Frequent complaints from parents of young children

With the improvement of various diagnostic methods, on the one hand, it became easier for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis, on the other hand, questions arose: how to explain the parents’ complaints, in the absence of changes in the examination results. Or, when these results do not correspond to the complaints in the classical view.  

So, let’s look at the most common complaints from parents of young children:

• “Our child is restless, sleeps badly at home, but sleeps well on the street … He probably has something wrong in his head …”. 

The reason for this, as a rule, is only one – the child is not comfortable awake and sleeping in such conditions .  

This is especially true in the autumn-winter period, when batteries are running in the house. The air becomes dry and hot. In the so narrow nasal passages of the baby, thick mucus or crusts are formed, from which the child himself cannot get rid of and suffers from difficulty breathing, is capricious. Remember how your baby resists when they climb into his nose, interfering with normal breathing.    

So, if your baby grunts or sniffs, or crusts are visible in his nose, if only cacti, succulents and palms feel good in your apartment , then the first thing you need to do is humidify the air, especially in the children’s room.    

You can hang wet sheets or terry towels on the battery and moisten them as they dry. But it is best to take advantage of the progress of civilization and buy a humidifier, setting the humidity parameters at 50-70%. 

In the “battery period”, it must work constantly, because when you turn it off, the air dries out very quickly.

There will also be less dust in the air and the skin will dry less. 

In addition to dry air, children do not tolerate heat well.

If your baby is gaining weight well, then very quickly he becomes uncomfortable in closed clothes. Already at 1 month, he gets out of hats and diapers. At 3 months he jerks his arms and legs and gladly shakes off his socks and blanket. When he is undressed, he begins to walk, sing and even squeal with joy. If the child is hot, the head begins to sweat, hands and feet become wet. Give your little one a chance to adjust their comfort – do not wrap him up, leave arms, legs and head open. If in doubt, cover with a diaper or blanket that he can throw off – that means he’s better off. And you will see how much calmer and more smiling the child will be.    

So, in houses where the temperature is 18-20 * and the home clothes do not look like an astronaut’s suit, children are calmer, more smiling and sleep better.

Anxiety in a child can be caused by other reasons, but exclude at least these and then go for help to specialists (pediatrician and neurologist).   

• “Our child lies in an arc”

As a rule, this is often found in healthy babies in the first 3-4 months of life. 

In this case, on examination, as a rule, the usual torticollis is revealed. 

Habitual, because in a newborn baby the head is extended towards the back of the head and keeping the head straight is more difficult in the supine position than on its side (usually the head turns towards the light source). Or, if the child is “tame”, then the mother carries it on one arm on the back or in a “column”, forming a constant turn of the head to one side. And so on for 1-2-3, etc. months. The body also bends slightly towards the head and muscle tone on this side increases reflexively. As soon as the head is laid flat, the body and tone become symmetrical. By the 4th month, some of the unconditioned reflexes will fade away and this complaint will disappear by itself, or a course of general strengthening massage will be enough.         

But if the baby does not have enough vitamin D3 and calcium is poorly absorbed, then the bones of the skull soften and deform on the side of the turn. The head becomes uneven, flattened from one side and it can be difficult to lay it straight without the help of special devices. 

So, watch the turn of your newborn’s head: when he is awake, turn him around in the crib so that the light is on one side and then on the other and teach yourself to change your hand if you have to carry the baby for a long time, especially vertically facing you and to the side. …  

Torticollis may have other reasons, but do not admit at least these. If in doubt, you should consult a neurologist or orthopedist.