Sick Baby Tips and Tricks

Now that Baby Girl's back to her healthy self (knock on wood) I thought I'd take some time to write down some of the things we've learned through all of her many illnesses... some of you may have your own tips and/or different ways of handling these situations but this is what has worked for us!

Dealing with Diarrhea

- Dress baby in clothes that fasten in the front, not clothes that go on and come off over the head. Diarrhea is messy and you don't want to be getting it up her back and on her face when changing her clothes! PJs or the short-sleeve onsies that snap up the front are perfect.

- You probably have way more burp cloths and lap pads than you do diaper changing pad covers. And as I said previously, diarrhea is messy so no matter how careful you are, you're going to get some on whatever surface you're changing her on. So before you change what you will already know to be a diarrhea diaper (trust me; you'll know), cover the changing area in burp cloths or lap pads first. Then when you're done you can just toss 'em in the washer, and the changing pad cover remains unstained and you don't need to worry about washing or changing it every time you change the diaper.

- A&D Ointment rocks. Use it liberally! We've never used anything but the A&D unmedicated ointment (no zinc oxide), and we've also (knock on wood) never had a diaper rash problem, even with the worst of the diarrhea and even with Baby Girl's ultra sensitive skin. Diarrhea is really acidic on the skin and will easily irritate it. When you're done cleaning her up, apply a nice thick coating of A&D ointment all over her bottom - front and back. You can't use too much.

- Don't wipe when you don't need to. Likewise, when it's just a regular pee-pee diaper, resist the urge to use diaper wipes. Even the ones that are made for sensitive skin and contain moisturizers can be harsh on skin that is sensitive due to diarrhea.

Feeling Feverish

- Infant Tylenol is your friend! Always have some on hand in case you need to deal with a fever. Even better is the dye-free infant tylenol if you can find it. Even if baby is perfectly still and willing to let you stick a dropper full of medicine into her mouth, guaranteed a fairly significant portion is going to come back out (until you and she perfect your techniques!). Better to have the white dye-free stuff in those cases than the bright pink stuff that can stain. It tastes the same to baby but its easier on your laundry!

- Make sure you give the dose that is correct for your baby's weight. When we took Baby Girl into the emergency room for her first fever, we found out we were undermedicating her. And they said this is very very common. We were going by her last weight and dosage recommendation from her pediatrician from a month-old visit and she had grown significantly. No wonder the tylenol didn't have any effect! if you're not sure, do err on the side of caution but then also call your pediatrician's office / nurses' line to find out what the maximum is you can safely administer.

- Don't waste your money on the pacifier thermometers, or the temporal artery thermometers, or the ear thermometers. Every pediatrician will tell you the same thing - they are unreliable for young babies. The only temperatures they trust are rectal and armpit. Get a good thermometer for armpit readings. Make sure it has a backlight so you can read it in the dark or dim lighting if you need to, and make sure it beeps when it is done so you don't have to hunch over baby watching the reading to know when it is finished, and so it doesn't matter which way the display is facing while you have it in her armpit (cause she's likely not going to be enjoying the process). You also might be able to make it a bit more comfotable for her by warming up the tip of the thermometer in your hands first before sticking it under her arm.

Stuffed up

- If baby is congested or snotty she will need some help getting the snot out. Saline drops are great - we use the "Little Noses" for infants brand - to help loosen up the crusties and get things moving again. Often times we just use the drops without suctioning. When we do need to suction, rather than using the traditional bulb syringe we went out and got one that has a clear tip and removable bulb. Two reasons. 1) We can see what we're suctioning out of her nose and know whether or not we're actually being successful and can see how much gunk we're actually getting out, and 2) we can take it apart and easily wash it and see that it is clean. And it's just easier to use than the one-piece bulbs with the long tip (it's not like you're using all that length in the tip anyway; you're only suctioning her nose, not her brain!).

Doctor Visits

- Dress baby in clothing that fastens in the front for doctor visits as well. Doctor's going to likely want to listen to her heart and breathing, front and back, and will likely want to get a weight (especially if she's got diarrhea) and possibly a temperature. The last thing you want to be doing with a sick baby whose already probably stressed out about being in the doctor's office and not feeling well to boot, is having to rustle her out of her clothes, pull stuff over her head, etc. We almost always take Baby Girl to the doctor in her PJs. That way even if they don't need her completely undressed, she can be quickly unbuttoned part of the way to allow for listening and temperature taking.

Sleep

Really really really try hard to follow the sage wisdom of "sleeping when your baby sleeps" especially when she is sick. When she's not feeling well she probably won't be sleeping well at night, and if that is the case, neither will you. And you need your rest because you don't want to be getting sick too. So when she's sleeping during the day, you should be too.

Wash wash wash your hands, wash your hands and then, wash wash wash your hands, wash your hands again

- Goes without saying, obviously. But with all that hand washing your hands are going to get dry and chapped and sore. Mine did to the point where even the Aveeno "especially for sensitive dry skin" cream burned when I applied it. The only thing I found that helped keep my hands comfortable without stinging or burning was Eucerin. So make sure you have some really good, heavy hand cream (not lotion) around to slather on your hands when they get dry and chapped.

Smaller portions, more frequently

- When baby's not feeling well, especially if it is tummy troubles or fever, she's probably not going to feel like eating big meals. She'll likely be eating smaller portions much more frequently. In which case, it's handy to invest in a number of spare bottles, if you're bottle feeding, so that you're not having to constantly wash out the bottles to accomodate the more frequent feedings. It's not like you're not going to use them. we have enough so that we can get through an entire 24 hour period without having to do a wash, even during sick times. Then once a day we toss everything into the dishwasher. If we're on top of things we'll do it more than once a day. But if we're not (which is often the case when Baby Girl is sick) we don't have to stress about washing bottles before her next feeding. Obviously, if you're breast feeding this isn't an issue :-)

Anytime

- don't be afraid or self-concious to visit or call your pediatrician whenever and as often as you feel like it. Do what feels right. They won't think you're being a nuisance, nor will they think you're being paranoid or overreacting. And if they do, get a new doctor! Seriously. It's what they're there for, and they should be encouraging you to do the same. Better safe than sorry, and better to ease your worries than let them spiral out of control.

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