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Parents frequently avoid giving their children fever medicine before a sick visit because they’re afraid it will compromise the doctor’s medical evaluation. In reality, giving a child something to lower her fever before a visit usually makes it easier for doctors to determine what’s going on. Fever medicine isn’t strong enough to mask symptoms, but has the potential to … [Read more...] about Should You Give Your Child Fever Medicine Before a Doctor’s Visit?

After a baby is born, a nurse puts a blue rubber aspirator in his bassinet. Parents commonly take this item home and use it to clean mucus from their baby’s nose. You should know, however, that this device is not a nasal aspirator. Instead, the hospital nurses use it to suck saliva or mucus out of a baby’s mouth after he spits up. The reason it should not be used in the nose is … [Read more...] about The Blue Rubber Item You Get After Birth is Not a Nasal Aspirator

In the first few months of life, babies are obligate nose breathers. This means that they have to breathe through their noses. By the time babies are three to six months of age, they are able to breath through their mouths, but most still prefer nasal breathing. Because babies breathe through their noses, they make all sorts of noise—snurgles, snorts, and other sounds that … [Read more...] about Stuffy Babies Do Not Usually Have Colds

In the first few days of a cold, the mucus that comes out of your child’s nose is clear. This occurs because the virus that is invading your child’s nose and sinus cavity causes inflammation that stimulates his mucus-producing cells. After a few days, the body’s immune system begins to attack the virus. When this happens white blood cells die and become mixed in with … [Read more...] about Does Yellow Nasal Mucus Mean Your Child Has a Sinus Infection?

In the past few years, more and more has been written about the overuse of antibiotics. In most cases, this applies to the use of antibiotics for viral infections. This practice is not recommended for two reasons: 1. Antibiotics do not kill viruses and 2. Using antibiotics needlessly increases the risk for getting bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. However, … [Read more...] about Overuse of Antibiotics Doesn’t Apply to Strep Throats