’re unsure, talk to your pharmacist or GP.
Give your child other medicines only when recommended by a pharmacist or prescribed by a GP. And always check dosage instructions on medicine labels to make sure that you give your child the right dose for their weight or age.
You can read more about medicines for children.
Keep your child’s air clean
Second-hand and third-hand smoke can cause serious health risks to children. The best way to protect your child is to quit smoking or vaping. If someone in your house smokes or vapes, make sure they always smoke or vape outside and away from your child. And never smoke or vape in a car that carries children.
Also avoid using chemical household sprays, like insect repellent or cleaning products, when your child is in the room.
Hygiene
Daily personal hygiene is important for children and anyone taking care of children. It’s one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves – and others – from illness.
Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide
Keep your child safe in the sun and prevent sunburn by:
- slipping on protective clothing
- slopping on SPF 30 or higher broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen
- slapping on a broad-brimmed hat
- seeking shade
- sliding on close-fitting, wrap-around sunglasses.
Brush twice a day
Good dental health is vital to your child’s general health. It’s also key to avoiding tooth decay.
Brush your child’s teeth twice a day – morning and night. Just use water on the toothbrush until your child is 18 months old (unless a dentist tells you otherwise). From 18 months-5 years, use a pea-sized amount of low-fluoride toothpaste.
Find out more about dental care for babies, dental care for toddlers and dental care for preschoolers.