Keep your child comfortable, and offer plenty of fluids. If your baby has a fever, remove extra blankets and clothing so heat can leave her body and help lower the body temperature. But don’t take off all your child’s clothes, because she may become too cold and start shivering, which makes more body heat and will cause her temperature to rise again.

Sponging your child with lukewarm water, alcohol baths and rubs is not recommended.

Medication is not always needed to reduce a child’s temperature. In fact, the best reason for giving your child medicine is not to reduce the fever, but to relieve any aches and pains.

Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol, Tempra, Panadol and others) is a suitable medication for a fever. Unless your doctor says otherwise, you can give the dose recommended on the package every 4 hours until your child’s temperature comes down. The temperature usually comes down in 1 hour and then rises again. If this happens, the medication may have to be repeated at the recommended time. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours.

Alternatively, you can give your child ibuprofen, which is found in products such as Advil and Motrin. Be sure to follow the directions on the package. Ibuprofen can be given every 6 to 8 hours — up to 4 times in a 24-hour period. Do not exceed the recommended dose.

• Ibuprofen should only be given if your child is drinking reasonably well.
• Do not give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months without first talking to your doctor.

Do not alternate between using acetaminophen and ibuprofen as this can lead to dosing errors.

A child or teenager with a fever should not be given aspirin [acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)]. If the fever is due to chickenpox, influenza or certain other viral infections, taking aspirin can increase the risk of Reye’s syndrome. This is a very serious condition that can damage the liver and brain.

Contact your health care provider if your child:

• Has a fever and is less than 6 months old.
• Has a fever for more than 72 hours.
• Is excessively cranky, fussy or irritable.
• Is excessively sleepy, lethargic or does not respond.
• Is persistently wheezing or coughing.
• Has a fever combined with a rash or any other signs of illness that worry you.

• A low-fibre diet that doesn’t include enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Products with more than 4 grams of fibre per serving (listed on the package) are good sources of fibre.
• Too much milk, juice, or other dairy products can cause your child to feel full. That means she’ll eat less of other foods that help her bowels work well.
• Being afraid to use the toilet. Your child may also hold back a bowel movement if there is a crack or tear around the anus, causing pain.
• Not enough physical activity.
• Some kinds of medicine can cause constipation.

What can I do if my child is constipated?

• Try to get your child used to a regular daily toilet routine.
• Do not rush toilet learning. Children can worry and hold back bowel movements if they feel pressured.
• Offer foods that are high in fiber such as whole grain breads, fruits like apples, bananas, berries or prunes, vegetables and legumes (split peas, soy and lentils).
• Give milk and dairy products in amounts that are right for your child’s age.
• After 12 months of age, your child should not take more than 3 portions of milk products per day (one portion of milk = 1 cup or 8 ounces; one portion of  yoghurt = ¾ cup or 175 grams; one portion of cheese = 50 grams or 1½ ounces).
• Children between 2 and 8 years need only 2 portions of milk products a day.
• Give your child a firm support for his feet, such as a small stool, when he is passing a bowel movement. It will make it easier to push.

More bowel movements, with stool that is less formed and more watery than usual.

There are many causes of diarrhea, though it’s usually caused by a virus. The most common cause of acute diarrhea in Canada is a virus called rotavirus.  Acute diarrhea usually lasts less than 14 days.

The germs that cause diarrhea, including rotavirus:

• spread easily from person to person, and especially from child to child.
• usually spread easily among children who have not learned to use the toilet.

You can prevent diarrhea caused by rotavirus by having your infant vaccinated.  You can also reduce the spread of the virus by washing your hands and your child’s hands carefully after every diaper change, after going to the toilet, and before preparing and eating food.

Children with diarrhea can lose fluids quickly. It’s important to keep offering food and drink to your child.

An oral rehydration solution (ORS), an exact mixture of water, salts and sugar, can be used to help keep your child well hydrated when diarrhea is serious.

What are some causes of chronic diarrhea?

Chronic diarrhea is diarrhea that last for more than 14 days. There are many causes of chronic diarrhea, including disease such as celiac disease (a disease where the body has trouble digesting a protein called gluten).

One fairly common cause of chronic diarrhea in children is often called toddler’s diarrhea.

What is toddler’s diarrhea?

Toddler’s diarrhea usually starts between the ages of 6 and 30 months and will go away by the time your child is about 5 years old. Children with toddler’s diarrhea may have 2 to 6 watery stools each day, but otherwise seem well and gain weight normally.

The exact cause of toddler’s diarrhea isn’t known, but it may be because some food moves more quickly through your child’s colon (the last part of the body’s digestive system). 

• Your toddler may drink too many sweetened drinks, such as juice or sports drinks, which can cause loose stool.
• It may also be caused by a lack of fiber in your child’s diet or by eating foods that are too low in fat.  

If your toddler has loose, watery stools often:

• Stop offering juice and give water instead. Juice has sugar that can make the diarrhea worse.
• Offer more food with fiber, such as whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables.

If the diarrhea continues, talk to your doctor at your next regular visit.

At this age, babies sleep an average of 14 hours in a day, but anything less or more can be normal for your baby. By now you should have a fairly regular routine of naptimes, bedtime and wake times.

During this period your baby will probably change from having 3 naps a day to 2 longer naps, in the morning and afternoon. Every baby’s napping needs are different. Some nap for as little as 20 minutes at a time, while others sleep for 3 or more hours.

Healthy sleep habits for your older baby:

• Maintain a regular daytime and bedtime sleep schedule as much as possible.
• A consistent bedtime routine is important. Many parents like to use the “3 Bs”: bath, book, then settle into bed.
• Don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle. This can lead to tooth decay.
• Babies this age usually don’t need to be fed during night-wakings.
• If your baby wakes at night and cries, go to her to see if there is anything wrong such as being too cold or too warm, but don’t take her out of the crib. Comfort her by stroking her forehead or talking softly to let her know you’re there. This helps your baby learn how to self-soothe, important steps toward falling back to sleep on her own.

Most toddlers sleep between 10 and 13 hours in a 24-hour period. Sometime between 2 and 3 years, your toddler will probably drop to one nap a day, but many will still have a nap at some point in the day. As your child approaches age 3 he can have days when he needs a nap and others when he doesn’t. At this age, it’s common for children to have some sleep problems and to resist going to bed.

Healthy sleep habits for your toddler:

• It’s still important to keep a sleep schedule your child is familiar with. The routine you established during the first year is even more important for your toddler.
• Avoid naps that are too late in the day because they can affect nighttime sleeping.
• Help your child wind down about half an hour before bedtime with stories and quiet activities at around the same time each day.
• Be gentle but firm if your child protests.
• Keep the bedroom quiet, cozy, and good for sleeping, such as keeping the lights dim.
• Soft, soothing music might be comforting.
• Security items (such as a blanket or stuffed animal) are often important at this age.

Preschoolers typically sleep about 10 to 12 hours a day. Children give up daytime naps during this period. You can use that time—often after lunch—for quiet time for your child to read and relax. At this age, it’s common for children to wake up during the night from nighttime fears or nightmares.

Healthy sleep habits for your preschooler:

• Don’t give your child drinks with caffeine.
• Avoid television before bedtime. Don’t allow television, computer or video games in his bedroom.
• Some children will try to delay bedtime. Set limits, such as how many books you will read together, and be sure your child knows what they are.
• Tuck your child into bed snugly for a feeling of security.
• Don’t ignore bedtime fears. If your child has nightmares, reassure and comfort her.

Most jaundice is not harmful to your baby and disappears when your baby’s body learns to deal with bilirubin. But in some babies there is so much bilirubin that it can be harmful. If the level of bilirubin becomes very high it can affect some of your baby’s brain cells.

In rare cases, severe jaundice can cause seizures (convulsions) or lead to deafness, cerebral palsy or serious developmental delay. Fortunately, most jaundice is not severe and complications can usually be prevented.

Feeding (especially breastfeeding) your baby frequently in the first hours and days after his birth helps reduce the risk of jaundice. Feeding often will make your baby pass more stool. The milk also gives your baby’s liver the energy it needs to process the bilirubin. Your baby’s stool should turn from dark green to yellow.

If you are having trouble with breastfeeding, it is important to get help. It might be necessary to offer your baby supplementary feeds of formula to avoid dehydration and to keep the jaundice from getting worse.

There is a blood test to measure the amount of bilirubin in your baby’s body.   In many hospitals, bilirubin levels are routinely checked before you take your baby home. Your health care provider can plot your baby’s result on a graph if they know exactly how many hours old your baby was when the test was performed.

The information should be given to you when you and your baby leave the hospital. If the test shows that your baby is at risk for reaching a level of bilirubin that needs treatment, your doctor will arrange a follow-up visit and will do another test.

Call your doctor if your baby shows any of the following symptoms:

• refuses breastfeeding or bottle feeding,
• is sleepy all the time,
• has lost a lot of weight (more than 10% of her weight at birth),
• is extremely jaundiced (arms and legs are a yellow or orange color), or

• jaundice that seems to be getting worse.