Have you had your first baby, arrived home and have a thousand questions? Your two-year-old has an earache again and you don't know what to do? We have summarised the most important information here.
Your questions – our answers
| Age | Measured parameter and method |
|---|---|
| < 3 month | > 38 °C (measured rectally/in the anus) |
| 3-12 months | > 38 °C (measured rectally/in the anus) |
| > 12 month | > 38.5 °C (measured in the ear) |
Fever is not dangerous for the body. A fever does not necessarily have to be brought down.
However, children with a high temperature can appear very ill (apathetic), feel very ill themselves and no longer drink well. For reasons of comfort for the child and for better assessment, it is then advisable to reduce the fever.
If the child is well with a high temperature and you as parents are not very worried, it is not necessary to give medication.
Ibuprofen (Algifor) is a good antipyretic and analgesic with an anti-inflammatory effect. It can be given from 6 months and is taken well by most children in the form of a suspension.
Paracetamol (Dafalgan, Becetamol, Ben-u-ron) is a somewhat poorer antipyretic and analgesic. As a suppository, the active ingredient is sometimes very poorly absorbed by the body, delayed and unsafe. If a child has a high temperature or severe pain and needs immediate relief, oral administration (suspension, drops, tablets) should be favoured.
A fever that is difficult to bring down does not immediately mean that the illness is serious. There are many banal viral infections that can cause persistent fever.
However, if you as a parent have a bad feeling, you must have the child medically assessed!
Increased temperature (> 37.9°C) in the first 3 months of life: Paediatrician!
Was the child not unconscious after the fall on the head, did it calm down again after a while, is there no bump, no blood on the ear, no bruises behind the ear or around the eyes, is it not vomiting and is it behaving as you are used to? - Then a serious injury after the fall is very unlikely.
If it is a rather dangerous accident mechanism (roughly orientated fall height > 1.50 m for > 2 year old children and > 90 cm for < 2 year old children, car accident with other injured persons or generally from fast speed), your child has a soft swelling on the head (like a water bed), a bruise behind the ear or around the eye, blood on the ear, was unconscious, vomited more than twice, memory loss (amnesia), severe headache, twitching (seizure) or, above all, is your child different than usual? Is your child acting differently than usual and do you as a parent have a bad feeling? - Then you should take your child to a paediatrician as soon as possible.
Gastrointestinal infections that occur in our part of the world are usually viral and self-limiting. No medication must or can be given against the cause. However, children and especially infants can lose a lot of fluids in the form of vomiting or diarrhoea, so that they become weaker and weaker and a kind of vicious circle begins.
No effective medication can be given at home to treat vomiting or diarrhoea in children. You can give paracetamol (by mouth or as a suppository) for abdominal pain. Be careful with ibuprofen if the child has not been able to retain much fluid, as the medication is metabolised by the kidneys.
If your child has vomited a few times or had watery and smelly diarrhoea, offer them drinks such as sweetened tea or water. Babies may also be given milk, especially breast milk is a good choice. Food is not important in the acute stage.
If the child has already vomited many times, then only offer them liquids very slowly. The best solution is a rehydration solution (salt-sugar solution), which is available from pharmacies and gives your child exactly what they need. Offering slowly means: one teaspoon per minute. Offering it cold in the fridge is often a good tip. After vomiting again, take a short break and then continue slowly. If the diarrhoea is bloody, the child doesn't want to or can't eat anything and refuses drinks, has hardly had any wet nappies in the last few hours, no more tears when crying, is vomiting green or the abdominal pain is too bad, then you should take your child to a paediatrician.
Coughs are common and can be very annoying and protracted, but fortunately rarely mean anything serious.
Cough syrup often works poorly, according to studies (there are large studies) not at all. Children over one year old can take a teaspoon of honey before going to bed; honey contains so-called inhibins, which inhibit the cough receptors in the throat. The inhibins are destroyed by heating, so no hot milk with honey. Studies have shown that honey is the best remedy for coughs in children.
Children should drink well so that the mucus that needs to be coughed up is nice and thin. Good nasal care with sea salt water nasal spray is recommended, as well as a well-ventilated room for sleeping at night, with the upper body slightly raised. Also be generous with painkillers; a dry cough hurts. A glass of cold water can also help to break up a coughing fit. Another home remedy is to place a sliced onion next to the bed: the vapours are soothing.
If the child is breathing quickly and heavily or has wheezing, we recommend a paediatrician check-up.
A special and unmistakable type of cough is the so-called pseudo-croup: children make a typical hoarse noise when breathing in. The onset is usually in the early hours of the morning from a state of complete health the day before.
Pseudo-croup is often a self-limiting viral illness.
The children wake up and have difficulty breathing. It is important to calm yourself down first in order to relieve the anxious child's fear. Sit by an open window with your child on your lap so that they can breathe in the cool air calmly. Or run the shower with hot water, sit next to it and inhale with your child. setzen Sie sich daneben und inhalieren so mit Ihrem Kind.
Give ibuprofen (Algifor), which is anti-inflammatory, reduces swelling and relieves the pain of coughing. Try to give cold water to drink.
There are cortisone products available on prescription, but they only work after 1-2 hours.
If the breathlessness persists, you must take your child to an emergency ward. In very serious cases, call an ambulance.
If your child has a very high temperature and seems more ill than ever before, you should go to a paediatric emergency ward immediately, especially if the vaccination status is incomplete.
Infectious diseases can have serious consequences. Vaccinations are the most effective form of protection - not only for your own child, but also for newborns, pregnant women, other children and adults.
The Federal Commission on Immunisation and the FOPH issue the vaccination recommendations in Switzerland.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the right of every child to be vaccinated against preventable diseases and health (Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1997).
Parents have the right to parental care in the best interests of the child. If a child in Switzerland is not immunised according to our immunisation schedule, the child's right to be protected from preventable diseases is violated.
Middle ear infections are common in infants.
If the child's general condition is poor, if secretions or blood are visible on the outside of the ear or if the ear protrudes abnormally, consult your paediatrician.
"It often touches its ear" is not a good and reliable sign of earache. If a small child keeps waking up crying in the evening and at night after lying down and is unable to sleep, then a middle ear infection is typical.
Not every middle ear infection needs to be treated with an antibiotic; on the contrary, most of these infections are self-limiting. Antibiotic therapy, which is intended to prevent the infection from spreading, can have side effects, only slightly shortens the illness and does not help with the pain.
Middle ear infections can be extremely painful. Give painkillers generously, preferably ibuprofen.
You can also try onion pouches as a home remedy: e.g. fill an old sock with sliced onion, place it on the ear and fix it with a cap; the vapours have an anti-inflammatory effect. Ear drops are no longer recommended these days.
A child with an acute middle ear infection is not allowed to travel by plane.
A breastfed infant may only have a bowel movement every 10-14 days; this may be normal. However, if the stomach is very bloated and the child appears to be in pain, help is needed.
Especially when introducing complementary foods, periods of constipation are not uncommon.
Babies can be given a glycerine suppository (Bulboid), which is available over the counter in pharmacies and usually helps quickly and effectively. Overly aggressive use of enemas, which are also available for children, carries the risk of traumatising children.
Older children with persistent or painful constipation may need to be started on a laxative: Macrogol is an active ingredient that only acts locally in the intestine, is well tolerated, has no habituation effect and can also be used over a longer period of time. Parents should see their paediatrician for a medical history, examination and discussion.
Drinking lots of fluids, eating plenty of fibre and dried fruit is not wrong, but studies have shown that it does not help much.
Grossly contaminated wounds must be cleaned well (e.g. with water and a soft brush) and then disinfected. Gaping wounds may need to be stitched or glued. Adequate tetanus immunisation status must be considered.
Burns and scalds should be shown generously by a paediatrician, especially in small children, over joints, on the genitals, on the face or in the case of extensive injuries. After the accident, only cool locally with 20° warm water (not too cold and not too extensive), otherwise hypothermia may occur.
Your questions – our answers
At the end of the stay on the maternity ward, you will receive your baby's health booklet at the hospital. There is a German, French or Italian version and contains personal information and general recommendations. Always take it with you to your paediatrician's check-ups, maternity and paternity consultations or emergency consultations.
https://www.paediatrieschweiz.ch/eltern/
You will certainly be able to clarify many questions after you leave hospital with your outpatient postnatal care or at the maternity and paternity counselling service.
hebamme.ch
wochenbettbetreuung.ch
During the day you can contact your family paediatrician and find out which paediatricians are on duty in the region via the Ärztefon.
aerztefon.ch
In the city of Zurich there are various walk-in emergency centres that are open until the evening. Two paediatric emergency wards are open 24/7 and both also have a helpline for emergencies: University Children's Hospital Zurich and Zurich City Hospital.
kispi.uzh.ch
stadt-zuerich.ch/triemli
If you live in the canton of Zurich, you will be informed by post where your local maternity and paternity advice centre is. You can come here once a week with your baby to be weighed, to ask questions and to talk to other parents.
muetterberatung.ch
You should make your first appointment with your future paediatrician when your baby is one month old. This is when your baby will receive the third and final dose of vitamin K (important for blood clotting). A hip ultrasound will also be performed by then at the latest in order to recognise congenital abnormalities.
From the age of two months, the Federal Commission for Immunisation and the Federal Office of Public Health recommend starting vaccinations to protect the baby from serious infections.
The safest place for your baby to sleep at night is in its own bed in the parents' bedroom (for the first six months or so). Only lay your baby on its back at night, ideally dressed in a sleeping bag and on a rather hard surface (no cuddly toys or positioning aids). The recommended room temperature is 18 to 20°C. Your hands, feet and the tip of your nose may feel cold, but your neck should be nice and warm. Do not smoke near the child.
During the day, lay your child on its tummy (tummy time) or on its side when you are present. Position the head sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right. If your child lies exclusively on his or her back, a crooked neck and deformation of the skull may occur.
If you as a parent think that your child is ill, do not hesitate to take your baby to a paediatrician in the first few weeks. Infections in small babies can quickly become serious. Signs of infection in small babies are unwillingness to drink, unusually long periods of sleep or restlessness with nervous crying, paleness, high or low body temperature (normal body temperature 36.5°C-37.5°C).
The time after birth is not easy (sleep deprivation, hormonal changes, baby blues). Let friends or family help you with caring for the baby and everyday tasks. If things are getting too much for you, contact your gynaecologist, paediatrician or, for example, a mother and father counselling service. Help can and must be given to protect you and your baby.
kinderundgewalt.ch
We only use masculine or feminine forms on our website to improve readability, but we do not wish to discriminate against anyone and our wording includes everyone.