Ask our health visitor: March 2006

Tummy trouble     

Q Recently my 11-month-old baby had severe sickness and diarrhoea and the GP said it was gastroenteritis. I’m really worried that he’ll get it again – is there anything I can do?

A The best way to prevent the spread of tummy bugs, or gastroenteritis, is thorough hand-washing, as the germs that cause this illness are easily spread through unwashed hands touching food or toys. This is why tummy bugs spread easily in any environment where children mix together.

It’s understandable that you want to prevent your son suffering from another bout of this but don’t let your worries stop you socialising with him. Gastroenteritis can be picked up anywhere, but as long as you’re careful about hygiene you can rest assured that you’re doing your best to reduce the chance of him getting it again.

If your baby does get a tummy bug again, the main thing to do is to encourage him to drink plenty of water, to prevent dehydration.

Wart’s the problem?

Q My little boy is three and has developed several warts on his hands. Is this anything to worry about and how should I treat them?

A Warts are caused by a virus and occur in about 10% of children. Warts on the hands are known as common warts and these are usually painless, so your little boy should experience no discomfort – and a mild case of common warts doesn’t usually require treatment. Try to prevent him from picking at them as this may cause them to bleed and become infected.

Warts often disappear without treatment but this can take some time, so if you or your son are concerned about them, see your GP who will advise you about treatment and provide it if necessary. This may involve freezing the warts or applying medication directly onto them.

Colic cure

Q My nine-week-old daughter suffers from colic and I’d like to try baby massage to help relax her. How can I find out more?

A Baby massage can be very effective in relieving the symptoms of colic and many parents find massage very soothing, both for their babies and themselves. With warm fingers and a little olive or baby oil, gently rub your baby’s tummy in a clockwise direction, and see if she likes it.

There are baby massage videos available that you can buy or hire from your local library. You can also go to classes – you can find a local instructor at iaim.org.uk (the International Association of Infant Massage) or you may be able to access a local group facilitated by your local health service.

Many health visitors have received training in infant massage so do speak to yours about this as she may be able to help. She will also be able to support you through this time, as coping with a colicky baby can be very distressing.

Andrea Grace, sleep counsellor

Sweet dreams

Q My six-month-old daughter was premature and I’ve always struggled to get her to sleep unless she’s with me. She now sleeps in her cot, but when she wakes up, she needs to be fed and rocked back to sleep. She’s very restless and has started waking in the night for feeds. She’s so tired and grumpy – can you help?

A When your baby was very little, she needed to be close to you and it’s natural that you helped her get to sleep. However, now she’s bigger you can encourage her to develop more independent sleep skills.

As she’s now over six months, it’s unlikely that she requires night feeds for nutritional purposes, but feeding may be a way of settling herself back to sleep.

Once you’ve checked that her weight gain is normal, you can safely drop this feed.
It’s important to address how she falls asleep at bedtime. If you rock or cuddle her to sleep, she’ll cry for you to do this when she wakes during the night.

Have a clear bedtime routine (eg: supper, bath and milk) to signal that it’s time to sleep, then put her into her cot awake for a story or song. Stick to the same one each night until her settling skills improve, then stay where you are to reassure her until she’s asleep, even if it takes a long time.

When she wakes, try to settle her without a feed. If she can’t re-settle, offer a smaller feed than usual and put her back into her cot awake.

With this approach, settling will gradually become easier. Once she’s comfortable falling asleep in her cot, leave the room as she settles to sleep. It may take two or three nights before you’re able to do this.

If she continues to wake in the night, keep reducing her milk until by the end of a week you’re responding to night waking by just patting her in her cot or offering a little water.

5 ways to… soothe a sore bottom

1 Leave her nappy off whenever you can, to let the air get to her skin.

2 Change her nappy as soon as possible when she’s wet or dirty as wee and poo can irritate her skin.

3 Clean her with warm water and cotton wool, or use perfume- and alcohol-free baby wipes.

4 If you use fabric nappies, see whether changing to a gentler washing powder helps. 

5 Use a protective cream before putting on a fresh nappy.