Healthy living

Can our Laburnum tree poison our son? - Allergy - Ask the doctor: children's health

Other Qs & As How can I tell if my daughter's taking drugs? How can my daughter get rid of her ganglion? Is croup contagious? Is helium dangerous? Is my son at risk from playing in garden where dog is kept? Is my son's i...

Allergy to cows' milk - Allergy - Ask the doctor: children's health

Other Qs & As Allergic system Is my son's lack of energy due to coeliac disease? My daughter has milk intolerance My daughter suffers from hay fever My son's allergic to eggs: is this a problem for vaccinations? Qu...

Allergic system - Allergy - Ask the doctor: children's health

Other Qs & As Allergy to cow's milk Is my son's lack of energy due to coeliac disease? My daughter has milk intolerance My daughter suffers from hay fever My son's allergic to eggs: is this a problem for vaccinations? ...

When your child goes to hospital - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

There's a one in two chance that your child will have to stay in hospital at some stage. You can help your child during the stay simply by being there. Make sure your child feels they're not alone: mum, dad or a close friend or relative should...

Talking to pre-adolescent children about sex - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

When is the right time to talk to your children about sex? Evidence points to the fact that good sex education tends to delay actual sexual activity. Evidence suggests good sex education tends to delay actual sexual activity. ...

Talking to children about death - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

What do you tell children? In most families, parents don't think about explaining death to their children until a relative dies. In the past, when people were born and died at home, death was a natural part of everyday life and children ...

Step-families - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

Try to fully comprehend just how important you and your partner are to your children. Step-families are very common nowadays. In fact it's been calculated that about one in three of us is involved in a step-family situation. And yet...

Sleep problems in children - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

The importance of sleep Give the child their dummy if they use one. If the baby wakes later in the night, try the same thing again. Sleep is important to everybody. When we sleep, we rest and gain energy for a new day. But sleep do...

Moving house – making it less stressful for children - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

Why is moving house stressful for a child? Deciding to move house is a big upheaval for the entire family. But while adults tend to focus on the practical problems, a child will focus on all the losses that the move causes. This can be the l...

How much sleep do children need? - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

Sleeping well is often a result of having good sleeping habits. Sleep is an important factor in all our lives. When we sleep: we rest, and our body is able to renew its energy. It's quite natural that we spend a lot of time talking about how we...

Growing up – how to give your children a good start in life - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

Bringing up a child The way in which the parents behave towards and speak to their children has enormous influence on their development. Bringing up a child is one of the most difficult responsibilities an adult can have. Yet it i...

Bringing up children - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

A child's greatest need is quality time with their parents. Raising a child is the hardest, most responsible and satisfying task a human being can face. It's also the job for which people receive the least formal training. Each person's kn...

Warts and verrucas - Your child's wellbeing - Children's Health

What are warts? Warts can be transmitted indirectly, especially via hard floors like those found in swimming pools. Warts are caused by a viral infection in the skin. Ordinary warts on the hands and feet are caused by viru...

Psychological impact of eczema - Skin problems - Children's Health

All long-lasting skin diseases have a psychological impact, and eczema is no exception. Our skin is what others see, and they often make judgements based upon it. Ignorance of skin disease is still widespread. Sufferers of eczema and condi...

Molluscum contagiosum - Skin problems - Children's Health

What is molluscum contagiosum? Molluscum contagiosum is a viral infection of the skin. It appears as small, pearl-shaped spots, which are whitish or pink in colour. It can occur at any age but is typically found in children, who often have skin ...

Infantile eczema - Skin problems - Children's Health

What is infantile eczema? When the child is one-and-a-half to two-years old, the rash will appear behind the knees and in the bends of the arms, wrists, ankles and neck. Many children in the western world suffer from infantile ...

Impetigo - Skin problems - Children's Health

What is impetigo? Impetigo is a common, highly infectious skin disease caused by staphylococcus bacteria or more rarely by the streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. Is impetigo dangerous? It isn't dangerous but it's an extremely co...

Eczema and school - Skin problems - Children's Health

General Eczema is more common in children – and it therefore can impact on schooling in many ways. Active (acute) eczema, causing constant itching and scratching, can mean sleepless nights and daytime drowsiness or lack of attenti...

Eczema: what to ask the doctor - Skin problems - Children's Health

General Use plenty of cream, and often, to alleviate eczema. The basic principles of managing all types of eczema are: avoidance of contact with irritants regular use of emollients appropriate use of anti-i...

Eczema: seborrhoeic eczema - Skin problems - Children's Health

General Seborrhoeic eczema has little or nothing to do with sebum (the oily secretion of the sweat glands), so the name is a poor one. The name persists partly because some of the areas affected (eg the groins and armpits) are also where t...

Eczema: atopic eczema - Skin problems - Children's Health

Definitions Atopic eczema affects about 15 per cent of children and up to 5 per cent of adults in the UK. Atopy is the general medical term for allergic conditions, such as hay fever, asthma or this type of eczema. People with...

Eczema - Skin problems - Children's Health

Definitions Eczema affects about 10-20 per cent of schoolchildren. The word ‘eczema’ comes from Greek words that mean ‘to boil over’. ‘Dermatitis’ comes from the Greek word for skin and...

Household products: poisoning in children - Protecting your child's health - Children's Health

Poisoning accidents Accidents in the home are much too common, especially since many can be avoided by taking a few simple precautions. Some of the more serious accidents are poisoning incidents involving children. When young children ex...

Children and medicines - Protecting your child's health - Children's Health

Common complaints Children are exposed to infectious diseases throughout their childhood. Most infections are caused by a virus, which cannot be treated by antibiotics. But if an infection is thought to be caused by bacteria, the doctor may ...

Childhood vaccinations - Protecting your child's health - Children's Health

All children in the UK are offered vaccinations against key diseases, as part of the national childhood immunisation schedule. The most recent changes in September 2008 have seen: the addition of a vaccine against human papillom...

Car safety for children - Protecting your child's health - Children's Health

Take safety in the car seriously Accidents are the most frequent cause of death among children, and car accidents are the leading cause (40 per cent die in car accidents, followed by 15 per cent drowning). Children in a car, who are not fastened ...

Testicular torsion - Growth and development - Children's Health

What is testicular torsion? Boys with testicular torsion get sudden pain and swelling of the scrotum. Testicular torsion is common in young boys and is most common in their teenage years but is also sometimes seen in men up to the ...

Protruding ears - Growth and development - Children's Health

What are protruding ears? About 1 to 2 per cent of people in the UK believe their ears stick out too much. We are all built differently and even our own faces are not symmetrical. Some people's ears stick out more than normal &nd...

How your school-age child develops - Growth and development - Children's Health

One of the most common problems is with reading. Starting school is difficult for many children. The change from being in nursery to being in 'proper' school is a big one. It may be the first time your child has to manage without mum or dad. Meet...

Growth hormone deficiency - Growth and development - Children's Health

What is growth hormone deficiency? Growth hormone deficiency can be both a total or a partial condition, resulting in impaired physical development. The growth hormone is one of the hormones produced in the pituitary gland (hypophysis), a...