Sick baby care

• Call your baby's provider if you think your baby is sick.
• Keep medical supplies on hand at home.
• Ask someone to take care of your baby if you're sick.

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The flu (influenza) is an illness that is easily spread. It’s caused by a virus. The flu typically spreads during winter months.

When someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or speaks, the viruses spread into the air. You can get the flu if you breathe in one of the viruses. You also can get the flu if you touch something (like a door handle or a phone) that has a flu virus on it and then you touch your nose, eyes or mouth.

For most people, the flu makes them sick. But for some, the flu can lead to severe illness and life-threatening health issues. It’s really important for babies and young children to be protected from the flu.

What are the symptoms of flu?
Flu symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough (Don’t give over-the-counter cough and cold products to your baby or young child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these medicines can have serious and life-threatening side effects.)
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Being tired
• Vomiting and diarrhea

Fever and most other symptoms can last a week or longer.

Does your child need the flu vaccine?
Yes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone older than 6 months get the flu vaccine each year. The 2011-2012 flu vaccine protects your child against both seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 flu (a kind of flu that spread around the world in 2009).

It’s really important for children younger than 5 to get the vaccine because they’re more likely than older kids to have health problems caused by the flu. Some children younger than age 9 need two doses of the flu vaccine. Ask your child’s provider if one dose is enough.

The flu vaccine is safe for most children. But check with your child’s provider to make sure the vaccine is safe if your child:

• Is allergic to eggs. The flu vaccine is made with eggs.
• Has had the flu vaccine before and had a serious reaction to it
• Has had Guillain-Barré syndrome after getting the flu vaccine. This is an illness that can cause paralysis (being unable to move).

Having the flu can be really dangerous for children with chronic health problems, like asthma, heart disease, sickle cell disease, diabetes, cancer and HIV. If your child has these or any other chronic health problems and she is older than 6 months, be sure she gets her flu vaccine each fall. Flu season lasts from October through May.

If you take care of a child younger than 5 years old, get the flu vaccine yourself. This is really important if you take care of a baby younger than 6 months old. Babies this age are too young to get the flu vaccine. Getting the flu vaccine yourself can help prevent you from spreading the flu.

How is the flu vaccine given?
The flu vaccine is given in two ways:

1. Flu shot
2. Flu mist. This is a nasal spray. Children older than 2 years can get the flu mist unless they have health problems, like asthma or heart and lung problems.

If you’re not sure which vaccine is best for your child, ask his health care provider or visit flu.gov.

How is flu treated?
If your child has flu symptoms, call her health care provider right away. He may recommend medicine that kills infections caused by viruses.

Be sure your child gets lots of rest and drinks plenty of fluids. She may not want to eat much. Try giving her small meals to help her body get better.

If your child seems uncomfortable from a fever, ask her provider if you can give her infant's or children's acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Never give aspirin to a child who has a fever without checking with her health care provider. Aspirin can cause a rare but life-threatening liver disorder called Reye syndrome in children with certain illnesses, such as colds, flu and chickenpox.

How can you stop the flu from spreading?
If your child has the flu, he can spread it to others. Take the following steps to help prevent the disease from spreading:

• Don’t kiss your child on or around the mouth. But a hug is a good thing!
• Teach your child to cough or sneeze into a tissue or his arm. Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after caring for your child. You also can use alcohol-based hand rubs.
• Use hot, soapy water or a dishwasher to clean your child’s dishes and utensils.
• Don’t share any of your child’s dishes, glasses, utensils or his toothbrush.
• Limit your child’s contact with others.

When should you call your child’s health care provider?
Contact your child's health care provider right away if your child has any of these signs:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that she doesn’t want to be held
• Flu symptoms that improve but return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

For more information
Flu.gov

November 2011

See also: Flu and pregnancy, Your baby’s vaccinations