How can I tell if a sore throat is a virus or a more serious infection? The terms sore throat, strep throat, and tonsillitis often are used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. Tonsillitis refers to tonsils that are inflamed. Strep throat is an infection caused by a specific type of bacteria, Streptococcus. When your child has a strep…
Read more
Seizures
What do I do if my child has a febrile seizure? In some children, fevers can trigger seizures. A febrile seizure usually happens during the first few hours of a fever. The child may look strange for a few moments, then stiffen, twitch, and roll his eyes. He will be unresponsive for a short time,…
Read more
RSV
What is RSV and how can I protect my child from getting it? Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects almost all children at least once before they are 2 years old. Most of the time this virus only causes minor cold-like symptoms. However, for some babies infection can be more dangerous. For certain infants who are…
Read more
Nose Bleeds
My child gets a lot of nosebleeds. What should we do? Your child is almost certain to have at least one nosebleed—and probably many—during these early years. Some preschoolers have several a week. This is neither abnormal nor dangerous, but it can be very frightening. If blood flows down from the back of the nose…
Read more