Childhood Illnesses

Ouch Mom, My Ear Hurts! Dealing with Ear Infections in Children Cold weather and more time indoors means your child is more likely to catch a cold or contract the flu. However, while many parents take precautions against cold and flu season, most...

Protecting Kids from Asthma Between 1980 and 2010, the percentage of youth with asthma in America increased from 3.6% of the population to 9.4%, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). What can parents do to reduce the prevalence of...

Decongestant nose spray is not routinely recommended for toddlers. ...

Children should not go to school when they're contagious to others or when they're too sick to learn. But how do you know if they are contagious? Find out if you know when these common childhood illnesses are "catchy." ...

Common Contagious Diseases Among Preschoolers Preschoolers who attend day care pass germs around as if they were crayons. Certain conditions are therefore more common among children in day care. Although most of the following conditions might b...

Giving Your Toddler Medicine Childproofing Children should never be given aspirin because it increases their risk of contracting Reye's Syndrome—a potentially life-threatening condition. Q-tip To keep track of when and how much medicine you ha...

If your child is on antibiotics, how long do you have to wait before they can return to school? For some infections, it's 24 hours, but that's not always the case. ...

Stepparents have no official legal status. Use this medical permission form for your stepchild in case of an emergency. ...

Use this school form if you need to give the school permission to give your child medication. ...

Diarrhea: Causes and Treatment Diarrhea. The condition that makes a common denominator of us all. Everyone, at some time in his or her life, has had a bout of the “runs”—hopefully in situations where a bathroom was nearby. First Things Fi...

Thigh pain is an unusual complaint for a six-year-old. A good physical exam can usually localize where the problem is coming from, although sometimes X-rays and/or laboratory studies are needed. ...

How to Prevent Muscle Cramps and Strains A muscle cramp can be one of the fallouts of exercise, especially on hot days. Suppose for example, the muscle in your arm or leg suddenly—and painfully—knots itself into a tight fist. Cramps can also...

Treating Poison Ivy Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac can cause severe rashes and itching. Like the old song says, some of the worst skin rashes come from plants and trees. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac all produce an oily subs...

Find out about Still's Disease, a form of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), which is a connective tissue disease. ...

Find out how long children should stay away from a child diagnosed with mono, and what other steps are important. ...

Certain foods have been known to aggravate children's eczema, such as eggs, milk, wheat products, and soy. ...

Most over-the-counter cold medicines do not work very well in babies, and they can have noticeable side effects. ...

Learn about eczema in children, and the best ways to treat it. ...